Goonerholics Forever

A hard-fought draw against the champions is not a bad result in isolation, but I ended the game with a sense of frustration. We played an excellent first half but failed to take advantage of numerous good situations to create clear cut chances. Liverpool deserve credit for a dominant second half, the most we have been under the cosh at home this season, but they could not make it count any more than we could. They finished the match without a single shot on target, although on this occasion that is a somewhat misleading stat. However, the regret for me is that we were poor in the second half and did not do ourselves justice: we are a much better team than what we showed after the break today.

The pre-game fireworks looked good and the crowd were up for it. Rain hammered down in North London. After a few minutes sizing each other up, we took control, working the ball to the byline on a series of occasions only for Saka and the roaming Timber to pull the ball back either to Allison or behind their teammates. Saka cut in and had a tame shot on target that did not trouble Allison before Trossard got to the byline on the left and pulled it back to no-one. We had a couple of free kicks that we took short instead of pumping into the box, which just looked like the wrong tactic against a side who don’t defend set pieces well.

In the 27^th minute Liverpool made a rare foray forwards and a mix up between Saliba and Raya almost cost us. Chasing back against the rapid but slight figure of Frimpong, the tall Frenchman played a fast ball into Raya’s feet. Caught off guard, our keeper passed it straight to Bradley, who chipped it over him at the empty goal. Luckily for us, it failed to come down in time and hit the bar. It was the closest anyone came to a goal all match.

Frimpong went down after twisting his ankle in our box, we played on and Trossard had a shot deflected wide. It kicked off a little, Pool players completely unreasonably claiming we should have kicked the ball out. Rice and Van Dyke were in the middle of this pile of nothing. In the second half, Martinelli went down in similar circumstances and Pool played on, which they were absolutely right to do, but it rather gave the lie to their earlier faux outrage.

Gyökeres had some good moments, one excellent bit of link up play and ball through to Timber led to another cross that found a Pool player. It deflected to Rice who did well to get his foot over the ball to shoot on target. But our number 14 also had some moments when he failed to gamble and make a run. One in particular from Rice saw the striker completely static in the box. It isn’t great to watch the ball get skimmed across the six-yard box three or four times in a match and never have anyone on the end of it. To be fair, a couple of them were late in the game after the Swede had made way for Jesùs, but it is something we need to work on.

Rice put Saka through in the box, but he could not get the ball out of his feet and Kerkez smothered the chance. As half-time went, I was concerned that we had nothing to show from a half where we had been all over them, but I did not predict the reversal the second half would bring.

The teams came out unchanged and after ten minutes of Liverpool possession without much danger I had written two notes. The first said simply ‘Gravenberch is good’. He’s a strong player with a good eye for a pass and a deceptive burst of pace over a short distance that helps him carry the ball and break midfield lines. The second was ‘we miss Calafiori’. I have been impressed with Hincapié since he joined. It is tough to come into the Premier League and get up to speed as fast as he has. He’s quick, aggressive and wants to make an impact. But today he looked a lot more predictable than the Italian (who isn’t?) and I was struck by how valuable our maverick left-back would have been today. That said, when Hincapié went down injured on 55 minutes (there’s always one) and was replaced by MLS, it became immediately clear that Frimpong was going to beat him at will. Frankly, I was glad Liverpool failed to take advantage.

Just before that sub, we worked about our only decent move of the half, at least until we woke up in the last five minutes to give an infuriating demonstration of what we were capable of but had not been doing for the previous forty minutes. Trossard cut in past Connor Bradley (solid player, had a good game) and played a ball across the edge of the box. Zubimendi had made a fantastic run, knowing exactly when to burst through the middle of the pitch unmarked but he was just unable to gather the ball in and it went out for a goal kick. What he did not realise however, was that if he had dummied the ball it was headed to Saka alone at the far side of goal, and you’d have bet on him to find the finish if he’d received the ball.

Taylor was generous to Pool in giving them freekicks for lots of fifty-fifties. This just broke the game up more. He also managed to miss a blatant foul by MLS although Jesùs’s through ball was easily cut out so once again he avoided screwing either team over in any major way. Szoboszlai had two free kick chances from similar positions to his fine winner earlier this season at Anfield (although the second was never a foul by Jesùs). The first one was wild and the second, though better, cleared the bar and highlighted once again how low percentage that Anfield hammer blow was.

Noni and Eze came on with ten minutes to go. Noni immediately skinned Kerkez, got to the line and fizzed a wicked ball across the six-yard box where it was met by… nobody. Again! Having seen how dangerous he could be, we inexplicably failed to get the ball back to him for another ten minutes. C.F. Pool’s use of Frimpong versus MLS.

The excellent crowd made some noise despite the players giving them little to work with and it seemed to lift us for a final push. We padded our stats with a header on target from Jesùs and a shot across goal from Martinelli but the game was petering out. Konate had a fistful of Jesùs’s shirt in the box, but our man made the foolish mistake of trying to stay on his feet and challenge for the ball. Taylor gave the away team a free kick. To be clear, it wasn’t a penalty as it played out, but if Jesùs had let himself fall backwards when he was tugged then the replay would have looked very scary for Konate.

There was time for Gabigol to race down the wing. Bradley got there first and kicked the ball out before going down in pain. Unconvinced that he was actually hurt, Martinelli first dropped a ball on him and then pushed his prone figure in an effort to get him off the pitch so we could take our throw on. It was completely uncalled for, a petulant and unsporting gesture that did not do justice to the character of a wonderful young man who was clearly frustrated with how the match had gone. Taylor gave him a deserved yellow card, and Konate picked one up for the second round of handbags in what had generally been a tough game but one played in decent spirit. When the unfortunate Bradley had to be taken down the tunnel on a stretcher it didn’t improve the optics of the replays.

The last action of the game was a corner to us. Madueke swung an absolute beauty to the far post and Gabriel, of all people, fluffed his lines and failed to connect properly with the goal at his mercy. The replay showed Gabriel Jesùs putting him off. Perhaps a shame for us, but it has been a tough campaign so far for Liverpool, and they showed a lot of character today and did not deserve to lose it like that.

A draw was a fair result. We are six points above City, whose draw with Brighton gave us some extra leeway tonight. We shake hands, acknowledge our opponents this evening as a good side and an excellent club, and move on. Let’s hope it will be us who ends up taking their crown.

One question before the match was whether Antoine Semenyo would start for Bournemouth? He did. Had Arsenal made a cheeky bid, bearing in mind Mikel Arteta’s comments about watching the transfer market “and its timings carefully” and Semenyo declaring himself an Arsenal fan? I guess that is now highly unlikely as he started against us but you never know …..

The team lined up as: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hinkapié; Ødegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyökeres, Martinelli.

So Declan Rice was passed fit despite his demonstrating a huge swelling on his knee to Morgan Rogers on Tuesday evening. Unless he was indicating the swelling his wife is experiencing as she is apparently expecting triplets if social media are to be believed. The swelling appeared to be down around the knees though. Poor lady, if so! In any event, his fitness was a surprise to me as the likely causes of such a swelling would be soft tissue damage, cartilage damage or an inflamed bursa, all likely to require time to settle. Anyway, let’s not question it too much when we finally get one bit of good injury news.

Our bench looked as strong as I can remember with Kepa, White, Lewis-Skelly, Nørgaard, Merino, Eze, Saka, Trossard and Jesùs. No place in the squad for Nwaneri or Havertz whose exclusion was for management reasons rather than any new injury worries.

The match

Bournemouth made a very energetic start and forced two early corners before Arsenal were able to settle into their more familiar pattern of passing and control which culminated in Ødegaard unfortunately shooting high and wide into the crowd. Madueke then shot similarly after an impressive dribble through the left side of the Bournemouth defence.

With just 10 minutes on the clock, Gabriel received the ball from a throw on and, under no pressure, made a completely uncharacteristic mistake in passing straight to Evanilson who was standing unmarked in the middle of the 18 yard line. The latter gratefully accepted his surprise, late Christmas gift and passed into the far corner of the net leaving Raya with no chance.

 Bournemouth 1-0 Arsenal

It took the King of Brazil a mere 5 minutes to atone for his error with not a header, but a shot fired home with a striker’s aplomb after great approach work by Madueke.

 Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal

Zubimendi was next to give away possession which led to a dangerous passage of play that thankfully ended with no further damage. Whatever transfer thoughts were in Semenyo’s head, he was definitely not going easy on us and he earned himself a yellow card for a foul at the midpoint of the half. 

A supposedly depleted Bournemouth side were busy, pressing quickly and aggressively, and clearly well coached and organised by Andoni Iraola. Arsenal, for their part, we’re finding it difficult to get control of a lively, bouncing ball – was that really an FA approved model? – that seemed to ricochet it’s way round the pitch. In truth it was because Bournemouth do not allow you a single kick without a challenge of some kind or other. Fair play to them but it made for a scrappy game, doubtless exactly as they would have wished.

Referee Kavanagh was, by now, up to his usual tricks, this time picking on Victor Gyökeres instead of Declan Rice, with some strange decisions. Declan was finding it hard to disguise his bewilderment. The Sky commentary team of Bill Lesley and the rather stupid, obviously anti-Arsenal Don Goodman were, however, delighted. Where do they manage to find these prats week after week? “Brilliant defensive work by Semenyo, nothin’ in it ….” claimed Goodman as the Bournemouth man ran, holding Rice’s arm back for ten yards. When Semenyo then shot 20 feet over the bar, “the intent was really good though …” said Goodman, failing to hide his disappointment.

Overall, a frustrating half after the brilliance of the second half against Aston Villa. Too much possession was given away – a point emphasised by Arteta after the game – against a hard working Bournemouth. I think the team still looks unsure of quite how to attack and get Gyökeres into the game. Long early balls do not come naturally to this Arteta drilled formation. They are what Gyökeres needs and he failed to make any kind of impact again in this first half.

 HT Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal

There were no changes in personnel at the beginning of the second half. Arsenal were exerting better control and on 53 minutes Gyökeres fought for possession in the box. The ball was worked to Ødegaard on the edge of the area and his clever lay off invited Rice to fire home from 17 yards.

 Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal 

Despite Bournemouth’s continued harrying, the Arsenal now looked fairly comfortable, although the improved control was failing to increase our slender one goal lead. I really don’t want to pick on Gyökeres but I found myself getting more and more frustrated with him. Too often he was walking around, failing to even jump for high balls and he was doing nothing to affect the game at all. CER made a great comparison a short while ago when he said his defensive work reminds him of Theo Walcott – slowing down as he chases an opponent so as to not quite make the challenge.

I found myself yearning for Jesùs just as he appeared on the touch line with the manager. Was this another miracle or just coincidence? Whichever it was, our little Gabi was introduced on 65 minutes together with Bukayo Saka and Leo Trossard as Gyökeres, Madueke and Martinelli made way. It actually reminded me of a game at Watford in the Arsene Wenger era when Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires emerged from the dugout in the second half. Graham Taylor, Watford manager at the time, looked across at Arsene and said “you used to bring on decent subs!”
Five minutes later quality told. Saka and Ødegaard exchanged passes and Rice netted his second of the evening from Bukayo’s cut back.

 Bournemouth 1-3 Arsenal

Madueke did well today on the whole but he does not have Saka’s end product. Very, very few do but Saka is so calm in possession, rarely gives it up and has unfailing end product. I hope they’re not, but if Miles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are getting frustrated at their lack of game time, it’s worth remembering that at their age Saka was still playing at left back. Patience lads – your time awaits.

Bournemouth brought on three substitutes of their own on 74 minutes to try to improve their lot and one of them, Junior Kroupi, did just that, firing home a terrific rising drive from 25 yards. 

Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal

The goal inspired Bournemouth to scrap even harder, and the commentary team to get even more excited. The Bournemouth scorer was carded for a cynical foul on Trossard and Mikel Merino replaced Martin Ødegaard in midfield. 

“Excellent refereeing!” shouted the idiotic Goodman as Saliba was kicked in the Achilles and Kavanagh took the play back to award Bournemouth a free kick. On 86 minutes, Trossard won a corner. With no discernible delay, I thought, Goodman opined that the referee was allowing Arsenal “way, way too long” to take it. A Bournemouth defender then clung on to Jesùs’ leg, and another gathered the ball with his hands into his fallen body on the ground. Free kick to Bournemouth was Kavanagh’s decision! 

Six minutes of added time were indicated by the fourth official. Adli – the misspelt supermarket from Bournemouth – bent to head Gabriel’s elbow, threw himself on the floor and tried to claim a penalty. A claim shown by video replay to be entirely ridiculous. Even Kavanagh agreed. He then did something quite strange and equally ridiculous. He allowed Semenyo to launch one last long throw, bang on 96 minutes. Yikes, no! Why? I thought. He then blew the final whistle as soon as the throw had been headed away which enraged the Bournemouth faithful and allowed one final carp from Goodman – “why would he blow up then?” he posed, uselessly. 

FT Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal

Last season, TTG became so incensed by Sky’s commentary and punditry that he wrote to the broadcaster in protest at their anti-Arsenal bias. Of course, he got nothing of substance in return. In fairness to Kavanagh, despite some odd decisions, I think he got the major decisions around the penalty areas right today. It was the commentary surrounding them that really riled me. Yes, I am in a heightened state of anxiety after three seasons of near misses, not to miss out on the title again. Yes, I am biased but hopefully not stupid. But these clowns employed by Sky week after week are really ruining any pleasure in watching the televised games. The one week recently we were treated to Martin Keown on co-comms, there were comments in the studio calling him out for his bias. The kick back continued into Monday morning when TalkSport ran a whole debate on national radio as to whether he had been too biased with his comments!

I guess I should try to ignore it but the nonsense is relentless. All the sweeter when we finally win the thing, I know. On that note, Merse said after today’s game, “Arsenal didn’t play well and scored three goals. That tells you something.”

It is the beginning of January. We are top of the Premier League. We are top of the Champions League. We are in the semi final of the Carabao Cup. This team is showing a remarkable maturity and resilience. They are mentally tough. There are leaders and warriors all round the team. We have an elite manager. We are seven points clear of Manchester City. 

Let the commentators carp. I’ll take it ! 

I’ve been saying all season that we are the best team in this league. I said it after we lost to Liverpool in our third game. I said it yesterday after a run of single goal victories that had some fans encouraged and others nervous. Well, you can bet I am still saying it now after watching us thump the third placed team by four lovely goals to one frustrating reply.

Our underlying stats are simply excellent. We have been going through our annual December period where our entire team forgets how to finish chances but it has been clear that as soon as we sorted our finishing out these one goal winning margins would be a thing of the past. So it proved tonight.

Villa have similarities to us in past seasons: they are having a great run but a couple of injuries and suspensions left them looking very thin on the bench. We were without Rice due to a knock on his knee, but Timber returned and Gabriel was able to start. We also had Havertz on the bench which was great to see.

We started well but then had a dodgy twenty minutes when we let Villa play through us far too easily on the break, although they did not manage even a shot on target from some decent positions. When Onana became the latest Villa player to go down on twenty-six minutes, our whole team went over to Arteta and whatever he said sorted the issue out and plugged the leak. We were back on top for the rest of the half.

We had chances. I think we have to accept that in Gyökeres we have a player low on confidence. As such, I am lowering my expectations slightly and acknowledging that he needs to build himself up a little bit. Adrian Clarke on the Handbrake Off podcast made the excellent point that it can take a while for a player to step up and feel like he belongs when he arrives in an environment like Arsenal, where everything and everyone is elite, and Gyökeres has not settled yet. With this in mind, and as I am always as encouraging as possible of anyone in red and white, I thought he had a very decent game.

Early doors, he headed over a Hincapié cross (excellent through ball from Merino). He missed another header a bit later but it was a good run, in front of the defender, and he was unlucky not to score. He pressed well, ran hard, managed a few decent bits of hold up play and won some fouls. It’s not exactly what we wanted for our sixty million quid, but it wasn’t bad and was definitely something he can build on. He has qualities we need, and as long as he puts in a shift like he did today then he’s alright by me.

However, when he dropped into the centre circle to receive a pass from Saliba he promptly lost the ball and Watkins ended up missing a good chance. So, a reminder to all of us that he ain’t Havertz. As we well know, he needs balls into the space behind defenders, not into his feet under pressure in the middle of the pitch. Maybe we could try giving him a few more of them?

We attacked primarily down the left. Trossard, Merino and Hincapié linking well and leaving Saka hungry for the ball on the right. Frankly, it was a bit odd to see so much on the ‘wrong’ side.

Villa’s players knew from kickoff that they were not as good as ours. They played like underdogs, trying to hit us on the break and timewasting from the fifth minute. Those are perfectly sensible tactics from a pragmatist’s point of view (although possibly not from a protagonist’s?) and were somewhat vindicated when Darren England gave a mere three minutes of first-half injury time and the teams went in goalless. However, psychologically I felt Villa ceded something to us, and whatever the boss said at oranges saw us come out on fire.

Almost immediately, Gyökeres held the ball up well and fed it to Timber who won a corner. Martinez pushed Gabriel, then weakly tried to catch the ball under the defender’s challenge. It rolled down his body and our centre half stuck out a leg and bobbled it in. VAR checked it and confirmed it. Excellent stuff. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving keeper!

Minutes later the magnificent Ødegaard won it in midfield, drove forward and played a beautiful pass to the equally magnificent Zubimendi, who had used the full license he is afforded to make a centre forward’s run. He finished the chance with the outside of his right boot, tucking the ball into the side netting past the onrushing Martinez. Just a lovely goal.

Rogers challenged Hincapié with a high foot and was somehow awarded a foul by the erratic referee. From the same passage of play Merino grabbed and held Rogers’ shirt. This time England’s scattergun approach went in our favour as, much like Dias against Forest in City’s last game, our man deserved a second yellow (mind you, we were two goals ahead at the time, not all square). Anyhoo, in this instance, my internal justice-o-meter was satisfied as the first foul given against Hincapié should never have been awarded anyway.

We were all over them. Hincapié slipped whilst marauding into their box. Pity! Martinez made a fantastic save from a well-placed but slightly under-hit Ødegaard shot. Then the magnificent Trossard scored. Timber went down claiming a penalty (subsequent events overtook that incident so I never saw a replay) but we recycled it and Ødegaard crossed for Saka to challenge between Lindelof and Digne. The left back emerged with the ball but Timber nicked it on the edge of the box and Trossard swept it home first time with a sublime finish. Martinez didn’t even move. VAR checked everything they could think of but happily concluded it was a goal. And what a goal it was!

Emery was making his fabled subs through the half. None of them appeared to do much. Our magnificent Gabriel went down with cramp on seventy-six minutes. He and Big Vik were replaced by MLS and Jesùs just a couple of minutes after Nørgaard had come on for the magnificent Merino who was sailing close to a red card.

We looked good. We played out from the back. Ødegaard controlled it on his chest and flicked it over his shoulder in one motion. Zubi beat his man and laid it into Trossard’s path. The Belgian raced onto it and pulled it back for Jesùs on the edge of the box. His first touch of the match controlled it in front of him. His second buried it in the far corner. His smile as he celebrated was a real pleasure to see. He’s just such a likeable player and I hope he stays fit and carries on playing with the freedom he is right now. He could be so, so valuable for us.

Saka missed a good chance, shooting over with his right foot as he has done too often lately. He needs to go back to roofing them. The ref decided that now was the time to properly award injury time and gave eight minutes. With Gabriel off, our recent habit of conceding late goals reared its ugly head. We tried to let McGinn score after he followed up a Watkins header that hit the post, but the Villa captain, on at half-time for Onana, somehow shot straight at Raya from three yards out. I’m sure the Spaniard will take it, but that one was all about the Scot’s lack of accuracy.

However, we gave conceding an unnecessary goal another go and this time we came good. Former Gunner Donyell Malen rode a challenge from Jesùs and another from Saliba. The Frenchman got a foot in but kicked the ball straight into the attacker’s left foot, which somehow saw it land perfectly in front of him so he could strike it with his right without breaking stride. His right-footed shot slid through Raya’s legs, hit the post and rebounded in front of the goal where no-one was marking Watkins, who tapped it in. Hincapié had been sucked across to cover the space where Saliba would usually be and MLS wasn’t switched on to cover him. It was both ridiculously lucky for Villa and downright ugly from us. Arteta will be reviewing that one.

We still had another chance to score, Trossard missing at the back post before Zubi smashed the rebound into Lindelof’s hand (I make no claims to understand the handball rules anymore so I’ve no idea whether that should be a penalty or not) and Ødegaard finished the move by forcing a final save from Martinez. Soon after, the final whistle went and the stadium celebrated a great result.

I’ve only used ‘magnificent’ as a descriptor for our players. It’s good for all of them on the night. If I were doing player ratings then they’d all be right up there. If I had to single one player out it would be the captain – the last two games he has been back to his imperious best. This was a top performance from everyone. The manager nailed it, the players nailed it, the crowd were up for it and they got the combined performance and result they’ve waited all month for. I’m sure they enjoyed it. I know I did.

It was one of the good days and we are, still, the best team in this league. Bring on the new year.

Until next time, ‘holics