Let’s begin with the best bit. Deep into injury time, still losing 1-0 as they had been since the ninth minute, Calafiori broke up a rare second half attack by City. A couple of passes later the ball got to Eberiche Eze, in the centre circle, but still in his own half. He looked up and saw Gabby Martinelli, in the centre forward position, signalling and making a run. Almost for the first time in the second half, the City back five were relatively high up the field, a fact which hadn’t skipped the notice of a furiously gesticulating Pep Guardiola, who was telling them to get back. Eze played a superb ball over the top of them perfectly into the run of Gabi who was just onside, but there was still much to do. The ball bounced one, two times and, for the first time in the game, the 6’5” Donnarumma in goal was caught in no man’s land. Gabi took the ball at shin height and, with the outside of his right foot lobbed it over Donnarumma from the edge of the area. It soared over him and, in super slo-mo (or so it seemed as we all craned our necks on the North Bank), bounced into the net. A superlative finish under the highest of pressures.
There was absolute pandemonium, on people’s sofas, in bars all over the world and, not least, in the stadium where the response was ecstatic, the most intense “limbs” so far this season. For the second time in two games, Gabi had played the super sub, scored and saved the day.
So how did we get to this position? Earlier that afternoon, as my son and I were having lunch in a Chinese restaurant on Holloway Road, the team news came in. I had to put down my chopsticks as we absorbed the detail. Yet again, we were starting with a midfield of Rice, Zubimendi and Merino. Worse, Trossard was on the left wing. Eze, Martinelli and a fit again Saka were all on the bench. I see what the boss was trying to do. Keep the game tight until 65-70 minutes, then throw on the “finishers” to win the game, as he had done against Athletic Bilbao in the Champions league. After all, City had thrown away games earlier in the League in the last twenty minutes and had had 48 hours less rest then us since the Champions League as we played Tuesday and they played Thursday.
But that plan depended on keeping a clean sheet, another fair assumption as we hadn’t conceded a goal from open play all season. But City scuppered that plan early on, as, after just nine minutes, they scored a superb break away goal. Haaland won the ball near his own area and, a few rat a tat passes later Reijnders was striding through our midfield. Fully fifty yards he made, before sliding the ball to Haaland who had sprinted up on his right hand side, having totally outpaced Gabriel who couldn’t keep up with him. Haaland tucked the ball efficiently past a diving Raya. 1-0 City.
It was now obvious that City would stay as tight as possible. Surely, even as early as this, we had to change it up. Rice and Merino had played together 10 times in midfield in the Premier League. Only once had they delivered a win. But no substitutions were made until half time. With no creators on the field, the plan seemed to be to get the ball to Madueke on the right wing, or score from corners. The ball would be passed from Trossard, to Zubi, to Rice to Merino to Timber. We did not have an attempt on goal until injury time in the first half when the hardworking Noni forced a save from Donnarumma at his near post. Indeed City had the better chances in that first half to go 2-0 up, Raya having to make several saves.
Also in injury time, Bernardo Silva forced the ball out by challenging Trossard on our left wing near the halfway line. His clearance went via Trossard’s wedding tackle and left him winded. As he absorbed the pain, on all fours, Silva, from off the field, threw the ball at his head. Trossard, furious, threw the ball back at him, hitting him also in the orchestra stalls. Silva went down clutching his face. Now this was a piece of pure handbags, pantomine stuff from two mature, highly experienced players. But both had thrown the ball at an opponent. A stern talking to by the referee, a yellow card each and “let’s get on with the game eh lads?” But Stuart Atwell was taking ages to decide what to do. It quickly dawned on us that Silva had already been yellow carded. A second would mean a red. But Atwell bottled the decision. Compare this to Tross kicking the ball away at the Etihad. PGMOL gonna PGMOL!
Through the half the crowd were restive. We were playing boring football with so many attacking players on the bench. At half time, Arteta acted. Eze came on for Merino and Saka for Madueke (Arteta later claimed that Noni was carrying a knock). We started the second half with verve and determination. Suddenly it was all Arsenal. But now we had to get through a packed deep block defence. And behind that defence was Donnarumma, a giant goalkeeper who had been highly influential in PSG winning our semi final in the Champions League. In particular he nullified our corner threat. Time and again he punched the ball clear. On 76 minutes Haaland was withdrawn, as was Foden, and Pep withdrew to a 5-5-0 formation. The bus was well and truly parked. Nwaneri and Martinelli came on for Timber and Trossard. And so we came to the denouement described at the top of this piece.
Now I am a massive supporter of Mikel Arteta. But on this occasion he got it wrong. He seemed to admit that by the changes he made at half time. At home, against a fragile City who had played the same team in three matches in a week, he should have had more confidence to take the game to them. Afterwards a defiant boss denied that the first half tactics were wrong. He always was stubborn. Next weekend, we go again at St James Park. Please, do not play Rice, Zubi and Merino in midfield and Trossard on the wing. All of those players are top drawer. But the balance is wrong. We had a superb transfer window and are packed with talent. Saka is back. Newcastle look dodgy. Let’s take the game to them and silence that crowd.
Meanwhile, Liverpool keep winning.
Excellent report, C100. I saw things slightly differently but agree absolutely wholeheartedly regarding the excellence of the Eze/Gabi goal and the fact that Silva is a little shit.
Much of the Monday morning quarterbacking concludes that Arsenal didn’t win yesterday’s match because MA8 picked Merino instead of a more creative player. I’m not a huge fan of the Merino, Zubi, Rice midfield and had Martin Odegaard been fit, I don’t think that trio would have started. However, I’m a fan of Arteta and wasn’t uncomfortable with a game plan that anticipated City would arrive on the front foot and need to be contained in the early stages before being beaten by the introduction of more guile and creativity, probably around 60 minutes.
It wasn’t lack of creativity that resulted in a draw however. Calafiori’s howler of a left footed cross was reminiscent of Trossard’s brainfart at Bournemouth which resulted in Saliba’s dismissal there last season. Arsenal were pressing hard at that stage. The whole midfield was in City’s half, as was most of the defence – a half decent cross might well have resulted in a goal chance. Instead, the exact opposite happened and sent an early torpedo deep into our hull. City hadn’t been in our half until they scored. Pep had gone full Tony Pulis.
The ship didn’t sink, we retained control well and Mikel made the changes planned for 60 minutes at half time. Several good chances were missed/saved/cleared before Martinelli produced a true world class moment to equalise.
Not a terrible day out but we need to cut out the cataclysmic errors that gift goals and red cards if both the League and Big Ears are to come home to the NHOF this season.
I hope to see our captain back to full fitness for next weekend’s game. His pressing and creativity were both missed yesterday.
Onward and upward.
As BtM pointed out in the previous round, we gave away the ball so cheaply from a pathetic hit and hope cross from Calafiori to two of their players. One minute we are piling forward, the next we’re stretched and all out of position.
I fully expect Merino and Eze to start next week if Martin is still out. I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Need to win though.
And Martinelli up front at Vale please.
C100. Thank you ! Brilliant. Word.
Thanks Ned for updating the Predictathon.
While thrilled with my current but almost certainly temporary improvement, I have to say I’m puzzled by the Sack Race – even though it is already over. I went for Victor Perreira at Wolves, not because I have any great knowledge of his managerial capabilities, but because Wolves list important players in the summer and I wasn’t aware that any of them had really been suitably replaced. He therefore seemed doomed to failure this season. And having guided them to the bottom of the table with zero points after five games, he’s been given a new 3 year contract extension. Whoever said betting is a mug’s game was indubitably correct 🤷♂️
First up, that is a doubly heart-warming photo at the top of the page, C100. Secondly, your reportage from the ground transports us far-flungs there as evocatively as ever. Bravo on both scores.
Three thoughts on the view that Arteta got the team selection and tactics wrong:
First, Zubimendi and Merino formed an effective engine room for Real Sociedad for several seasons. Arteta may think that there is a pre-existing chemistry between the two and that playing them together helps a team with many newcomers to gel more quickly. The question is whether our midfield becomes too samey when Rice is added to the mix. You are probably right that Ødegaard would have started if fit.
Second, my two cents on starting Trossard over Eze is that Arteta reckoned that the Belgian was the better choice for negating Silva. On the ball-throwing incident between the two, it would have been yellow cards for both if Silva hadn’t already been on a yellow, or if it was one of ours, not one of theirs who was already on a yellow. As you say, PGMOL gonna PGMOL.
Third, Arteta appears to have adopted a practice of getting the team to play possession-based football in the initial phase of games, while he and his coaches work out how the opposition is set up. To my eye, he started doing that since being blindsided by Luis Enrique in the CL semi-final last season. It took MA 20 mins to work out what PSG were doing, by which time we were down by the goal that would eliminate us. Learning from his mistakes in the struggle for fine-margin improvements or making an unnecessary rod for his own back?
The updated GHF Predictathon leaderboard for Matchweek 5 has been posted, along with the first 5-match form guide of the season. Trev and Ollie are not the only ones on the move — up or down. You know where to find it…
Cheers C100. Perfect reporting!
I’m with BtM@1. I’m also keen to move the discussion on form the Predictathon.
COYG
Great report , C100, and exactly the game I saw from a few rows back and across. Love the pic of the screen you took. I just love Martinelli.
Having developed the team and squad immeasurably si ce his arrival, perhaps the next stage is to develop his own confidence in knowing when to flick the switch to attack. He’s on a journey and is still a young manager. I am excited by the fact that he has so much headroom into which to grow,
A perfect recapitulation of an imperfect, but illuminative, performance. Thank you Countryman!
Some of the statistics of this match are quite eye-catching: first time in his managerial career Pep failed to beat an opposition manager for 5 consecutive matches in the league, City had the lowest ever possession under Pep in PL, lowest ever touch in the opposition box (a paltry 8!). This is with 11 v 11. So, evidently Arteta and Arsenal got a few things right.
If not for the sublime free-kick goal away at Liverpool, Arsenal would have been undefeated against the traditional top six in the league for 24 matches. This aspect of our performance and result is the one that has improved the most under Arteta especially in the last few years. And it’s easy to see why Mikel had prioritized this so much: both his playing (including captaincy) career and his early days as the manager had been marked by nightmarish performances and results against the top teams in the league. In the last couple of seasons we got the most number of points from these top of the table clash, and we managed those by the “we must not concede” approach. We didn’t miss out on the league because of our results against the fellow challengers, but because of our occasional failure to break down the stubborn low block defense of the teams down in the table.
The fact that the intensity and quality of our second half performance inspired Pep to follow one of his unprofessed idols Sam Allardyce in how to contain Arsenal was a delicious bit of irony that I enjoyed. Give central defenders and two blocks behind the ball?! Cruyff is turning in his grave!
I kind of agree with most that starting Nwaneri or Eze in the midfield, and/or Gabi on the wings would have given us a better balance. I do think once Eze has become more used to playing in Mikel’s complex system of inversions and penchant for surgically precise movements he will become a nailed-on starter when Ødegaard is playing and when he is not playing – just in different positions. That assist — beautifully complemented by the only one player in this team who has that combination of speed and control on the ball when sprinting, and no we shouldn’t be selling him anytime soon, hopefully that narrative has now been quietened — is one of the reasons why we brought him, as is the superbly executed volley in the penalty box that Donnarumma saved. Obviously Mikel had focused more on ball security in the midfield in this match, erring maybe a tad bit on the side of control, but not unreasonably so. It was good to see him responding to the situation in the game as it was developing, and make those halftime substitutions.
Last couple of matches also brought back the potential of playing Gabi through the middle in certain match situations. This is how the teenager Martinelli started his career with us, and while his inexhaustible workrate and defensive discipline have seen him playing a lot on the wings moving up and down and allowing the left backs to invert, in terms of attacking output he has a lot more to contribute playing through the middle. Not always, not as a starter, but anytime there is a bit of space between the defensive block and the goalkeeper he remains a very potent counterattacking option and a defense already bruised and battered by the physicality of Gyökeres or tired by the craft of Havertz would not find it easy to keep up with those runs.
If we beat Newcastle away next Sunday this would be a good point to have rescued. Hope Madueke’s injury isn’t serious.
Thanks C100, a fine write-up as ever and a great description
of Gabi M’s goal.
Noni’s having a scan on his knee it seems so fingers crossed for him.
Dr F.@10: Nothing to disagree with there. I would only add that Haaland really misses the service he got from De Bruyne. Those two had the chemistry that managers so value.
Congratulations on an excellent and atmospheric report C100. You have the ability to transport fans all over the world into the maelstrom that was Ashburton Grove yesterday .
I happen to agree with you about the team selection. We may well have chosen Trossard to combat Silva but we were at home and should be taking the initiative given the fact that we have laid the C130y bogey well and truly. Last season Odegaard scored after about five minutes in this fixture .
We need to make Gyokeres more productive and that starts by supplying him with a decent service . The poor lad was consumed by Defensive Pep yesterday . The midfield chemistry was non- existent . Nwaneri or Eze should have started at 10 with Zubi and Rice in a double pivot. Martinelli on the left would have been my preferred choice. He scores goals in streaks and got one last Wednesday. I’m delighted for him .
Two other points . In the last few seasons I’ve seen a last man defender face up two attackers running at him very effectively. One was VVD, one was Declan Rice, both were at Anfield . I think Saliba could have moved left and made life more difficult for Haaland . As it was the ball from Reijnders was made very easy . But that’s a minor criticism. Secondly , I prefer MLS at left back . Calafiori is a very dynamic player but MLS is much more intelligent .
I’m a strong Arteta fan but he got it wrong yesterday at home against a very beatable team . I don’t think he got it wrong at Anfield but he is risk averse and I think we need to be braver to win the big prizes .
Many thanks for the kind words all. My strong words about the team seem to have prompted an excellent debate. Writing this piece has been cathartic and has lowered my blood pressure cf Sunday night.
One thing is for sure. The next two team selections will be very interesting.
Let’s hope for relatively news about Noni Madueke tomorrow.
The statos’ statos at the Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory are marking Ballon d’Or day by ranking the best 100 outfield players in the world over the past year using a formula combining their performances and level of competition (the same numbers go into its proprietary transfer value estimates, reckoned to be the best, which is why clubs pay richly for them).
Barca’s Lamine Yamal tops the list and gets a rating of 100, with other players indexed against that. Our players making the list are Saliba (14th at 94.6), Ødegaard (18th at 93.7), Gyokeres (38th at 91.4) and Saka (79th at 89.3).
Of those formerly of this parish, Granit Xhaka ranks 22nd at 92.7, Thomas Partey 58th at 90.0, Henrikh Mkhitaryan (for those with longer memories) 63rd at 89.8, and Mattéo Guendouzi 84th at 89.1.
https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost514
And Viktor Gyokeres has won the Gerr Muller trophy for goal scoring at the Ballon D’Or awards !
Apologies it is of course Gerd
Just realised I might (just might) have missed a chance to bump into Arsenal people by taking an earlier train than usual today.
That was the game I saw, C100.
I agree that the starting midfield was wrong as it would appear did MA8, as evidenced by his unusual decision to change his team after just 45 minutes. The clear deficit in the first half, apart from the sequential poor decisions by first Gabriel then by Saliba permitting Haaland a free run on our goal was our lack of creativity in our midfield – we were far too mechanical.
I actually didn’t have a problem with Trossard being selected over Martinelli (I don’t think he had a poor game) but I did think that our failure to start Eze rather than Merino in place of Ødegaard became an error when City unexpectedly came to park the bus. Indeed, a knackered Martinelli, had he started and laboured unfruitfully for over 90 minutes, may well not have had the energy to make that fabulous burst behind the City defence in the 93rd minute to take down at speed and lob so elegantly into the net that beautiful ball from Eze. I agree with MA8’s decision not to start Nwaneri; good though the lad is, this was not a game for an 18 year old to bear creative responsibility.
I think Pep’s surprising decision to park the bus probably also surprised MA8 and was the primary reason we toiled so unproductively in the first half in which our poor passing, lack of cohesion and lack of a killer pass contributed to our frustration and failure to make chances. Had City gone for a second goal while we were in a jittery spell for some ten minutes after their goal, I think they could have killed the game in the first half.
However, I disagree that we don’t want to see that Zubi -Rice- Merino midfield again. St James’ Park may ironically be the ideal venue for that trio. We need height, strength and power to deal with the Geordie mammoths both in midfield and when defending set pieces so I confidently expect to see it very soon indeed.
Meanwhile it would be rather nice to see Martinelli practice a central striker role against Port Vale.
Adam Clery’s take is worth your time:
c100, thanks. love your report, as always with the away as with those for home games. as with you i am not in love with the midfield we started, and think the game hinged for us on one bad kick from calafiori at the wrong time (punished for one mistake) and perhaps a less-than-creative midfield that was rectified at the half — injury to noni being a drag, especially if he’s out the reported 6-8 weeks with an mcl issue…thank god it’s not an acl! so glad you got to see the leveller from up close and personal 🙂
besides that i pretty much agree with btm and faustus in their takes.
and i can see, against teams who ma8 *expects* to park the bus starting mø–merino–zubi, with trossard or eze on the wing, bringing in declan for merino, eze for trossard, and martinelli for gyokeres later on in the game if we still haven’t gotten a breakthrough. interestingly, the thing that worked all game was the same kind of pass eze laid on for martinelli, or calafiori for eze against forest, or any number of passes from just this side of midfield to a runner down the right (timber overlapping or noni), even though nothing like a goal came from them. it really does look like this team is in a learning phase, and it wouldn’t surprise me if ma8 is still understanding how best to use the personnel he now has.
zubi also played a few really nice balls inside the channels for wingers that curled beautifully to feet, and while nothing came of *them* that’s the sort of thing we also should be looking for. we’ve lacked verticality for so long, incision and aggression would be a joy compared to indecision and the horseshoe of ennui. i’ve been saying to friends all season, once we gel we’re going to be fearsome, with a WM approach that will confuse the hell out of opposing defenses, and lead to goal after goal for us.
the other thing i am noticing, though if noni is hurt and out for a bit we won’t be able to work on, is his end-line cutbacks aren’t particularly powerful. he gets into good positions, but he doesn’t seem to have the strength to put the ball, say, on the penalty spot for a runner. so the team should help him out, offering a near-side runner to receive the cutback and have two others on the far side ready to put in a header, or a shot, from a cross coming from the top of the box near the line of the near post. means noni can beat his man deep and we can keep the ball, rather than having his pass be intercepted as they so often seem to be. again, practice makes perfect, so perhaps that’s something we might see in the latter half of this season, given he won’t really be around until nearly thanksgiving here in the states.
compare that with saka and his top of the box excursions. he is so good, it makes noni look significantly weaker (regardless of his power) because saka can go left, go right, or sit you down and run you over. we miss him less, though, with noni there. hopefully eze (maybe) and nwaneri can now spell saka so he doesn’t have to be run into the ground between now and the festive season. and perhaps even young max (port vale, anyone?) can get some time there in the waning minutes of games we’ve got well won…
Nice drink, Scruz. I agree that Arteta is still figuring out, or at least making efforts in training for the team to understand, his requirements. It will come and when it does we could see fireworks. To your point about Port Vale, I fully expect Dowman to start wide right. He was clearly several steps above vs Wolves for the U-21s on Saturday. When you consider that, as 21 CG told me pre-match, this was his first start for the U-21s, that is quite remarkable. Ahead of Geordie Arabia, I‘d like to see Charles Sagoe Jr start right wing. He gave his physical beast of a right back a monstering on Saturday too, and it would have the added benefit of protecting one of Trossard , Martinelli or Eze on the right.
cheers, cer. i like the look of sagoe jr i’ve seen on the .con. fully agree. put him on the left, max on the right, gabi in the middle (or victor, bring in gabi at 60). mls and timber at the corners, nwan/rice/norgaard plus mosquera and white and kepa…should be well more than enough to wither port’s vale.
Just the two months out for Noni, it seems.
@20 Clery’s analysis very good as usual. Telling comment is “$hitty couldn’t maintain concentration to the end”
Had Eze and Martinelli started it’s very probable that their mental/physical strengths would have subsided to the point that the ‘worldie’ equaliser mightn’t have been achievable.
Mikel knows. 😊😊😊 (Roy Keane doesn’t and is full of **it).
BtM : shame we couldn’t concentrate at the start. 😉
Also if my auntie had balls….(because if they’d started, we might have been 3-0 up. Or not, we’ll never know, I just don’t think this one can be turned into ‘Mikel knows’ – or doesn’t – without doing a little ‘narrative-fitting’ bending either side).
I’ll just remember this match as a point rescued after a rather boring match where nothing much happened apart from the two goals.
Bath@20: Thanks for the link. Clery was more positive than most on Trossard and Merino starting, yet also noted their lack of attacking threat in the final 25 meters.
Saying that Arsenal lacked creativity is both lazy and one-dimensional analysis. What I like about Clery is that he always acknowledges that there are two teams on the pitch making it as hard as possible for the other one to win.
Big Sam on the value of managers being in the stands, not on the touchline (another learning from rugby).
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cd9ykn45xz2o
(Spoiler alert: the article doesn’t really answer the question posed in its headline, Has modern football adopted the Allardyce playbook? We asked him)
RIP Dickie Bird
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/harold-dickie-bird-umpiring-great-dies-aged-92-1504176
Ned @ 29: Thanks for sharing the news about Dickie Bird. Even after all these years I retain indelible memories of his high quality, unbiased, no nonsense and occasionally humorous umpiring from the days before the various technological innovation. It was an extraordinary sign of professionalism that all visiting teams in England never really used to question his decisions. Even the Aussies. 🙂
@26, Ollie, agree on both counts and so does my Uncle Gladys. 😊
Or David Shepherd with his West Country superstitions.
Haha, BtM @31, excellent. 😀
I like the idea of Sagoe and Rice playing in the same team. Maybe we could sign Tapioca in January ?
Sadly Hincapie is already injured and out for some time . Not a great start to his career
at Arsenal
>>>>>>>