The Arsenal team, surprisingly to me, ahead of C130y at home, started with only one change – Rice in for Nwaneri with a very strong bench, including the returning Saliba.
The starting team:
Raya,
Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori
Merino Zubimendi, Rice
Madueke, Gyökeres, Eze
Subs: Kepa, Setford, MLS, Saliba, Hincapié, Nørgaard, Dowman, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Trossard.
The pre-match footage of Bilbao and the ground looked amazing and 21CG and I watched enviously from the sofa. Our Basque friends, and everyone else who has been there, have been telling us how wonderful Bilbao is – the food, the people, the culture. We would have loved to have been there but, despite the tickets going down to red members, we just couldn’t make the numbers work. Direct and even indirect flights were just too expensive. After our jaunts last season to Milan, Lisbon and Madrid, this would have been another great one. Ahh well, a freezing cold Milan in January it is.
Arsenal began with a period of possession, feeling out Bilbao and trying to pull them out of position to break the press. Bilbao were having none of it and when they gained possession looked the more forward-minded side. On 7 minutes a turnover enabled them to get forward and draw a free kick on the edge of our box, which fortunately went into the wall. Worse though, Rice was booked.
Moving past the 10th minute, we were intent on playing our possession game but the pressing game of Bilbao was just too strong and we couldn’t hold onto the ball. It seemed to me that our best hope was to weather the storm and then ratchet up the pressure as the opposition tired. The question at this stage being whether we could hold out.
After 23 minutes, Arsenal started to come into it with a period of pressure resulting in a couple of efforts from Gyökeres. On 30 minutes, a free kick from the right, which possibly should have been augmented by a yellow for the preceding foul on Madueke, resulted in a bad clash of heads between Gabriel and Gyökeres. Blood was pouring from a gash on the back of Gyökeres head and a stoppage for a couple of minutes followed.
A period of bad-tempered play followed, largely provoked by the antics of the Bilbao no. 3, Vivian who threw himself onto the floor trying to get Rice booked for a second time and then went in for afters with Eze.
Overall, the first half was one where we seemed content to try to contain Bilbao, which by and large we did. But at no time did we look wholly comfortable, much less in control.
Half time Bilbao 0 Arsenal 0
No changes for Arsenal at half time. A minute into the half Eze drew a foul on the edge of their box, and from the resulting cross Gyökeres connected very poorly, heading wide, having shoved the defender in the back to make the space.
The teams traded efforts on goal between 55 and 57 minutes with Madueke, by far Arsenal’s best player to this point, and Williams making the respective keepers work for the first time in the game. The distinctly average referee then failed to book one of their players for the umpteenth time for hauling Timber over.
On 64 minutes, Gyökeres was taken off for Trossard. It didn’t really make a difference to the pattern at this point as we had settled into a very slow tempo, frankly reminiscent of large swathes of last season, the Horseshoe of Eternal Ennui being very much to the fore.
On 70 minutes, Eze, after an anonymous game, was taken off and recent boo boy – why is clearly beyond my pay grade – Martinelli scored after less than a minute. I was in Madrid that night in April where we sang his name for an hour post match while locked in at the Bernabeu. The same chant rang out from the 2,500 Arsenal fans again. “Bella Ciao” has fantastic ictus and is joyous to behold, thus it’s a most appropriate song for Martinelli.
After the goal, the game increasingly came to resemble an episode of M*A*S*H, with bodies everywhere requiring medical attention. Madueke was rightly booked for time wasting at a corner.
On 86 minutes, the two subs connected again, with an excellent pacy run from Martinelli who cut the ball back from the bye line to Trossard whose shot from the edge of the 6 yard box deflected up and over the keeper.
On 90 minutes, Madueke came off for Nørgaard with Calafiori making way for debutant Hincapié.
Full time: Bilbao 0 Arsenal 2
Conclusions
1. Cast your mind back 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 years. Have The Arsenal ever had such a strong bench? And this is without White, Ødegaard, Saka, Havertz, Jesús.
2. Beyond that, it was an uninspiring match, with Bilbao much better than they were at the Emirates in pre-season. At the same time Raya was never really troubled and they looked a bit toothless.
3. Eze was pretty quiet. Perhaps this goes to show just how lop-sided our play is, making it difficult for whoever starts on the left.
Anyway, onwards for The Arsenal. Next up the in-no-way financially doped C130y.
There are never any pictures on a scorecard. Tonight’s match will be remembered primarily for an impressive away win a fairly hot/hostile environment thereby securing three points; yet another clean sheet and a solid all-round performance by the away team in a game that they never really looked like losing.
Bilbao proved to be as competitive as 21CG predicted they might be. The referee, I thought, had a good game. Our new players continue to play themselves in well and are developing a good understanding of what’s required of them in this new Arsenal family.
I was delighted for Martinelli tonight. We’ve seen him perform that high speed break from mid-field several times before in key games and I had no doubt whatsoever that the ball was going to hit the back of the net once he was on his way.
A great way to start this season’s competition.
Nice report CER!
I was expecting a strong starting line-up, and a tricky away match. Our defense delivered — Mosquera was again impressively composed and confident. Our midfield was functional enough without being inspired, and the front three (all newcomers to Arsenal, and playing only second time together) had one or two almost moments.
Was lovely to see Gabi sparkle again, that was a trademark run with the ball and counter attacking goal with which he had first caught everyone’s attention. One of my favourite players in this team — not saying he is better than others pr anything like that — for the attitude with which he plays the game. Was wonderful to see how the team reacted to his goal, especially Calafiori. Every single player in this squad has a sense of camaraderie and selflessness which cannot be accidental. Leo’s cool headed finish was also a nice reminder of his strengths. Both of them have big parts to play in this season and hopefully today’s cameo helps them, especially Martinelli, to rediscover their final third efficiency.
Exactly the kind of start to the CL that was needed.
Thanks CER, good read of the game or anyway one that was similar to mine 😉
I was surprised that we didn’t change a couple more of the starting XI from the weekend
too but anyway the team weathered a challenging first 20 well and then won it efficiently using our deeper squad 2nd half. Another win, another clean sheet and on we go
Declan did well to manage things after his early booking. C100 and I wondered in last nights drinks whether Mikel would take him off given Bilbao’s antics. Good call not to as it turns out. Good call on the subs too as that turned out 😂
Leo is often useful off the bench of course and I am glad we still have him.
I was amazed at Bilbao’s energy levels. Then I checked and found that the starting team had 4 changes from Saturdays defeat to Alaves. Perhaps they rested players at the weekend. We made 1 change. Impressive.
Thank you, CER, for the report of a game I was not able to see, and a belated thank you to 21CG for the informative and prescient preview. Clearly a night that will not linger long in the memory, but which yielded a winning start to the CL campaign and a clean sheet away from home. Onwards we go.
Like Martinelli and Trossard, you’ve made a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, CER. We weren’t awful but we weren’t good to watch offensively and we weren’t moving in the silky manner of which we had glimpses against Forest. I think that was down to the energetic approach of the Bilbao players which was driven by their crowd and the enthusiasm of being in their first CL game in 11 years. The parallels with that game at Brentford a few years ago weren’t restricted to the shirt worn by the opposition. However this time we had a defence that stood up to the pressure (Mosquera was just amazing again!) and while our starting midfield and our attackers didn’t make the most of possession, their work set the scene for our finishers to administer the coup de grace. Everyone in this squad will play a part in the way this season unfolds.
Job done. On to the Creative Accountants.
It was a game played in an intimidating atmosphere but the team held its nerve. Athletico operated a very effective high press full of energy giving the defence and midfield no time on the ball whatsoever. In the first half we had minimal attacking force with little coming from the hard pressed defence/ midfield but in turn the defence played brilliantly in restricting Atletico to minimal actual goal threats.
In the 2cnd half we ame more into the game, particularly down our right flank where Madueke was enjoying a lot of success, backed up by the ever impressive Jurrien Timber. On the opposite wing however Eze was finding it much more difficult to get into the game. As Atletico tired their press lessened and Valverde tried to freshen things up with a string of substitutions, however this had a negative effect as they lost their shape more & more. Mikel decided it was time to make our own changes and introduced Trossard, then Martinelli to stunning effect. It was a great win in a very difficult stadium. There were some massive performances but like Bath I was mightily impressed by Mosquera – he is a terrific player, just 21 yrs old – who’d a thought we wouldn’t miss Wilo in such a game. He looks like the bargain buy anywhere of this transfer window!
Sunday’s match against C130Y should be a cracker.
Nice job CER. Lots of pieces around in the goonersphere, all with two themes: the squad now has fantastic depth; and real pleasure for little Gabi. I loved this Amy Lawrence description of our second goal.
“ Martinelli was involved in Arsenal’s second with some crafty wing play, finding fellow substitute Leandro Trossard, who took a pause in the box as if slowly lighting a cigar, before pinging his shot in off the near post”
Arsenal Gentleman would have approved.
Thanks CER for a fine and fair report of a really interesting game, albeit not one for the most part of supercharged excitement.
Bilbao were highly motivated for this game as every one of their players was making their Champions League debut, and they set about the Arsenal with pace and aggression -and a Rodri sized blanket protecting them from several deserved yellow cards. Left to it they gave us a hard time in a terrific atmosphere created by one of the most colourful crowds I’ve ever seen.
Arteta clearly chose a midfield to contain a pacy counter attacking side which again worked well. He’ll get criticism for being boring and much less praise for the substitutions that secured an extremely valuable 2-0 win. Very pleased for Martinelli – a36 second goal and an assist from the bench will hopefully give him back some of his seemingly missing confidence. Your point about the isolation of Eze making that left wing position a difficult one is well made. I’ve said so myself more than once – he’s also had a never ending support cast to operate with. Works like a Trojan and truly gives everything every time he steps on the pitch.
Martinelli’s 52 goals for us came in 46 matches, and we lost none of those: 38 wins and 8 draws. That’s rather unique.
Next in that list are Kai and Leo, on 28 goals.
Cheers, CER and a tasty pintxo is on the bar for you.
A combination of Sky and Network Rail combined to make my watch a fragmented one
That was a fine result in a difficult game and will prove a very useful win
A fine report CER and I know you will be pleased to see Gabi show up so well
It’s all about the squad and ours is very string
Our squad is both string and strong !
But mostly strong. 😂
In reverse order – thx vm all.
TTG@13 – I was indeed delighted for Martinelli. He’s the definition of a wholehearted player, and that’s all I demand.
bt8@12- Devoured! I’m going to have to go to Bilbao. Sounds like a trip to be done with Mrs CER as well.
DrF@11- That’s an amazing statistic.
Finally, I would like to put a shout out to GSD who has just completed his walk along the
Pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. It sounds an amazing and physically demanding experience. I hope you got to see the game last night, Dino, albeit in some small town in Galicia.
Well done Dino!🤮💪🦖
Apologies – my first emoji was a result of fat fingers! Unless it was how you felt after finishing the walk!
Wenger used to get pilloried when he fielded sides without Englishmen . In our current squad we have White , MLS, Rice, Dowman , Eze, Saka and Madueke . Heard anyone mention that ? Liverpool have no Englishmen starting tonight . Ever heard anyone mention that ?
Good point, TTG. One rule for one….
Chin-Stroker, Mikel’s Mostly Immaculate Conception, Mikel’s Mascera, or whatever you want to call yourself at any given time, this is just to put you on notice: if you want to keep posting here, do it under a single email address (preferrably one that is real), and, with the exception of the occasional use of some variant of Andy Goram we’d appreciate it if you did it under a single user name.
We’ve been tolerant of your comments that don’t attack others, because it’s your right to make comments like anyone else so long as they follow the rules. We delete those of yours (or anyone’s) that break those rules (found under the tab “The Guvnor’s Rules” above).
HOWEVER. We know for a fact that you use multiple user-names, multiple throw-away email addresses, and muliple IP addresses to make your comments under varying guises. We will put it plainly and simply: if you continue to do that, ALL your comments will be deleted, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure that you are unable to continue to post comments here.
We’re a broad church, or aim to be. Dave was very catholic in his acceptances, though his tolerance for bullshit came to an end the more he had to deal with people who crossed his lines. So, please, don’t cross this one of ours. You are right up against it.
Thanks.
Goonerholicsforever Administrators
Congratulations, Dino. I hope you get to put your feet up.
Cheers CER. Excellent report and summary.
For those who love a tactical analysis this was good
Cheers all! Much appreciated.
I did get to see the game, but only on my phone screen, so it was hard to do more than just ballwatch. Still, great result.
I’ve just seen Tim Lewis has left his role, Garlick has been promoted, and we’ve got 4 new board members. Quite the shake up.
We now have a proper fan and long term season ticket holder as a Director. Nice piece on Ben Winston.
https://arsenaladdict.com/seven-questions-blog/seven-questions-ben-winston
Nice one Countryman. Great read.
Good read, C100 @26. I hope he has his business head on him (his cv suggests he has one) rather than his fan head when he’s on the board!
Thanks for the link on Ben Winston C100, that was a most enjoyable read. I wonder in which direction the club is moving to with the appointment of new directors 🤔.
An interesting article explaining why Arsenal tickets have become so much more difficult to come by in recent years (unless you’re prepared to pay well over the odds for a dodgy ticket that may not gain you entry):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cwy9dlqxx2ro
Thanks C100, didn’t know that site until now. It was a good read and a lot of familiar names among the other interviews on the blog.
I feel there is a backstory we are not yet hearing about the board shakeup. Tim Lewis’s departure seems sudden. There is nothing in the official announcement to suggest it was at his instigation. Students of corporate departure announcement quotes will parse a forced departure out what has been said publicly. With the exception of Winston, the three new directors are close Kroenke insiders, with expertise in finance (Blaha) and real estate development (Maly). Maly handles special projects for the Kroenkes. Steiner is a bit of an unknown, although I assume it is not Trump’s US Postmaster General of the same name. Speculating with no information, I wonder if there has been a split over the stadium redevelopment. Lewis’s departure may also weaken the club’s links to the PL hierarchy, and I am sure that Arteta will be sorry to see his ally depart.
C100@24: Thanks for the link. Interesting read. It confirms what many in this fine establishment have concluded on the evidence of their own eyes.
I’ll read the Q&A now, but the preamble to the that about Ben Winston suggests he has shit tastes or promotes shit :-p.
It was a hugely significant moment in my life. I remember walking up the stairs to the West Lower and seeing that pitch. I still remember the gasp of my breath as I saw Highbury for the first time.
Very much like me and the North Bank then! 🙂
Some good stuff there (as long as he doesn’t think of bringing Tony Adams back as manager). even if I am slightly skeptical that he’d get a plane back from Moscow post a European evening match and be at school in the morning, unless he was using his Dad’s private jet or something, but maybe there are/were very late planes and night flights, and then the time difference works the right way back.
A distillation of the US press reports on the board shake-up would suggest that (i) the Kroenke family wants to integrate Arsenal more tightly into Kroenke Sports Enterprises, although there is little explanation of what that might mean in practice — and Blaha, Maly and Stevens are coming in as non-execs, not with operating briefs; (ii) that Tim Lewis was the Kroenke’s ‘fixer’ and he had finished the fixing that needed to be done after Kroenke took control of the club, ie, the clearout of the ancient regime, both on and off the pitch; and (iii) that Lewis’s capacity for brusqueness was starting to grate in some quarters, again without much if any detail to back up the allegation. Taken together, those might add up to whatever the phrase in the announcement about the additions to the board ‘injecting fresh thinking and energy’ is code for. I also very much doubt that Blaha, Maly or Stevens, regardless of the undoubted expertise they offer the board, ever had an Ollie-like revelation of seeing the pitch from the North Bank for the first time.
All hail, the ever-thoughtful men of Sky who have put back the kick-off for our first visit to the Stadium of Light in nine years on November 8 to a 5:30 pm kick-off. So convenient for the return trip from Sunderland. Travelling faithful should be able to make a train that will get them back to London by 5:30 am the following day.
Post removed by the apparently triggered, hard-of-thinking Admins. We feel so special.
I had never heard of Ben Winston until this morning but since his appointment a couple of friends who work in the music industry and advertising have contacted me to tell me how well known he is in US show business circles , how well connected he is and what a great bloke he is . He directed the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Paris which I do remember ( I thought it was very OTT but hey ho I’m an old stick in the mud. )
Ned’s conclusions are interesting re the board changes . The schism between Dein and Fiszman arose because of disagreements about funding and siting a new stadium . Bringing a real estate expert and a projects fixer in suggests this may have a lot to do with redeveloping the stadium . Maybe Lewis didn’t agree with this and maybe Winston isn’t just a fan but someone who could mastermind a wider programme of
entertainments ? Expect Tom Cruise to abseil into the ground with the match ball shortly !
I’ve been as impressed with Josh Kroenke as I’ve been unimpressed with his father and I’m confident the club is heading in a very healthy direction
Maybe Tim was the training wheels to help Josh on his
first “overseas assignment”
TTG@39: Kroenke Snr is not a micromanager. He has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve (and can think big). He then makes a plan, puts in place the team he thinks will best execute it and then gets out of their way. It is an m.o. that has built his fortune.
To your Dein/Fiszman split point, stadium redevelopments are tricky and expensive. A lot of money rides on making correct strategic and operational decisions. It is not surprising that boards get split over them.
TTG @ 39. I believe he only directed the US segment related to the next Olympics.
Thomas Jolly directed the whole thing, as he did the opening and the paralympics ones.
Interesting points from Ned @36, for which many thanks. Re Winston, I can only assume Winston is there as some kind of fan focus point. The other KSE appointments do seem to point to a greater integration into the Kroenke empire. Given the scale of the financial support this summer, that is only to be expected.
Ned@ 37 – the Sunderland k.o. is swings and roundabouts. Last year the Newcastle k.o. Was 12.30, meaning we were on the coach by 4 am in the morning, but got back by 10 at night. For Sunderland, We’ll be on the coach by 10 am but not back until 2 am. I might have considered flying and staying overnight, but the Geordies were such a bunch of pr*cks in January I wouldn’t want to spend any more time there.
CER. Tread carefully. People from Sunderland are Mackems, not Geordies.
Having worked with both Geordies and Mackems – lovely people, I’m aware of the difference, C100. My point was no one in their right mind would stay over in Sunderland, and it was unpleasant in Newcastle in January so I certainly wouldn’t stay over again.
Yep, they don’t mackem like they used to 😉
Thanks C100 – interesting read.
And as I type The Entitled go 1-0 up against Everton after 10 minutes 😡
Trev@46: Boom! Boom!
https://x.com/themagic_tophat/status/1968999918678200379?s=48
Bath brought my attention to this very interesting read 🙏🏻
If you insist….*shoots*
Well in for the half-ton, Ollie.
A tip of the magic top hat to Ollie for the 50
Trev@49: Thanks for posting that. Magic Hat makes a fair point about Tim Lewis being the right man for a particular phase of the club’s development but the need now is for the chief executive to be a person with the experience/expertise to deliver ‘new growth strategies’ for the next phase. It aligns with point (ii) @ my 36 that ‘Lewis was the Kroenke’s ‘fixer’ and he had finished the fixing that needed to be done after Kroenke took control of the club, ie, the clearout of the ancient regime, both on and off the pitch’.
However, I would question whether, on the face of it, Richard Garlick, a sports lawyer whose background was in football operations at West Brom and the PL before coming to the Arsenal in that role, is notably better qualified than Lewis for what is now wanted from a CEO. Perhaps in his year as managing director, Garlick has demonstrated to the Kroenkes that he has the necessary attributes, with the club’s increase in commercial revenue providing evidence. I don’t know. Perhaps Blaha and Maly are there to mentor him in the business aspects in which his experience is limited. Again, I have no idea, but it is plausible.
Yet there remains something about the way that the board shakeup has been communicated — eg, the club’s terse sentence in its announcement, ‘Tim Lewis steps down from the Board and has left the club’ — that still leaves me believing that there is more to the story that we don’t yet know.
Shame about the mugsmashers winning but at least the spuds are
getting battered everywhere they go
Well, I jinxed Brighton there.
>>>>>>>