Whilst Manchester United are currently something of an irrelevance when it comes to title talk, I am reminded once a season of why I cannot - and never will - abide their bombastic, self-aggrandising supporters. They've currently got literally nothing to live off apart from history (illustrious as that may be), and they are so far away from recapturing those days that a home game against Yanited these days has nothing like the intensity of matches against the likes of Liverpool and Citeh. Except... to hear those fans and their ludicrous chanting about events that occurred two generations ago makes my blood boil; so much that I wanted to see them humiliated as soon as I started to hear their inane drivel as I walked over the bridge to the stadium at 7.30pm.
When the game itself started, it took them all of 5 minutes to start the Vieira chant; reliving an event that took place fully a quarter of a century ago. Since Feguson left, they've been in a rut, so past glories is all their fans cling to. Mainly their Golden Season, 1998-99 (which of course all revolved around a single missed penalty). I promise you that I will circle back to 1999 later. Just to prove a point.
So what of the game itself? Well, loads of rotation from Amorim as he tries to work out if he's got even 11 players of sufficient quality to put out on the field. But the big concern - remembering how the left hand side of Arsenal's defence was caught out by Liverpool a few weeks ago - was the loss to injury of both Gabriel and Califiori. Whether United had the personnel to take advantage of that was another matter, but there was concern at the news that Kivior and Zinchenko were both starting.
The first half was cagey, to say the least. United were forced to defend for much of it, and showed little or nothing going forward. Apart from an early Martinelli goal disallowed for an obvious Havertz offside, Arsenal had two excellent chances to go ahead; both from corners; Partey bundling the ball just wide, and Martinelli firing high and wide from 10 yards out when he should have done better. United's only sniff at goal in the entire period was a Dalot shot that flashed across the goal following a free kick. Of course, the threat from corners was a) well-known and b) a sign of things to come. And I suppose that what needs saying is if you don't want to come under pressure from corners, don't sit deep and invite the opposition on to you, because the more they attack, the more likely they are to win corners.
For Arsenal, the returning Partey was bossing the midfield alongside a back-to-his-best Declan Rice - this was unquestionably the latter's best performance of the season so far. Partey himself was finding loads of room, and playing his trademark lofted passes to release Arsenal's forward players. Elsewhere, Garnacho was ineffective and Hojlund got nothing out of either Saliba or Kivior. Odegaard was obliged to take up some different positions to normal on the right - coming a lot deeper at times as United sat deep and he looked to draw them out - whilst the only area of doubt was the dilemma posed by the interesting positions that Mount was taking up on United’s right when their three centre halves looked to build up play; bisecting Zinchenko and Martinelli.
So 0-0 at half time; and we knew that Arsenal could play better than they had done. I doubt that the news from St James’s Park that Liverpool had let in a late goal to draw will have been too much in the players’ minds - they had their own job to do irrespective. But it certainly affected the crowd.
And it was soon clear that Arteta’s half time messaging had got through, as Arsenal upped the intensity and drove United even further back. Early chances for Martinelli and Rice were merely a precursor for what was to follow. The corner count mounted up, and the breakthrough came before the hour as Timber made himself enough space to flick Rice’s delivery beyond Onana into the net. His first goal for Arsenal, and fitting reward for a very exciting young player. If he hadn't have been lost to inury after a mere half an hour of last season, Arsenal may well have won the title.
United barely had an answer. Just the one opportunity (until very late on) when a few minutes after the first goal, from another free kick (conceded by Zinchenko, who was promptly replaced) De Ligt’s header was spectacularly kept out by Raya ('should have held it'; as my father would undoubtably have said)…
Amorim’s changes made no difference - Rashford looked disinterested, Zirkzee looked nothing like worth the money forked out for him, and Anthony was greeted by the home supporters with a rousing chorus of ‘You’re f*cking sh*t!’
Zirkzee’s first contribution was to have a header at yet another Arsenal corner cleared off the line by a team-mate - or would have been a lovely deft own goal. And by this time Arsenal were well on top. But it was still only 1-0, and at 1-0 you never know. And then from yet another corner Saka’s deep delivery was headed back across goal by Partey; the ball cannoning off of Saliba’s right buttock (despite the attention of three defenders) and into the net to put the points to bed.
Just the one tiny scare late on, when a well-worked free kick between Bruno and Anthony saw Raya having to block the latter’s attempt at goal; but The Weasel Brothers were kept at bay (Bruno and Anthony are both high up on my ‘Premier League Players Whose Faces Need A Punch’ list.
And that was that. A controlled performance, as the team continues to improve. And a special mention in despatches for Jakub Kivior, who had a really solid game as Gabriel's replacement. He's a left-sided centre-back, who often gets played out of position - and sometimes exposed - at left back by Arteta. He's a solid enough option, and Gabriel in particular was suitably impressed by his replacement.
And now to the fall-out from the game. And further evidence that Arsenal are treated differently to literally every other club… Set Piece FC. Boring FC. The New Stoke City. Really?… Anything to do Arsenal down. And especially from salty United fans who need to take a good look at themselves. Their only chances in this game came as a result of set pieces. And excuse me if I'm wrong, but didn't their miracle recovery to win the Champions League in 1999 come as the result of taking advantage of two late set pieces. Hypocrites!
Arteta has been making it clear for at least a couple of seasons now that he wants to leave no stone unturned in trying to make Arsenal as good as possible in EVERY aspect off the game; and when you’re up against a machine like Manchester City, such attention to detail is not only commendable, but absolutely necessary. So for the club to be criticised for being so good at set pieces is absolutely ludicrous.
Arsenal scored 91 Premier League goals last season. And that’s a lot; and they certainly weren’t all from set pieces. Sure, since the beginning of last season they’ve racked up 22 goals from corners, but the maths would tell you that they’ve scored almost 100 from open play in that time. So to call them boring, or reliant on set pieces, is lazy and quite pathetic.
Pulis’s Stoke City ran at a 40%+ record of set piece goals. Arsenal score far more goals than they ever did, and they’re running in the low 20%s. Against United, Arsenal chalked up 13 corners to zero; which is representative of how much they dominated territory and worked the United defenders. Try to score from open play, and if those attempts end in the winning of set pieces, then make the most of those too. It’s that obvious.
So what’s the big deal? I’ll tell you what it is… like with pretty much everything else, it's envy - pure and simple. Get over it, people. We are The Arsenal.
I love it. I love that these set pieces are being turned into ‘events’ by Arsenal. They love planning and executing, and they love finding new ways of confusing defences. And I love that every set piece goal they score gets up the noses of opposing fans. Get over yourselves, and get better at set pieces.
Anyway, we move on. A game every 3/4 days is the professional footballer's ‘burden’ at this time of year. And for Arsenal next is a visit to high-flying Fulham. They’re up to 6th spot following a comprehensive defeat of Brighton, so they won’t be easy. Arsenal lost there last season, so there’s no question of taking it easy at all.
But Arsenal simply have to keep winning. Despite Liverpool’s draw, the gap is still 7 points. Additionally, Chelsea are still right in the discussion, and despite a poor sequence of results City aren’t far behind. It’s a question of grinding out the results. So…
COYG!
No comments:
Post a Comment