And In Conclusion...

Ah, well; you're going to have to wait until somewhere near the end of this post for my conclusions on this week's action...

I actually rarely post following cup matches, and I've held off this week. So I'll now delve into all three of  the Newcastle, United and Tottenham games - more generally with the first two, as there were similarities, but prior to that the win over The Auld Enemy. Let's crack on, then, shall we? And we'll start with the game that is freshest in the memory.

Before I start... if any of you were wondering about the yellow balloons that appeared around the ground after 7 minutes, this was a demonstration to highlight the plight of Emily Damari, a Spurs fan who has been held hostage in Gaza since October 7th 2023. Jewish groups from both clubs got together to do this, and I commend the collaboration as well as the sentiment.

A narrow and nerve-wracking victory over  an injury-affected Tottenham was well enough deserved, with similar domination  of the ball to the two previous two games- especially in the first half - and yet despite Tottenham approaching this game (like they do every game) differently to most opposition (caveat, Big Ange plumped for an extra central midfielder in a surprising show of pragmatism) - the usual concerns gripped Arsenal fans throughout. For the home team, Raheem Sterling looked to have done enough at the weekend to get a start on the right hand side (as it turns out he didn't really justify his selection), whilst MLS kept his place in the XI and Thomas Partey retuned to anchor the midfield. Gabriel Martinelli only made the bench.

Roared on by the crowd, to whom this particular game obviously means so much, Arsenal bombarded their opponents early on, and made sufficient chances to probably be two or three goals up when Son scored with Spurs' first or maybe second shot. Yet again; and additionally via a deflection that took the ball right into the very corner of the net. I, for one, immediately thought 'Here we go again!' But this particular opposition are not resilient, so based on the balance of play there was plenty of cause for hope.

The equaliser came from a corner that ought to have been a goal kick. 

Delicious... and when Rice's delivery reached the far post who was there to make contact? If you didn't know - although you do, of course - you would have guessed Big Gabi. And you'd be correct. Despite failing to get his header on target, he did succeed in heading it into the body of Solanke, who kindly defected the ball in at the near post. Cue anger from all connected with The Dark Side, and delirium from everyone else. Cheer Up Postecoglou...

The go-ahead goal was a triumph for the pressing game. Partey robbed a lethargic Bissouma and found Odegaard, who immediately threaded a pass into the path of the onrushing Trossard in the inside left channel. An early shot - with his 'wrong' foot, from the edge of the penalty area was enough to beat their brand new goalkeeper, Kinsky. Who should have saved it comfortably, but allowed it to bounce over his outstretched glove. Spursy all round, and 2-1. The poor chap had already been tested with the ball at his feet; Havertz rushing in to block one intended clearance - and he was barracked for the rest of the game. Serves him right for signing for them!

But despite equalising and then taking the lead in that 4-minute spell, Arsenal failed to put the match to bed, and we therefore couldn't relax until the final whistle. We could and should have been out of sight long before the end.

Second half, and Big Ange reverted to type, withdrawing both the disappointing Bissouma and Pape Saar in favour of Johnson and that famous dart player, James Maddison; thus leaving Bergvall to take on the entirety of Arsenal's midfield. To be fair, the youngster did a fine job; kudos to him. And Spurs went back to what they know; springing on the opposition at pace whenever they could. But not creating much at all.

There were some stand-out performances in red. Partey back doing what he does best. Declan Rice had a typical barn-storming performance. Timber chucked in another 8/10. Big Gabi did what Big Gabi does, and all the emotion of a NLD feeds into his psyche and turns him into a demon. But for me - and I'm putting this into context because of his age - MLS was my Man of the Match. The fact that, with all that choice at left back, Arteta chooses to go with him tells a story. He exhibits calmness and strength alongside his undoubted ability, and looks to have a really bright future ahead of him. I particularly enjoyed what he did when he was substituted late on (having been booked by the idiot Hooper for being pushed!) as he stoked up the crowd as he left the field of play. And when, having remembered Son's 'shush' celebration when he scored, he did his own when Arsenal took the lead. He's one of our own.

Three points in the bag, and with Chelsea, City and especially Liverpool all dropping points that's, at last, some good news to report. But I'd better deal with the twin cup disasters now.

I've compared the key statistics in these two games. On the face of it, Arsenal have been very unfortunate. But it's not as simple as that. Against Newcastle, Arsenal had 70% possession, an xG of 3.09 against Newcastle's 1.22, and 23 shots to seven for the away side. Which all points to a one-sided game of football. Against Manchester United, the stats read possession again 70%/30%, xG 3.25/0.48, and 26 shots (including Odegaard's missed penalty) to United's 7. Same again; yet Arsenal find themselves 2-0 down to Newcastle with the away leg to follow next month, and out of the FA Cup on penalties. How can this be, one may ask.

Well, it's not rocket science (not one of my favourite sayings tbh): of those 49 shots, a mere 10 were on target. In both games, the opposition allowed Arsenal to have the ball - in areas that suited them - and were far more clinical (4 shots on target from 7 each) when they did get their chance. So for all the possession, and for all the 'control' Arsenal had, they were distinctly lacking where it really mattered. Imagine Isak up front for The Gunners...

Literal 'sitters' missed in both games (Havertz the worst but by no means the only culprit). And for all the chances created, there was a distinct lack of quality to the play. Passing the ball from side to side, with the opposition allowing them to do so, doesn't bring success. Penetration - either around the outside, over the top, or by means of intelligent movement amongst the massed ranks of defenders - was what was required; but we saw little of that in the 210+ minutes of football. It's too formulaic, sometimes get a little boring, and when there's little or no end result the crowd gets restless. 

But... 49 shots should be more than enough to win a couple of football matches, and therein lies the frustration. It's not for the want of the players trying. It's down to a lack of critical quality. If there are two areas of the pitch where Arsenal definitely need reinforcements - and right now! - it's in the wing positions and - especially - right at the pointy end of the pitch where, for all his other qualities, Havertz will never ever be a clinical finisher and needs help. It's frankly unfair on the German to ask him - nay expect him - to pick up all the slack.

The truth is that without Bukayo Saka Arsenal look half the team than with him available. One can pretty much rely on Starboy to cause havoc and create chances. Without him, the burden has fallen almost entirely on Martin Odegaard, who Arteta has been forced to 'over play' since he came back a) from injury and b) from having a new born in his home. It's worth pointing out that notwithstanding these facts, MO created no less than 14 chances over those two matches; as many as the rest of the team put together!  

It has been mighty unfortunate that whilst Arteta looks to find a formation that can work in the continued absence of Saka (and it could be another 8 weeks before we see him on the pitch again), that between them Havertz, Trossard and Martinelli have hit barren gpal scoring spells; which in turn has hit confidence. With Jesus now out until possibly the New Year with an ACL rupture, Ethan Nwaneri also out injured, and Raheem Sterling a mere shadow of the player he used to be, it's been a very testing time. 

Thomas Partey has been the most creative of the 6s/8s playing behind the front line, but he's been regularly shunted out to right back in the continued absence of Ben White (back fairly soon, we are led to believe), and that has weakened the midfield severely. Rice is not quite back to the magnificence we saw from him last season - although we see plenty of flashes of it - and Merino has been essentially disappointing so far (I am prepared to give him time, as the EPL is a vastly different proposition than La Liga), and this has all led to a drop in the quality of chances created. Plus to add to that the finishing has been, to be perfectly frank, woeful.

Contrast that to the goals that the opposition are scoring against Arsenal. Worldie after worldie. Emerson's free kick, Raul Jimenez's goal out of nothing for Fulham, Neto's goal from distance at Stamford Bridge, Mbuemo's from a similar position to Jimenez, Bruno Fernandes' superb finish last week, even Son's deflected effort to give Spurs a totally undeserved lead.. All individually worth under 0.1 xG. Unlucky Arsenal? Hmmm... possibly. But if you don't put your own chances away you're asking for trouble. 

Here's what I think. Jose Mourinho used to say that his teams were never more dangerous than the moment that the opposition lost the ball to them. That 'transition' is key. And that his teams could be as dangerous without the ball as with it! Contrast that to Arteta's insistence on control, and on recognisable and repeatable patterns. All of which leads to predictability, and more often than not leads to opponents being prepared to sit deep and leave no space where Arsenal need it. And then, when the ball is lost...

Contrast the way Arsenal (and Manchester City to pretty much as great an extent) play compared to league leaders Liverpool. Liverpool are happy to let their opposition have the ball, which leads to more open games of football. And also means that opponents don't defend so deeply and so rigidly. Liverpool are prepared to lose the ball; to let the opposition have it so that they can take advantage when possession is turned over. 

Arteta is only in his 6th year of management, so I think that we should all be prepared to accept that he is still growing into the role. For me, the sooner he realises that attempting total control over a game doesn't necessarily work, the sooner we will get to see more goals, more open and exciting football, and as a result some trophies. He should realise that he can rely on his extremely competent defenders to deal with the opposition; opposition who, by dint of seeing more of the ball, will not be breaking at pace when Arsenal cough up possession. The need for control inhibits his players from expressing themselves fully; and I for one would like to see the leash loosened on the team.

But for all that, the key take away is that Arsenal are - for all their domination of the ball - pretty toothless when it comes to taking chances. I've/we've been saying for years that Arsenal need a centre-forward - and to be fair the first move last summer was for Sesko - but the squad is bereft of reliable goal scorers, and those who were banging them in for fun last season have singularly failed to emulate that so far in this one. You can defend Arteta and say that he couldn't have foreseen a drop off in goals from literally everybody (except Big Gabi!); but it is clear that he has failed to mitigate for that.

Look, one can look at the statistics and see that Arsenal have scored more goals this season than at this stage last season. And we can remember the cricket scores put up against poor sides at the end of last season. But - and I've said this before - the 5-0 and 6-0 wins serve to merely pad out the statistics, and it's the games where Arsenal failed to score, or scored just once, that have cost them dearly. And there have been plenty of those this season.

No goals at Bournemouth (when down to 10 men; don't get me started about sendings-off here!), Newcastle (for the second successive season)  and at home to Everton. One point out of 9. A single goal both at home and away to Brighton (another sending off in the home game...) leading to two draws. Further 1-1 draws at Chelsea and Fulham. 1-0 was in fact enough away to Spurs, and at home to Ipswich. 11 points out of a possible 27, where one extra goal in each game would have doubled the points total from those fixtures. The lack of a goalscorer is painful; compare and contrast to Isak, to Haaland, to Salah, and even to Chris Wood! And now, with Jesus out as well as Saka, it would be completely negligent not to act. With Liverpool starting to look less reliable now, and City trailing many points behind, Arsenal will surely never have a better chance to win the title this season. 

Arteta and Josh Kroenke must act now. And I've said this before, and I'll say it again, Gyokeres would be my man. Because we aren't getting Isak. Sesko might actually be attainable this month with his club as good as eliminated from the Champions League; but I for one am not sold on him. Vlahovic - again, not for me. This is a problem for Arteta and his colleagues, and they MUST act.

Right. It's Villa next. 70+ hours since the end of the NLD, and with a small squad from which to choose it can't be easy. Yes 'it's back on', as they say, but by all accounts Villa could have beaten Everton far more comfortably than they did in the week, and will be a tough nut to crack. There's the Emery factor, and the Emi Martinez factor to consider too (make sure you're ready to boo all evening...). Arsenal somehow just have to keep winning, and see where it gets them. I genuinely believe that for all the negativity we're seen and read about this week on social media etc., that Arsenal can do it. The team don't need these negative vibes. If we're supporters, we must support.

So COYG!

PGMOL’s New Year's Resolution

Here we go again, then; starting the New Year with more referee/VAR controversy involving Arsenal. But I'm not actually going to start with Brighton vs Arsenal, because there was plenty of controversy elsewhere. Although not at Anfield, where in my opinion De Ligt’s raised arm was a stone bonk penalty (although I do feel that following the David Coote thing there will be an ‘unconscious bias’ towards Liverpool this season - if there wasn’t one already…).

So let's just stick to The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where there were a number of controversial incidents:

• Should the Newcastle equaliser have been disallowed for handball by Joelinton in the buildup. Quite possibly; arm down by his side but his intervention led directly to the goal
• Should Burn have received a second yellow card for intentional handball? Or gone minutes later for another in a series of fouls? Probably
• Should Newcastle have been awarded a penalty when Kulusevski impeded Gordon, leading (it appeared) to breaking the latter's nose? Well, in the context of the penalty awarded to Brighton, definitely!

What is it with VAR in England? In the Champions League, there's little or no controversy at all. Surely it's down to the personnel involved? And the ‘we know best’ PGMOL tweaks. 

And now on to the Arsenal game. And with the squad still suffering from illness there was no Havertz in the squad at all; and neither Odegaard nor Martinelli were deemed fit/well enough to start. With Timber suspended - some of the bookings that led to that were totally petty - Arteta was once more forced to move Partey to right back, with Jorginho coming in to anchor the midfield, and Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard (the home crowd booed his every touch) also returning. Ethan Nwaneri retained his starting spot. The bench consisted of Odegaard, Martinelli, a goalkeeper, two under 19s... and four left backs! Due to some fixture anomalies, this was the first time in 9 matches that Arsenal had left London and, amazingly, they've now got 5 successive home matches to add to that statistical madness.

Now, Brighton are a decent side. They hadn't actually won since late November, but most of the games had been drawn. They are possession-heavy, press well, and are extremely well organised. Arsenal or City Lite, one might say. And there was plenty of evidence of that during the game. However, Arsenal took the lead as early as the 16th minute when Nwaneri ran onto Merino's nicely clipped pass into acres of space from the right 8 position, cut in and hit a low shot underneath Verbruggen, who frankly should have done a lot better.

At that point Arsenal were in control, keeping a blunt-looking Brighton at arm's length with comfort. But they also weren't creating much; something hardly surprising given the loss of so many creative players. And any trouble they found themselves in was frankly self-inflicted, with Jorginho looking rusty and off the pace as Brighton targeted him in possession. The enforced loss of Partey in midfield was notable. 

Up the other end, I can see the frustration that opposing supporters feel as Arsenal look to make an 'occasion' of every set piece. They're looking to create trepidation in the opposition ranks, but for me they've taken it a little too far. The home supporters booed at almost every throw in, and at every corner and free kick. It's up to referees to stamp down on that, and surely at some point Arteta and Jover will learn their lesson. Timber's 5 bookings included three for time-wasting, and Nwaneri received one as he stood for an eternity over a corner. This was the 9th time that an Arsenal player had been booked for time-wasting this season - yes, there's definitely an element of targeting the Gunners, but there's no smoke without fire.

At one corner, there was a coming together of Jesus, Merino and Partey as they all went for the same ball; leaving the first two on the floor. Perhaps it was that incident that took the eye of both referee and VAR, as a half-second beforehand Gabriel had been hauled to the ground by an arm around the neck from the combative O'Riley as he looked to find space. The sort of challenge that gets penalised in rugby and even American football (I think it's called a 'horse' collar in the latter sport), let alone in a sport in which free kicks are given for minimal contact. In the context of what transpired later, that's quite a talking-point.

Arsenal ended the first half on top, but I sat thinking that a one-goal lead against a team so good on the ball was tenuous to say the least. Yes, they looked blunt up top, but it only takes a moment; as time proved.

Nwaneri was replaced by Martinelli at half-time. At the time, we suspected it was down to the typically fussy piece of officiating from Anthony Taylor (who I once thought was a good referee - what was I thinking?), but as it turns out he was injured. Handy, that, with Arsenal playing again on Tuesday. That gives Arsenal cause for concern regarding Saka (out), Sterling (out), Nwaneri (almost certainly out), Odegaard (unwell), Martinelli (unwell), and Havertz (really very unwell). It never rains... Brighton made two changes, looking to become more aggressive in transition and to stretch Arsenal; which is exactly what they did. Yet still without creating anything big.

And the next chance fell to Arsenal. Perhaps inevitably from a set-piece, as Rice's clever low delivery was side-footed well wide by Merino. A difficult chance, but a chance nonetheless. 

And then, on the hour, disaster struck as yet another unprecedented opportunity knocked for a referee to give a decision against Arsenal. Following some pinball in the Arsenal area, the ball appeared above Joao Pedro and William Saliba. The former got his head to the ball fractionally before the latter, who nonetheless got something on it before a clash of heads. Taylor, seizing his chance, awarded a penalty - for something completely accidental and, from my understanding of the Law, incorrect. He'd made contact with the ball before Pedro's head. Ergo not a deliberate foul, and therefore not a penalty. 

Now, it's entirely possible that the VAR may have deemed Taylor to have made a mistake. Maybe a proper review of the challenge would suggest to Mr England in the booth that Taylor take a second look. Yet a VAR system that sometimes leave fans standing around for up to 4 minutes as they check a possible offside (what happened to semi-automatic offsides, by the way?) took all of THREE SECONDS to ratify the decision. Indefensible, and further sign of a conspiracy against Arsenal. 

How many times this season have we seen Arsenal players punished for actions that were never penalised again for any other club? Rice's second yellow in the previous fixture against Brighton, for side-footing the ball a yard. 

Trossard's second yellow at Manchester City, given for kicking the ball away 0.7 of a second after the whistle had blown (Michael Oliver; who last year had been defended by Howard Webb for not sending off Kovacic against Arsenal as he 'didn't want to unduly influence the game'). 

Saliba's sending off at Bournemouth; an incident remarkably similar to one later the very same day in which a Chelsea defender was merely booked for an almost identical, but arguably worse challenge. 

The 9 bookings for time-wasting. And we shouldn’t forget Taylor’s scratching off of Arsenal’s late ‘winning’ goal against Liverpool earlier this season for a non-foul by Kivior in the build-up. 

And now this; I've never seen it given before, and I doubt that I will again (actually, it's remarkably similar to the penalty Arsenal got at West Ham when Fabianski inadvertently landed a fist on Gabriel at a corner - I felt sorry for the keeper at the time as it was unintentional). But if it’s going to go one of two ways, it’s going to go AGAINST Arsenal. 

Joao Pedro, who loves a dive and had hit the floor (sneaking a sly look at the referee, you may spot if you watch it again) as if there was a sniper on the stadium roof, miraculously recovered to take the spot kick, sending Raya the wrong way. 

And from then on Arsenal could barely rouse themselves to take the game back to the home side; despite the introduction of (a clearly unfit) Odegaard. Brighton looked far more likely to pinch a winner, but are pretty toothless, for all their attractive football. Chances went begging; and thankfully the second goal didn't come. One move saw Arsenal in a real mess as the irritating Veltman lifted the ball over Merino and set Minteh away; only for the latter's cross to travel agonisingly across the goal with Arsenal outnumbered 5-4 in the move. In fact, Arsenal could have sealed the win if Thomas Partey had directed his header - from yet another Rice free kick - on target instead of three yards over the bar late on. And here's how I see it; without the intervention of Anthony Taylor and his mate Darren England, Arsenal win this match 1-0. The draw, however, changes the narrative around Arsenal's title challenge, with Liverpool streaking off into the distance - the only side showing real consistency.

This is all very disappointing; with an added pinch - yet again - of injustice. Arsenal must lick their wounds and go again on Tuesday (a massive 73 hours between matches as opposed to 72 for Brighton) in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final with in-form Newcastle. It's a case of  'if you're fit; you're in'. Just how many left backs can Arteta shoehorn into the side?

Still, at least we're at home. Let's get behind them. And with Manchester United holding Liverpool - in a terrific game of football, I’m sure you’ll agree - maybe it’s back on again?…

COYG!

Nwaneri's First PL Start Just One Of Several Positives From Brentford Victory

In the circumstances, the New Year's Day win at Brentford can be regarded as extremely satisfactory indeed. Their ground is often a tricky place to go - who can forget those muppets Neville and Carragher cavorting with the Brentford fans a few years ago? - but since then Arsenal have managed to negotiate things satisfactorily. As was the case on Wednesday.

Bukayo Saka is going to be out for quite a while, as we know, and Mikel Arteta is going to need to experiment/mix and match with how he deals with it for a few games yet. This time, with Havertz ill and out of the squad, he made the big decision to start Ethan Nwaneri out on the right wing. Big shoes to fill for the exciting yet raw youngster, but he has the closest attributes to Saka within the squad; left-footed, highly skilful, low centre of gravity, and super-confident in his ability. This meant Martinelli back on the left, and Jesus the only fit centre-forward standing so he picked himself. Elsewhere, Declan Rice's minutes are being managed, so Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino took their places alongside Odegaard in midfield. Further back, Riccardo Califiori - another whose minutes need to be managed - came back in for MLS. Brentford, lest I neglect to mention it, were decimated by injuries, especially in defence, but still had the dangerous duo of Mbuemo and Wissa up top.

As anticipated, Brentford immediately settled into a low block as the game kicked off, and Arsenal had 80+% possession from the get-go. But in the 13th minute, at the first opportunity offered (a misplaced pass in midfield by Odegaard), Brentford broke and - from their very first shot - took the lead. Now, can we apportion blame for this? Well, firstly there was the misplaced pass. Then the run of Mbuemo which had Califiori at sixes and sevens. A cut inside, and with Raya (and Gabriel) expecting a far post effort, the Cameroonian passed the ball into the net at the near post.

And here's something that really annoys me; the number of times that the opposition score from their very first effort on goal. Couple that with the number of goals that Arsenal concede from low xG positions; far more than is normal and - as the x in xG indicates - should be expected. There is no doubt that Raya is an excellent goalkeeper, and is a magician in possession (most of the time), but he does have a couple of weaknesses. Firstly, he is encouraged to take up aggressive positions on the field - at one point on Wednesday, with his team-mates camped around the Brentford penalty area, he dealt with a hacked clearance from inside the Brentford half! And secondly he's not quite tall enough - certainly compared to others. I see opposing players wrong-footing him, or curling the ball into the far corner of the net past his outstretched fingers; taking advantage of those weaknesses. Not that I'm complaining; the pros outweigh the cons considerably.

Down a goal early on, Arsenal continued to press and dominate. Brentford sat as deep as I've seen any side against Arsenal this season, but were up against a team prepared to do things a little differently to what we'd seen in recent match-ups with Everton and Ipswich. There was more ingenuity and variety in the play, as full backs were taken on on the outside, and balls were lobbed over the lines and into the box. Nwaneri did a decent impersonation of Saka, beating his man and crossing with both feet as well as linking up with Odegaard and Partey, and Partey himself simply ran the game from the edge of the penalty area. There were patches when Brentford saw plenty of the ball, but the danger felt low-key for most of the time.

Brentford continued to allow Arsenal into their penalty area, and the game resembled a game of pinball as much as a football match at times. There were close-range chances for Partey, Nwaneri and others before a critical passage of play that saw fortunes change dramatically in the space of a single minute. A shot from Lewis-Potter squirmed through Raya's hands - at the time, it was starting to feel like the pressure was getting to the goalkeeper on his return to his former home ground - but he got back to claw the ball back from the brink of crossing the goal line. Less than a minute later, it was 1-1. Arsenal broke - Nwaneri played a clever part in the move - and were soon back camped on the Brentford 18-yard line. More pinball, with the home side simply unable to clear their lines, and Partey's shot was parried out by Flekken into the path of Gabriel Jesus who, having reacted more quickly than his markers, was in position to stoop to head back over the keeper's head. Full marks for perseverance, and for Jesus's anticipation. He appears back to his sharp, mercurial best, and Arteta knows that he must tap into that - because if we can draw anything from researching his career this purple patch won't last too long. 

1-1 at half-time, but plenty of optimism abounded in the away end. And Arsenal came out and carried on as before. Early pressure led to two swift successive corners (just as dangerous despite neither of their normal corner takers being on the field; Martinelli and Nwaneri taking over and doing really well with their deliveries), and from the mass confusion engendered by Flekken, who failed to punch clear, and Jesus's snap shot, Johnny-on-the-spot Merino lashed the ball into the net from close range.

Moments later Nwaneri's cross was again not dealt with, and Gabriel Martinelli volleyed home past the unsighted goalkeeper. 

At which point, with fully half an hour left, Arsenal declared. They kept Brentford at arm's length for the rest of the game - and I for one didn't mind that the final third of the game was quite boring. The points had been secured, and the only moments of note came from some magnificent long-range distribution from Raya that almost led to what would have been spectacular breakaway goals.

Positives and negatives from the game? Well, tv gave the Player of the Match award to Gabriel Jesus, who did have a fine game. And there was an awful lot of positivity to draw from the performance of young Nwaneri. But for me Thomas Partey stood out. He was everywhere, not only snuffing out danger when Brentford looked to break, but with his positioning and distribution. Always on the front foot. A top, top performance from the Ghanaian (despite the home supporters booing his every touch). William Saliba was back to his best also; so cool and decisive under pressure, and a delight to see his cruising around the pitch. The only negative? - a booking for Jurrien Timber that means a one-game ban. That, with Ben White still out, will surely see Partey at right back at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening.

Arsenal are about to enter a ludicrous period of three games a week for the next 6 weeks or so, so Arteta will need to continue to shuffle his pack. With the Transfer Window open, and Saka out for a while, the big question is do Arsenal look to dip into the pot? I've honestly no idea, but the Manager has put on record that the squad is 'thin'. However, I'm not sure that doing something major now, which may affect the plans for the summer, is that good an idea. But with 9 points to make up, perhaps a little refresh wouldn't go amiss.

All Arsenal can do is keep winning, and hope that Liverpool come back to them. With Chelsea dropping points consistently, the Gunners are surely the only dangers to Liverpool now. But Brighton are tricky opponents; they're not in brilliant form at the moment, but they are capable of beating anyone on their day. Arsenal nonetheless need to take some form of revenge - particularly on the full back Veltman - for Rice's ludicrous sending-off against them earlier this season.

COYG!

If You Want Entertainment...

Well, a win is - at the end of the day - a win. But it was difficult to feel entertained by this narrow, if comfortable, victory over a limited Ipswich Town. This was, in fact, the second home game in a row in which Arsenal really struggled to impose themselves on a low block - and this is a problem that Mikel Arteta is going to need to solve pretty quickly, as more and more managers cotton on to how to contain and frustrate the Gunners. If you want entertainment in North London, you need to pop up the road to N17; although you'll need blood pressure medication. At The Emirates, however, it can often be quite tedious, I'm afraid to say. Your choice - do you want to see your team win, or do you want to suffer the agony that That Lot would put you through?

The choice of line-up was no surprise to me. I got it spot on - Martinelli on the right in place of the injured Saka, and with Jesus in red hot form Havertz into a fluid 'left 8' role. Declan Rice, with his extra mobility, was preferred to Thomas Partey at the base of midfield. There was the opportunity to rest and rotate, I guess, but as often is the case Arteta was taking no risks. Interesting to note, by the way, that with no less than 4 possible alternatives sitting on the bench it was once again 18-year-old Miles Lewis-Skelly who made the starting XI. And the lad did well; showing deceptive strength in the tackle against bigger and older men.

For Ipswich Omari Hutchinson, who had turned down a contract offer from Arsenal a couple of years ago to go to Chelsea, who then loaned him out to Ipswich; where he made an excellent contribution in The Championship last season following which he made a permanent move to Suffolk, this was justification for the move. He's now playing regularly in the Premier League, and despite not having a brilliant game was comfortably The Tractor Boys' biggest threat on the night. This despite being frequently booed by the home crowd. Good luck to him, I say!

Following a first-minute scare - there was one in both halves in fact - Arsenal soon took over and pushed Ipswich into a very low block indeed. But it was low tempo stuff, very much reminiscent of the Everton game but this time with none of the extra ingenuity offered by Bukayo Saka, and we were back to watching what I call 'umbrella passing'; side to side with little or no variation. Painful to sit and watch, to be honest, with Ipswich looking fairly comfortable as they compressed the space. It was only when Arsenal tried something a bit different - a long ball over the top from Raya to Jesus, or a driving run into the heart of the defence from Jurrien Timber - when anything exciting looked like happening. 

Finally, following 23 minutes of very little happening, Trossard went on the outside of the right back instead of cutting back inside or laying the ball back to MLS, and from close to the goal line played an inviting cross across the 6-yard box, where Havertz was loitering with intent and crashed the ball into the top of the net. 

Thank goodness! - and now surely Ipswich would look to come out and play a bit? Well, not really; although they at least pushed their block a bit further up the field and Arsenal found themselves pushed back by 20-30 yards, despite continuing to have almost all the possession. There was very little to show for it all the way up to half-time - one decent long-range effort from Rice and a superbly deft finish from Gabriel Jesus from a ludicrously tight angle that unfortunately came from a run that took him marginally offside being pretty much it. By which time, with little to keep them entertained, most of the crowd had made their way gratefully into the concourses for a beer.

Second half, and Ipswich did come out to play a bit more. They won a couple of free kicks from decent positions, and even a corner or two. And what this did to an extent was to create a little more space for Arsenal to exploit. One excellent run from Havertz led to a corner from which Big Gabby is surely still wondering how he didn't score. 

The introduction of Merino for Jesus made something of a difference for Arsenal, who  looked in better shape as a result, and whilst they remained comfortable for the rest of the game it wasn't scintillating stuff to say the least; an upturn in tempo from Odegaard, who had a fine second period, being the main - indeed only - highlights of the second 45 minutes. One slalom dribble deserved to be rewarded by a goal, but Muric tipped the Norwegian's shot over the bar. And from that corner Odegaard's cross found Rice 12 yards out, the latter's crisp and goal-bound volley blocked despairingly by a defender. A late curled effort from Merino could have made the game completely safe, but Muric got down to push the effort away. And that, frankly, was all the excitement to report. 

And so, with little controversy to report, I'll jump onto a new bandwagon. One that I do occasionally bring up, and one that drives this old curmudgeon mad. And it's this: I am sick and tired of endlessly having to get up and down in my seat to accommodate people in my row who arrive late, leave 5+ minutes before half-time for a beer and come back 7 minutes into the second half. Or cannot control their bladders. And this happens in every row, so we're having to get up and down as the same thing happens one, two, three rows in front of us. And people take no notice of any action that may be taking place; wandering down the aisles as a corner or free kick is being taken and blocking peoples' views. People around me are fed up of hearing my patented phrase; 'It's OK - I didn't want to see that bit anyway.' The stewards are useless, frankly - indeed, I once got told off by a steward when I got back 30 seconds late due to a long queue at the urinals when I said I wanted to wait for a break in play: 'I can't have you blocking the entrance, sir'. I mean, FFS! For me, theatre rules should apply. If you're late, you have to either wait for a long break in play to go to your seat, or watch on the screens. Especially the serial offenders who you can set your watch by; always 15 minutes late! As I often say: 'If the game started at 3.30am, she'd get here at 3.45!' I'm fed up with it!!! What do you think, guys? Does this behaviour ruin your enjoyment like it ruins mine? 

Right; now I've got that off my chest we can look forward to watching everyone else play before us yet again. At least the players get a few extra days rest before visiting injury-ravaged Brentford on Wednesday. 

We've also heard from Bukayo Saka, who’s messaged us from his hospital bed. Get well soon, Starboy; we need you!

COYG!

Jesus Is Resurrected - Plus Some Really Bad News

I've waited to write this piece until we had some idea of the extent of the injury suffered by Starboy on Saturday. We need, of course, to think about the implications of that; but there is plenty to discuss from the Palace game even without that. I'd also like you to join me in having a damn good laugh at both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who are both having a terrible time at the moment. Oh, and I almost forgot the continuing woes of Manchester City. But I digress...

Interesting team news from Selhurst Park, with a clear indication that Arteta had taken the handbrake off for this one. It was inevitable that Jesus would start after his midweek hat-trick against the same opposition, as the Manager accommodated Havertz in the side by taking one defensive-minded midfielder out of the side. So, with Rice deemed not fit enough to start, it was Partey at the base of midfield and a dynamic front 5 of Odegaard, Havertz, Saka, Jesus and Martinelli ahead of him. An interesting selection, and one that will be occupying Arteta's mind going forward.

Yes, there was an extra zip up front as Arsenal - as usual - dominated possession; this time moving the ball more swiftly and thus putting real pressure on the Palace back line. But when they lost the ball... suddenly, a soft underbelly was clear for all to see. Partey isn't the most mobile of players, as we know, and he was exposed on several occasions as the likes of Saar ran beyond him and directly at Saliba and Gabriel. It was also interesting to note how less assured the central defenders looked without a shield in front of them. 

They sat a little deeper. Saliba made a wrong decision not to engage Saar that led directly to Palace's equaliser and also lost the ball to Saar in an extremely dangerous position, with only a superb point blank save from Raya preventing a second Palace goal. Gabriel was then booked for pulling Saar's shirt - the Senegalese was causing an awful lot of problems to Arsenal.

At the other end, Arsenal scored no less than three times before half-time. Goal Machine Gabriel Jesus with two - one an absolute beauty curled right into the top corner of the net from the edge of the area following a corner - and a third from Havertz, who couldn't miss as he followed up a Jesus header that rebounded off of a post. 

Gabriel also hit the bar with a header from - guess what - a corner. It doesn't seem to matter what the opposition do to defend corners - Palace, like Monaco before them, left three players up - Nicolas Jover seems to have an answer.

But here's the dilemma for Arteta. Does he sacrifice an element of control by player an extra attacker, or does he revert to a more cautious system with a second more defensive midfielder in the side. It's a delicate balance, and one that should surely be based on the opposition's ability to threaten. Arsenal are always likely to dominate and outscore the likes of Palace, but I certainly wouldn't want to see it against the likes of Brighton, let alone Liverpool. It's a difficult one.

So 3-1 to Arsenal at half time. But despite the entertainment the most significant moment had occurred as early as the 23rd minute, when Saka sat himself down following a run and cross, and signalled that he needed to come off. He limped off extremely slowly - much to the annoyance of Palace (Lacroix ran across to remonstrate) - but it's clearly serious as he left the ground on crutches, and initial suggestions are that we may not see him again until March. That is very bad news indeed, and he'll miss some really important matches.

There's no point in dwelling on whether Arteta has 'over-played' Starboy - he does seem to feature all the time, though. What's more important is how the Manager adjusts the line-up to compensate. With Sterling likely to miss his moment due to his own injury (he'd hardly excelled himself in midweek to be fair), the alternatives are not obvious. Perhaps Arteta will take a leaf out of Arsene Wenger's book and play a promising young player slightly out of position in order to give him an appreciation of what that role means (I vividly remember him doing that with Aaron Ramsey). In this case, I'm talking about Ethan Nwaneri. The alternatives would be Martinelli, Trossard, Havertz or Jesus out there. We shall see. We know that Arteta likes his wingers to cut inside and get involved with their number 8s; of the afore-mentioned foursome only Havertz is left-footed. But so is Nwaneri. This will be fascinating.

Palace continued to cause problems early in the second half, and could have pulled back to parity as Raya kept them at bay with two fine saves. Both centre backs were curiously both under par at the same time (it's the loss of a shield ahead of them, I'm sure - and that'll concern Arteta). and it took a fourth goal to finally take the wind out of their sails. By which time Arteta had reacted by bringing Rice (and the returning Califiori) on - and whilst Dec was on to give more solidity to the midfield the space he was able to find pushing forward in the left 8 role led to an assist for Martinelli (Jesus missed a sitter seconds before, thus denying one of my mates a decent pick-up at the bookies on his 70/1 bet for the Brazilian to notch a second successive hat trick), and then a goal of his own to make it 5 - curling the ball into the far corner as he ran on to Califiori's neat pass. But as Palace coach Glasner said afterwards: 'Give Arsenal a crumb and they take the whole cake!'

So 5-1; and thank you very much for that. But I can't let this post pass by without having another dig at the officials. In this case referee Hooper, who appeared to have his priorities all wrong throughout. He warned Raya about time-wasting at a goal kick as early as the 19th minute (which other club suffers such treatment?). He booked Timber for taking a few seconds too long at a throw in, in the 35th minute (again, find me an instance of any other club being treated like that). Lewis-Skelly tried to steal a few yards at another throw (nobody else ever does that, do they?) - and Hooper chose to award the throw the other way by means of punishment. But when Clyne went through Califiori from behind, with undue force and virtually standing on his ankle, it was merely a yellow card - the same punishment meted out to Timber for delaying a throw in. The officious little pr*ck!

Anyway, on to happier things. City lost at Villa - that's now just one win in their past 11 matches. They've lost their aura, and are having no luck whatsoever. About time... United contrived - having lost 4-3 at Tottenham in the League Cup - to go down 3-0 at home to Bournemouth. New Manager bounce? They're languishing in 13th place in the table.  

And as for Tottenham! Look, we all wanted them to do us a favour against Liverpool, but one thing you can rely on is not being able to rely on Tottenham (I still wake up some nights sweating at the memory of Son's miss against City last season). Decimated by injuries, it was always unlikely that they were going to get anything from the game; but in managing to concede no less than 6 goals - and it could easily have been more - well, you just have to laugh. They have forwards who don't work hard out of possession, a weak defensive midfield with Bissouma a total liability, and had three of their 4 defenders playing out of position. And have no discernible tactics... interestingly, though, they did score three times; thus giving hope that Liverpool will leak goals at inopportune moments as the season goes on. But as an early Christmas gift you can't beat watching Spurs getting battered. #AngeIn

The gap to Chelsea was closed as they - like Arsenal - only managed a goalless draw with Everton (now there's a team that's fun to watch...). And so we move on to a home game with Ipswich Town (which ought to be routine) and then two tricky away ties - at Brentford and Brighton. Without Saka. Not insurmountable, but the margin for error gets smaller with every passing match day. One thing looks pretty sure; Arsenal are going to have to go to Anfield and beat Liverpool.

Anyway, we move on 'with hope in our hearts'. I'd like to wish those who celebrate either a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah, and I'll see you on the other side. Somebody nonetheless needs to have a quick chat with Gabriel Jesus - his timing may seem off as he's resurrected himself for the wrong festival... If we stick to 'reborn', then he's OK.

COYG!

Lack Of Spark Means More Dropped Points

If there was ever a day to chant 'Boring Boring Arsenal', then Saturday's lacklustre display at home to Everton was very much on the list. A thoroughly uninspired and unexciting performance meant for a drab draw against extremely limited and unadventurous opposition. And if there was ever an illustration of the limitations of this current squad it was laid bare for all to see.

Bizarrely, If you'd have merely watched the highlights on Match Of The Day you'd have thought that Arsenal had battered Everton; done everything they could except score. But it looked and felt anything like that in the ground. Despite 77% possession, a season's record 682 passes (and 92% accuracy) and 8 corners to 2 (the first conceded in three games, by the way), this was as sterile a performance as it could be. Sure, Everton  were fresher as they hadn't played for a fortnight, with Arsenal having had three matches in that time, but even so...

Just 13 shots in the entire match, despite the overwhelming possession. Only 5 of them on target. And an xG of just 1.22. On the rare occasions they did get a sight of Pickford's goal, he was able to defy them. Or rather; Arsenal didn't make enough of the few clear-cut chances they created.

He's a funny one, that Jordan Pickford. Looks clumsy. Terrible with the ball at his feet. Often caught out of position or on his heels. Yet capable of making some great saves and - somehow - England's Number One. Bizarre. But let's get back to a bit of analysis.

It was clear from the Everton line-up what they were going to set out to do. Three defensive midfielders, and two trolls at centre half. Little in the way of ingenuity, and just Calvert-Lewin up front; to whom they lumped the ball frequently.

As far as Arsenal were concerned, at least Arteta saw the sense of popping Timber back to right back, as MLS made his first Premier League start. Gabriel fit enough to take the place of Kivior. The supposed 'dream' midfield of Rice, Odegaard, Merino finally on the field together. Martinelli preferred to Trossard. But - and this turned out to be crucial - no place from the start for Thomas Partey.

And it all felt a bit off from early on. The first chance of the game fell to Everton when Doucoure - who had all the time in the world to shoot from the left of the penalty area, managed to take so long to get the shot off that Gabriel could sprint 20 yards and fling himself in front of it. And that was actually the last opportunity that the away side had. 

The best chances did fall to Arsenal - mainly the skipper - but he/they either failed to trouble Pickford (one chance had the goalkeeper rooted to his line as the ball sped wide of an upright) or found him in good enough form to keep the ball out. Saka was inevitably the main threat; and frankly the only consistent one, as too many players had off days. It was he who had the best chance; Pickford throwing himself down to his left to keep Starboy's first time shot out.

It was painful to watch. 682 passes, but so much of it was in front of Everton. Pass. One touch. Another touch. Pass. And repeat… The old and detested 'umbrella football' was back on show as Arsenal shifted the ball from side to side but failed to even attempt to penetrate the massed ranks of blue shirts. It was slow, ponderous, agonising. The ball was moved more slowly at times than it is in my weekly game of Walking Football. Not a great advertisement for Arteta-ball, I'm afraid.

Havertz was quiet. Martinelli ineffective. Merino almost invisible. Odegaard nowhere near his best. And so it was inevitable that Arteta would look to try to change things up. But, if anything, the changes made things even worse. There was simply no need to have 4 defenders out there against such an unambitious low block, but he left all 4 on until very late. Odegaard the first to be replaced; along with Declan Rice. Thus removing much of the guile and a lot of the drive in one fell swoop. The substitutes fared no better - indeed probably worse - than those they replaced. Trossard was off his game. Nwaneri got a full half hour but failed to make any impression; but it's wrong to expect a 17-year-old to be the saviour. Jesus was almost non-existent; failing to act as a focal point at any stage. Jorginho is not the answer when you're chasing a goal. Raheem Sterling didn't even make it off the bench. 

It was only Partey who made much of a difference. Some clever passing, and one driving run into the penalty area saw him sandwiched between two defenders. I've seen them given... to City and Liverpool, but not to Arsenal. Frankly, apart from the Ghanaian, Arteta's substitutions actually made things even worse! Yes, he was decisive. But he was also wrong this time. The chances dried up, and Everton were really quite comfortable.

The thing is this; if you have so much of the ball in front of such an unambitious low block, you have to try something different. Looped balls over the top. Get round the sides. Get players close together around the box and try to work triangles. Not just pass the ball across and back again. too slowly to make a difference. Entice them out. They could just sit and sit and sit; and that's exactly what they did. It was agonising to watch.

As I said up top, this match illustrated what is clearly lacking in the Arsenal squad at the moment. Ingenuity, pace, and a quick and aggressive centre forward to mix things up a bit. These were needless dropped points, and Arteta must know that he needs to take action in January. As it turns out, this squad feels weaker than the squads of the past two years, with a number of players well below their best; Zinchenko, Jesus and Sterling have been very disappointing, and none of the new signings have yet been able to make a proper mark.

And so we move on. It's a marathon, as we know, and there's still a long way to go. Meantime, we can take consolation in the demise of Manchester City, who have now won an unprecedented one game in their last 10. Sacked in the morning?...

Two matches against Palace this week (hi, Eddie). League Cup followed by a Premier League game. The second of which is far more important. Let's try to keep the faith.

COYG!

The Fulham Bogey Strikes Again

Fulham 1 Arsenal 1. More points dropped to our latest 'bogey team'. Was it one of those days? Or was there more to it? 

Let's take a closer look. And firstly at the starting XI, which saw Timber at left back in the continued absence of Califiori, Kivior continuing to deputise for the injured Gabriel, and Partey taken out of midfield to cover for Timber at right back. Jorginho into midfield. Trossard preferred to Martinelli. 

And questions can immediately be asked, frankly, about this. We have been able to see what a fit Thomas Partey adds to the team. Much to our collective surprise, he has remained fit for longer than at any time in his Arsenal career, and as a consequence of this long sequence of matches has performed at a consistently high level. In midfield. 

Partey can do an adequate job at right back, but when in possession tends to look to move infield as opposed to offering overlapping options to Saka and Odegaard. Timber (and Ben White) can do either/both. Partey is far more effective in midfield, where he can put his close control and top level ball distribution to full effect.

Arteta's decision to shift Timber over to left back - made because he has the option to use Partey on the right - even though (despite injuries to Califiori, Zinchenko and Tomiyasu) he had Lewis-Skelly and even Kieran Tierney on the bench - meant moving too many pieces of the jigsaw around. As a result, the balance of the side was affected and something was lost in the middle of the park. I don't want to see Partey at right back again unless the situation is desperate.

 Unusually, Fulham manager Marco Silva had changed both formation and style, moving from a more open and expansive style of play to - with Lukic drafted into midfield alongside Sander Berge - one designed for defensive mobility. His teams tend to do well against Arsenal (a win and a draw last season, for example), and here he had read the situation well once more. 

Not that you'd have noticed early on in the game, when Arsenal completely dominated the ball for the first 10 minutes. As far as Fulham were concerned, it looked like being an extremely long afternoon as they hardly had a kick for fully 10 minutes. But they scored with their very first attack. And whilst I hated it, I had to admire it. Their first proper bit of possession, and they made the most of it, with almost every player getting a touch of the ball. Then Jimenez found Tete and went off on a sprint. I'm apportioning no blame to Kivior, who was outpaced and out-manoeuvred by the brilliance of Jimenez's movement as he sprinted onto Tete's through ball and took Raya on early. Saliba was a split second too late getting over to block, and Raya had left the very far corner of his net exposed. Jimenez hit that exact spot.

Now, the stats for the match show Arsenal with 67% possession, 6 corners to 0, 12 shots to two, and Fulham scoring with their only shot on target (out of that grand total of two). But, to be honest, despite all that possession Arsenal simply didn't make enough of it. Too much of it was in front of Fulham, who held Arsenal comfortably at bay for the most part. Saka was once more the most effective attacker, but it does feel that there's a lack of sufficient creativity in the team.

And so, whilst it was 'all Arsenal', it felt like there was something missing. It's impossible to expect to rely on Odegaard and Saka at all times. Trossard flashes in and out. Havertz another who blows hot and cold. And the left 8 position remains a problem, with Rice not a good enough alternative going forward to make that his own, and new signing Merino actually something of a Rice clone. 

As regards the alternatives sitting on the bench, both Jesus and Sterling have been bitterly disappointing so far, and there's only the potentially brilliant Nwaneri in whom Arteta seems to have much trust. The departures of both ESR - ineffective in this game for Fulham tbh - and Vieira has left Arsenal short in the creativity department.  Whilst the squad looked strong enough on paper at the beginning of the season, it remains to be seen what plans Arsenal have for the January window; although I cannot see them buying a winger, a centre forward and a creative player - all required - but something needs to be done.

And so of the 12 shots - only 4 on target - none held particularly high Xg tariffs, apart from for the goal (Saliba's second in two matches as he steps up to take the place of the injured Gabriel; but Havertz should be embarrassed to have failed to hit the target himself from all of 4 yards), and the extremely presentable opportunity that Partey missed. Both - please note - from corners. And so it's quite simple; not enough is being created from open play, and a key needs to be found to that. Although it's worth arguing that they get all these corners because they force them by dominating possession, and they score from so many of them because of the quality they have developed at them.

It's not that Arsenal aren't a very good side. But they can - and must - be even  better; and it's clear where they can be better. In this game, Fulham's Xg of a mere 0.16 yielded a crucial goal. Arsenal's 2.03 yielded just the equaliser. And at the end of the day it's kudos to Fulham, whose hard work paid off.

Of course, it's easy to say all this in hindsight. Had Saka's late header from Martinelli's cross stood, we'd all be saying: 'Phew! Got there in the end, but we deserved it on the balance of play.'  But Martinelli had strayed just offside on the build-up, and that was that. Offside is objective, and he was a bit unlucky to be caught as two Fulham players moved up at the very last moment to catch him. Pity; it was very nice play from Martinelli - apart from the obvious. - and a well-timed run and finish from Starboy

Nonetheless, this was a better result than that achieved at Craven Cottage last season, so we can thank small mercies for that amidst the angst. And it is worth noting that we're in the midst of a slightly easier run of league games, and comparing results to last season's for Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City for all remaining matches reveals that Arsenal will remain ahead of City, and overtake Liverpool. Let's hang our hats on that as we crane our necks upwards to try to find Liverpool.

Before I look forward to the two matches this week, I just wanted to take a moment to laugh at Manchester United; and especially at Tottenham Hotspur. A home defeat for United is always fun, and I'm sure that the size of the task facing Amorim is becoming very clear to him. As for Spurs, this is another two goal lead blown; they are making quite a habit of it. The only unfortunate thing is that it was Chelsea who benefitted. Meantime, City also dropped points, which is always handy.

And so to the Champions League, and a home game with Monaco - who are only behind us in the CL table on goal difference. This is by far the most difficult of Arsenal's three remaining fixtures, and a win in this one will go a long way to cementing the club's place in the Top 8. Any win would do me, but I suspect that it won't be easy. Monaco have already beaten Barcelona this season, and you'll certainly recognise several of their players on Wednesday.

Then, on Saturday, it's Everton. And - in all seriousness - they are awful, so we can probably expect a relatively easy ride there. 9 points out of 9 are critical in this series of matches - Everton, Palace, Ipswich. Let's get it done.

Believe. There's no reason not to. COYG!