The Colossus Of Madrid

History buffs will know that the Colossus of Rhodes was a gigantic statue of the Greek Sun God, Helios. It was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Last night, Declan Rice bestrode the Santiago Bernebeu like a giant himself, dominating Real Madrid. A colossal performance from somebody who we know already was a fine player, but has now announced his brilliance to the world.

Rice completely outshone Jude Bellingham (whose petulant behaviour during and after the match meant that some Arsenal fans have now dubbed him Jude B*ll*nd). He was up and down the pitch all night, getting tackles, blocks and interceptions in as required, but not afraid to break forward and help set the tone for Arsenal moving the other way. A performance that reminded me in many ways of peak Steven Gerrard.

Of course, Rice wasn't the only hero of the evening. But what really impressed me most - apart from the utterly disciplined and professional team performance - was the bravery of firstly the Manager in devising the tactics, and then of the team - as a whole - in carrying them out to a 'T'. Not prepared to allow Madrid to dictate play, Arsenal chose their moments - especially early on - to press high. This put Madrid on the back foot, and prevented them from getting into any sort of rhythm. The drive up top in the press, especially from Odegaard, Merino and Saka, meant that Madrid couldn't develop any pattern of play. And with Martinelli buzzing everywhere, the home side really struggled and rarely looked like clawing back the deficit.  

There were, of course, a few moments that could easily have been turning points or momentum changers. Arsenal's early penalty - correctly awarded by VAR after the referee missed it - ought really to have settled the nerves. Who knows what Asencio was thinking as he hauled Merino to the ground at a corner? And frankly who cares? But we simply weren't prepared for what happened next, as Starboy tried something he'd never done before in a competitive match; a 'Panenka'. 

What was he thinking, we must have thought, as it went horribly wrong and Courtois saved easily. I'm very firmly of the opinion that the Shearer method is the way to go - aim for a top corner and hit it as hard as you can. But Saka's weak and misdirected attempt lobbed gently to the goalkeeper's right. 

My first thought was that the moment could a) be a momentum changer, and b) might affect Saka's confidence. 

• On the first count, when Mbappe threw himself to the floor a few minutes later - the referee buying it; awarding a very soft penalty - was that the two penalty incidents would be how the match would be remembered. Fortunately, the VAR alerted the referee to the softness of the award and sent him to the screen. It was clear that Mbappe had thrown himself to the ground at the slightest touch from Declan Rice, and following a 5 minute delay (ludicrous) the penalty award, and subsequent yellow card for Dec, were both rescinded. In the Premier League, that's not happening; the VAR would back his mate up and cite the lack of a 'clear and obvious error'. On the other hand, I don't think that Arsenal get their penalty if Asencio's foul on Merino occurs in a Premier League game. Maybe I'm paranoid, but for me these are yet another example of how poorly the VAR regulations are applied in England
• On the second count... well, not a bit of it. Starboy stood up tall and got on with what he needed to do; which was torment David Alaba (who, by the way, might easily have been sent off as early as the 8th minute for a horrific attempt at a 'reducer' that wiped Saka out). For me, it's never too early for a red card if the offence demands it. And Alaba wasn't the only Madrid defender who should have seen one!

Meantime, Madrid's aggression, which had already led to two bookings, had seen Rudiger haul Partey to the ground prior to a free kick. He was to repeat the action not once, but twice later on Timber, and also barrelled into Merino late; and was then inexplicably not even booked - let alone sent off - for a stamp on MLS's mid-section in the second half. It took until the 85th minute for him to finally receive the yellow card he fully deserved. Lenient refereeing; and B*ll*nd should also have seen yellow for also manhandling Timber to the ground, followed up a little later by a nasty tackle on his England colleague Rice. But as it seems is becoming prevalent in the refereeing world, foul play is not sufficiently punished, but Raya received a yellow for time-wasting just after the half hour. I can't get my head around this.

There was an interesting incident as the players walked off at half-time, when the injured Carvajal took it upon himself to try to get under Saka's skin; first verbally and then by laying a hand on his neck. Saka was livid; and whilst I'm not sure if the Spaniard was punished for it, he should have been! However, and as we well know, it's difficult to ruffle our Starboy. In any case, Arsenal had reached half-time safely at 0-0.

As the game wore on, Arsenal's tactics were clear. Happy to let Madrid have the ball in front of them in a mid to low block, they were doing to Madrid what so many do to them. And at 3-0 up, why the hell not? And Madrid seemed, frankly, devoid of ideas. They fell into the trap of lumping crosses into the Arsenal penalty area - something we've quite often accused Arsenal of being naive enough to do to certain teams - but with Saliba, Kivior and others looking solid, and space at a premium, it was doomed to failure. Madrid ended up with a total of 46 almost entirely ineffective crosses in the game. Chuck in a bit of gamesmanship/time-wasting, and the home crowd grew increasingly more frustrated. On the television, what we could hear alternated between whistles (at their own players) from the home crowd, and some of the all too familiar songs from the Arsenal cohort. 'Allez Allez' came out on several occasions, and we also got at least one 'You've only come to see the Arsenal'. I did get a little jittery, however, when the away fans began to 'Ole!' Arsenal passing as early as the 55th minute!

Arsenal killed the tie stone dead in the 65th minute. A delightful passing move involving Saka, Odegaard (twice), Rice and then Merino saw the latter cleverly slip Starboy in for a delicate chip over the advancing Courtois. A thing of beauty and my heart rate - which hit 80+ prior to the game and went over 90 during the penalty incidents - finally dropped back to normal. To put into context, when Merino scored Arsenal's third in the first leg it had hit an astonishing 160; but in truth I was pretty relaxed by the latter stages of the first half. Weren't you? And Saka, of course, had answered the question about whether his confidence had taken a hit from the penalty miss in the perfect manner.

Rather disconcertingly, Real equalised almost immediately, when Saliba dallied on the ball and was punished by Vinicius Jnr. In truth, whilst this and the penalty miss by Saka were big errors, they weren't anything like as critical in the long-term as the stupid yellow card that Partey picked up late on for reacting to the Rudiger infraction that finally saw him carded. I can forgive the occasional playing lapse, but a mental error like the one Partey made could yet cost Arsenal dearly, as he is now going to miss the first leg of the semi-final.

When Mbappe injured himself and limped off in the 75th minute, I literally put my feet up. Arsenal pretty much cruised through the rest of the match - Partey's yellow card notwithstanding (and Rice was absolutely furious with the Ghanaian!) - and the Arsenal fans could be seen partying up in their corner of the Bernebeu.

The icing on the cake was provided by Gabriel Martinelli. Yet another futile cross was headed out by Kivior, and Merino's threaded pass found the sprinting Brazilian. He outpaced Fran Garcia and finished in Henry-esque style into the far corner. Buenos Noches, Madrid!

So what can we take from this win? Well firstly, as I've already mentioned, they are superbly coached and organised, and even in the absence of Gabriel (and White and Calafiori) have a fabulous defence. Declan Rice was magnificent - again! - and rightfully received his second successive Player of the Match award, Of the others... well, let's go through them all:

• Raya - solid. Did everything he needed to do tidily; although I'm going to blame him just a little for playing Saliba into a bit of trouble for the equaliser
• Timber - another 9/10 performance. Saw Vinicius Junior off comfortably
• Saliba - despite the error, was outstanding once more. Took the brunt of the organisational pressure up on himself in the absence of Gabriel, and marshalled Kivior superbly
• Kivior - a really solid performance. Rarely under pressure, and rarely ruffled. He's slotted in seamlessly for Gabriel, and we're seeing the player that Arteta knew he was buying. A performance like this puts several million on his transfer fee, should Arsenal decide to sell him
• MLS - it's difficult to fathom that the kid is just 18. Another mature performance, both in defence and also with the guts and knowhow to feel happy to invert into midfield when he could. Superb
• Partey - an idiotic yellow card, yes; but otherwise did his job perfectly, Covered the space. Put his body on the line. Had 100% passing accuracy. Give him another year, Mikel
• Rice - what can anyone say? He was everywhere - snuffing out Madrid continually, and launching counter-attacks. A £105m bargain!
• Odegaard - a little off range with his passing - as he has been quite a lot this season - in the first half - but never stopped showing for the ball, and dovetailed well with Saka (as you'd expect). Covered more ground than any other player
• Saka - pretty much impeccable apart from the penalty miss. To think that he's still not fully fit! World class
• Martinelli - got the reward he deserved for his hard work with his goal. Right back to form now
• Merino - gloriously understated. Never stopped working, closing down and filling gaps. Got his just rewards with both assists, and is frankly doing a remarkable job in his new role

As for talk of a remontada (comeback) from Real - well, that was all it was; talk. They barely had a sniff. In truth, they're not a vintage Madrid side, and it's almost as if the acquisition of Mbappe - a fantastic footballer but not really a team player - has upset their applecart. Arsenal were playing history, and the aura of the stadium, as well as the 11 in front of them. They were largely unruffled by any of that, and fully deserved to go through.

And so we move on to PSG. Things don't get any easier, do they? But what do you expect - this is the Champions League! Still, we saw Viila demonstrate what can be done if you can get at them - they are not unbeatable; although I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from the fact that Arsenal have already beaten them comfortably in the Group stages of this competition, as they are playing considerably better now. But Arsenal can certainly overcome them.

I'd love to go to Paris. The second leg is scheduled for my 65th birthday! But with precisely zero away points my chances are low to zero. Still, if you hear anything...

Ipswich away next. Back to the grind of the Premier League. But Arsenal must keep going. Even with the three or four changes that I expect for Sunday, they should really have far too much for their soon-to-be-relegated hosts. In the meantime, bask in the glory. COYG! 

Brentford Bore The Pants Off Of Everyone. But Now It's Time For Some Spanish Hustle!

It was very much a case of After The Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday. A familiar story as Brentford - like so many before them - came to Emirates Stadium intent on looking to sit deep and hit Arsenal on the break.

I could almost rehash a number of similar match reports from earlier this season. Low block. Domination of possession. Chances few and far between. PGMOL let Arsenal down once again with inept decision. Goal finally taken, only for the opposition to equalise with their first shot on target. Familiar? Well, I’ll run through a few incidents before I wrap that up; but then it’s on to far more significant matters.

No surprise that Arteta chose to roll the selection dice, with no fewer than 5 changes (I might have made more!), but the two notable omissions were Sterling from the starting line-up (and he didn’t make it onto the pitch at any stage as it turned out), and the disappointing absence of White from the squad altogether. The latter is somewhat of a concern, and meant Partey at right back when I’m sure that Arteta would have far preferred to rest him for Wednesday.

The game started with Brentford clearly prepared to concede lumps of territory and possession, but to allow a minimal number of chances. I’ve lost count of the number of teams who have tried that this season; and unfortunately far too many have succeeded in escaping with draws. Something that Arteta simply must sort out for next season. 

A few half-chances were all Arsenal could muster, whilst the opposition fed off of scraps on the occasional break. Trossard had the first Arsenal shot on target late in the first half, but it was perhaps Martinelli who had the two best chances in an otherwise utterly uninspiring first 45 minutes.

The only controversial moment in the half involved a nasty scissor tackle by Norgaard on Martinelli- a potential leg-breaker - which the referee deemed worthy merely of a yellow card. VAR inevitably backed him up, despite the evidence of his eyes. If it would have been the other way round, we know what would have been decided; it was a straight red in my book. As we've quoted on numerous previous occasions: 'If that's Granit Xhaka...' But there's no point stressing about PGMOL any more; although surely the clubs must petition for big changes.

Second half, and much of the same. Until, unusually, it was Arsenal who struck with a breakaway goal. From a rare Brentford corner, Raya plucked the ball out of the air and immediately found Declan Rice with a roll-out. Rice put on the afterburners, with Martinelli and Partey in support, running fully 70 yards with the ball before releasing it perfectly into the path of the Ghanaian for an emphatic finish into the top of the net. Devastating. 

https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/1911114913977712724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1911114913977712724%7Ctwgr%5E36a70cd7bc56df954d163d150d15a3ce63e87c88%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Ffootball%2F2025%2F04%2F12%2Farsenal-vs-brentford-live-score-and-updates-premier-league%2F

But Arsenal couldn’t hang on. Poor defending from a corner saw Wissa hook the ball over his head to equalise. 

Thoroughly annoying - as much because this wasn’t the first time we’d witnessed it - and despite several further half-chances (Bukayo Saka must be annoyed with himself for squandering one excellent opportunity of his own making) Arsenal failed to score a second and the game petered out into another draw. 

Two depressing statistics for you: 

1. This was the 8th time that Arsenal had let a lead slip this season - imagine where they’d be if they had held on in those games (and there have been various reasons for some of those dropped points; many PGMOL-related to be fair). 

And 2. Brentford had a total xG of 0.19 in this match - the fourth lowest of any team in any Premier League match this season - yet came away with a draw. And of the three teams with lower xGs two of them - Everton (0.09) and Fulham  (0.16) - also escaped with draws against Arsenal. Boy, hasn’t this been a frustrating season?!?

And so the clock ticks even faster on Liverpool’s impending title. It looks like they may well clinch it with victory over Tottenham - which will, I’m sure, be a cause for celebration for not just their fans and PGMOL, but for their opposition's supporters too; pathetic as Spurs fans are (remember last season and Son’s missed chance vs Manchester City, and how their supporters celebrated losing to them! How has that worked out, eh?). 

But Arsenal now have bigger fish to fry - a massive one, coming fast into view as we head towards Wednesday night.

Memories of last Tuesday’s epic thrashing (or, to use a fish metaphor, battering) of Real Madrid remain at the forefront of our memories. And 3-0 really ought to be more than enough to prevent a turnaround. But the media have been full of suggestions that the tie is by no means over; despite how much Arsenal dominated the European champions last week. All we can hope is that Arteta and his staff are shielding the Arsenal players from the spotlight, preparing them for what awaits, and keeping them firmly grounded. And once they're out on the field, the message should be to play what's in front of you and cut out all the peripheries. It's 11 vs 11; and that's all there is to it.

Real are, of course, a threat to any side. Their forward line can be devastating, and I can’t see any way that Bellingham could possibly have as poor a game as he had last week. They’re at home, in front of a 100,000 crowd and with the roof shut (although, as @AFCMonty pointed out on Twitter, Rice cooks better with the lid on...). But it will be a cauldron. 

Camavinga out, but Tchaoumeni will be back. So there’ll be little change to their side, I’d imagine. There’s a fair chance that we won’t see Alaba after last week's humiliation at the hands of Starboy, though. I'd also expect to see them reverting to 4-3-3, with Rodrygo up alongside his attacking partners instead of dropping into a 4-4-2. And I'd expect Real to have the lion's share of the ball.

However... Arsenal don't let in many goals at the best of times. And certainly not as many as three in any game. On top of that I'm pretty sure that Arteta will be looking to use the dirtiest of low blocks; looking to cut off room to operate for the speedy Vini Jnr and Mbappe, to reduce the space behind, and to make Bellingham's task of threading balls through that much harder. Console yourself between now and kick-off with this infographic:

On top of that, I'm absolutely certain that Ancelotti will be conscious of the threat posed by Arsenal's wingers. Saka, on his way back to fitness, has the skill to pose all sorts of problems to the Real defence. But Martinelli's pace will surely be the most potent weapon of all. With Rice's ability to devour the ground in both directions, Arsenal ought to have more than enough to keep Real on their toes. 

And Real have stopped keeping clean sheets. Imagine what an Arsenal goal will do to them! Easier said than done, but keep them quiet early, notch off the minutes even 5 at a time, and force them to overplay their hand. 

Remember, it's 3-0. That's a big margin. Real may have done it before, but this really ought to be the case of them coming up against a pretty immovable object.

I wouldn't say I'm confident, personally, but I'm certainly more than hopeful. And you ought to be, too - despite all the background noise. COYG!!!

Alright Stop, Collaborate And Listen!

Difficult to know where to start. But what a night! Unquestionably the biggest occasion the stadium has ever seen. Bigger than that famous victory over Barcelona in 2011, and bigger even than the Bruce Springsteen gig staged there in 2008. And I'm a massive Springsteen fan! In truth, Arsenal have largely under-performed in the 19-year history of the stadium, despite the odd delirious high, and it needed a night like this one. A night on which to create some history. To - as Arteta had been drumming in to players and fans alike - Make It Happen. 

From the moment we started the walk to the ground we could sense it. The amount of singing. The queues that formed so early at the gates. The atmosphere on the concourses, and even in the queues for the urinals! The sense of anticipation as the seats filled up much earlier than usual. The on point music. The light show. The banners. The tifo display. The Angel being belted out prior to the Champions League anthem. The sense of anticipation at seeing such iconic names pitted against our boys. And the feeling of jeopardy felt by everyone (well, I say everyone... Sam, sitting next to me, told me he'd had a bet on a 3-0 Arsenal win. I of course told him that he was mad! - because this, after all, was Real Madrid).

No surprises in the team selection from Arteta. He'd expressed his confidence in Kivior the day before, and the vibes that Saka was going to start were very clear. The question for us supporters was how the team was going to cope with Real's pacy, electrifying forward line, but it was clear that there were weaknesses elsewhere. Carvajal, Militao and Mendy all out injured. Tchouameni suspended. Rudiger feeling the stress of a long season. The veteran Alaba barely back from injury himself. Goalkeeper Courtois had also been out for a few weeks. So there would be opportunities, and we sensed that. But...

And so to the game. Early nerves, featuring errors from Kivior in the very first minute (Mbappé‘s long-range effort was tame), Saka and even Saliba, who was momentarily wrong-footed by an errant pass by Kivior; Mbappé, on the end of Vinicius's pass, was offside before blasting the ball over (and here's something that annoys me abut that incident. Mbappé was clearly offside, yet the instructions to officials are to let play go on - I've never been sure why if the offside is clear - and so Timber took a knock from the Frenchman as he chased back. Fortunately, he was OK after treatment, by I've never been sure why such an element of jeopardy should be introduced). 

Later on in the half, Saliba stumbled and almost let Vinicius through, but Timber was there to cover. So for all Arsenal's possession and desire to take the sting out of Madrid's game, the threat on the break was always there.

But Arsenal had their chances also. Starboy, who cannot yet be fully up to speed, was causing havoc on the Arsenal right as Bellingham and Modric tried to stop him getting at Alaba. An early clumsy foul from Modric led to a free kick, but Odegaard's poor cross was intercepted and Madrid broke quickly; and the imperious Saliba dealt with Vinicius Jnr with the minimum of fuss. Saka then got another opportunity to run at Alaba, and his low cross caused confusion between Camavinga and Rudiger. The second of two successive corners saw Partey's glancing header blocked on the line - by Saliba!

A bit of cat and mouse followed, but there was more than a glimmer of danger when Bellingham robbed Timber and set the rapid - I had no idea how quick he was until I saw him in the flesh - Mbappé through. Raya, however, was once more comfortably equal to the attempted Henry-esque finish.

Towards the end of the half, Saka created two superb chances with low crosses into the 6-yard box. And we could all see his visual frustration as the lack of an instinctive centre-forward meant that the anticipation wasn't quite there for anybody to get onto the end of them - particularly the first one, although we had the joy of seeing Saka get the better of Bellingham before he crossed. 

The final meaningful action of the half saw the first really clear cut chance, as Rice met Timber's cross and his firm header was beaten out only to Martinelli, only for Courtois to complete the double save. Getting closer, but we turned at 0-0 and with the tension still palpable and the crowd still completely engaged.

Whilst the second half started as the first had, two things struck me. Firstly that whilst Arsenal were content to look to take the sting out of their opponents and work the opposition around, Madrid were as happy to go long early as they were to knock the ball around themselves. And with that pace in their forward line, why not? And secondly I was amazed at Arsenal’s energy levels; how quickly they were prepared to get back in numbers whenever they had to. I read later that Arsenal had run 1k more per man than Madrid, which tells a tale.

Just before the hour, the first decisive moment of the game, and a really meaningful contribution from Saka, who drove across the pitch with Alaba in his wake before drawing a foul around 10 yards outside the penalty area and fairly central. 

A clamour has been starting recently amongst Arsenal fans for Declan Rice to be given more opportunities on direct free kicks, based on a combination of Odegaard’s continued lack of success and the purity and quality of Dec’s corner and free kick delivery since the squad returned from Dubai last January. 

I, for one, was calling for Saka to defer to him as they stood over the ball and, whilst I don’t think that Courtois’s wall was either wide enough or well-enough positioned, the sheer purity of the hit was outstanding. Hit with pace, and a Roberto Carlos style curl that started the ball a good two yards outside the post, it was past the despairing dive of the keeper and nestling in the back of the net in a split second. 

What a hit! And the crowd went ballistic! Noise at levels I’ve rarely heard in the ground as the enormity of what Arsenal were doing began to hit home. Each replay was greeted with oohs and aahs of disbelief, and I was telling everyone around me that they’d have to go a long way to see a better free kick than that as long as they lived.

Buoyed on by a rampant crowd - one that had been backing the team loudly all evening and who now stepped up the volume even further - Arsenal began to pummel Real. The home team were suddenly well on top, and we soon saw a dramatic passage of play involving a triple block/save as first Martinelli’s shot was saved by Courtois, then Merino’s follow-up kicked off the line by Alaba, only for the keeper to beat out a third effort from Merino again. A remarkable piece of action, and we were ruing the ball not having found the net. From the ensuing corner, it was Bellingham this time who cleared a Rice shot off the line. The pressure on Real was intense, but around me we were wondering if Arsenal didn’t need to reflect their authority in the scoreline right then; or live to regret it.

As it turned out, I got my free kick prediction completely wrong, as we had to wait fully 12 minutes after the first for Rice to better the previous one. Saka repeated his drive infield, and this time it was Camavinga who brought him down (the subsequent yellow card thus ruling him out of the second leg; but more of that later). And then…

Pandemonium, as the Arsenal half of the wall split and Rice’s effort crashed into the very top corner of the net. Top bins, as Jimmy Bullard used to say on the now sadly defunct Soccer Saturday, and two goalkeepers wouldn’t have kept that out! Cries of ‘Declan Rice - we got him half price’, rang out as the television cameras showed the reactions of a number of players. Odegaard and Saliba with their hands on their heads in disbelief. Bellingham and Mbappé in shock. 

These, by the way, were apparently the first direct free kicks scored by an Arsenal player since October 2021 (I’m not quite sure about that stat though). And the first - and second - direct free kicks scored by Rice himself in his entire top class career of 339 matches. Remarkable.

Interesting to hear what Rice himself said about his free kick technique after the game: ‘When I look up quickly I don’t get quite the same consistency as when I just focus on the ball… and keep my head down’. A perfect comparison with one’s feelings when standing over any shot, as all amateur golfers would testify. A dead ball is a dead ball, no matter what the sport is.

The coup de grace was delivered by Merino following a fluid move involving (inevitably) Rice, Trossard, MLS and then finally the Spaniard, whose clever first time finish from the edge of the penalty area wrong-footed Courtois. To add to the remarkable statistics, this means that Merino has scored more goals against Real Madrid than any other opponent. And that makes 6 goals in 10 matches since he was forced up front by the injury to Havertz. Astonishing, frankly. Although anybody who suggests that Arsenal don’t need to buy a centre forward in the summer will get short shrift from me; and from you too, I suspect.

There remained time for Camavinga to receive his marching orders for kicking the ball away. But also for Bellingham to somehow avoid a yellow for a series of tugs on Odegaard’s shirt that would have ruled him out of the second leg - although Arsenal do have a 3-0 lead, it would have made their lives a lot easier next week were Bellingham to be unavailable.

Those last 15 minutes of the match were played out to a background of celebration. The Arsenal version of Liverpool’s ‘Allez Allez’ song rang out loud and clear, before being followed up by a side-splitting rendition of ‘Are you Tottenham in disguise?’ The ignominy! Oh how we laughed! On the sidelines, Ancelotti’s lugubrious bulldog face looked more and more glum as time went on - as it happens, this may well be his final year at Madrid if, as looks likely, the club exits the Champions League at what is a very early stage for them, and also fails to win La Liga. That’s the harsh reality of life at the very top of club football.

So how did Arsenal achieve this result? Well firstly, as I have been banging on about in my last two posts, Madrid have injuries (don’t we all; unless we’re Liverpool), have got in the habit of letting in too many goals and are frankly in relatively poor form; and even look mentally fragile to my eyes. But this is Real Madrid, after all - all that aura and history in the competition must weigh down on opponents, so that’s not to take anything away from Arsenal.

Coached masterfully by Arteta, Arsenal essentially had Real where they wanted them. They exploited the spaces in midfield left by Real’s midfielders having to double up on the wingers, with Partey (if there’s an option of an extra year on his contract, Arsenal should be sticking the paperwork in front of him right now!) putting in a typically understated but highly efficient performance. He was joined frequently by MLS in order to create further overloads, and Real couldn’t cope. When they realised that they needed to concentrate more on the middle of the pitch, it left the wingers one on one with the full backs. 

All Real had to work with was the occasional swift counter attack. With the crucial difference compared to Premier League games being that domestic opponents are used to playing in - and indeed set out to play in - a low block against Arsenal that is frankly anathema to Real Madrid.

The extra space then left Odegaard (still a little way off of his best) and particularly Rice to drive through - often ahead of Merino - and put pressure on the back line.

All over the field, Arsenal were in charge almost throughout. As I’ve mentioned, they ran harder and further than Madrid, and seemed to want it more than their opponents. It’s difficult to pick out any individuals - although Rice was magnificent and will rightly take the plaudits - but I was also particularly impressed with the unrufflable Saliba, MLS, Partey, the selfless Merino… and with Saka, who is still on the comeback trail and ran out of energy after 70 minutes - but not before putting his stamp on the game by tormenting the left hand side of Madrid’s defence. 

3-0. And it could have been 5. I just hope that Arsenal don’t regret that in a week’s time, but for me (tempting fate here) the tie is pretty much dead. For all that Madrid will try everything they can - including gamesmanship - to get back into the tie, and they can expect nothing from the officials in Madrid, and the pressure will be immense, Arsenal haven’t let in three goals in a single match since December 2023 - and they still won that one 4-3! We should also bear in mind the amount of jeopardy that Real will be in - Arsenal will have sufficient pace on the counter-attack to hurt them, so they will have to be mindful of that. 

The best thing to do is not think about it, because the more we do, the more we will worry. But - believe me - Madrid know that they have a gargantuan task on their hands next week.

Meantime, I’m expecting large-scale rotation for Brentford on Saturday. Starts for White, Tierney, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Trossard, Sterling and Nwaneri for starters. Maybe even a rest for Raya. Nothing should be left to chance. Let’s keep this going - Eurostar tickets, anyone! 

COYG!!! 

I’m Sick Of This Now!

There’s really only one major talking point to take from the draw at Everton on Saturday. So that’s where I’ll start. And forgive me for another round of sour grapes, but this was yet another Arsenal fixture dominated by officiating ineptitude. 

As if the massive number of injuries suffered by the squad this season hasn’t been enough to cope with, the number of points that incompetent - and I’m being kind here! - officiating has cost Arsenal this season really gets brought into focus when you see Liverpool’s season completely implode; as we have just further witnessed with defeat at Fulham. Plus, if I may digress further; Fulham were far more defensive against Arsenal in their previous match than against the would-be champions - plus should probably have had two penalties; one for the latest piece of gratuitous violence from Virgil Van Dijk. 

Let’s add up just the obvious calls that have seen PGMOL ‘steal’ points from Arsenal so far this season. And we don’t have to dig too far before we’re right on Liverpool’s tails, Or even ahead of them:

• Rice sent off at home to Brighton. An unprecedented, unrepeatable call. Cost; two points
• Trossard sent off at Manchester City; who proceeded to equalise only in the 96th minute. Again, an unprecedented call. Two points 
• Saliba sent off at Bournemouth; VAR re-refereeing an incident deemed only a yellow card by the referee. Call it a point
• Jesus’s injury time winner vs Liverpool chalked off for a non-foul by Kivior seconds earlier. Arsenal lose two points; Liverpool gain one
• Saliba penalised for a penalty at Brighton for an accidental clash of heads. Two points
• MLS sent off at Wolves for what was merely a yellow card offence. Fortunately, Arsenal collected all three points nonetheless
• And now this; MLS penalised for what was at best a very soft infringement when, for me, it was Harrison who had the defender’s arm pinned. Ludicrous, and two points

12 points, by my reckoning. Minimum. Without me really giving it too much thought. And that’s not even considering the number of times that Liverpool have had the rub of the green this season. Too numerous to mention; and we should then perhaps be considering the number of other times VVD has not been sanctioned for serious foul play; including one violent assault on Kai Havertz!

And when one considers the injury woes, suggestions that Arsenal are Bottlers FC are simply ludicrous. It’s remarkable, in fact, just how resilient this squad have been shown to be if you look at it in that context.

I’ll quickly run through the timeline of this game before we get on to next week. Arteta made many more changes than one would normally expect, but this was understandable with Real Madrid in mind. Ben White fit enough to start. Kivior in for Gabriel. Odegaard, Partey and Martinelli rested. Saka named on the bench as he continues his comeback. And even with all those changes, Arsenal would still, under normal circumstances, have had more than enough for this pedestrian Everton side.

As one would expect, Arsenal dominated the first half, and took a deserved lead when breaking following an Everton set-piece - their only potent weapon, frankly. Raheem Sterling drove into the home half and released Trossard, who fired home neatly. 

For Everton, Beto looked to run at Kivior when he could, and the returning Ndiaye looked dangerous at times. But they frankly offered little, and the crowd was unaccustomedly subdued.

And so half-time came and went, and Arteta introduced his two first-choice wingers. But the game had barely restarted before a hopeful punt from Pickford saw MLS tussle with Harrison outside the penalty area. It looked to me like nothing more than each player trying to hold the other off as they jostled for the bouncing ball, with MLS’s arm actually held to Harrison’s chest by the forward. Having got into the box, Harrison threw himself to the ground in true Van Nistelrooy style. In any other game it’s ’play on’, but this is Arsenal, and the incompetent England took the chance to blow his whistle. 

The unbiased football pundits and public almost unanimously agreed that this was beyond soft. But that doesn’t stop PGMOL, does it? Suddenly it was 1-1, the crowd were up, and Arsenal couldn’t stroll through the game as they looked likely to do at half time. Even so,  Everton barely had another opportunity on goal. 

England further distinguished himself by failing to spot a blatant infringement by O’Brien, one of Everton’s phalanx of gigantic hulking and clumsy defenders, who had already been booked for lashing out at Kivior at a corner. The referee wasn’t, in fact, even looking at play when it happened. And he completed his day by blowing for full time before time was up, and was then embarrassed into restarting the game for a further minute. Incompetent beyond belief.

Remember, this is a member of the organisation who had admitted that Tarkowski should have been sent off in midweek, but didn’t upgrade him to a red card retrospectively - thus leaving him free to face… Arsenal. Don’t tell me that there isn’t a conspiracy, because for me there’s no way the officials can be this bad! 

But there’s nothing that can be done. Except for exposing the PGMOL agenda. I hope that Arsenal have a dossier to send to the Premier League at the end of the season. Bin PGMOL!

Enough of that nonsense. It’s too late now. PGMOL’s agenda has been in place all season, and they’ve done their job; for all that Liverpool are doing their best to capitulate. But UEFA-affiliated referees are cut from a different cloth (unless they’re English).  

The only other action worthy of reporting were a) a mazy 60-yard run from MLS that saw Tarkowski flatten him on the edge of the area. No booking. Rice's dead ball effort was very well hit, but straight at Pickford. But a lovely dribble past 5 men there. And b) a fine cross shot late on from Martinelli that stung Pickford's palms.

There's really nothing else for me to add on that. And so we must move on… to Real Madrid.

This is a Real Madrid side in indifferent form. Having shipped 4 goals to Real Sociedad at home in midweek, they contrived to concede a last-minute winner at home to Valencia on Saturday; perhaps handing La Liga to Barcelona as a result. So there is hope.

Of course, they come alive in the Champions League. It’s almost their own private property. But they have injury and suspension issues, so you never know. I mean; you probably do. But it’s the hope that kills you.

There will be key battles all over the pitch. Literally everywhere. Provided Arsenal can win their fair share of those, and slow the supply line to Bellingham and the wingers, they’ll have a chance. It remains to be seen what Arteta decides to do with regards to Kivior and also Saka - his two main decisions. As far as the former is concerned, Mbappe may be good, but he's no Beto after all...

Either way, Tuesday sees the biggest match at Emirates Stadium for a long, long time. I personally can’t wait. Of course, it could be painful. But we at least get to see our boys play against an iconic name in world football, and some iconic players (plus Dani Ceballos). So COYG!!!

Before I go, I just wanted to wish you all a Happy St Totteringham's Day for last Thursday. Although frankly that's barely reportable; so bad are Tottenham Hotspur at the moment. 

I’ll be back with you on Wednesday. And again on Sunday or Monday. Have a great week!

Why Injuries Are Just Like London Buses...

Arsenal's return to action after 16 days saw a long overdue win over Fulham - thus consolidating second place and closing the gap to Liverpool to a 'mere' 9 points - and featured two notable talking points at opposite ends of the spectrum. 

On the happy side, the return of our very own Starboy, Bukayo Saka, following no less than 19 matches out, was rapturously received by the home crowd. And in true Boys' Own style it didn't take him long to get onto the score sheet. On the sad side, the loss of both Gabriel and Timber to injury during the game does not bode well for what's on the horizon. So let's get into it, before I cover a few other bits of news.

No massive surprise on the team selection front. Although it was a worry to note the absence of Ben White from even the bench. The big news was, of course, the much-heralded return to the squad of our best player. And a timely return it is.

Fulham have been giving Arsenal trouble in the recent past (no wins over them in the past two seasons; with a defeat last Spring proving extremely costly), and racking the points up remains important not just in the extremely unlikely event that Liverpool's season falls completely apart (they now need just 12 points from 8 games), but also to keep the chasing teams at bay. Forest remain within touching distance, but there's a sizable buffer to fourth place now. Fulham themselves came to defend - as most sides do when they visit Emirates Stadium - but I don't believe that a 'low block' is really their game; as the way the game went proved.

And so to the action. And whilst the first half was pretty low key it was notable for three things. Firstly, that Gabriel Martinelli - back approaching his very best - had the hapless Timothy Castagne on toast throughout down Arsenal's left. He created several half-chances, plus a decent one for Nwaneri, whose volley forced a hurried save from Leno. Secondly that Mikel Merino was once again in the right place at the right time to tuck away a chance late in the half following a tidy through ball from Timber and neat turn and cross from Nwaneri. There was more than an element of luck to the goal - Merino made room for himself tidily but shot fairly tamely with his 'wrong' foot; and the ball took a wicked deflection off of Cuenca. We'll take it.

But the most important piece of action in the half was the injury to Gabriel, who lasted less than a quarter of an hour before his hamstring gave out. This is, of course, disastrous, as Arsenal are about to come up against one of the most devastating forward lines in world football next week. Hamstrings take a month - minimum - so it looks like we've lost him at a critical time. On the plus side, his partner William Saliba is of course utterly imperious. But on the minus side Jakub Kivior is a clear downgrade as third-choice left centre half, and this will be the second season in a row that Arsenal will go into a Champions League quarter-final with the Pole in the starting line-up. It didn't go well last season, so it's a worry this time round. With Calafiori, White, Tomiyasu (long-term) and now possibly Timber and definitely Gabriel sidelined, this is a defensive crisis to match the attacking one suffered in January.

Second half and - until the substitutions started to make a difference - it was more of the same as the first. Perhaps even more so. Another chance created by my Man Of The Match Martinelli - this time for Odegaard who spooned it well over the bar - and then a lovely interchange between Timber and Odegaard forced Leno to make a smart save from the Dutchman at his near post. Martinelli's nutmeg on Castagne was probably the nadir of the defender's night, but the result was just one of a cluster of early second half corners... and then...

The return of the Prodigal Son. To rapturous applause, Saka retuned to the fray. And in just under 7 minutes made his mark with the crucial second goal. Set up - almost inevitably on his showing over the 90 minutes - by Martinelli, who picked up Rice's pass and drove at the Fulham defence before turning the ball out wide to Merino. The Spaniard's cross was met by Martinelli's flick, and whether he was going for goal himself or looking for his mate doesn't really matter. Starboy had an open goal from three yards out and nodded the ball home. Cue absolute pandemonium! 

Was it written in the stars? I really don't know. But it was made quite clear to us just how much we had missed him. And it was a lovely touch - from a lovely young man - for him to go over to the dugout and give Conditioning Coach Sam Wilson a 'thank you' hug. 

So, a buffer. And it was needed late on, as with Martinelli's excellent finish ruled out for offside Timber's injury and subsequesnt defensive reshuffle, and Silva's changes, breathed life into Fulham. Traore forced a good save out of Raya. Muniz missed an absolute sitter at the far post from Iwobi's cross. And finally Fulham got onto the board when Muniz's shot deflected off of Saliba and wrong-footed Raya. Some blame needs to be apportioned with the defending here. MLS was caught upfield by Sessegnon's turn, and Kivior didn't go to engage him; making finding the centre-forward too easy. That certainly won't do against Real Madrid! 

But there were just 90 seconds left at that point. Not enough time for any more panic. Three points; thank you very much. And so to matters pertaining to the next week or two. 

Firstly, Arsenal may be about to hit a defensive crisis. And whilst they have to some extent overcome the attacking crisis - especially now that Martinelli and Saka are back - this is another matter entirely. Losing Gabriel is going to affect the entire equilibrium of the defence - we were looking forward to seeing Europe's best defence up against arguably its best attack, but the absence of the Brazilian is going to leave a gaping hole. And especially with Calafiori also out. 

On the other side of the field there are doubts over the fitness of both right backs now - and the alternative is Thomas Partey. Leaving aside the nightmares we are going to give ourselves imagining the Ghanaian trying to deal with Vinicius Junior, that will also strip a key element out of Arsenal's midfield. If they line up Partey, Saliba, Kivior, MLS next week, with Jorginho at 6, it's going to make for a very long night. Quite how Arsenal deserve the bad spell has been cast over the squad this season, I do not know. In fact, in the circumstances it's quite remarkable that they are still in second place, and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. For me, this says a lot about the entire coaching/playing unit - it's extremely commendable. And so to hear the Fulham fans this time 'taunting' Arsenal supporters with 'Second again; ole ole' simply makes me laugh. They dream of getting anywhere near second place - as do the supporters of all the teams Arsenal have played recently. Jog on - jealousy does not become you.

On a happier note, it's worth pointing out that Real Madrid have their own injury/disciplinary issues at the moment. They managed to concede no less than 4 goals to Real Sociedad at the same time as Arsenal were beating Fulham. So all is not lost. I suspect that we're likely to see a very open game next week.

Before that, it's Everton away. Arsenal's final visit to the iconic Goodison Park. Everton are a difficult side to play against these days; they don't concede many goals, and play an old-fashioned type of game - more direct than most. The question for Arteta is - with the league fast disappearing over the horizon - how much he rotates with next Tuesday in mind. It depends on availability, of course, but I'd consider 4/5 changes if I was picking the side. Let's see.

Anyway, there's still plenty to play for, so COYG!