{"id":10699,"date":"2025-01-23T21:53:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T21:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=10699"},"modified":"2025-01-24T15:29:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T15:29:26","slug":"a-measured-display-of-midweek-maturity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=10699","title":{"rendered":"A Measured Display of Midweek Maturity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sometimes, we all can become so very wedded to a particular narrative about how the world is supposed to be, and how we expect it to be, that even when our actual experience of the reality continues to prove our expectations unfounded, we hold on dearly to the belief system that we have already built for ourselves, and invested so much of our selves in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal under Mikel Arteta is not going to play high-risk, intrinsically exciting, swashbuckling football. Rather, Mikel\u2019s Arsenal is meant to play controlled, efficient, methodical game founded as much on off-the-ball discipline and tactical understanding as much as on skills and creativity on the ball. The focus is to become the very best in winning matches and competitions, and sustain that excellence for many years based on a cultural template of efficient football, played by skillful players with discipline and high workrate, and without having to rely on finding technical geniuses all over the pitch. A foundation that can withstand the inevitable injuries, the injudicious officiating, and the randomness and chaos inherent in nature of all things, with a high degree of solidity and consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When seen under this light, many of Arsenal\u2019s performances lately that have been found otherwise unpleasing, make perfect sense. I realize that I just have to become used to the idea that Mikel is not bothered about the aesthetics dimensions of his team\u2019s performance at all. And neither does he believe that spontaneity and inspiration at the cost of his much-cherished fundamentals are sustainable ways to build a winning footballing culture. Whether everyone agrees with that footballing philosophy is quite beside the point, it is the steady upward curve of the Arsenal team\u2019s consistency and results over the last few seasons that proves Arteta incontrovertibly right in insisting on his methodology. Mikel might have learned under Ars\u00e8ne Wenger and Pep Guardiola, but to me he is a throwback to the great Arrigo Sacchi, or, if the history books and sepia tinted reminiscences are to be believed, one Herbert Chapman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a footballing philosophy and insisting on it is one thing, but getting a group of talented and ambitious players \u2013 arriving from footballing cultures as different as Saint-\u00c9tienne youth system to Arsenal academy to a very successful Atletico Madrid first team \u2013 to believe in it, commit to it, and live it on every training session and every matchday is a different kettle of fish altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal came into the new format Champions League matchday 7th with the possibility of more or less ensuring a direct qualification to the second round. A home victory against the Croatian champions \u2013 see the match preview<\/a> \u2013 was thus very much a highly desired outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has been anything but a smooth season for Arsenal \u2013 a challenging schedule in the league in the early months, a series of once-in-a-lifetime decisions going against the team, a spate of injuries decimating the squad especially in the area where we were least equipped to handle key absences \u2013 and yet at the midpoint of the season we are second in Premier League, and towards the top end of the Champions League table. While the experience of some of the recent performances has been understandably frustrating, looking at the season until now in a dispassionate manner. We still have every reason to be optimistic that the team is on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Croatian football team would be tactically native, and the one that is now being managed by one of the greatest defenders of all time, a key figure in a world cup winning Italian team, Arteta must have expected this to be a tight and cagey affair with the opposition willing to concede possession in favor of their defensive shape. Arteta\u2019s team selection hinted that he expects patience and experience to play a defining role:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raya<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timber – Kiwior – Gabriel – Zinchenko<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorginho<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00d8degaard- Rice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sterling – Havertz – Martinelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though our results lately have been less than ideal, we have still dominated possession in those matches and have for the most part created enough chances that this current forward line in their more efficient days would have found enough to turn into victories. The profligacy in front of the goal as well as the lack of quality in the final ball have been the areas of most concern. It was important that we make our early dominance count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Declan Rice duly obliged. Martinelli \u2013 who has recently started to come back, step by step, towards his best self \u2013 went on one of his direct runs, beat his defender, and sent in a well-aimed cross that Kai cleverly cushioned for a late arriving Rice who drilled in a perfect low volley past the goalkeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 1 (Rice 2\u2019 ) \u2013 Dinamo Zagreb 0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As expected, we focused on dominating possession and space. The high press was excellently coordinated by Kai and \u00d8degaard, with both Martinelli and Sterling tucking in to cut off the angles. It was good to see Zinchenko playing one of his more serene versions, ensuring recirculation, overloading central midfield, and allowing Rice to assert himself in a freer attack minded role. Jorginho started deeper, but as the game progressed he started to move closer to the attacking third, trusting the two central defenders to handle all long balls. Gabriel found it all too easy, and while Kiwior had one nervous moment in an one-on-one situation from which he recovered adeptly, he deputized for the irreplaceable Saliba adequately enough. A few uncharacteristically heavy touches from Timber was a signal that he is not at his physical best, but his technical abilities and game reading compensated for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sterling, evidently, is struggling for confidence. I think I saw a player who is trying his very best, is not particularly riddled with any ego about his standing in the game, has a good work ethic and is defensively switched on, but also a player who had relied a lot on his pacy dribbling abilities in his successful career, and is now searching for a spark to reignite that specific combination of speed, confidence and technical skill which is the secret of players like him. I really hope that he finds some of that ability back soon, and leaves Arsenal with some memorable moments of telling contributions as we end our season strongly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the early goal we controlled the match with consummate ease, even though there was no great urgency in forcing through a second goal. Zagreb players looked rusty \u2013 unsurprisingly so given that this match comes in their mid-season break \u2013 but nonetheless defensively robust and disciplined. Rice was playing a noticeably more attacking role, and one more of his goalbound shot was blocked by two defenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of the second half, Dinamo players looked more composed and confident on the ball, but lacked any incisiveness to trouble Arsenal defense. Much of the game was being played out in the middle of the pitch, and a sense of ennui creeping into the game with Jorginho and Zinchenko recycling the ball forward only to receive them back. Kai\u2019s movements were good, and Martinelli was full of intent and verve, but the combination play was lacking greatly, and \u00d8degaard was failing to find any of his signature through balls. Rice was impressively covering a very large amount of ground and some of his striding forward with the ball was an indicator of a player who is becoming more and more versatile in his role in this team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timber and Sterling had both seen yellow cards, and both were looking tired. Around the sixty minute mark, they were replaced by Partey and Nwaneri. Ethan immediately injected some pace and urgency on the right wing, and it was great to see him not losing any of his form or confidence over the injury enforced absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kai\u2019s movements and workrate deserved a goal, and he headed in a delightfully accurate cross from Martinelli for the second of the evening. The construction of the goal was based on a signature Arsenal move from one side to the other: Partey to \u00d8degaard to Jorginho to Gabriel to Zinchenko to Martinelli, who then made a clever horizontal run before delivering the cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 2 (Rice 2\u2019, Havertz 66\u2019 ) \u2013 Dinamo Zagreb 0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little later Nwaneri delivered an even better cross from the right. The precision, flight and spin on the delivery would have made Saka proud. Rice did the hard part of ghosting past the defense with aplomb, only to skew the header wide. He is not a natural goalscorer, but more and more he is getting into these positions and once he has improved his finishing a bit, he will take the next step forward to become one of the most complete central midfielders of current times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zinchenko and Havertz were replaced by Tierney and Trossard. Zagreb enjoyed their first sustained possession in the game with a few corners that we defended well enough. Our own corner deliveries from both sides were of high quality this evening, but it was evident that Zagreb had prepared well, and except for earlier in the first half when Gabriel had evaded his marker and failed to keep his downward header on target, they defended the corners well enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A third goal did indeed arrive, and thankfully it was our captain who added his name to the scoreboard. Martin hasn\u2019t scored a goal since November and in between some of his tentativeness and misses in front of the goal have been a bit alarming for a creative midfielder of his quality. Hopefully this goal will help him find back a bit more of that clarity in front of the goal which was one of our strengths last couple of seasons. The goal came from a move started by Gabriel, who released Trossard on the left wing with a lofted pass, Leo ignored Martinelli\u2019s diagonal run and delivered a teasing cross that Rice missed on the front post, but \u00d8degaard bundled in from a close range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 3 (Rice 2\u2019, Havertz 66\u2019, \u00d8degaard 91\u2019 ) \u2013 Dinamo Zagreb 0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the remaining two minutes, Arsenal youngster and one more academy product Nathan Butler-Oyedeji enjoyed his first team debut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, with one more match to go, Arsenal sits on the third position in the Champions league table, on 16 points from seven matches, with a goal difference of +12. The defensive record has been impressive \u2013 only two goals conceded, none from open play, one from corner and one from a penalty. For an injury ravaged team, first missing their creative hub and captain, and then their most potent attacker and talisman, this is no mean achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mathematically speaking, top eight is not quite secured, and even a loss on the final day away at Girona should leave Arsenal safe given the goal difference. However, strange things can happen, and the team should take no risk on the final day and play with a goal to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new format CL has been surprisingly exciting, and fascinatingly unpredictable. It feels like there can be a lot more such surprises in the knock-out rounds, and I retain my optimism that as the injured players return back, and we bolster our attacking options in the January transfer market, this team has the potential of making this European campaign a joyfully memorable one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, we all can become so very wedded to a particular narrative about how the world is supposed to be, and how we expect it to be, that even when our actual experience of the reality continues to prove our expectations unfounded, we hold on dearly to the belief system that we have already built […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10699"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10699"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10705,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10699\/revisions\/10705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}