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 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. https://x.com/i/status/2094552639136563501- click on this
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 (150 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 if 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 had 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; which 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 two 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
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