{"id":1948,"date":"2020-12-10T20:36:03","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T20:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1948"},"modified":"2020-12-12T12:56:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T12:56:00","slug":"four-star-arsenal-finish-group-with-a-100-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1948","title":{"rendered":"Four Star Arsenal finish group with a 100% record"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Photo By Stephen McCarthy\/Sportsfile via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In days gone by, while I am not a regular overseas follower of the Gunners, I would have been at this game. I\u2019ve been visiting Ireland regularly for forty years and my liver bears testimony to that. While I was sorry not to be at the game with a lot of Irish friends I\u2019m glad not to be pitching up at Dublin Airport on Friday morning with a hangover for the ages. That is an experience I\u2019ve had far too often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I followed a healthier regime today. A five mile country walk with a friend and BT Sport for the match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The line-up was slightly puzzling – five at the back or four? (It turned out to be a five.) Would Arteta have told the players in advance? And who would be captain? The answer was Mustafi. It\u2019s a bit like being the mascot you have a different one every game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The match was preceded by a silence for the great Paolo\nRossi, another superstar gone far too soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk were fresh from winning the Irish Cup and began energetically. Arsenal didn\u2019t blood anyone from the start but recalled Callum Chambers as one of three centre backs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We created the first moment of danger as Nketiah rose to a\nPepe cross and then Nketiah had a shot blocked as he surged through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk retained the bank manager who played at the Grove in goal but he probably didn\u2019t need a day off to play this time. He didn\u2019t inspire confidence but is well placed to give you an overdraft. Arsenal moved the ball smoothly on a saturated pitch and tried to use the flanks (nothing new there).  Smith-Rowe operated down the left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fine ball from Mari set Nketiah free and he drew a yellow card from Boyle the Dundalk centre back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 11th minute Nketiah blocked a clearance and dinked the loose ball past the keeper for the opening goal. How we wish he would show that alertness in the Premier League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk 0\nArsenal 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal were proving the ultimate flat-track bullies in the early stages, showing sharpness and a sense of adventure on the ball. Then Mustafi shinned a cross with his wrong leg and Shields of Dundalk skied it over the bar. On 17 minutes we produced a sustained piece of pressing moving the ball neatly and with a precision we have rarely showed in England this season. When Smith-Rowe backheeled to Elneny he drove a superb shot from thirty yards past the bank manager and into the top corner. A superb strike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk 0\nArsenal 2 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A slick  move down the left between AMN and ESR led to a pull- back to Pepe who blazed over from a central position fifteen yards out. Dundalk then struck back in fine style after 23 minutes, Flores completing a give and go and firing a beautiful shot past Runarsson who might just have done better. But it was a fine goal and clearly heartened Dundalk who up to that point were getting a bit of a chasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk 1\nArsenal 2 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pepe looked particularly confident as did AMN playing in an\nadvanced role on the left and combining well with ESR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A poor touch on 27 minute by Cedric, when in a good position led to him fouling the Dundalk defender and this earned him a yellow card. Shortly afterwards the fussy Croatian referee dished out another yellow to Joe Willock who was deemed to have caught his opponent with a stray arm. Willock despite this was looking assured and confident and was enjoying the extra time the Dundalk players afforded him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cedric, keen to emulate Elneny,  tested the bank manager with a crisp shot that the custodian made a bit of a meal of and Arsenal gained a corner which they wasted. Given our travails at right-back (at least the ones I think we have), both Cedric and AMN were potentially auditioning for a first-team spot. AMN was doing his cause no harm and he hit a fine shot in the 40th minute from distance which the goalkeeper tipped wide. Nketiah was full of neat movement but possibly lacks the physicality to lead the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the cusp of half-time Chambers saved Arsenal from embarrassment with a brave block as Leahy took aim following an excellent Dundalk cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The half ended with Arsenal having shown massive superiority but we had only a one goal advantage because of a combination of Dundalk pluckiness and a sense that we were lacking a serious cutting edge. Nevertheless the speed and smoothness of our movement came as a welcome change after our recent league performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half- time\nDundalk 1 Arsenal 2 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would the second half see a flood of substitutions and\nespecially would we see Balogun and Azeez? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal began the half pressing strongly and with a willingness to stretch the Dundalk side by using the width of the pitch. Our first goal attempt followed a great turn and shot by Nketiah which saw his shot blocked. Dundalk then broke on the left and only an errant last pass prevented them from embarrassing Arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the Arsenal performances at this stage, possibly it was the underrated Elneny who was having the most effective game and at this stage it was his goal which divided the teams. Fine play by Cedric on the right saw him fire a beautiful cross into the box but we were short of attacking bodies to meet it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mari then played an excellent ball forward, not his first and almost put Nketiah in. As the hour mark approached Dundalk were settling into a decent spell of possession and Arsenal\u2019s technical superiority was much less marked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around  the hour we saw the introduction of Balogun and Ceballos who replaced Nketiah and Elneny. Our two goal scorers were both removed.  As they joined the fray the bank manager made a decent save from a free kick from the left by Cedric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mari looks very solid but a trifle slow and the number of\nballs hit up the Arsenal right flank suggested that Dundalk saw this also as a\nprofitable avenue to goal possibly because of Chamber\u2019s rustiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then our third goal arrived. Balogun showed strength and touch to control a high ball in the area and touch it off to Willock whose shot went through the keeper and into the net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk 1\nArsenal 3 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One sensed that Arteta, who my wife feels could make more of a sartorial effort on the touchline (she\u2019s married to a fashion plate), was agitated by our lack of penetration but it was almost immediately obvious that Balogun\u2019s physicality was giving us a better platform when we built forwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 73 minutes ESR set up Pepe but his ambitious chip drifted wide . Three minutes later we saw Ben Cottrell in an Arsenal first team shirt for his debut. He replaced ESR who had played well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impression that Balogun was making was increasingly clear and when on 79 minutes Pepe released him inside the area on the left he finished with coolness and precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk 1\nArsenal 4 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Cedric was cleaned out by Kelly the Irishman was booked and then we saw the debut of Miguel Azeez who replaced Joe Willock in midfield. While one would normally bemoan the plethora of substitutes this was a great opportunity to blood promising youngsters. But then Dundalk scored the first set-piece goal against us this season when Hoare rose to head a free kick from the right past Runarsson. There was again a suspicion that he was slow to react.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dundalk 2\nArsenal 4 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azeez showed immediate signs of being very comfortable on the ball and looking able to take possession under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In injury time Callum Chambers was ruled offside when he flicked home following a right wing free kick. It was a narrow but correct decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full time\nDundalk 2 Arsenal 4 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what should we make of tonight? It was a comfortable win with some encouraging performances. Had we won 7-0 it would have exacerbated the criticism of Arteta but we did concede two goals to a very average side and it could have been more. It is hard to get too excited as well by scoring four goals against this sort of opposition but we finished the group with an 100 % record and a goal difference of plus 15. I very much liked the quality that Smith-Rowe and Maitland-Niles showed on the left. Balogun is, in my opinion much more impressive than Nketiah who is a trifle lightweight and in a tiny cameo Azeez looked very skilful and composed. I think all four of those players will make a big impact if given the chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burnley on Sunday is a much bigger game than this but we enter it in slightly better heart. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In days gone by, while I am not a regular overseas follower of the Gunners, I would have been at this game. I\u2019ve been visiting Ireland regularly for forty years and my liver bears testimony to that. While I was sorry not to be at the game with a lot of Irish friends I\u2019m glad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"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\/1948"}],"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\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1948"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1970,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948\/revisions\/1970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}