{"id":7193,"date":"2023-01-01T20:48:53","date_gmt":"2023-01-01T20:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=7193"},"modified":"2023-01-02T21:54:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T21:54:11","slug":"the-old-year-ends-with-a-new-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=7193","title":{"rendered":"The Old Year Ends with a New Era"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A few months after Arteta started his own managerial career in Arsenal, I remember watching a Guardiola interview \u2013 or maybe I read the interview transcript but remember it as watching Pep talking, the Hippocampus can be a very creative organ \u2013 where when asked about how much he taught his ex-assistant about football Pep mentioned that the reverse is also true, that he learned from Mikel as much as he taught him. At that time, it felt like a very successful manager\u2019s public act of support for one of his pupils. But as Arteta\u2019s career has unfolded with Arsenal and now has started to blossom, the thought strikes me that maybe what Pep was saying wasn\u2019t merely an act of generosity but a close depiction of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, take Zinchenko\u2019s role in Arsenal\u2019s first goal away at Brighton on the New Year\u2019s Eve. Captain magnificent \u00d8degaard drove into the opposition box dribbling past a few players, the deep block of Brighton defense cleared the danger, and their midfield was positionally well-placed to transition into a counter-attack. The peerless Partey anticipated the transition and with a silky elegance stopped it with a perfectly timed tackle, and there was your (nominal) left back \u2013 high up on the pitch and floating around in a left side half-space between Brighton defense and midfield \u2013 re-springing the attack from in front of the penalty box to Martinelli. The Brazilian got a stinging shot on target that was deflected by a Brighton defender onto the path of Saka, placed perfectly near the far post. Saka took a trademark first touch to cushion the ball right onto his left foot, then a super cool pass-the-ball-into-the-net finish, from one of our own who just keeps getting better. Two minutes on the clock and Arsenal were 1-0 up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brighton 0 \u2013 Arsenal 1 (Saka 2\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ukrainian captain, an excellent technician though he is, is not a natural left back like Tierney, and he suffers in comparison to the Scotsman\u2019s defensive abilities. But he gets selected \u2013 when he is fit, which has unfortunately been a bit of a challenge since he had joined, we are now blessed with two very high-quality left backs both of whom have a less than desirable relationship with the injuries \u2013 ahead of Kieran in important league matches because he plays this unique tactical role to perfection. Others can correct me, but at neither Barcelona nor Bayern do I remember any of Pep\u2019s left backs interpreting their role the way Zinchenko does, and I am willing to argue that this innovation was started in Manchester City in the mind of Pep\u2019s then assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This re-jigging of the left back role also plays to the strength of Martinelli and allows Xhaka to flourish beyond all expectations (of supporters, Mikel may always have had this in mind) in an advanced left-sided midfielder role. It\u2019s fascinating that even though this asymmetrical tactical formation is now predictable, it\u2019s hard to tactically prepare against because if the opposition chooses to overload their right side all Arsenal needs to do is switch the play on the right to two of the best left-footed players in the premier league to rampage through the left side. You can either double-mark Saka, or you can add an extra player to solve the puzzle of Zinchenko-Xhaka-Martinelli triangle. It\u2019s like Kasparov playing Grunfeld defense with black: somewhat complicated, and even though predictable and you can study it to death it\u2019s rather difficult to have an answer to especially when being executed by a master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arteta\u2019s starting eleven replaced Tierney from the West Ham eleven, and if Brighton had thought that by using the pace and technical abilities of Tariq Lamptey, supported by a seasoned central defense lying deep, they would keep the Arsenal left side under control the second minute goal might have come as a surprise blow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramsdale<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White \u2013 Saliba \u2013 Gabriel \u2013 Zinchenko<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partey \u2013 Xhaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saka \u2013 \u00d8degaard \u2013 Martinelli <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nketiah<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But credit to the Seagulls, they always play well at their home ground, and even after conceding so early they started to dominate the possession and played some good football to progress through the middle of the pitch as well as their right side where Zinchenko \u2013 Gabriel pair were caught out a few times. There were also hints that Arsenal quite willingly played a bit on the back foot looking for sharp transitions instead of choosing to dominate the game with the ball. Brighton had a few half-chances and Ramsdale had to make a couple of saves. There were a flurry of corners aimed at Arsenal’s goal, but the defense handled the pressure with a sufficient degree of ease. Arsenal created their own chances on the other side, including a sumptuous flick by \u00d8degaard for Martinelli that, if not cleared by the Brighton defense, would have been one of those ever- memorable goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the second goal came. We had a corner from the right side. Saka delivered a high-quality ball that Gabriel tried to get onto the end of but was cleared by a Brighton defender. Martin was hanging around at the edge of the penalty box, and he followed the clearance quicker and sharper than his marker Mitoma and hit the ball into the ground to spin up and loop past Sanchez in Brighton goal. His celebration afterwards indicated he meant it, in the post-match interview he claimed he meant it, and given his technical qualities I am inclined to believe that he indeed meant it (we had another left footed creative player in the recent past who scored a few goals like that).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brighton 0 \u2013 Arsenal 2 (Saka 2\u2019, \u00d8degaard 39\u2019 )<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going into the half-time with a well-earned two goal lead away at Brighton is exactly the kind of marker of progress that has created so much excitement around this young Arsenal team, who I think is still very much a work in progress, and can and will improve significantly over the new few years if fully supported by the club management and owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the young home-grown players who symbolizes this progress is Eddie Nketiah. Always a prolific penalty-box finisher, his game used to be marked by some noticeable technical limitations that in modern football \u2013 where players like Inzaghi no longer exist at the very top level \u2013 makes it almost untenable to play as a central striker for a club fighting for the titles. But in the last year and half he has progressed and matured significantly under Arteta\u2019s tutelage and now, in deputizing for the injured Jesus over the last two matches he has justified the club\u2019s faith in him, not only continuing his fine goalscoring form from the end of last season but also replicating some of the other key aspects of Jesus\u2019s all-around game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early in the second half it was Nketiah the poacher that put Arsenal in a very comfortable position. Arsenal regained possession in their own half, \u00d8degaard drove through the middle with the ball on his feet before passing to Partey \u2013 the verticality that Thomas provides both with his passing and his movements is such a key facet to Arsenal\u2019s thrilling speed of attack. Not only our defensive shape but our attacking quality drops noticeably in Partey\u2019s absence; this is less of a criticism of other players than an appreciation of his importance Partey who put the ball into the path of onrushing Martinelli with a perfectly timed pass. Martinelli sped into the box, and his stinging shot could only be palmed away by Sanchez for Eddie to score with a cleverly placed outside-of-the-boot finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brighton 0 \u2013 Arsenal 3 (Saka 2\u2019, \u00d8degaard 39\u2019, Nketiah 47\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this third goal Arsenal sat back even more, and with Tierney and Tomiyasu \u2013 very good to see him back, hopefully he is close to being fully fit — being brought in for Zinchenko and White, it seemed Mikel decided to simply see the match out. Credit to Brighton that they didn\u2019t quite give up or feel sorry for themselves; they kept trying to create attacking overload. Mitoma was their best player and from a sequence of fast and precise exchanges he ran onto a ball and scored past Ramsdale with a cultured finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brighton 1 (Mitoma 65\u2019) \u2013 Arsenal 3 (Saka 2\u2019, \u00d8degaard 39\u2019, Nketiah 47\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came what I felt was our pass of this season. Defending deep into our own half as Brighton intensified the pressure, \u00d8degaard controlled a clearance from the defense, and from the position of a deep lying defensive midfielder he bypassed the entire Brighton midfield and defense with a first-time pass that was perfect in every way \u2013 right pace, right positioning, and meant exactly for the player that Martinelli is with his speed and his angled runs from out to in. Lamptey is fast, but not fast enough to catch Gaby on a foot race, and the Brazilian finished through Sanchez\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brighton 1 (Mitoma 65\u2019) \u2013 Arsenal 4 (Saka 2\u2019, \u00d8degaard 39\u2019, Nketiah 47\u2019, Martinelli 71\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saliba hasn\u2019t been as imperious and impeccable since his return from World Cup as he was in the first half of the season. But this was always expected and was bound to happen at some point of time in the season. Along with Gabriel he has formed a formidable defensive partnership and they cover for and complement each other expertly, and their partnership allows Arsenal to play in the front foot by keeping the defensive line so far up. But still in the Premier League the odd moment of fallibility will get punished, and that is exactly what happened with Brighton\u2019s second goal. There was a searching ball through the middle and even though Saliba got to it first he mistimed his clearance, and put it right in front of Ferguson to finish smartly past Ramsdale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brighton 2 (Mitoma 65\u2019, Ferguson 77\u2019) \u2013 Arsenal 4 (Saka 2\u2019, \u00d8degaard 39\u2019, Nketiah 47\u2019, Martinelli 71\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is when the match became a little frenetic and chaotic, much to the chagrin of an unimpressed Arteta on the sidelines. Brighton\u2019s performance for the next 10-odd minutes reminded me of late Wenger-era Arsenal, when losing by a few goals the team would suddenly wake up in the last quarter and just by sheer force of a whirlwind of creativity and chaos would try to get a result (a 3-3 away draw at Bournemouth was a perfect example). Arsenal lost control, and a bit of confidence, Tomiyasu and Saka finding Mitoma too much to handle, and the Japanese winger scored another goal which was fortunately for us chalked out by VAR \u2013 even though the decision was right, if it were applied to us, we would probably not have been too impressed given how fine the margin was \u2013 helping the team to settle and see out the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ever-dependable Holding came on to shore up things, in place of \u00d8degaard who is quickly becoming the great player that he always was predicted to be. But unlike many other young prodigies with superlative talents, it is his grounded attitude, and an alchemic combination of humility and confidence just in right measures, that makes him such an admirable player, and someone that the entire team evidently looks up to. He seems to me the perfect talisman for the new Arsenal who I sense are entering a new era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The match ended with that 4-2 scoreline. We kept our winning run going, but Brighton played with enough courage and creativity to indicate that their reputation and league position are well-earned, and no one will find them an easy opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you all peace, stability and prosperity. 2022 has been a profoundly traumatizing year for many in the world, but none so more than Zinchenko\u2019s fellow Ukrainians who have shown a remarkable combination of courage, resilience, love for their own nation, and a lucid understanding of history. If in 2023 you decide to support many of the well-run and effective organizations that help them, you will have my personal gratitude.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few months after Arteta started his own managerial career in Arsenal, I remember watching a Guardiola interview \u2013 or maybe I read the interview transcript but remember it as watching Pep talking, the Hippocampus can be a very creative organ \u2013 where when asked about how much he taught his ex-assistant about football Pep […]<\/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\/7193"}],"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=7193"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7209,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7193\/revisions\/7209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}