Everywhere They Go…

Well, that was fun, wasn't it?

Arsenal fans are on Cloud 9, obviously. But without putting any sort of downer on things I want to try to put some context to the day. Some realism, I suppose; because at this relatively early stage of the season, and after the start Arsenal made, it's possibly too soon to get too carried away despite this absolute thrashing of a completely out-of-sorts T*ttenham side making it three wins on the bounce.

Now, a number of T*ttenham fans of my acquaintance have been suggesting recently that I have become obsessed with their club. I honestly don't believe that this is the case, but there is some context to this. Because for many years around the turn of the century T*ttenham weren't even on our radar. Arsenal were miles ahead of them, and more concerned with bigger fish - Manchester United and, later on, Chelsea. T*ttenham were just an irritating fly, merely to be swatted away. 

But in the last 10 years they have taken a number of steps forward - far enough forward to even (fortuitously as it may have been) reach the Champions League final - and Arsenal have clearly taken a number of steps back. So they are now back on our radar, and I suppose that's why I give them far more attention than they deserve. Apart from for comedy value, that is.

There are other factors. Not being in the ground for so long. The contrasting starts to the season. The Harry Kane saga and all of Arsenal's new signings. Lots of interesting ingredients to go into that pot. But the pre-match atmosphere in the ground was absolutely electric; as loud as I can remember, in fact.

And so to the game itself. Arteta went with the team that I had hoped for - I had no problem with Xhaka coming back straight in, because he'd have known precisely what to expect from this scenario; and for all his propensity to self-destruct he's an experienced and solid performer - almost all of the time. The other big decision was the choice to go with all of Odegaard, Saka and ESR and thereby relegate Pepe to the bench.

Tottenham's team sheet looked unbalanced. They had managed to worry Tuchel with their approach a week ago, but on this occasion they looked a little too flaky on paper; light in midfield and with too many unreliable characters in the eleven. And so it proved, as Nuno's players let him down all over the pitch in the face of Arteta's shape and tactics. 

And so it proved. Kane came back into midfield much less often than of late, with the plan for him to be their focal point. However, T*ttenham hardly had enough of the ball for that to work; and he looked to me like he simply doesn't want to be there. Dele Alli, with his ludicrous dreadlocks and blue highlights, is a shadow of his former self; completely shackled by the Arsenal midfield and rightly hooked at half time. Ndombele is a lovely player, but too much of an individualist to fit in with the rigid tactical requirements placed upon him. Tanganga didn't know whether to stick or twist when faced with ESR, with the additional threat of Tierney bombing on into the spaces he vacated. Hojbjerg was outnumbered, and Sanchez and Dier were... Sanchez and Dier. Only Son and Moura can have come out of the game with much credit; although I thought that young Skipp had a tidy 45 minutes.

Of course, an early goal helped. Kane was comprehensively beaten in the air by White, Xhaka's first time flick released ESR, he found Saka - who stood Regulion up and returned the ball into an area from where our new number 10 could stroke the ball into the net. 

Either side of that, both Aubameyang - twice - and Partey had more than decent long range efforts at goal as Arsenal were almost completely in charge - Son's left wing break and shot notwithstanding. And Auba got himself onto the scoresheet at the end of a quite scintillating move; not without a touch of good fortune early on as Ramsdale's risky ball out of defence saw Xhaka almost robbed by Hojbjerg right on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area. But from then on it was all about ESR and Auba. The latter exquisitely turned Tierney's 20 yard release ball into the path of ESR, whose pace decimated the T*ttenham defence, and his pass into the box was swept into the far corner of the net by Auba's left foot. Lovely stuff, and with a celebration to match as Auba mimicked the watching Thierry Henry's seminal pose; which is now immortalised in bronze, of course.

And it wasn't long before it was three. And for this the assist for the goal must go to Harry Kane, whose amusing trip over the ball deep inside Arsenal territory put Arsenal onto the front foot once more. Via Xhaka and Odegaard, the ball found its way to the all-action ESR, who released Saka. By this time Kane, determined to make up for his error, was careering back towards his own goal, but his sliding intervention merely set up Saka to pass the ball into the far corner of Lloris's net. Highly amusing, and The Emirates erupted for a third time. Accompanied, I must add, by peals of laughter as Kane's contribution was replayed on the big screen; and at this point Spurs fans had already started to head for the exits.

And so it was 3-0 at half time, and the Arsenal fans were really enjoying themselves as two new songs rang around the concourse. One celebrating our Hale End boys to the tune of Status Quo's Rocking All Over The World, and the second a celebration of our opposition's haplessness as we sang 'T*ttenham get battered everywhere they go!' As I say; an unbelievable atmosphere!

By the way, if you haven't seen Ian Wright's celebrations they are worth finding on social media. As is this still of Tony Adams' half-time grin (to be contrasted with T*ttenham 'legend' Ledley King's countenance in the background) in the Sky Sports studio...

I'm sure that it's a combination of factors, but Arteta and what are now firmly HIS players are definitely beginning to build something. And the fans can sense it. The influx of new players appears to have righted the ship now, we're all on board with it, and Arteta is riding that wave.  I've not seen him so animated on the sidelines before, and his outpourings of joy show us quite what the success means to him. There can be no excuses now, of course; he has his players and he has a pretty healthy squad. Of course, we're only successive defeats from the next crisis, but I do sense that a corner has been turned. As I've said before, I'd really like him to succeed. We've all doubted him in the past, but perhaps the tide had finally turned?

But back to the game. At half time T*ttenham could only improve, of course. And with the changes Nuno made they did just that. Of course, at 3-0 it's easier to stick than twist, and that's what any person's mentality would tell him to do. But the half wasn't without its hairy moments as better shape and discipline saw T*ttenham finally wake up. 

Skipp had a tidy game, as I mentioned earlier, and Gil added a deal of energy when he came on. Kane forced a save out of Ramsdale, then should have scored when Tomayisu slipped (he was probably offside, actually). And he should almost certainly have had a penalty when he tangled with White on the edge of the area. And finally Ramsdale made a fantastic late save from Moura's dipping effort, just finger-tipping it onto the bar and away. So it could have been close; but on the other hand Arsenal had been prepared to sit back for the entire second half and so invited them to improve.

But on the whole this was as comprehensive a victory as one could have hoped for. Whether it's the start of something bigger remains to be seen, and whilst a challenge for the Top 4 places still looks remote, we'll be able to judge progress more when Arsenal come up against Brighton, Villa and Leicester over the next few weeks, before the formidable challenge of Liverpool at Anfield.

And so we move happily on to next week's visit to Brighton. Let's hope that things can continue in the same vein. COYG! 

And let's not forget what this gentleman said to T*ttenham...

Defensive Solidity Compensates For Attacking Profligacy

The upward curve continued over the weekend with a narrow, hard-fought, but ultimately well-deserved victory at Turf Moor. Martin Odegaard's sumptuous free kick was enough to repel a fairly standard Burnley performance; they typically tried to kick and muscle Arsenal out of their stride from front to back.

Their was a notable performance from Aaron Ramsdale (fast becoming a cult hero amongst the fan base, despite the ludicrous backlash when he was signed), who offers much more than Leno in terms not just of his kicking off the floor, but also in terms of personality and command of his penalty box - this time in the face of the stereotypical barrage of crosses from Burnley. 

In front of him, White had one or two shaky moments - including when his short back pass resulted in the award of a penalty following Ramsdale's intervention on Vydra, which saw the forward tumble to the ground (replays immediately indicated that Ramsdale had got to the ball first, so the penalty award was rescinded). 

Use of the ball is White's acknowledged strength, and heading a perceived weakness, but in this game he won 4 out of 7 aerial duels against two of the Premier League's most abrasive centre-forwards, yet his passing let him down as we watched him give the ball away on no less than 12 occasions. Paradoxical.

Gabriel, however, had a quite superb game. He dealt with everything that Wood and his industrial team-mates had to offer, and took on the mantle of defensive leader that the team so badly needs. He appears transformed from the gangly, uncertain, sometimes clumsy player of last season.

Either side of the centre-halves, Tierney was his usual reliable self and Tomiyasu put in another strong performance on only his second start. The fact that the average age of this back 5 is under 23 bodes extremely well for the future.

What was most interesting about Arteta's selection was the suggestion I made last week that he was would perhaps be looking to go to a genuine 4-3-3 formation, with Partey on his own in the 'pivot' role, and two Number 8s (or 10s) in front of him. And that's precisely what he did on Saturday, taking advantage of the Ghanaian's athleticism and varied passing abilities, and utilising both Odegaard and Smith Rowe in front of him. It worked well until Partey tired late on - after all, he's barely had a pre-season - and had to be replaced by two men! Whether this tactic will continue against better opposition, and when Arteta's 'trusty lieutenant' Granit Xhaka is available again, remains to be seen.

Ahead of Partey, despite having Arteta's very best options all on the pitch at the same time, was where Arsenal were frankly poor. Odegaard himself was industrious and used the ball well, but the same cannot be said for any of Smith Rowe, Pepe, Saka or Aubameyang, all of whom had unmemorable games. Whilst the Burnley midfield press was beaten with reasonable regularity, the quality and timing of the final ball, or of the shot, were badly lacking. Pepe, and in particular ESR, finished the best opportunities weakly. 

Some of these problems can be attributed to the way Burnley set up their pitch - leaving the grass longer than other sides and failing to water it; both done in order to nullify the passing ability of the less agricultural teams who visit Turf Moor - but that can't explain quite how off sync Arsenal were going forward. Hopefully, everything will click into place next week...

Now, narrow wins against two of the worst teams in the division are perhaps nothing to get too excited about, but the foundations do appear to be falling into place now, and the squad and vision ('process' if you wish) seem to be coming together. There will be more of an acid test next weekend, when That Lot rock up at The Emirates. And whilst they looked good for the first 20 minutes against Chelsea, they were ultimately very well beaten by the end - by, I must add, a quite formidable team. 

I'd hope to see that good work continued on Sunday. Indeed, a three goal win - unlikely I grant you - would take Arsenal above Them in the table. And following their fast start to the season it would be hysterically funny to have overturned the nine point deficit so rapidly!

Before then, I imagine that we'll see 8 or 9 changes to the 11 for the Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon, but expect comfortable progress to the 4th round of that competition. Both Partey and Tierney left the field early enough for there to be slight concerns over them, so I'm pretty sure that they are both due a rest; and I'm sure that there will be wholesale changes elsewhere also.

Just another couple of things to mention. Firstly, Folarin Balogun is tearing things up at under-23 level; completely overshadowing Eddie Nketiah (who must surely move on in January). But of more interest is a young chap called Charlie Patino, who from the highlights I've seen looks like a cross between Wilshere and Fabregas. Now, if he can continue to make progress, wouldn't that be something?!?

Ans finally, I send my condolences to the family and friends of Jimmy Greaves, who passed away over the weekend. My father told me that he was quite the most brilliant centre-forward he had ever seen - and considering that he saw both Ian Wright and Thierry Henry in the flesh, and in their pomp, that's quite a compliment. 

Despite him having played with distinction for all of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and West Ham, petty rivalry goes out of the window at times like these. Greaves was also a wonderful entertainer in front of the camera - my generation loved watching Saint & Greavesie! - and he conquered some well-documented personal demons too. RIP.

So, on to next weekend, and one of the key games of the season. As we close in on the momentous total of 5000 days since a trophy for That Lot (November 2nd is the big day), let's hope to celebrate their mediocrity a little bit more on Sunday afternoon. COYG!

It's Back On!

Yes, it's back on! I mean, I don't actually know what 'it' is, but anyway, 'it' is clearly back on...

At last; a first goal, and first win of the season, and some idea of how this season's Arsenal are going to line up. With debuts/returns for Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, AMN alongside Lokonga in midfield, plus a late cameo from Partey, we started to get some sort of feel of how this squad may start to work.

Of those named above, Ramsdale had little to do - his most exciting piece of work was a little trick in his own 6-yard box that gave us momentary palpitations - but looks considerably more confident with the ball at his feet than Leno; Tomiyasu had a debut full of promise (and almost scored with an opportunistic and spectacular volley) - solid in defence and marauding forward at every opportunity; White and Gabriel - whilst sure to be faced with bigger challenges than Pukki - did nothing wrong; AMN had his moments, but is just a bit too casual for my liking and may have blown his chance, because Lokonga looked considerably more accomplished than him; and Partey is back.

But it was more about getting the win, no matter how, and looking for a platform from which to build.

What was great to both see and sense around the ground was a feeling of optimism at the new line-up, and to hear the backing that the team got as they launched themselves at full throttle the moment the game started. And whilst an early goal would have been extremely helpful, and the volume consequently dropped as the first half wore on, there was no sense of dissent in the stands. Of course, there was nervousness - when the team has performed so far below expectations so far there were sure to be. But we couldn't have hand-picked a better opponent than Norwich to help kick-start our season, and there was always a sense that the goal would eventually come.

30 attempts on goal indicates how dominant Arsenal were, yet only 6 were on target and there was still an element of profligacy on show. Aubameyang pinched his goal - I was expecting it to be ruled out for offside (especially with our friend Mike Dean on VAR duties) - but snatched at several other chances.

Pepe often looks dangerous (he got the assist for the goal - via both goalposts!), but hugging the touchline doesn't necessarily suit his style of play, and he too often loses possession as soon as he gains it. A mercurial footballer, but often frustrating. Saka had his moments, but is still not up to full speed, and Odegaard did lots of tidy stuff on the ball - plus a couple of back-flicks that didn't quite pay off (of higher quality than the ones I attempt, which have my team-mates regularly moaning at me in our regular Tuesday night game).

Odegaard seemed in charge of the 'press' - which was back on Saturday - but often didn't get the full support of his colleagues - and I'm still not quite sure what Arteta is trying to do in midfield, as despite Lokonga's continual efforts to get the ball forward as quickly as possible I still felt a disconnect between him (and AMN), and those in front of them. 

For me, the introduction of Partey and Smith Rowe made a massive difference to the continuity of the team; the Ghanaian for his all-round passing ability, to add to his undoubted athleticism, and ESR for his willingness to drive towards the opposition with the ball at his feet. He is a dribbler, where Odegaard is a passer. I sense that perhaps Arteta is looking to play Partey in front of the back four, with both Number 8s - or 10s - ahead of him. That can work against inferior opposition, but it's asking a hell of a lot of Partey against equal or better teams; and especially if he sticks with a back 4.

There will certainly be tougher tasks than Norwich - starting with the aerial, physical challenge at Burnley next weekend and followed by That Lot the week after - but with full weeks off (the only upside of not being in Europe this season) there should be time to work on shape both in and out of possession. 

But we do now have a glimpse of what we can expect to see as the season progresses; and I for one am more confident than I was about the amount of improvement we may see. And for those moaning that we 'only won 1-0 against Norwich', please bear in mind that this is the first time these players have played together in a competitive match.

And with Premier League fixtures over the next few weeks against Burnley, That Lot, Brighton, Palace, Villa, Leicester and Watford before the next Interlull (which is followed by a visit to Anfield!), this ought to be an opportunity to make some progress up the table. Everyone knows it - owners, management, players and fans - and if things haven't gone too well then it may be the end for the manager. I hope not, as I remain invested in him succeeding, but we're only successive defeats away from the next crisis; and the next crisis may be his last. If Arsenal have 20 points by then, we'll be happy, and he'll be safe. But if we're well short of 20 then the bell may be tolling for him. But exponential progress will hopefully carry Arsenal into the top half by mid-November. Fingers crossed!

Just quickly - I get accused by a number of supporters of That Lot of being somewhat obsessed with them; it's not the case, but I do obviously like to take the p*ss whenever I can (for example, in 50 days we will reach the 5000th day since they won their solitary trophy this century - good to know). And this seems a good opportunity. Because it was wonderful to hear - and join in raucously with - the Vieira song on Saturday. After all, as Crystal Palace's new manager, Paddy had very much brightened our Saturday lunchtime.

And on that happy note, I'll be back next week. COYG!

Debacle and Embarrassment - But The Season Starts Here

Here's a review of the City game and the Transfer Window; followed by a very short preview of the 'Relegation Six Pointer' against Norwich.

Now, I suppose that I have been (since the City debacle, it's more like 'I had been') something of an apologist for Mikel Arteta for a while now. His newly-inherited team beat Liverpool, Manchester City in the space of weeks early in his time in charge, and won the FA Cup in the process. 

So I gave him the benefit of the doubt last November/December (coming up to Christmas I was wavering), when results were terrible and were only turned around when circumstances forced him into drafting Emile Smith Rowe into the team against Chelsea at Christmas - a real 'sliding doors' moment for both clubs, as that was the beginning of the end for Fat Frank as Tuchel turned their season around completely.

Despite the improvement in the second half of last season, the major disappointment in that time was the horrendous Europa League defeat to Unai Emery's Villareal - brought about as much by Artet'a decision to continue to play Xhaka at left back in the continued absence of Tierney, and a half-fit Thomas Partey as the sole central midfielder. Over the two legs, Arsenal were dreadful. But I continued to support him, because I was invested in him - I really wanted it to work!

This season, I've been unimpressed with everything that Arteta has tried to do. Against Brentford, the team looked half-cocked and unprepared for the opposition. Against Chelsea, the failure to mirror their formation, consequently giving Reece James the freedom of The Emirates, led directly to both goals conceded. And against Manchester City... well, everything was wrong: the personnel choices at centre-half, choosing to drop Mari and Lokonga from the XI, playing a single central midfielder against the biggest possession side in the country - and then playing for ten full minutes with no central midfielder whatsoever following Xhaka's abrupt departure... and I could go on.

I have literally no idea what he was thinking! Apart from maybe: 'I know - I'll pick Kolasinac - Pep would never expect me to do that!' Or 'We don't need any defensive midfielders against that lot!' Let's face it; we all thought that Arsenal would lose the game, but the team selection guaranteed it before the match even kicked off! And as for the manner of the defeat... meek and pathetic surrender!

Of course, there were illnesses and injuries. But they were no excuse for selecting Kolasinac - and certainly not at centre half! For all that Lukaku had taken Mari to pieces the previous week, he's still comfortably a better alternative to the lumbering Serb. And to compound that, Arteta selected him alongside Chambers and Holding -  three centre backs, but not a leader amongst them, and no consideration fot the job Tierney had done there last season! Plus the lightweight Cedric at right back? 

For me, instead of a 5 of Cedric, Chambers, Holding, Kolasinac, Tierney, I'd have gone AMN (after his heroics during that FA Cup run, what the hell has happened with him?), Holding, Mari, Tierney, Tavares. And Lokonga alongside Xhaka. I cannot work out what Arteta was thinking, so for him to say afterwards 'We were in control of the game' was utterly ludicrous - City took the measure of Arsenal in no time, scored with their first attack after 7 minutes, and were two up after 12!

Yes, Arteta has been unfortunate so far this season, with injuries or illness meaning the loss of White, Gabriel, Partey, Aubameyang and Lacazette at various or all stages. But we can surely all agree that he's simply not made the best of the resources left available to him.

And yes, he was unfortunate during the course of the match too. There was the clear foul (a punch, it looked like to me) on Chambers prior to the second goal...

and the inexcusable 'tackle' by Xhaka that led to his sending off...

but there can be no accounting for the slight figure of Gundogan having a free header six yards out for the first goal...

nor the total capitulation in the second half, as Arsenal went down without a whimper, let alone a fight, and City kindly 'declared' at 5.

There have been times over the past few years when I have been sorely tempted to switch the television off rather than watch; 6-1 and 8-2 at OT, 5-1 at Anfield, 6-0 to Mourinho's Chelsea in Wenger's 1000th game to name but four. But that was as bad as any of the above, and I stayed in my seat purely out of a sense of duty. My over-riding emotion was that of anger!

All of which left Arsenal rooted to the bottom of the table, with no points and not even a goal; a laughing stock, in fact. And this is compounded by the fact that Tottenham have 9 points out of 9, with  not a single goal conceded - as some of the more annoying Spuds of my acquaintance continue to remind me. Of course, that won't continue, and they'll be laughing on the other side of their faces quite soon - after all, they're Tottenham... - but it's not pleasant, is it?

And with the return of some of the missing faces, and a slightly easier fixture list, things will obviously pick up for Arsenal. I expect them to start to climb the table reasonably rapidly - starting against Norwich, who I am 100% certain will be despatched comfortably - but it's been a difficult two weeks. Surely a minimum of 7 points should be the requirement from the next three games; but the key must be an improvement in the way the team plays and conducts itself as much as the results themselves. Otherwise, for me, Arteta is now in the 'last chance saloon'.

And so to the transfer window, late on on the final night in which I tweeted:

Yet he, Cedric, Chambers, Elneny and Nketiah are still at the club (no takers, eh?) - plus how Arteta has persuaded AMN to stay I do not know! But we're at least shot of Willian now.

But as far as purchases are concerned, I'm quite content with what's been done. Now we must wait to see how Arteta's best XI shapes up, and whether he can organise and motivate them properly. And that's something about which, regrettably, I now have serious doubts!

People are picking their Best XI from the current group, and this is mine:

Ramsdale

Tomiyasu-White-Gabriel-Tierney

Partey-Lokonga

Saka-Odegaard-Smith Rowe

Aubameyang

And there's plenty on the bench too, especially going forward. So there is plenty of scope for improvement, and I still see Arsenal ending up in the higher reaches of the table; Top 4 is surely out of reach, but 5th certainly should not be!

And so quickly to Norwich. And I believe it can be summed up by saying that they're not very good; but whilst Arsenal are also not very good at the moment their ceiling is considerably higher than Norwich's. And, as I say, I am expecting a comfortable victory. 

Back on Monday, when I hope that we'll all be a little more upbeat. The season starts now! COYG