A few months after Arteta started his own managerial career in Arsenal, I remember watching a Guardiola interview – or maybe I read the interview transcript but remember it as watching Pep talking, the Hippocampus can be a very creative organ – where when asked about how much he taught his ex-assistant about football Pep mentioned that the reverse is also true, that he learned from Mikel as much as he taught him. At that time, it felt like a very successful manager’s public act of support for one of his pupils. But as Arteta’s career has unfolded with Arsenal and now has started to blossom, the thought strikes me that maybe what Pep was saying wasn’t merely an act of generosity but a close depiction of reality.
For example, take Zinchenko’s role in Arsenal’s first goal away at Brighton on the New Year’s Eve. Captain magnificent Ødegaard drove into the opposition box dribbling past a few players, the deep block of Brighton defense cleared the danger, and their midfield was positionally well-placed to transition into a counter-attack. The peerless Partey anticipated the transition and with a silky elegance stopped it with a perfectly timed tackle, and there was your (nominal) left back – high up on the pitch and floating around in a left side half-space between Brighton defense and midfield – re-springing the attack from in front of the penalty box to Martinelli. The Brazilian got a stinging shot on target that was deflected by a Brighton defender onto the path of Saka, placed perfectly near the far post. Saka took a trademark first touch to cushion the ball right onto his left foot, then a super cool pass-the-ball-into-the-net finish, from one of our own who just keeps getting better. Two minutes on the clock and Arsenal were 1-0 up.
Brighton 0 – Arsenal 1 (Saka 2’)
The Ukrainian captain, an excellent technician though he is, is not a natural left back like Tierney, and he suffers in comparison to the Scotsman’s defensive abilities. But he gets selected – when he is fit, which has unfortunately been a bit of a challenge since he had joined, we are now blessed with two very high-quality left backs both of whom have a less than desirable relationship with the injuries – ahead of Kieran in important league matches because he plays this unique tactical role to perfection. Others can correct me, but at neither Barcelona nor Bayern do I remember any of Pep’s left backs interpreting their role the way Zinchenko does, and I am willing to argue that this innovation was started in Manchester City in the mind of Pep’s then assistant.
This re-jigging of the left back role also plays to the strength of Martinelli and allows Xhaka to flourish beyond all expectations (of supporters, Mikel may always have had this in mind) in an advanced left-sided midfielder role. It’s fascinating that even though this asymmetrical tactical formation is now predictable, it’s hard to tactically prepare against because if the opposition chooses to overload their right side all Arsenal needs to do is switch the play on the right to two of the best left-footed players in the premier league to rampage through the left side. You can either double-mark Saka, or you can add an extra player to solve the puzzle of Zinchenko-Xhaka-Martinelli triangle. It’s like Kasparov playing Grunfeld defense with black: somewhat complicated, and even though predictable and you can study it to death it’s rather difficult to have an answer to especially when being executed by a master.
Arteta’s starting eleven replaced Tierney from the West Ham eleven, and if Brighton had thought that by using the pace and technical abilities of Tariq Lamptey, supported by a seasoned central defense lying deep, they would keep the Arsenal left side under control the second minute goal might have come as a surprise blow.
Ramsdale
White – Saliba – Gabriel – Zinchenko
Partey – Xhaka
Saka – Ødegaard – Martinelli
Nketiah
But credit to the Seagulls, they always play well at their home ground, and even after conceding so early they started to dominate the possession and played some good football to progress through the middle of the pitch as well as their right side where Zinchenko – Gabriel pair were caught out a few times. There were also hints that Arsenal quite willingly played a bit on the back foot looking for sharp transitions instead of choosing to dominate the game with the ball. Brighton had a few half-chances and Ramsdale had to make a couple of saves. There were a flurry of corners aimed at Arsenal’s goal, but the defense handled the pressure with a sufficient degree of ease. Arsenal created their own chances on the other side, including a sumptuous flick by Ødegaard for Martinelli that, if not cleared by the Brighton defense, would have been one of those ever- memorable goals.
Then the second goal came. We had a corner from the right side. Saka delivered a high-quality ball that Gabriel tried to get onto the end of but was cleared by a Brighton defender. Martin was hanging around at the edge of the penalty box, and he followed the clearance quicker and sharper than his marker Mitoma and hit the ball into the ground to spin up and loop past Sanchez in Brighton goal. His celebration afterwards indicated he meant it, in the post-match interview he claimed he meant it, and given his technical qualities I am inclined to believe that he indeed meant it (we had another left footed creative player in the recent past who scored a few goals like that).
Brighton 0 – Arsenal 2 (Saka 2’, Ødegaard 39’ )
Going into the half-time with a well-earned two goal lead away at Brighton is exactly the kind of marker of progress that has created so much excitement around this young Arsenal team, who I think is still very much a work in progress, and can and will improve significantly over the new few years if fully supported by the club management and owners.
One of the young home-grown players who symbolizes this progress is Eddie Nketiah. Always a prolific penalty-box finisher, his game used to be marked by some noticeable technical limitations that in modern football – where players like Inzaghi no longer exist at the very top level – makes it almost untenable to play as a central striker for a club fighting for the titles. But in the last year and half he has progressed and matured significantly under Arteta’s tutelage and now, in deputizing for the injured Jesus over the last two matches he has justified the club’s faith in him, not only continuing his fine goalscoring form from the end of last season but also replicating some of the other key aspects of Jesus’s all-around game.
Early in the second half it was Nketiah the poacher that put Arsenal in a very comfortable position. Arsenal regained possession in their own half, Ødegaard drove through the middle with the ball on his feet before passing to Partey – the verticality that Thomas provides both with his passing and his movements is such a key facet to Arsenal’s thrilling speed of attack. Not only our defensive shape but our attacking quality drops noticeably in Partey’s absence; this is less of a criticism of other players than an appreciation of his importance Partey who put the ball into the path of onrushing Martinelli with a perfectly timed pass. Martinelli sped into the box, and his stinging shot could only be palmed away by Sanchez for Eddie to score with a cleverly placed outside-of-the-boot finish.
Brighton 0 – Arsenal 3 (Saka 2’, Ødegaard 39’, Nketiah 47’)
After this third goal Arsenal sat back even more, and with Tierney and Tomiyasu – very good to see him back, hopefully he is close to being fully fit — being brought in for Zinchenko and White, it seemed Mikel decided to simply see the match out. Credit to Brighton that they didn’t quite give up or feel sorry for themselves; they kept trying to create attacking overload. Mitoma was their best player and from a sequence of fast and precise exchanges he ran onto a ball and scored past Ramsdale with a cultured finish.
Brighton 1 (Mitoma 65’) – Arsenal 3 (Saka 2’, Ødegaard 39’, Nketiah 47’)
Then came what I felt was our pass of this season. Defending deep into our own half as Brighton intensified the pressure, Ødegaard controlled a clearance from the defense, and from the position of a deep lying defensive midfielder he bypassed the entire Brighton midfield and defense with a first-time pass that was perfect in every way – right pace, right positioning, and meant exactly for the player that Martinelli is with his speed and his angled runs from out to in. Lamptey is fast, but not fast enough to catch Gaby on a foot race, and the Brazilian finished through Sanchez’s legs.
Brighton 1 (Mitoma 65’) – Arsenal 4 (Saka 2’, Ødegaard 39’, Nketiah 47’, Martinelli 71’)
Saliba hasn’t been as imperious and impeccable since his return from World Cup as he was in the first half of the season. But this was always expected and was bound to happen at some point of time in the season. Along with Gabriel he has formed a formidable defensive partnership and they cover for and complement each other expertly, and their partnership allows Arsenal to play in the front foot by keeping the defensive line so far up. But still in the Premier League the odd moment of fallibility will get punished, and that is exactly what happened with Brighton’s second goal. There was a searching ball through the middle and even though Saliba got to it first he mistimed his clearance, and put it right in front of Ferguson to finish smartly past Ramsdale.
Brighton 2 (Mitoma 65’, Ferguson 77’) – Arsenal 4 (Saka 2’, Ødegaard 39’, Nketiah 47’, Martinelli 71’)
This is when the match became a little frenetic and chaotic, much to the chagrin of an unimpressed Arteta on the sidelines. Brighton’s performance for the next 10-odd minutes reminded me of late Wenger-era Arsenal, when losing by a few goals the team would suddenly wake up in the last quarter and just by sheer force of a whirlwind of creativity and chaos would try to get a result (a 3-3 away draw at Bournemouth was a perfect example). Arsenal lost control, and a bit of confidence, Tomiyasu and Saka finding Mitoma too much to handle, and the Japanese winger scored another goal which was fortunately for us chalked out by VAR – even though the decision was right, if it were applied to us, we would probably not have been too impressed given how fine the margin was – helping the team to settle and see out the match.
The ever-dependable Holding came on to shore up things, in place of Ødegaard who is quickly becoming the great player that he always was predicted to be. But unlike many other young prodigies with superlative talents, it is his grounded attitude, and an alchemic combination of humility and confidence just in right measures, that makes him such an admirable player, and someone that the entire team evidently looks up to. He seems to me the perfect talisman for the new Arsenal who I sense are entering a new era.
The match ended with that 4-2 scoreline. We kept our winning run going, but Brighton played with enough courage and creativity to indicate that their reputation and league position are well-earned, and no one will find them an easy opponent.
Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you all peace, stability and prosperity. 2022 has been a profoundly traumatizing year for many in the world, but none so more than Zinchenko’s fellow Ukrainians who have shown a remarkable combination of courage, resilience, love for their own nation, and a lucid understanding of history. If in 2023 you decide to support many of the well-run and effective organizations that help them, you will have my personal gratitude.
Excellent account, Dr. F! Brilliant analysis and timely sentiments to boot.
Enjoy the ride, ‘Holics. Get in!
BMBD
Great report Dr.F. Beautifully constructed in the context of the match and full of insight . This blog has many who really understand the game and are proportionate in criticism or recommendation . You portray the game very accurately.
We are all starting to suffer from Title Fever a condition none of us expected to have possibly ever again. Most expect it to disappear spontaneously even now but more and more of us are daydreaming on a daily/ hourly basis . Could we possibly do it?
My big takeaway from yesterday is that if we asked in this bar who our player of the season is we might have as many as eight contenders ! White , Saliba , Partey , Xhaka , Odegaard, Saka, Jesus and Martinelli. All averaging about 8/10 . Odegaard is the current flavour of the month. Bang-in- form, work rate of a navvy , subtle passing skills and outrageous vision . But Partey is hugely influential, Jesus was considered indispensable but has not proved to be so far and Ben White is impressing everyone except Southgate’s assistant .
Heady times , helped by wobbles at the Emptihad . If we win the next three we will be delirious . But we won’t be champions by a long chalk yet
A fine report Dr. Faustus. Great second half against the Irons carried us through, and a great first half this time. If we can ever learn to put 90 minutes together we could be formidable. Three points nothing to sneeze at mind you, and the same for a seven points lead at the top end of the table. Bring on Newcastle and another performance with such panache but lacking in careless errors such as we saw in the last 30 versus the Seagulls.
Unai Emery is now unbeaten in four straight matches against Spurs including today, as well as three games managing Arsenal.
Agent Unai with all his secret intel:
Dr F, you ring in the New Year in your inimitable and insightful way. I am glad you picked up on Partey’s interception before our first goal. That was a more difficult challenge than he made it look, and his intervention turned what would have been a dangerous Brighton break with four Seagulls bearing down on just Saliba and Gabriel into a successful goalscoring opportunity for us. His pass to Martinelli for Eddie’s goal was also of deceptively high quality — perfectly weighted for Martinelli to take in his stride. As you suggest, it is only when he is not there that you realise what he means to the team. I worry about what would happen if he wasn’t there for an extended spell because of injury.
Ødegaard’s pass for Martinelli’s goal was sublime, peak-Ozil plus; hit first time, 40 metres and landed on a sixpence so Martinelli would always have his body between Lamptey and the ball. No one in the PL is playing better than MØ8 at the moment.
To pick up on a point TTG makes, I cannot let the old year pass without applauding you and all the rest of my fellow contributors for a year of excellent previews, match reports and waffle (and the editors for all they do in the background). We each have our idiosyncratic style, but I would like to think that collectively we do the Guv’nor proud, not least, to borrow from Kipling, in treating both triumph and disaster as the imposters that they are — as he did. I also stand in awe that he produced single-handedly and to a consistently high standard, what it takes some dozen of us to deliver. We stand on the shoulders of a giant.
Great review, thanks Dr F and a great post @6 Ned.
I am looking forward to 2023 as I am sure we all are, but regardless of triumph or disaster
MA has built a great team. The duped and doped will present a challenge – the bookies still have Man City as slight favourite over us and then 33s the field – but to me we are simply better than them.
faustus, a hell of a piece. so right about mø, and eddie’s emergence. and as ned mentions at 6 parter’s pass and his stop.
and the rest of what ned says, in 6, about this place. the shoulders of a giant, indeed. the mutts? one can only do aspire.
i am savoring this whole season, drop by delicious drop.
An excellent review Dr F.
There most certainly were ‘hints that Arsenal quite willingly played a bit on the back foot….’ and the difference in style between the West Ham game, where we smothered the Hammers, and this one was very noticeable. I wondered if this was due to energy conservation or pre-game tactical planning. Either way, the outcome was excellent. Huge win.
Great piece, Dr F and great last paragraph, Ned @6. Both nailed on.
Dr F, your best yet in my humble opinion.
Factual, excellently observed and analysed AND easy to read. No mean feat that.
I thought our defensive subs were made a bit early and the simultaneous replacement of both full backs unbalanced us. A rusty Tomiyasu didn’t, in the event, help a still slightly rusty Saliba when his calming influence, Ben White, went off.
But that’s nitpicking I guess after an otherwise very impressive performance and passing of our predicted stiff test. The pundits keep moving our goalposts – our “first” really stiff test has now been reallocated, again, as Newcastle at home on Tuesday.
So far, the manager, coaches, players and fans are doing a magnificent job. Bring on the Toon – can’t wait !
And Ned @6 – every word about the Guvnor ❤️
A wonderful review of a glorious game Dr F. I was, frankly, concerned about this game. We have singularly failed to meet the Brighton challenge in the last few years. But our glorious football and solid defence led us to a 3-0 lead just after half time. Full backs have to run the most in the modern game, so it was perhaps no surprise with Newcastle in mind that Benny and Zinny were taken off at that point, but it did give Brighton the opportunity to get back at us. But it also led to that glorious fourth goal, with our Captain’s superlative defence splitting pass putting in our Brazilian speedster to score. Like so much else this season that gave me so much pleasure. I sometimes think we don’t use the ball through the lines enough, with such a speedy front three.
I am enjoying this season so much. I am still very superstitious about calling a game as won far too early (those games when we were leading comfortably, Newcastle 4-0 at half time and Spurs 4-2 up in injury time, both games ending 4-4 are still seared on my brain), and had it drummed into me in my youth that the final table only begins to take shape after Easter, so you won’t find me claiming the title is ours to lose. But our glorious winning football and the unity of the fans, the players and the club are making this a season to remember and, as Scruz says above, even if he uses American spelling, savour.
Newcastle up next. Do we rotate? Not for me. Oxford United next weekend, where many squad players will start, and so a long gap before Spurs. After that we have to start rotating. Let’s hope we can bring in another couple of players and get ESR and Reiss Nelson back. Jesus could be that last ten games man.
I also want to echo Ned’s comments at 6. This is a special place. Happy New Year Gooners.
I would guess that Zinchencko’s withdrawal after 60 minutes was pre-planned, given it was his second game back, but Tomi’s was opportunistic and would have happened later were we not 3-0 up. I’m sure Arteta will follow C100’s advice, play Newcastle at full strength and let some of our hardworking stars put their feet up on the bench against the Us. We may see ESR return for the Cup tie, too.
Thanks dr. F! A wonderful writing, I enjoyed every word, tasting like a good old red wine. Even it was without mentioning Bunuel at all :).
What a great game this was against a relentless a never-give-up side of Brighton.
For Ned @6 I haven’t had the luck to know Dave at all as I arrived here after he passed away. But beleive me, this is a tremendous place to be where I met the history and the tradition of our great club and also deep understanding, knowledge and love of football.
And first and foremost this is a kind place where you can have your opinion without being cancelled or attacked.
Happy new year to all of you ‘holics’. It is good to be here!
Thanks everyone for the kind words!
Ned@6: Fully agree with your words of praise and support for everyone writing for this blog, and equally in awe and admiration of Goonerholic’s consistently high-quality previews and reviews that he used to write all by himself.
>>>>>>>