Mikel Arteta made 9 changes from the team that triumphed at Old Trafford on Sunday. Only Bernd Leno and Willian survived as the Boss rotated his squad for a home Europa League game. The full team was:
Leno, Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Luiz, Kolasinic, Willian, Xhaka, Ceballos, Pepe, Willock, Nketiah
Subs: Runarsson, Macey, Bellerin, Tierney, Gabriel, Saka, Lacazette, Aubamayang, Holding, Partey, Cedric, Elneny
Keen eyed Gooners immediately noted the lack of Reiss Nelson (to the chagrin of BtM) and Emile Smith-Rowe, who both proved to be injured and also the highly rated Balogun who made his debut last week against Dundalk in the same competition. No explanation was given for his absence. The team looked like a 3-4-3 with Xhaka at centre back and with wing backs, although as always we expected a fluid shift of formation through the game.
Arsenal started brightly in the first 10. The shape became apparent, with Pepe on the right, Willian on the left, Ceballos sitting in front of the back three and Willock buzzing around as a Ramseyesque 8/10 with licence to make runs into the box. During those first 10, Joe had fizzed across a wicked ball which Eddie just failed to connect with. A few minutes later Pepe put Eddie in with a good ball, but it was just cleared for a corner.
The game settled down. Molde looked accomplished in midfield and organised at the back. Arsenal were moving the ball a little slowly. Then on 21 minutes, for the second week running, a Leno clearance put us in trouble. This time it wasn’t “pissing about at the back” (©Bathgooner) but rather a long clearance downfield. Eddie was the target but he was comfortably outjumped by Molde’s giant centre half and the ball came back at us, seemingly much to our surprise. The Norwegians moved the ball quickly and found Ellingsen in acres of space on the right just outside our area. He hit it well and beat Leno on his right hand post. Leno looked slightly out of position and maybe could have done better.
21 mins Arsenal 0-1 Molde (Ellingsen)
We fought back well and attacked hard. Willian and Pepe swapped wings. Willian was getting in some crosses, unfortunately all too long. On 33 minutes Willock, comfortably our best player, ran into the box, beat his man and just failed with a cutback to Eddie. We were pressing much higher and the spaces were appearing. On 42 minutes, a lovely move saw Pepe jink twice before passing the ball to Eddie who put the ball in the net. Willock was side by side with him and the Linesman’s flag went up for offside. I can understand why the flag went up. Willock was offside, Eddie wasn’t, but the two players were very close and it wasn’t apparent who had actually scored. Slow motion replays showed that Willock wasn’t interfering with play and Eddie was onside but VAR is not being used in the EL Group stages. A shame because I think VAR would have given the goal.
As we went into added time at the half, we broke rapidly from a Molde corner. Xhaka slipped in Eddie on the right. He crossed to Willock, in the box again, and his pressure forced Haugen to put through his own net.
46 mins Arsenal 1-1 Molde (Haugen OG)
HT Arsenal 1-1 Molde
In the first half we were losing the ball more than the first team do and our final ball was not precise enough. We gave away a sloppy goal (albeit finished well) but after that we picked up our game, pressed higher and got a deserved equaliser.
Arsenal made no changes at halftime but Molde changed their tactics and started pressing high and hard. A lovely ball from Xhaka (whose passing range was very much on show) put Kola in but he took a touch and got robbed. Another classy ball from Willian put Willock in but Luiz clumsily got in the way and it came to naught. On the side-line, Auba, Saka and Partey were warming up in the chilly North London air. Willock was put through wide on the right. His cross caused the goalkeeper to flap and the ball fell to Kola, four feet out with the goal at his mercy for a tap in. But he swung with his right foot and spooned the ball well over. Holy cow. Millions of Gooners all over the world were thinking “I could have scored that” – and they were right. An utterly shocking miss.
But we were dominating and making chances. David Luiz eased his man off the ball and, slightly harshly, was booked. Ceballos found Pepe on the edge of the area in space. Yet again he paused to try and switch to his left foot, allowing the defender to get a foot in. Am I becoming a cracked record on this?
On 62 minutes Willock played a one two with Xhaka who was now consistently playing further forward. Joe got to the by-line and stood it up for the three Gooners waiting for the ball, but the wonderfully named Sherrif Sinyan got there first for Molde’s second own goal.
62 mins Arsenal 2-1 Molde (Sinyan OG).
Straight after the goal, we made two subs, Cedric and Saka coming on for AMN and Willian. On 65 minutes Kola crossed to Pepe who volleyed straight at the keeper. But we were knocking on the door and playing really well. On 69 minutes, a lovely goal. A run through midfield by Willock (I love it when he does that) found Eddie who slipped in Saka. He cut the ball back to Pepe, in the centre of goal just inside the area. He rifled it in with his wand of a left foot. Great goal. Pace, precision and clinical finishing.
69 mins Arsenal 3-1 Molde (Pepe)
On 74 minutes Luiz again played a fantastic ball over the top into the path of Willock. His first touch was brilliant, but the keeper saved well. Willock’s appetite for goal was becoming more and more apparent. Saka hauled his man down and was correctly booked. On 79 minutes Elneny and Tierney came on for Xhaka and Ceballos. Saka was looking incredibly lively and twice was in on goal, but both times he had just strayed offside.
Finally on 87 minutes, Willock administered the coup de grace with the goal he so deserved. Elneny won the ball after a clearance, passed to Pepe who slid in Willock. He held off the defender with strength and finished clinically. Another quality goal.
87 mins Arsenal 4-1 Molde (Willock)
FT Arsenal 4 -1 Molde.
Willock was the clear MOTM and is pushing hard for a PL place. He looks more and more like Aaron Ramsey and has clearly kicked on from last year, adding strength on the ball to his other skills. Good problems for Arteta. Saka was different class when he came on. Luiz’s range of passing can be different level if given the time. The defence looked solid after a slightly sloppy goal was conceded. Eddie worked hard and had a valid goal chalked off for offside. He will face more competition when Gabby returns after Christmas. Pepe and Willian were in and out. Kola was terrible and missed a sitter.
Three games, 9 points and a group totally under control. On to Villa at the weekend.
Superb report C100. A pleasure to relive that second half. First half? Not so much. Joe is maturing nicely. He will keep Elneny on his toes. The kids are alright.
Excellent, C100. We saw the same game. Sluggish start, but all fine once we got going.
A midfield with Partey and Willock both able to drive at and through opposing lines would certainly compensate for the missing creativity.
Great summary of the match I saw. Disappointed that Nelson was injured pre-match. He is’t having much luck and I think he would have contributed more than Willian, and perhaps Pepe too, had he been available.
Sad to learn of the passing of Geoffrey Palmer at age 93, faithful Gooner. I used to bump into him often in the stadium in the days when I still had my season tickets. First time I met him I mentioned how much I’d enjoyed his work, “God Bless you young man” was his retort. RIP
BtM @3, A sad loss. Great actor. Impeccable timing.
A fine report thanks C100.
A nice win and on we go as
you say. Villa might be tricky
so I’m pleased there doesn’t
seem to be any further injuries
and several players got a good
run out.
C100
An excellent and very accurate report of a pretty dire game redeemed by a better second half. We have been drawn in the polar opposite of the group of death.
In the second half we had a number of reasons why things improved —
– We played at a higher tempo
– they found our pace difficult to live with
– we found greater width and continually stretched their back line
– Willock created increasing chaos for them with his runs from deep
– Saka replaced Willian and was a big improvement
– Xhaka pushed up a lot further and stopped them getting out
– Luiz hit some delightful long passes which made them reluctant to push up too far .
Arteta also rocked a very shiny biker jacket which Mrs TTG thought very trendy . Mrs TTG would also have finished Kolasinac’s chance .
So sorry to hear about Geoffrey Palmer. I saw him there once. Great actor- nice to hear he was a delightful man too. RIP old chap
Yes indeed, Sheriff Synyan’s name is wonderful as was his own goal. Thanks c100 for an insightful and entertaining report.
Good stuff Countryman
My take on the 2 Molde games, is Mikel seeing them as pivotal to winning the Group.
Hence the strong lineup and bench yesterday, and i suspect an equally strong one in the return leg after the Int’l break.
Looking at our December fixtures with 9 games in 25 days, he won’t want his senior players anywhere near the Vienna and Dundalk games.
So we can expect a host of youngsters playing in those 2 games.
No matter how much the Manager drums into the players not to be complacent against these lesser lights in the EL, human nature being what it is, they just can’t help themselves.
Notice the diff 2nd halves in Vienna and against Molde when i am sure Mikel told them a few home truths in the intervals.
Just to add, some goods news from the reserve ranks, with our under 23’s winning 6 – 0 away at Blackburn this evening.
And the even better news is that ESR played and scored twice in an excellent all round return to action.
Bouldy has had to put up with a lot of upheaval in the playing ranks during the summer, hence our disjointed return to action this season.
But hopefully things will continue to improve now the dust has settled.
Thanks Clive. I note also that Balogun played in the U23 today, rather than being on the bench last night. We must be careful to keep him motivated as he’s quite the talent and hasn’t yet signed another contract.
And in even more startling news this evening,
Did any Gooners ever expect, that after his ignominious departure for pastures new, that our dear friend ” Wally ‘,would ever again play for a team that reached the summit of the EPL. ??
Yet he has just done exactly that, contributing a near on full 90 minutes for Southampton this evening in their 2 nil win over Newcastle.
They are now top on goal diff from Pool, the first time they have been top of the league since the heady days of ’88.
Wonders will never ease.
Cynic, our fellow contributor to the Bar, who never lost his faith in him, will be very pleased I’m sure.
Excellent summary Countryman.
Joe is maturing fast. Saka is now a guaranteed first team starter. I think over the course of this year Reiss will start delivering consistently.
I loved Pepe’s goal. The passes leading up to it, Saka’s excellent vision in spotting that late run, and the trademark finish.
Joe my MOTM, everyone seems to agree on that …
Clive
Great to hear about the reserves . The approach to putting the team together is unusual this season . Balogun aside the really interesting thing is that the new boy Moller scored two more goals. He is huge, very different to our other strikers at the club .
Walcott has had more false dawns than the White Cliffs of Dover . I wish the lad well but he will either lose form or get injured . He is at a good, well coached club and who knows he may revive . He was far from a disaster with us but never fulfilled the huge expectations we had for him when he signed.
The transfer gossip is that we are switching to Szoboslai of Red Bull Salzburg as a cheaper alternative to Aouar . He has a buy-out of £26 m and is only about 20. He is very highly rated . I think he is a Hungarian International.
TTG@14: Our very own mighty Magyar!
Word is that we were looking at biding £9 million for Szoboszlai in June last year. Juve also interested.
TTG@14: He has played for Hungary up through the age groups and has ten senior caps.
Szoboslai looks very skilful and a good prospect though whether he develops into the full article depends on whether he can add the commitment we saw from the likes of Santi, DB10 and RP7 rather than simply be a dilettante with talent like we have seen from other players we could name.
Can someone tell me more about Moller?
One of the charms of Europa is the opportunity it provides to give young players the opportunity to represent the club and develop their game in less pressured circumstances. In the last two seasons Saka, Tierney, Willock and Martinelli in particular have grabbed the chance to impress and demonstrate their credentials to start in the league.
For those whose sun has set on PL starts, it’s also a venue to play competitively, keep their wheels turning and maintain some sharpness less sh*t happens and we actually need to start them in a league game. The walking wounded too benefit and it’s quite likely that we’ll see Calum Chambers re-enter the fray in a Europa game.
I think Clive’s comments are spot on. Mikel’s mind won’t allow thoughts other than ‘we can win Europa and Carabao Cups’. A win at Molde which may mean that Dundalk and Rapid become the only two games on the horizon which will be genuinely risk/failure-pressure free. I’d love to see youth given free rein in both.
Few will doubt the ‘lift’ in quality that the arrival of Magalhaes and Partey has delivered. They contribute greatly to the likelihood of a top four finish. It’s SO galling to consider the potency that Gnabry would add to the squad right now – but I don’t suppose BM would have released him even for £72M.
Not that I ever look back and wonder of course 🙂
I used to work with a bloke called Peter Moeller once, C100. German. Nutty as a fruit cake. Might he be the one of whom you’d like to learn more?
Golf course closed! What’s a man to do? Frosty around the knees on the bike yesterday morning. Could be time to get out there and tickle up my hydrangeas?
BtM I was referring to the Moller referenced in TTG’s post 13 as a new boy who scored twice for the U23s, not your old mucker.
Your obsession with your hydrangeas is approaching that of mine with CNN. I think we both need help.
C100
I have obviously not seen him play but there is some good stuff on You Tube.
He was signed from Malmo which was his original club. He has spent the previous two seasons in Italy playing for Bologna. He is very tall and generally a big unit and his size has led to him being compared with Ibrahimovic ( everybody gets compared 5o somebody nowadays !)
I’ve nor had any correspondence with any of the Arsenal following journalists about him as he was a bit of a left field signing and nobody knows much but I understand there are Great Expectations about him although I haven’t got the Dickens of an idea why . I guess moving from Malmo to London its a Tale of Two Cities but I will see if I can find out more from Our Mutual Friend Layth .
Sorry I’ve no idea why I lapsed into an inferior version of Trev. It’s must be lockdownitis
TTG back.
C100/ Btm
I’m obsessed with CNN but it’s moving so slowly and there’s a lot more waiting to do. And then legal ennui. But I did Cuprinol the Dovecote today. ( other wood coverings are available )
I broke away for an hour this morning (after I had established that fuck all happened overnight and wasn’t likely to for some hours) to move all the tender pot plants into the cold frame to overwinter. I am now watching Everton play Manchester Utd with anxious flick backs every 15 minutes in case something critical has happened.
“My name is countryman and I’m a CNN holic.”
“Hi countryman”
Re Moller interesting that we’ve signed a big old unit up front. The guy behind my seat on the North Bank, Irish Pat from Wood Green, always cries out when another cross sails over everybody’s head (I’m looking at you Willian) “ have signed a Peter Crouch figure?”. Maybe the answer to Pat’s question is yes 🤞
C100
Your obsession is quite normal but don’t worry you needn’t check back for three days because Jessie in Philadelphia and Winifred in Las Vegas are on their tea breaks .
Now a piece of gardening advice from Mrs TTG who is 99.99 % of the gardening intelligence in TTG Towers .
We bought a Portable Trug to overwinter plants ( although we used it in the summer to grow vegetables )It’s sold by Costco and you do have to put it together . But if I can do it any bugger can . It’s a very good way of protecting plants and keeping them close to the house . I’m buying one for my son-in-law for Christmas to take his mind off the Spuds.
TTG how is your portable trug different to a cold frame? I appreciate you may need to ask Mrs TTG and, if so, I apologise for disturbing her.
Non gardeners I apologise – we’ll be back with more football talk in just a moment.
c100, i didn’t know growing pot was legal in england. nor that you’d led that particular horticulture. bravo! we’ll make a californian out of you yet, young man… be sure to save some yield for the happy train meds cabinet.
clearly you’d not partaken when you wrote your clear-eyed match report. thought mo’neny’s pass to pepe for joe’s goal was really well done. his loan seems to have done him good, and his re-emergence under mk8 is a pleasure to see. as is willock’s rise. his extra strength is obvious, and he, like saka, is learning how to absorb contact and use change of pace to make a yard of space. so glad to see.
Thanks Scruz. Did your caps key break or is this a protest against your President’s all caps tweets? 😂😂
it was stolen years ago by e.e. cummings. bastard borrowed it, but he never was a great returner.
You wouldn’t get references to e.e.cummings on every Arsenal blog. You lucky people (c) Tommy Trinder.
A superb analysis by Tim of the elsewhere somewhat underacknowledged contribution of Ceballos to Thursday’s victory. Great analogy too.
And 2020 strikes again. Southhampton currently at the top of the table.
c100, well sidestepped, by the way 🤣. in my family we call that “delta subject”.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>