{"id":9064,"date":"2024-01-08T07:11:39","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T07:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=9064"},"modified":"2024-01-11T10:14:16","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T10:14:16","slug":"arsenal-vs-liverpool-fa-cup-storm-clouds-and-silver-linings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=9064","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal vs. Liverpool, FA Cup: Storm Clouds and Silver Linings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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No Jesus or Martinelli, and Havertz up front instead of Nketiah. Kiwior at left back with Ramsdale making a welcome return between the sticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in the second minute Ramsdale shows his mettle with a brilliant ball right over the defence and into the path of Nelson who really should do better than round the keeper and hit the side netting. The shape of things to come, unfortunately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal have started really well, playing with the verve and speed of last season and the 5th<\/sup> minute sees a good attack with Saka cutting in and Odegaard should shoot but doesn\u2019t.  More foreshadowing of the rest of the first half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11 mins and Arsenal can\u2019t buy a goal. Saka robs a defender and passes to Havertz who cuts back on the by line to Nelson whose shot is well blocked. The ricochet falls to Odegaard who thunders against the cross bar on the return and the chance fades.  Good blocking from Liverpool and very close indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 21 minutes Liverpool break well from deep with a good ball by Alexander Arnold leading to a cross knocked out for corner by White. The resulting corner is well delivered with Nunez – close to unmarked – heading wide.  The first meaningful attack from Liverpool and we are perhaps fortunate not to concede. Certainly, a better striker would have made more of it.  Another theme of the game…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal are still pushing forward and the pressing, movement and speed are all very impressive. The 26th<\/sup> minute sees super movement from Saka who moves the ball out to Nelson, who passes back to Saka, with the resulting shot being scuffed rather. Impressive football all the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 29 Arsenal rob the Scousers and the ball falls to Havertz, central on the edge of the box. Havertz is a player who, at times, seemingly has the ability to speed up rather than slow down time and the chance is gone.  Very poor and not for the last time today, either…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 37 the ball comes out to White on the edge of the Liverpool box who connects perfectly and hammers a shot which the keeper saves well to push over for a corner.  From the resulting Saka corner, Havertz has a header from around 6 feet which he puts wide.  It gives me no pleasure at all to say it, but he looks no more of a goal scorer for Arsenal than he did for Chelsea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 43 Havertz again dithers in front of goal when Nelson intercepts brilliantly as Liverpool try to play out from the back and the ball falls for Havertz who mis-controls and shoots tamely yet again at the keeper.  Just before half time, in response Alexander-Arnold bangs the bar with a fierce drive from the edge of the box. Half time is called and we really ought to have scored a couple.  The poor performances of the last 2 games look to be in the past as we are playing with a snap last seen away at Anfield before Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half-Time \u2013 Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The manager makes no changes at half-time, and Arsenal start where we had left off with a super through ball from Saliba freeing up Saka who spins his defender in the box but can\u2019t quite connect properly with his shot which ends up trickling through lamely to the keeper.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s end-to-end stuff now, with both sides determined to avoid the replay. Liverpool chances appear to be classic Liverpool – on the break. We need to be careful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A free kick on 57 takes us close with Odegaard feinting to deliver into the box but putting in Havertz \u2013 who made a clever run off the defence — to cross and create a great chance which neither Gabriel nor Saka can quite get over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This move is reprised a few minutes later when Nelson finds Havertz in a similar position \u2013 another excellent, intelligent run from Havertz, it must be said \u2013 whose cross, the keeper pushes on to Saka, who exhibits a marked lack of cool and knocks out for a goal kick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 62 Arteta subs Nelson for Martinelli. Nelson has been really good. But perhaps a smart move to have Martinelli running at a tiring defence.  Indeed, in the first 5 minutes after he came on Martinelli slaughters Alexander-Arnold and Konate. He blots his copy book, though with a corner reminiscent of end days Ozil: fired in knee height to the first defender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 70 minutes, personally I think it is clear that we would benefit from some further substitutions.  We have ESR, Trossard and Nketiah on the bench.  Liverpool by this point are taking over. Our chances and possession are diminishing, Liverpool look re-vitalised with a couple of young subs \u2013 hmm, a lesson, perhaps? \u2013 and on 76 create probably the best chance to this point with Diaz twisting and getting a shot off from 10 yards, forcing a superb save from Ramsdale which he pushes round the post. From the resulting corner, the odious Jota hits the bar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Odegaard gives away a foul between the right-hand corner of our box and the touchline. Alexander-Arnold delivers well to the near post and Kiwior is unfortunate to connect and put into his own net. This has been coming. So has the substitution of Havertz. However, we have to wait until the 87th<\/sup> minute. This is way too late. Liverpool score again right at the end and the game is dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Score \u2013 Arsenal 0 Liverpool 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a classic game of two halves. We should have had it sewn up by half time. Yet there is more to it than that.  Klopp out thought Arteta in the second half and, perhaps, Arteta outthought himself again, making poor substitutions, most of which were too late. We were ponderous in front of goal with shots taking too long to get off and when they came, almost without exception, being poorly hit.  On the other hand, the performance was much better than the dross we served up against West Ham and Fulham and the approach play, particularly in the first half, was crisp and quick.  There really is no need to throw out the baby with the bathwater. More quality in front of goal kills this off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I would rather not see a knee-jerk reaction resulting in our buying an overpriced attacker in this window. We are still learning as a young team.  For me now, Arteta has to do some more introspection and see where the things which he has changed haven\u2019t worked and that we are behind where we were last year. We don\u2019t have any fixture congestion in the second half of the season as a result of today. We need to take the next 2 weeks break to recharge and go again. Arteta needs to look at those things which are not working. I would posit that among these are Raya, Havertz, and not using sufficiently well the squad depth offered by Nelson and Trossard in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COYG.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No Jesus or Martinelli, and Havertz up front instead of Nketiah. Kiwior at left back with Ramsdale making a welcome return between the sticks. And in the second minute Ramsdale shows his mettle with a brilliant ball right over the defence and into the path of Nelson who really should do better than round the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"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\/9064"}],"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\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9064"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9078,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9064\/revisions\/9078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}