Arsenal did ‘the Italian Job’ on Inter Milan as we sealed a top 2 league phase finish at San Siro.
Even before the game we basically knew we were assured of an automatic spot in the Last 16 of the Champions League but being able to put in a performance of that quality and assurance along with the impressive result will come as a welcome boost to our confidence ahead of Sunday’s big showdown with Manchester United.
Arteta made seven changes to the side that drew a blank at Forest on Saturday. We saw a rare start for Eze, Saka returned to the starting 11, Mosquera returned from injury to give Gabriel a breather and Jesùs got the nod up top.
We started strongly and we got our reward after only 10 minutes. Following some slick passing around the penalty area the ball found its way to Timber who scuffed his attempted shot into the path of Gabriel Jesùs who fired home an instinctive finish into the bottom corner. You could argue it was the kind of goal that you wouldn’t really find in Gyökeres’ or Havertz’s repertoire.
However, Inter who needed a positive result far more than we did, began to up the intensity in response. On 18 mins the hosts got their reward. After good centre forward play from the lumbering Marcus Thuram, the ball deflected towards Susic who smashed home into the top corner from just outside the area. A fantastic strike but maybe we could’ve done more to close him down.
Inter would find some real joy on the transition for the remainder of the half. It was clear we missed the presence of Rice a bit in the middle of the park. A few of our passes went astray but thankfully we weren’t punished for it.
Just past the half hour we went back ahead and once again it came from a corner. Saka drifted his immaculate delivery over to the far post where it was headed back across goal by Trossard and Jesùs was there to nod home his second goal of the game. The Brazillian looked delighted and he deserves it after almost a year out. If he can stay fit his contributions could well prove invaluable. Few have forgotten the impact he made on the side upon his arrival in 2022. If Jesùs is to leave in the summer, he deserves to do so with a trophy or two under his belt. Right now, he looks on course to do just that.
In the second half we had a lot more control. Perhaps Inter, who had done a lot of running in the first half, began to tire. They weren’t pressing with anywhere near the same intensity now. We were quite happy to take the accelerator down a gear or two and put the brakes on as Inter huffed and puffed to little avail. A few half chances here and there but nothing more. Mosquera was enjoying the physical battle with Thuram and Lautaro Martinez wasn’t impacting the game at all. He strikes me as the sort of striker who would really struggle in England.
With about 15 minutes to go Gyökeres came on to replace Jesus and Martinelli was also introduced amongst others. And on 84 minutes we sealed the points. Martinelli broke away down the left and played a defence splitting ball with the outside of his foot to Gyökeres. The Swede burst forward and attempted to feed Saka who couldn’t take the ball in his stride, but he played an accidental one two with Gyökeres who ran onto it and curled home a beauty into the top corner. It was by far the best goal Gyökeres has scored for Arsenal so far.
The three points were sealed and Arsenal made it seven wins from seven in the Champions League for the first time in our history. A top two finish means that we will have home advantage in the second legs in the knockouts as opposed to just in the Last 16. It’s great that rule has been brought in. who knows what would’ve happened had we had the Emirates crowd behind us in the second leg against PSG last year.
We can now take it easy against Kairat Almaty next week and let’s hope City are forced to play an extra two games next month.
The quadruple remains well and truly on.
Nice one 21CG. As no fuss and professional as the team were last night. No matter who we field in the last match, we wil expect to win it and finish with a perfect record in the group stage. Hard to argue with really.
What a night, what a glorious night. Thank for your fine report of the game. I know that you were supposed to be there, but that sad family circumstances meant that you had to change your plans. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed your night in front of the tv screen as much as I did.
Inter Milan are a fine side. Last years CL finalists and currently top of Serie A. In their own iconic stadium where we lost to a disputed penalty. Yet we totally bossed them, playing fluid attacking football, but remaining tight at the back.
I thought the whole team played well. Jesus clearly looks back to his best. I thought Myles had a really good game, as did the returning Mosquera. The set up seemed to free us, together with not facing a Dyche low block. Eze plays a completely different game at 10 to Odegaard, fewer long runs looking for space, more one touch and getting close into the box acting more as a second striker than a probing midfielder. Zubi was his normal metronomic self (although his fractional hesitation may have contributed to Inter’s goal). Gyokeres showed us what he can bring to the party, with a terrific cameo and a fantastic goal (and how about that ball from Martinelli to play him in).
Another triumphant CL night away from home against a really good side and a great game to watch. Four away games on the bounce (I’ve been at three of them) have led to three wins and a draw. Hopefully Arteta is getting closer to knowing what his best team is, although that also depends who we are playing.
Last night I was a very happy Gooner. Stay positive all!
Great report 21cg on a match I haven’t yet seen but it sounds like a real treat is in store. Also I second what c100 said above. Stay positive all!
That pass by Martinelli! Those yellows my Merino & Rice!
Please don’t jinx us with the “Q” word.
If our Brazilian striker gets the winner in the next CL game the headline needs to be “Jesus Kairat Almaty”!” On that note, I’ll get my coat.
Great report of a great game, 21CG. Cheers!
Personally, I don’t really like the top 2/4 whatever get home advantage second leg. I like some randomness in the draws, you’ve got to adapt and be the best, no matter if you were the best in a ‘past life’. I’ll take it though :-).
‘Quality’, Up4GN? ;-D
Good going, 21CG. You captured the essence of the game well. You can see why teams play a low block against us. Even the Serie A leaders couldn’t match us in an open game.
Your observation about Lautaro Martinez being the sort of striker who would struggle in England is well made. Pio Esposito, however, looked as if the opposite might be true, although there is a touch of the Liam Delap about him.
I also thought MLS had a good game. Luis Henrique wasn’t able to trouble him with his pace, suggesting that MLS has been paying attention in his positioning lessons.
Great report 21 CG !
We are getting into the territory where it is hard to believe quite how well we are doing. I was all for playing a shadow side but Arteta knew better and juggled his resources very intelligently. We started quickly in a game I expected to be a snail’s pace affair . Jesus was excellent and I agree with C100 about MLS. He played with authority and a bit of devil. Saka was in great form and Di Marco will have twisted blood . I worry about Eze’s adjustment. He looks a little stressed to me but he produces some brilliant touches and in the long-term he will fit into the side well.
I listened to TalkShite with incredulity as several people this morning hailed us as the best team in Europe . We probably are but Arteta must juggle resources brilliantly to preserve that situation. These are very special times but no trophies are clinched in January . Onwards and hopefully upwards in a special season .
Thanks 21CG for an excellent report of an excellent game. I’m sorry to learn from C100’s drink @2 that sad family circumstances prevented you attending the game in Milan. My thoughts are with you.
As well as getting the second leg at home in every round of the knock out phase as far as we go as a reward for finishing in the top two (and as TTG observes we are very likely to finish right at the top), Charles Watts says today that we will also play our CL ties before a home game in every round – that, my friends, is a huge bonus!
Fascinating piece about Arteta as a manager
https://open.substack.com/pub/onfootball/p/mikel-arteta-is-the-great-british?r=17skr0&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
Nwaneri’s loan to Marseille confirmed:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cx2kd5j5xm7o
Rather weirdly, UEFA seems to have decided the Round of 16 draw already. This screenshot was taken a few minutes ago. The pairings seem to be based on the current standings in the league phase, so it might just be an IT glitch, but with UEFA can you ever be sure?
Thanks 21st
A match report as good as the game itself and close to my 3-0 prediction.
Good on you Viktor – might shut up the doubters for five minutes but probably not.
UTA
The UEFA brackets for the next rounds have updated after today’s results, so it must be an automated thingee (that must be an IT term of art) that pulls in the latest standings. We’ve gone from facing one of Marseille, Juventus, Dortmund and Galatasaray in the round of 16 to one of Juventus, Dortmund, Galatasaray and Qarabag, although no doubt that quartet will change again after the final round of league phase fixtures. There are nine clubs that could overtake Galatasaray and Qarabag, who are away to Man City and the Scousers, respectively.
Thanks 21CG for a fine report of an enjoyable match. It was a great result against a very competent team on their own patch. Kudos to the boss in getting his much changed selection spot on and enhanced by timely / correct substitutions. I think the team enjoyed being able to play an open game with no low block to contend with & confound. It’s looking good for top spot in the Champions League group phase an outstanding achievement.
Thanks 21CG, sums up a good night well.
Our reward as such for a successful away stand will
be five out of the next seven games at home as we try to progress
further in all four competitions over a three week period.
The PL away games will be at Leeds and Brentford, tricky
but winnable of course.
Thanks for the link @10 C100, it was a good piece.
MA has been away for a long time!
And to Ned @11 Best of luck to Ethan, hopefully
it goes well.
Gameweek 7 of the Champions League brought very little clarity to the overall table but. Bayern remain three points and 5 goals ( in GD terms ) behind us . We play the bottom team from Kazakhstan next week and they are away to PSV in Eindhoven who are fighting to qualify . We need a point to be top but it would be impressive to win eight out of eight. Five English sides are currently in the top 8 with C130y down at 11th . With an Arsenal hat on we should want them to finish outside the top eight and therefore play two extra games and if they stay in the competition a long time they will have the same sort of pressure on the squad as we hope to have .
We’ve scored 20 which is equal with PSG and Bayern ( a large number of those seem to be Harry Kane penalties – he scored one, missed one yesterday) . Our 2 conceded is much better than anyone else . Hopefully we can beat United and then rest a large number of our most previous players against Kairat .
I suspect any Gooners who want to watch the side will find the Ticket Exchange awash with tickets .
21cg, thanks for a fine report during a difficult time. 🙏
ttg, if we win the game we earn €2.1 million; a draw earns us €700k. let’s win and we will have another €27k to add to someone’s wages for a year!
Countryman @10. Thanks very much for the link. I think that is an excellent piece. Well written, well argued, with an interesting and perceptive premise. I think it is spot on.
Personally, I love that our team is built on defence. Wenger brought the attacking flair, but it is defending that I think of as being more an Arsenal speciality (not remembering Chapman’s teams, obviously!). Of course, I’d like to see us more fluid in attack, but I’d prefer to keep our defensive level up and let the attack develop in it own time. I think Arteta is uniquely placed to strike a balance that might not be exactly what all Gooners want, but is just so very Arsenal. He gets our club, he gets English football and he’s the absolute top level in all the modern tactical stuff. A really unique combination, and I’ll be so pleaded when he starts getting the trophies and the plaudits his work deserves.
Thanks 21CG – nice piece and especially in sad circumstances.
Sorry to be late to the party – busy times at the moment.
The Champions League table looks quite good, doesn’t it ?
The curiosity of the CL table is that Villareal has an identical record to Kairat (P7 W0 D1 L7), yet is third in La Liga.
Cheers 21CG!
Like Ned I liked the look of Esposito. Hope he’s on Berta’s radar.
Ned @ 22, kind of a reverse Spu*s in some way for Villareal.
Ollie: The Swiss Ramble’s Substack on Preston North End’s finances today is accompanied by this photograph. Your @24 prompts me to think that the company sponsoring PNE’s shirts has missed a trick.
Haha, nicely spotted, Ned!
The logo seems to work well on a white shirt. 🙂
It appears that Kai Havertz has had a setback and may face a further period out.
Man, that’s not good about Kai. Went from iron man to having one thing after another. Feel sorry for him. Hopefully it’s minor.
Speaking of the injury prone, Tomiyasu has joined Ajax until the end of the season.
i wonder if this is where the word came from.
On behalf of 21 CG and me, many thanks for the condolences received here and elsewhere. We couldn’t go to Milan as unfortunately we had the funeral of my aunt this week (compounded with a close family member of a good friend, for me). Both sides of my family are Arsenal, rooted in N1. This was the English side. Amid the sadness and recollections of times past, there was plenty of conversation all round relating to The Arsenal and this season. My aunt would wholeheartedly have approved, God bless her.
Esso@23 – Esposito is regarded in Italy as the next great hope for the national team. He’ll undoubtedly be on Berta’s radar. Unfortunately, all the Italian big club beasts will be all over him as well…
CER @31, che il suo ricordo sia una benedizione.
Ti ringrazio, Bath.
CER@31: My condolences, if belatedly. Never an easy time.
cer, it sounds like she had a life well-lived, and well-celebrated. condolences to you and 21cg.
and, in memory of dave, just a note: we hit 50k drinks the other day, ned’s #28 on cer’s trip to jerusalem.
here’s to all who weren’t so lucky.
Condolences, CER and 21CG.
TTG @28. Just watched Arteta’s presser. He said that Kai will be getting some minutes in the next two weeks. So doesn’t sound like a long term set back.
I think the report on Kai originated in the Daily Heil and
was then repeated in a few other places.
Cala and Hincapie are both back in training though it’s not sure
they will be ready for this weekend. Hincapie has proved a capable
signing so far and Cala had been having a great season.
My condolences to 21cg and CER on the passing of those who passed.
Many thanks, All.
Good news, apparently, re the last of our long(ish) term Sick, Lame and Lazy. How wonderful would it be to have a full complement to pick from for the next few months?
scruz@35: Garralous lot, aren’t we? A very large glass of the finest claret on the bar for everyone who contributed to the 50,000 drinks, and let us collectively toast the memory of the Guv’nor. 🍷🍷🍷
C100@37: The club’s transcript of Arteta’s presser says ‘next few weeks’, not ‘next two weeks’, regarding Kai getting some minutes. Arteta is such a master of dissemblance in his press conferences when it comes to player availability that even ‘next few weeks’ could mean anything.
So sorry to hear your news CER and 21CG. Thoughts are with you
Havertz is obviously being carefully managed . We do hope he comes through 5o play an important part for us in the rest of the season
@42 🥃🥃🥃 kampai!
@43 yes, MA’s injury updates are simply a masterpiece now. Absolutely nothing is said in a very open and honest way 😂😂😂
Sometimes the reality turns out to be better than expected though, like in Mosquera’s case and if either reappears this weekend then Calafiori and Hincapie will be earlier than I was expecting too. The dreaded few weeks is now a double-edged obfuscation.
Agree with TTG re Kai, he could be a huge help at the sharp end of April and May.
Fingers crossed for his knee.
The spuds are considering buying Andy Robertson, a handy man to have in a relegation fight I’d guess. As we aren’t in a relegation fight I think there’s no need to hijack this one😂
Slides in and nicks the ball off the winger’s feet to…
takes it in his stride and passes a martinelli-esque throughball with the outside of my boot to…
Havgyojerino scores again!
Teamwork makes the dream work! Well played, guys!
Well in Matt, nice finish applied to the collective move.
Well in for the half ton, Matt from a nice build up by ecg and scruz.
well in, matthew!
Couldn’t have done it without you 😀
Talking of couldn’t do it without you, Sunderland are 3-0 down to Wham
without Xhaka
Well in for the half-ton, OM. Exquisite team goal.
>>>>>>>