Rice Double Serves Up Three More Points

Three more hard-won points for Arsenal on a frigid evening on the south coast, which stretched their lead at the top - temporarily at least - to 7 points (Spoiler Alert; thanks Chelsea - it’s still 6). But the scoreline once again doesn’t tell the full story, with lots of little sub-plots to consider. Of course, it’ll be going through all of our minds that Arsenal hold an unwanted record; on the last 5 occasions that they have led the league at the turn of the year, they have failed to hold on to it until the end. 

Arteta chose this game to rest both of his wingers. But he was at least able to welcome back Declan Rice to the side after his enforced midweek rest. Calafiori and Mosquera remain out, and there was no room on the bench for either Nwaneri (for a second successive match) or Havertz ('load being managed').

This has often, of course, been a tricky fixture for The Gunners; and we can hardly forget the daft ( re-refereed by VAR) sending off of William Saliba at this ground last season. So I’m sure that we were under no illusions that nothing could be taken for granted. For all their lack of recent points, Bournemouth are decent; there are very few 'easy' games in the Premier League these days.

As for myself, I remained blissfully oblivious of the live action due to dinner/theatre arrangements made many weeks ago. And you’ll be thrilled to know that I did survive with my phone off until I got home to watch ‘as live’ at 11pm.

Early on, the home side made a lot of the running. But Arsenal were just starting to get a foothold when The King of Brazil made a calamitous error, a ball played across the penalty area (weren't we always told never to do that?) presenting Evanilson with an opportunity that he could not possibly miss. All I could say was: “Aaaaaargh!!!”

Fortunately, it was very early in the game, so Arsenal had no need to panic. And they were soon back in terms, as following a dead ball situation (inevitably, some may say), and some excellent work from Madueke, Gabriel redeemed himself with an emphatic finish. 

However, it was by no means one way traffic, with Bournemouth giving as good as they got as Arsenal gave possession away far too frequently. Rice was his normal effective self, but Zubimendi’s first half was - to say the least - ineffective, as he was often bypassed on the break. Further forward, Madueke was giving his full back a torrid time, but Arsenal mostly failed to work the goalkeeper. Whilst Noni took his chance to shine on the right, Martinelli failed to do so on the other side of the pitch.

1-1 at half-time. And Arsenal are normally very effective immediately after the turnaround after Arteta makes his half-time tweaks. Yet again, they made it pay; taking the game to the home side and giving the match an entirely different look and feel. Rice scored his first from an exquisite Odegaard assist - it didn’t look too special, but the set-up was perfect. However, we need to credit Gyokeres for the work he did then - and does almost invisibly - in occupying the centre backs and pushing them back. Whilst he isn’t scoring, his other work is invaluable to the team as he makes others’ lives easier by dint of his hard work. I remain confident that the goals will come. It took Robert Pires an entire season to settle, after all.

On 66 minutes, Arteta summoned the cavalry in order to put the game to bed. On came Saka, Trossard and Jesus. And within moments Saka had set up Rice for his second with a run to the bye-line (found by the excellent Odegaard) and clever cutback. 

With Arsenal on top, that really ought to have been it. But there was a notable twist in the tail as a result of the personnel changes. Because whilst the new players gave an extra attacking impetus, the change from Gyokeres to Jesus meant a massive drop in Arsenal’s ability to pressure their opponents from the front. Jesus has many qualities, but he cannot replicate the physicality of Gyokeres. Thus Bournemouth could build from further up the field, and Arsenal dropped back -something that has cost them over the past few weeks. So when Bournemouth substitute Kroupi pulled a goal back with a rasping effort from outside the penalty area with fully 15 minutes to go, there was nobody near him to close him down.

Thankfully, Arsenal saw the rest of the game out comfortably. They continue to pick up maximum points from matches that they failed to do last season, and are setting a furious pace at the top of the table. 15 wins out of their first 20 matches, and well ahead of last season on comparative matches. They need to keep going, of course, but this squad is so much bigger that last season’s - remember how far down to the bare bones they were towards the end of last season?

And so, with the lead now up to 6, it’s Arsenal’s to lose. It’s Salah-less Liverpool next, and a chance for revenge for that earlier defeat at Anfield. They must continue to keep their pedal to the metal before the chance to rotate on Sunday in the FA Cup. And some people need to 'Stay humble; eh?'

COYG!!!

Return Of King Of Brazil Sparks More Complete Performance

Happy New Year to my thousands of readers. Holiday, family and New Year obligations make this post considerably later than I’d have liked; but I do get to report on the state of the league table following the completion of the 19th round of matches. So every cloud... 

I tend to write two types of blog posts. One type is a chronological summary of the action, and the other more of a list of what I regard as the hottest takes from a particular game. This post is going to be a bit more of the latter - so off we go:

And the headline is the return of Gabriel Maghaeles, which sparked a change in fortune for Arsenal as they finally reaped the rewards that their general domination of most of their recent opponents deserved. 

This game was, of course, massive. And victory imperative. With Manchester City within touching distance, Villa on a long winning streak and revenge in the air, a statement needed to be made.

 

Firstly; team news. And we’d known from mid-afternoon that Declan Rice was going to be out. Extremely worrying in the context of this match. This was tempered by the knowledge that Big Gabi and Jurrien Timber were to return, and that Ben White and the long-term absent Kai Havertz were going to make the bench. The loss of Riccardo Calafiori during the warm-up was a further blow, however. Hincapie, originally benched to make room for Gabriel, was drafted back into the side.

The renewal of the best central defensive partnership in world football had a positive effect on every part of the team; although it did take a little while for the players to get to grips with Aston Villa’s early tactics, and particularly the power and pace of Amadou Onana. Critically, neither Gabriel nor Saliba had been available for the painful loss at Villa Park earlier in the month. Whilst the team can cope short term without one or the other, both being missing is another matter entirely.

It is worth noting also that with Eze, Martinelli, Jesus and Havertz on the bench there was no room whatsoever for Ethan Nwaneri. I remarked as soon as Eze was signed that Nwaneri was likely to be the biggest sufferer in terms of game time, and that has certainly come to pass. Quite what the immediate future holds for the extraordinarily talented teenager I do not know. Nor do I know what guarantees Arteta will be able to give him as regards game time.

Arsenal featured the ‘Real Sociedad’ midfield of Zubimendi, Merino and Odegaard, but for a while the trio looked a little at sixes and sevens, with simple through balls enabling Villa to carve their way through a gigantic Declan Rice-shaped hole in the midfield. Onana, all power and telescopically long legs, and Rogers took the game to Arsenal at pace, and the early stages of the game were rather worrying.

Arteta and the players did manage to tweak a few things ‘on the hoof', with Merino obliged to drop deeper than ideal, and the centre halves playing a little closer together. This essentially nullified the threat to a great extent, but the half was pretty even. Saliba’s pace and positioning were crucial at times, as Villa looked to hit the home side on the break; one interception in particular was world class.

The biggest opportunities for either side in the first half centred around Viktor Gyokeres, who squandered two presentable headed chances, and whose lack of strength and awareness against the Villa press offered up a real opportunity for Watkins. Must do better.

Worth noting Villa’s time-wasting at this point. The ball was in play for just 24 minutes in the first half, as referee England exhibited very little understanding or control of what was going on. Just three minutes of injury time when it ought to have been 6 or 7. And worth mentioning pantomime villain Emi Martinez at this point - booed at every touch of the ball, and exacerbating matters by pushing the limits of the crowd’s patience throughout. Still, Instant Karma’s gonna get you (John Lennon knew…).

Onana, who had spent a good three minutes down injured in the first half and who had been having a running battle with Merino, failed to appear after half time. This, coupled with extra intensity from the home side, changed the course of the match. 

I have a long-term superstition that I take to home games; the requirement for a ‘lucky second half lollipop’. For much of this season, I hadn’t felt the need to even unwrap it (Manchester City having been the exception), but it was out and ready as the second half started - and it immediately paid dividends as, from a corner, the pantomime villain contrived to drop the ball into his own net with Gabriel in very close attendance. Look, the guy made himself very unpopular with some of the stuff he said when he left the club, so it was extra pleasurable to know that it was his mistake that led to the goal. It’s Christmas time, so I’ll chuck in a seasonal Ho Ho Ho.

From that point there was really only one winner. But a word of caution: Merino, already booked in the first half following a tangle with Onana, was perhaps fortunate not to receive a second yellow for a tug back on Rogers. Rightly, Arteta hauled him off as fast as he could.

Thereafter, Arsenal continued to take the game to their opponents. Odegaard, who had been working on his aggression in the press on the training ground with Gabriel Heinze, reaped the rewards of that hard work when he robbed Sancho, drove towards goal and played an exquisite through ball for Zubimendi to finish cleverly. And here’s the thing… here was the supposed further forward of the midfield trio pressing from deep, and finding the ‘most defensive’ of the three as he burst into the penalty area. Bravery and fluidity.

We had noted that Odegaard had been heading back to his best over the past few weeks, and his second half performance backed this up as he took the rest of the game by the scruff of the neck. Our skipper is most definitely back. On a day when Bukayo Saka was noticeably quieter than we’d have hoped, it is important for others to step up. Which he certainly did. 

The two further goals that soon followed were both superb finishes. Trossard curled one into the corner from 18 yards and then Gabriel Jesus, on for Gyokeres and with his first touches of the ball first controlled and then exquisitely finished past Martinez; the latter in a manner that I doubt Gyokeres is capable of doing. At 3-0 and then 4-0, the atmosphere in the crowd was joyous - and all the more for being so unexpected bearing in mind how the first half had gone. The Villa fans - for whom I’ve had a massive dislike since hearing their sickening chant about Aaron Ramsey following his leg break at Stoke - slunk off back north to their mountains of waste lining the streets.

The 94th minute concession to Watkins was annoying - worth noting that Gabriel had been withdrawn by that point - but the celebrations continued. Television recorded that Unai Emery classlessly ran off down the tunnel without shaking Arteta’s hand. And Emi Martinez was taunted relentlessly as he went down the tunnel. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke, if you ask me… And I half-expect Villa to suffer a semi-collapse at this point.

By the way, if anyone is concerned about the negative effects of competition for the centre forward position, just take a look at this photograph:

Further good news, with Manchester City dropping points at Sunderland to open up a 4-point gap. Remember when Arsenal ‘only’ drawing there was apparently a disaster? Just 57 points left to play for…

Players are coming and going due to injury/recovery, but hopefully the squad will remain robust enough to survive the inevitable problems. It’s big enough; let’s face it - and I can’t see any incomings in this Transfer Window barring some sort of disastrous clutch of injuries in one spot. Outgoings? - maybe a loan for Nwaneri, which I’d be sad about to be honest.

The games continue to come thick and fast. Bournemouth away on Saturday will be the first of no less than 9 matches in January. For me, having theatre tickets on Saturday evening (preceded by a pre-theatre meal booked with friends) is going to require careful handling. Phone off - news blackout - watch 'as live' when I get home. Thanks ever so much, Sky Sports...

Anyway, Arsenal move on happily into 2026; surveying all and sundry from the summit of every table. One game at a time, of course... but I believe that there is still more to come from this group. COYG!

And finally a word for Chelsea FC; MAD! That is all...

The xG Conundrum

In what has started to become an all too familiar pattern, Arsenal's failure to convert territorial, possession, field tilt and xG superiority when on top led to late jitters and concerns in Saturday's win over Brighton. Some time soon, some team is really going to cop it, but in the meantime everyone associated with the club ends up suffering through nerve-wracking moments that really don't need to occur. Can we not just sit back and relax occasionally?

And we'll start Saturday's review with... yet another defensive injury. No; wait. Two defensive injuries! With Timber left out as a precautionary measure (already adding further strain on the squad), Arsenal lost Calafiori in the warm-up with a recurrence of something he did in training the day before. And so, with MLS as the only fully fit 'senior' defender on the bench at that point, we were left speculating as to how the Arsenal defence were going to line up. Ricci had been due to partner Saliba at centre-back, we believe, but Hincapie was switched inside from left back, MLS came in to the vacated left back  role... but right back? Would it be Rice? Zubimendi? Possibly even Saka? As it turns out, Declan Rice filled the role almost as if he'd played it all his life, in yet another 8+/10 performance.

Injuries have become some sort of revolving door with this squad; and I've only got one possible answer for it that doesn't involve some sort of gypsy curse. This time, the defensive injury roll call was White, Timber, Mosquera and Calafiori. With Big Gabi just about back; fit enough to make the bench. It doesn't matter how big the squad is; it's never, ever big enough.

Whilst I'm not prepared to blame the Manager for the injury crises - and remember, this isn't the first one this season (the attack was decimated a couple of months ago) - I do think that his failure to rotate when he does have the chance cannot be helping the situation. He has had opportunities to sit the likes of Rice and Saka down for 20-30 minutes at a time, but has chosen not to do so. The knock on effect means that they get extra unnecessary miles in their legs; whilst at the same time failing to afford opportunities to the likes of Madueke, Norgaard and (particularly) Ethan Nwaneri. I know it's difficult, but if and when that squad is ever close to full fitness he's going to really struggle to keep players happy.

In the meantime, here's a list of players lost to injury at various times this season: Timber, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Hincapie, Mosquera, Norgaard, Saka, Odegaard, Madueke, Trossard, Jesus, Gyokeres, Havertz. 15 players - add them up - lost for between one and 25 matches so far...

But I tell you what does contribute to Arteta's failure to take the opportunity to rotate. It's the players' inability to put the opposition away. Match after match is dominated, yet the scoreline somehow remains too close for comfort. Yet again on Saturday, Arsenal failed to turn their complete domination into sufficient goals so as to manage the game as we'd like to see it managed. Brighton's xG at half time was 0.00!

As far as Arsenal were concerned, it was business as usual. But that's not necessarily what you want to see. There was an early chance for Gyokeres; which he failed to hit with any real conviction. And there were early signs that Bukayo Saka might be in for a field day down the right, with De Cuyper totally incapable of dealing with our Starboy. Two shots; one straight at the keeper when he perhaps could have squared the ball for others, and a second high, wide and not too handsome.

But after less than a quarter of an hour, Arsenal were ahead; and it was down to pressure on the press that led to a Brighton error. From a Brighton goal kick, Verbruggen felt forced to play the ball short and very vertically into midfield, where Hincapie closed down rapidly on Garuda. The ball popped up to Rice, whose first time header was directed to Saka. A quick shimmy and a neat ball to Odegaard - who had dropped back to manufacture some space as Rice drew two players away from him - and a powerful near post shot that left the keeper floundering. Well deserved on a balance of play that had seen virtually total domination.

Further opportunities followed. Several for Saka, long range efforts from Rice and Merino, and a goal-mouth mêlée that somehow saw the ball stay out of the net. Somehow, and familiarly, it remained just 1-0.

Just before half-time, a moment of controversy. Gyokeres, set free down the left by MLS's chipped pass, beat his man and knocked the ball past the onrushing Verbruggen 20 yards from goal and near the touchline. The Belgian's momentum took Gyokeres out, in a challenge that would be frowned upon on a rugby pitch. Much to the crowd's dismay, referee Brooks deemed the offence worthy of a mere yellow card and technically, by the law book, that was possibly the correct decision when looked at in the light of whether he had denied a 'clear goalscoring opportunity'. He had not. However, the force of the challenge was well beyond what I'd regard as acceptable; if that happens in midfield between opposing players, that's a red. And that is what I believed the goalkeeper deserved.

Brighton, so passive in the first half, needed to react during the interval. And the two changes they made certainly helped in their ongoing battle to stop the rampant Saka. And they even managed a (very tame) shot on target early on in the half. Yet moments later it was 2-0. Rice's sublime corner - won following the blocking of another 20-yard effort from Odegaard - was flicked into his own net by the unfortunate Rutter. If he'd made such contact at the other end, it would have been regarded as a superb finish. But Own Goal had struck again, and the scoreline looked much more reasonable at that point - with the crowd hoping for a stroll to the final whistle at that stage and as the domination continued with further opportunities for Saka and Gyokeres.

But the mood was soon to change, as with their first decent attack of the entire match Brighton pulled a goal back. Room was manufactured down their right, Ayari's shot across goal hit the post, and the ball rebounded into the path of Gomez, who had the whole goal to aim at. So unbelievably frustrating; and prompting the unveiling of every Arsenal fan's Christmas gift - the return of Big Gabi to restore order.

Yet not long after, a match-saving save - possibly the best save you'll see all season - from Raya as he leapt to his right and tipped Minteh's curling shot over the bar. Sublime. Superb. And - as we wondered - so, so unnecessary for Arsenal to be in this position. They say that goals change matches, but Arsenal's fragility in adversity was there for all to see. They ought to have been out of sight and that, unquestionably, was preying on both the players' and the crowd's minds. Something my dearly departed father used to say came to mind at the very moment that Raya tipped the ball over. 'Shoulda held it', he used to say. Hahaha.

A few minutes of nerves, and finally the tables started to turn back Arsenal's way as Brighton's comeback ran out of steam. In truth, the final 10 minutes or so felt more controlled and comfortable; and certainly would have been so if Gabriel Martinelli - on for Leandro Trossard - had managed to keep the ball down as he got on to the end of Saka's cross following a fast break. In typical Martinelli fashion, he blasted the ball over the bar. It would have been a lovely goal; and it would have eased all the tension from the game.

So three points, and back on top following City's earlier win. But they cannot keep doing this. It will not always work. And whilst I understand Arteta's reluctance to change the team when things are tight, he surely must start to trust those who sit on the bench. Sure, I can understand that the likes of Eze and Madueke don't necessarily look after the ball they way he'd like to see them do it; but he trusts Martinelli in these circumstances. It's so hard; on everyone concerned. 

Meantime, these tweets sum up where Arsenal are on xG at the moment. Set Piece FC? Own Goal FC? At the end of the day, how these goals come doesn't really matter provided the points keep coming, and surely xG will right itself in Arsenal's favour. But in the meantime it's nothing short of downright stressful.

 

Just a few quick things before I wrap up. Firstly, Leandro Trossard has had quite a week. Booed by the Crystal Palace fans on Tuesday for having played for Brighton for many years, he then followed up by getting the same treatment from the Brighton supporters. Oh well; he needs (and has!) a thick skin - and he couldn't have been supported any more by the home crowd in either game.  

Secondly, following the win over Palace on Tuesday - another game that should not have gone down to the wire - in this case a penalty shoot-out! - it's Chelsea in the semi-final. They're totally inconsistent, so let's look forward to Wembley...

And now a word for our skipper. Finally, in this game, Odegaard looked to be back approaching his best. And at his best he is indispensible. Long may this form continue. Quite what this means for the balance of the side - and the likes of Eze and Nwaneri - I do not know. Arteta's problem to sort.

And finally... it's Aston Villa at home on Tuesday. So soon after our last-minute loss to them just a few matches ago, and an immediate chance for revenge. They're on a long winning run - and the only game Arsenal have lost since September was at Villa Park. This is a massive game. So... why, PGMOL, have you selected the diabolical Darren England to referee, with a Championship referee on VAR. Are you doing it on purpose?

Anyway, I'm certain that this one is going to be spiking our blood pressure once again. But a win is imperative! COYG!!!

Arsenal Escape A Sticky Situation

Following last weekend's shabby performance in victory at home to already doomed Wolves, Arsenal looked to start to get back into form in what looked like a tricky fixture at the new home of Everton on Saturday evening. In truth, the away side's recent record at The Toffees' former home, the atmospheric Goodison Park, left a lot to be desired. So we hoped that a change of venue might be the inspiration for three much-needed points.

The players had enjoyed a rare and much-needed full week off prior to this fixture. They needed a reset, frankly, following a difficult recent set of both performances and results, during which they had fallen off the extremely high standards they had set earlier in the season. All of which is a bit of a vicious circle; they needed a decent performance - allied to a result - in order to rebuild confidence. The lead they had established at the top of the table only a few weeks ago had, in fact, completely dissipated prior to this fixture, with Manchester City a point ahead by the time kick-off rolled around following the formality of a home win against West Ham.

There were no real shocks for me in the starting line-up. It's the eleven that I'd have selected; although, and I state this guardedly, there is something of of a 'horses for courses' narrative starting up regarding quite who should be selected up front - and that will probably continue until Gyokeres starts to properly make his mark. In this one, would Big Vik be the correct choice when coming up against the hulking Everton centre-backs? Or would it perhaps be more interesting tactically to select Merino, who drops off and allows others to run past him; or even Jesus, who can pop up anywhere. Those latter two would perhaps confuse the centre-backs, who I could envisage not knowing whether to stick or twist. 

It was no surprise, however, to see the Swede preferred up top. Although time may be running out for him to nail the spot down with Kai Havertz due back in the next 3-4 weeks.

The key to this game, however, was the midfield battle. Everton had lost two key creative players in Ndiaye (at AFCON) and Dewsbury-Hall, and Moyes replaced them with more rugged citizens. So Grealish was really the only creative hub, and the main tactic seemed to be to get the centre-forward to run beyond Saliba and Hincapie. In truth, both Barry and Beto did a better job of that than Gyokeres did at the other end.

As the game kicked off, I had a sense of trepidation. No, Everton aren't a particularly good side; but they are tricky, and we've seen over the past few weeks how a rugged, 'in your face' style of football doesn't necessarily suit Arsenal. That feeling failed to disappear early on as Everton made much of the running - whilst creating absolutely nothing - and Arsenal failed to gain any sort of foothold possession-wise for the first 15 minutes. Slowly but surely, Arsenal felt their way into the game. As usual, it was Bukayo Saka who lit the touch paper - and he remained a constant threat all evening. Man of the Match once more.

The breakthrough came half way through the half. I thought that O'Brien pushed Gyokeres as he looked to head home from close range, but no penalty given. From the resulting corner - a delivery of massively high quality from Declan Rice - pantomime villain O'Brien went up for the ball with both hands upraised; almost as if he thought it was a rugby line-out. He got both hands to the ball, and whilst the referee failed to give a spot kick it didn't take long for the VAR to get involved; the award of a penalty an inevitability. Watching referee Barrott reviewing the incident on the screen, I was amazed that it took as many looks as it did to the penalty to be awarded; so blatant was it. Frankly, whichever angle you look at it from, it's handball.

The kick itself had shades of Havertz at Bournemouth a couple of years ago. The German had been struggling to make a mark since his arrival, so Odegaard chose to hand him the ball from the spot to help him properly kick start his Arsenal career. Odegaard handed the ball to Gyokeres; making this the first time since that day that a penalty was taken by neither the skipper nor Saka when both were on the field.

Gyokeres was Sporting's penalty taker last season, so there was very little jeopardy in the decision for me - outside of possible lost FPL points with Starboy not chosen to take it. And it was no surprise to me to see the Swede hammer the ball past Pickford and into the net. So hard did he hit it, that I envisioned one of those cartoons when you see a perfectly round hole left in someone's body by a cannonball or suchlike. Such would likely have been Pickford's fate had he got in the way of the shot, which actually made the frame of the goal shudder as it made contact with the net. 

Cue the Bain celebration; and Arsenal had something to cling to. Something they did with relative ease as the half drew to an end. The goal had taken the wind completely out of Everton's sails - not that they had forced Raya into much effort when they had been on top earlier on, to be honest; no shots, no successful crosses, and  just two touches in the Arsenal box, leading to 0.00xG for the home side in the first half. I couldn't, in all honesty, come to terms with my own nervousness.

Things felt fairly comfortable at half time, but 1-0 is a slender lead - especially to a side slightly lacking in confidence - and so a can of Guinness was opened, and a 'lucky second half lollipop' (a Swizzels Mega Double, if you're interested) was unwrapped in preparation for a possibly awkward 50 minutes.  

And Everton were better in the second half. Although I was more nervous watching Arsenal playing out from the back than when watching the home side trying to create anything. The ball was given away far too often inside their own half by the Arsenal defenders, and this led to unnecessary pressure being exerted. There's really no issue with hitting it long occasionally, lads - if only to mix it up a bit. 

And Arsenal had comfortably the better of the chances created in the second period. First Saka, and then Trossard (unfortunate to hit the post at the end of a superb attacking phase) could have put the game to bed. And Zubimendi soon after; hitting the foot of the same post from a Saka cut back. But it remained 1-0; and I remained twitchy.

The only moment of real concern throughout the half - although, as I say, 1-0 is never comfortable - was seeing Saliba's attempt at clearing the ball inside the penalty area catch Barry's ankle - the forward had got there a split second earlier. I am sure that you - like me - would have had immediate flashbacks to the same player being penalised for a clash of heads with Joao Pedro last season that led to the award of a penalty. I didn't think that last season's clash deserved a spot kick, and felt the same about this one. But you've certainly seen them given. And not given... Thankfully, both referee and VAR deemed this 'insufficient contact' - much to the ire of David Moyes.

With time ticking on, a graphic that Sky put up on the screen did little to relax me. It announced that Arsenal have conceded more goals than any other side in the division from the 81st minute onward. 4; and three of them very recently indeed - at Sunderland and Villa, and home to Wolves. Yet Arsenal did remain in control, with the only dangers frankly self-inflicted ones. The pattern of the game stayed the same, with Arsenal now having much more of the ball. And the game finished with Everton having reached the heady heights of 0.20xG.

So why had I been so nervous? The truth is that despite this ending up being fairly comfortable, the fact that on the back of some below par performances the margin was a single goal did make for fairly uncomfortable viewing. The truth is that Arsenal need to start scoring more goals; setting up margins that leave results in little doubt. They aren't putting the ball in the net with more frequency and, if this continues, it's going to be a long and nervy 2026.

Still, that result does leave Arsenal two points clear of Manchester City and three of Aston Villa, with the rest nowhere. Not to be sneezed at as we head into Christmas; yet only around half of the Christmas leaders actually go on to win the trophy. Long way to go.

Home to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. And then Brighton at home at the weekend. As far as the first of those games is concerned, the wheels do appear to be falling off of our opponents and their very small squad. Arteta will certainly have a much easier job in rotating his squad than Glasner - for all that a two-legged semi-final against Chelsea awaiting the winners in January does create a fixture headache. Do you want to be in it - or don't you? I've heard all the arguments, and I'm on the side of the squad being big enough to cope.

Anyway, I won't be posting after the midweek game. So I'll be back next Sunday or Monday. It merely remains for me to wish you the Compliments of the Season. COYG!

Own Goal Again Ole Ole!

At around 3pm yesterday afternoon, my mate Sam who sits next to me at the ground messaged me to say that he wasn't feeling too well, and would I like his ticket. A quick question to my wife, and the answer was 'Yes please!'. And so Saturday night turned into Date Night! Although I can assure you that we've had we've had many more enjoyable Saturday evenings than the one we had to endure...

What ought to have been a formality, based on all known form and logic, turned into an agonising evening. Perhaps we'd simply expected to roll Wolves over - the players too I suspect - but this was a frankly shocking performance when considered in the round.

Team news first; and the good news that William Saliba was fit to start; along with Timber and Rice. This made the starting XI look very strong, on paper at least; and even with Odegaard rested and Trossard only fit for the bench. What I didn't guess, however, was the way Arteta set up his defence - from right to left White, Timber, Saliba, Hincapie; too many people out of position. I (although what do I know?) would have gone White, Saliba Hincapie, Timber. Or even started MLS to be frank. There were first half changes... but I'll get to that.

It is worth noting, by the way, the frightening strength of the Arsenal bench. Even with Gabriel, Havertz and Mosquera injured, and Calafiori suspended, to see a bench of Kepa, MLS, Merino, Odegaard, Norgaard, Trossard, Nwaneri, Madueke and Jesus ought to really concern Arsenal's rivals. Although it doesn't matter how strong the squad is - they still have to get out there and do the business. 

Unsurprisingly, Arsenal dominated possession, but looked turgid throughout an interminably boring first half during which they created almost nothing, and Wolves goalkeeper Johnstone didn't have a solitary shot to save. It was clear to me and those around me that the formation wasn't working; Declan Rice, sitting a long way forward in the left 8 role, was unable to influence the game in the way he normally does - he's much more effective facing the opponent's goal from deeper. But the almost total ball domination meant that whenever he did receive the ball he was restricted in what he could do.

Additionally, the continual attacking tilt to the right hand side showed Saka and White in good light, but poor Gabriel Martinelli was often left completely out of the buildup. Whilst Saka played well, Gabi was barely involved. Arsenal must use the left hand side more! 

But the hardest part for me was to see the low quality of the attacking work in general, and on the extremely low level of xG of the few chances that were being created. Wolves, in their extremely low block, were barely stretched; in a pattern that we have regrettably seen many times before. Eze was almost invisible, and Gyokeres managed a total of 5 touches and a single successful pass in the entire first half. It was horrible to witness.

There were headed opportunities for Timber, Rice and Martinelli (the latter ought to have done better with his chance at a Rice corner). And an opportunity from a low Saka cross that Gyokeres was typically just late to read, and Martinelli fired wide from beyond the far post. And a further difficult chance for Martinelli from another Rice corner. But that was it; nowhere near enough on either the quality nor quantity front.

The best chance of the half fell to Wolves. Chan received a clearance fully 60 yards from goal, but with every single Arsenal player ahead of him (how that could have been allowed to happen, I simply do not know). No less than 6 Arsenal players sprinted back to try to stop him, and whilst Ben White pulled up late on in his run with a muscular issue (hamstring - replaced by MLS and the defence reshuffled to how I thought it ought to have been at the start), Timber did a passable imitation of The Flash to get back and pressure the Korean enough for him to take his shot earlier than he wanted. Raya plunged down to his right to make a crucial save. 

Half time; and I felt that the crowd were close to booing the players off; it had been that poor. And, frankly the half time entertainment in my area of the concourse was far more interesting than anything we'd seen in the previous 45 minutes or so, with the brass band belting out Christmas tunes somewhere between blocks 14 and 15. 

We suspected half time changes from the manager - I myself had suggested Odegaard and Trossard for Eze and Martinelli - but the same eleven trotted out for the second half. And it was more of the same, frankly; a little bit more energy, but not much. It took 15 minutes for the changes to be made; those two changes plus Merino for Zubimendi. Martinelli's last action of the game had been to finally do something decisive - a turn away from his marker and a speedy run at goal that saw him attempt his typical far post finish, but overdo it - but it was too little; too late for him. 

Odegaard's presence made an immediate difference. He is a much busier player than Eze, and he was soon involved in knitting the play together. But the crucial change was actually the interchange of the two Spaniards. Whilst Merino didn't do much in his time on the pitch, the key was dropping Rice back into a role from where he could scan the field and give himself options. Against weaker Premier League opposition, I feel that Arteta should stick with this. And Arsenal started to look a little better, with the quality and quantity of chances both up.  And unsurprisingly it was a set piece that finally undid Wolves. 

Rice had had an earlier dead ball opportunity; from a virtually identical spot to his first goal against Real Madrid last season, Johnstone was finally forced into a save. Not long after, a Saka corner did the trick. And when your luck's out, Wolves, it's really out. The dead ball delivery was superb - possibly actually heading directly in at the far post. Johnstone got a fingertip to it and turned it onto the far post; from where it bounced back, hit him on the back of the head and ended up in the net. Cue enormous relief in the crowd.

With Wolves finally forced to come out and play, chances came a bit more often. But still of relatively low quality. None of Odegaard, Gyokeres or Trossard could hit the target, and as the end of the game approached the decision was made to sit on the 1-0 lead. Only adding to the anxiety in the crowd as Arsenal started to concede field position. I personally wasn't worried... but I ought to have been. On 89 minutes and 58 seconds the away team equalised; not enough pressure on the man preparing to cross the ball (not for the first time this season! - was this the third similar goal conceded?), Hincapie caught the wrong side of his man right on the penalty spot and Raya wrong-footed by the header. Frankly, this was exactly what the performance deserved, and I could envisage the headlines and agenda that was surely about to be unleashed: Bottler FC and all that. And, in truth, Arsenal have not been playing well in the Premier League for a while now.

However, there were 6 minutes of injury time left, so despite the utter desolation in the crowd there was hope. And, depending on whether your glass is half empty or half full, the home side either scraped a fortunate victory or showed the mark of prospective Champions. 94 minutes, and a Saka cross glanced off the top of the head of Gabriel Jesus - previously given a hero's welcome when he finally stepped back onto the Emirates pitch in place of Gyokeres - and was headed firmly past Johnstone by the unsighted and extremely unfortunate Mosquera (no; not our one - they have one too). We all thought that Jesus was our saviour (good time of year for him to be one, of course), but replays showed that it was indeed a second own goal. Still, who cares? Massive relief all round, and three points are three points. 

As Arteta said afterwards, it was great for the team to show the character they did to get back and win the game, what they need to do is show that character throughout. The quality of the opposition is not relevant if the team fail to show the right attitude, and it felt throughout that the players themselves felt an inevitability in the result, and didn't put in sufficient effort to actually make it happen. This Arsenal side is not set up to blow teams away - more to grind them into the dust - but there is no excuse for a lack of urgency. Arsenal need to do much better than this - and quickly - with tricky PL games against Everton, Brighton, Brentford, Aston Villa (again) and Bournemouth to follow.

Still they remain top of the Premier League, and have barring a mathematical miracle already sewn up Champions League qualification. So it's not all bad. A whole 7 days off now for the group to recharge will surely come in useful and they go again at Everton next Saturday evening.

Whether my wife fancies another date night in our living room, on the sofa, under a warm rug and with a glass of wine maybe; or chooses instead to Netflix & Chill on her own instead, remains to be seen. But I certainly know how to show her a good time!

Anyway, we move on. COYG!

Last Gasp Nightmare

I always write these pieces before devouring other blogs and pods, so this - as with all other interpretations - is mine and mine alone. And from what I understand from speaking to friends and acquaintances over the past day or two my appraisal of Arsenal's performance on Saturday may differ to what others are saying. But what the hell; everyone is entitled to their opinion...

One thing I'm sure of is that your reaction to the 'last kick of the match' defeat would have mirrored mine. I shouted "OH F*CK OFF" at the television, then grabbed the remote and hit the Off button. Of course, there was still VAR to consider, but emotions had got the better of me (and one can usually tell if VAR is likely to intervene in any case, so I knew that there was little chance of the goal being chalked off). 

And one can of course say that Arsenal were unfortunate to lose in such circumstances. But... I personally was never comfortable watching the game. And here's why:

Firstly, team selection. And whilst Arteta's hands were firmly tied by the 'cluster' injuries in central defence - it's so bad that he had to put 16-year-old Marli Salmon on the bench - I was unhappy at how he shaped things ahead of the back 4. Out of a desire to shoehorn Odegaard back into the side, with neither Madueke nor Martinelli having shone over the past week and with Trossard barely fit, he decided to play Eze on the left wing. Not his best position by any means, and with Calafiori behind him always ready to invert there were always likely to be defensive issues down that side. As was proven time and again in the first half. If you go back to my last blog post, I did query whether Odegaard and Eze could play in the same XI; especially when ball retention was likely to be key. It looks like I was right, based on Saturday.

Secondly, tactics; and I was massively disappointed by the decision to play Aston Villa at their own game - from what was a dodgy base (with neither first choice centre half in the side, the team's equlibrium is not as it was/should be). From the very start, it all felt far too open. And I frankly couldn't reconcile the tactics compared to the 'caution first' approach shown earlier in the season against the likes of Liverpool (before everyone realised that they're nothing like as good as we thought they'd be, Newcastle, and far more recently Chelsea). Villa are the form team in the division at the moment, so surely Arsenal ought to have tackled matters differently?

Next is in-game decision-making. Not necessarily by the players, but by the coaching team. If it was obvious to me that Arsenal were really struggling to cope with Villa's slick one-touch passing through midfield and towards the back line, how could they not spot it? Time and again they worked their way through in the course of two or three touches. It felt like things were out of control at times, for all the possession. 

Look, it's not Arsenal were entirely impotent. They have plenty of attacking talent themselves. But I was uncomfortable from the start that the game was being treated as a 'shoot-out'. Whilst Odegaard had the first opportunity - a tame shot straight at Martinez with almost the whole goal to aim at from 20 yards - the opportunity that McGinn presented to Watkins (who put both Timber and Hincapie on the floor) not long after ought to have served as a warning. Raya to the rescue.

Arsenal did have the ball in the net after 20 minutes, following a decent spell of pressure. Saka's cross was turned in by Eze, but the former had mis-timed his run into the penalty area. A shame; especially as the away side were actually well on top in the middle part of the first half. But the concern for me was that Arsenal were pushing TOO hard, with both full backs pushing on at the same time on occasions. 

It is clear that all the defensive injuries have an effect on the entire side. Without the automatisms that regular team selection gives, players can find themselves out of position and leave space for opponents. And Villa began to exploit those spaces; especially down the Arsenal left where Eze appeared unaware of the danger in behind whenever Calafiori roamed infield. The Italian can more easily get away with such ventures when he has the likes of Trossard and Martinelli in front of him - and more importantly with Gabriel clearing up behind him! 

The warning given when Rogers broke down the other wing, and Cash's cross-shot from inside the penalty area was blocked superbly by Rice with Eze trailing a long way back in the full back's wake, was not really heeded. 10 minutes later, Cash sneaked in behind a half-asleep Eze and crashed the ball through Raya's legs to give Villa the lead. Eze was furious with himself; but that was cold comfort. 

At half-time, it was clear that something needed to be done. And the cavalry called for were Trossard and Gyokeres, in place of the disappointing Eze (I think that we'll have to get used to him having the odd bad game) and the ineffective (on this occasion) Merino. Things were instantly improved following the changes - along with the clear exhibition of a little bit more caution and control. The triumvirate of White, Odegaard and Saka had been showing promise, and from some nice link up down the right Odegaard's looped cross was smashed across goal by Trossard. I suspected that if Arsenal were to get back into things, then the returning Belgian might be key.

And so it proved, not long after, as a typical intervention from Rice, and that familiar Odegaard/Saka combination set the latter free to deliver the ball across the 6-yard box, where from a slight deflection off of the diving Martinez Trossard had the simplest of finishes. 1-1, and Arsenal were in the ascendancy at that point. 

But... in their desire to push for the winner, the away side started to leave themselves too open. Time and again Villa worked opportunities; Rogers, Watkins and Kamara all had chances. Odegaard, with whom I had personally been slightly underwhelmed in the first half, continued to combine well with Saka, and had a rasping shot superbly tipped over by the full-stretch Martinez. From the resulting corner, Saka's goal-bound shot was cleared. But for all Arsenal's possession, Villa had more and better chances in the second period. Substitute Malen missed the best of those.

As we got towards the end of the game, neither side appeared happy to settle for the draw. I myself would have taken it any time from the 80th minute onwards... and Arsenal created a decent opportunity when the machine-like Rice found himself on the left wing and hit a superb low cross with his left foot that Gyokeres failed to read - substitute Madueke (on for Starboy who, having been booked, appeared to unusually be walking a disciplinary tightrope) hit the side netting from beyond the far post. 

A word for Gyokeres here; he looked considerably off the pace, and needs game time to get back up to speed. Many players do, of course - Martinelli being a case in point in the Arsenal squad - but we need more, and quickly, from the Swede.

Injury time, and Villa got the reward that their persistence in going for the win probably deserved. An almighty goalmouth scramble - Arsenal had chances to clear prior to this last-ditch assault and during it too. The bounce continually favoured Villa, however, and Buendia's finish was both calm and clever. 94 minutes plus 3 seconds. TV off... P*ssed off...

Several points to make on the back of this result:

• It is clear that Unai Emery has the Indian Sign over/a vendetta against Arsenal. Understandable, of course, in many respects, but I'd really like him to get over it!

• Despite the size of the Arsenal squad, it is clear that NO squad is ever big enough. The injuries at the back are absolutely crippling the squad; and these, coming off the back of a similar set of 'cluster injuries' at the other end of the field, make Arsenal look imbalanced. The forwards don't have the opportunity to play themselves back into form whilst goals are being conceded at the other end of the pitch. On top of all that, the magnificent Declan Rice risks being played to a standstill. He desperately needs a week off to recharge

• What is it whenever Arsenal lose? Massive headlines, and stupid and irritating questions about 'bottling it'. FFS! That's two defeats in 23 matches this season; so when I have Spurs fans - of all people! - attempting some sort of Schadenfreude on me I have to hold myself back. Because when your team loses nearly every week, nobody notices the next defeat. (However, to give some of these people some credit for some realism; one of the 15 year old boys who I coach at cricket on a Monday night gave me a hard time for at least half the session, before finally 'admitting' that he wanted to take advantage of Arsenal's defeat to take the p*ss because Arsenal defeats are so rare). Yet here - yet again - came the lazy headlines in the press and media about Arsenal. And they make me sooooo angry!

• Perspective is needed. Along with a touch of realism. It's a long season, and whilst trophies aren't presented in December Arsenal are top of the Premier League, and top of the Champions League table too. Sure, the gap to Manchester City could and should be bigger - especially considering Arsenal's remarkable consistency - but first place is first place. A slightly easier run of matches now should hopefully mean that they can stretch that out as players come back to form and fitness. We ought to see Saliba back soon - Havertz within a few weeks too, and Gabriel in January - so the squad should with any luck be considerably healthier by the time January rolls round

• A small plea to Mikel Arteta now: please, Mikel, rotate your squad over the next two games. Perhaps stop working your players as hard as you are doing on the training field; play, rest, recuperate. And please rein in the ambition a bit. Grounds like Villa Park are difficult places to go; a point would do. Win your home games and 60% of your away games, and that will be enough. Also, with a rare full week off after Saturday, how about a little trip to Dubai for the players?

Anyway, nothing stands still in football. The games are still coming thick and fast (Bruges in midweek, followed by the easiest game in the division - Wolves at home - on Saturday). And for all that I - and all of you - remain a little bit annoyed about Saturday - I also remain confident that 2025/26 is Arsenal's year. For all my moaning, I am keeeping the faith. And you should too. One rare defeat should not define a season, and I have complete confidence that this group will bounce back quickly. So COYG!

Steady As She Goes - Plus Big Match Preview

A fairly routine 2-0 home win over Brentford allowed Arsenal to maintain their 5 point lead over Manchester City (who struggled, by the way, to a bonkers 5-4 win at Fulham the previous evening; hanging on for dear life at the end having been 5-1 up - how they can entertain thoughts of winning the title whilst leaking goals at the rate they are, I really don't know).

Spare a thought for Chelsea, though. Having 'gallantly' held on for a 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday, they succumbed to an atrocious 3-1 defeat at lowly Leeds. The gap between Arsenal and Chelsea is now 9 points, and it's in-form Aston Villa - who I'll discuss later on - who have moved into third place in the table. 

Mikel Arteta took the opportunity - much needed in this run of games every 3-4 days all the way through into the New Year - to rotate, with Jurrien Timber, Eberiche Eze and Bukayo Saka all benched. The injury list continues to mount on a sort of revolving door basis; the roll call for this one was Saliba, Gabriel, Trossard and Havertz, with plenty of others slowly making their way back to fitness. 

Interestingly, it did look like Brentford manager Andrews had 'taken a view', much like others used to do when facing Manchester City a few years ago, and had himself chosen to rest both his best player, Damsgaard, and his top scorer Igor Thiago for this one. It's Tottenham for them at the weekend, so I get it. It's worth pointing out that Brentford are a really big side! - what I mean here is that they have some really tall and well-built players in their ranks. Ajer is a man-mountain, and Van Den Berg (which aptly itself translates as 'from the mountain') is very much that also. Add Kayode and Thiago himself (built like Jean-Phillipe Mateta) and they have some real physical specimens amongst them. Andrews, a former set piece coach himself, will have had plans...

It wasn't long before Arsenal took the lead. It had been fairly even early on, with Brentford winning a series of corners, but a clever flick from Madueke for the overlapping Ben White, a sumptuous cross, and their was 'makeshift striker' Mikel Merino in exactly the right spot to head into the ground and over the line. Out of necessity, Arteta's decision to move Merino further forward has been critical for the development of the group; especially in the continued absence of Jesus, Havertz and, recently, Gyokeres too. An absolute revelation.

Brentford's only really clear-cut opportunity of the game came from a corner on 21 minutes; Schade's bullet header from 10 yards out was brilliantly turned onto the crossbar and away by a full-stretch David Raya. 

Apart from that, he frankly had little to do. However, there are concerns ahead of him - Mosquera went down injured late in the half and had to be replaced by Timber, and that makes three injuries in the same area of the pitch in a same way as there were earlier in the season in the forward line. We thought that Arteta had built an awesome squad; but by golly he's going to need to really tap into it if this goes on. Timber - who we'd been hoping may get the night off - dropped into central defence; and performed superbly.

On the hour, Andrews brought on the cavalry - Henderson, Damsgaard and Thiago - and Arteta quickly responded with a series of substitutions that if anything made his team stronger; Saka and Eze replacing Madueke and Martinelli. From then on it was pretty much one-way traffic, to be frank, with Brentford unable to rouse themselves and Starboy himself getting on the score sheet in injury time; having missed two presentable chances in the interim.

There were a couple of moments of concern, however. Hincapie and Thiago clashed heads - I could hear the crack from my seat - but both were OK to continue. Of more concern was the sight of Declan Rice limping off late on - calf, apparently, and he himself played the problem down after the match.

So, as I say, this was pretty routine. But there are a few talking points nonetheless:

Firstly, this was Ben White's best game for the best part of a year. He has been out with injury, and subsequently lost his starting spot to the immaculate Timber, but here we saw the Ben White of old. It was a delight to see the old triumvirate of Saka, Odegaard and White reunited down the right-hand side. I really hope that - seeing as this was White's first full game for a long time - he has enough time to recover for Saturday, as it looks like Timber is going to have to deputise for Mosquera (he himself deputising for Saliba). I really enjoyed White's performance all evening.

On now to Martin Odegaard. We know that it takes him a little while to get back to his best following injury, and there were signs of rustiness here. Interesting to contrast him with Eze; the latter has considerably fewer touches of the ball in that role, but tends to take more risks and be more decisive. A decision for Arteta to make here, and it may well be 'horses for courses'; Odegaard in the tougher games when ball retention is more important perhaps? But it's difficult now to see our captain as an automatic choice.

Our two wingers in this game bear some discussion also. Martinelli is another who takes time to get back into the swing of things, and he certainly looks to have some way to go. Much more of an impact player off the bench for me than a starter. As for Madueke... well, he's a bit of a 'curate's egg', and I can see how he must have maddened the Chelsea fans at times. Unpredictable (as he must surely be for his team-mates as well as us supporters) and full of tricks. Yet his dead ball delivery was poor in this game. Whilst he is sure to have his moments, I'm not sure that one can use the adjective 'consistent' when describing him. As far as these two are concerned, I'm selecting Saka and Trossard ahead of both if I'm picking a team for a Champions League final.

In midfield, despite his notorious strength and stamina I'm pretty sure that Arteta is running the risk of over-playing our Superman, Declan Rice. He is certainly needed for Saturday, but I'd definitely be looking to sit him down for Bruges, Wolves and Palace in the League Cup. There are alternatives he can use - including the under-utilised Norgaard who must have been disappointed not to get onto the pitch against his old club. We're back again to the question of rotation and who Arteta really trusts. It's a long, long season...

Saturday is a big game. Have no doubt about that. Villa are on a long unbeaten run, and have climbed the table quickly after an indifferent start to the season. They are scoring loads of goals, have one of the league's absolute form players in Morgan Rogers; and lest we forget Unai Emery just loves to do a number on Arsenal; he did it last year, you will recall. 

Interestingly, Villa are vastly out-performing xG. And score a vastly disproportionate amount of goals from outside the penalty area. Arsenal need to keep them at bay, but I'm sure will get chances at the other end of the pitch - especially with it looking like them being without former Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez for this game. A draw wouldn't be a terrible result, as this would be another difficult venue to cross off the list for the season. Of course, a win would be infinitely preferable! After that, we really need to be in for some hard rotation.

Let's keep our fingers crossed on the injury front, and keep the faith. COYG!