Mr Bumble Was Right!

There is an oft-quoted phrase: 'The Law is an ass'. It is often attributed to a comment made by Mr Bumble, the beadle in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, although its origin is probably older than that. Anyway, I digress... but...

But as we quite clearly witnessed last night, the Law is indeed an ass. And whilst I'm obviously going to major on the unfortunate - and unjust - dismissal of David Luiz last night, by coincidence a very similar calamity also befell Southampton's Bednarek a couple of hours later. 

But here's my take on the match-changing events of first half injury time at Molineux. Firstly, it's worth noting that the incident that completely changed the course of the match occurred in the third minute of two minutes of injury time. These things can happen - as we know, the time held up on the board is a 'minimum', but it rarely runs over unless there is an injury or time-wasting - and there wasn't last night.

Now the incident: IFAB Law 12 states: 'Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offending player is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.) the offending player must be sent off.' So, technically, referee Pawson applied the letter of the Law in sending David Luiz off. In fact, he couldn't wait to get his red card out!

The question in my mind is 'Did Luiz instigate a challenge?' Well, no, he didn't. He was merely running back and completely inadvertently made a tiny connection with Willian Jose - either his knee or his heel - it's not 100% clear to be honest. In fact, Jose's boot instigates the contact with Luiz's knee! 

Look, it's a penalty. There's no getting round that. Accidental or otherwise, a goal-scoring opportunity had been denied. But according to the letter of the Law, if Luiz had slid in from three yards back and brought him down, he would merely have been booked. But, by doing nothing more than chase the forward down, he has been sent off. Similarly, Bednarek tried to pull out of his challenge on Martial and got a red card, but if he'd have gone through with it then it would have been a yellow. As for Arteta suggesting that Arsenal may appeal; well, by the letter of the (idiotic) Law there are no grounds to do so.

In my opinion, both red cards should be rescinded and the Law changed in the same way that a Law change was rushed through after the Manchester City goal against Aston Villa - the one where Rodri dispossessed Mings from behind/an offside position to set up Bernardo Silva's goal.

The thing is this: VAR is surely there to 'rule' on matters of fact, but it has been doing so much more than that. There are countless examples of VAR interpretation being incorrect and illogical. Poor Southampton had a goal disallowed last week because the black armbands they were wearing 'extended their sleeves'. Dier's so-called handball against Newcastle, when he was looking the other way, is another example. 

There are many examples of VAR taking several minutes to decide that parts of the body with which one is not permitted to score a goal make a man offside; an outstretched hand or even an armpit! As if English refereeing standards weren't poor enough! And lest we forget that this incident from Saturday was deemed not worthy of any action - either at the time or retrospectively...

Anyway, there's nothing much we can do about it but complain about the injustice of it all. So I'll move onto less contentious matters, and go back to pre-game, where crucially Bukayo Saka was fit enough to regain his place in the side, replacing Gabriel Martinelli. Arsenal were otherwise unchanged, with Kieran Tierney still out.

And so to the game. And Arsenal were frankly almost completely dominant from the first whistle. Saka hit the post from Partey's first minute chipped ball over the top of a clearly over-match Kilman. A sweeping move a few minutes later, started by the dominant Partey, saw Saka's low shot comfortably saved by Rui Patricio. And in the 9th minute Saka swept in a majestic right foot shot from Lacazette's cut back - unfortunately the Frenchman's right foot was partially offside, and the goal was disallowed.

Wolves' only threats were from the occasional corner, and Arsenal were all over them. Cedric had a shot blocked and Pepe another brilliantly palmed away by Patricio, before an excellent high press, some sleight of foot and a little bit of fortune led to the latter curling a right footed shot into the far corner to give Arsenal a very well-deserved lead. 

And Arsenal remained well on top, and could easily have been two or three goals ahead, right until what ought to have been the stroke of half-time. Whereupon... well, see above. Almost as an afterthought, I should mention that Neves buried the penalty with aplomb.

Shorn of a central defender, Arteta decided to withdraw the blameless Lacazette for Gabriel at half time. And as if Arsenal didn't have enough to recover from - losing a man in such unfortunate circumstances - just 4 minutes into the second half Moutinho let fly from almost 30 yards and found the top corner via the inside of the post. Unstoppable, but he wasn't properly pressed - that's what happens when you're a man short and having to readjust. 

From total dominance to 2-1 down, in just 4 minutes of play. Very unfortunate. And from then on Arsenal found it almost impossible to get back into the game, with Wolves using the pacy Traore as their main outlet. And then, on 72 minutes, a complete brain fade from Leno. Racing out of goal to prevent Traore from getting to Semedo's through ball, he misjudged the bounce and spin of the ball off the slick turf and only succeeded in punching the ball into touch - from miles outside his penalty area. Only he knows what he was thinking. Inevitable and totally uncontroversial red card; and then we were 9.

And now, of course, comes the next problem. Mat Ryan is injured - another recently signed player crocked before he can get anything going; how very Arsenal! - so that meant that it was Runarsson coming on for the last 20 minutes. The same keeper, you will recall, who threw a ball into his own net on his last appearance. Fortunately Wolves had 'declared' at this point, so he only had a couple of saves to make, but if Ryan doesn't recover then it'll be the Icelander who replaces Leno on Saturday. Jack Grealish and the entire Villa side will be licking their lips!

Bizarrely, Arsenal somehow managed to conjure an injury-time chance, but first Aubameyang and then Saka had their shots blocked. And that was that. Frustrating, and extremely unjust, and the conspiracy theorists will be out again. Let's just hope that this doesn't knock the players' confidence.

I'll just quickly recap the Transfer Window. We've seen Kolasinac loaned out, along with Saliba, and contracts cancelled left, right and centre. The end of the line for Ozil (sob!), Sokratis and Mustafi. We also saw Willock and AMN go out on loan to Newcastle and West Brom respectively. Good luck to them. What's going on with Reiss Nelson, however, I wish I knew.

I'll be back on Monday. Hopefully with better news. Stay safe :)

Thrust. Parry. Riposte.

It's on occasions like Saturday evening when I really miss being able to be at the stadium. Manchester United are one of the teams I dislike the most (let's face it, who doesn't?), so I particularly look forward to their visit every season. And I felt it particularly badly in the build-up to Saturday's game. Even though the rivalry is nothing like it was around the turn of the century, there's something about matches against United that brings an extra frisson...

I suspect that the players have to be missing the crowds too. Because whilst this was one of the more interesting goalless draws I've seen, I feel that the presence of a crowd, driving the team(s) on, would have made a difference to the intensity. Yes, it's the Premier League and every point counts, but it's got to be a little surreal for the players; I can't see how they can ever get used to this.

And this match was like a fencing bout, as I've alluded to in the title of this blog. Lots of body blows, but the target just missed on numerous occasions by both sides, with continual shifts in momentum. But no fatal wound was landed, despite a total of 31 shots being recorded over the course of the 90 minutes.

Pre-match, and alongside the news that Kieran Tierney hadn't quite passed his fitness test, and Aubameyang was stuck in quarantine, came the shock news of the absence of Bukayo Saka with a slight hip injury. Obviously, this was going to make a big difference to the side, as Tierney and Saka have been Arsenal's best and most consistent players this season. Cedric kept his place at left back, and it was telling that Arteta turned to Martinelli as opposed to Willian for the left-sided attacking role. La-Di-Da Gunner Solksjaer reverted to a more conservative midfield with McTominay and Fred returning to the United line-up.

There was a sense of the players feeling each other out in the early stages, with the only action of note the petulant response of Bruno Fernandes to a nothing challenge from Cedric that got the defender booked, followed by a retaliation of sorts from United's prickly midfielder as he deliberately raked Xhaka's achilles - for me a yellow card at the very least, yet neither referee nor VAR chose to revisit it. United have had a number of players over the years that we've loved to hate (van Nistlerooy springs to mind immediately, obviously), and this guy has the capacity to plumb similar depths. According to the Sky commentators, however, he was merely 'expressing himself'(!).

Here's a gif - https://streamable.com/s83bdj, and below a still. I'm sorry, but this is unacceptable, and a bottle job by the officials. I think we know what would have happened had this been the other way round.

Anyway, we move on... to the 20th minute when Fred's dipping half-volley from the edge of the penalty area following a corner was brilliantly tipped away by Bernd Leno. For all the talk about Emi Martinez before the season started, I feel that Arteta made the right decision to cash in on the Argentinian at the peak of his value and stick with the German.

Soon after, only a last-ditch intervention from Martinelli prevented Rashford a clear shot at goal from a cute Pogba cross was followed by a swift Arsenal break led by the impressive Smith Rowe, who drove through the heart of the United midfield and fed Pepe, who attempted innumerable (maybe 5?) stepovers and then a low shot which went agonisingly wide of the left upright. 

Then towards the end of the half - by which time McTominay, suffering with an upset tummy, had been replaced by Martial to put extra pressure on Arsenal's back line - Fernandes first turned Luiz in the box and curled the ball just wide, and then from a free kick (prior to which Rashford spurned a decent opportunity) the Portuguese's free kick was blocked by David Luiz, who celebrated like he'd scored a goal. United had certainly had the better of the first half.

Arteta made a change at half time, with Willian replacing Martinelli. Apparently, it was tactical, and I suppose it has to be said that Martinelli hadn't affected the game too much apart from that timely challenge on Rashford. And as it happens the real Willian finally showed up. He missed the decent opportunity almost immediately - not quite up to speed and dallied on the ball - but this was one of no less than 4 excellent opportunites that Arsenal had to take the lead 

in the opening few minutes of the second half. I was out of my seat time and again! Willian then drove down the left and cut the ball back for Pepe, whose shot was blocked by the gigantic left boot of McGuire. Then, after Cavani missed a very good chance at the other end, Lacazette hit the bar with a free kick and ESR forced a smart save out of De Gea.

It settled down to cut and thrust once more after that, with decent chances for Rashford, Pepe and Cavani - of whom I was reminded how people used to say he needs too many chances to be regarded as a world-class finisher. But he does lead the line well.

The only other two incidents of note were a first appearance for Real Madid loanee Martin Odegaard, who looked neat and tidy in everything he did, and a Harry Kane-type foul - deliberately making a back for the opponent - by McGuire on Lacazette which could have led to serious injury for the Frenchman. Interestingly, Michael Oliver excelled himself again here by giving the free kick the other way.

Interesting to note, by the way, that Kane is going to have to spend several weeks on the sideline following another trademark 'making of the back' against Liverpool. Hoist by his own petard (that quote is originally from Shakespeare's Hamlet, but I recall it more fondly from when Florence also once said it to Zebedee)... 

Other matters pertaining to this game. Firstly, Thomas Partey was not at his best, and gave the ball away a little too frequently for my liking. But there was one penetrating run reminiscent of Vieira to cheer us up.  Secondly, Holding and (particularly) Luiz had excellent games at the heart of defence. Also, as I mentioned, this was Willian's best (half) game for Arsenal since Fulham on Gameday One, which hopefully bodes well for the future. And finally it strangely pleases me to note that Xhaka is playing his best ever football for the club at the moment. 

So a point - and that was probably fair - against a side looking to challenge for the title is fine in my opinion. And the games come thick and fast still, with currently toothless Wolves (see what I did there?...) next on Tuesday, followed by Villa on Saturday. Injured players get no time to recover, and I'd expect to see some further rotation this week. 

I'd also expect to see us above Tottenham in the table very soon, by the way. Which is highly amusing, seeing as they were top of the table (their fans prematurely celebrating that, of course) two months ago. I am beginning to suspect that we might be seeing the beginning of the trademark Mourinho Unravel, seeing as he's ostracised Dele Alli and Danny Rose all season, and in the space of a week fallen out with Aurier, Docherty and now Gareth Bale - and seen his talisman injured. Fingers crossed for another major public meltdown...

Stay safe, guys. Back Wednesday...

I Just Don't Think You Understand (an appreciation of a flawed genius)...

Why do we support a football club? Why do we attend football matches? It's the emotion; the escapism from the drudgery of daily life. And it's in the hope of seeing success, of course, but if at the same time we get to witness memorable football, then that counts for so much more. And for me the thought of seeing Mesut Ozil in the flesh was worth the entrance money alone. To be able to watch him gliding around the pitch, weaving his magic... the vision he possessed, coupled with the ability to make the difficult look easy. For me, he turned football into an art form. 

Here's a background:

Over the years, Arsenal have made a relatively small number of what might be regarded as 'marquee' signings. These days, with the help of almost unlimited funds, the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City have been spending hundreds of millions of pounds attracting genuine world stars, as economics and television money have made England the destination of choice for so many of the world's best footballers. Manchester United had already been doing that for years, of course, and recently Liverpool have joined that elite group. But Arsenal have almost always dined from a lower table.

I'm not talking here about 'regular' signings who ended up becoming world stars (like Thierry Henry), but about players who were already UK or world stars before they came to Arsenal. And I'm not going to go back to the 1930s, when Arsenal were known as The Bank of England Club and managed to attract the likes of Alex James and Ted Drake. I'm sticking to more recent times, and specifically to those that this middle-aged fan can remember since he started supporting the club in the late 60s. And all I've come up with is:

Alan Ball - 1971; Malcolm Macdonald - 1976; Charlie Nicholas - 1983; David Seaman - 1989; and Ian Wright - 1990

And that's possibly it. Not a long list, and certainly not from the top echelons of world football. Arsenal mainly relied on bringing through youth players, or finding bargains lower down the ladder.

And then, thanks to the forward-thinking views of David Dein (and, interestingly, the presence of Ian Wright at the club), Arsenal signed Dennis Bergkamp for a club record £11.25m in the summer of 1995. Here, finally, was a world class footballer rocking up at Highbury - albeit one who was seeking to rebuild his career after a rocky time at Inter Milan. It took him a little time to settle in, but we could all see how he transformed the team; and so it proved as the years wore on.

The season after that, of course, Arsene Wenger became Manager, and thus began the most sustained period of success in club history. But for the most part Wenger's signings were astute buys who he helped mould into superb players. I've seen it written that he turned good players into great ones, and great ones into world class performers, and that was essentially his modus operandi. It was his good fortune that he inherited George Graham's famous Back Four, and also Bergkamp, but it was no fluke that he managed to put together no less than three great teams in the 10 or so years from 1997 onwards.

I've picked out 10 of my favourite Wenger buys from a considerably longer list - Vieira, Anelka, Overmars, Petit, Henry, Pires, Ljungberg, Fabregas, van Persie and Cazorla. It's worth noting that these were either players with potential, or something to prove, but not established world stars. And he also brought a number of young players through the ranks to play with them; most notably, perhaps, Ashley Cole. But I suppose that the most momentous of all his signings - the one that sent most ripples around English football - was the coup that saw Sol Campbell arrive from our enemies up the road. Now that's a day that will live long in the memory!

And after that... well, we had a long wait due to the stadium move, and lost a lost of talent over those years - the likes of Cole, Pires, Henry himself, Gilberto, Hleb, Adebayor, Nasri, Fabregas and van Persie. And then, right at the end of the Summer 2013 Transfer Window, came some real excitement. 

I can still recall the back end of Wenger's interview with Sky Sports after our late September 1-0 win over Tottenham at The Emirates, when in response to the final question (regarding possible signings) he said, with a glint in his eye: 'Maybe we'll have a good surprise for you.' And boy, wasn't it just that, as just days afterwards came the announcement that Arsenal had signed Mesut Ozil from no less than Real Madrid (much to the chagrin of Cristiano Ronaldo, I recall). The 'assist king', a world star, had agreed to join us - for an incredible 50 million Euros!

Even at my age, I was incredibly excited at the thought of seeing him in the red and white, and this was a level of player who I don't think we could ever have dreamed would come to the Arsenal any time soon. The purse strings had been loosened once more.

Arsenal world went crazy! Soon, fans were adding umlauts to their Twitter handles, and new 'umlauted' merchandise was appearing. I personally bought a red t-shirt with Gööner written on it. And Ozil soon added to the bandwagon with his patented Twitter hashtag '#YaGunnersYa'.

We could barely wait for his debut, which came at Sunderland a few days later. And in the 11th minute came his first 'assist', for Olivier Giroud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPIf08RxW2E. He was involved in all three goals in his first home game, a 3-1 win over our old friends Stoke City. And he scored his first goal in the Champions League at home to Napoli - taken with typical style - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x15iqj8. He combined particularly well with Aaron Ramsey, and made many, many chances for Olivier Giroud.

The following season, Ozil was joined at the club by Alexis Sanchez, and the two clicked almost immediately. The following couple of seasons saw his best output for Arsenal, and his partnership with Alexis was a joy to behold. Here were two world class stars on the same wavelength, and we were treated to some truly memorable moments. Remember how the two of them tore Manchester United apart one Sunday afternoon as we strolled to a 3-0 win? In the second of the two seasons that he and Alexis were together, Ozil contributed no less than 11 assists and two goals in one single 12-match stretch!

Ozil was setting records not just for assists, but for chances created. He set up no less than 10 in a game against Southampton - but that game ended 0-0; evidence perhaps that he was being held back by the lack of sufficient players of his stellar quality. Nonetheless, he finished the 2015-16 Premier League season with 19 assists, just one short of Thierry Henry's record. Oh, and another FA Cup Winners medal. And the memes started - 'How may I assist you?' was everywhere!

It wasn't just what he did, but his impeccable timing in doing so. Time and again choosing his moment to express his genius; like the assist for Welbeck's extra-time winner against Leicester in 2016, and his involvement - no less than three times - in what for me is possibly the greatest team goal of all time against the same side a couple of years later; the flick, the stepover, and finally the unselfish gift to Aubameyang. Or THAT goal vs Ludogorets:

Here are just some of his goals and assists. They set my spine tingling watching them again. Enjoy...:

https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal/videos/10155826479002713

https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal/videos/130338388910024

https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal/videos/530243580838448

https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal/videos/233963061308876

Or if you want to remind yourself of the way he could influence matches...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItDhyBwUpnc

And if you've got 20 minutes, here are all of his Arsenal goals and assists: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVFeCCUtbWo

When Arsene Wenger left Arsenal, one direct result was the effect it had on Ozil. Gone was the 'arm round the shoulder', and Arsenal had a new, more pragmatic type of coach. Ozil struggled under Unai Emery, and had his run-ins with him. This coach had less time to indulge his charges - and must have found it difficult to even make himself understood at times. Certainly, we fans were often confused trying to work out what he was trying to achieve. Ozil suffered, becoming more peripheral and even left out of the squad for long periods despite being fit. 

And there was no shortage of controversy - the perhaps ill-advised meeting with Turkish President Erdogan - he and Ilkay Gundogan were subjected to diabolical abuse during Germany's international matches, before Ozil walked away from Die Mannschaft in disgust - and the bizarre worldwide response to his speaking out against the actions of the PR of China against the Uyghur Moslems.

And then there was all the other personal stuff. Ozil contributed quietly to the community, handing out vast sums of money to Charity - especially to sick and disadvantaged children - via his Foundation. All this went very much under the radar, because it didn't suit the narrative, but other stuff hit the headlines in a big way. 

There was the car-jacking incident, the pandemic pay cut issue and the matter of Gunnersaurus's salary. Plus, despite being in favour for a considerable time following the arrival of Mikel Arteta, Ozil suddenly found himself completely excluded from the First Team from the beginning of Project Restart. We will perhaps never know why this came about - perhaps there were external reasons, but perhaps Arteta felt that he wasn't exerting himself enough (the so-called 'non-negotiables'), or had become too much of a distraction - but there can be no doubt in anybody's mind that this was a terrible waste of a massive talent.

Either way, Mesut Ozil polarised opinion. You were either a lover or a hater; you weren't allowed any middle ground. From my point of view, I loved him (well, almost all of the time; there were rare occasions when even I got a bit fed up with his apparent lack of effort - but there was always a case in my mind for his Manager to to tell him that he was always going to be the first name on the team sheet, and the other 9 would have to do his running for him). Look, he wasn't lazy per se, but he didn't like the defensive side of the game and burst into life when Arsenal had the ball.

Whatever else is being said about Mesut Ozil, nobody can deny that here was one of the most skilful and talented players ever to wear an Arsenal shirt; as brilliant - and effective - as the likes of Liam Brady, Dennis Bergkamp and Cesc Fabregas in my opinion, and that's high praise indeed. Perhaps football has changed, and his like have been replaced by more athletic types, but it's been clear what the team has been missing from the moment that Emile Smith Rowe was promoted to the team - somebody who can take the ball on the half-turn, get 'between the lines', look forward instead of back, and make those defence-splitting runs and passes that were missing in the boring, functional Arsenal of Autumn 2020. 

I can still recall being so enthralled by Ozil that I would gasp with delight at what he was capable of - those tricks, flicks and feints - and I once jumped to my feet and shouted out 'Mesut, I want to have your babies!' following one such moment, to general amusement in Block 17 at The Emirates. I will forever miss watching/drooling over him.

Lest we forget, it wasn't his fault that he was offered that massive contract, and whilst he perhaps could have worked harder - although there was little disputing his match running stats - I think that successive Managers could have been considerably more sympathetic to this flawed genius. Despite his output having fallen away towards the end of his time at the club, he nonetheless leaves Arsenal after 254 matches, 44 goals (including a surprising number of headers) and 77 assists (many of them magical).

Nobody can dissuade me from overwhelming feelings of sadness at not having quite seen the consistent best of this precious and under-utilised talent. Thanks for the memories, Mesut.

Damned If You Do... A Tale Of Two Matches

So, two games against Southampton. And if you had to split them one win each, which would you have preferred to win?

Arsenal, with Arteta rotating heavily, went out of their FA Cup on Saturday following a fairly insipid performance. Hassenhuttl had picked his strongest side, and it was clear that the Managers were targetting different competitions. With Lacazette on the bench, and Aubameyang (for personal reasons) and Smith Rowe omitted completely, there was no doubt where Arteta's priorities lay. Which in many ways was disappointing, as we were Cup holders and one might have hoped for a less feeble defence of the trophy.

The hosts had far the best of the early exchanges, with good chances for Adams and Ings either side of their goal. For The Gunners, the returning Gabriel looked rusty - and conceded the unfortunate own goal that was the only difference between the sides on the day. If you go back far enough (just a few seconds), you'll note that Willian, dallying on the ball in the right back position as Southampton typically pressed hard, is dispossessed to set up the opportunity for Walker-Peters that the Brazilian deflected past Leno. And once, more, I'm afraid, the ex-Chelsea winger failed to impress at any time (barring a gorgeous cross-field ball to Pepe early on) in the game. 

Pepe, also back in the starting line-up, worked pretty hard, but he does exasperate me - it's impossible to work out what he's trying to do a lot of the time. Martinelli also worked hard, as usual, but clearly needs more match time to get up to speed. The introduction of both Saka and Partey on the hour, and Laca shortly after, didn't quite do enough to turn the tide, although Arsenal were considerably better from that point. But, despite 62% possession, a grand total of just two shots on target tells its own story - one late one for Nketiah almost did the trick - and that was that.

So the pressure was on to ensure that the rotation paid off when Arsenal turned up back at St Mary's just three days later. Both Managers picked their strongest available teams, but the difference was that Arsenal's key players had had a rest - and that three of Southampton's first choice defence were missing.

And Arsenal should have been ahead in the very first minute. Xhaka intercepted a ball from Bednarek high up the pitch and immediately slid in Lacazette, who should have done better with a clear sight of goal but hit McCarthy's left knee instead. And it was clear almost straight away that we were seeing a slightly different Arsenal, with their high press mimicking Southampton's.

However, Southampton's first foray yielded the opening goal. A right wing cross led to a corner, and from that Pepe failed to mark Armstrong, and his half-volley from the edge of the box fairly flew past the diving Leno.

Thankfully, the lead didn't last long, as Xhaka once again intercepted a centre-back's (Stephens this time) pass forward on the high press, and immediately slid in Pepe. Some sleight of foot and the ball was in off the far post from 8 yards. A neat finish.

And for a little while it's like a game of basketball, with both sides attempting the 'full court press' and occasionally getting caught doing it. Chances at both ends, with Arsenal looking the more likely but Luiz committing his customary ' howler of the game' and fortunate to get away with it, until with 6 minutes until half time Lacazette's clever ball releases Saka, who beats McCarthy's mad rush out of his area to take it round him and poke it, although off balance and with his wrong foot, into the empty net. Poor from McCarthy, but quick thinking from Saka (as usual). And probably no less than Arsenal deserved, on balance.

A slightly quieter second half, with Southampton seeing a lot of the ball but doing little dangerous with it. Apart from a slalom-like run from Ings that was unfortunate to end up as a mere goal kick. 

And then farce on 70 minutes, as Arsenal signal that Martinelli is to come on for Pepe, who trudges off slowly - there appears to be no rush as at the same time Smith Rowe is down injured. Ref Friend takes exception to the speed of Pepe's departure and books him, even though the game isn't ready to be restarted with ESR receiving treatment. And with ESR now having to be withdrawn Arteta changes the substitution completely, with Willian on for him and Pepe left on - so he's received a booking for leaving the pitch too slowly, yet is still on the pitch? Surely the yellow card should be rescinded?

And from the restart, Arsenal extend their lead. Cedric, who had a fine game as Tierney's replacement at left back, plays a glorious cross-field ball for Saka to race on to, and his first time cross across the 6-yard box - again with his wrong foot, finds the onrushing Lacazette who can barely miss. Breathing space, and pretty much game over - despite Luiz committing a second howler - this time a double one - before being bailed out by a combination of Holding and Leno.

Arteta should be delighted with this win, on the whole, as should we. We saw a slightly different Arsenal today, with the press - led by Lacazette and ESR - working extremely well and perhaps creating a blueprint for the future. If you can't beat them, join them - in the press, that is; look how well Liverpool do it, after all. And a second decent performance in a row from Pepe; let's hope that competition, and the fact that he'd lost his place in the side and was only back due to Auba's enforced absence, has taught him sufficient lesson about hard work and application.

So we must temper our disappointment at FA Cup elimination with grateful thanks for 16 Premier League points out of the last 18. Now let's hope that we continue this steady climb up the table, with Manchester United in Town next, and the opportunity for a rare 'double' over them on Saturday.

I'll be back with a 'Goodbye Mesut' special on Friday afternoon, and then again on Monday. Stay home, and safe, please, one and all.

Steve Bruce's Least Favourite Opposition

I had been planning to post after the Palace game, but there was so little to discuss that I decided not to bother. But thankfully there's a bit more to be happy about after the Newcastle game. I'll deal with the good news first, then.

Steve Bruce had been very voluble in the media about his squad, and the need to shake them up. And this he did, making 8 changes and switching to 4-4-2. Arsenal have a far more settled side these days, of course, and this game was notable for the returns both Tierney (just the one game missed) and Partey (who'd had a sensible break since the Spurs game). Cedric Soares replaced the rested Bellerin.

Arsenal started a little tentatively. I had just noted 'need to pick the tempo up' when Don Goodman, the Sky pundit, said precisely the same thing. I suppose that they needed a little time to adjust to the opposition, and to the new Partey-shaped engine room. Although as the half wore on it was clear that  Partey was starting to boss things in midfield. He looks to have a lot of time much time on the ball, and a big passing range. Comparisons with Patrick Vieira would not necessarily be out of kilter at his stage.

Early on, neither Saka nor Smith Rowe could really get into the game, and to begin with most of the attacking was coming down the left. That was only a matter of time, however, as the two youngsters soon began to combine; the first time Saka took an unnecessary elbow in the face from Lewis, and on the second occasion Aubameyang, steaming in on the far post, could only smash the cross from Saka onto the post. A little later on, Partey's floated ball to the left and Smith Rowe's driving run and pass led to Aubameyang shooting narrowly over the bar.

Somehow Newcastle reached half time with parity, and the Sky pundits were saying how pedestrian Arsenal had been. I couldn't entirely agree, as I felt that Arsenal had done pretty much everything but score, and Nev and Carra had very much changed their tune by the end of the game!

From the very start of the second half, Arsenal were on top. Within 5 minutes, Partey's exquisite floated pass to the left set Auba away, his run took him into the box and he smashed the ball past Darlow with his left foot. The trademark somersault was back - and the socially-distanced celebration was amusing.

Minutes later, Smith Rowe and Saka combined for another beauty of Hale End creation. Auba's pass sent ESR away, and he bided his time to await the arrival of Saka into the penalty area. A tap-in for Bukayo. https://player.arsenal.com/video/made-hale-end-saka-doubles-our-lead

By this time, Arsenal were in complete ascendancy. Lacazette was twice unfortunate not to get onto the score sheet before Cedric's excellent run and slide-rule cross found the unmarked Auba for his second. Prior to that, a clever back heel by Cedric had made a fool of his opposite number on the sideline. It was all over from that point, as Partey came off for a rest and Arsenal cruised to full time.

I get a bit fed up putting my own team down by saying stuff like it was 'only Newcastle - last time it was 'only West Brom' - but you can only beat what's put in front of you. Newcastle are quite dreadful, but the quality of opposition quickly ramps up now. Southampton, Manchester United, Wolves and Villa are the next 4 Premier League fixtures. But we've reached the dizzy heights of 10th now - a mere 5 points off of 6th and 7 off of 4th. It's a shame about the dropped points against Palace, but that's 13 points out of 15 since Boxing Day, and 4 clean sheets to boot (plus a fifth in the FA Cup). Which is decent form in anybody's book. However Arteta fell into the current selection, I'm not sure I care - and like everyone else I'm very excited with how things are developing now with Emile Smith Rowe the key ingredient, and the return of Thomas Partey.

As I mentioned, both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were raving about Emile Smith Rowe after the game. He has made a huge difference to the side since his inclusion, with his ability to take the ball on the half-turn, keep close control or play with one simple touch where necessary, and perform the 'transitions' that the team had been so badly missing. That his performances should elevate him so quickly alongside Saka is quite something, and he currently looks like a more than adequate replacement for the soon to be departed Mesut Ozil (I promise an Ozil special on this blog, by the way, so that's something to look forward to - for me, anyway!).

As for poor Steve Bruce, that's his 23rd defeat in 31 matches managing against Arsenal (just two wins). That also includes an FA Cup Final defeat - from two goals up - with Hull City. He must really look forward to playing Arsenal!

And so quickly back to Palace. And despite having had 67% possession, Arsenal were short of ideas coming up against a well-organised Palace side who had two very presentable chances to win the game. But, to put matters into context, Citeh made mincemeat of Palace the other night, so there's still much to do for Arsenal to get close to competing in the higher echelons of this League. Palace are often very good at smothering their opposition - Citeh a notable exception of course - but this was frankly in the Top 10 worst Arsenal matches I have ever had the misfortune to watch.

The match was probably most notable for the absence of Kieran Tierney, who is a key player both in defence and attack. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, replacing the Scot at left back, had a stinker, to be frank. But he wasn't the only one, as Arsenal struggled to carve out a single decent chance against a side who always looked dangerous on the counter-attack. This can be best illustrated by the fact that they actually contrived to make Christian Benteke look like a proper footballer! 

Next match - Southampton (probably) in the FA Cup at the weekend. Followed by a further visit to St Mary's three days later. It's funny how these coincidences happen... In the meantime, please stay safe - and COYG.

Individual Performances Clarify Selection Issues

There was much to learn from the hard-fought FA Cup third round victory over a stubborn Newcastle United on Saturday. More clarification on Arteta's best side, and on who's perhaps going to be side-lined, loaned or sold on as January wears on.

Reading back through the notes I made during the match, it did illustrate where the work needs to be done over the course of this month and the rest of the season. Opportunities were given to a number of players as Arteta took the opportunity to rest and rotate, and whilst some players grasped the nettle, others most certainly did not.

Bellerin, Holding, Ceballos, Saka, Smith Rowe and Lacazette were rested, with individuals now regarded more as 'fringe' players coming into the side; the likes of David Luiz, Cedric, Willock, Pepe and Willian - and also Reiss Nelson, who made the starting line-up due to Martinelli's injury, sustained in the warm-up. Neither AMN or Nketiah made the starting line-up - there is plenty of depth now that a couple of players have 'jumped the queue', so to speak.

As I type this, we have no definitive news on how bad Martinelli's ankle is, but this injury does appear unconnected to the knee problem that kept him out for so long. He is exceptionally talented, so I really hope that he's not going to be another of those injury-prone players to put alongside the likes of Wilshere, Ramsey and The Ox. Additionally, I'd expect to see Gabriel (not that Mari has done anything wrong) and Partey back in the starting line-up soon, and for me the best line-up when everyone is fit may be:

Leno

Bellerin - Holding - Gabriel - Tierney

Partey - Xhaka

Smith Rowe

Saka - Lacazette - Aubameyang

Of those on the above list who got some time on the field, I'd venture to say that only Luiz and Pepe helped their causes. Cedric had a 5 out of 10 game, but that seems to be the sort of player he is - and absolutely not the sort of player to have been offered a long contract at the age of 28! Willock didn't really do enough to thrust himself into the manager's thoughts. Nelson started fairly well but faded as an early crunching tackle from Lascelles and lack of recent game time got to him, and Willian was, once more, downright poor. I'm looking at comments from my notes that say: 'poor by Willian', 'disappointing from Willian', 'Willian needs to put in more of a shift', and one 'that was pitiful by Willian!'. Not good, and for a man who is supposed to be setting an example in the same way that Luiz often does this was another quite pathetic effort.

As for Newcastle, there was an element of rotation - with Wilson the most notable absentee. But they were perhaps stronger than I'd hoped, and I never feel comfortable when I see Andy Carroll in the opposition line-up.

And so to the game itself. Arsenal started pretty well, and there were early efforts from Nelson and Pepe. Willian smashed a presentable free kick well over the bar. Lascelles took Nelson out on the half-way line. Pepe was properly involved from the right wing, and putting in a shift defensively as well. Willian, however, really didn't wake up until half way through the half.

From a free kick in our half, Luiz floated a superb early ball to Aubameyang on the right. He ran into the penalty area hit a half-volleyed shot from an angle that Dubravka parried. Willian dithered over the follow-up and blasted it well over the bar with his left foot. Nelson's ring-rustiness cost him after a typical driving Tierney run and cross had set him up. And so, applying pressure all the way up until half-time, Arsenal were well ahead on points and Leno had had nothing to do.

Newcastle were a bit better from the start of the second half. In truth, they had been dour and unadventurous - we get more of this in the Premier League next week! - and Carroll was suddenly much more involved (he'd been seen to better effect as a defender in the first half) via a half-volley that Leno easily saved, and then a wonderful chance following some poor defensive work from Arsenal; both from free kicks. This second chance was flagged offside, but VAR would have overturned it had the ball hit the back of the net - he was not offside. 

And so, having seen enough of the rotation, Arteta turned to his bench and Smith Rowe entered the fray for the rusty Nelson on 55 minutes. Almost immediately, things looked better. Aubameyang had an opportunity following a through ball from Elneny, and Willock's header from Pepe's cross could have been better directed. Saka and Xhaka came on for Willian and Willock, and from then on the flow was all one-way again. Pepe's run and shot, a volley from Auba, and chances for Saka and Luiz, but no goal. 

And then, really late on, the counter-punch that Bruce's tactics had been all about. A swift break, the ball arrived at the feet of Carroll at the far post... and Leno made a superb double save! First to parry the ball down, and then to bravely push the ball away as the big centre-forward swung his left boot in the vicinity of both the ball and Leno's head.

And so to extra time, when there was only likely to be one result. Despite being sent off - soon rescinded, as the card came out as a result of a ludicrous scream from Longstaff and not based on the actual challenge - Smith Rowe, along with Saka, started to link the play together much more. 

A superb volley from Xhaka, who had added pace and purpose to the midfield (how often can we say that?), was tipped over the bar. And at the start of the second half of extra time (Pepe having been replaced by Lacazette) came the breakthrough. Smith Rowe won the ball following a mistake by the unfortunate Clark (who'd had a good game), and following some interplay with Saka and Laca burst into the area, chested the ball down and slid it on the half-volley into the far corner past Dubravka. A well-taken goal, and Newcastle had nothing left. 

There was time for Auba to get his goal - and hopefully some confidence - following a nice through ball from Xhaka and cross from Tierney, and that was that.

But of course this does leave much to ponder for Arteta. The fringe players did not take their chances, but the manager must be sure to manage the workload of the younger players. The Martinelli option is currently not there, but Arteta surely must not overload ESR with work. With Partey to come back, that will help, and I'd certainly much prefer to see Saka rotated into the number 10 role than Willian!

And now thoughts turn back to the transfer window, and more to Outs than Ins. I'd expect the emergence of Smith Rowe - now nicknamed 'the Croydon de Bruyne', apparently - to change the narrative somewhat, and so I don't really expect more than one arrival at most. It looks like we've seen the last of Ozil now, and perhaps three or four more players may follow Kolasinac out of the door in the next few weeks.

Two home matches to follow over the next few days - Palace and Newcastle again - and 6 points ought to be the order of the day. Suddenly, Arsenal are just six points off the top 4, and 10 off the top of the table - the narrative has changed, and let's hope it stays that way.

I'll be back on Friday. Stay safe, please.

Oh, and one last thing - despite this being a little-read blog (I'm lucky to get a couple of hundred clicks some weeks) I seem to have got myself a 'troll'. I'm pretty sure I know who he is - a cocky, loudmouth Sp*rs fan of my unfortunate acquaintance. I remove his comments on at least a weekly basis, but have now changed my Comments settings and also reported him to Google, who run this platform, and online to the Police. I almost feel like I've made it, having a pet troll, but it's not pleasant to see, to be honest. As I say, I have taken steps, and he may well get a little tap on the shoulder from the authorities. I do hope so.

Oh It's Lovely Weather (For a Sleigh Ride For The Gunners)

Rejuvenated Arsenal continued on their upward curve - and crowned an excellent Christmas week - with a one-way snowball fight massacre against a dire West Bromwich Albion side. 

Truthfully, there wasn't really a moment's worry as a confident-looking Arsenal dominated The Baggies from start to finish. The only danger, frankly, was the possibility of the match being abandoned due to snow as there were moments early in the second half when the ball seemed to not be quite running as one might expect on the pitch.

So, to team selection, and Arteta gave the recently retuned Martinelli a day off in order to restore Alexandre Lacazette to the starting line-up; Aubameyang reverting to a familiar left-wing slot. Bukayo Saka had recovered from the knock he received a Brighton and took his place on the right. The only other change was the more creative Ceballos for Elneny in midfield.

Arsenal dominated from the off. Bellerin, Saka and Aubameyang both twice had reasonable chances - Auba could perhaps have done better at the far post from Saka's cross - and at one point I spotted Leno almost on the halfway line, so compressed was the play. The only opportunity West Brom had in the first 20 minutes was when Xhaka - who else - lost the ball and a pass clipped over the top to Phillips meant that Leno had to make a save.

And then Man of the Match Kieran Tierney took over proceedings halfway through the first half. From Holding's pass, he turned Furlong inside and out before curling the ball into the far corner from the left corner of the penalty box with the inside of his right foot. Unexpected - as I thought he only used that foot for standing on - but quite exquisite.

5 minutes later it was two. With Arsenal completely dominating the ball as they searched for an opening, Smith Rowe suddenly quickened up the play with a clever ball to Saka. The latter found Lacazette as the former switched out to the right and into the space that Saka had vacated, and the Frenchman switched the ball out to ESR as Saka continued his run into the box. Excellent telepathy, nurtured at Hale End, between Smith Rowe and Saka meant that each knew what the other was doing, and Saka had a tap-in from 6 yards. A goal that wouldn't have been out of place in the peak Wenger years; lovely stuff, and West Brom were torn apart.

As the half passed, Arsenal's domination grew, if anything, and as a portent of things to come Lacazette began to attract the ball like a magnet, missing a couple of reasonable opportunities. He was very much involved in the centre, but Aubameyang from out wide really was not.

Allardyce must have got into West Brom at half time, as they tried to get closer to Arsenal in the early stages of the second half. That, along with the snow on the pitch, gave me a moment's concern; but in truth Arsenal were completely in charge. West Brom did have the ball in the net early in the second half, but there was a clear offside in the run up to it that even I spotted!

AMN replaced Bellerin on 53 - must be a small knock I think; no news yet. Almost immediately, quick feet from Ceballos in midfield and a ball clipped over the top let in Lacazette, who forced a decent save out of Johnstone. And 5 minutes later the Frenchman had the goal he deserved; set up by Saka and then ESR, but in truth there was some truly awful defending in there from former Arsenal trainee Semi Ajayi. And then a fourth - Lacazette from Tierney's cross at the end of another sweeping move; Laca's fifth in four matches, and he has his mojo back.

Auba, as I have already intimated, was looking a little forlorn out wide - although he had played a part in the fourth goal - and whilst he came close a couple of times it is clear that he once more badly needs a goal to restore his confidence. It was really the only thing missing from the performance.

So that's 9 points out of 9 over the Christmas period. From a crisis, Arsenal can now very much look up instead of down. Up to the dizzy heights of 11th place, but more important just 6 points off of fourth. There have been a lot of draws over Christmas, and that has helped. A couple more wins over Palace and Newcastle - games which immediately follow Newcastle in the FA Cup - would be extremely helpful, as the quality of opposition does go up after that. But in the meantime the pressure is somewhat off, Arteta and Edu can look at the transfer window (both Ins and Outs), and we can also look forward to welcoming Gabriel and especially Thomas Partey to the side. Suddenly, things don't look anything like as bad as they did a week or so ago.

I loved Kieran Tierney's televised interview prior to the match, in which he modestly explained how hard work was the key and how good our youngsters are. Surely a future Arsenal captain - perhaps even in the Adams mould - is in the making here. He played really well, yesterday, but was rivalled for his Man of the Match award by Lacazette. The Frenchman has always been a 'streaky' scorer, so let's hope he carries on in this vein. 

Saka looks like he's going to be a superstar, but for me the key has been the introduction of Emile Smith Rowe. I/we had been crying out for some creativity from midfield, and somebody in the Number 10 role. On the assumption that we won't see Ozil again, then we can hopefully look forward to ESR growing into the role and becoming one of the first names on the team sheet. He has added shape and purpose to the team.

Onwards to our defence of the FA Cup, which starts next weekend. On the assumption that both we and Newcastle rest players for the game... well, our squad is considerably deeper than theirs, so we ought to go through.

As for West Brom.. well, they were awful. I'm not sure that even Allardyce can save them.

I'll be back next week to hopefully review that very progress, In the meantime, Happy New Year and let's hope for health, happiness and vaccinations all round in the next few weeks.