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!

The Battle Of Stamford Bridge #2

History buffs among you may be aware that the original Battle of Stamford Bridge took place on September 25th 1066, not long before the Battle of Hastings. It was a particularly bloody battle, with the leaders of both the invading Viking army and the English defenders both losing their lives.

That particular Stamford Bridge is in the East Riding of Yorkshire, whereas the second coming of the battle took place on Sunday some 200 miles south in West London. Despite the best efforts of Moises Caicedo, nobody actually died; although football almost did during a first half in which several players overdid the intensity, and referee Anthony Taylor lost temporary control.

Marc Cuccurella - owner of the most punchable face in world football; which is not bad in an arena also inhabited by the likes of Richarlison and Bruno Fernandes - was one who, having been booked early for a series of assaults on Bukayo Saka, was fortunate not to join his team-mate in an early bath. Whilst it's difficult to argue too much with many of the other yellow cards - despite Taylor's early lowering of the threshold for the brandishing thereof - that of Martin Zubimendi was frankly baffling. And all in all - whilst expectations of Taylor remain very low despite his high ranking amongst Premier League referees, the following statistic says a lot about how Arsenal fans need to regard him:

The away support correctly serenaded the referee with a chorus of 'It's all about you. It's all about you! Anthony Taylor; it's all about you.' Although I guess his performance is hardly surprising seeing as he kept up an almost non-stop conversation with Reece James throughout the match.

But let's rewind a little. And firstly to the shock news that William Saliba had failed to make the squad as the result of a knock he received in training the day before. And whilst we have considerably more faith in Mosquera and Hincapie than in previous squad members - especially when we look back to the days (not too long ago) when Arsenal had the likes of Mustafi, Sokratis, Holding and Chambers amongst their ranks - it was obviously concerning that the team were having to go to one of their main rivals without both of their star central defenders. Apart from that, the team was as expected, with the bench looking considerably stronger than for a while too.

And so to kick-off; and almost immediately Chelsea's ludicrously coiffured left back was through the back of Saka; before protesting his innocence (guilty as charged, yer honour). It took him a full 11 minutes to be booked, following a similar challenge - yet he had been beaten into the book by Zubimendi, who'd had the audacity to merely stand in the way of Taylor's close friend Reece James. The frenzied Caicedo had spent much of this time charging around the field and launching himself at every red shirt he came across - a policy for which he would pay sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, after 10 minutes we were still waiting for a football match to breakout amongst the WWE impersonations. Not a good advert for the Premier League, I'm afraid.

My concern at this stage was that Arsenal were looking sluggish. The passing was far from crisp, and they seemed to be second best to almost every loose ball or 50/50 challenge. Following the draw at Sunderland, I wonder if this is now going to be a template for trying to deal with Arsenal; and if so Arteta is going to need to find an answer - and quickly. To be fair, we could have perhaps have expected a reaction following all the effort put in on Wednesday evening. Plus Chelsea had had an extra day's rest. But I was nonetheless concerned that something was missing. 

Taylor's pal - despite being best known as a right back - was dominating Zubimendi in the middle of the park, the home team were creating a few half chances (one superb block from Rice prevented Neto from getting a shot off from a very dangerous position), and Caicedo was getting away with a lot of kicking and shoving. 

Until, in the 35th minute, he took it too far. A late lunge at Merino saw him miss the ball completely, and make strong contact with the latter's shin/ankle. The more you looked at, the worse it looked, and a red card was inevitable. Surely - despite having been second best up to that point - it was advantage Arsenal. Or so one would expect...

The best chance of the half fell to (the otherwise anonymous) Martinelli in injury time. Sanchez had to change direction to make a smart save low to his right. But there had been little actual football action; let alone goalmouth stuff.

By half time (and what a terrible half of football it had been), three quarters of Arsenal's back line had yellow cards - as well as Zubi - so it must have been uppermost in Arteta's mind to change some personnel. As an aside, neutrals were suggesting that referee Taylor had been having a good game, but I disagree. He was unquestionably favouring the home side... and I'll know that some will say that he was correctly punishing Arsenal's evident cynicism in the tackle, but he was letting Chelsea (including Caicedo prior to his sending off) get away with a lot of really robust stuff. 

The easiest reshuffle - without moving several defenders around - was MLS for Calafiori. And this is the one change Arteta made. The youngster may have been relieved to see Estevao also come off, but this meant that had had to deal with the wily Neto instead. Tough; especially after the roasting he got from Bayern on Wednesday...

But disaster struck almost immediately, as Chelsea won a quick free kick and then a corner; from which Chalobah flicked a header over everybody and into the far corner of the net.

Now, I was concerned that Enzo had been interfering with Mosquera's ability to clear the ball; but you take the rough with the smooth, and Arsenal are experts at this type of baulking at set pieces. But it would appear that VAR missed a trick, because it's clear from some angles that have emerged only today that the Argentinian was offside when Chalobah made contact. So the goal ought to have been chalked off. And yet again questions need to be asked about the standard of officiating. Remember; this was a massive match!

Clear as day...

Suddenly, despite it being 11 vs 10, Arsenal were faced with an uphill task. The change I'd suspected Chelsea would make - Delap for Joao Pedro - occurred soon afterwards. The ball was more likely to stick to Delap that it was to the divey Brazilian. And by this time Arsenal were starting to get back into the game; despite MLS being the fifth player into Taylor's book for a cynical foul on the referee's close friend Reece James.

Arteta responded quickly, with Odegaard and Madueke (childishly booed by the peevish and pathetic Chelsea fans at every touch) on for Zubimendi and Martinelli. Instantly, Arsenal were level; but this was down to the tenacity and skill of Saka, who finally got the better of Shaggy, and the predatory skills of Merino in the 6-yard box.

And whilst Arsenal saw considerably more of the ball from there on until the end of the game, you'd hardly have known that Chelsea were a man light as they kept up their high octane attack. Frankly, they did as much with the ball in the much shorter time that they held it than Arsenal's more methodical approach managed to achieve. Nonetheless Arsenal almost took all three points late on - Merino's shot was pushed away by the diving Sanchez, who as the ball lay loose in the 6-yard box received a battering from the lower limbs of Gyokeres (on for the disappointing Eze; it wasn't his type of game, I guess - and Odegaard did as much in half an hour as Eze did in 80 minutes). Very late on, Timber got in the way of Gyokeres as he closed in on - and looked certain to bury - Hincapie's stand-up cross from the left. Annoying...

So the points were shared. And I'd have been happy to take that following the news about Saliba. It is disappointing that they couldn't turn their man advantage into a win, but they remain 5 points clear of Manchester City (who were frankly a little fortunate to scrape a late win against Leeds and looked well off their best) and 6 of Chelsea. Whilst the latter remain inconsistent, they are a better side than I thought they were, and now have Palmer to come back. So perhaps they will be Arsenal's biggest challengers.

But one thing I must add here is that I believe that we need to see more tempo and hunger in Arsenal's game. They know that they are better than most of their opponents, but it's as much about hard work as it is talent. They need to show it a little more than they appeared to do against Chelsea. Almost to a man.

Meantime, we move on to a series of games up to Christmas from which Arsenal should hopefully be able to push further clear. Brentford at home in midweek; then Villa away (they're in decent form, to be fair), Wolves, Everton, Brighton and then Villa again before the turn of the year. We await news on Saliba and Trossard, but there are others on their way back now. I'd expect Odegaard to start on Wednesday, but this is where Arteta is really going to have to earn his money.

Arsenal remain well-placed to do what we hope. So all I can say is COYG! 

I'll be back on Thursday.

 

Rice Drives Arsenal To Victory Over An Old Enemy

I don't normally post following a midweek game, but there has actually been a clamour (well, sort of...) for an extra post. So here it is:

This was a match that we had been anticipating with glee. A chance for Arsenal to test themselves against one of the giants of European football. A team against whom previous Arsenal sides had historically struggled. A team - like Arsenal - clear at the top of their league; and regarded as one of the very best around. And with the added spice of old nemesis Harry Kane in their ranks. But - and I'm not sure if this was important - without any real sense of jeopardy; because both sides had maximum points from their first 4 league stage matches, and could reasonably expect to sail through into the coveted top 8 of the group. Were it a knockout game, I would imagine that the tension levels would have been considerably higher. 

Just two changes from Arteta, as MLS and Mosquera came in for Calafiori (rested) and Hincapie (perhaps feeling a slight knock after Sunday). Madueke, Martinelli and now Odegaard back on the bench; but still no Gyokeres. For Munich, the busy Luis Diaz was suspended, so 17-year-old Wunderkind Lennart Karl kept his place, and Serge Gnabry stepped into their starting line-up.

Interesting to see former team-mates at Crystal Palace, Olise and Eze, lining up in opposition. Two highly talented footballers, playing at top clubs and for top sides as their talent merits. Eze is something of a chess afficionado - actually introduced to the game by Olise - and to my mind the first half was something of the footballing equivalent of a game of chess. The play flowed like the tides with firstly Bayern, then Arsenal, and then Bayern again making the running, and some interesting tactics in evidence. Arsenal kept a close eye on Kane throughout (Saliba looked to track him everywhere - including almost all the way back into his own penalty area as, starved of decent service, he went looking for the ball), and to get the ball out wide in order to create central overflows - as they had done so successfully on Sunday. Bayern have electric wingers, and Karl in the number 10 role is a super talent. They were looking to get in behind the Arsenal full backs as often as they could. 

It was pretty even, even if Bayern were seeing a lot of the ball, and most of the decisive action was down to individual errors. Trossard roamed the front line as Merino dropped deep in his usual 'false 9' role, and spaces were evident in the Bayern back line as Arsenal's somewhat longer ball strategy stretched the away side. At the other end, it looked like MLS was due for a long night, as Olise started to exploit the teenager's propensity to move a little too far infield at times. With one of Bayern's major weapons being a raking diagonal ball from Kimmich to both wings, the tactic looked clear.

Bayern have a noted weakness at defending set pieces. Not good when up against Arsenal. And so it was that on 22 minutes Saka's exquisite delivery was flicked into the far corner by Timber, with Neuer nowhere. The crucial first goal.

Upamecano - Saliba's central defensive partner for the French national team - looked to be a weak link, and he went into the book soon after for a clumsy foul on Trossard. The Frenchman is a bit slow and ponderous; his distribution below the required levels in my opinion. And he lacks pace. Whichever of he and Konate gets the nod alongside Big Willy at the World Cup in going to be targeted by the opposition, I reckon. Midway through the second half, a clumsy foul on Madueke could easily have seen him sent off.

And soon after it could easily have been 2-0 as Eze - cleverly slipped in following a superb piece of skill and a 1-2 with Merino - side-footed the ball well wide of Neuer's far post from just 12 yards out. What an opportunity that was!

Yet minutes later it was 1-1. At the end of a prolonged period of keep-ball, Kimmich's raking pass caught MLS out (too far infield and slightly too deep), Gnabry raced onto the ball and played an exquisite side-footed volley back across goal towards the penalty spot; from where the onrushing Karl hammered the ball into the roof of the net. A fabulous goal, that I personally felt obliged to applaud. 

The loss of Trossard soon after would not have helped anybody's mood; the Belgian limping off with what looked like a calf strain, to be replaced by the returning Madueke. Thus maintaining Arsenal's carefully cultivated one-in, one-out policy on injuries...  The former Chelsea player now looks likely to start against his old club in what is starting to look like a season-defining match-up on Sunday. One can only hope that he continues one of Arsenal's 2025-26 trends - Merino netted against Newcastle, Rice against West Ham, and Eze against Palace... I need say no more...

The momentum had switched in Bayern's favour at that point, but Arsenal held on until half time. Quite how long MLS would remain on the field was certainly a point of discussion at that point - it is starting to look like he is going to need to be developed more as a midfielder than a left back; such is the now obvious drop off from Calafiori.

But no further changes at half-time; but Arsenal came out flying from the first whistle of the second half. A series of chances for Merino from which he was probably unlucky not to profit, before Rice's free kick on the hour - following Upamecano's foul on Madueke - was allowed to bounce and Mosquera's header was directed straight at Neuer. And from the hour mark Arsenal, driven on by a rampant Declan Rice, took the game over completely. One marauding run directly through the inside left position cut Bayern open like a knife through butter, before he forced Neuer into a fine save with his foot and the ball pinballed around the 6-yard box before finally falling safe.

Meantime, MLS was exposed once too often by Olise in a rare Bayern break, and Arteta had seen enough; Calafiori on in his place. His performance was the only Arsenal blemish, in my opinion. It was actually a double change, with Saka also off - rested for Sunday and replaced by Martinelli.

Calafiori made an instant impact at the other end, as following a superb Rice interception (from a misplaced Upamecano pass) and an interchange on the left he whipped in a stunning cross across the 6-yard line for Madueke to caress home for 2-1. Madueke's first Arsenal goal, and the crowd went wild! It was nothing less than Arsenal deserved.

It was all Arsenal at that point, but Bayern are too good a side to be kept down for long. And they did manage a spell of possession soon after. But... it all broke down on the edge of Arsenal's penalty area, and Martinelli nudged the ball to Eze and then set off on a long run, accompanied by Kimmich. With the ball at Eze's feet, I was on mine shouting MARTINELLI! Eze's raking pass set the Brazilian away, he outpaced Kimmich and rounded the onrushing Neuer - fully 35 yards out! It merely remained for him the stroke the ball into an empty net for 3-1. A typical Martinelli goal.

And here's the thing; Arteta wanted a bigger squad for two reasons. Firstly, he never wants to be short of players as a result of injury issues. And secondly, he wants his substitutes to be capable of making a real impact. All of which we saw against Bayern. Calafiori and Madueke combined for the second goal, and Martinelli scored the third. Nailed it.

By the way, here's something else. Manuel Neuer has been one of the world's greatest goalkeepers. But he's nearly 40 now - and looked it! His reflexes don't look too affected, but he looked to be struggling on crosses, and his judgment for the third goal was badly impaired. Not our problem, obviously - but a slightly sad sight to witness.

And that, with 15 minutes to go, was that... a few more changes, with White and Odegaard introduced (but no sign of a rest for Dec). And the crowd serenaded Bayern with a a few choruses of 'Are you Tottenham in disguise?' and Kane himself with 'Harry. Harry. What's the score?' All highly amusing, and with the news filtering in that Spurs were suffering yet another heavy defeat, and Liverpool were being taken apart by the might PSV, the atmosphere was party-like. Reminiscent of the afternoon of Lasagna-gate, or of the afternoon when Spurs let in 4 second half goals to 10-man Newcastle a few years ago, whilst Arsenal thrashed Villa to get into the Champions League in their place. 

So how are we feeling? Because this felt like a statement win over a big team, and another sign of Arsenal's progress. There's little doubt that the name Arsenal is casting a cloud over the whole of European football at the moment. Whilst they remain in such good form, and have this momentum, they should be feared. Of course, it's difficult to keep this up over an entire season, and no trophies are handed out in November or December, but if you're not feeling very good as an Arsenal supporter at this point there must, frankly, be something wrong with you.

On to Chelsea. Fresh from a 3-0 win over 10-man Barcelona on Tuesday. This ought to be fun - for the neutral at least. I don't know any Chelsea supporters who are too confident about Sunday, and their defence is nothing like as good as Arsenal's. But we're going to have to keep an eye on an electric, in-form Chelsea forward line. Neto and young Estevao, in particular, may well cause problems. And then there's the much-anticipated midfield showdown between Rice and Caicedo.

I'm quietly confident. How do you feel? COYG!!!

Eze Makes NLD History As Arsenal Thrash Pathetic T*ttenham

Sunday afternoon will live long in the memory of Arsenal fans, as a dreadful Tottenham side - badly prepared and organised, and lacking any semblance of fight or occasion - were blown apart by an Arsenal team who frankly didn’t even have to perform at their best.

The whole tifo/light show set the mood, and the atmosphere was crackling prior to kick-off. Whether it intimidated the opposition I don't know, but it certainly got the crowd's juices flowing. And thank goodness the club had listened to the criticism following the embarrassing tifo on show at the PSG semi-final home leg. These two - at opposite ends of the ground - were far more like it! Props to Dan Evans (danxdraws on Instagram) for some top work. 

Back to the game... and to think that a side shorn of its first choice striker, second choice striker, third choice striker(!), captain/most inventive attacking midfielder, and its defensive leader could tear to pieces a mid-table side ought to send shivers through every opposition spine. Not just in England, but in Europe too. Because - mark my words - there is plenty more to come from this group. 

No, the performance wasn’t perfect - it didn’t have to be, frankly - but there was enough there to see firstly how good they are, and secondly how much they can grow to be even better. The opposition - such as it was - were absolutely blown away; as soon as the opening goal went in, that was it. And whilst there were a few things to criticise - which I will do lower down - it’s frankly a case of being picky - even churlish - to do so.

Eberiche Eze will of course dominate the headlines; his hat-trick only the fourth ever in this match-up (surprisingly). He took all three goals beautifully, had another shot well saved by the beleaguered Vicario, chipped a lovely pass over the Spurs defence to create a terrific early chance for Rice, and generally took up loads of really useful positions in the pockets of space that the opposition somehow managed to leave. 

He's playing in the Odegaard role - something slightly alien to him as he was more used to moving in off the left hand side for his previous club, and isn't as 'busy' a player as the Norwegian. We know that there is still plenty more to come from him, and frankly I'd like to see more of him on the ball. He didn't really need to be on the ball that much against this particular oppostiion, but most of what he did was extremely decisive.

What I did enjoy from him, however, was more of a willingness to work hard out of possession that perhaps we have seen previously. That's something of a 'non-negotiable’ with Arteta, and the sight of him chasing back to help on the (admittedly pretty rare) occasion when Spurs broke into the Arsenal half was great to see. That type of work is, of course, very much part of what Odegaard does.

Elsewhere, the whole side performed well. Timber his usual self, Saliba solid as he took over the leadership role at the back from the injured Gabriel, and Calafiori fit enough to start and again putting in a decent shift. As for Gabriel's replacement; well, you'd frankly not have known that he wasn't present as Hincapie put in a superb shift on his first start for the Gunners.

Ahead of those 4, Zubimendi kept the team ticking over and allowed Rice to roam further forward and do what he does best - the latter's first time pass to set up one of Eze's goals was simple but so effective. On either flank, both Saka and Trossard kept the opposition occupied. Mikel Merino, deputising once more up top, was hard-working, effective (what a glorious assist for the opening goal), and above all elusive.

As for Tottenham... well, they were frankly terrible. Wrong team selection from Frank. Wrong shape. Wrong plan. And the players appeared to lack motivation and desire as much as anything else; like they knew that they were going to be beaten. But this is the thing - they had the best away record in the division before the NLD! 

Look; who gives a damn about them in any case. But they were unworthy of being on the same patch of grass as their opposition. Long may they and their fans continue to suffer (as far as the latter were concerned, there was one pitiful chorus of 'Champions of Europe' in the very first minute, but apart from that we didn't hear a peep out of them). They'd starting leaving as early as the 46th minute (Eze's second goal timed at 45'36"), and by the time he notched his hat-trick it was as if there had been an emergency evacuation in their section of the terraces.

Now to some (slight) criticism. Not much; but some:

• it took over half an hour for Arsenal to take the lead. Whilst Arsenal were dominating, and probing away, there was just a tiny sense of trepidation; would the breakthrough come? And whether there was enough pace in the play as they looked for the initial breakthrough, I'm not entirely sure. I am perfectly happy to accept that they were measured and surgical in their approach, and that was probably fine. But I do wonder if - against better (and better organised) opposition - they might need to find different ways of getting things done

• I still worry about how little Arteta uses his bench. A few players could probably have done with a few minutes off the field towards the end, with the game well and truly sewn up. Especially with Bayern Munich due to visit on Wednesday. I just hope that this apparent reluctance to make use of the full quota of substitutes won't come back to bite him/us later in the season

• (and I hate to do this, but...) not for the first time this season, a bit of over-confidence from Zubimendi, who had men either side of him and ran into trouble, caused him to lose the ball when he should have released it - and to give Richarlison his due his finish was superb; quick-witted, and an inch perfect 40 yard lob of the goalkeeper. That was, by the way, Tottenham's only shot on target, and they managed to break their own low xG record by recording a total of 0.07 in the entire game. But for the 10 minutes following the goal there was just a small element of nerves and jeopardy in the air; and that's something that the team need to eliminate

And whilst I'm on the subject of Richarlison... there have been a few opposition players who I have particularly loathed over the years. My current Top Three are probably Sheringham, van Nistelrooy and Diego Costa, but they at least had some quality about them. But this shnippy little Brazilian sh*t is quite a piece of work. If he spent more time trying to play football instead of trying to get under the skin of the opposition, he'd be a far better player. He spends his entire time of the pitch on the wind-up. I absolutely detest the sight of him! You could say, however, that he fits in very well at his current club...

And so Arsenal move on to bigger and better things this week. The visit of a rampant Bayern Munich gives them the opportunity to test themselves against the very best, and to lay down another marker in Europe. Plus it obviously means another reunion with the nemesis that is Harry Kane. Rumours coming out of Germany, by the way, suggest that Bayern are absolutely sh*ttting themselves at the prospect of playing Arsenal... good; they should be!

After that, on Sunday, is a rare opportunity to blow the Premier League title 'battle' to pieces. Whilst Manchester City do face the simple task of Leeds at home, Arsenal go to Stamford Bridge and therefore have the opportunity to stretch their lead at the top from the current 6 to at least 7. Frankly, the Chelsea game is more important than the midweek Champions League match-up in my book. With City having just lost their 4th game of the season, Chelsea looking rather unconvincing despite sitting in second place, and Liverpool in utter disarray, perhaps - just perhaps - Arsenal can start to turn this season into something of a procession. 

There's little doubt that the team are well-placed to finally deliver what we all crave. There can be no excuses. COYG!

And - don’t forget -  North London is Red!

Perspective, Please

Whilst we endure yet another Interlull (although this one could be very timely) it's time for a bit of perspective following a difficult match on Saturday. So let's try:

Oh no! Calamity! Arsenal's season is falling apart! Really? If you listen to, or read, some of the nonsense being spouted on social media you'd think that Arsenal's season has collapsed over the weekend, and that the title is heading for Manchester. Which is a ludicrous over-reaction to the weekend's results. Because I'll tell you this; a point at Sunderland is not going to look too shabby a result by the end of the season. They're a decent side, who have bought extremely well and fully deserve their lofty perch in the PL table.

And so to business; a review of Saturday's match. And we'll start with some context; because no matter how big one's squad is, it is never big enough. Arsenal's cluster of injuries in attack had left them quite threadbare, so on this day Arteta was unable to call upon Odegaard, Havertz, Madueke, Martinelli, Jesus... and now Viktor Gyokeres too. That sort of injury list, all in the same area of the pitch, is going to hurt any team.

The eleven essentially picked itself, with Mikel Merino - fresh from a brace in Prague in midweek - the only feasible choice to lead the line. Alongside him it was always going to be Saka and Trossard, whilst Eze was inevitably preferred to the somewhat unfortunate Ethan Nwaneri. Behind them, the rest of the team picked itself.

Sunderland have got off to a cracking start to the season. They have surprised a lot of people, and whilst there is likely to be a reversion to the mean, so to speak (something we are perhaps already seeing with the likes of Bournemouth and Fulham), I can't see any chance whatsoever of them being sucked anywhere close to a relegation battle. They have a canny manager, some vital experience in the ranks, and a style of play that a lot of sides are going to find it hard to deal with.

And a quite unique atmosphere. Their home support is loud - very loud - and they put on a fantastic show for Remembrance Sunday prior to the game. They are unbeaten at home this season, and it's easy to understand how much of a lift playing in front of those fans must be giving them.

Now, in truth, the first half of this game is probably the worst 45 minutes (plus interminable injury time) that I think I've ever seen. Sunderland's physicality, alongside an appalling performance from referee Pawson, made the game ridiculously stop-start. Which played right into the home team's hands. Arsenal were unable to find any rhythm whatsoever, whilst the ball spent twice as long out of play as in it as the home team set about their illustrious opponents.

On 4 minutes, Arsenal hit the 13-hour mark for not conceding a goal. In these modern times, that it a remarkable statistic. Although the streak was soon to be shattered. But before that I want to deal with the first bit of poor work from Pawson. 

In just the 5th minute Merino went up for a header in the Sunderland area with Ballard (a former Arsenal academy player, as we were told on umpteen occasions), and received a pointy elbow to the temple. Anywhere else on the field, that's a foul. But as far as Sky - and the written media, as I later read - were concerned, it was accidental. Just leverage... But Merino spent 5 minutes being treated. I mean... come on! For me, that should have been a penalty!

The game continued to be almost unwatchable, with Arsenal dominating but not doing much with the possession, and Sunderland staying in their shape... and being extremely physical. Rice's free kick was pushed away by Roefs, but apart from the occasional breakaway from Sunderland, relieving the pressure, it was pretty awful stuff. With referee Pawson happy to let a lot of the physicality go.

Until... with Sunderland having conceded free kick after free kick, it was inevitable that an Arsenal player would be first into the referee's book in the 36th minute - for what I'd suggest probably wasn't even a foul. Zubimendi the man penalised. And, just to rub salt into the wound, Sunderland scored.

Interesting. The free kick was just inside the Sunderland half, and in order to pile extra numbers into the box the goalkeeper took it; not a defender, as one might expect, so early in proceedings. And thanks to an Arsenal mistake - in this case Rice found himself the wrong side of the high ball and let it bounce - Ballard ran off him and slammed the ball high into Raya's net. 812 minutes; it wasn't going to last forever, was it?

The game was a little more even from then until half time. And I started to get some unpleasant vibes. You remember them? - the ones we used to get 20+ years ago when facing Pulis's Stoke, or Allardyce's Bolton. Those physical sides that hit the ball long, played the percentages, and put the silkier Arsenal players under the cosh. With little protection from the referee, that plan was working.

But here's the thing. It's all cyclical, isn't it? All the talk about set piece goals and long throws; it's nothing new. It's just come round again. As have those old 'play the percentages' tactics. It's just a question of how you adapt to them. But more relevant to me, as I downed my half-time pilsner, was the question of whether this was a template for others to follow. And so it was vital that Arsenal responded quickly to the challenge in front of them.

And respond they did. From the whistle, it was immediately better from Arsenal. Moving the ball more quickly, looking to slip the ball between the narrow lines and between the bigger but less nimble Sunderland defenders. Eze a bit more involved. Rice and Zubimendi pulling the strings. Saka and Trossard suddenly more available. Early on, Starboy pulled a decent opportunity wide of the far post following some intricate play on the left hand side of the Sunderland area.

On 54 minutes, the pressure broke Sunderland's resistance. Although it was an error that allowed the opportunity. Le Fee (French for The Elf btw) turned into the pressing Rice instead of away from him, and suddenly there was a chance. Rice found Eze, the ball made its way to Merino inside the box, and the Spaniard set up Saka exquisitely for an emphatic right foot finish at Roefs' near post. On the balance of play, this was the least that Arsenal deserved.

And so it continued, with the away side well on top and a second goal looking inevitable. Trossard nutmegged a defender and found Zubimendi's late run into the box; with the Spaniard just unable to find the target from 6 yards out. Rice's deflected shot found its way to Eze on the edge of the box, but the acrobatic shot was straight at the goalkeeper. Eze's effort was too well hit! And then the closest of all. Saka's cross was punched away by Roefs to Zubimendi on the edge of the box. In a style reminiscent of a famous Matt Le Tissier goal, the Spaniard volleyed back over the goalkeeper and onto the crossbar. So close; and I for one roared both in awe at the skill, and frustration at quite how close it was; as Eze's follow up effort was blocked.

The inevitable happened on 74 minutes, Zubimendi found Trossard 20 yards out, and the Belgian shuffled the ball from side to side as he looked for an opening. And then... bang! He rifled a rising shot into the top corner of the net from fully 20 yards out. A cracking finish, and yet another important goal contribution from the vastly under-appreciated winger.

And now the boot was on the other foot. Sunderland had already made a triple change as Le Bris sought to change the flow of the game, yet Arsenal - severely depleted I grant you - had made none. And within 5 minutes, with Sunderland now forced to press for the equaliser, there was some frantic action in the Arsenal box that led to a fantastic double save from Raya to keep out substitute Brobbey's efforts. The second save superb. The Sunderland substitute was offside, but Raya wasn't to know. It's fair to say that all those clean sheets don't come about purely by luck.

Arteta's only change, as it turned out, was the late introduction of Mosquera for Eze in order to shore things up. And it was certainly a case of looking to park the bus as the momentum and flow of the match naturally shifted. Arsenal showed less and less ambition as the home side started to reapply pressure. Of course, Arsenal trust themselves to see such situations through, but in this instance a series of small errors allowed the equaliser. 

94th minute. Ballard, marked by Zubimendi and not a central defender as a Hume cross was chipped in towards Ballard - now playing as a striker. The header fell for Brobbey, as Gabriel was caught flat-footed, and he beat Raya to the ball and hooked it home into the unguarded net. Had Raya not looked to come out and catch the flick on, it would have been a simple save. Really quite annoying.

Here's a thing. Arsenal conceding two goals in a game is really rather rare. That's the first time this season (17 matches, and only the 4th and 5th goals conceded all season), and it only happened 12 times in a total of 58 matches last season; three of those in the Carabao Cup, and another in a completely dead rubber of a second leg against PSV). The last time they let in more than two was in December 2023 at Luton (and they won that game 4-3). So let's not be too concerned at this point.

And quickly back to the game. Because Arsenal still almost won it! Calafiori's header from a Saka cross was saved by Roefs, and Merino's follow-up was blocked at point blank range. So close to breaking their hearts. And so, annoyingly, points 6 and 7 of the season dropped. Just 26 points out of a possible 33 secured. Hardly shabby.

Afterwards Arteta said: 'The feeling is disappointment and frustration, because we wanted the three points and we had to overcome a very difficult match. You have to defend the box well when they start to accumulate 6 or 7 players. It can happen in play, in throw-ins, in any situation. We can defend those situations better, and today we did not do it'. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Of course, the media narrative that Manchester City's thrashing of Liverpool on Sunday prompted is designed to create debate. And City are certainly looking good (for context, Liverpool are not!). And so the gap is down to a 'mere' 4 points.  But I'll say this: there is certainly no need for concern. With missing players due to return for what is on paper a challenging week, any supposed evidence that Arsenal are fading on the back of a single slightly disappointing result can be taken with a massive pinch of salt. Honestly - there is no cause for concern at this stage.

So let's put our feet up, hope for a clean bill of health from our international players above all, mind the gap!

COYG! 

Further Clear; But Can We Discuss Rotation?

Right then. We're a quarter of the way through the season now (save for Sunderland vs Everton on Monday evening). So it's probably time for a progress review. 

As far as Arsenal are concerned, we saw another win on Saturday; another clean sheet; another game of minimal xGA. And, on the face of things, all looks rosy. But I do have some qualms; which I will cover shortly.

But I’ll first cover a match very much of two halves - before pondering the consequences of some of what went on. 

With William Saliba recovered from his knock, Mikel Arteta was able to name what is currently - in the absence of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz- clearly his first choice XI for the trip to Turf Moor. And Arsenal’s first half performance was almost as complete as one could hope for. They looked in total control, and barely gave the home side a kick.

The pattern was set from early on. As expected, Burnley sat back, content to keep their shape, and looked to press only when Arsenal reached their third of the pitch. And for a while it looked like being another of those frustrating days. Until... in the 14th minute Leandro Trossard - in his 100th PL start for the Gunners - looked to find Gyokeres in his favourite left channel, and the ball deflected off of a defender for - cue dramatic music - a corner!!!

Declan Rice's superb delivery to the far post was diverted back across goal by... Gabriel, obviously; for Gyokeres to head home unmarked from not much more than a yard. One nil to the Arsenal. Set Piece FC. And all those cliches. But frankly, at the rate that Arsenal are conceding shots on target - let alone goals - these days, it was probably already game over.

Now, on the subject of set pieces, and opponents' mindsets, there must be an absolute fear of conceding them to a side with such a fearsome reputation. Which must surely feed into the whole drama of the dead ball situation. And do you know what? - good! Let them have those jitters. It can only help. And I would add this; the moment last season when Arteta and Jover switched from Trossard to Rice for dead ball deliveries from the left was an absolute game-changer for this team. He is peerless. Beckham-esque. And that, combined with the desire shown by the likes of Gabriel in the war zone of the 6-yard box, means that it's only a matter of the law of averages before Arsenal score from one. And if I can just add one final point; surely the age of the out swinging corner is dead now?

Once the goal had gone in, Arsenal began - if anything - to dominate even more. Some clever play from Trossard and Gyokeres gave Calafiori (naturally right up in the centre forward position) a decent opportunity. And Saka - twice put through by Gyokeres - could/should have scored twice (my personal disappointment multiplied by my choice of Starboy as my FPL captain for the week). One shot scuffed, and the other brilliantly stopped by the overworked Dubravka. And on the back of the second Saka chance, Trossard's shot was blocked on the line. So close to 2-0.

Then on 35 minutes it absolutely was game over. And Arsenal showed another side to their game. From a Burnley long throw Gabriel headed clear, Saka headed the ball on, and suddenly Gyokeres was free in acres of space on the counter attack. Now, if the Swede meant to find Trossard with the sweeping crossfield pass he played from near the half way line, it was a stroke of absolute genius. And as Trossard jockeyed for space Arsenal players swarmed the penalty area. From defence to dangerous attack in under 10 seconds. Trossard waited, then picked out Declan Rice with a left foot dink 10 yards out. The subsequent header was emphatic, giving Dubravka no chance. What. A. Goal!

Oh, and RIP Auntie Beverley:

It wasn't quite over for the half, as Trossard missed a chance following a clever short corner and a trademark dink over the top from Zubimendi. If it was a boxing match, the referee would surely have stopped it at that point. Two goals up at the break - and it could so easily have been 5.

At this point I want to give credit to the three players who demonstrated Arsenal's domination in the first half. Firstly, the much-maligned Trossard, whose guile caused Kyle Walker a ton of trouble and whose clever interplay with Gyokeres and Calafiori kept Burnley firmly on their toes. To think that a lot of us would have been happy to see him leave last summer...

Secondly to Big Vik, who had his most effective game in an Arsenal shirt so far. The rest in midweek had clearly done him a world of good, and if that's anything to go by the return of Havertz is only going to enhance Arsenal's attacking threat as the season goes on.  He didn't reappear for the second half - Arteta citing a slight muscular issue. Let's hope that it's merely precautionary, as there are two more matches this week. And he'll be needed.

And finally to Declan Rice. There's a lot of debate as to quite how good Dec is in comparison to the very best central midfielders that the Premier League has to offer. Many are bigging up Moises Caicedo, and of course there's always Rodri to consider. Now, it's difficult to compare chalk and cheese, as whilst Rice was bought to be a '6' he has evolved to a box-to-box midfielder these days, whereas the other two are primarily defensive midfielders; and very good ones at that. However, Declan's all-round game is starting to bring comparisons to the likes of the Premier League greats - players like Gerrard and Lampard. Yes, he really is that good, and I wouldn't swap him for anybody.

Against Burnley, Rice's first half was a complete a performance as one could expect to see from a midfielder. Full of energy. Reading the game. Showing strength in the challenge. Totally dominant in every single aspect. Ridiculous stats, as per the infographic below. 

I would add this, however. He can't do all this without having Zubimendi backing him up. And those two centre backs behind him. It's absolutely a team effort. But on this day Rice was the standout player on the pitch.

The second half was pretty much a non-event as far as action was concerned. For all his qualities, Merino - who replaced Gyokeres - does not run in behind and drag defenders about. He prefers to come short to receive the ball. So Arsenal's second half tactics were of necessity different. And they frankly cruised through the rest of the match, content with their two goal cushion. Saying that; they still had three decent opportunities; via Trossard, substitute Nwaneri, who put in yet another cameo full of promise, and even Norgaard got in on the act late on; forcing a decent save out of Dubravka. There was, however, a further small cloud on the horizon as Zubimendi also had to leave the field with a niggle. And I'll return to this point soon...

It wasn't until very close to the end of the game before Burnley had a little bit of success, with two late headers going high or wide of goal. And the final kick of the game - a free kick from former Tottenham youngster Edwards - saw Raya's left hand upright hit with the goalkeeper scrambling. What was great to see throughout that half was the determination from the team - despite the comfort of the lead - not to concede anything to the opposition. They sniffed out pretty much every sign of danger. And that is why they haven't let in a goal for so long. Clean Sheet FC.

Just look at this sequence so far this season: 1-0, 5-0, 0-1, 3-0, 2-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-1, 2-0, 1-0, 1-0, 4-0, 1-0, 2-0, 2-0. Incredible; and definitely shades of the incredible Chelsea side of the mid-2000s that Mourinho put together. 6 points clear as I type (although that may reduce to 5 if Sunderland win this evening). And this of course sets up a big weekend next week prior to the final Interlull of the year. Arsenal at Sunderland. Liverpool at Manchester City. I don't want to project too far ahead, but after the break Arsenal have a massive week - Tottenham, Bayern Munich, Chelsea away. If they come through that unscathed, then I'll be calling for the Premier League engraver to get to work!

As for the opposition, there's really only Manchester City who have any momentum. Bournemouth surely cannot last the distance. Ditto Sunderland. Liverpool need some consistency and look far too open defensively. Chelsea are equally inconsistent. And Tottenham or Manchester United... well; seriously?  And if it's really only down to City to put the pressure on, their reliance on Haaland is freakish. In fact, I can't understand why they're not getting the grief that Arsenal continue to receive for their set piece dominance. 

I watched a good part of the City vs Bournemouth game yesterday. The away side played into City's hands; unable to adjust to the movement of Bernardo Silva, Cherki and Doku, and giving Haaland far too much space as a result (he doesn't need much).

And I can guarantee you this; there is no way that they'll play the same way when they play against Arsenal. It'll be low block again, or Arsenal will tear them apart if they defend like they did yesterday. 

So... things are going swimmingly at the moment. But the news about Gyokeres and Zubimendi does ring alarm bells for me. Because whilst Arteta has an amazing squad at his disposal, he doesn't seem that disposed to make use of it. I suspect that he needs to plan ahead just a little. Plan to rotate up to three players in and out of the starting XI in order to keep them fresh. We saw a certain lack of cohesion - especially in defensive midfield - when he made no less than 10 changes in midweek, and that's perfectly understandable. But perhaps he ought to take a few out against Slavia Prague in midweek; Sunderland will be tougher opposition. With the status of Gyokeres and Zubimendi in doubt (Zubi suspended in the CL of course), and whilst we await the return of Martinelli, Odegaard, Havertz and Madueke, he needs to be mindful of using his resources more carefully. I do hope that he's having these conversations with his team.

Anyway, two more big games this week. Let's keep the momentum going. COYG!