I had been planning to post after the Palace game, but there was so little to discuss that I decided not to bother. But thankfully there's a bit more to be happy about after the Newcastle game. I'll deal with the good news first, then.
Steve Bruce had been very voluble in the media about his squad, and the need to shake them up. And this he did, making 8 changes and switching to 4-4-2. Arsenal have a far more settled side these days, of course, and this game was notable for the returns both Tierney (just the one game missed) and Partey (who'd had a sensible break since the Spurs game). Cedric Soares replaced the rested Bellerin.
Arsenal started a little tentatively. I had just noted 'need to pick the tempo up' when Don Goodman, the Sky pundit, said precisely the same thing. I suppose that they needed a little time to adjust to the opposition, and to the new Partey-shaped engine room. Although as the half wore on it was clear that Partey was starting to boss things in midfield. He looks to have a lot of time much time on the ball, and a big passing range. Comparisons with Patrick Vieira would not necessarily be out of kilter at his stage.
Early on, neither Saka nor Smith Rowe could really get into the game, and to begin with most of the attacking was coming down the left. That was only a matter of time, however, as the two youngsters soon began to combine; the first time Saka took an unnecessary elbow in the face from Lewis, and on the second occasion Aubameyang, steaming in on the far post, could only smash the cross from Saka onto the post. A little later on, Partey's floated ball to the left and Smith Rowe's driving run and pass led to Aubameyang shooting narrowly over the bar.
Somehow Newcastle reached half time with parity, and the Sky pundits were saying how pedestrian Arsenal had been. I couldn't entirely agree, as I felt that Arsenal had done pretty much everything but score, and Nev and Carra had very much changed their tune by the end of the game!
From the very start of the second half, Arsenal were on top. Within 5 minutes, Partey's exquisite floated pass to the left set Auba away, his run took him into the box and he smashed the ball past Darlow with his left foot. The trademark somersault was back - and the socially-distanced celebration was amusing.
By this time, Arsenal were in complete ascendancy. Lacazette was twice unfortunate not to get onto the score sheet before Cedric's excellent run and slide-rule cross found the unmarked Auba for his second. Prior to that, a clever back heel by Cedric had made a fool of his opposite number on the sideline. It was all over from that point, as Partey came off for a rest and Arsenal cruised to full time.
I get a bit fed up putting my own team down by saying stuff like it was 'only Newcastle - last time it was 'only West Brom' - but you can only beat what's put in front of you. Newcastle are quite dreadful, but the quality of opposition quickly ramps up now. Southampton, Manchester United, Wolves and Villa are the next 4 Premier League fixtures. But we've reached the dizzy heights of 10th now - a mere 5 points off of 6th and 7 off of 4th. It's a shame about the dropped points against Palace, but that's 13 points out of 15 since Boxing Day, and 4 clean sheets to boot (plus a fifth in the FA Cup). Which is decent form in anybody's book. However Arteta fell into the current selection, I'm not sure I care - and like everyone else I'm very excited with how things are developing now with Emile Smith Rowe the key ingredient, and the return of Thomas Partey.
As I mentioned, both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were raving about Emile Smith Rowe after the game. He has made a huge difference to the side since his inclusion, with his ability to take the ball on the half-turn, keep close control or play with one simple touch where necessary, and perform the 'transitions' that the team had been so badly missing. That his performances should elevate him so quickly alongside Saka is quite something, and he currently looks like a more than adequate replacement for the soon to be departed Mesut Ozil (I promise an Ozil special on this blog, by the way, so that's something to look forward to - for me, anyway!).
As for poor Steve Bruce, that's his 23rd defeat in 31 matches managing against Arsenal (just two wins). That also includes an FA Cup Final defeat - from two goals up - with Hull City. He must really look forward to playing Arsenal!
And so quickly back to Palace. And despite having had 67% possession, Arsenal were short of ideas coming up against a well-organised Palace side who had two very presentable chances to win the game. But, to put matters into context, Citeh made mincemeat of Palace the other night, so there's still much to do for Arsenal to get close to competing in the higher echelons of this League. Palace are often very good at smothering their opposition - Citeh a notable exception of course - but this was frankly in the Top 10 worst Arsenal matches I have ever had the misfortune to watch.
The match was probably most notable for the absence of Kieran Tierney, who is a key player both in defence and attack. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, replacing the Scot at left back, had a stinker, to be frank. But he wasn't the only one, as Arsenal struggled to carve out a single decent chance against a side who always looked dangerous on the counter-attack. This can be best illustrated by the fact that they actually contrived to make Christian Benteke look like a proper footballer!
Next match - Southampton (probably) in the FA Cup at the weekend. Followed by a further visit to St Mary's three days later. It's funny how these coincidences happen... In the meantime, please stay safe - and COYG.
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