{"id":4963,"date":"2022-03-06T18:09:45","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T18:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=4963"},"modified":"2022-03-11T21:17:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T21:17:17","slug":"three-is-the-magic-number","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=4963","title":{"rendered":"Three Is The Magic Number"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:594px;\"><div style=\"padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/1381375121\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div><div style=\"overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:69.19192% 0 0 0;width:100%;\"><iframe src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1381375121?et=-riO0AJOQQd1piR_c7nWTA&amp;tld=co.uk&amp;sig=pOtdorr3Tqsq3t93AJuX69AHQKEypmn2Swt3GIrLWyI=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"594\" height=\"411\" style=\"display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Arsenal came out on top by the odd goal in five in what proved to be a thoroughly entertaining match against Watford, albeit one which finished closer than it needed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there is a lesson to be drawn, it is the value of shooting on target. We scored from our first three shots on goal, yet we also played some of our best football all season today, without testing Ben Foster at the end of many promising attacks. We must be more clinical, as better sides than Watford will punish us if we aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before kick-off, both teams stood around the centre circle and there was a minute\u2019s clapping to support Ukraine. At some point chants of \u2018Arsenal, Arsenal\u2019 rang out \u2013 I\u2019m not sure why, perhaps someone might know something and share in the drinks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our unusual looking kit (red shorts instead of white ones) looked to be cursed, as we appeared to get off to a calamitous start, Dennis taking 17 seconds to put the ball past Ramsdale and into the goal. Fortunately, he was offside when receiving the pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We started moving the ball slickly and took only five minutes to score an absolute beauty. Out on the wing, the imperious Bukayo Saka played the ball infield to \u00d8degaard, who looks more like DB10 every week. As it went across his body, the Norwegian knew exactly where it was going in relation to his right foot and allowed himself to pivot into a backheel that God would have smiled approvingly at. Not done with that sublime touch, he raced away from the covering defender, and when Saka played him the perfect return ball, he controlled it and finished it with a calm assurance that Gooners everywhere will want to see time and again when he gets into position to shoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since we appointed our Spanish gaffer, the last few weeks have been the first time I have seen us produce anything that I would consider calling \u2018Artetaball\u2019. For me, \u2018Wengerball\u2019 was so clearly unlike what had gone before it was like watching a new game. That was the genius of the appellation. Personally, I thoroughly dislike the lazy use of \u2018Artetaball\u2019 to describe anything an Arteta team does; with that said, it gives me great pleasure to see this young side taking shape and starting to produce patterns, tempo, passes, runs and even goals that look recognisably consistent and deliberate. This team is starting to do the things its architect wants. And those things are good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel continued his dodgy start to matches with some poor positioning, but, generally, we were much the better side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, Watford scored. KT could have won the ball but didn\u2019t; Emmanuel Dennis flicked it wide; Xhaka and Gabigol, who provided the Scot with patchy cover (at best) all afternoon, got bunched up so neither of them covered the overlapping run. When the cross came in, our defence let Cucho Hernandez find space in the middle as they watched the ball without attacking it. To be fair, it was an excellent scissor kick finish from a player who did nothing to win the respect of the away fans in a display in which&nbsp;<em>pissy<\/em>&nbsp;vied with&nbsp;<em>bitchy<\/em>&nbsp;to win the Adjective of Choice award.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The game was open and entertaining. Partey shot narrowly wide with his left foot when a shot on target would have been a goal; Foster was planted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ramsdale made a good save from Dennis as our defensive display failed to match the standard of some of our enterprising attacking moves. Watford aimed diagonals over Tierney\u2019s head, but he fended them off well, with the occasional luxury of some help from the quiet Gabi and the just about adequate Xhaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 30 minutes, we scored the game\u2019s third cracking goal. Saka won the ball determinedly, ten feet outside the Watford box and played a ball into Laca. The Frenchman jinked it one way, completely wrong-footing the defender, before rolling it backwards to the onrushing England international who sent the keeper the wrong way with a finish that went into the top corner at pace. It was very, very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The game continued to be played at a good tempo, with both teams showing plenty of commitment and endeavour, and, although it was the team in red who looked to have more quality, Watford gave our slightly ponderous defence some uncomfortable moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Half-time came around and it looked like we would still have a way to go to secure the three points. Indeed we did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the start of the second half<em>&nbsp;pissy<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>bitchy&nbsp;<\/em>slipped back in the pecking order as&nbsp;<em>divey cheaty fakey scummy disgraceful&nbsp;<\/em>raced ahead as the description of choice for the, err, divey cheaty fakey scummy disgraceful Hernandez, who got touched somewhere above his torso by White as he won the ball fairly; this he saw as a reason to go down clutching his face, forcing the game to be stopped for a potential head injury (there should be retrospective disciplinary action for any player who abuses this potentially life-saving protocol to stop a match when they are clearly uninjured) and trying his best to get a fellow professional sent off. Watford players crowded round Craig Pawson, who was not remotely interested; neither was VAR; nor, I suspect, would have been the Watford players if they saw a replay of what had happened to their integrity-deficient teammate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is always tremendously gratifying to see this sort of behaviour fail to boost its perpetrator, but it is even better when a minute later his team concedes a goal. Gabigol served up some just desserts with the sweetest of finishes at the end of yet another sublime move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arteta rolled back the years, starting a move with a swift recycling of the ball as it went for a throw in. Saka took it quickly to C\u00e9dric, who had bombed into the open space left by a napping Watford midfield. He played a nice ball to \u00d8degaard, who played a delicious flick to Laca. The first-time layoff from our captain was perfect (literally, perfect) and Gabigol stroked it into the top corner like an archer firing an arrow straight in the red: controlled, measured and with thundering pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We continued to create chances and make little of them. Some of our passing was excellent, but at times it was a little behind the man and broke down unnecessarily as this took its toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dennis missed a sitter at the back post (phew!) and Ramsdale played a few iffy passes that he will want to cut out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Partey has taken a lot of stick that I haven\u2019t agreed with. Sure, he had a poor start in our colours, but he always looked to me like a classy player who would come good, not like an overpriced waster who was not the type of player we expected, or whatever else he was labelled. Today was another in a string of much improved performances. The bloke was just excellent today. The way he turns out of danger into clear space is so good to watch, and it is an incredibly useful tool to have in the modern game. Can he add some goal threat to become a complete Premier League midfielder? If so, then \u00a350m is great business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lacazette might have had a goal if he had been awarded a penalty when Cathcart clearly clipped his heel. I don\u2019t know why VAR did not award it; the replay could not have been clearer. If the on-field ref had awarded it, then VAR would have confirmed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However (and I assure you, at this point, before you read my next few sentences, that you are, in fact, awake), I have every sympathy with Craig Pawson in his original decision, as it would have been very hard for him to be sure enough to give it. He also gets the benefit of the doubt because, for the first time in my memory, I thought he was excellent today. It was the best performance from a referee I have seen all season. I will grant that there were no big, contentious calls to make, but I thought he got almost everything right today. You all know I don\u2019t mind calling out a poor refereeing performance; I am also more than happy to praise an unexpectedly good one (indeed, I would love to have more call to do so!). Well played today, Craig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the game entered its final phase, P\u00e9p\u00e9 came on and looked lively. Eddie came on for Laca (KT3 taking the captain\u2019s armband) and hit the post with a decent effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Xhaka then decided he had had enough of this dull fare. Why do something the easy way when you could do it the Xhaka way? He played a woeful cross-field ball to Watford, then let Sissoko run off him so the ex-spud could collect a ball over the top, bobble it past White and squeeze it under Ramsdale to leave Roy\u2019s men in with a sniff of an unlikely point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As it turned out, there was little excitement left in the game. Eddie got a deserved yellow for a taking a man down \u2013 good to see him take no chances of a counter. Then C\u00e9dric, another player who is coming good after a prolonged spell of looking far below the quality we hoped we had bought, went down with cramp, adding to Ramsdale\u2019s efforts to waste time without taking the piss; both judged it well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hernandez had time to get a yellow for chucking a ball at KT3. Twat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, the best man in black since Johnny Cash blew his whistle. Game over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, we just needed 3 points today. We are in fourth as I write this, and still have games in hand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fact that Saka and \u00d8degaard were unplayable at times today was a bonus. Partey was monstrous, in the best way possible. Gabi was quiet (but he is never going to build up play like some of our other young attackers), until he had a sniff, when he turned deadly. We are not the finished article, but we are headed in a great direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Long term: we need to get rid of Xhaka and get in a top player as replacement. And find a version of Lacazette who also scores goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Short term: keep picking up points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is that simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leicester next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until then, have a good one, \u2018holics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images Arsenal came out on top by the odd goal in five in what proved to be a thoroughly entertaining match against Watford, albeit one which finished closer than it needed to. If there is a lesson to be drawn, it is the value of shooting on target. We scored from our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"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\/4963"}],"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\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4963"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5012,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4963\/revisions\/5012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}