Of the many lessons my eight years of active-duty army experience taught, one of my most valuable kernels of wisdom, is the importance of footcare. Trust me, after you have endured seventy-two-hour continuous operations in a water-logged GP-medium tent, the last thing you want to worry about is trench-foot. I tried myriad preventative measures, but the first bit of helpful guidance on the road to proper footcare came from my platoon sergeant (all the real wisdom always comes from our cadre of noncommissioned officers) who early on took a look at my standard-issue cotton socks and mused, “Sir, part of your problem here is these sh*t cotton socks. You gotta invest in high-quality wool socks.” Boy was he ever correct. The wool wicked moisture away from my skin keeping my feet cool and dry in the summer and warm and dry in the winter. On a wet, early Saturday kick-off in the East Midlands, Mikel Merino, much like my woolen socks, wicked the moisture from Arsenal’s damp-squib attack and proved all the difference as we attempt to make this year’s league title race a competitive one.
More on that anon…
The Lineups.
The clairvoyant Ned and his industrious monks nailed the Arsenal starting eleven, though, as he quite rightly pointed out, the team sheet basically picked itself. I had come across some more “adventurous” proposed set-ups in the various nooks-and-crannies of the Arsenal media landscape; some advocating a box formation to accommodate a Merino start. But, our gaffa, being a generally conservative manager, made selections designed to minimize disruption:
Raya
Timber—Saliba—Gabriel—Lewis-Skelly
Ødegaard—Partey—Rice
Nwaneri—Trossard—Sterling
Van Nistelrooy, in an effort to arrest a four-game, scoreless losing streak at the King Power Stadium, went with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation:
Vardy
DeCordova-Reid—El Khannouss—Ayew
Soumare—Ndidi
Kristiansen—Okoli—Faes—Justin
Hermansen
Truth be told, the first sixty-five minutes or so of this match were an assortment of nearly-moments. The odious Jamie Vardy and Jordan Ayew played their standard roles as pantomime villains, buying fouls and undeserved restarts, while slyly grabbing, pulling and, on occasion, committing various and sundry battery across the pitch. Justin, and, later, Coulibaly kept an aged and lackluster Sterling under wraps; while Okoli ably shielded the error-prone Faes. Despite Arsenal’s relative dominance in possession in the first half, Ndidi asked the most pointed questions of Raya, including forcing saves from a tenth-minute volley and a forty-ninth minute header that, on another day, might’ve nestled into the bottom corner of Raya’s net.
In many ways, we were the source of our own frustration. Any team forced to play without its four most threatening attackers will find scoring difficult (By the way, how good was Marmoush for Citeh? Blimey, in sport and “real life” it appears the most iniquitous are the ones most often smiling.) But, for the better part of seventy-minutes, senior Gunners (full grown men) were making silly errors while a seventeen-year-old was (unfairly) shouldering the creative burden. As much as I had hoped for a Sterling remontada, I fear he is, as the young folk say, washed. Raheem had more offside calls than he had successful dribbles or progressive carries/passes. He just has the look of a player who knows he has lost his only offensive threat, explosive pace, and now he has to cheat that extra half-yard. Leo never stopped grafting, but, against the gargantuan defenders fielded by the Foxes, his diminutive stature suffered. He immediately improved after assuming the left attacking position upon Sterling’s substitution. Things just didn’t seem to click for Ødegaard in the first half—miscontrolled touches, errant passes, and running down cul-de-sacs, but his second-half form rebounded as he took more responsibility for advancing the ball and making incisive, splitting passes.
However, as we are becoming accustomed to, our Hale End Boys continued to make a salutary impact. Myles Lewis-Skelly made perhaps the most important defensive action of the match when he toe-poked a dangerous Ayew cross away from the lurking DeCordova-Reid to keep the scoreline level at nil. (A lackluster Partey had given the ball away for that Ayew attack by the way.) And what more can we say about the precocious Ethan Nwaneri? Even before Merino’s introduction in the sixty-ninth minute, Ethan was the sharpest blade in the Gunners’ satchel. Whether cutting the ball onto his left foot or driving on his right to the by-line, Nwaneri had the better of his defender (and at times multiple defenders). His intelligence, pace, and preternatural self-belief was the bright spot of this period, and he lifted his game to even higher levels after Merino entered the fray. Ethan accounted for six of Arsenal’s eleven shots, successfully completed six of his seven dribbles, and had an assist. What we are witnessing from these two boys cannot be overstated. Bless ‘em.
Leicester 0 – Arsenal 1
On either side of Merino’s substitution, both Ødegaard and Nwaneri increased their influence on the match. Martin did so by dropping deeper to collect the ball and passing with more sharpness. Ethan did so by, well, donning a superhero cape that remains perhaps a touch too large…but only a touch. In the sixty-first minute, Ethan received a sublime and inviting pass from Ødegaard and, wait for it, cut the ball onto his lift foot just outside the “D” leaving four Leicester Force defenders on skates. With the confidence of an attacker several years his senior, Nwaneri’s impertinent left-footed shot just kissed the left angle of post and bar. Shots fired. Undeterred, after Calafiori replaced Lewis-Skelly in the seventy-sixth minute, Nwaneri received an excellent pass on the edge of our attacking third from a rampaging Rice, drove at Kristiansen, and caromed a venomous right-footed effort off the right post. I hadn’t seen that shot from him before, and the keeper was dead-to-rights. The third time, however, was the charm. In the eighty-first minute, after a spell of Arsenal attacking domination, Ethan, staying alert and onside in the eighteen-yard box, accepted an inviting pass from the sturdy Timber and, with a coolness usually only found on the underside of the pillow, clipped an inch-perfect pass to the far post. An imposing figure clad in the stately red and white rose with commitment to meet the ball and nod it past the hapless Leicester keeper. Was it a bird? Was it plane? Was it a Havertz? No, it was our Spanish wolf in sheep’s clothing…Mikel Merino. Cue limbs.
Leicester 0 – Arsenal 2
Although it was likely down to several factors, Merino’s inclusion revitalized the Arsenal attack. He kept popping up in various places across our front line, wicking away moisture here, threading together possession there, and, generally, making a nuisance of himself against the tiring Foxes. Rice and Ødegaard found more pockets of space to attack, and the team’s overall timing and speed-of-thought improved. Trossard moved to the left and was immediately more dangerous. Indeed, after an impressive, lung-busting, twenty (or thirty)-yard carry by Calafiori, Leo received the pass and rifled a precise, low cross to a galloping (wait, who was that man?) Mikel Merino. His first-time, left-footed finish into the bottom right corner of the Leicester net would have flattered any veteran striker. Even, dare I say, Vardy himself looked on with envy. An eighty-seventh minute brace for Merino and a welcomed three points for the Arsenal. Tasty.
FT Leicester 0 – Arsenal 2
As the fourth official indicated a minimum of four additional minutes, a curious and long-missed song rose from the dedicated traveling Gooners. “Stadiums are empty everywhere we go. Stadiums are empty, everywhere we gooo, everywhere we gooooo.” Oh, how I have missed that song. None the worst for wear, with mere seconds remaining, Merino wove another counterattack by playing the ball out wide to Ødegaard and sprinting to form a four-on-three with Rice and Tierney. With the goal mouth looming, a slightly errant pass from Rice was cut out by the weary Leicester defender. (Ok, ok, I’ll get me coat.)
Conclusion
An electrifying win for the Gunners will likely spark a lively debate for the coming week. Should Arteta keep faith with Sterling? Will Merino start matches as our Number Nine? How much of a burden can Ethan shoulder? When (if) Saka returns this season, does Ethan remain in the starting eleven? So many questions and so much fodder for Arsenal pundits and content creators. I do know this—we’re not yet drinking cider in the park…we’re still here. For another week, we’re still here. Now, it’s over to the Scousers (Where are those FA charges for failing to control their players or abusing the referee? Oh, silly me, I forgot.) With any luck, the Wolves will bring their own wool…
Have a nice one, ‘Holics.
MCMBD.
(Stay humble, eh?)
