Goonerholics Forever

For some, this piece will come too soon. If you need a bit more time to take in the disappointment, then that’s more than fair but maybe read on anyway and when you are ready to look to the future this might give you food for thought.

I didn’t want to write a piece about being proud of a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful performance tonight. As the match unfolded, it looked increasingly likely that would be the order of the day. I suspect there will be a few such pieces knocking about as the dust settles on our exit from the CL at the hands of PSG. Even the most determinedly negative follower would be hard pressed to say we did not play fantastically well on the night. Xg counts for nothing, but it had us ahead by more than the goal deficit we brought from London, and we were the better of two very good sides.

However, it came to nought in the end, and so I assumed I’d be writing about Jurrien Timber’s monster performance and MLS putting in another display belying his tender years, but all to no avail. Then, with five minutes to play, just at the point that we really needed to score to give ourselves any chance of grabbing the second that we needed, I found myself thinking about that crappy end of season when we lost to Newcastle, missed out on the Champions League and everything was bleak for a while until we picked ourselves up. Because the thing is, that hurt and disappointment fuelled an unprecedented improvement that saw us begin to go toe to toe with the best in the league. Seriously, do you remember us under Emery? We looked so far away from City and Liverpool that even getting a look at their coattails seemed like a pipe dream. But we used, to quote Mikel Arteta, the “bad feeling in our tummy” to transform our team.

I don’t think any of our top performers (the whole team tonight) is leaving us anytime soon, not least because they know they missed out this year and they owe the club, the manager and, most importantly, themselves. They know how close they are to winning major honours, and they know they’ve let a huge chance slip. PSG were the better side for perhaps 25 minutes of 180, but they go through. That hurts.

Anyway, to go back to the beginning, back when it was all still in our hands…

We started like a train on fire. Or a supercharged tornado. Full of hungry wolves. We were up for it and no mistake. The players believed. Two minutes in, Rice headed a Timber cross inches wide and I can’t have been alone in wondering if we’d rue the miss? A minute later Gabi half-volleyed one of a series of dangerous long throws from Partey but Donnarumma was in the right place to make a save. After seven minutes, another Partey special was cleared to Ødegaard who blasted a low shot at goal only for PSG’s magnificent Italian keeper to make an outstanding save down low to his left. Less than ten minutes played, and we could have been three up. PSG didn’t know what was going on. Was it a wolf attack? Or a speeding train highjacked by arsonists? No, it was The Arsenal!

They did give us a scare after fifteen minutes when Kvaratshkelia hit the post on a break, the ball rebounding kindly to Raya via MLS. Saliba then sold Kiwior short (stop doing that!) and Barcola raced forward to play Doue in but his shot was tame. Dembele, on the bench, might well have done better.

We went behind in gutting fashion. Rice miscontrolled a pass and then brought down the Georgian lad (who is a dynamite player, a real pleasure to watch unless he’s playing against your own team) for a justified booking. Vitinha crossed it, Partey headed it to the edge of the box where Fabian Ruiz just about took it over Martinelli’s flailing leg and lashed a shot past Raya who had no chance. It was a quality finish, and it showed the difference – we were the better team, they were the more clinical. Mind you, when Barcola again went through as we dominated possession, his weak shot was anything but clinical and Raya saved it. Half-time came and we were down on the scoresheet but well in the match. The next goal would be crucial.

Nuno Mendes had got an early booking but Saka was strangely reluctant to run at him, too often waiting to be doubled up on instead of driving at his man. An opportunity missed. When he did find space to cut inside and shoot for the far corner, Donnarumma pulled off another worldie save. If he’d not been in such inspired form tonight, then we’d have won.

Twenty minutes into the second half and from nowhere VAR told the ref to look at his monitor and he duly awarded a penalty against MLS for a handball as a tame Hakimi shot was deflected to Raya. There is not much to say. It isn’t a penalty in England, but it is in Europe. It’s a stupid interpretation but justice was done when Raya saved Vitinha’s low effort. It was hard not to think it could be the moment things would turn for us, but of course, it wasn’t.

Instead, a few minutes later – after Calafiori and Trossard replaced MLS and fit Gabi (there’s only one) – Partey could have done better clearing a ball on the edge of our box, but he tried to turn away from danger and lost it to Hakimi, who swept in a beautiful finish that Raya couldn’t reach. Again, they scored from a worse chance than those we missed. That’s the level.

The referee was really good. I even liked him refusing to give Nuno Mendes a second yellow for deliberately blocking us taking a free kick. No matter how often Arsenal get shafted for that ridiculous rule, you’ll never convince me that anyone should be sent off for it. This was a top-level match that deserved a top-level referee and it got one.

We pulled a goal back almost straight away when the ref didn’t buy Marquinhos’ fall and let Trossard run through to deflect a pass to Saka, who slotted home at the second time of asking. He then missed a glorious chance to put PSG under real pressure when Donnarumma missed a low cross and he skied the ball over the bar with an open goal gaping. It came at him fast, and he probably thought the keeper would reach it, but it’s the sort of chance that you’ve got to take if you want to be in the Champion’s League Final.

We kept going right until the last. Everyone put in a huge shift but the luck was not with us and we didn’t make any more chances. We had the ball in their box a few times, but it doesn’t seem to bounce into opposition hands from nothing in the same way it does ours. Sometimes you need the rub of the green and we did not get it tonight.

The final whistle went and we were out. Which brings me back to where I started; disappointment, pain and that horrible feeling in your belly when you know you’ve seen a golden chance pass you by. It’s no fun for us fans, but it’s life. As I watched Inter fans go nuts yesterday, a disturbingly eager director kept cutting to shots of a decimated Raphinha crying; that’s how it goes. Only one team can win and there will always be jubilation on one side and despair on the other.

For us, for tonight, we’ve got to take our medicine. But we will come again. This group of players are going nowhere. The club know they need a big transfer window and they’ve got New Broom Berta to get sweeping. This is the last step on the learning curve. This was the night when they got the lesson about what it actually takes to go on and win this bloody thing. Bayern taught us last year. We got better. PSG have beaten us tonight. We will learn. We will get better. The way to success is through the pain. When we look back in five years, tonight may well be the making of this team.

There is so much to admire about who we are and how we do things. This entire season has played out like it was scripted to challenge us in the harshest ways possible, and we have handled ourselves magnificently. There is an old saying, ‘calm seas don’t make good sailors.’ But there is no storm that lasts forever. Our day will come. 

Keep the faith. Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Until next time, ‘holics.

At around 7.20pm yesterday I had just watched Arsenal fail to take a single point from a home match against Bournemouth and I had to produce a sensible report on it. I was quite angry or frustrated at the time – I wasn’t sure which, even during the game – at some of the things the players were doing yesterday but the longer it went on the clearer it became that the team as a whole is exhausted. 

I went for a walk with the dog straight after the game – as I didn’t imagine anyone would be in a hurry to ‘read all about it’ – and I’m glad I did. The more space I take from the performance the less frustrated I feel. What I do feel is huge sympathy for the players who have given everything in impossible circumstances and still have to try to shore up a league season with a game of enormous importance in Paris just four days away (as of yesterday’s game).

While PSG were able to rest no fewer than 10 players yesterday, Arsenal’s lineup was pretty much as everyone expected because, with our continuing injury list, in a league we cannot win at walking pace, there was precious little choice to make. Ben White came in for the injured Jurrien Timber, and Mikel Merino was rested to the bench to protect him for the trip to Paris.

On Sky UK the commentary team of Stadtler and Waldorf – aka Rob Hawthorne and Alan Smith (more on him later) – were quickly into their routine of pulling the Arsenal to pieces as Bournemouth dominated possession in the first 10 minutes with their quick, aggressive style of play. 
Arsenal’s first attack came on 14 minutes when some neat play saw Odegaard and Martinelli release Rice to shoot wide of the far post. That attack also illustrated Arsenal’s tactic – very similar to PSG – of pulling false 9, Trossard back into midfield so that Rice could run past him to become the focus of our attacks. It worked really well and, as Arsenal now dominated, provided further chances for Rice, Martinelli and Trossard who had a decent header saved on the line.

Bournemouth had their own chances when Evanilson headed over and Saliba halted Kluivert with a brilliantly timed tackle. On 33 minutes Saka found Partey who initiated a lovely vertical move through Odegaard to Rice who ran into the area, rounded the keeper and scored on his 100th appearance for the club.

HT Arsenal 1 – 0 Bournemouth 

On the evidence of this first half showing Arsenal have to find another ‘6’ in order to release Declan Rice to play further forward and, with Jorginho leaving, they have to persuade Thomas Partey to sign a new deal / extension following his best season for the club by some distance.

The coaching team also have some work to do with David Raya who seems confused as to whether he is a goalkeeper or a playmaker. He almost got caught miles out of his goal again yesterday, just as he was against Crystal Palace. He is clearly being played as a sweeper- keeper but there have to be limits.

It was good to see Ben White back too who, despite the defensive qualities of Jurrien Timber, has been a big miss in that Saka, Ødegaard triangle. 

The second half was a painful mix of missed chances, misplaced passes and players literally falling over under the weight of physical challenges they would normally win without fuss. Bukayo Saka curled a right foot shot wide of the far post from a chance he did well to make for himself. Not well enough for Alan Smith though, who continued his constant stream of negativity. Did I miss a falling out between him and the club, because he was firmly in Stewart Robson territory yesterday. 

Semenyo entered the fray, surprisingly only as a substitute just after the hour, and it was his long throw that was flicked to Huijsen who outjumped our defence to head the visitors level, once again from their first attack on target.

 Arsenal 1 – 1 Bournemouth 

While waiting for a corner to be taken, following some awkward, hesitant work from Saliba and Partey, Rice was replaced by Merino. When eventually taken, the corner found its way to Evanilson at the far post. The ball bounced down off the striker’s arm – the only explanation, apart from some clearly visible video evidence (!) as to its sudden change of trajectory – onto the goal line where it was met by the despairing lunge of Raya who kneed it into his own net. 

VAR took the prescribed age to study the footage and came to the conclusion that the evidence was inconclusive. In such instances, goals scored FOR Arsenal – for example, Havertz vs Villa – are disallowed. However, when goals are likewise scored AGAINST Arsenal, the rules change and the goal is allowed to stand. Please bin this joy sucking, farcical nonsense asap. Alan Smith, of course, opined that it was “fair enough – the right thing to do”. Ahem ! There are 30 new cameras at the Emirates to assist the current iteration of VAR but they couldn’t come up with one clear view of that goal line incident. Except, of course, the one we all spotted! 

Arsenal 1 – 2 Bournemouth

There was a late flurry of substitutions on 85 minutes – Zinchenko, Nwaneri and Sterling replacing White, Saka and Martinelli – who saw out the 6 minutes of added time to no avail and the three points we were banking on were lost.

And so …..

There has been the usual criticism of our substitutions. The fact is that our subs would have made little difference. Nwaneri is a great talent who has seemingly played out of his normal position covering for Saka during his time out with injury. The restrictions on his natural game when marked by a touchline have temporarily blunted the impact he made initially. He will come again. Zinchenko, on the other hand, will not. There is a reason why he doesn’t play. My own opinion is that he is slow, a poor defender, often over fussy in his play and slows the team down. He can be a bit of a sulker too. More importantly, Mikel Arteta clearly does not see enough in him to put him on the pitch. Otherwise, when we are desperately short of experienced players, he would.

After the game Mikel Arteta said the result had generated a lot of anger, rage and frustration that must now be taken forwards into our game against PSG. I only hope the players, many of whom are running on fumes, can muster the energy to go with it. 

We have suffered from every conceivable angle this season and the players we have are, I believe, mentally and physically spent. They will get no criticism from me.

The biggest match at Emirates Stadium for sixteen years started and ended disappointingly as a very early Ousmane Dembele goal divided the teams after a frenetic Champions League semi- final. As I am typing this without the opportunity to look back on events this will be a fairly visceral and reactive report. 

Before entering the stadium, PSG’s ultras barricaded themselves around Arsenal tube station for no obvious reason. There was no violence that I saw but a lot of damage was done to the away seating when they visited in October.

The two line ups were much as expected with Arsenal replacing Partey in midfield by Rice dropping deeper and Merino playing in his more accustomed midfield role. The paucity of options on the bench for Arsenal was a major theme in this game but very little could have prepared us for the whirlwind start made by PSG.

One has become accustomed to lateral and cautious early periods of play in domestic league football but PSG flew out of the blocks dominating possession and scoring after four minutes. A long, vertical pass out of defence found Dembele in the centre circle. He sped forward and fed Kvaratshkelia on the left wing and when the winger returned the ball centrally Dembele drove the ball home from the edge of the area in off the post. 

The goal stunned the noisy but tense crowd and the first twenty minutes were tough watching for Arsenal fans as PSG almost completely dominated possession. Vitinha and Neves were excellent in midfield and Kvaratshkelia and Doue on the wings held their positions out wide and were a constant  threat to our full backs. Kvaratshkellia was aggrieved not to get a penalty after a challenge by Timber and Doue was foiled at the near post by Raya.

To combat the effectiveness of the high PSG press we had to go long mainly through Raya but as the half progressed we started to fashion opportunities in the PSG box. Donnarumma made a fine save from Martinelli and Merino was robbed by Neves when about to shoot. We claimed unsuccessfully for a penalty. The half was made even less pleasant by a pedantic referee Vincic who booked Trossard and Saka for ridiculous ‘offences’ and ignored time wasting and gamesmanship from the PSG team. 

We needed to start the second half well and thought we had done just that when Merino headed in a Rice free kick a few minutes into the second half. After an interminable delay the goal was chalked off and although we had much more momentum in the second half, PSG were content to sit deep and try to catch us on the break.  Barcola missed an excellent opportunity in the last ten minutes and Gonçalo Ramos hit the bar when he looked to me to be well offside.  

Our best chance of the half came when Rice fed Trossard and Donnarumma turned his low drive around the post. So, a game that begin with a flurry of attacking play settled into a more conventional match although Arsenal played much longer than is their normal style. 

As I write, a strong argument is going on behind me about Ødegaard and his very flat contribution again. Despite an admirable work rate Martin is failing to create much of note and I think Arteta has to decide if this is a temporary problem or whether the severe ankle injury he suffered in the autumn has diminished him permanently. I thought we had some admirable performances. MLS and Timber stuck to a difficult task very well. Rice and Merino rallied the side in midfield although Partey’s  absence was keenly felt and Trossard fought very hard to  retain possession upfront although it would have been a big help to push Merino further forward. It seemed perverse to throw on Nwaneri in the 86th minute and the size of our squad is an issue we must address in the summer.

The recent triumph of our ladies team who turned around a defeat at home to record an emphatic triumph in France  shows that recoveries can be staged and if Partey can be added to the mix freeing up Merino for forward duties all is not lost.

But PSG will sleep more soundly than us tonight knowing that a very efficient first leg has been completed.