The last time we won a league game at White Hart Lane Mike Arteta was Arsenal captain. Yesterday he was Head Coach as we stepped into their new stadium, the Giant Toilet Bowl, for the first time, looking for a vital three points that would give us every chance of welcoming St. Totteringham back after four seasons in exile.
We started slowly, our three CBs Kola, Luiz and Mustafi all with shaky moments that thankfully led to nothing more than an early tester for Emi. After ten minutes Pepe miscontrolled a ball on the right that gave Moura a chance to chip a ball through to Kane, whose eyes lit up as he thought he had lofted it over Martinez to score yet another goal against us. Fortunately, the commanding keeper made a good save.
Bellerin marauded forwards brilliantly and played a ball across goal to Auba who produced a rare miskick when he should have scored. Big chance.
Shortly after, on sixteen minutes, we went ahead. Xhaka, pedestrian for most of the match, won a ball high up the pitch and it squirted free to Lacazette who touched it forwards and unleashed an absolute screamer from 25 yards that flew into the top corner past the helpless Lloris. It was probably the best strike any of our players have hit this season and it was vital that we built on it, or at least kept things tight for ten minutes after taking the lead. However, Arteta has not yet had enough time with his charges, or opportunities to buy upgrades, that we are completely clear of the worst days of the Emery era, when we were constantly on the verge of giving away stupid goals.
One player I would dearly like to see moved on is Kolasinac. He seems a no-nonsense sort of player and man, seeing things in black and white terms. On 18 minutes, perhaps it was his literal interpretation of the architecture on display that caused him to take a massive dump in the middle of the pitch? He received the ball from David Luiz in his position as our left-sided central defender and, to the surprise of absolutely no-one, decided to ignore Tierney on the wing and play a diagonal return ball back to the Brazilian. Given this is about the only pass he ever plays we might have expected him to have practiced it enough not to mess it up. We would have been wrong. Instead of playing it to Luiz’s left foot, in the direction he was running, Kola played it across him, and he had neither the speed nor the mobility to stop Son from latching on to it and taking it wide before executing a fine chipped finish over the unlucky Martinez.
Although Luiz did not cover himself in glory this goal was all down to Kola. To give them a goal from such an innocuous position so soon after taking the lead was suicidal. How important would that moment prove in shaping the outcome of the game?
On the half hour mark Ben Davis thundered a shot onto the bar from thirty yards. Replays showed Emi got his fingertips to it. We replied with a close effort from the previously quiet Pepe who got into the game well for the last fifteen minutes of the half, brilliantly winning a free kick on the edge of the box that Auba sent just wide, and later shifting the ball quickly to create space for a shot on target that, in truth, he should have done better with. He had a couple of chances to dribble at them from wide, once failing to spot a crossfield ball that was on to Auba as we had a rare break away after defending a corner, instead trying to play in Laca but only finding some tosser in white. He was also shoulder barged off the ball by the odious Lo Celso in a challenge that might well have been worthy of his second yellow. Instead Michael Oliver waved play on. Unfortunately, I cannot imagine Luiz getting away with that at the other end. Moments later he gave Lacazette a yellow, not a bad decision in itself, but hugely frustrating for its inconsistency. The last act of the half was a yellow for Davis for a cynical foul on the breaking Pepe.
We started the second half with plenty of possession but little of it in the final third. Five minutes in and Winks, a player full of niggling fouls, mystifyingly avoided a yellow for a clear and cynical pull on Ceballos. A few minutes later Pepe did not receive the same leniency, getting a yellow for stopping a Spuds attack down our right wing. These cards sandwiched an overhead kick from Mustafi. You don’t see many of them!
Just shy of the hour Auba was put through by Laca. His left-footed drive smashed into the crossbar when it really should have bulged the net. It was a glorious chance to retake the lead in game lacking in quality moments.
It continued with us controlling the ball without creating much. Spuds sat deep and fouled us in midfield, using their short bursts of possession to hit long balls at Kane and Son. They look every inch a dull but functional Mourinho side. At the drinks break Saka came on for Pepe but he did not do much apart from pick up a yellow for hurling the ball into the turf in disgust at decision from the ref that looked correct to me. We began to lose our control in the final quarter of the game. We still had most of the ball but Spuds began getting forwards more often and our defence was a cause for concern. Mustafi had been our best defender (a terrifying sentence) but now he looked shattered, having played a huge amount of football since the restart. His old habits crept in and he began hurling himself to ground and misreading situations in a comedy of errors. Kane went past him and nearly found Son but Emi smothered it.
The magician Winks took 76 minutes to perform a trick that had appeared impossible but his efforts were rewarded when he was finally able to win the yellow card he had been fighting for all match. Bookings are to Harry Winks what watertight boxes were to Houdini, just something to wriggle out of while your manager claps encouragement.
The excellent pair of Bellerin and Ceballos combined to create a chance for Auba whose curling shot at the far post produced a fine save from Lloris. Mustafi let Kane go and a good ball from Moura gave him another chance but Emi was all over him in a flash, blocking it out for a corner.
From this corner Spurs scored again. Another easily avoidable goal. Son put in a good corner and Alderweireld rose above his marker, the much shorter Tierney, to leave Martinez with no chance as a good header flew past him. We had plenty of men in the box but the Spurs man attacked the ball ahead of all of them. We had no one at the back post, which may be questionable, but I don’t think it would have mattered as the finish was good.
Mustafi then lost the ball badly out wide before producing a moment so inept that supporters of any other team would have been howling with laughter as he leapt, like a salmon doing a Bambi impression, somewhere to the right and behind Kane, who ignored this ludicrous piece of ‘defending’ to shoot for the far post, only to find Martinez once again up to the task of foiling him.
With only a few minutes left MA8 took off Kola, Bellerin and Tierney for Willock, Cedric and Nelson. Unfortunately, it was too little too late and the final few minutes drifted away without us creating a final chance to level things up.
The problems were there for all to see. Defenders not good enough as individuals. Arteta cannot make steak tartare out of the mouldy old onion and cow’s feet that are Kola, Luiz and Mustafi. Although what Holding has to do to get a start is beyond me? The midfield was not good enough. Which is strange as Ceballos had a very good game and Xhaka was okay too, but as a unit they did not drive us forwards enough or provide enough dangerous passes forwards. Laca kept dropping deep to help them out. Our third CD robs us of an extra body in midfield. If we had Rob’s distribution this would be less of an issue, but we all know Kola does not have his passing range and it costs us.
Disappointingly, Arteta went back to his previous default setting of not making the right subs at the right moments. Getting Kola off and pulling Tierney into the back line would have made a lot of sense. But whatever he chose to do it was clear in the last twenty minutes that something needed to be done yet he did not manage to change the game from the bench. He will learn.
So, where do we go from here? This result has seriously dented our hopes of finishing above Spuds, or in the Europa League. We have dropped five points from winning positions in our last two games. We play Liverpool and Man City (in the cup semi) next. And we have to pick ourselves up from a hugely dispiriting loss to the worst man in football, managing the most horrific club in football, with a team that, frankly, were not very good and did not have to be to beat us. Uurgh. That all sounds awful.
I shall however, channel my inner Dave and point out that Emi was outstanding, Ceballos was very good, the wingbacks were good, Hector in particular having a great game and finally beginning to forge a partnership with Pepe who created space for him by drifting inside and covered back well at times. Laca is coming back to form too and on another day Auba gets a hat trick. We look much better under Arteta and it is obvious to everyone we are a work in progress. Without a silly mistake at a crucial moment it might well have gone the other way. If we keep up our attitude, keep accepting responsibility for the mistakes that cost us points and keep working hard to improve them then we will get better results and we will move forwards as a team and club. We have the right man in charge, let’s finish the season as strongly as we can and then hope the transfer market brings him all the things he wants and gets rid of what we don’t need.
Yesterday’s was a tough result to take but the future looks good. Have a good one Holics.
P.S. I have just seen the news that Serge Aurier’s brother, Christopher, has been shot dead in France. That is a terrible thing to happen and I am sure I speak for everyone here in offering him our deepest condolences. There are much worse things than losing to the enemy.
Nice report Matt. It’s tough to stay balanced after throwing away a game like that. Several of us have been calling out for Holding to replace Kolasinac for weeks.
RIP Aurier’s brother.
Can’t take credit for that one
C100 but I agree it’s a nice
report 😉
On the CAS ruling in the last
drinks…..
I doubt there is anyone outside
the Shitty fan base who thinks
they were actually innocent.
They have simply treated UEFA
with disdain and will come out
with a slap on the wrist as UEFA
were too incompetent to follow
their own rules. It doesn’t really
matter how UEFA try to spin it
FFP is not FFP as is blatantly obvious
nearly every season.
“perhaps it was his literal interpretation of the architecture on display that caused him to take a massive dump in the middle of the pitch?”
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Apologies GSD. Nice work.
Superb report GSD. A tough task, extremely well performed. You channelled your inner-Dave throughout. It was much more enjoyable to read this report than to watch the game itself though I must confess that until the second half water break, I was confident that we would at least take a point and would probably win the damn game. The three CBs, albeit Mustafi was pretty good until that water break, would give the ‘Three Stooges’ a bad name given the impecccable timing and teamwork of the latter. A huge clear-out is required here.
Another report of the highest quality . I came to Goonerholic to read excellent accounts of matches and events leading up to them in the most congenial of company with friends who write with passion and integrity ( and no little humour) about the club we love . This excellent and honest account is yet another on here that Dave would approve of – much more than he would approve of the dolt Kolasinac wearing a jersey distinguished by the likes of Adams, McLintock, Simpson, O’Leary and that reformed Spud Campbell. They were all great centre backs ( Frank much more than that in his day) . Kolasinac is definitely not a centre back as he has demonstrated very clearly over the last few games just as he is a very flawed defensive left-back too.
That defeat was so avoidable yesterday but it is in sync with this most interminable and dispiriting season . The two clubs played the Derby in their joint lowest positions since 1995 just after George got the boot. A temporary hiatus took place after that and we then saw the arrival of a saviour who transformed the club. We’ve had the hiatus. Can we now welcome a real innovator who will restore our previous glory? Surely not too much to ask?
Excellent review GSD! Very balanced and rightly highlighting the progress being made. I have no doubts about Mikel’s evolution towards excellence with us. Just hope he is supported ably and wisely by the club.
Thanks GSD for a highly readable and insightful match report on a match we would probably like to forget unless we want to make things better, and that we do!
Excellent report GSD.
As a non-subscriber to pay TV (too tight-fisted) and an avoider of streams (too many experiences of Arsenal conceding just after I start watching), I ended up listening to yesterday’s match on 5Live.
It was basically the same old, same old:
We scored.
We had a defensive disaster and were pulled back to 1-1.
We had period of dominance in which we weren’t able to score.
We aren’t sufficiently solid defensively for anyone who is non-delusional to expect that we can fail to concede if the opposition have the ball for more than about 35 minutes, and when possession is about 50-50 that’s how long we needed to keep them out after they’d equalised.
We conceded another, following a different defensive howler.
And just to reinforce the feeling of deja vue (trop fois), he referee was not a model of consistency.
Nothing new to see here. Move along, please.
(Good job I wasn’t writing the report!)
Good with all of that, GSD. Tough day, tough job for you. Onward.
RIP Aurier’s brother
A fine, heavily distilled summary @10, pangloss.
Plus ça change….
Thank you, GSD, for a more optimistic report on a game I was unable to see than I had been expecting to read. The Guv’nor would have been proud of you.
Cheers all.
The Guv found a way to be measured and positive yet realistic and that was definitely the note I wanted to hit. There are plenty of places for whingeing and doom mongering and this bar carries on the old bar’s tradition of not being one of them.
UTA
bt8 @4.
I’m glad you liked that line! It was my favourite too.
Good tactical analysis in the ‘Blogs about our lack of creativity: https://arseblog.com/2020/07/tactics-column-artetas-back-three-is-just-an-undersized-security-blanket/
Good stuff, GSD – not a pleasant task but a decent read👍🏻
“Winks, a player full of niggling fouls ….”. Does that make him Nudge nudge, Winks winks ?
😳
So UEFA took 3 years to gather the evidence required to charge Man City with breaches of FFP regulations, including emailed instructions on exactly where to place various amounts of money that needed to be buried – despite the probable irritation it would cause the sheikh.
CAS then decide that it is not possible to charge City because the events took place too long ago.
What an utterly bent farce.
RIP FFP
Thanks for the report, very fair and written .
Dr.F@17
That’s a very good tactical analysis but is probably a little kinder to Arteta than I would be on Sunday’s evidence . For years tyevdrill has been in the first third ( near your goal) don’t put the ball at risk . That’s not the way we play. We are riskiest in our passing in that area of the pitch.Its a deliberate tactic to draw players forward to create space . We haven’t got the players to pull it off.
In the middle third passages tend to be more patient, you are probingband we do this quite well although someone like Ceballos against Leicester was always looking to pass through the channels into space- with great effect. S***s blocked that off yesterday most of the time. Xhaka is a no-risk passer playing the ball sideways and backwards nearly always . I think he has one assist this season .
What really galls me is when we take a short corner and play the ball from the by-line back to a defender in our half to keep possession . Surely you completely undo your field position. Putting balls into the danger area with quality has to be more worthwhile than almost playing it back to Martinez. Ok if you are seeing a game out but it’s not a way to win a game and if you are leading it’s surely better to have the ball ninety yards from your goal.
I think Arteta is currently much more conservative than Wenger, Guardiola or Klopp but he does not have their quality of players….yet! He is about possession but the balance of risk his teams take is wrongly aligned. Be speculative in the final third not near your own goal. As GSD said we almost committed hari-kiri three times in the first few minutes . I’m sure his ideas will evolve especially as he ( hopefully) gets players he can develop .But I don’t find us an easy watch at present. We are always capable of conceding .
Think the absolute antithesis of Copenhagen in 1994 . Playing a brilliant group of forwards- Zola, Brolin and Asprilla with a goalie with a broken rib….and he barely touched the ball because we were so pragmatic defensively. I would so love to see that defensive nous back .
welcome to the bar, pt2. come in and let us know what’s your tipple.
gsd, your report was much, much more fair than i would have been, credit to you. i appreciate your focus on the positives, and your humor. i look forward to the remaining games without kola in the 3rd cb position (i’ll be astounded if rob isn’t there). someone mentioned moving tierney back to the corner from wingback, putting saka in front of him, and keeping auba left…i imagine that would have worked better, but in the latter stages of the game mustafi was really the one who needed to come off.
arteta is still learning, and i’ll give him the poor substitutions against the learning curve. i do see he is moving us two steps forward…this is one step back. onward against liverpool, who seem to have cooled off the slightest bit since their scorching pre-covid form. COYG!
A very calm, measured match report GSD, laced with a certain amount of humour, the latter no doubt inspired by constantly watching our “defenders” week in week out. Disappointingly this was another match that we should have got something from. Too often our defenders are one step away from gifting a goal, there’s insufficient creativity in midfield and our strikers appear to be profligate as well. Although this may sound depressing, there is the basis of a good squad here that needs a quality player in those positions on the field mentioned above. Our head coach is well on the way to improving these areas as he gains experience – he is still learning his trade. I think all the fellow drinkers here like the cut of his jib and we are optimistic he will get there in the end, As always, it’s the hope that keeps us going.
Some great comments on an
A+ plus report and it all sums
up our current situation well.
I wonder how MA will react with
the team selection for Liverpoo.
With Mari / Calum out, Guen /
Ozil on remand and Eddie held
in suspension there is not a
lot of room to manoeuvre.
Rob for Kola is the change
everyone wants to see. Papa
to provide Mus with a break
is possible I suppose. It doesn’t
seem to be a game for wholesale
changes so I suppose most will
have to soldier on.
When I started supporting Arsenal in 2006-07 (solely based on seeing TH14 for the very first time in WC ‘06) a loss like this would have annoyed me for a few hours but I’ve come so used to this crap I get up off the couch and walk away without being irritated. I do think Arteta is the right guy but we have to clear out the knuckleheads in the back and strengthen through the middle. COYG, make us happy on Wednesday.
Cheers PT2 and welcome to the bar!
Pull up a chair and have a drink on me.
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