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.
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment