Phew! And breathe…
Over the summer, one can almost forget what it’s like to watch an Arsenal away game. Until it comes flooding back. The nerves; the tension…
For the second successive season, Arsenal had been set up for possible early failure by the fixtures computer and Sky, with a trip to the scene of one of their worst performances and results of last season; memories of a chastening 3-0 defeat in the Spring were all too fresh in the mind.
But this time it felt different. Transfer business was done early for once, preseason had gone well, and squad depth looks vastly improved. So this was an entirely different team compared to last season’s wounded warriors.
There were Premier League debuts in the baby pink for Zinchenko and Jesus, and - at last - a first competitive start in England for William Saliba. With one or two players still short of match fitness, the team picked itself, frankly.
I’m not going to be boring you with minute-by-minute minutiae this season - you’re all watching the games. I’ll be talking about what I regard as the key talking points. And I’ll start with Gabriel Jesus:
Here’s what Arsenal have been missing for a few seasons now - a moving target up top. We’d seen a little of it with Nketiah towards the end of last season, but Jesus is clearly a step or two up; and his presence - plus a summer’s recuperation for the squad - gave the whole team a different energy. He was unlucky not to have a goal - and an assist - and it’s clear that his team-mates are relishing his presence.
Secondly, William Saliba:
This was the first time I’d seen a full 90 minutes of him in an Arsenal shirt. The sample size is obviously small - despite the plaudits (and full caps) he got in France last year - but what a start! He’s a commanding presence, and his game management looked superb. He topped many of the vital defensive statistics, but most crucially helped Ben White out on multiple occasions as the latter suffered at times playing out of position against the tricky Zaha. A really promising debut, a Man of the Match performance, and a sense that this young man could be another Adams, Terry, Ferdinand or Van Dijk. Yes, he looked that good. So let’s hope that this song catches on:
Thirdly, game management. And of course - despite what ultimately ended up a comfortable win - there were those moments that remind you about how difficult it can be to watch Arsenal, and quite how far they have to go to match the likes of Citeh and Liverpool. I spent quite a lot of the second half calling for Rob Holding, and thought that Arteta took a little too long to make changes; especially with the new 5-substitute rule in operation.
Concerns: firstly - and I can understand why they’re being told to do it - one touch passing. Once or twice, deep in their own half, Arsenal got themselves into trouble. Perhaps a little more judicial use of the one-touch stuff may be advisable?
Secondly - Ramsdale’s kicking. He made some very important saves, but - and perhaps because the mistakes came at a time when Arsenal were dominant - there was a touch of over-confidence in his kicking game. Again, better to be safe than sorry. He very much redeemed himself, of course, with two critical saves.
And finally - and I’m being picky here - Martin Odegaard was not at his best; twice looking to pass when he had decent opportunities to shoot. As I say, I’m being picky; and he at least got himself into position, so it’s the decision-making I’m questioning. But this does make me even more curious about Fabio Vieira.
And now a quick shout out to Nicolas Jover. Who?, I hear you ask? Well, he’s Arsenal’s set piece coach. He did an excellent job last season, and the routine that led to the opening goal was something I’d not seen before. Keep ‘em coming, Nico.
Of course, we also saw the first appearance of the ITWGX Index. Eze dives - play waved on. 20 seconds later a similar action involving Xhaka, and out comes the yellow card. Another piece of simulation by Eze later; again no card… I wish that referees would, for once, officiate the match situation, and not the player. Plus ça change. and there were a couple of incidents in other matches in this first round of fixtures where players weren’t punished for rash challenges; one dangerous sliding tackle by a Tottenham player (Romero? - can't find the clip), plus this Scott McTominay over the top effort that went unpunished.
Incidents that had me thinking: ‘If that was Granit Xhaka…’
Not much else to say. Except to say that the green shoots of progress are clearly sprouting. Selhurst Park on a Friday night is an extremely difficult place to go, but this group managed it well. Three points in the bag from one of the most difficult away tests in the division is a great start. So we move on to a series of winnable matches in a positive frame of mind.
I can’t wait to get back to my seat next Saturday afternoon. North London Forever!
And with that, here’s a message from Arsenal fan Martin Kemp, of Spandau Ballet:
https://twitter.com/realmartinkemp/status/1555867530501275652?s=11&t=eiwWAuIsyJxmhCzXUqAvNw
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