Oh I Don’t Like To Be Beside The Seaside...

... or not, as the case may be. FYI, the Amex Stadium is several miles inland. But that's not really the point.

Anyway, I intend to try to paint a somewhat rosier picture than one might expect based on Saturday's humbling experience. Do let me know what you think after you've read this. But let's get on with it.

Two changes to the side from the previous league game, with Timber in for the injured White, and Bruno - following his goal at Sunderland - preferred to the somewhat unfortunate MLS. Whether that change had a significant bearing on what transpired at the Amex I'm not entirely sure, because there was something irresistible about how Brighton went about their business, but there will certainly be those who will be suggesting that Arteta didn't need to rock the applecart, so to speak. The same people who had been clamouring for rotation? Perhaps?

Whether Arsenal had gone into the last of a sequence of difficult matches from which they had come through totally unscathed believing their own hype, and in their own apparent invincibility, I do not know, but there was perhaps a hint of arrogance about them. And in sport, as we all know, failure to prepare properly is preparation for failure. And they were certainly caught by surprise!

Any way you dress it up, this was a painful watch for Arsenal fans from the moment the game started. Brighton seemed determined to put Arsenal under as much pressure as possible, as high up the pitch as possible, and it certainly worked. The away side looked flustered and out of kilter as Brighton pressured them from front to back - playing Arsenal at their own game to a great extent. In fact, I'd say that they took it further than that as they made it well-nigh impossible for Arsenal to play their normal possession-based game. 

Anything that Arsenal tried to do to break the press appeared doomed to failure, as nobody had time on the ball and passing lanes were blocked time and again. It made no difference if Rice or Odegaard - or sometimes both - dropped back into the defensive lines to try to create an overload. They often had nowhere to turn and could only go backwards; whereupon Brighton jumped and pressured again. Even David Raya's normally assured work with the ball at his feet was all over the place. 

No matter how you look at it, the fact is that Arsenal lost possession no less than 51 times in their own half of the field. Do you want to hazard a guess as to the last time that happened? I'll tell you; April 2023 at The Etihad, when Kevin De Bruyne and Co tore Arsenal to shreds in a 4-1 win that put an end to the Gunners title hopes for that season. The time before; Liverpool away in November 2021 - 4-0 to the home side, against an Arsenal side that featured such luminaries as Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares. 

Two things I'd say here. Firstly, this was probably the first time this season that Arsenal missed the calm assurance with the ball at his feet of William Saliba. And secondly - and let's not dress this up because it's true - Brighton were taking a hell of a risk! 

But a calculated one. With Arsenal forced to go long so frequently - or risk losing the ball deep in their own half - the home side were prepared to take the chance that their central defenders were going to be able to cope with Kai Havertz. Whether Brighton will be prepared to be quite so gung ho when up against the likes of Haaland (especially) and Isak remains to be seen. Although something I must mention at this point is that if there is anything that shows Brighton's transfer policy in a shining light compared to say - let's pluck a name out of the air here - Tottenham Hotspur it's the 'swap' deal (it wasn't quite that) of Vuskovic for Van Hecke. Because for all the money that Spurs have managed to flush away over the summer, the sale of Vuskovic is looking like the transfer mistake of the decade! 

And so the pattern of the game was set from early on, with Brighton pressing as ferociously as I've seen any side do; whilst at the same time taking the calculated risk that the isolated Arsenal front line was going to find it difficult to cause them much harm. Frankly, I can't see any group of players being able to maintain such high levels of fitness and willingness to sprint - time and again - throughout a 50+ game season. But they got their just desserts on Saturday.

On a different note - and this may well be why some people are prepared to swear by Xg and some dismiss it as derivative nonsense - it is worth noting that Brighton scored three goals from an Xg of 1.3, and Arsenal 0 from an Xg of 1.6. Two long range shots and a set piece. Does that tally with what the game felt like while you were watching it? Arsenal had more of the ball than the home side, but couldn't do enough with it; whereas Brighton took their chances. And how! But the quality of the chances that Arsenal created was - if anything - better than that generated by the home side. One chance spurned by Havertz - played through neatly by Viktor Goykeres I should mention - was frankly inexcusable as he shot straight at Verbruggen. The German had another of those 'curate's egg' games - he can be so good so often, but so disappointing on other occasions.

And there are lessons to be learned from the two excellent long-range goals; fired into opposite corners of the Arsenal net by Gross and Kostoulas. And the lessons are simple - don't stand off the opponent and invite him to shoot! On both occasions, neither centre back moved quickly enough to engage the man with the ball - perhaps a function of being caught on the back foot so often during the game. But if you don't give them the space, they can't shoot.

Look; at the end of the day Arsenal were soundly beaten. We have to hold our hands up to that. But one massive caveat for those who are going to regard this as a template to control the mighty Arsenal is this; not many teams are built, set up and capable of doing what Brighton were able to do. And - rest assured - Mikel Arteta will be putting plans into place to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Sure, it was a really bad day at the office. But better off that it happened in September; and directly before an extended Interlull. This will be dealt with, and Arsenal will come back strongly. I know that. You know that. And the rest of English football know that. So let's not get too hung up on it. Mikel - armed with his new contract - knows...

A few other matters to take out of the weekend, before I go:

1.    Manchester City are 5 from 5, but contrived to concede three goals at home to Sunderland. They are certainly not unbeatable

2.    Chelsea... oh wow! If you think that Mikel Arteta has a lot to do over these next three weeks, spare a thought of Xabi Alonso. Or don't, actually...

3.    Tottenham Hotspur FC - I assume that you all know what the bottom of the PL table looks like at the moment? Enjoy, guys; it almost certainly won't last, but either way they're giving us a hell of a ride! £350m+ spent to be in 20th spot - they continue to entertain us in ways we'd never imagine were possible 

Relax now. Enjoy the break in the same way that Declan Rice is going to, and I'll see you on the other side.

COYG! 

It's All About You...

Wouldn't it be nice, just for once, to go a week or two without officiating controversies dominating the Premier League agenda? John Brooks' performance on Saturday evening raised enough eyebrows; but even his (and his colleagues') staggering ineptitude was comprehensively eclipsed by an absolute travesty of a decision at Old Trafford on Sunday.

I'll get back to the latter later on, but let's first concentrate on what we're really here for - which is Arsenal maintaining their 100% record at Sunderland. A ground, by the way, where you may recall they dropped points very late on last season, and at which they had to really battle for the result. And up, as they were, against not only a very physical and determined Sunderland team who had almost exclusively been given the week off by their manager despite having a Carabao Cup tie, but also a Premier League/television schedule which meant that they had to get back from Naples on Wednesday night and prepare for a tough away game just 72 hours later. Plus a referee who did his absolute utmost to aid the home side to get a result. 

A quick word for the Arsenal travelling support here, by the way. With TNT Sport once more taking the absolute mickey out of match-attending supporters for the second weekend in a row - having last week scheduled Newcastle vs Bournemouth for a 12.30pm kick-off that would have meant away fans having to leave at 1am to be sure of getting to Tyneside on time - by obliging those Arsenal fans who had been in Italy just three days prior to head 200+ miles north to a city which left them no visible means of getting back home via public transport after the match. Why this sort of thing is permitted by the authorities, I simply do not know!

Anyhoo... let's get into it. And Mikel reverted to the eleven who started against Chelsea the previous weekend; with the other change worthy of note being the return of Jurrien Timber to the bench. Sunderland was a difficult place to go last season, and looks like being equally difficult this season for any opponent. Especially bearing in mind that up until Saturday they had actually allowed the opposition fewer shots on target than even Arsenal in their first three matches!

In the early stages, Arsenal were faced with the lowest of possible low blocks, with space at an absolute premium in and around the home penalty area and Sunderland's tactics clear; deny space, and whenever possible hoof the ball up to the wall-like Brobbey for him to hold the ball up as long as possible to allow players to get around and support him. Brobbey's first act, probably inevitably, was to flatten Konsa, and the pair had a running battle all evening.

However, it didn't take long for a patient Arsenal to fashion an excellent opportunity, when in the 14th minute Rice's delicate chip found the onrushing Saka just 6 yards out. Starboy appeared to be wearing the same boots as he was wearing in Naples - i.e. NOT his shooting boots - as he only managed to prod the ball gently into Roefs' arms.

But Sunderland did start to feel their way into the game and get up the pitch; their first opportunity came when Konsa fouled Brobbey (running theme...) and Granit Xhaka's magnificent dead ball flew dangerously between the Arsenal defensive line and David Raya. Ballard's contact wasn't clean enough to cause any issue, however. Nevertheless, apart from the occasional foray from the home side, Arsenal were very much in control.

A second decent chance came and went as a typically intricate move down the away side's left saw Odegaard cut the ball back for Havertz; who could only scoop his shot over the bar from 8 yards out. Moments later the ubiquitous Odegaard, once more pulling all the strings for Arsenal and looking like the league's best player so far, crossed from the right for Havertz to chest the ball down and volley spectacularly with his back to goal; but directly above Roefs, who turned the ball over the bar comfortably. Still 0-0, but it could have already been 0-3 - and by half-time may have been 4, as only a clever intervention with his heel from Xhaka prevented Havertz from converting a late Saka corner.

At the resulting corner, by the way, Brobbey hurled Calafiori to the ground - but referee Brooks - who had been allowing all sorts of robust challenges from the home side to go unpunished (Arsenal don't like it up 'em - tick...) - waved play on (it's OK if they do it TO Arsenal players - tick...). Mikel Arteta, who went over to the fourth official to remonstrate, was then booked by Brooks for doing so (typical Arteta - tick...). Pathetic...

But the half-time scoreline... Brian Brobbey's extremely wide posterior 0, Arsenal 0.

And Arteta took action during the break, with Timber replacing White (who had been holding his groin late on) and Bruno on for MLS. The latter a very popular decision for the home supporters, obviously... and the game continued as before the break - with Arsenal dominating the ball, but Sunderland looking capable on the break - with Brobbey continuing to cause Konsa and Gabriel problems. And on 54 minutes.. penalty to Sunderland!

A preposterous call. And to understand why it was preposterous, let's go through the guidelines/triggers for awarding a penalty:

• Focus on the opponent: the defender focuses entirely on the rival player instead of tracking the ball. In this instance, Konsa's eyes are on the ball until such time as he is dragged down by Ballard
• No attempt to play the ball: the defender makes no genuine effort to challenge for or play the ball. Impossible for Konsa to play the ball - Ballard drags him down before he can get off the ground
• Two-armed holds: the defender uses both arms to grab, wrap around, or restrict an attacker. Konsa has one hand on Ballard; has to use the other to attempt to keep his balance as the latter grabs his jersey 
• Turned backs: the defender deliberately blocks or restricts an attacker who has their back turned to an incoming set-piece. Both players are facing the ball
• Sustained impact: the holding or shirt-pulling lasts long enough to noticeably impede the opponent's ability to move. It is Ballard who drags Konsa down on top of him

I mean... it's not even close to being a penalty. Not one of the above criteria are met. In fact, it's Ballard who drags Konsa over his hip. 

So for the VAR conversation to go:

Brooks: 'He's all over him at the near post facing the wrong way'

Atwell (VAR): 'I'm happy that it's a holding offence. Confirming the on-field decision of penalty'

Absolute nonsense! And so we go back to the conspiracy theories. Because just two games ago Arsenal were denied a penalty themselves following Maatsen's scissor kick assault on Bruno at Villa Park. What, precisely, are Arsenal and their supporters supposed to think?

But there it was. Le Fee lining up the spot kick, with David Raya to beat. And I'll tell you this: I had a sense that the penalty was going to be low to Raya's left, and that the goalkeeper was going to dive the right way and save it. Which is precisely what transpired. And what a brilliant save it was! The instant reaction from the Arsenal players was as much about the injustice of the penalty award as it was the save. And this is precisely why you have to rate David Raya so highly - because he saves the team time and again with crucial interventions and saves. This one, hot on the heels of the Estevao shot that he tipped over last weekend, show why he is possibly Arsenal's greatest ever goalkeeper. It's moments like these, that Raya has been delivering for year after year, that change the trajectory of a season.

Two minutes later, and Arsenal had the lead. Bruno Guimaraes rifling in a 20 yard effort into the top corner of Roefs' net. Justice done. Disallow that, Sonny Jim! Anguish for the home supporters, as the former Newcastle captain makes a telling contribution. Enjoyable celebration too, by the way...

From then - I have to be honest - I had an almost surreal sense of calm. Rightly or wrongly, anyway. No way were Arsenal going to let this slip, I was thinking. Not this time. Not this year. Lightning was never going to strike twice. This group of players are built differently. Although my confidence was tested on a few occasions, I have to admit.

But if anything, Arsenal could and should have pulled away. Saka missed another presentable opportunity. Havertz had a header cleared off the line by Ballard. And the German passed when he had an excellent shooting chance. Then Timber buried Odegaard's free kick; a tight call for offside.

Despite the old fashioned 'up and under' pressure from the home side Raya was rarely threatened... until very late on, that is, when new signing Malick Fofana began to bring havoc to Arsenal's right side and we saw some penalty box pinball, and some major havoc following a Xhaka cross when Raya had to intervene twice in order to clear the danger.

In the meantime, Brooks had excelled himself yet again. This time penalising Calafiori for taking too long to get the ball back into play at a throw-in (Arsenal deliberately delay restarts - tick...). Except that he was letting Sunderland do it all game. Gabriel forced to leave the field for a minute, having been fouled (Arsenal time wasting as usual - tick…). And then a booking for Gabriel, who had been looking to act as peacemaker following an incident between Konsa and Mukiele (Gabriel always instigates trouble. I've got to punish him - tick...)

The icing went on the cake late on, as deep into injury time Saka was awarded a penalty. Reinaldo - previously booked for tugging Saka's shirt - got his marching orders, having dragged him back inside the penalty area. Spot kick low to the keeper's left again; but this time there was too much power for Roefs to keep it out. 

Three more points tucked away, then, at a ground where many teams are sure to struggle. Sunderland are here to stay; that I can confidently predict. And this means that Arsenal now find themselves 5 points ahead of where they were from comparative games last season. You will recall the late loss at Villa, and the late concession leading to a draw at the Stadium of Light. That'll do.

Before I go; two things. Firstly, victory in Naples. Never an easy place to go, yet Arsenal dominated almost throughout. Two words of caution, however.

Firstly, Naples did have a few chances on the break. As did Sunderland, And as had Chelsea. I'd suggest that Arsenal are riding their luck somewhat as they look to 'attack' this season. It is very possible that a combination of a little bit too much risk-taking, and a perceived lack of fire power and true star quality up top, may hurt them as the season progresses. I am sure that Arteta is aware of this.

Secondly, there is the question of Ebereche Eze on the left wing. Arsenal dominated completely, and at a suffocatingly slow pace I must add. But I certainly felt that they were inhibited by Eze's unwillingness to even attempt to go to the outside of his full back. He wants to play more in the interior, so he doesn't feel like a natural alternative to Tzolis. Maybe it'll have to be the left-footed Madueke?

Finally - and I cannot let this pass - there is the actual biggest refereeing controversy of the weekend. Which is the goal awarded to Manchester City at Old Trafford. All I can say is this: there is no way that ANYBODY who has played or watched football at any level can possibly think that Enzo Fernandez is not offside and 'interfering with play' as he launches himself at Cherki's cross inside the 6-yard box, directly in front of the goalkeeper and with the lone defender drawn to him instead of staying with Haaland at the back post. I have seen some diabolical officiating decisions in my time, but for the referee and VAR to go through the process they did and come up with Goal as the answer takes the absolute biscuit. It's simply unfathomable - but I'm sure that United will take solace in the inevitable 'apology'. As if the decision to send off Foden, and not book Rat Face Fernandes, wasn't enough of an egregious error earlier on. 

When will it stop, and no wonder that Arsenal fans feel that there's corruption in the air as City continue to keep pace with the Champions. Simply unbelievable, and it is clear to me that PRO Ref (new name for PGMOL; same old sh*t though) are completely unfit for purpose. Just look at how UEFA and FIFA run their competitions for comparison.

Anyway, Arsenal move on; masters - hopefully - of their own destiny. Ipswich away in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday (I'm expecting full rotation) and then another tricky game at Brighton on Saturday before the tumbleweed of an extended Interlull beckons.

Let's keep going. COYG!

Anything You Can Do...

… Arsenal can do better.

My big take away from Arsenal’s win over Chelsea on Sunday is that it doesn’t make much difference to this group what type of game is presented to them. They work out how to deal with the problem, adapt, and almost always come out on top. 

Whether it’s a ‘low block’, attempting something over-physical, looking to dominate possession or - as Chelsea looked to do - a counter-attacking plan, Arsenal invariably have the answer. And the home side managed to do that despite Chelsea taking that shock early lead. 

There’s no point in me regurgitating information or analysis that you will have already heard or read about the game, so I’m going to look for some slightly different angles to those put forward by others as I analyse it. Little things that might make a difference as the season goes on. 

For those who missed my latest On The Whistle, by the way, please click here - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/r1k4AdtN7dA. You'll find them on the marksyspeaks YouTube channel after every home game. But, for now, let’s crack on:

1. Evidence of the need for an extra right-sided defender was right in our faces on Sunday. Arsenal have been hurt in the recent past by ‘cluster’ injuries, so when one adds the minor injury to Mosquera to the longer term issues being suffered by Saliba and Timber, it shows that the summer signing of Konsa was really important. I for one wouldn’t have liked to see Hincapie pressed into playing as an emergency right back, or maybe Rice or Zubimendi repurposed there and forced to try to deal with Morgan Rogers. Not only would that have meant a mis-match, but could have unbalanced the entire side. Well done to the hierarchy for getting Konsa in - and yes, I’m sure that they overpaid; but the alternative wasn’t worth considering. As far as his performance was concerned, it was as if Konsa has been at Arsenal for the past 5 years - https://x.com/i/status/2096658429528219911

2. It’s remarkable to me that MLS continues to keep both Zubimendi and Bruno out of the starting XI - although I’d suggest that judging from the latter’s non-appearance from even the bench on Sunday he probably wasn’t fit enough t play a part in any case. Nonetheless, this is remarkable from a 19-year-old that the manager only saw fit to select in a moment of desperation as recently as April (shades of what he did with ESR in December 2020). Whether the teenager is going to manage to hang on to his spot as the season progresses is open to doubt, as the competition is so strong. But Arteta doesn't need to overplay any of these guys, so they should all hopefully remain pretty fresh throughout. What seems pretty clear to me, however, is that MLS is going to find himself back in the England squad next week 

3.    I am particularly delighted to see Martin Odegaard return to his very best form this season, as I have remained a steadfast supporter of what he offers the team when others had been declaring him 'finished'. The skipper sets a lot of the tone of the team, and is absolutely key to how Arteta wants them to play. If he can maintain fitness levels and arrive fresh at the back end of the season, he can be the difference in the latter stages of the Champions League. What was very noticeable to me when Arteta finally withdrew him late on in Sunday's game was that his replacement, Mikel Merino, was not capable of covering the ground like the Norwegian does - gaps started to appear in midfield where previously there were none. Arteta needs to look after a number of key players - and ought to be able to do that with a squad of the size and quality that he has assembled - but Odegaard is possbily the most important of all.

I should mention, by the way, the remarkable similarity between his goal in this game and the one he scored in the Community Shield. Watch this for proof - https://x.com/Arsenal/status/2097007219380539580?s=20 - and presumably opponents might get wise to this at some point. But these were two sublime goals, frankly

4.    One or two people may have questioned David Raya's inability to prevent Rogers' shot going in (I am not one of them), but he once more put in a gigantic performance in goal, and he continues to add further strings to his bow on almost a weekly basis. He is already a top-class shot stopper (that injury-time tip over from Estevao's effort shows that clearly), and commands his penalty area remarkably well - especially considering that he is no physical giant in goalkeeping terms - when meeting crosses and dead balls; thus installing high levels of confidence in his defenders, of course. 

But the addition of a remarkable ability to hit long balls out of his hands pretty much exactly where he needs to is changing the way that Arsenal counter attack; and changing the way that opponents need to defend against Arsenal. On numerous occasions on Sunday he set Havertz and latterly Gyokeres free with 60-70 yards balls. And these were no aimless punts. What will he and Ignaki Cana come up with next?

5.    This was another high class performance from Kai Havertz. Yes, he was nowhere near his best on Monday at Villa Park, but this was chalk to that cheese. He occupied Chelsea's defenders over the full width of the pitch, his clever flicks and switches of play had the opposition at 6s and 7s, he atoned for a failure to shoot when let in by Tzolis's square ball a few moments earlier with a precision near post shot (which, to double the joy, ought to have been saved by pantomime villain Emi Martinez, who was relentlessly and deservedly booed throughout), and his sublime dummy to let Odegaard in for the decisive second goal was beautiful to behold. He is clearly - and rightly - Arteta's first choice up top at the moment, and if he stays fit could be in for a stellar season. The fact that he always seems to get a goal against his former club must really rankle with their supporters - especially those who were actually delighted to see him leave Stamford Bridge at the time - and I'd hope to see him continue to rub the doubters noses in whatever they don't want their noses to be rubbed in

6.    Chelsea supporters - know your place! The pathetic addition of blow up plastic Champions League trophies on Sunday was an embarrassment, and hopefully their supporters are now beginning to accept Arsanal's long-term superiority. I was in the ground the past time that they beat Arsenal - August 2021, when Thomas Tuchel outwitted a rather less experienced Mikel Arteta by overloading Chelsea's right hand side; they tore Arsenal apart that day. Since then, Arsenal have remained undefeated against Chelsea, and that's long time for another so called Big Six club to fail to beat Arsenal. We had an awful lot less of the 'Champions of Europe - you'll never sing that' nonsense. Especially because we soon will - and they know it! And a lot of the social media stuff I've come across both before and since actually acknowledges Arsenal's current superiority. Good - stay down where you belong, if you don't mind!

7.    I have to say, by the way, that a re-watch was far more comfortable than being in the ground was. Especially with the game resembling something like a game of basketball for much of the last 15 minutes. My heart rate hit 118bpm at one point... but those watching on television tell me that they were considerably less concerned. I really do need to relax!

That'll do, I think. 9 points from 9 - difficult to argue with that! And attention now turns to the Champions League, with Arsenal on their way to Naples for their season opener on Wednesday. The draw could have been a little kinder, I guess, but Arsenal have avoided both PSG and Barcelona, and can look forward to a match-up with Bayern in Germany (I'm going to try to snaffle a ticket for that, I think), and a repeat of the Real Madrid match-up from a couple of seasons ago that is most memorable for Declan Rice's free kick double. This is the first of a sequence of no less than 4 successive away matches in three different competitions, before the interminable Interlull that will follow. So Arsenal aren't back at Emirates Stadium until October 10th!

But long may the excellent form and result continue. I don't see why they should not. 

COYG!

Options

Bit of a late one; this. Which as a rule I'll be doing my utmost to avoid this season. But I've been away - I watched the Villa game on my iPad in a villa in Tuscany - and having made a right mess of an attempt to post an update from abroad a few months ago I decided that I'd just wait until I got home. Anyway... 

I’ll be covering the victory over Aston Villa in this post (Mikel Arteta's 250th PL game in charge of The Gunners). And then the closing of the Transfer Window. And finally some thoughts on Sunday's meeting with Chelsea. But let’s start with Monday evening.

I won't dwell on this too much, as the game feels like it's long gone now; and was pretty unmemorable in any case. But here are a few of the bigger things I took from it.

• Arsenal remain ridiculously solid at the back. Saliba or no Saliba, they have made an exemplary start to the season. The only time that Villa had Raya the slightest bit concerned was when Buendia's pot shot - following what looked like a foul on Tzolis - crashed off the bar. They were virtually impotent. And Ezri Konsa, on debut, looked like he'd been an Arsenal player for years when he made a late appearance in place of Mosquera. Arsenal have conceded no goals, and a total xGA, of 0.42 in two PL games so far. Just ridiculous

• Tzolis was hooked at half-time by Arteta on the back of a sobering 45 minutes up against Cash. His replacement, Ebere Eze, changed the flow of the game, and the fact that the latter has added some extra work rate and defensive nous to his game is going to gain him some game time out on the left for Arsenal as the season progresses. especially with so many vying for a role more in the interior attacking areas

• Tzolis took an early booking for a fairly innocuous foul from referee Gillett. The latter then proceeded to favour the home side continually as Cash, McGinn and serial offender Maatsen were allowed to assault the visitors on a rota basis. One foul by Cash on Tzolis clearly deserved a booking. McGinn did McGinn things all night. And Maatsen racked up a hatful of bookable offences before being shown a late yellow. The latter also fouled substitute Bruno in the area late on with a scissor tackle that looked for all the world like a foul, penalty and second yellow. But the away side were getting nothing from the 'homer' of a referee and an impotent VAR. A shocking display from the officials; plus - as they say in France - ca change...

• Arsenal's midfield looks ridiculously strong. Being able to start with Rice, MLS and Odegaard, and then replacing them with talents like Bruno, Zubimendi and Mikel Merino is an embarrassment of riches. Oh my goodness! Now all Arteta needs to do is remember to rotate his troops

• Further forward, things look less clear. Tzolis had very little go his way on the night, but Eze helped make the difference. Starboy did well, and got the crucial goal following a late dart into the 6-yard box. But we saw the side of Kai Havertz that we'd rather not see too often. He missed two extremely presentable opportunities, but was actually offside for both; two of the 5 times he was caught offside. Not of the required standard... and yet we still did not see Big Vik. I wonder what that's all about (and I for one don't believe that the manager failed to bring him on because of a pending number change for the Swede following the departure of Gabriel Jesus...)

Anyway, we'll take the three points from what is traditionally a difficult venue for Arsenal and move on quickly.

Meantime, do click on this -

https://x.com/i/status/2094552639136563501

Two games in, it's maximum points, 4 goals scored and none conceded. Difficult to knock... yet plenty of pundits and supporters do. Apparently, Arsenal have a duty to entertain the neutral viewer. Well, f*ck that! The season is long, and people do love to beat Arsenal with whatever stick they can lay their hands on. They can go to hell!

A few quick thoughts on the transfer window now. And as I've already mentioned Arsenal look incredibly strong in both defence and midfield. 

In defence, there are still Timber and Saliba to come back, so opposing forward lines are going to have a very tough time breaking Arsenal down for the foreseeable future. The Gunners do, however, need to rely on David Raya staying fit, as I don't have much confidence in either Kepa or Meslier being able to fill his gloves to anything like the required standard.

In midfield, as I've mentioned, the hardest thing will be keeping so many world class players happy. One can almost perm any three from 6 and expect to dominate almost any opposition.

Up front, Arsenal have dispensed with both Leandro Trossard and now Gabriel Martinelli over the summer (along with Jesus, who wasn't getting any game time in any case, and also Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira - both of whom had as much a chance of pulling on a red shirt any time soon as I have). Additionally, Ethan Nwaneri has once more gone out on loan. 

There is clearly a production line being set up behind the likes of Odegaard and Eze, with Nwaneri and Dowman both wating in the wings, and for the moment we have Saka on the right with the 'mercurial' Madueke to rotate in. On the left, once their principal targets (Rogers; asking price ridiculous, and Vinicius Junior; entire scenario ridiculous) were proven unobtainable the Arsenal hierarchy have decided to stick with Tozlis and Eze. Up top, it's either Havertz or Gyokeres. Many are saying that Arsenal are light in the forward areas, but for me there are two key factors:

Firstly, if the elite talent that is needed to improve the squad is unavailable then why throw funds away on unsuitable candidates? And secondly is the matter of fitness - Arsenal won the PL and got to within a kick of the Champions League whilst Havertz (41 matches!), Odegaard (30) and Saka (15) missed large swathes of the season. Any sort of better luck with injuries and we should be just fine; until such time as a Galactico can be found/lured away. I'm certainly not going to be one of the complainers, with Arteta being able to call on Havertz, Gyokeres, Saka, Madueke, Tzolis, Eze, Dowman and. lest we forget him, Mikel Merino to play in forward positions between now and January. And if other clubs choose to overpay on such as Rogers and Barcola in forward positions, then that's their lookout. 

Before I get to the game at the weekend, a quick word on Gabriel Martinelli. It's sad to see him leave, but I can understand it from the club's perspective, as he really hadn't kicked on and improved as others have done over the past few years. Despite a critical goal against Manchester City last season, and a number of important contributions in the Champions League, he probably falls short of the level that Arteta is looking for. And with £60m+ of 'pure profit' available as an Academy graduate, this is just the sort of pragmatic sale that a club needs to make these days. He had been a loyal and important servant to the club, but that's football... 

Now on to Chelsea. Now, for me, Chelsea have replaced Tottenham as Public Enemy Number One. Partly because there's simply nothing to do with regard to Tottenham but laugh. But then mainly because I have nothing but disdain for the way the West London club is run, and is perceived (Manchester City are a very close second, by the way). The 'cattle market' behaviour of player trading makes my stomach turn, as they clearly have no regard for playing staff other than as chattels to be bought and sold. They have no morals or scruples, and they make me sick!

The final straw for me was the signing of Emi Martinez. I can't stand the guy, and so it seems perfectly clear that him going to Stamford Bridge is simply the culmination of the sinking of both him and the club to the bottom of a pond in which all life is poisonous. Two vile entities coming together; may they suffer together for eternity in thr blackest pits of hell, please.

As you may be able to tell, I'm not a lover of Chelsea FC... however, let's have a look at them on a more practical level. Martinez will certainly improve them, with Sanchez having been a liability in goal. But defensively they can be got at, as for me they lack a lot of the qualities needed in top class defenders (one just has to look at Arsenal). And whilst Alonso's tactics are embedded they can certainly be got at - we have seen how open they have been in their first two games. This is partly explained by the Caicedo-shaped hole in their midfield, and with Enzo now gone I cannot see that Lavia can do enough of a job against Arsenal's world-class midfield.

Further forward, they are obviously devastating, with potentially the best forward line in the league. Palmer is class, and Joao Pedro a continual threat; while we are fully aware of Rogers' capabilities and that is why Arteta was so keen to sign him (but not for £117m!). So they will pose a threat going forward, but they first have to get hold of the ball, and I am not sure how easy that may be for them. 

I'm worried about the game as I am about any Arsenal game, but I'd expect Arsenal to win it comfortably 7 times out of 10. For all that Chelsea may turn out to be one of Arsenal's biggest title threats this season, I feel that for all their forward power Arsenal will still have too much for them. The Gunners may finally concede a goal, but I'm still expecting a two goal margin by full time.

 3-1 to the good guys. Mark my words. COYG