Round Up And Season Preview

Lots to cover here. So much going on. If you're an Arsenal fan and not very excited at the prospects for 2023/24, there must be something wrong with you!

But before I start on a preview, I'm still finding it hard to let go of some of the stuff that went on last season; a season that frankly defied our wildest expectations. Yes, I know that it ended in massive disappointment, but if football is as much about moments as anything else then please relive for a moment that awesome 'statement' start at Selhurst Park; Saliba's brilliant goal - and constant serenading - at Bournemouth; beating - nay, humiliating - Spurs and Chelsea home and away (Conte's 4-man substitution surrender move will live long in my memory); two electrifying matches with Liverpool; Eddie's last minute winner against Manchester United; Emi Martinez's freak - and highly amusing - own goal; Reiss Nelson's explosive 97th minute winner at home to Bournemouth; and Granit Xhaka's emotional farewell against Wolves. And so much else. Plus the great atmosphere that it all generated at a vibrant and expectant Emirates Stadium. And 'North London Forever'... 

Done that? Ok - now we can move on.

Mikel Arteta made it very clear over the summer who he wanted in order to move the squad up a notch. And he's been well and truly backed by the Board. Seriously, if there's anybody who's still 'Kroenke Out', I despair. £100m+ on Declan Rice - crazy money, but what can one do? £65m on what on the face of it appeared to be the left field choice of Kai Havertz - but who are we to argue with Arteta's talent identification at the moment? What looks like an absolute 'steal' in Jurrien Timber for a 'mere' £35m. And now David Raya; creating a fascinating dynamic at goalkeeper. 

Add those to the long-term contract signings, and this young group of players can grow together for maybe 3-4 years from here. With the odd premium addition each season, this group can take Arsenal precisely where we want to see them go. Are there any more attractive destinations than London N5 for any ambitious young player? I don't think so. And whilst there are sure to be outgoings later in the month, the only notable departures thus far have been Granit Xhaka and - this week - Matt Turner.

Suddenly, a squad that looked thin by the end of last season looks packed to the rafters! Personally, I'd like to see a goal scorer signed as the final piece of the jigsaw, but Arteta must feel that he has enough versatility in the squad now to cover most eventualities. Of course, with Champions League football back, there is little room for experimentation. But he does need to learn to 'rotate' - something that he's not demonstrated being too good at so far in my humble opinion.

There are so many fine players in the squad now that it's difficult to know what the best starting XI is. Clearly, with Zinchenko and Jesus both sidelined at the moment, there are decisions to be made. And it's in midfield and at centre forward where there are the biggest questions to answer. 

My big concern is if Arteta is set on selecting a forward thinking player at 'left 8'. Because that player will not be able to replicate the defensive qualities and discipline of Granit Xhaka, and will likely leave whoever plays at the base of midfield somewhat exposed. Exposed in the same way as Partey was when William Saliba got injured last season - suddenly, he had far too much ground to cover, and was made to look second-rate as a result. That cannot be allowed to happen again - especially when there's not just Champions League to consider, but just as importantly with PL opposition looking more and more to hit us on the break. Although... the full backs rotating inside will add numbers to midfield. 

I simply cannot envisage what he's got planned (and the absence of Zinchenko won't help early on), so I guess that we'll have to wait and see.

The dynamic is fascinating. And to me it's a big dilemma. In the Community Shield there was little sign of 'inverting' full backs - they had their hands full, let's face it - but Arsenal looked most threatening when either Partey or Rice dropped back between the centre halves to pick up the ball and instigate attacks. But for this unique opposition Arsenal had to stay extremely compact and disciplined.

Partey and Rice have different strengths. The former has quick feet to help him worm his way out of tight spots, and can also find ridiculous passing angles. The latter is more about power and directness - that surging run to dispossess Bernardo Silva on Sunday was trademark Rice. But if, for the biggest games, Arteta feels that he needs to play both of them (I'd very much agree with that), then how does he choose between them in the more run-of-the-mill games if he wants extra fire power? And whilst Rice appears to be extremely robust, Partey will need to be protected from overuse. That's what this big squad is for.

Before I start predicting what may happen this season, I think I'd better review the Community Shield; a match that I found totally absorbing from start to finish. Normally, I'm in the lower tier, but my vantage point from block 501 granted me a completely different view; something that I was grateful for in such a tactical affair. Individual battles were there to be won and lost all over the pitch, and to a great extent Arsenal held their own against probably the greatest club side there has ever been. And, by the way, don't be taken in by any nonsense about City not caring about the result. Did you see how hard Guardiola celebrated Palmer's goal? Or how miserable he looked afterwards?

But it's difficult to read too much into a game like this, with City probably a week behind Arsenal in their preparation, having finished their season so much later that everyone else. So I suspect that Arsenal were firing on more cylinders than City were. Nonetheless it was more or less 50/50 all over the pitch. White dealt well with Grealish (I suspect that they don't like each other much; White had a snidey White-like off the ball dig at the winger early on that the latter couldn't wait to return!), and Timber had quite a bit of space in which to operate with Bernardo Silva operating more infield than out. The two sets of midfield dynamos also matched up well, but it wasn't until Arsenal settled into the match and started to play their own football - possession in the first 15 minutes was dominated by City - that we got to see what they are going to be made of this season.

At the top end of the pitch both Saka and Martinelli were quiet by their own standards, but Odegaard looks ready to roll, and the choice and role of Havertz were very interesting. He's tall and strong, links play well, and is closer to Jesus in the way he plays than Trossard. 'False 9' sums up the role well; capable of going up against City's huge back line, but also dropping short and spinning into space at times, as well as leading the 'press'. Yes, he missed two decent chances (Saka also had a very presentable opportunity, I should add) - but the first was all of his own making, and frankly unlucky not to end up in the back of the net. For the second, I will acknowledge that he should have done better - something he can improve on, I'm sure. Chances were, of course, at a premium at both ends; Ramsdale saved Arsenal on two occasions, and had no chance with the goal.

At the defensive end of the pitch, we finally got to see a bit of the heavyweight battle that is Haaland vs Saliba. Quite possibly the best in their position in not only the Premier League, but perhaps the world. Haaland has been variously described as a 'beast', and a 'cheat code'. But the description we most see for our boy is 'Rolls-Royce'. I cannot argue with that. He is also freakishly good at what he does. And he certainly had Haaland's attention in this one.

Haaland was kept very quiet - although we know that he only needs a split second - but Saliba also managed to do plenty in possession, whereas the Norwegian had a grand total of 13 touches in the hour he was on the field, and had an xG of 0.0000! This has the makings of a long-running and crucial saga when these two sides meet for real in the Premier League; perhaps for many seasons to come.

Noticeably, Pep did not allow a single moment of Haaland and KDB on the pitch together at the same time. I believe that was deliberate. And it was also interesting to note how De Bruyne changed the dynamic of the game as soon as he entered the field of play. Where Kovacic was unable to play 'between the lines', this is where the Belgian excels. He sped up the play, and his assist for Palmer's goal was as brilliant as it was instinctive. He and Foden made a huge difference when they got on the field. I'm expecting Pep to spend money in the next three weeks; losing Gundogan and Mahrez without properly replacing them may be a big mistake.

Arsenal's substitutes - with perhaps the exception of poor Kieran Tierney; wrong-footed by a slight deflection in the build-up to the City goal and unable to clear the ball properly - did well when they came on. Trossard was busy on the left, and whilst his goal was fortunate he at least tried something different to just lobbing the ball back into the mix. ESR and Vieira both looked motivated. And Nketiah made a number of clever runs in behind the City defence in order to put presuure on their tired legs. 

Great to see some redemption for Vieira for his penalty miss in New York with a decisive winning spot kick. Totally unsavable (by the way, this reminds me to ask you if you saw Chloe Kelly's penalty that sent the Lionesses through against Nigeria the other day. Absolute perfection!).

Anyway, that's Arsenal's second trophy of the year in the bag. The Emirates Cup and now The Community Shield. Tongue firmly in cheek here; it's pre-season and largely irrelevant. Especially in the context of Tottenham's recent clinching of the highly prestigious Tiger Cup!!! But more to the point it's clear to me that a) Arsenal are ready for the season, and b) are going to be going toe to toe with City again. Bring it on!

Just a quick aside here before I continue with predictions. It's on refereeing. 

Firstly, the yellow card thing on Sunday. Partey and Alvarez both got their cards for kicking the ball away to waste time. As per a new directive. Arteta's yellow was for waving an imaginary yellow card at the referee following a foul by Rodri. Similar directive. However... how Rodri wasn't booked for that blatant shirt pull which prevented an Arsenal break I do not know (and this is a recurring theme with Rodri, who gets away with this sort of behaviour consistently). Plus the knock-on effect of this is that Rodri could foul with impunity late on when City were protecting their lead, whereas Partey - already booked - had to tread cautiously in the moments leading up to Palmer's goal. All we want to see is a level playing field, please.

Secondly, the news that Lee Mason has been re-employed by PGMOL - and as a Trainer of Referees! This of course is the guy who when VAR for the Arsenal vs Brentford game last season 'forgot' to draw the lines on the screen, leading to Brentford's equalising goal being allowed to stand despite their player being offside. Sacked one moment; reinstated AND PROMOTED the next? Great work, Mr Webb!!! 

As for predictions, I need to be careful as opposed to bullish. Yes, Arsenal could win the Premier League. But City are the ultimate opposition. I'm hoping to see Arsenal run them close at the very least. A run deep into the knockout stages of the Champions League would be great. As regards the cups; well, the squad is now of sufficient quality to be able to give them both a real go too. 

The football world is Arsenal's oyster. Not long until Saturday. COYG!