Angel Gabriel

Bragging rights remain ‘as you were’, and Arsenal stay in touch with Manchester City prior to next Sunday's massive encounter at The Etihad, as the away team - badly depleted in midfield due to injury and (ludicrous) suspension - comfortably saw off a disappointing Tottenham side at The New Toilet Bowl.

Interestingly, the feeling I was getting pre-game from Spurs fans of my acquaintance on social media was that despite Arsenal's perceived midfield weaknesses, and it perhaps being their best chance to win a NLD in a few years now, that they still didn't expect to do so. Whilst from what I've seen and heard from all but the biggest cry-babies in our fanbase about the squad being too small, the transfer window having been mismanaged and Edu Out, the sensible amongst us merely looked beyond what Arsenal didn't have available to what they did have, and tried to work out how Arteta would solve the conundrum without throwing their toys out of the window.

I listened to a few podcasts prior to the game, and read what others were suggesting on X etc, but as it turned out I managed to predict the starting XI exactly. I was fortunate enough to spend last week in New York (a break sensibly organised to coincide with the Interlull), and my wife and I had a very pleasant Thursday lunch in the company of Matt Kandela - @mattkandela on X -  from the excellent The Arsenal Opinion podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@TheArsenalOpinion - where we discussed all things Arsenal; and the chat went on so long that we were comfortably the last people out of the restaurant! 

Matt will vouch that I got the XI spot on; when I gave the following reasoning: Arteta doesn't like to put square pegs in round holes, so  he'd make as few positional changes as he could get away with. So he'd go with a 'double pivot' - necessitated by the qualities of the two midfield veterans who were available - and that he'd play Saka and Havertz in their best positions and use Martinelli's pace in order to try to exploit Tottenham's high line. Which would leave Trossard to play in the hole behind Havertz (although they would interchange). As for Ethan Nwaneri; his time will come - and perhaps would have come if this had been the likes of Leicester or Southampton at home - but there was no way that Arteta was going to start him in a game of this enormity if he hadn't made an appearance when the team were 2-0 up to Wolves or Aston Villa earlier in the season. Jesus and Sterling to come off the bench as and when needed. There you go...

It was no surprise to see Tottenham start strongly, and for the first 15 minutes or so Arsenal did struggle to get a grip on the game as they were somewhat penned back - as they were at other times during the game; Declan Rice was badly missed, with Partey and the rusty Jorginho struggling to make up the ground early on. At the same time, the returning Solanke did manage to give Saliba one or two early moments of concern before he faded in the second half (the latter booked - as only Arsenal players are these days on the basis of 'letter of the Law' - for delaying a restart after pulling back on the centre forward's shirt). But Arsenal were far more penetrative, even with the limited possession they were afforded, and soon began to get to grips with what Spurs were trying to do.

True, Raya made a couple of decent early saves - the type of save you'd expect him to make, frankly - and was dominant on crosses (are you watching Vicario?) throughout. And the wind began to fall out of Spurs' sails as early as the 15th minute. Some may argue that it was 'attack vs defence', but for me it was a team desperate to score - but not sure how to - against a team who were utterly confident in their ability to defend. 

With the double pivot doing a more than adequate job - for all that Spurs picked on Jorginho whenever he was in possession - the back 4 looked as solid as ever. Difficult to single any of them out, with Timber contributing as well down the left as White did on the right, and with Saliba and Gabriel finally pocketing Solanke. I tell you what it reminded me of; a boxer egging his opponent onto him and force him to use up loads of physical and mental energy; only to strike back when the moment was right. Something Mohammed Ali was rather good at.

At the other end Martinelli seems to have started to re-find some of his mojo - although he clearly has some way to go - and he certainly had the measure of Porro. His decision-making nonetheless appears to display a lack of conviction; none more so when he skinned the full back in the 19th minute and shot tamely almost straight at Vicario when a quick glance up would have indicated that Bukayo Saka was extremely well placed on the other side of the penalty area. The Brazilian needs to make a telling contribution - a goal or an assist - and then hopefully the gloves will come off. In the meantime, there is plenty of competition for the left-wing spot.

Alongside Martinelli, Havertz did a really good job; working hard, popping up wherever needed and occupying Romero and Van De Ven. And Saka, whilst never reaching the heights of which we know he is capable, was highly effective; as much in defence as attack, as he was conspicuous on a number of occasions in covering the lung-bursting forward runs of Udogie.

Of course, no NLD is likely to pass without a 'handbag' like flare-up. And so it came to pass in the 34th minute that Porro screamed in apparent pain - thereby getting Timber booked for what barely looked like even a foul - and causing one of those pathetic melees that leave you hoping that the officials don't do anything stupid. A dozen players involved, and Porro back on his feet within a couple of minutes. It really was nothing, but Vicario joined Timber in the book. And as the half wore on he was joined by 4 further Spurs players, as Arsenal's quality on the ball started to come through.

But 0-0 at half time; perfectly satisfactory. and the second half started in a similar vein to the first - Spurs creating a few half-chances, but Arsenal perhaps looking the more likely with their superior quality. As the game wore on, Spurs looked increasingly like they had shot their bolt, with Arsenal able to deal with whatever fairly powder puff efforts the likes of Son, Johnson and Kulusevski threw their way. In the number 10 position, Maddison was pretty invisible as the Arsenal press smothered him.

And then, finally, the decisive moment of the match. Porro blocked a Saka effort for a corner, and from the resulting dead ball - one of those inswingers that we know that Vicario loves so much - the ball found the back of the net. Saliba and (inevitably) White pinned two defenders in front of Vicario, who was both unwilling and unable to collect, big Gabby easily escaped the attentions of a day-dreaming Romero... and a thumping header from no more than 5 yards out almost burst the onion bag. Luvvly jubbly.

From then on, it was 'what we have; we hold'. Arsenal held Tottenham at arms' length from then on, with none of Big Ange's substitutions making any difference whatsoever. Especially bringing Timo Werner on; the guy's a total waste of space. Jesus and Raheem Sterling relieved Trossard and Martinelli  with 10 minutes left; purely cosmetic, frankly, and neither covered himself in glory - Sterling needs to learn when to pass, and Jesus needs to learn how to tackle! Late on, Bukayo Saka went down - either exhausted, or perhaps with a calf issue - and we finally saw the prodigy Nwaneri for a few minutes. Tall and strong-looking for his age, neat on the ball and with an eye for a pass - the boy has a future all right.

And so the game petered out. Spurs dominated possession, but rarely did anything decisive with it. Arsenal may be accused of being 'boring', but it was job done, and defensively they perhaps look even stronger than they did last season - in 4 matches, they have conceded just a single goal, and that was when down to 10 men and due to an individual error. All that, however, will be put to the test next Sunday, when they come up against the cheat code that is Erling Haaland (although it's worth remembering that he wasn't given a sniff in two matches last season).

As for Tottenham; they frankly look miles away. They were comfortably held off by an Arsenal side missing its entire first choice midfield; unacceptable from a supporter's point of view. Big Ange is going to get found out, and who knows if he'll last the season. He picked the wrong side for this game, and seems not to have anything other than a Plan A. That's not going to wash against the massively coached Premier League opposition he's going to come up against again and again. They're good enough to finish in the top half of the table, of course, but they don't appear to be making progress, Good-oh!

Before that, on Thursday, Arsenal commence their Champions League challenge at Atalanta (mid-table in Serie A, and with a squad that looks like it hasn't gelled yet). Arsenal will need to look out for Ademola Lookman, and will also come up against a number of players who didn't quite cut the mustard in the Premier League (including our old friend - and Mesut Ozil's minder - Saed Kolasinac). Arteta may be able to get away with a few personnel changes - depending on fitness issues - and less than 72 hours after that it's Manchester City away. Massive.

COYG!

The Referee's A ******

Lots to get through. Not just Saturday’s game and the fallout therefrom, but the closing of the Transfer Window and what it now means for squad depth. Plus the Champions League draw. It’s been a hectic few days.

But I must start with the football itself; and a match about which almost all the discussion surrounded the red card dished out to Declan Rice. Which was frankly ludicrous.

I have a friend - an ex Sunday League referee - who always sends me through the refereeing team details for each Arsenal PL game as soon as they are announced. Last week, when he sent 'Referee C Kavanagh, VAR A Madley', I responded with an immediate FFS! I've got bad memories of Mr Kavanagh in general; and that's certainly not going to change for a long time after Saturday!

Look, we've all seen the video of the incident. And we've all seen the context, and what Mr Kavanagh had let go in the first half. Saka getting clothes-lined, Veltman hauling Trossard to the ground. Tackles that left just a little too much behind on Odegaard (not sure he ever recovered), and on Saka again and again (as usual). Not a booking in sight - but I'm certainly not complaining about the yellow card Rice got (as for the supposed foul given against Rice that kicked off the sending-off incident... if anything it should have been awarded the other way!)

And Joao Pedro kicking the ball away in the first half. Not 6 inches away, but fully 30 yards downfield, in order to prevent a quick Arsenal re-start. Behaviour - exaggerated as that one may have been, for all it went unpunished - that we see in every PL game. Every. Single. One.

Kavanagh's decision to dismiss Rice for flicking the ball a few inches (don't give me that 'He'd given him no choice' nonsense - where's the consistency?) ranks alongside David Luiz's red card for having the audacity to allow his knee to be caught by a forward's ankle, and Gabriel Martinelli's two yellow cards in 5 seconds, as a deliberate singling out of an Arsenal player for egregious, cruel and unnecessary punishment. All alongside the appalling treatment meted out to Bukayo Saka every single week! Lest we also forget the violence inflicted by Veltman on Rice as he feigned to take the free kick. What Arsenal have done to deserve all this, I do not know. But since Arteta has arrived Arsenal have somehow managed to accumulate 17 red cards, with the closest PL side having received 13. WTF?

The level of uproar that the sending-off has caused in pubs, on social media and in the press/on tv has been ridiculous. As I mentioned above, entertaining anybody who says: 'He gave him no choice' is something I'm not prepared to do. Letter of the Law? The Law, as Mr Bumble quite rightly pointed out in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, is an ass. And our good friend Mr Kavanagh merely displayed his inherent anti-Arsenal bias, inconsistency and incompetence by applying it at that moment. That action displayed a total lack of common-sense, and turned the game on its head.

Now people may argue that every supporter can compile a list of injustices supposedly meted out to his team. But I bet you Manchester City supporters can't. I cannot recall a single moment of similar controversy that can mark them down as victims of injustice. And this is a team that has the expert rotational fouler Rodri at its heart, and Tom Daley impersonator Jack Grealish on the left wing.

And the consequences don't stop at the final whistle of Arsenal vs Brighton. Rice misses the North London Derby; a tricky game at any time. And with Merino out injured Arteta's ingenuity is going to be thoroughly tested.

It is worth re-stating that the sending off completely changed the course of the game. Brighton are a decent side, but Arsenal were well on top of them at the time of the incident. The flow of the game flipped on its head immediately afterwards, and the equaliser was conceded before Arteta had time to react.

It's worth looking at this goal in more detail. Firstly, it was disappointing to see a straight 'vertical' ball pierce the Arsenal defence so easily. One can also point fingers at Gabriel; could he have been a little stronger in the challenge? Well, he was risking the award of a penalty, of course. Raya parried the ball out forward instead of sideways, but it was a point blank save and difficult to react to. However...

Thomas Partey was physically unable to keep up with the run into the box from Joao Pedro, thus leaving the attacker with a simple tap-in. He literally stopped shadowing him as the pair reached the 18-yard line. So, for all that he had a mostly decent game on Saturday, at a key moment he let the team down. He's not the player he was. On the ball, he's still got it. But off the ball he can be a liability. When I - and others - say the 'his legs have gone', this is incontrovertible proof. And we were already saying it towards the end of last season.

This has great bearing on the formation and personnel that Arteta chooses to go with in the NLD. Neither Partey nor Jorginho (who we've not seen on the pitch at all so far this season) have the legs to deal with the vibrancy of the Spurs attack. With wingers who stay ultra-wide, full backs who cut in to the inside right/left positions, and the ferret-like Maddison patrolling the spaces that defensive midfielders occupy, this presents a real challenge. What Arteta chooses to do will be critical, and the absence of Rice leaves a gigantic hole. Spurs' tactics are the very thing that could easily cause Arsenal to lose control.

But what Arteta managed to do after the Brighton goal was, in my opinion, an excellent solution. He allowed the Brighton centre-backs to have the ball, and produced tactics that blocked off pretty much everything that Brighton's more skilful players tried to do. That's some defensive powerhouse that he had out there. And with Raya claiming any crosses that weren't headed away, there was no way through. Plus Arsenal still managed to look really dangerous on the break; the positions that Havertz, Saka and substitute Martinelli took up really hurt Brighton. For all the away team's second half possession, Arsenal looked more likely to snatch a winner - and probably ought to have done.

I should mention that I found the Arsenal goal really interesting. Havertz's reaction to Saka winning possession off of Dunk was instant, as he took off for goal at pace. A beautifully timed run and pass - I and everyone around me in my block were already on our feet as we saw Havertz's movement - and Kai found himself through on the goalkeeper. And here's the thing; a year ago there's no way that Havertz scores that goal - and nor do we even expect him to. But he's a different player now, and I don't think that anybody in the crowd even entertained the possibility of him missing. Look, he'll never be prolific - and Arsenal could really do with a prolific striker - but he'll get his fair share of goals this season. Unfortunately, Haalands don't grow on trees.

Let's move on to the Transfer window, and the state of the Arsenal squad. Those players that have gone were all fringe players. Ramsdale has been usurped, and none of ESR, Nketiah, Vieira and Nelson saw much playing time at all in the second half of last season. 

It's sad to see them go, of course. We all took Ramsdale to our hearts, and we shouldn't dismiss the role he had in bringing Arsenal up towards where they are now. He's been unfortunate, and Southampton are probably below the level he deserves to be playing at. ESR looks like he will flourish at Fulham if he can stay fit; a fine player, but perhaps not quite at the level that Arteta is now looking for. Nelson has joined him on loan and will certainly get more playing time there than he did at Arsenal.

Eddie is a Gooner through and through, but it was the right decision for all parties for him to move on to Crystal Palace, who are more his level and also vastly improved. Again, I wish him well - in all but two games of the season. And it's clear that Arteta no longer regards Fabio Vieira as the answer; he'd rather give those minutes to Ethan Nwaneri. I can't say that I disagree.

As for incomings; this is more interesting. Neto is a solid second choice goalkeeper - in his 30s, happy to play second fiddle but capable when called upon; and apparently having had a lifelong desire to wear an Arsenal shirt.

Calafiori looks like a beast of a player. Arteta is spoilt for choice with him and the LANS Timber now available. Perhaps one of them can be the solution to the NLD midfield problem.

It's very unfortunate that Merino is injured. We'll just have to wait for him, but he does look like the perfect fit for the Left 8 role, and thus allowing Rice to move back to Number 6.

Up front, the arrival on loan of Raheem Sterling is, for me, the most interesting move of the entire Window. Granted, he's not the player he was, but he's played at the highest level, was England's best player in the previous international tournament, has worked with Arteta before, and like Havertz should not be judged on his recent output at the Stamford Bridge Sanitorium, He could be a vital cog in the Arsenal wheel this season, and based on what we're hearing about the deal Edu struck with Chelsea could actually be a bargain!

Nonetheless, I do wish that Arsenal had managed to purchase an out and out centre forward. Let's face it, Arteta and Edu know that we need one - after all, their very first move in the Window was to try to buy Benjamin Sesko. This is something that cannot be kicked down the road for too much longer, but for the moment Arsenal will have to rely on everybody chipping in. Despite the 91 PL goals last season, there were a number of big matches in which they failed to score. This must not be repeated if they want to go one place better.

And finally, the Champions League draw; in its new format. Very interesting, actually, and a format that should hold most teams' attention throughout. Unless a team wins its first 6 matches, it will need to be looking over its shoulder.

Arsenal's draw is not terrible. A trip to Milan (where Arsenal have history) is the most difficult tie. An Mbappe-less PSG at home is fine, and there are no long trips abroad. I wouldn't have minded Barcelona or Real Madrid at home - for the spectacle - and am delighted to have avoided bl**dy Bayern Munich! City have their usual easy passage, but Liverpool are going to have their work cut out, and Villa are likely to struggle. 

But it's two more matches; that could be a problem. And immediately throws up a difficult week on the players' return from the Interlull. As if Spurs away followed by City away wasn't difficult enough, they have to go to Atalanta in Italy in between. Grrrr...

Anyway, we move on. Spurs away at the end of the first of these pointless, annoying international breaks. COYG!