Blunt Blades Slashed By Eddie In Halloween Massacre

Well, let's start this post by saying that Sheffield United are terrible. I mean; nowhere near Premier League level. They came up last season, and promptly sold two of their best players. They are going down - of that I can assure you.

Therefore anything you may see or hear regarding this game can be taken with a pinch of salt. However, Arsenal despatched them ruthlessly, and in a way that we've seen Citeh do to such opposition for years now. No fuss. Just a ruthless tearing apart, Death by 500,000 passes, as Arteta has called this sort of performance in the past.

Let's start with team news, and I'm sure that bearing in mind the task at hand we were all pleased to see some rotation. And especially pleased to see ESR in the starting line-up. There's a long season stretching in front of Arsenal as they battle on 4 fronts, and it would perhaps appear that Arteta has heeded the lessons of seasons past. 

Certainly, the style of football hasn't been as swashbuckling as it was last season, with the Manager choosing to grind the opposition down as opposed to going hell for leather from the first whistle. As a result of this, we're seeing fewer early goals, but plenty of late ones; zero in the first 15 minutes of Premier League games so far, but 8 from the 75th minute onwards. An interesting trend, and if it can be extrapolated to the season as a whole could mean that instead of running out of steam towards the end of the campaign - as we saw in the past two seasons - we could see this group coming on strong in the spring, and keeping up with Manchester City right through until the end of May.

A beautifully observed and fitting tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton and Bill Kenwright preceded the start; it was wonderful to behold the applause starting as soon as Sir Bobby's face appeared on the screens. Well done, everyone.

And so to the game. And the gulf in class was there to see immediately. Sheffield could barely keep up, frankly; although they did manage to hold out until nearly half an hour had passed. 67% possession for Arsenal - it felt like much more - and 'field tilt' of 84% (at times it felt that Arsenal had thrown an enormous blanket over the opposition, thus pinning them deep in their penalty area and circling them like you see Native Americans do in the old Westerns). xG of almost 3, to Sheffield's 0.03 - two shots; one debatable, to be honest, as it was taken from almost the half-way line, and none after the 21st minute. A classic battering.

William Saliba's stats - I'll get on to Eddie shortly - were incredible! 133 touches of the ball. 96% of his 127 passes found a red shirt. He also ranked first in ball recoveries - mainly retrieving aimless long balls intent on relieving the endless pressure - and ball carries - 107!!! Oh and by the way; he can defend as well!

Nonetheless, it took 28 minutes of almost suffocating pressure for Arsenal to take the lead. Declan Rice's swift ball into the area found Nketiah, who flummoxed former Arsenal reserve Trusty with a clever flick and opened the path to goal. He then duly drilled the ball past Foderingham, and it was the least that Arsenal deserved.

Just 1-0 at half time, but there was no cause to worry. My main concern throughout the second half was where Sam, who sits next to me on my left, had disappeared to. A mystery... perhaps the hot dog he'd promised himself at half-time had disagreed with him? 

But it didn't take long for Arsenal to put the game to bed. First Eddie rammed home on the half volley from Saka's corner - thus increasing Starboy's streak of at least one goal involvement per match to 7 - although we had to wait an extraordinary amount of time for VAR to award it. Goodness knows why. 

And then a few minutes later a thing of beauty. Arsenal won the ball easily following a Sheffield goal kick, ESR found Eddie just outside the box, and he slammed it home from fully 25 yards. So much for the 'fox in the box' monicker... a first Premier League hat-trick for Eddie; vindication for his hard work and exponential improvement over the past three seasons.

Whereupon Arteta started ringing the changes. Trossard and Tomiyasu on first. Then Nelson and Vieira. And finally late on a cameo from Elneny. And how wonderful it is to finally see such depth in the squad, despite the absence of the injury-prone Jesus and Partey. All made contributions. Trossard spent his half hour doing party tricks; making the Sheffield defenders look like Sunday League players. Nelson had replaced Saka, and was tidy. Vieira was fouled for - and took - the penalty (bizarrely originally waved on by the referee. although from 70 yards away it looked like a trip). And Tomiyasu netted his first goal for the club in injury time (thus ruining my 4-0 prediction!) from Elneny's flick on from a corner.

A quick mention for David Raya; who retained his place and thus finally put to bed any debate over who Arteta regards as his number one number 1. He had little or nothing to do, but one long pass from hand to set Martinelli free in the first half was nothing short of sensational! That's why he's kept his spot, despite all the clamour for Ramsdale to return.

As I say; all very easy. And with rotation chucked into the mix as well, all very satisfying. There's a banana-skin like League Cup game at West Ham on Wednesday, for which Arteta can afford to go fairly strong, but being able to both rotate and also withdraw players in the second half saves the limbs for bigger tests. Like Newcastle next Saturday evening. 

We're tucked nicely in behind the leaders. Just two points behind, and right alongside City. That'll do at this stage. Consistency is key at this stage. And there's more to come from this group. COYG!

A Solid - If Unconvincing - Week

To tell the truth, I've not really been in the mood to write about football since the appalling events in Israel on the morning of October 7th; followed by the constant demonisation of the only democratic state in the Middle East by people who are neither able nor willing to understand the enormity of what's going on - nor what a strong Israel means for the rest of the civilised world. And before anybody clicks off in disgust, I also have huge amounts of sympathy for the ordinary citizens of Gaza who are stuck in the middle of this.

We have family and friends in Israel, and are in a constant state of worry for their safety.  But this is a football blog, so I won't go any further into that here. Let's crack on:

Difficult to know what to make of the Chelsea game, in my view. But, once more, plenty of talking points. 

Firstly, the line-up. No surprise to see Saka and Martinelli named in the starting XI; but I doubt that either of them was fully fit. In defensive midfield, I'd have much preferred to have seen Partey starting than Jorginho; for his ability to beat the press. And as it transpired the energetic Chelsea midfield swarmed all over the Brazilian; indeed, they put pressure all over the Arsenal back line as they stopped Arsenal from playing between the lines - as they like to do - for much of the game. This inhibited Arsenal, with pretty much everyone below their best almost throughout and 'sloppy' being the most apt adjective to describe the first half performance.

Chelsea are clearly improving. As they are entitled to do bearing in mind the amount of money spent on their squad, and the amount of talent assembled. All of which doesn't stop 39-year-old Thiago Silva being absolutely key to them. The midfield trio are all talented, and can all run all day. Raheem Sterling is getting back to his best. And Cole Palmer may be making Pep Guardiola regret selling him.

And so it was that Chelsea essentially stopped Arsenal from getting into their stride for much of the game. And whilst there was an element of luck to both their goals, they frankly deserved to have the lead as Arsenal struggled to get going.

The first goal - the penalty - was one of those that you'd want if it was your side on the attack. And by the Law as it's currently framed it had to be given. But it was a really harsh call - especially as the ball wasn't even going in - and frankly that Law has to be re-written. It's all in very close proximity, and where on earth was Saliba supposed to put his arms?

Anyway, after a VAR check and a bit of a shemozzle Palmer stepped up and sent Raya the wrong way. Palmer, by the way, had been booked for an early foul on Jesus that was another 'dark orange', Kovacic-style, and could easily have seen red. But it was against Arsenal, so...

Zinchenko - not at his best and additionally booked - was replaced by Tomiyasu at half-time. Something needed to be done about the constant threat imposed by Sterling. I was disappointed, however, not to see Partey replace Jorginho, as I felt that the former's extra athleticism would have helped Arsenal beat the press more easily, and get 'between the lines' - something that they had failed to do for almost the entire first half (a half chance for Rice their only real foray into the home penalty area). Plenty of possession, but nothing to show for it.

But it was down their left that Chelsea made their second breakthrough, when Odegaard lost possession (something that cost us goals last season too), which set Gallagher away, and then Mudryk took over. The Ukrainian's mishit cross - no way was that a shot! - caught Raya out and nestled in the far corner of the net. Now some say that Raya was out of position - and he was perhaps a step or two too far forward - but he was looking to intercept the cross and I can forgive him for that. 

I cannot, however, forgive him for what he did a few moments later, when a short pass directly into traffic was intercepted by Palmer, who should have done better. 

And now seems a good time to discuss the Raya/Ramsdale issue. Look, I am aware that Arteta is looking for every small gain that he can make - and that the margins to Manchester City are getting smaller. But I'm unconvinced by Raya. His kicking stats this year are nowhere as good as they were at Brentford, and there's frankly so little between him and the extremely popular Ramsdale that it's starting to look to me like a failed experiment. You will have seen him then repeat the give-away pass, and additionally nearly punch one into his own net, in Seville! 

The Manager is single-minded and ruthless, and if being ruthless gets the job done, then all well and good. But I'm not impressed by the stubborn streak that goes alongside it. For me, Raya looks out of his depth at a club the size of Arsenal, and is failing to cope with the pressure of being at a big club. There's a massive difference between playing for Brentford (no disrespect) and playing for Arsenal. Expectations are entirely different.  It's time to bring Ramsdale back into the side.

But moving on to happier aspects of this game. Arteta's substitutions and change of game plan, alongside Pochettino's more negative changes (at 2-0, perhaps understandable), meant that Arsenal could leave with a point and perhaps be disappointed not to have collected all three. Firstly, a stroke of fortune as Sanchez (nervous as a kitten in the Chelsea goal, and probably as overwhelmed by being there as Raya is at Arsenal) misplaced a pass intended for Enzo. Gallagher was on his heels, and Rice reacted quickly, nipped in and curled the ball first time into the empty net from - apparently - all of 36.6 yards. Whereupon the momentum shifted, alongside the change of plan.

Havertz, back at his old stomping ground, made an appearance and went up top alongside fellow substitute Nketiah. Extra height, and an extra body for the Chelsea defence to deal with. And Raya was instructed to go long with his kicks. From one of those, a 'second ball' was met by a stunning first time pass from White to the German that cut through the lines in a split second. Havertz linked play by turning the ball out to the right and the hitherto quiet Saka (in truth, Cuccurella had (man)handled him well up to then). White's overlap distracted Cuccurella, and Saka spotted yet another substitute, Leandro Trossard, at the far post, his pinpoint cross bypassing the sleeping Gusto and was turned home exquisitely with the outside of his boot by the Belgian for 2-2. 

So with 10 minutes or so to go, if there was going to be a winner it was suddenly only going to be Arsenal. However, apart from a moment of panic from Sanchez from a corner that saw him take out a number of players - including Gabriel Jesus, who he flattened! - that should have attracted a VAR check for a penalty (but it was against Arsenal, so...) a half-chance for Nketiah was all they could muster, and that was that. 

A point gained, or two dropped? Difficult to say, but I'm happy to settle for that on balance. Arsenal are nicely tucked in right behind Manchester City on goal difference, with only a deluded bunch of over-performing usurpers above them. Arsenal, to my eyes, however, are yet to really 'hit their straps'. Perhaps that's better than shooting their bolt early, as they did last season. We shall see. As for Chelsea; I can see them pushing for Top 6 or even Top 4 as the season progresses.

I'll quickly cover the Champions League game while I'm here. Arsenal regained control of the group with a slightly nervy 2-1 win away to a decent Sevilla team who have quite a few well-known names in their ranks. Not least former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos! Just the one change, with Tomiyasu in for Zinchenko. This was apparently, by the way, Arsenal's first away win in Europe since 2016! And it's also worth noting that Sevilla held Real Madrid off last week in La Liga.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Gabriel Jesus, whose scintillating turn and assist for Champions League debutant Gabriel Martinelli has to be seen to be believed, and who scored the second himself with a gorgeous curled shot into the far corner of the Sevilla net. 

There were a few moments of worry after Gudelj pulled a goal back from a corner - I've referred to those above in my appraisal of David Raya (my heart was in my mouth when he mis-punched that cross!), but the three points, and the draw in the other game, see Arsenal back on top of their group. Wins in the next two games - both at home - should mean the opportunity to massively rotate for the final match in Eindhoven. 

Meantime, it's about time that Arteta starting rotating a little. Maybe against Premier League whipping boys Sheffield United on Saturday. We shall see. In the meantime, COYG!

Arteta's Substitutions Do The Trick

The big home games have been coming thick and fast. The comeback win over Manchester United that featured two injury time goals. The draw with Tottenham, which would likely have been a win if not for that horrific Jorginho error. And now this; the biggest game of the season, bar none, and the highest levels of tension so far. So much rested on this game; not least the need to break yet another hoodoo; one that stretched back to January 2015. The weight of recent history, as well as expectation, weighed down on the team and its supporters.

Of course, it's very early days, and it would be foolish to get carried away at this moment with a narrow win over a City side missing their two best players. Especially as we know, to our cost, how strongly Pep's charges are capable of finishing. Nonetheless, Arsenal were missing their talisman (Arteta has simply over-played him, in my opinion - there was little need to risk him on Tuesday), so there are some parallels to be drawn with City. And we're an improving side, whereas it could be argued that a City squad stripped of Gundogan and Mahrez is not as strong as last year. Plus... where do they go after they've won the lot; where's the motivation?

I drew a couple of comparisons from my seat in Block 17 during the game. Firstly, it was like a chess match. Two groups of players, and to an extent two Managers, who know (and respect) each other very well. So it was very cagey indeed. But at the same time a boxing match, with both teams looking to land the knockout blow, whilst knowing that they'd probably have to come up with something a bit different. And my opinion is that by the end Arteta had learned a little a bit more about what his strongest XI might look like, and about how best to use his resources in the most trying of circumstances as the season develops.

This was a controlled performance from the Arsenal players. Too controlled, some in the crowd would argue. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. This wasn't Bournemouth. And so many times in the recent past has an Arsenal player taken an unnecessary risk, or done something daft, and we've been punished. This, against this opposition, was sensible and pragmatic. And it worked.

The key, for me, was that Rodri was missing. He is City's key player; their security blanket. He oils the wheels, whilst at the same time showing the destructive qualities that every Manager wants in his midfield. In his absence - and that of De Bruyne also - he was obliged to slot in Kovacic (a different type of player, and one of inferior quality), and to use Bernardo Silva out of position to help build/knit the play. Elsewhere, I was surprised to see Rico Lewis - despite his excellent performance on Wednesday - make the starting XI. And to see Doku dropped to the bench. It was also curious to see star centre-back Gvardiol at left back, Ake preferred to Akanji, and Jack Grealish once more reduced to bench-warming duties. It felt like Pep actually wasn't quite sure how to put his side together in the face of such a stern test, and without Rodri. There was lack of genuine width in the side, and City paid the creative price for that.

For Arsenal there were also surprises. No Saka really wasn't a shock after Tuesday - for all our hopes - but midfield didn't look the way we expected it. I guess that Arteta chose to draft in Jorginho and play a little more conservatively in deference to City. But Havertz could have counted himself unlucky to be dropped. It was a pleasant surprise to see Martinelli named on the bench - also great to see Partey back alongside him - and I suspect that the playing XI that developed in the second half could - with a tweak or two - be the way forward now.

Personally, I am a big Aaron Ramsdale fan, so whilst I accept that if Arteta has truly found a better alternative then it'll be difficult to argue with the change of goalkeeper. But I am still unconvinced by how much of an upgrade David Raya is. He induced panic early on - not with what he was asked to do, but how he executed it. Whilst fans were booing as he stood stock still with the ball at his feet on numerous occasions, but I could see what he was being asked to do; which was pull City's press on to him, beat it and thereby open up space for the midfield. But Pep was one step ahead, and City largely held off. 

Raya had to go long quite a bit, because when he did try to go short most avenues were closed off, he wasn't quite in tune with his centre-backs, and he almost conceded the most embarrassing of goals as City pressed hard the moment he released the ball. His long kicking was also poor early on (I appreciate that he hasn't got a giant like Ivan Toney to locate as he had at his previous club), and he also flapped at a couple of crosses. In short, he induced panic - certainly in the crowd!

He stuck at it, however, and the quality of his kicking improved dramatically after half time. One or two balls up to Jesus on the right were sublime; credit where it's due. But was yesterday one of those days when Arteta may have felt that we wanted to substitute his keeper at any point? 

I doubt it, somehow - especially after he praised the keeper's cojones post-match. What I will say is this: thus far, there's been perhaps only a marginal difference between what we've seen from Raya, and what we know we'd see from Ramsdale. Having perhaps just won the England Number One jersey, the latter can count himself very unfortunate indeed to have lost his Arsenal place. Goodness knows what Arteta has said to Rambo, and what this might mean next summer - or even in January.

And so it was City who had the better chances early on. An early passage of play saw a Gvardiol shot cleared off of the line by Rice, and then, when Arsenal failed to clear, Haaland's flick on fell - fortunately - to Ake, who could only blast the ball over the bar when he ought to have done much better. Shortly afterwards, a City press saw Arsenal fail to clear their lines, and Gabriel's pass back to Raya gave Alvarez a sniff at an Aubameyang/Nketiah-style interception  A lucky escape, and at that point it felt like it was going to be a very long afternoon!

However, Arsenal soon started to get a foothold, and whilst they perhaps got more onto the front foot  for a while had little to show for it. Nketiah ran onto to Zinchenko's clipped pass, but showed why Arsenal need an upgrade at centre-forward by failing to control the ball cleanly and then blasting his shot well wide of the far post. And frankly there was very little to report on from an action point of view during the entire first half, however; although the tension was palpable.

I say very little to report on... But there was, of course, the failure by Michael Oliver to send off Kovacic. Firstly for a challenge on Odegaard that was both late and from behind. Yellow card at the very least - a Wenger Dark Orange for me, which VAR reviewed but made no further recommendation - and then just a few minutes later a reducer on Rice - again from behind - when again he was nowhere near the ball. Oliver waved it away immediately, and the problem with VAR in this instance is that the regulations mean that they cannot review 'second yellow card' challenges. If the first challenge was merely a yellow - and it could have gone either way - then the second should absolutely have been a yellow too. A total dereliction of duty from a referee who - lest we forget - not long ago sent Martinelli off for two supposed yellow card offences - both of considerably lesser magnitude - in the space of 5 seconds against Wolves! Inexplicable.

Meantime, I spent a bit of time on Haaland Watch. And therefore, of course, on Saliba Watch. Whilst the Norwegian split his time between Saliba and the equally impressive Gabriel, it's difficult to grasp quite how good the young Frenchman really is. In two matches up against Saliba this season, Haaland has recorded xGs of 0.00 and 0.00. No shots at all. I understand that when Saliba got home on Sunday night he took out of his pockets the following: wallet, keys, Erling Haaland...

We almost take Saliba for granted, but he won every duel - mainly against Haaland - in this match - and had a 97% pass completion rate to boot. That moment when Haaland actually bounced off of him!?!... And he's 22 years old! I'm in danger of running out of superlatives for him, frankly. 

Good to see that he's withdrawn from the France squad (with a toe injury) and will therefore have a two week break. After which I would hope and expect Arsenal fans to be singing 'Sorry Nic Jackson' - as per the Outkast song - to Chelsea's centre forward.

Saliba will get his break, as will Saka (although why he was obliged to join the England squad whilst injured baffles me), the injured Leandro Trossard - who was replaced at half-time in this match by Martinelli - and also the last-named - who whilst not entirely match fit made such a huge mark on this game in the second half. City were forced to double up on him continually, and pretty much everything progressive that Arsenal did from then on had some part played in it by the Brazilian. I loved the moment when he received a ball from Zinchenko on the half way line, was faced by both Walker and Silva, but still managed to cut back, trick the former, nutmeg the latter, and hit a raking cross-field ball to Odegaard.

Pep had been forced into three relatively early second half changes, with Doku finally appearing - but still no Grealish, incredibly. Doku first went to the right, but got no change out of Zinchenko, and then switched to the left where White held him comfortably at bay, and still found time for a cheeky birthday nutmeg on him too.

Pep's changes prompted Arteta to do the same, with Tomiyasu, Partey and Havertz replacing Zinchenko - who rarely plays the full 90 these days - Jorginho and Nketiah respectively. Interestingly, Jesus mainly stayed out wide, leaving Havertz as the 'false 9', and following the Doku switch Arteta send Tomiyasu further forward. Suddenly, everything felt a lot more secure. The very presence of Partey on the field changed the atmosphere (he's off on international duty now, unfortunately; as long as it helps him gain match fitness and doesn't cause further injury, that'll be fine).

And - finally - came the winning goal. Deserved or not, it was the pivotal moment of the game. With all 4 substitutes involved. Partey's clipped pass found Tomiyasu in the inside left position(!), his header found Havertz and the German's set back to Martinelli was perfect in every way. The young Brazilian curled the ball towards the far post, where Ederson would have made a simple save. But the head of Ake intervened, and the ball went in at the near post instead. And the stadium went crazy; one could almost feel it shaking with all the noise. Could this finally be the day? 

And yes it was. City created nothing from then on - a total of 4 shots all game, in fact - as Arsenal saw the game out comfortably. Level on points at the top, and two ahead of City, as we head into autumn. A promising position indeed; if nothing more.

Here's what I'm taking from this game. Firstly, City know - if they didn't already - that Arsenal are serious contenders and cannot be taken lightly. Arsenal are a better side - with a deeper squad - than last season; and that's got to help. And as I alluded to earlier, I can see the shape of Arsenal starting XIs to come. The back 4 is well-established (with Tomiyasu and Timber - once fit - the next cabs off the rank). In midfield I personally want to see Partey, Rice and Odegaard. When Saka is fit, a forward line of Martinelli, Jesus and Saka will do very nicely. And because they can't all play all the time there are the likes of Havertz, Nketiah, Vieira, Smith Rowe and Nelson - all of whom I trust - to slot in as and when. Not bad. Not bad at all...

One small thing before I go, and that is to mention Tottenham. They are, of course, top of the table at the moment. On goals scored... And their fans are getting quite a long way ahead of themselves. A Spurs 'mate' of mine is still going on about the Liverpool VAR business from last week - as if it's going to be significant in the title race... But, like an elephant discovered at the top of a tree; you can't quite work out how it got there, and you know it'll soon fall off...

Two weeks off for another Interlull, and then it's mid-table Chelsea away from home. Very winnable. Sorry, Nic Jackson...

Massive Game Preview Post

Right, then. Here we go! Massive fixture on Sunday - and finally, perhaps, the footballing gods have smiled on Arsenal. Only perhaps, of course, because we have massive concerns over the fitness of our Starboy. But there's a good chance that Rodri's idiotic behaviour against Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks ago, leading to his sending off, may just help to tip the scales in Arsenal's favour in the forthcoming heavyweight battle of the two best teams in England.

Time and time again over the past few years, Arsenal have gone into this fixture depleted. The number of times that Thomas Partey has missed out has been painful, frankly. But this time round not only may Partey be back from his latest injury setback, but Arsenal have Declan Rice. Rice, you will recall, turned down the chance to join Manchester City in the summer because he was so sold on Mikel Arteta's vision for Arsenal. Turning down Manchester City is a brave thing to do, and now it's time, hopefully, for Rice to show Pep why he did it.

It's been 8 and a half long years now since a change in outlook from Arsene Wenger, and an iconic performance from Santi Cazorla (it was January 2015!) saw Arsenal defeat Manchester City 2-0 at The Etihad; the last time Arsenal took three points off of them in a league fixture. We've had a few victories against them since then - I remember Nacho Monreal's late FA Cup semi-final winner, and the Community Shield victory in August remains fresh in the memory. But this is 'big time'. Arsenal lost twice to City last season, and finished just 5 points behind them. Do the maths...

Of course, neither side will be at full strength. Arsenal remain in the midst of something of an injury crisis. We lost Jurrien Timber on Matchday One. Gabriel Martinelli's hamstring is unlikely to have recovered from its recent pull. Rice, Trossard and Saka were doubts last weekend. There have been slight questions over Saliba and Jesus recently. Sunday may yet be too soon for Partey. And there was the sorry sight of Saka limping off the field on Tuesday in France.

In his press conference just a few moments ago (as I type) Arteta responded to the inevitable question about Saka with: 'He is in contention. Let's see how he progresses from here to Sunday. Let's see how he recovers.' And, on the face of it, that doesn't sound hopeful. 

But you have to take what Arteta says about injuries in press conferences with a massive pinch of salt. It's like a game to him. He reassured us three weeks ago that Martinelli may be fit for a quick return, and last week was all doom and gloom about Saka, Rice, Saliba and Trossard; yet three of them started on Saturday, and the other made the bench. It's going to be a matter of guesswork until 3.30pm on Sunday, and we just have to hope for the best.

Saka, of course, is crucial to how Arsenal play and perform. We saw on Tuesday how his loss, alongside that of Martinelli, made a difference to the threat Arsenal posed and how easy it was for Lens - hardly the most powerful of opposition - to play their own game against Arsenal; exhibiting little or no fear as they felt that Arsenal were unlikely to hurt them. There are so many reasons why Arsenal looked so toothless on Tuesday; the loss of Saka's brilliance and unpredictability, Martinelli's directness and - if I may be so bold - Partey's ability to take on and beat an extra man in midfield all contributed to nullify what Arsenal were trying to do. Without those players, and with the likes of Havertz and Vieira unable to impose themselves sufficiently, Arsenal were found wanting. Bad timing, for sure, bearing in mind City's successive domestic defeats but then sublime controlling performance in Leipzig on Wednesday.

How might Arteta set up on Sunday? Well, the first big question is does David Raya keep his place after a decidedly dodgy performance in midweek. I am not alone in remaining unconvinced. I know what he brings with the ball at his feet - and Arteta's been looking for that as a differential. But the first job of a goalkeeper is to keep shots out (just ask Manchester United supporters!) and for all that his save from Brennan Johnson in the NLD was spectacular, I can't see any real improvement on Ramsdale there.

I expect to see the normal settled back 4 of White, Saliba, Gabriel and Zinchenko. And I also expect the later named to be asked to rein himself in a little, bearing in mind that he'll be up against a much higher quality of winger than normal.

In midfield comes an interesting decision. If Partey is deemed fit, I'd have him back in, move Rice to left 8 and demote Havertz to the bench. Up front, I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised to see Eddie back in, and Jesus on one wing or the other (depending on Saka's availability). Of course, there remains the Community Shield template of Havertz up top too. But it's all guess work. And there's nowt wrong with that. If we're guessing, then so is the opposing Manager.

As for Guardiola himself; well, he has his own problems. No De Bruyne all season - hasn't stopped them from sitting top of the table - but add to that no Rodri. And that's key. Massive, in fact. 

They missed him last week at Wolves, as the opposition broke on them with pace time and time again, with nobody with his qualities - not least the ability to get away with numerous fouls yet escape a yellow card - around to break up the play or intervene. It's clear that Kovacic is not that type of player, whilst Kalvin Phillips IS that kind of player, but is probably too much of a drop in quality. So what will Pep do to counteract the threats of Rice, Odegaard etc? If he chooses to play both Kovacic AND Phillips, then that surely means that he has to leave Alvarez out of the side. Which would be a massive miss, as he's been contributing massively all season; Wednesday's goal in Leipzig was a work of art, as was the equaliser on Saturday at Molineux. 

Of course, he does have Erling Haaland at his disposal. But the Norwegian cannot be relishing coming up against Gabriel and - particularly - William Saliba. If any centre half is going to have a chance of having his measure, then the 22-year-old (!) Frenchman is that man. A real heavyweight battle in the offing, and a battle that I, for one, am relishing watching.

One thing is for sure; this is going to be fascinating. And just for once I'm hoping that we're not going to see another excellent but ultimately unfortunate performance from Arsenal. We've come close to taking one - if not three - points off of them the last two seasons in this fixture (who can forget some of the appalling officiating that's cost Arsenal points over those two games?).

I'm not confident. How can anyone be. I'm no more than hopeful. But for me the loss of Rodri is likely to be more critical then even the potential loss of Bukayo Saka.  If any time is going to be Arsenal's time, then surely Sunday is it.

Either way, this is likely to be one of the most exciting and pivotal games of the season. And with our noisy neighbours from down the road likely to be sitting on top of the table by the time this one kicks off, we need to do something to wipe the smug, annoying grins off of their ugly mugs. So COYG! Waka Waka!

Havertz Pops His Cherry

A routine win down on the South Coast was just the ticket on Saturday, but there's nonetheless quite a bit to pick out of that game, and also out of the rest of the weekend's shenanigans. But let's start with the most important part of it; Bournemouth 0 Arsenal 4.

I'm sure that we were also concerned pre-game as to quite what side Arteta may be forced to put out, bearing in mind the negativity expressed in his pre-match press conference, but as it turned out there was little or nothing to worry about, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka both fit to start. David Raya kept his place in goal, and I think that we're beginning to see why Arteta seems to prefer him to Ramsdale at the moment. This photo tells a story - Raya as faux centre half when in possession, allowing other players to progress further up the field. 

Of course, a goalkeeper has to be reliable in possession, and whilst for me he's not quite lived up to his reputation so far as far as his distribution skills are concerned, I don't think that he's daft enough to allow himself to get into trouble in situations like this one.

As far as team selection is concerned, Sunday is a massive game (obviously), so I'm wondering if we'll see a degree of rotation on Tuesday. I wouldn't mind seeing half of this starting XI rested with Manchester City in mind.

Anyway, to the game itself, and following a slightly tentative start, with Bournemouth - always more dangerous down their right hand side with the likes of Christie and Tavernier making some tracks (and, let's face it, pinpointing Arsenal's semi-vacant left back area) - doing well for all of 5 minutes, there was perhaps a tiny bit of concern. But Arsenal soon had a grip on the game.

The early domination was rewarded with a rare headed goal from Starboy, following Odegaard's intelligent - and quite sumptuous cross - being headed back by Jesus via the post. He couldn't miss; but he had to be there, of course. It is worth noting, and very interestingly, that Odegaard's cross was literally the only one from open play that Arsenal put in all day. A big departure in style from what we've seen thus far this season. Arteta is certainly making Arsenal less easy to read these days.

At this point I was already counting the points - Arsenal having avoided defeat in each of the previous 39 PL matches in which they had scored first. And they were well on top.

Zinchenko stung Neto's palms with a fierce effort not long afterwards. Interesting to note that for all the concerns about what his inverting into midfield does to Arsenal's defensive stability, the Ukrainian had more touches than any Arsenal player in this game - despite being substituted in the 69th minute! It's a balancing act for Arteta, I guess. One which it's easy to come to terms with when faced with this level of opposition; but next weekend may be a different story, of course.

A word for Eddie Nketiah at this point. He seems to have learned a lot from Gabriel Jesus - the latter 'banished' out to the left wing in the absence of Martinelli and Trossard. He dragged his markers all over the pitch - thus creating space for runners from deep - and is a vastly improved player these days. He doesn't get into Arsenal's strongest side, but he continues to improve and do precisely the job asked of him. 

And it was Eddie's run that drew the foul from Aarons that led to the award of Arsenal's first penalty. Little doubt about it; he got to the ball first before being scythed to the floor. Who was going to take it? - particularly important for FPL players (I have both Odegaard AND Saka, so I wasn't bothered - not until later in the match, of course) - and Saka handed the ball to Odegaard; who sent Neto the wrong way. 2-0 at half-time, and time for a beer.

53 minutes, and Arsenal's second penalty was awarded as Christie's agricultural challenge felled Odegaard. A stone-bonk penalty. And was followed by some interesting by-play. Firstly, it looked like Jesus wanted the ball, but a quiet word from skipper Odegaard and the ball was handed to Kai Havertz for a chance to finally get his Arsenal career off the ground. A virtual carbon copy of the first penalty, and Havertz - joined by many of his team-mates, could finally celebrate the goal which we all hope will release the shackles for him.

The rest of the game was pretty routine, as Arsenal saw the rest of the proceedings out comfortably. The only real points to note were the minutes awarded to Emile Smith Rowe - and the decent chance he had to score (which left him visibly disappointed after the game not to have converted; but I know that Arsenal fans are desperate for him to succeed at his boyhood club) - and a final exclamation mark on the game as White headed home from Odegaard's free kick in injury time.

And so Arsenal closed to just a single point off of Manchester City, who surprisingly lost at Wolves. Not so easy to go an entire season unbeaten, is it? And that was, of course, City's second defeat in the space of a week after they crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. They're playing on Wednesday in the Champions League, giving them a day's less rest before the showdown on Sunday. Helpful.

And now to the biggest talking point/controversy of the weekend; the officiating at Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool.  Now, there's no doubt whatsoever that this VAR c*ck-up is the mightiest one so far, with levels of incompetence demonstrated that go far beyond even previous ginormous levels of incompetence demonstrated by those working at Stockley Park. You could see with the naked eye that Diaz was onside; but that isn't really the point. Appalling communication was the problem here.

This is a multi-million pound industry. Officiated by quite the worst bunch of officials that I've ever known. There are maybe only three or four who I'd trust. VAR is supposed to be there to check when a decision is uncertain. It is not supposed to allow on-field officials to be indecisive, knowing that they can fall back to the VAR. Nor should the protocols allow what happened on Sunday to take place. 

As if that wasn't bad enough, the influence put on referee Hooper when the Jones challenge went to VAR by a freeze frame being left on the screen for him to see as he approached was a breach of protocol. There's another angle, by the way - I cannot find a still of it, unfortunately - that shows clearly that Jones' foot slipped over the top of the ball, and that the contact was accidental. For me, that's what Arsene Wenger would call a 'dark yellow'; difficult to object to whichever decision is made. But leaving that still on the screen for the referee? Out of order.

As for the Jota sending-off; well, something has to change. The second yellow card is clearly correct - but for the first, Udogie actually brought himself down! For me, in instances of two yellow cards, the referee should review BOTH incidents before issuing a red card. Things have to change.

I have to credit Jurgen Klopp for his post-match restraint. Very wise, and also very clever. But on the other hand... every club can point to VAR incidents that have gone against them, and some would argue that it's 'swings and roundabouts' - although of course it shouldn't work like that. But nothing as egregious as this has ever taken place (apart, of course, from at the Arsenal vs Brentford match last season!). 

It's also worth pointing out that Liverpool have been on the other side of the coin on numerous occasions against - amongst other teams - both Tottenham and Arsenal. I can think of several Sadio Mane elbows, and an appalling Robertson challenge, against The Gunners. And Spurs fans have a whole list also; a couple of handball decisions have left me incredulous (the one in the first minute of the Champions League Final was nonetheless a fantastic moment!), as did Jota's kung fu kick on Skipp last season.

Lets face it; Arsenal fans are annoyed about this not because of the injustice against Liverpool. Apart from wanting to see natural justice delivered, we couldn't give a hoot about Liverpool. It's because Spurs ended up winning the game - in the flukiest of circumstances - that we're annoyed. On the other hand, Tottenham aren't genuine title challengers, despite their fast start, but Liverpool may be, so it's probably better for Arsenal in the long run that the result ended as it did. It's merely, of course, that we never want to see Spurs win.

But back to the important stuff; Champions League in Northern France on Tuesday. And then the big one. It's about time Arsenal seized the day. Let that day be Sunday, October 8th. COYG!