Business As Usual

Arsenal got back on track after their midweek Europa League loss with a 4-1 mauling of managerless Crystal Palace.

And this was needed. My main concern after Thursday was the psychological damage that it may have done to the players after 120 minutes and that heart-breaking shoot-out defeat. To all the players, but particularly Gabriel Martinelli. But it was clear that whatever Mikel Arteta has said to them - hopefully the same sort of things that we have been saying to each other in order to rationalise the defeat - has done the trick.

In many ways, it was useful to have another game before the Interlull (oh, how I hate them!) as it helped prevent negative thoughts from festering. And it was doubly useful that they were up against a totally out of form Palace; now managerless following the sacking of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. They're a poor side, and look in severe danger of relegation. In fact, if they bring Hodgson back - surely the most stupid idea since Olaf the Hairy, King of the Vikings, ordered 10,000 helmets with the horns on the inside (thanks to Blackadder Goes Fourth for the reference btw) - they'll get exactly what they deserve if what I saw at Vicarage Road at the end of last season is anything to go by. He's less yesterday's man than last century's man!

And so to the game itself. No Tomiyasu for the foreseeable future, but both Gabriel and Zinchenko had recovered from knocks received on Thursday. The big loss looked perhaps to be William Saliba - no way of knowing how long he might be out for, but he's not going away with France this week - but Rob Holding, drafted in for his first PL start of the season, was well-nigh immaculate. He's a considerably better player than he was before - and he was OK then, frankly - and has clearly benefitted from the coaching he has received since the end of last season. He looks a much more accomplished passer of the ball, reads the game better, and in this game at least did nothing rash.

I have to say that I was appalled at some of the abuse directed at Holding that I've seen on social media over the past couple of days. For goodness sake; he's a back-up and probably 5th choice centre-back now, so I'm not sure what you'd expect. And he's not complained - he knows his place, he's worked hard, bided his time and has very much taken his chance. But if he's putting on the shirt he gets my unequivocal backing. I hope all you haters are eating your words!

Arsenal of course dominated possession, with Palace looking to hit on the break with their speedy forwards. But they're frankly very limited. Edouard up top lacks class, and both Olise and Zaha flattered to deceive throughout - apart from one moment fairly early on when the latter found himself one on one with Ben White and skinned him, only to see his shot beat Ramsdale but hit the post and then rebound back off the keeper for a corner. Palace had only two shots on target the entire game, and Zaha spent most of his time falling over, complaining to the referee and pulling his socks up. 

Once Arsenal took the lead in the 28th minute - it had been ball domination but nary an effort on goal up to them - the match was as good as over. Palace really had nothing with which to respond. The goal was created on the right by the White/Saka partnership that I have started to fall in love with, and the latter’s cross was smashed in left-footed by Martinelli (thus vanquishing Thursdays demons with one strike of the ball). Cue a roar of relief from the fans. That's 6 in his last 6 PL games; tidy.

From that point Arsenal confidence grew, and the second - from Saka, was assisted by White. He swept the ball home past the wrong-footed keeper from a fairly tight angle.

So 2-0 at half-time. And with Partey and Odegaard pulling the strings, Zinchenko once more popping up everywhere, and Holding snuffing out everything Palace attempted to throw at Arsenal on the break it was well-deserved. One of Holding's best performances in an Arsenal shirt - almost on the level of the day that he had the odious Diego Costa in his pocket that sunny afternoon at Wembley almost 6 years ago!

The third goal, early in the second half, was manufactured on the left hand side. Zinchenko and Trossard combining to set a marauding Granit Xhaka free inside the box, and he stabbed the ball home. At that point we had visions of obliterating City's goal difference advantage; ultimately that was not to be. Yet another assist for Trossard, by the way. That's 6 in the PL since he joined.

Arsenal's new-found weakness from corners - needs addressing, please - led to a scrappy goal for Shlupp; Palace's fans celebrated an actual goal like they'd won a Cup Final! - and they almost scored again when Zaha - remembering that he was a footballer - drove into the box and fired a cross-shot just wide of the far post. But Saka's second put them back in their box - sweet finish from substitute Kieran Tierney's excellent cross and he's now hit double figures for both goals and assists this season. Starboy.

Game seen out comfortably from that point, and we're now 8 points clear. But... it's Manchester City who are chasing, so we can take nothing for granted. We need to expect them to win all their games - for all that they're still in three competitions. And their Champions League draw is as horrible as it could possibly be. Arsenal have 10 games left to play this season, and they have as many as 19. Surely that's in Arsenal's favour, and the main upside to going out of the Europa League. I'm not confident, but I remain hopeful. 10 Cup Finals to go.

COYG!

It's Full Steam Ahead Down By The Thames

As comfortable an afternoon as any team going for the Premier League could have wished for, as Arsenal brushed Fulham aside in a dominant first half performance that compares to the best that we've seen from any side all season.

Three goals by half time, and it could have been more; frankly, if it had been 6 Fulham could not really have complained. Given their total dominance over the opposition in the first half, Arsenal had earned the right to take it easy in the second - the need for more goals to keep up with Manchester City's goal difference notwithstanding - and this they did; keeping Fulham at arms' length (not always comfortably, but you always felt that Arsenal had plenty more in the locker should they have chosen to use it).

Such a contrast to last weekend's nerve-wracked afternoon. Which begs the question: which sort of win do YOU prefer? The dramatic claw back from two down and last minute winner, or the stroll in the park? There are, of course, pros and cons to both. Nothing brings a team together - along with its supporters - than fighting back in the face of adversity. On the other hand, there's a lot to be said for a nice relaxing afternoon. 

I remember the good old days back at Highbury 20 years ago when we used to sit back in our seats expecting to be regally entertained, as we'd chat and laugh our way through another three or 4 goal romp (I can also remember telling my friend Jill to enjoy those times, as it couldn't possibly get any better - but might well get worse. It did get worse, of course, and for quite some time, but days like this are reminiscent of those heady afternoons watching the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira and Pires take the literal piss out of the opposition. Jill sits near me in the new ground too, and we often talk about whether those days may come back. Maybe they have - but Arsenal have won nothing yet!).

A quick recap on the salient points from the game: firstly, it was a surprise and relief to see that Leandro Trossard had recovered so quickly from his injury last weekend. With Jesus and ESR still out, and Nketiah also injured, Arsenal were getting down to the bare bones in attack with Reiss Nelson - and no, I'm not losing sight of the ecstasy he gave us last week, but starting him would have demanded a whole lot more of him than a 20-minute cameo did.

The rest of the XI was as expected, but it gave me shivers to see that Gabriel Jesus was back on the bench. Although it's remarkable that Arsenal lost him after 14 PL matches, when they were 5 points clear at the top of the table, yet still find themselves 5 points clear 12/13 matches later. But we can't say that we haven't missed him. Eddie stood in manfully for a while - and he has clearly learned a lot from training with him - but it's been an absolute masterstroke by Edu and Arteta to have drafted in Trossard to take up the slack when the Eddie Effect began to wear off. It won't be long before Arteta has selection headaches up front; but on the other hand he shouldn't pass up the opportunity to give Starboy the occasional break.

And here's the thing; a combination of illness and injury on Thursday had made matters tricky in Lisbon. But Arsenal are suddenly much stronger than they were just a few days ago. Not, I hasten to add, do I believe that they have the squad depth to compete in both the PL and UCL next season. But they're on their way. Flowers for Edu and Mikel...

Fulham pressed quite high early on, but simply couldn't keep it up. It seemed to only be a matter of time, and even when Robinson's own goal was chalked off for offside it was really only a prelude to what was to come. 

Trossard was running the show up top. Interesting that since he has started dovetailing with Martinelli, his presence has helped elevate the latter's performances. But there was plenty to admire behind the front line. Gabriel and Saliba were in full control of Mitrovic (and also showing off their passing skills). In the heart of the midfield, Thomas Partey was again magnificent. Saka was torturing poor Robinson on the right. And Odegaard - in particular - kept the engine running; aided and abetted by Xhaka and auxiliary central midfielder Zinchenko. A Palhinha-less Fulham were left chasing shadows.

The first goal appeared to be a simple header from a corner. But one could see how Arsenal had worked on a precise routine to deal with the way Fulham defend corners; taking advantage of their zonal marking in a devastating way. And for the second one had to feel sorry for Robinson, who didn't know which of Martinelli, Saka and Odegaard to mark; such was the penalty box movement. Beautiful.

2-0 felt OK. But the third on the stroke of half-time - which came about as a result of Partey's brilliant interception of a Fulham throw in - killed the game stone dead. Not for the first time a switch to Trossard on the left cut Fulham apart, and he somehow located Odegaard in the box. The Norwegian killed Fulham off clinically.

There's nothing much to report on in the second half from an Arsenal point of view. They had to withstand something of a barrage for a while, as Fulham unsurprisingly came out fired up by Silva's half-time criticism. But it was short-lived. And the most notable piece of action in the half was the return of Jesus.

I feel that it was game state that gave Arteta the opportunity to introduce him. But he looked sharp from the off, fitted in seamlessly, and could/should have had a goal. This bodes well for the rest of the season; although he needs to be eased back slowly of course. If Arteta has him fully up and running for the crucial matches from mid-April onwards, that may be enough.

A slight disappointment for me was that we didn't see ESR. I'd have hoped to see a few more minutes put into his legs. If he doesn't get some time on Thursday, I think that we can start to get a little concerned. He adds something a little different when he's firing on all cylinders, and could be yet another useful string to Arteta's bow.

And so we move on. Still 5 points clear, and now just 11 matches to go. Hopefully, by the time City play again - against Liverpool, it's worth noting - it'll be 8 points. And Arsenal are at home to Leeds that afternoon.

First things first. The return leg against Sporting, with the tie poised at 2-2, is on Thursday. And then shot-shy Crystal Palace on Sunday. Just keep going, lads. 

Before I go, just a quick word on LinekerGate. This is a very nuanced issue, and on the whole I agree with most people that he is entitled to express a carefully considered opinion on Social Media. However... his idea of 'carefully considered' is not necessarily everybody's. 

As a Jew myself, I take issue with his two most controversial recent posts, which have been a) denouncing as 'awful' the death of a promising young Palestinian footballer at the hands of Israeli forces a few months ago. With disregard for the fact that the young man was also a terrorist who was 'neutralised' on Israeli territory whilst carrying out an armed attack intended to kill unarmed Israeli civilians. No context to the tweet, and no apology afterwards. 

And then b) the tweet that caused the BBC to intervene. Whilst I've had a good friend, whose father is a Holocaust survivor (and still going strong, I should add), disagree strongly with me as to the context of the words that Lineker used - and who am I to try to contextualise that brave (and remarkably forgiving) man's lived experience, and that of his family? - I feel that comparing UK Government policy and the words used by the Home Secretary to justify it - reprehensible as many feel it is in this day and age - to that of 1930s Germany is inflammatory. As well as severely diminishing what happened in Europe in the late 1930s and early 1940s. We all need education on that, but Lineker's tweet would have been taken at face value by many. 

I actually broadly agree with him. On the policy; but not on his choice of words. Anyway, we live and learn - even as Society becomes more and more polarised. 

Let's concentrate on The Arsenal, then. COYG!

Reiss-on To Believe

You know, I had a strange feeling before this game. I wouldn't call it 'dread'; but I just had a sense that it may be a bit of a banana skin. Everything felt a little too comfortable. As I said to my mate Stuart pre-match: 'This doesn't feel right. It's too relaxed. The seats are only half-filled at 5 to 3. It's almost as if everyone's a bit too chilled about it. Like; it's only Bournemouth. I hope that the players aren't feeling the same way.' So... blame me if you like.

But it was a horrible start. As I remarked immediately the ball hit the back of the net: 'Well, you've got to laugh, really. Otherwise you'll cry.' But irrespective of the fact that if the VAR had done his job the goal would have been chalked off - with three - I think - Bournemouth players in the Arsenal half when the game kicked off - it was quite clear that Arsenal were indeed half asleep. Zinchenko, Partey, Saliba and Gabriel all at fault for various reasons. 

Now there's no need for me to go through what happened in the game on a blow-by-blow basis. It's a game that'll go down in history. So I'll continue to look at it from my personal point of view instead.

And it soon felt like it was going to be another one of 'those' games. One of those games when Arsenal completely dominated, but couldn't stick the ball in the onion bag. Like that one against West Ham in 2007, when Arsenal had 30+ shots, and they had one - a screamer from Bobby Zamora from fully 30 yards out. Result - 0-1. And there've been others, of course. 

And so it was. 80+% possession, a series of corners and shots, the Bournemouth wagons fully circled... and yet - twice - they could have gone further ahead as Arsenal went gung ho. One superb piece of work by Ramsdale (Billing was probably offside in the build-up), and the other an amazing recovery run and understanding of angles from Gabriel or it could have been far, far worse.

The loss of Trossard seemed important too. Halfway through the first half, he limped off with what appeared to be a groin injury. With Jesus not that close to being back, and Nketiah out with a knock, options were extremely limited. ESR took his place, but as I remarked at the time: 'There's no way he's going to last until the end of the game. He's nowhere near match fit.'

Plus the time-wasting, of course. Which started almost immediately the goal went in. Keeper Neto the main culprit, inevitably. Referee Cavanagh didn't seem prepared to do too much about it as 25-30 seconds passed at every stoppage. The crowd's infuriation when the fourth official held up the board with three minutes on it as we approached half time. 'Three?!?' I shouted. 'More like seven!'. And so Arsenal trailed at half-time.

I wasn't surprised to see Tomiyasu replaced by White at half-time. He may (perhaps) be a better defender than White, but that wasn't what was required in this match. He and Saka had looked on a different wavelength to each other throughout the first half; but one thing we do know is that White does have an understanding with Starboy.

But things only got worse, as from their only corner Bournemouth went further ahead. Partey lost his man, who had a free header to leave Ramsdale helpless. Arsenal's once-proud record of never conceding from dead balls is long-shattered now. And it left a mountain to climb.

I ought to mention our old pal VAR at this point. Several times - 5 I think - penalty area incidents were referred to Stockley Park. Two in the first half, and three in the second. None given as penalties and whilst one or two may have been harsh if given, the others - two handball appeals and a foul - could easily have seen penalties awarded. Arsenal cannot catch a break there. But there's no conspiracy, of course...

Throughout the match, I'd personally not been that vocal. I've been a bit under the weather, and so I wasn't joining in with all the chanting. And I wasn't even getting to my feet for 'Stand up for The Arsenal'. And at 2-0 my head dropped. Literally. Was this - I pondered - finally the day the wheels fell off? There really didn't seem much hope. Like my pre-match bad feeling had been correct.

But underestimating this group of players was a mistake. If anything, the intensity picked up even more, as the crowd rallied the team - aided, on more than one occasion, by the likes of Odegaard and Zinchenko imploring us to raise the noise levels. And the players weren't giving in - a single spark, a single goal was all it needed. And thankfully it took just 5 minutes to start pegging back the deficit, as from a half-cleared corner ESR's lobbed header was met decisively on the volley by Thomas Partey. 1-2, and still half an hour to go.

I started to get a little more hopeful. A little more vocal. Maybe a draw wasn't out of the question...

I'll digress slightly here, and talk about Partey. Yes, he had been partly at fault for the first goal. And yes, he had conceded the corner - and then lost his man - for the second goal. But he was nonetheless - for me - Arsenal's man of the match. He drove the team on throughout; driving forward at every opportunity and dragging Arsenal onwards. His dribbling, and especially his long passes, were of extremely high and consistent quality. The challenge from Jorginho for his spot in the side had been repelled. Martin Odegaard also had his best game for a while; spending a lot more time on the ball than recently.

Back to the game, which was becoming ever more frantic. And the next notable piece of action was something else I had predicted - that ESR wouldn't last the game out. To be frank, despite his assist, he hadn't been influential enough. Zinchenko was constantly waving him wider as he kept edging infield. Bournemouth needed to be stretched from side to side, and he wasn't quite doing it. And so to Reiss Nelson...

A long way down the pecking order. Often injured. Knocked off the bench by the return of ESR recently, and only back on it due to Nketiah's injury. But - as he had earlier this season against Forest - he got his chance and took it. The instructions were to stay wide and use his pace, and he followed them to the letter. Two minutes after his arrival his driven cross from the left was smashed home by none other than Benny Blanco, for his first goal for the club. He took it beautifully on the half volley, and although Neto got his hands to it to palm it away, even I could sense - from fully 50 yards away - that the ball had crossed the line. It was a bit of a shame for White that the ball didn't hit the back of the Neto (see what I did there), but that was frankly irrelevant. And suddenly, with 20 minutes plus stoppage / cheating time to go, it was well and truly back on. The noise went up several more notches.

And so it continued. Wave after wave of Arsenal attacks. Bournemouth hanging on for dear life, and going down with fake injuries at every opportunity. There was a massive roar as the board went up with 6 minutes - it should have been 10 - as at the same time Smith went down for the umpteenth time with an alleged 'back injury'. 

But with every minute that passed, victory looked less and less likely. Just when we'd all - apart from the players of course - resigned ourselves to having to be satisfied with having claw a point back, came the denouement. The full 6 minutes up - although Arteta had been advised by the fourth official that time wasting in injury time meant that there would be more - and Zinchenko's slashed shot from the edge of the area was deflected for yet another corner.

We knew that this was it. Now or never. And now it was. Odegaard's corner cleared to the edge of the box, where Nelson was lurking with intent. He took it down on his right foot, and slashed a left-foot half volley into the opposing corner. 

Cue bedlam. Chaos. Madness. I crushed Stuart for what felt like for ever. Next it was on to Sam and Ben in the next seats; our crush almost took us over the seats into the row in front. Then back to the people in the row behind, and the row behind that. I confessed my undying love to Jill. I even told Vic the same thing, as I gave him a kiss. Quite where Animal, in the row in front, had disappeard to after 92 minutes I couldn't say - he's always there until the bitter end. It was utter, utter chaos all around; on the pitch too, of course. Twitter is awash with videos encapsulating that moment.

And the thing is that I rarely - in fact hardly ever - stay until the end. My son Benjamin sits 4 blocks away from me, in the wheelchair section, and somewhere between 88 and 90 minutes I'm off to collect him in order to beat the crush outside the ground. Yet on this occasion we were going nowhere. Hope had been building, building, building. I couldn't drag myself away.

I had people on my WhatsApp - people who knew that I often have to leave early - checking if I'd stayed. And delighted to hear that I had. Benjamin himself was in an amazingly good mood too. Although he'd be late home for his supper, he didn't care. He was still on an Arsenal High at 7.30.

This was a moment to go along with all the others that are slowly building a history in the new stadium. Arshavin's winner against Barcelona was the first. There was Thierry Henry's FA Cup winner against Leeds when he was back on his short-term loan. Cesc's solo goal against Tottenham. Danny Welbeck against Leicester. Jack Wilshere's goal against Norwich. Olivier Giroud's scorpion kick against Palace. 

But this?... this eclipses the lot of them. Because this team continues to raise the bar. It never knows when it's beaten. It goes right up to the end. I've never known such resilience; such a will to win. City, watch out; you've got the fight of all fights on your hands this season!

As for Reiss Nelson, there are comparisons to Macheda's vital goal for United against Villa in 2007. But for me it feels - from an Arsenal viewpoint at least - more like Christopher Wreh at Bolton in 1998. If you're too young to remember, look it up. Unlikely heros indeed!

Lisbon next. Then a tricky game at Fulham on Sunday. Let's keep the bandwagon rolling.

Come. On. You. Gunners!!!!!!!

Arsenal Chew Up The Toffees

Three more points in the bag, then. And after what was ultimately a quite scintillating performance. 

It was something of a struggle early on, as Arsenal battled to get a grip on Dyche's ultra ultra low block, but class tends to come through in the end and although Everton did have a few moments in the first half as Arsenal failed to move the ball around quickly enough, it was ultimately a stroll as for the last 20 minutes Arsenal played a shell-shocked Everton off the park.

Team news; and Jorginho kept his place as Arteta took precautions with Partey's fitness. A problem, we thought, bearing in mind the physicality in Everton's somewhat artisan yet athletic midfield; and frankly the difference between Jorginho and Partey was plain to be seen when the latter replaced the former (feeling under the weather) at half time. Elsewhere, Trossard rightfully kept his place in the side over Nketiah - and we saw some more interesting combinations between him and Martinelli as their partnership develops.

Arsenal started on the front foot, as one would expect, but were confounded by the lack of space being afforded to them. Everton doubled up on Saka continually, although there was more space on the left, where Trossard and Martinelli continually switched positions. As I say, it was all a little ponderous, and there were some moments of concern - especially when Jorginho and Odegaard were each dispossessed, leading to counter attacks; the second one leading to a timely and quite brilliant intervention from Gabriel deep in the Arsenal penalty area. But, apart from the occasional break, Everton were largely toothless; the irritant that is Maupay 'leading' the line after a fashion, with little or no support from midfield.

Having watched the game back, it's actually quite clear that the tensions were merely caused by frustration. For all Arsenal's first half possession, Pickford was rarely threatened. Ultimately, the home team were far superior throughout, and I guess that it was only a matter of time before a big enough overload was made, and sufficient space was found, to give Arsenal that initial opening. But it took as many as 40 minutes.

Martinelli found himself in the outside right position, distracting Myolenko enough for Saka to find some space. He called for the ball and Zinchenko - sublime once more in this match - rolled the ball into him on the edge of the area. A simple trap and turn; and then a ferocious lash of the ball into near post 'top bins'. With his right (wrong) foot! Another superb - and timely - contribution, from an exceptional footballer.

For Arsenal go into half time at 2-0 was frankly surprising. But a moment of carelessness from Gueye - unaware that Saka was closing him down - led to him being dispossessed and the ball rebounded from Saka's tackle into the path of Martinelli, who calmly sent the ball inside Pickford's near post for his third goal in three successive games since being 'rested'. The flag went up immediately; but this time VAR - used as it should be to deal with 'clear and obvious' errors - found the Brazilian to be just onside. Thank you very much!

If there was anything extra to pick out of the first half, it was that Odegaard hadn't been at his best, and nor was the distribution top class from Saliba or White. But that's nit-picking, really. On the other hand, Zinchenko, ostensibly left back but pushing continually into midfield, was having a superb game - that his assist for the first goal came from the inside right position was quite remarkable, really.

If anything, the arrival of Partey at half time merely strengthened Arsenal's stranglehold on the game. Whilst Jorginho's passing is perhaps a little better than that of Thomas, the latter's ability to take the ball in tight spaces, beat the press with a swift turn and drive forward is something that Italian/Brazilian does not possess. The increased physicality that he offered snuffed out any hope that Everton may have had of muscling their way back into the game. Frankly, they were completely unable to raise their game in any shape or form as Arsenal spent the second half in complete control. If I were an Everton supporter, I'd be extremely concerned about what the next couple of months may hold.

Arsenal's total dominance meant a third goal on 70 minutes as Odegaard's Ozil-like pass into the net completed a smooth move started by Zinchenko's drive into midfield. Trossard, released on the left, picked out the Norwegian with precision, and he swept the ball home cosily. And from then on the party started in earnest, as Arsenal began to slice through Everton like a hot knife through butter. When the crowd starts 'ole-ing' in the 75th minute, you know how easy it is.

Martinelli nearly set up substitute Nketiah. And a little later the other substitute, Vieira. Odegaard's curler was blocked. Martinelli nearly set up Saka. Pickford blocked a golden opportunity for Eddie, set up by a sublime pitching wedge pass from Partey, and Vieira miskicked when the ball rebounded to him. Odegaard befuddled Iwobi in a challenge in midfield. And then Zinchenko's sublime pre-assist released Eddie, whose cross was tapped in at the near post by Martinelli. In a celebratory atmosphere, it was turning into a thrashing.

And to put the icing on the cake, Emile Smith Rowe got 10 minutes or so at the end. Just Jesus to return now (and what an impact he's likely to have!), and then the squad will be at absolute full strength. A far cry from last season, when they were down to the bare bones - and suffered for it. The work off the pitch is paying dividends on it. 

Great also to see Kieran Tierney, who appears to have learned from Zinchenko in the same way as Eddie has from Jesus, taking the Ukrainian's place for the final stages - and also his position in midfield; one raking 40 yard crossfield ball from the inside right position to ESR on the left wing was a thing of absolute beauty. And chances continued to come; both Vieira had opportunities to make it 5 in one scramble.

But we settled for 4-0. 5 points clear now, with 13 matches to go. Goal difference narrowed to just 6 now, and Bournemouth the visitors on Saturday. The squad in rude health, with confidence fully restored after a sticky period. Who knows how this may go, but Arsenal are in position to give this a real go now.

I can barely wait for Saturday. COYG!!!!