Goonerholics Forever

As I had not yet attempted to write a match report, previews being more my thing, I thought in midweek I’d better do a bit of research on our upcoming opponents so they weren’t all a complete mystery to me on match day. Saints manager Ralph Rabbit-(little)Hutch has significantly shuffled his pack at St Mary’s in the wake of two 0-9 defeats, which he has so far survived. They must really like him down there on the south coast.

In midweek Bournemouth were playing out from the back and while the quality wasn’t there, there were similarities to ourselves in the way they played, albeit they used the long ball a lot more than we do in the attacking half of their game. Southampton had no answer to it, other than to hit long balls out of trouble from almost anywhere on the pitch.

Bournemouth only failed to run up a small cricket score because they simply do not have anything like the quality of our own forwards. So with no sign of an organised press to prevent us playing our way out from the back, and no more hint of any plan of attack in midfield, I was anticipating a much more comfortable afternoon than we endured at Elland Road last weekend.  

Saints, despite a lot of plaudits after their 1-0 win, appeared to me a shapeless, rudderless outfit and I was definitely left rubbing my hands at the prospect of Ødegaard, Saka, Jesús and Martinelli running at that defence.  

The snide BBC reporter pre-match today, asked Mikel Arteta if the fact that Arsenal are currently top of the league means they are the best team in the country. His question was met with the calm logic I’m sure he expected and he hopefully felt quietly put in his rather stupid place.

The team was unchanged from the eleven that started at Dirty Leeds, as predicted by GSD in his preview, with Tomiyasu resuming at left back and Ben White on the right – we should know by now that it will be ‘all White on the Right”. 

There was much talk of banana skins amongst the fans as St Mary’s has not been a great hunting ground for us in recent years, but The Arsenal started brightly and only 45 seconds had elapsed when Martinelli received a great long ball from Ben White, but his pass found Jesús in an offside position.

Two minutes later Jesús was fouled from behind for the first time by Southampton’s No 6, Coletta-Car. From the free kick Xhaka played the ball out to Saka on the right and his brilliant cross evaded Gabriel by a whisker right in front of goal.

A lovely, swift passing move then ended with Xhaka belting a shot into the keeper from a tight angle on 6’30”, and a minute later we saw the first consequences of Arteta’s demand for a tough mindset in his players. Martinelli landed heavily on his shoulder after going up for a header with Lycano, but while recovering on the floor he was hauled up by the same shoulder in order to “ get on with it”. Within seconds he fed Ødegaard centrally who unfortunately dragged his shot wide from 20 yards with most of the goal unprotected.

On 10 minutes we were ahead. White collected a return back heel from Saka and pulled his cross back to the onrushing Xhaka, who rifled the ball into the net with his newly discovered right foot.

Southampton 0 – 1 Arsenal

It was 21 minutes before Southampton earned their first corner. After the initial clearance Saints’ Joe Aribo received a sweet ball in, but his legs turned to jelly and he was left with egg on his face as he scuffed the ball to Aaron Ramsdale. (Old’ uns – ask the kids if you don’t get the ‘sweet’ jokes). Arsenal were purring and continued to create chances with some great football. 

On 28 minutes Bakayo Saka, following a threatening run, appeared to be tripped in, or on the very edge of, the penalty area. While many Gooners hoped to see Mr Robert Jones point to the spot, he actually produced a yellow card and waved it, to everyone’s amazement, at Saka for what he considered to be simulation. Everyone, including Smudger and the TV commentator were completely befuddled by the decision which, we were informed, cannot be reviewed due to the endlessly confusing and ridiculous rules that govern VAR. 

An odd sequence of six corners to Southampton and two more scoring chances spurned by Martinelli and Jesús meant that when the Saints went trapesing in at half time, they found themselves 1-0 down to a slick and classy, if wasteful Arsenal, and no doubt fearing the worst for the second half.

Half Time: Southampton 0 – 1 Arsenal

In fact, this turned out to be the classic game of two halves. After the interval, Arsenal seemed to find it impossible to recreate the pace and sharpness of the first 45 minutes. Southampton were doing a good impression of Stoke, utilising long balls, long crosses and long throws – I quite expected to see Shane Long make a reappearance for them. Their determination was personified by No 6, Coletta-Car, who one assumes has been training with the England Rugby Union squad, such was his repeated hauling down of Gabriel Jesús, an act encouraged by the total leniency of Mr Jones. One such dispossession of our No 9 led to the passage of play, admittedly a neat one, which saw Stuart – one of a production line of Armstrongs down the years at Southampton – pass the ball past Ramsdale into the back of our net on 65 minutes.

Southampton 1 – 1 Arsenal

Eddie Nketiah and Kieran Tierney were brought on at 70 minutes, while Theo Walcott, with a truly criminal hairdo, came on to little or no effect for Southampton. The remainder of the game saw Tierney felled at the Saints’ goal post, but Mr Jones continued to be unimpressed, Ødegaard netted from Tierney’s cross which was correctly adjudged to have gone out of play, but wait – there was, after all, follow up to the blow to Tierney’s throat. Set piece coach Nicolas Jover was so angry about the whole thing that he was booked for dissent, or some such, by the curious Mr Jones, who seems either unacquainted with, or unconcerned by the actual rules on foul play. Theo Walcott did earn a place in his notebook though, not for his outrageous Barnet, but – you’ve guessed it – simulation. This is one offence that Mr Jones is very keen on.

The five added minutes saw Lyanco booked for Southampton, when he retaliated to Nketiah’s version of the Coletta-Car haul down, by trying a ridiculous double head butt which happily missed it’s target.

And so a game which started in such brilliant style petered out to our first draw in 27 games, dating back to January. It was the first time we have lost points from a winning position this season. At best we are almost unstoppable. You can see in our play what Mikel Arteta was demanding in the All Or Nothing series, when he said the players needed to memorise a pattern of numbers that would relate to our play. That positioning makes our press both possible and effective. It also facilitates the quick, one touch, “instinctive” passages of play which leave opposing midfields chasing shadows. 

The number of games in such a short space of time is catching up with us though. Mikel says he has been working with 15 or 16 first team players this month. He is going to need the much anticipated January transfer activity if we are to sustain our challenge. Two cup competitions will be added to the schedule in January. Interesting and testing times.

For now though, we are two points ahead of Manchester City after eleven games played. That means we are top of the league, say …..

It is a while since I saw a match in the flesh and then wrote the report for the blog so it was nice to resume normal service tonight in the Europa League. Nobody likes Thursday night football (unless you’re West Ham) but this was a game that began at 6 pm and was preceded by a chance to meet scruzgooner and his lovely wife who was in the process of becoming a fully-fledged Arsenal fan.

scruz arrived after a frantic chase across London but was relaxed by a Guinness and a calm stroll from the Tollie to the ground. We were in the same section of the North Bank Upper which was about 80 % full but filled by a lot of non-regulars if my section of the ground was anything to go by. 

PSV are coached by a man much hated by Gooners everywhere, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, or ‘Old Horseface‘, as we know him more properly. His team are currently the second best in the Netherlands, just behind Ajax and they despatched FC Zurich 5-0 to stay on our coat tails in our Europa League Group.

We have, of course, got ‘Super Mik Arteta‘ who knows exactly what we need and his choice was to field  a strong team with Jesus and Nketiah starting for the first time together with  Saka on the  wing. Lokonga and Vieira began in midfield with the increasingly popular Granit Xhaka who played a little deeper, especially in the first half, than he has been of late. Tomayisu and Tierney were our full backs and Gabriel joined Capitola Rob whose luxuriant thatch grows ever more er…luxuriant. Turner was in goal.

While the atmosphere was positive and supportive the decibel level was relatively muted compared with recent matches and the team’s subdued opening reflected the different atmosphere. Who would have thought that the absence of Countrymen Junior and Senior would have had such a notable effect?! 

Arsenal controlled almost all the first half. PSV had one attack when Simons bore down on goal but the nosebleed he suffered from finding himself so high up the pitch prompted him to sky the ball. Arsenal pressed PSV very hard but Vieira has yet to develop the physicality necessary to bully the opposition so PSV were able to survive as they often found an out ball through his channel. Pressing has to be consistently applied. It’s not optional if you are a pressing team.

Jesús played through the centre with Eddie out wide and Nketiah’s wing play left a little to be desired. Jesús fired one shot just wide of the left-hand post and it became increasingly obvious that Saka had the Dutch team’s left-back on toast. Arsenal’s approach play was neat and occasionally innovative but they failed to test the Dutch team’s keeper much. PSV failed to trouble Matt Turner at all. For me the difference in quality and ambition between the two sides was stark. We tried to find a comparator to PSV in the current Premier League and identified Bournemouth as about the same level. 

Despite Arsenal looking much the stronger side they failed to show many signs of being likely to score in the first half. The last pass went astray or some brave and often fortuitous blocks from the PSV defence kept Arsenal at bay. The interval arrived with the match goalless. The only reassuring feature was that Granit found a way to get himself booked for a relatively innocuous tackle on the left flank after about 30 minutes. I’ve never joined the conspiracy theorists about Xhaka and the witch hunt against him but there was fuel for such theories in that incident.

I’m not sure what Ruud said to PSV at half-time whereas I know as a consequence of watching ‘All or Nothing’ that Mikel was explaining Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to his boys. As the second half began Arsenal seemed to increase the tempo, used Saka more, passed more quickly with a better tempo and tried to be more direct. In the meantime, the much-vaunted Cody Gakpo (a tall lad) had spent the first half in Tomayisu’s pocket and probably stayed in there at half-time to hear the Maslow lecture. He was no more noticeable in the second half except that Ben White replaced Tomi after 70 minutes and allowed him no more space than Tomi had. PSV’s only breaks of note involved the fast and dreadlocked Noni Madueke, their only English player and an ex- Spud who deserved to be booed a lot more because of his associations. He produced two moments of menace but Turner, who looks increasingly assured, was equal to them both.

Arsenal produced some more concerted attacking play. Benitez saved from Jesus and Saka and some more brave and often fortuitous blocks started to frustrate us. The answer seemed increasingly to feed either Jesús or Saka who turned his left-back inside out at will. While the crowd began to get restless and at least three people started to suggest ‘it looks like one of those days’, Saka Tomiyasu cut a ball back in 70 minutes and Xhaka hit a crisp right foot half volley past the PSV goalkeeper to give us the lead. 

Arsenal 1 (Xhaka, 70), PSV 0 

The goal was scant reward for our overwhelming superiority. A raft of substitutions had taken place from the 65th minute onwards with Partey, Ødegaard , Martinelli and latterly White and Nelson coming on to replace Sambi Lokonga, Vieira, Jesús , Tomayisu and Saka. Saka got a well-deserved standing ovation and Tierney and Ødegaard got yellow cards for roughing up the PSV full back on a break.

We had few alarms from then on. PSV were plucky but also lucky and at the end of the game we could reflect that as Tony Adam’s prepares to lift the Glitterball, it is fitting that the strains of ‘1-0 to the Arsenal‘ have been heard for the third successive match. 

Result: Arsenal 1 PSV 0 

We now lead the group, five points ahead of PSV who we should surely master next week if we choose to play a reasonably experienced side although it won’t really be necessary to do that because we have  qualified for the knockout stages and almost certain to win the group. 

We have a very definite team style with a strong press, high intensity and when we choose to, very quick passing. Having watched the awful Spud performance last night it is clear that we are playing football on a completely different tactical level from them. Most players did well but Sambi and Vieira need to make a more consistent contribution. Nketiah is not suited to playing wide and Tierney is not as assured as the Tierney of two years ago although he had a decent game tonight.

Our standout players were Saka, Jesús and the revelation of the season, Granit Xhaka, attacking midfielder supreme. He was excellent tonight. Congratulations to Arteta who juggled his resources well and is maintaining good momentum. On to St.Mary’s now for a big test on Sunday . It is one we should pass on tonight’s evidence.

That was remarkable. Excruciatingly painful to watch for long periods of the game, yes, and not a little fortuitous for the Arsenal to be able to continue the positive run of results. And yet, remarkable for many other reasons. As the winning goal scorer aptly summarized after the match, this was an “extra nice” win.

There was a suspicion even before the match started that after the arctic circle adventures on Thursday evening against a spirited team in unfamiliar conditions and pitch, and only returning on Friday afternoon, an away trip to Leeds – irrespective of their recent run of results – may prove a difficult challenge, physically and psychologically, for a young Arsenal side learning to negotiate an intense and hectic schedule, made all the more unreasonable by the demands of a winter world cup. The inimitable Marcelo Bielsa may no longer be gravely scrutinizing the proceedings from the Leeds bench, but the spirit of the Argentinian apparently lives on in this Leeds team and they, even though now managed by an Ivy League American, still try to play the type of manic football at hyper speed — especially at Elland Road egged on by the vociferous home crowd – that has been the hallmark of all Bielsa teams.

Arsenal started with the same line-up as the one that had triumphed against Liverpool last weekend, the versatile Tomiyasu retaining his left back role after the flawless performance in keeping Salah quiet, and Gabriel Jesus shaking off the bruises from that match.

Ramsdale
White – Saliba – Gabriel – Tomiyasu
Ødegaard – Partey – Xhaka
Saka – Jesus – Martinelli

The first remarkable action of the match came from the officials as they were forced — by a power outage that disabled their communication system — to postpone the proceedings in the very first minute. In the current league season Arsenal has made a well-rehearsed habit of starting with conviction and purpose and then using those first period as a template for the rest of the game. That prolonged disruption – as players went back to the dressing room and then needed to warm up again – could not have helped, and even though same must be said for the Leeds players once the match has resumed it was Leeds who looked more energetic and purposeful.

In this first period of the game, Leeds allowed Arsenal possession in their own half, and not pressing very high up – which will change dramatically later in the second half – but meticulously cutting off passing lanes in the midfield and releasing runners from deep trying to exploit Arsenal’s usual high defensive line. Leeds front three of Sinisterra, Rodrigo and Aaronson all looked highly capable with the ball at their feet. They earned a few corners, and from one such corner Ramsdale made an excellent reflex save, first of many in a manic evening.

Around 30^th minute Arsenal created the best chance of the game until then, the ever-energetic Martinelli skipping past defenders and crossed from the left, Xhaka’s dummy took a defender or two out but Ødegaard couldn’t create enough space for a shot and he fed it to Jesus on his right. The Brazillian was justifiably disappointed with himself to see his chip missing the goal and landing on top of the net.

That bit of play inspired Arsenal to improve their tempo on and off the ball, and to become sharper with their passing. Tomiyasu was playing much more centrally, in the Zinchenko role but understandably not with as much conviction, and that created a midfield overload which allowed quick switches of play from which both Saka and Martinelli benefitted. After a period of sustained pressure by Arsenal on the Leeds final third one such quick switch led to the goal.

But it was not an Arsenal player that instigated the switch of attack. Rodrigo, their center forward, dropped back to help out in defending Arsenal attacks and when he received a pass from his teammate he sent a wild cross-field ball back towards his own goal, Saka own the header for Ødegaard who retained possession, and anticipating Saka’s run sent a delightful through ball on the inside of the Leeds left back in charge of marking Saka, who from a tight angle finished the move with an unstoppable angled shot on to the roof of the net. A rare right footed finish from Saka, but carrying the signature qualities of ingenuity and enterprise that, along with a quiet but unshakeable self-belief, defines this extraordinary young talent.

Leeds 0 – Arsenal 1 (Saka 35’)

There were a few other half chances after the goal, Ødegaard took a few shots on goal but they all lacked enough power to trouble the keeper. Arsenal retained possession well, the defenders anticipated and intercepted Leeds moves, played out expertly from the back to bring the midfield and forward line into play, and at that stage it felt that it is Arsenal who would get the next goal. Arsenal has won every single match this season when they have scored the first goal.

If any of us Arsenal supporters felt any complacency at the half time, first few minutes of the second half must have been a shock. It was definitely a jolt to the Arsenal players who were definitely not showing any signs of complacency but were simply physically unprepared for the waves of fast and relentless attacks that came from Leeds. At the start of the second half Leeds brought in their more established center forward Patrick Bamford for Rodrigo, and he was instrumental in triggering a very high press on Arsenal half. Suddenly Arsenal midfield lost complete control of the proceedings and as balls started to fly into the penalty box it felt like a Leeds goal is only a matter of time.

From one such delivery in the box Saliba found himself in an uncharacteristically contorted body position and the ball bounced off his hand. Even though the referee didn’t spot it himself VAR intervened, and it was rightly given a penalty. Bamford stepped up for his 100 th goal for Leeds, but his low shot went wide. Ramsdale, who guessed the trajectory of the ball accurately and dived in the right direction, might even claim that if the ball were goalbound he would have saved it.

Ramsdale did need to be at his best and make a few more crucial saves as Leeds completely dominated the possession as by now a visibly exhausted Arsenal was simply hanging on. All eleven Arsenal players were behind the ball and busy defending, and unlike the season until now even when the defenders have thwarted a move and a counter-attack was on the passing and ball retention in midfield no longer had the sharpness to release such a counter attack.

In addition to Ramsdale saves, and clearance and interceptions by the defense, the Leeds players too failed to shoot on target a few times from relatively close range. Even though the score remained in favor of Arsenal going into the final ten minutes of the match, it felt Leeds can equalize any time.

Arteta brought in Vieira for a completely exhausted Ødegaard, took White – who for the first time this season looked sub-par in his new right back role – out and switched to three in the defense, with Holding joining in and flanked by Saliba and Gabriel. Tierney replaced White to play as the left wing back and Tomiyasu reverted to his more typical right sided role. Eddie replaced Jesus, and I felt that this substitution probably could have been made a bit earlier.

This tactical and personnel tweak helped Arsenal to assert more control over the game, better nullify the Leeds attack, and start retaining more possession to be able to see out the match. Just when the match seemed more secure from the Arsenal perspective a wild sequence of events led to the final bit of …excitement. Bamford chased a ball into Arsenal penalty box, Gabriel stood his ground, the Leeds forward barged into him, Gabriel fell and seemed to have lashed at Bamford with his legs as he was falling on the ground. The referee consulted with the assistant referee to award Leeds a penalty and give Gabriel his matching orders. However, VAR intervened once more, and after seeing the replay of the action himself on the screen the referee rightly rescinded his earlier decision and awarded Arsenal a free-kick for Bamford’s foul on Gabriel, reducing Gabriel’s red to yellow for the trailing leg offense.

Beyond the obvious relief and the satisfaction of the three points at the final whistle, I felt that there were indeed a few positives. One is a refreshingly consistent use of VAR: at two key moments in the match VAR intervened and on both occasions the decisions were rightly changed. That is how it is meant to be used. From Arsenal perspective, despite being mostly outplayed and physically outperformed in the second half, I thought the young Arsenal players showed a remarkable degree of maturity in staying cool headed and resilient and give in to neither hubris nor panic nor petulance. This has not always been the case in recent years, and I think one of the Arteta mantra of “ready to suffer in difficult games” now has a successful example of a template. There will be more matches like it this season, and every season, when things would simply not work for one reason or another – whether schedule congestion, or opposition’s superiority on that day, or Arsenal players physical state, likely a combination of multiple such factors – but there can still be ways to come out victorious. Success can be, and often is, a self-perpetuating habit.