A lot can change in 2338 days.
That is how long it has been since that humiliating 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich which saw us lose 10-2 on aggregate on one of the worst nights in Arsenal’s recent history. Since then, we’ve had to endure five tediously dull Europa League campaigns and even a season out of Europe all together.
There was the humiliation in Baku. The avoidable semi final exits to Atletico and Villareal. Need I remind you of our good old friends, Olympiakos? It’s been a challenging half a dozen years to be a Gooner. Not the worst we’ve ever had it; many of you reading this have seen the club in far worse shape. But football, much like life, is a cyclical game. What goes up must come down and vice versa.
And Arsenal is certainly on the up again right now. Tonight, was a night we had been eagerly anticipating for a long time. We were not disappointed. The blue banners around the stadium, the big parachute in the centre circle, and of course the famous Champions League anthem. All the little touches that let you know your playing in Europe’s premier club competition were on show for supporters to revel in pre-match. The Champions League remains a competition like no other. You cannot take it for granted no matter who you support. PSV Eindhoven awaited Arsenal’s wrath.
I made sure I arrived at the ground early just to soak up the occasion as much as possible. In the end the only things that got soaked were my clothes and I was not alone there. The heavens had opened to welcome Arsenal back to the holy grail of European football.
Arsenal made it heaven on the pitch too. There were two changes from Sunday: Jesus made his first start of the season in place of Nketiah and Trossard, who replaced the injured Martinelli early on at Goodison Park, was rewarded for his match-winning strike on Merseyside. On eight minutes we were ahead. Ødegaard’s low drive was palmed out by Walter Benitez, but only as far as Saka who calmly slotted home to give Arsenal the lead on his Champions League debut. 1-0 to The Arsenal.
Jesus nearly doubled our lead moments later, but he was involved again when we did. The Brazilian spun away from his marker and fed Saka on the right. The winger carried the ball into the final third before laying it off to Trossard who passed the ball home on the edge of the area. 2-0 inside twenty minutes.
Gabriel Jesus had a couple of efforts which were both well saved by the keeper. He was tormenting the PSV centre backs time and time again. And seven minutes before the break he finally had his reward. Gabriel played a fine ball over the top for Trossard who duly controlled it expertly. The Belgian pinged over a sumptuous cross with his “weaker foot” which Jesus controlled and slammed into the far corner. 3-0 and we had barely broken a sweat.
The second half was much lower key with Arsenal conserving their energy for Sunday. Arteta was able to make some early subs as Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe were introduced on the hour mark much to the crowd’s enthusiasm. And it was the two Hale Enders who combined on the left hand side to tee up Ødegaard for the fourth and final goal of the evening. The Norwegian dropped the shoulder and rifled one into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Game Set and Match.
Overall, it was worth the wait. Arsenal have started as they mean to go on in the Champions League. Sterner tests will await us later in the competition, assuming we get out the group (which we really ought to), but you cannot complain about a thumping win against quite possibly our strongest competition in the group.
In the other game in our group, Sevilla drew 1-1 with RC Lens in southern Spain. It means we top group B by two points at this early stage. And of course, Man United lost to Bayern. What’s not to like?
But we must focus on ourselves if we want to achieve what we are truly capable of. Can we win the Champions League at long last this season? It seems unlikely but stranger things have happened. The bookmakers have us down as fourth favourites, which is rather generous of them. But it is clear we are no plucky underdogs these days. We are a force to be reckoned with. Tonight’s game suggested as much.
Onwards…
Bang.
Boom,
Nice write up 21CG. It was most odd, being back in the ancestral home last night (Clerkenwell) and not going to the game. From the highlights the crowd seemed lively and some of the football was sumptuous, particularly for the Jesus and Ødegaard goals.
More of the same, please, on Sunday against Morons from the Marshes.
Kablam!
Whack!
An excellent Batman-esque start to proceedings this morning, made all the more fitting as our team played like superheroes last night.
Thanks 21CG for a fabulous report. The opening line is excellent, and from there it goes from strength to strength. Lovely writing.
I was looking for any sort of win, so for the team to click in an attacking sense just days before we play the enemy was more than I’d hoped for. However, we have to get the result in that one too, and get into the habit of building wins in both competitions, not letting a ‘European hangover’ narrative get a foothold.
Loads of players had good games from what I hear (I didn’t get to see the match and only saw the goals) but I’ve gotta say again how much I love Trossard. He may not have been first choice when we pivoted to him after we were chelsead to Mudryk but the guy is outstanding. He is a great age, bridging the gap between our older heads and our army of youngsters, a player who can provide continuity when we start to move on the likes of Partey and Jorginho. He has so much end product, a great attitude, and a different style to anything else we have.
When i watched him at Brighton I thought he was a decent player, but I would never have called how well would fit into our side, or how effective he would become. Fantastic business and I’m a huge fan.
It sounds like Havertz also had an encouraging, if not groundbreaking, performance. The weekend would be a good time for a cheeky hat trick to announce himself, no?
Cheers 21CG!
+1 for me in the Trossard Appreciation Society, GSD.
Worthy two-footedness of the Cazorla number 19 too.
Instant hero legend for Havertz if he scores a hat-trick on Sunday, but like most here I suspect, I’ll content myself with any victory that day, to be honest.
Kapow!
An excellent distillation of a superb reentry to the top competition, 21CG. As you observe, sterner tests lie ahead but we couldn’t have asked for a more focused, determined and stylish performance with four fabulous goals and a stolid defence.
Every man played his part. Is there a calmer goalkeeper on the planet than Raya? Does anyone notice Ben White’s workrate? It’s great to see our dynamic duo of Saliba and Gabriel holding the fort again while Zinchenko goes walkabout probing and prompting. Rice looks llike he’s been running that midfield for years, on and off the ball. Ødegaard leads by example and conducts the attack with style and verve. I thought Havertz had his best game for us so far – his link play and pressing were exemplary and he just needs that first competitive goal to quieten the haters. It was nice to see Jesús back and being waspish again while Saka also looked back to top form. You can add me to the Trossard fan club. Thankyou Todd Boehly for your generous gesture that diverted us from Mudryk (who will indeed eventually come good) to Leonardo who is already very, very good and will be a key player for Arsenal this season. ESR, Nelson, Vieira, Tomiyasu and Jorginho all played their parts in securing that 4-0 win. What strength in depth we now possess.
A final word on Havertz whose versatility was shown when ESR replaced Jesús and he switched from his ‘8-role’ into a centre forward role and gave the PSV defenders a different challenge from that posed by Jesús. Although he didn’t score his run and pass contributed to the build up to Ødegaard’s goal. That versatility will stand us in good stead when we need to find a Plan B.
A terrific and very swiftly produced report 21CG – entertaining and informative in equal measure . I never expected our return to elite competition to go so well. If only the heavens hadn’t opened as we were queuing for the tube !
I’d commend the whole side . Raya is calmness itself, Saliba was utter class and Odegaard worked his wet socks off. Declan Rice stepped up from Europe’s Vauxhall Conference to the real thing without missing a beat . You would have thought he was an experienced international footballer! Trossard was superb running them ragged down their right and Jesus is at least a class ahead of Eddie. He was high octane last night and his pace terrified them.
Two comments about the substitutions . Havertz ended well. He played in a false 9 role and looked very comfortable 4-0 up in a team that were way superior. A couple of his touches latterly were sublime . In the left 8 role he was underwhelming and contributed much less than he did further forward . There is a player in there with subtle gifts but the competition for places is fierce . Tomayisu came on at left back and inverted in a way that KT3 never did. That is why he stayed and KT3 left . As Bath said White gets through a huge amount of work and is a fine player . Last night that description applied to all of our team .
Congratulations on the report 21CG. To produce it so quickly when you were soaked through and just wanted a hot shower and a change of clothes, is admirable. Killer first line as well.
Our evening began most pleasantly at the Alcedo restaurant with TTG, my son Aidan and myself being joined by Alan, a former purveyor of strong spirits with all the bonhomie and anecdotes you would expect. Alan is a friend of TTG, an acquaintance of Scruzgooner and in fact sat next to 21CG last night at the game. That seat is normally occupied by CER, whose poor attendance record this season due to a glittering social life is the subject of a GHF disciplinary hearing shortly.
The rain was biblical. I swear, as we drove away after the game down the Balls Pond Road, I caught a glimpse of a guy with a long white beard, just completing a large wooden boat and organising a variety of animals into twos. In the stadium the wind drifted in from the Clock End, meaning that in in row nine of the North Bank, we took the full deluge for the whole game.
As to the game it was a total joy, our best performance this season. The team was incredible from back to front. Clinical finishing, swift transitions through the PSV and fantastic performances from our two centre backs who kept a high scoring and pacy PSV team totally under control. The whole team was excellent, including the best performance yet from the enigmatic Havertz. But I’ll pick out just four who I thought had world class games. Gabriel Jesus has a touch and control only second, in my experience, to the great Santi Cazorla. His drive and control were incredible last night. Leo Trossard was magnificent before being withdrawn with Sunday in mind. Big Willy Saliba put on a master class of close control centre back play. And the skipper was everywhere before reprising his goal against Saudi Arabia FC last season. He hits the ball so cleanly.
The biggest roar of the evening was for the appearance of ESR for the first time this season. He looked lively as well. Let’s hope we are now in good spirit for repelling the hordes from the wrong end of Seven Sisters Road on Sunday. According to their somewhat overexcited fans, they are on for the quadruple. Let’s put them back in their box.
Thanks 21CG, an enjoyable report of a game that was a welcome step back into the limelight of top European football. Personally, I think having us as fourth favorites is about right though it’ll be a tough ask to win it in our first season back. Anyway, nights like last night make me afraid of no one in this competition. Assuming we make it through the group our next step back will be getting through the bloody last 16 round,
Thanks TTG and C100 too for the reports from the terraces 👍
On to the NLD….
Bravo, 21CG. Your first line is worth the price of admission alone. My only quibble with an otherwise excellent match report is that I would say that Sevilla, not PSV, is our strongest competition in the group, for all their rocky start to the season.
The team flowed last night as it had not managed to do all season save fitfully. As others have pointed out, everyone played well and took full advantage of the space available as we were so easily breaking through PSV’s high press.
With Martinelli back for Trossard, that was probably Arteta’s first-choice XI that started last night, or at least his starting outfield X, tough though that would be for Trossard, who was outstanding last night; his wing play and cross for Jesus’s goal was of the highest standard.
Sunday will tell if the pecking order between the sticks is resolved. I read a quote from Arteta comparing Raya’s arrival to that of Ramsdale’s when Leno was at the club. We know how that ended. Raya has had two games in which he has kicked and caught well, the latter being a competency in which I know some in this fine establishment believe Ramsdale falls short. The Spaniard has not been otherwise tested, yet we also know how ruthless Arteta is in his decision-making if he believes a change will make the team better.
A final point: what a heart-warming reception for ESR when he came on.
Yeah, I hope ESR felt the love, such an Arsenal boy
Is that a flash of thigh and knickers that I see Daniel Levy offering middle eastern and merkin billionaires? Very classy, not!
Apparently Daniel Levy has taken exception to Maddison turning up for training with the Swampies in a red car . Shows perfect taste in my view . I have a red car and I’m a trendsetter red car 🚘
And I often repeat myself
Irrespective of my musings @10 on our goalkeeping situation, Tim Stillman presents a compelling argument about why it has been resolved in Raya’s favour.
bath@12: “It’s not about me, it’s about what’s right for the club.” says Levy. Knickers already down, it would appear.
Excellent review 21CG! I feel that this season in CL (and PL) will bring a new generation of young fans around the world to Arsenal.
Ødegaard was magnificent— a barely believable combination of sublimity and tirelessness and leadership. Let this be your home forever Martin!
And I too consider myself a proud member of the Leo Trossard fan club. A very different type of player than any of our other attackers, his greatest strength is the ability to make the optimal decision in the final third with an unhurried calmness. He is not a consummate goalscorer the way the Croazillian used to be, but his ability to find the right solution in the penalty area reminds me a bit of Eduardo. And though not at Santi’s level of technical excellence, that two-footedness is a great advantage. A superb signing.
Lovely to see ESR and Reiss playing a part. We will need them all. Hope Martinelli’s injury is a minor one.
Cheers 21CG! Your report is quick and elegant like a Trossard assist. Even in front of tele I could sense the togetherness and the determination of the team. Just wow, how the team has clicked. We went with the flow.
Raya might have better stats but Ramsdale is a leader by default. He helped the team in crucial moments and he would be a big loss in that sense.
COYG
Cheers 21CG, fast and happy rather than furious.
Signs of our returning fluency, some excellent goals – I really enjoyed the made in Hale End special. ESR and Nelson combined well to set up Odegaard and I hope to see more of them in a squad that now looks good enough to encourage some genuine rotation.
Personally I thought Havertz was anonymous in the first half but he did grow into the second and had his best showing for us so far.
A very convincing return to Europe’s top competition.
Ned @15
This is another Seaman/ Lukic or Leno/ Martinez situation where you have to prefer a keeper . Saliba, Rice , Saka and Odegaard might be rotated in odd games but they will play when fit in all the big ones and similarly so will our chosen keeper . Some positions are too pivotal to keep switching personnel .
While I don’t think Ramsdale is toast at Arsenal ( Raya might get injured ) Arteta can ( rightly ) be ruthless and has clearly chosen his no1 keeper . Ramsdale is unlucky because he has played some marvellous games for us but my instinct is that Raya is a better modern keeper
TTG@20: Fair points. There isn’t the same tiredness with goalkeepers that would demand rotation in other positions, but second-choice keepers do need to play sufficiently often to prevent rustiness when they are needed. I guess that is the rationale behind the idea of the cup keeper, although logically the number two could be given any set of games; they do not need to be delineated by competition.
I am coming around to the idea that Arteta has chosen his number one, and that is Raya, but that he still wants to have England’s number two as backup. I am also slowly coming around to the notion that the role of a goalkeeper is no longer to be the custodian of last resort of the onion bag, or rather that that role is now best performed preventively by the keeper being part of a defence that nullifies the opposition from attacking in the first place. A keeper doesn’t need to be a great shot-stopper if the opposition can be stopped from taking shots.
I am greatly looking forward to seeing how our keeper, whichever one it is, plays on Sunday. The weakness of Postecoglu’s tactic of playing two inverted full-backs and relatively high and narrow centre-backs is that there is room out wide and behind for counterattackers to exploit. I am expecting a barrage of quick, long balls into those empty gaps for Saka and Trossard to chase.
Martin Ødegaard has signed a new contract. Great news! Great work by Edu et al.
Great news, indeed and the latest in a line of contract extensions among the first-team squad.
Cheers 21CG!
Ødegaard news is outstanding. 😄
Here’s the BBC preview of Sunday’s game:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66835402
The role of Richard Garlick is akin to painting the Forth Bridge .As soon as you have your players signed up to contracts the original ones you signed up are coming perilously close to needing new contracts again!
But we are in a very good position with a settled squad and rumours that we are about to sign Nwaneri who has been very impressive this season and with Lewis- Skelly promises us huge potential in the midfield area . Patino , Nwaneri , Lewis- Skelly and Cozier – Duberry could all be ready for first team action in the next eighteen months albeit from the bench for most of them .
Since Garlick replaced Huss Fahmy who was a Sanllehi appointment we have had a much more settled squad .
TTG@26: Rice, Ødegaard and Havertz’s contracts run to 2028, so even if Patino, Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and Cozier-Duberry are first-team ready for 2025-26, they are going to become splinter familiar with the bench unless they bloom exceptionally.
It is going to be tougher and tougher for Academy-raised players to break through to the first Xis of the elite clubs unless they are generational talents like Saka and Bellingham. As good as ESR, Nketiah and Nelson are — and they are good enough and more to have walked into most of the Arsenal teams of our youth and to many of the Premier League teams of today — they are the proverbial gnat’s crotchet short of that level.
>>>>>>>