Watford review and Cup Final preview

Many people are doing their end-of-season reviews this week, but I'm going to save that until next week, when we have a full picture of this utter sh*tshow of a Premier League season. At least we'll be able to put the final punctuation mark/emoji on it, based on the result of Saturday's FA Cup Final.

So for the meantime I'll stick to a review of the final Premier League game of the season, and a preview of the massive game on Saturday.

So it's to the Watford game first. Now, Watford aren't very good, and that's why they ended up going down, but despite going into a 3-0 lead it looked to me as if Arsenal were doing their very best to help them stay up (having initially put them in real trouble by losing to Villa previously). Gifted no less than three goals, Arsenal nonetheless looked almost as sluggish and disinterested in this game as they had at Villa Park - in stark contrast to the diligent performances against Liverpool and (especially) Manchester City the previous week. If they display this attitude against Chelsea on Saturday, they will be torn to pieces!

So to the award of the penalty for the first goal. It was a rash challenge by Dawson, and Mike Dean's decision to wave play on was rightly overruled by VAR. Now some are looking at Dean's reaction to having his decision overturned and claiming that he was disappointed to have to award a penalty to Arsenal (and we've seen similar reactions from him before) - left, 'celebrating' Saha's goal at The Emirates; right, disappointed at overrule:

However, I look at it another way; he likes to play advantage, but is nothing like as good a referee as he thinks he is, and as a result makes high profile mistakes. So he is in fact 'celebrating' that he allowed play to continue on the left, and merely 'expressing disappointment' that he made a wrong decision on the right. Therefore, I will go against the flow and give him the benefit of the doubt. Of course, he couldn't wait to give a penalty against David Luiz in the second half - and that wasn't totally clear cut for me - but he was at least decisive.

However, there is no hiding from this table, which shows the number of penalties awarded to each Premier League club throughout the season, against the number of touches made in the opponent's penalty area:

It's plain for all to see, and I do not need to comment further. Except to reiterate that there is, of course, no anti-Arsenal conspiracy...

Following Tierney's deflected effort for 2-0, Aubamayang scored his second with a smart overhead kick to close to within one goal of the Golden Boot for a second successive season, but despite Nketiah's attempt to tee up his hat-trick he ended up one short. In a side shorn of a genuinely creative midfielder in the continuing absence of Ozil, and playing from the left, 22 goals is nonetheless a phenomenal return. 

At 3-0 you'd have thought it would all be plain sailing, but Arsenal contrived to not just let Watford back into the game, but almost to allow them to help themselves to all three points. They got two goals back, and had numerous other chances to level and go ahead; Martinez's save from Welbeck's flick was quite exceptional.

On the whole, once again, this was totally inexcusable on the effort/mental side; and especially, as I have mentioned, when put up agaiinst the semi-final performance.

So Watford are down, and as a very local club to me I feel sorry for their fans - indeed, some of my best friends are Watford fans. Deeney's cojones weren't quite big enough for the job, obviously. But this is an Arsenal blog, so we'll stick to the main subject and move on to Saturday.

Of course, we are expecting - and likely - to see an entirely different Arsenal performance at Wembley. The difference between playing the last two opponents and Chelsea is that we should expect to play in a completely different way. Against Villa, Arsenal could not cope with the 'low block' and got caught on the breakaway. Against Watford, it was like watching a basketball match. I think that we can expect to see something like the pattern of the City semi-final, with Chelsea dominting possession and Arsenal looking to defend and then hit them hard with pace on the break.

It's clear to me that this can be a good match-up for Arsenal. Chelsea's strength is clearly going forward; Pulisic is in amazing form and Giroud is doing his job extremely well. Plus we'll need to look out for Willian's delivery and the subtleties of Mount or Barkley from midfield. I'd expect to see both sides playing 3-4-3 formations, and it's that - with the defensive weaknesses of Chelsea's wing backs - which can work in Arsenal's favour - providing they keep things tight. Pepe owes us a proper performance, and in Marcos Alonso he probably has the perfect opponent.

I see Arsenal lining up as follows:

Martinez

Holding-Luiz-Tierney

Bellerin-Ceballos-Xhaka-Saka

Aubameyang-Lacazette-Pepe

and that's probably currently Arteta's best XI. Thereafter, it'll be down to attitude and commitment, and I'd hope and expect to see something more akin to the one demonstrated against Manchester City than the poor subsequent efforts. And if we see that, then Arsenal have a chance. 

I didn't expect Arsenal to reach the Final, but now they have the optimist in me is going for a narrow Arsenal win. All available extremities will be crossed, anyway.

And of course this game is absolutely critical as far as next season is concerned. The difference between winning and losing will be reflected in a number of areas:

• Aubameyang stay or go
• Europa League or no Europa League
• Extra cash in the Bank - and the prospect of Europe - helping to attract new players
• Forcing Tottenham to go through Europa League qualifying

So it's not just about the game.

I'd just like to finish by saying: Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham, we see you. All that mockery of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal for claiming that a Champions League spot was like a trophy... and then - United and Chelsea celebrating Champions League qualification exactly like it was a trophy, and the hypocritical Mourinho dancing about on the pitch with his playing staff following their 'thrilling' 1-1 draw at Crystal Place. As I say, we see you.

And as for Harry Kane; 27 years old yesterday, and quite rightly lauded for his goal-scoring prowess. But with no trophies to show for it. Surely he must leave for a big club to get the rewards he deserves?

Until next week's Season Review. Stay Alert and Safe, please. Come On You Reds!

After The Lord Mayor's Show...

Just when we hoped that a corner had been turned...

Please, people, put this game into context and look at the bigger picture. Whilst there was justifiable euphoria at the previous two results, perhaps this shouldn't be too much of a surprise. But for Arsenal, there is a big jigsaw to finsh; and it has barely been started.

I was of course extremely disappointed at the performance. As I am sure we all were. But that's the beauty of football; if you're not fully 'on it', then this sort of thing can happen - no matter who are the opposition. It's difficult to equate victory over Liverpool and (heroically) Manchester City with meek surrender to Aston Villa, but perhaps with hindsight it was no surprise, factoring in the levels of fatigue and number of team changes.

Strangely, I feel worse for Watford and their fans (but not their owners, obviously) than I do for us. Whilst they've got themselves in to this position by not being very good, the past few sets of results have been devastating for them. Fortunately for them, they're got a game against Arsenal to finish their season, and based on this performance they've got to think that they've got every chance of staying up!

And I'd suggest that once again what he witnessed last night will further crystallise in Arteta's mind how he needs to change squad personnel. What's perfectly clear is that there is little squad depth, and that - even if they were willing to stay (and apparently they are not) - both Kolasinac and Torreira are not of the required quality for the rebuild. And Cedric was a thorough disappointment; I am unconvinced by the 4-year contract he received.

Clearly, it's difficult to be too dogmatic when the entire team were off their game (with the exclusion of the goalkeeper). The first half performance was dreadful, and although the substitutes made a difference it was not to be. The most damning statistic - leaving aside the 69% possession - was the zero shots on target stat. So in the same way that our previous two opponents struggled against our 'low block', so Arsenal struggled against Villa's. Whilst there were 6 changes to Saturday's side, the team that Arteta put out ought to have put up a much better show than they did. Questions may be asked about creativity - could Mesut Ozil have made a difference? - but this was opposition in relegation trouble, after all.  And by the way, I'll take Jack Grealish should he become available. There's a player who can carry the ball through midfield as well as pass.

Unquestionably, the mentality of the players as a group must be questioned. There should be no excuse for not being 'up for it'. There was still plenty to play for - not least the opportunity to give themselves a fighting chance of qualifying for Europe via League position. 

Now that is gone, Arsenal find themselves languishing in 10th place - behind Burnley (!) - on just 53 points, and are going to finish in their lowest position, and with their lowest points total, since 1995. That was the year that George Graham was sacked, and the squad included such luminaries as Chris Kiwomya, Jimmy Carter and Glenn Helder.

To think that fans were moaning when Arsenal used to finish in a lowly 4th spot! Some advised that we be careful what we wish for, and now here we are. But whilst the decline started to set in after 2007/8 and has accelerated over the past two seasons, we can only look forward with hope with Mikel Arteta 'at the wheel'. For all that we can see that he has a lot to learn yet.

To an FA Cup Final, for starters; and for all that St Totteringham's Day has had to be cancelled once more, that's something that them lot haven't got. The ultimate Schadenfreude of them finishing 7th and us winning the Cup, thus knocking them out of a European spot, would make a Cup win all the sweeter.

Which makes this banner...

...both irritating and unnecessary. I'm absolutely sure that this wasn't the message that Arteta was trying ot convey in recent interviews. And as I pointed out in my last post, it's not fair to say that money hasn't been spent on players; £300m+, plus wages, is not chicken feed.

Anyway, we should probably gloss over the Villa game, look to come through the Watford game unscathed, and then look for a considerably better attitude and performance on August 1st against The Blue Enemy.

Stay safe. Back Monday.

What. Did. She. Wear?

Joy. Endless, boundless, relentless joy - euphoria even. What a night. What a week!

Performances like the one we've just seen - and following on from the Liverpool result - have been both agonising and immensely pleasurable at the same time. I mean... who in their right mind could have possibly predicted that an Arsenal side sucked dry of confidence following the Tottenham defeat could have possibly done what it has just done? And in the space of just three days! Amazing.

I for one was fearing the worst. I'd found it hard enough to take in that we'd beaten Liverpool - fortunate as that was - but there was no way I could see lightning striking twice. But this was different; Arsenal are on a steep learning curve and both tactics and execution were spot on. Credit must obviously go to Mikel Arteta for the plan, for the team selection, and for instilling belief in the players. But, as Arteta acknowleged in his interview, he just sends them out; they must take the plaudits.

So what we saw - for the second match in a row and yet again aginst considerably superior opposition - was a fully committed, backs-to-the-wall performance in which it is difficult to single out any single player - they were that good from front to back.

Although I am actually going to single out a few (whilst not diminishing the contributions of any of the others):

• Ainsley Maitland-Niles - a surprise selection at left wing back and preferred to Kolasinac, and an inspired choice. Chosen for his pace and mobility over the ponderous Serbian in order to combat the threat of Mahrez, and he dealt with him almost perfectly
• David Luiz - after what he'd been through in the match at The Etihad immediately post-resumption, this was something like redemption. He was everywhere, reading the game well, marshalling the defence and putting his body on the line continually. This was precisely the reason why he was brought to the club, and I thought that he also handled himself superbly in the post-match interview 
• Granit Xhaka - a landmark performance shielding the defence. Always in the right place, and making crucial interceptions. Compared to where he was with both club and fans in November, this is again redemption
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - two superbly taken goals (having missed an excellent opportunity early on) but not just that. Yet again he worked tirelessly for the cause. He MUST be persuaded to stay

Come to think of it, this was a completely atypical performance - something for which Arsenal sides have not been known since the George Graham era of 1-0 to The Arsenal. And something which not many of us thought the squad were capable of doing. Not even once - let alone twice in successive matches!

Unlike Unai Emery, and even Arsene Wenger before him, Arteta has managed to wring performances out of this set of players that we thought unimaginable.

Now, of course, it's time celebrate the achievement. But it does give further food for thought as to what may happen over the summer. Can the coach improve some of these players enough to cut down on the need to invest? With the limited amount of money likely to be available, he is going to need help from above. But this week has changed many peoples' perspective.

To be clear, and as pointed out to me by a Watford supporter earlier this week, it's not as if Arsenal haven't spent money over the past few years: 

• Mesut Ozil - £42.5m in September 2013
• Alexis Sanchez - £30m in July 2014 (plus a further £63m on 6 other players)
• Granit Xhaka - £35m in May 2015 (plus a further £22m on 5 other players)
• Skhodran Mustafi - £35m in August 2016 (plus a further £20m on three other players)
• Alexandre Lacazette - £47m in July 2017
• Pierre Emerick Aubameyang - £56m in January 2018
• Bernd Leno - £19m in June 2018
• Lucas Torreira - £26m in July 2018 (plus a further £23m on three other players)
• Nicolas Pepe - £72m in August 2019
• Kieran Tierney - £25m in August 2019
• David Luiz - officially £8m in August 2019 but unofficially three times that amount

Total - over £500m, and with a 'mere' £209m recouped (largest amounts on Oxlade-Chamberlain and Iwobi). So net spend £302m. But the likes of Manchester City (net spend £601m!), Liverpool (net spend £173m but with that £142m fee for Coutinho included) and Manchester United (net spend £631m!!!) and have all spent considerably more in that period (Chelsea - net spend £264m - would have easily matched that if it wasn't for their one-year transfer ban). And that's one of the reasons why the gap has grown.

So it's not rocket science (actually, I really dislike that phrase, but it fits here). Arsenal now has a young, up-and-coming coach who is capable of going to the top of his profession. So that's one part of the jigsaw finally sorted. At some point, he may well get a mention alongside the current greats (I'm talking Klopp and Guardiola here). But he needs strategic support to help him achieve what we'd all hope are the ambitions of everyone connected to the club. 

We shall see, but as I've said before; sort out the future of a few key players and hopefully we can then see the right sort of progress - both on the pitch and - with proper Investment (not Cost) - off of it as well. The value of Stan Kroenke's investment has been diminishing over the past few years. He can surely now invest with greater trust than previously. We shall see.

In the meantime, we have a couple of mundane Premier League matches to follow - which nonetheless have plenty riding for the protagonists; they could send both Villa and Watford down - before the FA Cup Final. Which reminds me; if anyone has a couple of spare tickets, please let me know...

And the answer to the question in the title of this post is of course... a yellow ribbon!

Rope-A-Dope

Sometimes you just have to laugh. Much like Mohammed Ali took all that George Foreman had to offer and then landed the old one-two, so Arsenal perfomed the same trick on Liverpool last night. 

Every side has been on the end of results like the one Liverpool just suffered. I remember with less than fondness a home game against West Ham in April 2007 when Arsenal lost 1-0, having had most of the possession and 35 shots - 11 on target - and West Ham notched up no less than 59 clearances - yet lost to a speculative lob, at full stretch, from Bobby Zamora. I can still hear the West Ham fans singing: "One shot. We've only had one shot."

Games like this are freakish, and to be on the right side of this one is frankly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Liverpool are almost on their holidays, yet totally dominated the game from start to finish. 69% possession (most of it in Arsenal's third of the pitch), 24 shots (9 blocked) to three, 13 corners to two, 609 passes against 278, 35(!) crosses - and two hilarious defensive blunders.

And that barely tells the story of Liverpool's dominance, so complete was it. Arsenal could literally hardly string two passes together. If the club heirarchy needed any proof of the gap that needs to be breached, it was there for all to see throughout the game. Three shots by Arsenal, two gifted after horrendous errors and one in the 90th minute, says it all. For much of the game, one can sense how General Custer must have felt.

Let's be clear about Mikel Arteta's position after the game. He made no bones about it, saying: 'The gap between the two teams today is enormous. We cannot improve on it in two months, but the accountability - the fight - is now equal and I am very proud of that. The rest will take some time. (Money) is a big concern. You need quality. Quality players and a big squad to compete in these competitions. It is a challenge.'

Over to the owner and the board of Directors. The gauntlet has been laid down. Do they match Arteta's ambition, and that of the fans?

Very soon, we shall find out. The transfer window opens in just over a week. And whilst we're hearing less good news about Thomes Partey, there are plenty more fish in the sea. It just depends how far, and how deep, the hierarchy are prepared to cast their net.

It is clear where the squad needs to be improved (almost everywhere), and there are big decisions to be made over the next few weeks. The future of Aubameyang is probably the most crucial, whilst getting shot of Mesut Ozil would be helpful for many reasons.

Arsenal fans are, of course, prepared to be patient. Provided, that is, that they see action being taken where it needs to be. It took Klopp 5 years to get Liverpool to where they are now, but it isn't just about the coach; just look at the amount of support he got from his owners, with huge fees spent on Van Dijk and Allison and many, many other squad improvements. Arteta has been in charge for 17 Premier League games so far, and his record compares favourably to Klopp's - more wins, less defeats, more points, more goals scored, less goals conceded - so the signs that he can coach a team that can compete at the highest level are there.

And so quickly to the game itself. Total Liverpool dominance until they scored - and a wholly preventable goal with Cedric chasing the ball too far upfield and getting winded in a challenge; thus causing Holding to slide across to deal with Roberton, Luiz to follow him to cover the gap, nobody keeping up with Mane as he kept running, and Tierney too slow to fill the next gap. Easy finish. 

And total dominance after that, until... a complacent pass by Van Dijk - a collector's piece - let in Lacazette who rounded Allison to slot into the empty net. And then a misunderstanding between keeper and centre half (Alisson's volleyed pass would have been fine if Van Dijk had been paying attention) leading to the Frenchman nipping in and feeding Reiss Nelson. Who, by the way, finished beautifully. 

And then the game reverted to type, with Liverpool all over Arsenal in scenes reminiscent of The Alamo or Little Big Horn - but this time with something to hold on to. Many moments of danger, but Arsenal clung on for a frankly most undeserved, yet highly satisfying and amusing victory.

Just a quick mention for VAR here. An explanation on this would be nice:

Top - Nketiah on Justin last week - didn't actually know the opponent was there when he turned; yellow card given - VAR intervenes and upgraded to red after use of pitch-side screen.

Below - Alexander-Arnold on Saka. Yellow card. No VAR review. Why the hell not?!? Anti-Arsenal conspiracy? Natch...

And so to the FA Cup semi-final against Citeh on Saturday night. Can lightning strike twice? I very much doubt it. Two freakish results in a row would be quite something, and being realistic I don't hold out much hope.

However, there's still a chance of a Europa League place, with two very winnable Premier League games to end the season. Despite what others are saying, I think that it would be very helpful to be in the Europa League next season, for all sorts of reasons. 

And after that, it all depends on how far Stan Kroenke is prepared to go into his pockets.

Back Sunday. Stay Safe and Vigilant, please. And wear a mask!

Errors. Errors. Errors.

So, just as night follows day, Arsenal's defensive frailties came back to haunt them once again. And in such a critical game, questions about their mentality must raise their heads once more.

Even as Arsenal fans were celebrating the recent success of Arteta's new system of playing three centre-backs (based, regrettably, on the unsuitability of any of them playing in a two) individual errors cost the team momentum and ultimately a game in which once again they could easily have found themselves out of sight of the opposition with a little bit more control, composure and common-sense. And ultimately they paid the price for profligacy, lack of a convincing knockout blow, and specifically those well-documented defensive issues.

Good as the results had been over the past fortnight, it was foolish to lose sight of the possibility - no, likelihood - that Mustafi is capable of Mustafi-ing at any point during any game (Bad Mustafi returned big time in the last 20 minutes), that David Luiz is David Luiz and that, whatever his attributes are, passing is not one of Kolasinac's footballing strengths.

Actually, I sensed bad vibes from kick-off, when Arsenal started sluggishly, gave the ball away and almost conceded in the first minute. Against a team who had only managed a total of two shots on target in their previous two entire games, Arsenal (Luiz, in fact) conceded a chance and shot on target immediately from kick-off.  Indeed, whilst dominating possession for much of the game - and especially in the third quarter - they looked vulnerable to the counter-attack every time they lost possession. Kane should probably have scored early when he ran on to a through ball (past a totally unaware Luiz); he was denied by clever and brave goalkeeping. 

Losing possession and the immediate aftermath of that is any side's achilles heel, and it showed up against Spurs. For all Arsenal's possession they looked all at sea without the ball in transition, and against a rapid group of forwards. And this must change for next season. 

One of the reasons that Spurs looked so dangerous on the counter-attack was the ease with which they could find their way through a midfield pairing who, as I have mentioned before, look uncomfortable without the ball; thus exposing the three centre backs again and again - the last thing you'd want to see as far as those three are concerned. And towards the end the mental - as well as physical - pressure told and they simply couldn't cope at all.

Very often - during the first half as well as the second, but brought into stark relief during the latter stages of the game - losing the ball would signal panic in the Arsenal ranks (and in my living-room). With Bellerin and Tierney pushed well forward, and with Ceballos (for all his skill in possession) and Xhaka continually exposed, there were knock-on effects to the cumbersome back three.

Leaving aside the relative experience of the two managers, this was a clash of philosophies; hard-bitten pragmatism against the desire to use the ball as much as possible. And at the end of the day pragmatism won over aesthetics. Arsenal's system worked to a great extent as they saw much more of the ball, yet their frailties were exposed in the second half by Mourinho's tactical adjustments to make his side considerably more compact, and the pace and skill of Kane, Moura and Son. I would venture to suggest that at this time Arsenal do not possess the personnel to become as compact as Spurs became in the second half; although Torreira was not used at any point, of course.

Vitally, however, the pattern of the game had been changed by Kolasinac's foolish error in the aftermath of Lacazette's thunderbolt of a goal. Instead of being able to consolidate their lead, Arsenal let Spurs back into the game almost immediately. I had already been asking myself why Kolasinac's preferred pass was the square ball back to Luiz instead of out wide to an often unmarked Tierney just beyond the half-way line (perhaps he was operating under instructions?), when he made a crucial error; a simple 10-yard ball totally wrong-footing Luiz and setting Son free on goal. And he was never going to miss, lifting the ball over the otherwise totally excellent Martinez as he went to ground. So for all the beauty and purity of Lacazette's shot - below - there was the spectre of the defensive beast.

So a first half that Arsenal had dominated ended all square, and it was during the initial stages of the second half that Mourinho's tactical changes began to bear fruit. While Arsenal continued to play in the same way - and saw considerably more of the ball - that was by Mourinho's design. It's a risky strategy at times, and Aubameyang had two chances that on many other days would have been goals, but Arsenal failed to score and finally the pace and movement of Spurs' front two outdid them. A succession of schoolboy errors (almost all by Mustafi) built pressure, and from a corner needlessly conceded Aldeweireld headed home almost unchallenged (why Tierney was marking him, and not a centre-back, I cannot answer; the Belgian is not the tallest of players, but he is 4 inches taller than the over-matched Tierney).

A word on Aubameyang. He looked marginalised on the left during this game, and would be of far more use in a game like this one in the middle - alongside his mate Laca. This is the sort of game that will encourage him to leave London in the summer.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the veteran manager had outsmarted his younger, promising opponent. One could argue that Arteta does not possess the personnel to stamp change on matches - especially in the continued - and shameful - absence of Mesut Ozil from the Arsenal squad. However, as we have seen him do many times before, Mourinho exploited his opposition's continual pushing forward by use of the deadly counter-attack. It goes against the grain to give him credit for this, but I suppose that one must; the ends justified the means. 

Of course, it's Mourinho's problem to work out how these same players have performed so diabolically recently. I honestly don't care about that. What concerns me far more is how Arsenal bounce back from such a demoralising result.

And so Spurs creep above Arsenal once more. And with Wolves and Sheffield United winning even Europa League football looks unlikely for Arsenal next season. And to top it all, it's Liverpool next. Arteta now needs to make changes, because the thought of what Liverpool's front three might do on Wednesday chills me to the bone. Revert to a back 4, bring in Holding and Torreira, and play in a far more compact manner would be my practical approach to the problem.

Arteta will have had his thoughts on the need for personnel change further crystallised by what he has just witnessed. Whether he gets the support of his Owner and Board (we have at this point no idea what the restructuring of the Club's debt means going forward) remains to be seen, but for all the optimism of the previous few games it is clear that they were merely paper over the cracks.

Frustrations

On the football front, I'm not a particularly happy bunny this morning. For a number of reasons, mostly tinged with disappointment at not winning the Leicester game. It took me a while to get to sleep after the game, and I've had the same thoughts in my head this morning. So let's get to them:

Firstly, let's dwell on the good parts of the game. The excellent move that led to the goal, and the myriad of chances created in a first half that ended 1-0 but could/should have ended 3-0 or even 4-0. Another solid performance - punctuated by one or two more than decent saves - from the commanding Martinez in goal. The continued all-round excellence of Kieran Tierney, and a much better showing from Hector Bellerin. The high class passing of Dani Ceballos, the continual improvement in the all-round game of Bukayo Saka, and the excellent movement of Lacazette and Aubameyang up top. All this shows the incremental improvements that Arteta and his coaching team are making to the team, both in performance and general mentality.

The goal was a thing of beauty. A clever touch to dumbfound Ndidi and exquisite through ball from Ceballos, picking out Saka's intelligent run. The look up, and the little shimmy that put Jonny Evans on his knees, and the inch-perfect cross (with his wrong foot) that was duly despatched by the predatory Aubameyang. Gorgeous. And, if I can just mention, if that had been David Luiz who'd ended up on the floor and not Evans we wouldn't have heard the last of it. But Evans was apparently merely 'unfortunate' to have lost his footing.

I'm building up to what made me angry, so in this section I'll cover the disappointments. Firstly, the missed chances at a time when Arsenal were dominating; two for Lacazette, including one in particular from an inch-perfect Bellerin cross from which he should have done much better than head the ball directly at Schmeichel. The short corner - an almost carbon copy of the one from which Brighton scored a couple of weeks ago - that led to the Ndidi chance and from which they should have learned. Arteta not reacting quickly enough to Rodgers' formation change, which piled pressure on a midfield duo who are far more comfortable with the ball than without it and which led to continual concerns about how the group of shaky central defenders behind them would cope with the pressure.

And now on to what made me angry. Firstly, whilst Nketiah's challenge on Justin was reckless and deserved a red card - although 'he's not that sort of player' - there was quite a bit of Leicester tackling that could have been fairly described as 'robust' at the very least. The commentators even alluded to it: 'This is the sort of night when players can claim that it was the conditions that caused them to slide in so hard on their opponent; whatever was the actual intent.' Somewhat dismissive, and there were some real crunching tackles around for which Leicester went totally unpunished. Lest we especially forget the absolute zinger of a challenge by Evans from behind on Lacazette in the first half that went completely unpunished and which was minimum a yellow card. Nketiah was unfortunate, but the Law is the Law and his studs were raised; despite no lasting damage whatsoever to Justin. That's it.

And then there was this:

Now Jamie Vardy is someone who I've always regarded as a 'snide' player (credits to Alan Davies's The Tuesday Club for the theme). Of those currently in the Premier League, you can put him alongside his team-mate Maddison, Jorginho, Matic, Fernandinho, Salah (Captain), Heung-Min Son (especially - with his innocent 'Who? Me?' face ), Alli, Lamela, Moura and Dier (so many of them!) at Spurs, Shane Long, Troy Deeney, Richarlison, and now of course Neal Maupay. From the Arsenal squad, I'd put Guendouzi in there tbh. With Mourinho as manager, it goes without saying. The sort of player who you just know is itching to try something right on the limits of the Law at every opportunity he gets. If you can think of any more, do let me know.

And so Vardy goes down in a tangle with Mustafi, has a quick, sly look at where Mustafi is - watch the video - and lets his studs swing into the German's face. And not a word from the commentators, nor any sign that the VAR is taking a look. But yes, he did that on purpose. That's what he does.

I know I'm going to be accused of sour grapes, but a player's character needs to be taken into consideration. So he shouldn't have been on the pitch to score the equaliser; a goal that took VAR almost three minutes to award - with spurious use of lines on the pitch etc. so it may actually have been offside - yes, I'm angry about that.

But most of all the anger is born out of frustration at the bad luck; the little things that didn't go Arsenal's way. But nonetheless this was a difficult opponent so I still regard the performance, if not the result, as a further move in the right direction.

So now on to Tottenham on Sunday. They, of course, scraped a 1-0 win with a fortunate own goal the previous evening, over a dreadful Everton side, in what was possibly the worst Premier League game I have ever seen. They appear to be lacking both form and confidence at the moment - the second attribute unlikely, let's face it, to be drummed back into them by their manager - so now's not a bad time to face them. The good news about Dier's suspension is that there is now more chance of Davinson Sanchez playing in central defence. Davinson Sanchez is the nearest thing an opponent can get to a one-goal start in a game, so I think that he should definitely be on the team sheet.

Anyway, fingers crossed for Sunday and I'll be back with my thoughts (on Arsenal's comprehensive victory) on Monday.

Thanks for reading.

Boom Saka-Laca!

Others will have used the phrase or this image, I’m sure, as I’m sure that we’ve been waiting to do this since Saka broke into the team... but Boom Saka-Laca! 

Which sums up the extremely satisfying performance and result at what is a very difficult place to go. Because make no mistake, Wolves are a difficult side to beat. They concede very few goals - especially at home - and whilst they'd only faced clubs in the relegation zone since the restart they'd continued in their stingy ways; they hadn't let in a Premier League goal for 405 minutes of playing time before kick-off. That was the magnitude of the task facing an Arsenal team who hadn't beaten a side placed above them in the table in an away game since September 2015, when an Alexis Sanchez hat-trick inspired them to victory over eventual champions Leicester City. 

However this Arsenal side are suddently showing a resilience that has frankly been lacking for years. It would appear that whatever Arteta has been drilling into them is finally starting to have an effect. Taking the Manchester City result as not unexpected and the Brighton game as an anomaly, perhaps we are finally seeing a move away from the team being seen as a soft touch who can easily be got at. We are seeing resilience from even the likes of Mustafi and (dare I say it) David Luiz, and that's 4 wins on the bounce.

Before I cover the game, I'd like to address the players who remain missing from the squad. Firstly, whilst I love watching Mesut Ozil play it feels to me that the vast majority of Arsenal fans - as well as the club heirarchy - are now done with him. If it were up to me, I'd be looking to ship him out on loan next season - a number of Turkish clubs are apparently interested - and even if it means paying a chunk of his wages that will at least free up funds that can be used in summer transfer dealings.

And it cannot go unnoticed that the new-found discipline of the side can be traced back to the dropping of Guendouzi. Whilst he is a young player of immense promise, he remains undisciplined and apparently slow on the uptake, and with the return to the squad of Torreira - and the emergence of Joe Willock and the versatile Maitland-Niles as backup to the current midfield pairing, along with the mooted summer arrival of Partey - perhaps it's time to cash in and let him move on for what would be a decent profit.

As I wrote earlier this week, each successive match will serve to crystallise Arteta's thoughts about how he wants to start to reshape the squad over the summer. I think that this match will have backed up his thinking.

So to the game, and first a note on team selection. Soares for Bellerin was inevitable, as the latter will continue to need to be eased back into the side and Cedric's retun to match fitness will help Arteta manage that. Whilst I remain to be convinced that Bellerin's career will continue on an upward curve after his ACL injury, I am personally still prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, and his return can now be better managed.

I am somewhat mystified as to how Holding does not get into the current back three; I'd certainly have him in the side over Kolasinac. Perhaps the hulking presence of Adama Traore in the Wolves side had something to do with that. But it was also telling that even when Tierney was withdrawn Arteta preferred to bring on Maitland-Niles than shift Kolosinac out to wing-back. Perhaps for reasons of mobility? Either way AMN did well, but it does seem harsh on Holding who has barely put a foot wrong since the restart.

The only other change of note was the return of Saka for the indisposed Pepe (his wife having just given birth, so we can excuse him), and the young man initially struggled to come to terms with a role on the right hand side of the front line. But, as we now know, he got to grips with it as the game wore on.

The first half was pretty even, with Traore consistently the main threat, and it took a while for Arsenal's midfielders to start to find the forward line with consistency. However, Wolves were kept at arm's length quite comfortably for most of the time; although the threat of Traore was never to be underestimated. He wouldn't look out of place as an NFL running-back, such is his physique, and he has blistering pace.

There were one or two other first half moments of concern, not least when Tierney was left exposed with two attackers with Kolasinac nowhere to be seen, and one or two other sniffs at goal; but sniffs were all they were and it was Arsenal who created the best opportunites of the half - for Auba and Nketiah - before Saka finished off a nice move with a crisp volley for his first Premier League goal. It's been quite a week for the young man, with the goal adding to the delight of the contract signing.

Wolves drove on in the second half, and it was only quick thinking from the decisive and almost immaculate Martinez - who came rushing from his line to deny Traore the time to pick his spot after he had once again exposed Kolsinac's lack of pace and positional ability - that prevented an equaliser. However, Arsenal managed the game well, with some sensible substitutions thrown in. It was two of those, Willock and Lacazette, who combined for the decisive second goal - Laca's first away goal in a very long time, and very well-taken it was too. And there was still time for Willock to scuff an opportunity laid on a plate by the unselfish Aubameyang to make it three.

I am increasingly impressed with Arteta, by the way. He is getting the players to gel, and also not letting the excitement of successive wins carry the players away. He continues to shape the performances, and keep them grounded; including Saka who he pointed out still has a lot to learn. He has learnt at the feet of two masters of their profession, of course, and hopefully a glittering managerial career awaits him too?

So another well-organised and disciplined perfomance from Arsenal, and things are looking more promising. Other results dictate that Champions League qualification will be something of a miracle from here, but suddenly the next few games look a little less daunting. And Spurs are now trailing in our wake. Whisper it, but roll on St Totteringham's Day...

So Leicester at The Emirates is next, followed by the afore-mentioned Spurs at 'the best stadium in the country' - no trophies are awarded for that, of course. But one game at a time, please.

I'll be back on Wednesday. I can't wait for the next game! In the meantime so yourselves a favour and stay out of the pubs, please.

It's Good News Week!

It has been a decent few days for Arsenal, culminating in a comfortable 4-0 win over a doomed Norwich City. There are a few things to take from the game, but for me the most important piece of news of the week was Bukayo Saka's new contract. 

This young lad is Arsenal's most exciting Academy product since Jack Wilshere. He is robust, strong, skilful and capable of playing in multiple positions; and it is a measure of his importance to Mikel Arteta that he was rested from the Norwich game in order to keep him fresh for the tougher tasks to follow over the next couple of weeks. Alongside the likes of Martinelli, Nelson, Nketiah and Willock, Arsenal look to have the nucleus of a promising, evolving side that can hopefully start to propel them back towards where they were a mere generation ago. Chuck Kieran Tierney into that mix, along with the imminent arrival of William Saliba, and things just might be looking up. What it does need is the right blend of experience (and good role models) around them.

Of course, it's easy to be optimistic on the back of three successive victories, but then all one has to do is look back at the Brighton defeat to see how easy it is to become derailed. And the approaching fixtures are going to really test Arsenal. Wolves are extremely difficult to beat, and whilst Leicester's season has gone to pot they are still clinging on to third place in the table. Follow those two up with Tottenham and Liverpool, and cap it with an unbelievably difficult FA Cup semi-final, and things might not look quite so rosy after all.

So to the Norwich game. And once more an Arsenal forward took advantage of an error by a  goalkeeper with the ball at his feet, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 'mugged' Tim Krul and slotted into an empty net for his 50th Premier League goal. He has achieved that faster than even Thierry Henry (although to be fair he scored in his first Premier League game and it took Thierry 9 games to get off the mark), and later on took advantage of yet another defensive error to clinically score his second, and Arsenal's third.  He is now just one goal away from scoring 20+ goals in 5 successive seasons, for Dortmund and Arsenal - quite a record. 

This is a nice graphic:

Norwich barely posed a threat, apart from a couple of long-range efforts and a brisk start to the second half, to which Arteta responded by shoring up the numbers in midfield. Otherwise, it was plain sailing and we saw Granit Xhaka's first goal of the season, rounding off a nice move, and then the introduction of Cedric Soares who got off the mark with a long range effort of his own (cruel on Krul) after just 4 minutes on the pitch. Easy, but there again Norwich are really not very good.

Just to cover the relegation battle quickly: Norwich are all but mathematically gone, but as to who is going to join them it's difficult to say. Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Watford are all in woeful form, and West Ham's somewhat surprising - and of course amusing - victory over Chelsea has made a huge difference to their hopes of staying up. Of the 'two out of three' candidates, Watford look to have the easiest set of fixtures, but it's imperative for them that they beat Norwich next week.

Back to more important matters: I believe that what the Arsenal transfer team have to do in the summer is becoming clearer now, and today I feel like I'm in a position to do my own Keep/Sell list. For all that the dressing room has some bad eggs in it and is apparently divided into cliques, I'm sure that Arteta will be looking to do something drastic about that over the summer. Key, of course, is Aubameyang. If he wants to stay and lead the Arteta project and perhaps become an Arsenal legend himself, then we'll all be delighted - although on the other hand there'll be no shortage of suitors if he wants to head off to a Champions League club. Yesterday he was non-commital in his post-game interview, and we can but hope that he stays. London has plenty of attractions for him; the expensive cars and designer clothes, and luxury Hampstead apartment.

As for other key players, I feel that whilst a number of this group are welcome to go there is the nucleus of a competitive squad already at the club. Of those not yet mentioned, Pepe was given the day off for similar reasons to Saka; he will surely only be better next season. Dani Ceballos looked decent for the second successive game, but whether he has the consistency for this league I'm really not sure. 

And now a special word for Granit Xhaka. His rehabilitation has been almost miraculous. From looking like he was on his way out of the club after the Crystal Palace match in November to where he is now reflects well not just on him, but also on Mikel Arteta. The latter has devised a formation that suits Xhaka, and he is thriving in it, helping oil the Arsenal machine as he rotates deep left to find the room to play those raking long balls that are his trademark. His response to his new coach and new responsibilities has been a pleasure to witness, and he remains a leader in the dressing room.

So here's my Keep/Sell list (in squad number order) with bullet point reasoning:

Leno            Number one keeper - KEEP

Bellerin       Still recovering from ACL injury - KEEP

Tierney        Absolutely KEEP

Elneny         On loan - SELL

Sokratis       Slipped down the pecking order now - SELL   

Mkhitaryan  On loan - get wages off the payroll and SELL

Ceballos       Jury out - depending on other midfield targets, on balance LET GO

Lacazette      On the wane - SELL

Ozil              Do anything possible to get him out of the club - SELL

Torreira       Wants to leave, apparently. Depending on suitable replacement - SELL

Aubameyang KEEP under any circumstances

Maitland-Niles Squad backup - KEEP

Holding       KEEP

Soares         KEEP (just signed long term contract)

Pepe            KEEP

Mustafi        Has improved under Arteta - KEEP(!)

Chambers    Long-term injured – no choice but to KEEP

Mari            KEEP (just signed long term contract)

Luiz            KEEP (one year option now taken up...)

Nelson         KEEP

Martinez      KEEP

Willock        KEEP

Guendouzi   Difficult - on balance, if Arsenal can get a decent fee, then SELL

Nketiah        KEEP

Kolasinac     On balance - SELL

Macey          Third choice keeper - KEEP?

Xhaka          KEEP!

Martinelli    KEEP

Saka            KEEP

Smith Rowe KEEP

Mavropanos Too far down the pecking order now - SELL

Saliba          Quite obviously KEEP

Rumours abound that Thomas Partey is on his way from Athletico Madrid, and he'd be an excellent addition in the key defensive midfield role that Arsenal haven't dealt with properly since Gilberto Silva left. Additionally, the clubs that may go down have some fine young players who I can see doing well at Arsenal. Jack Grealish for one, and Norwich have three or 4 exciting young players who I'd like to see targetted. Arsenal's midfield needs shoring up, no matter how you look at it.

And so to Molineux. A difficult place to go, and a far different challenge to recent ones. I'd take a draw, and a win would be most encouraging (not to say surprising). In order to have any hope of a Champions League spot, Arsenal will need a minimum of 9 points from these next 4 games, and then to finish with two more wins. Highly unlikely, although Europa League is looking more promising now. We're above Spurs now (for 24 hours) so we shall see.