Morning all.
I was talking to a Man Utd fan yesterday, one of the nicest ones I’ve ever met I hasten to add. We had a bit of a laugh at each other’s expense about our respective clubs before he said something along the lines of “if Arsenal had a top-notch striker, they would have been League winners last season and in all likelihood, would be again in May.” As a fan of a rival club, he’s envious of our defence, midfield and wingers but he doesn’t understand why we have no striker, or “Arrowhead” as he calls it.
I know few of us give a toot about what fans of other clubs think but I sat there agreeing with everything he said. How can a manager/club who has otherwise assembled such a good squad, not signed an out and out striker for the team during the five years he’s been Arsenal manager?
The topic came up again during Mikel Arteta’s pre match press conference when he was asked whether it’s simplistic to say we have to sign a striker this month to win the league:
I don’t know, it can be a perception, it can be a reality. Signing someone is not enough, that’s for sure because that signing then has to score how many goals? A lot of things have to happen. Sign and then I score 20 goals from here until the end and then you have a better chance? Maybe, yes. I don’t know! But I’m very happy with the players that we have. If you look at the amount of goals that we score as well, it’s more than enough to win a Premier League, and our other numbers as well. But the reality is if somebody doing more, that’s life so we have to be better.
The striker debate will rumble on and on, probably until we as a club finally sign one.
Anyway, for the first time in a while, Mikel Arteta and his players have ventured outside of London for tonight’s fixture against Brighton. The two clubs met earlier in the season at The Emirates with the final score being 1-1. Mikel Arteta’s team had gone ahead through Kai Havertz. After the break, referee Chris Kavanagh decided to ruin the game by sending off Declan Rice for allegedly denying Brighton the opportunity to take a quick free kick. The decision was bonkers. Brighton took advantage of playing with an extra man, two if you count Kavanagh, and soon equalised. Havertz had a great chance to secure all three points but it wasn’t to be. As it turned out, this incident, or rather the way it was dealt with, was the first of three red cards which were harsh. Very harsh!
Brighton will be a tough opponent, we know that and with Jurrien Timber suspended, our right-hand side will not be as strong. Talking of which, Ben White’s recovery is going well and could be back soon. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Raheem Sterling are recovering well too.
Raheem’s starting to do some stuff on the pitch so that’s great news. As quickly as possible we want him available. Let’s see how he progresses this week and then see if we can go for the following week. Tomi has done some stuff on the pitch but now because it’s been a long-term injury we need to see how quickly he can progress and how he reacts.
When they come back, I hope they can stay back.
Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke on what to expect this evening:
Brighton are a vibrant, well-coached team blessed with lots of exciting young players, so we can expect a physical, competitive contest. They are not as fixated on possession than under previous head coaches, with Hurzeler keener on getting the ball forward a little quicker. Joao Pedro is an outstanding talent. His movement, skill in tight spaces, and ice-cool finishing mark him down as a major threat, while Kaoru Mitoma’s pace and dribbling down the left will be a serious test for whoever stands in for the suspended Jurrien Timber.
When Brighton get the ball wide, it’s going to be important for us to defend the box properly. They will throw four or five men into the danger zone looking to get on the end of crosses. That positive style is a great strength, but sometimes it can be a weakness too. Only three sides have faced more shots from fast breaks than the Seagulls, who have conceded four times from counter-attacks.
The formation could look like a 4-4-2 but in reality, it will be more of a 4-2-3-1. Hurzeler’s side press well, ranking third for the most pressures, so we must be wary of turnovers, but this attacking style of play will allow us more space than we’ve had of late going forward. With just one clean sheet in their last 11 games, I do fancy us to score goals.
Hurzeler will be without Danny Welbeck, Evan Ferguson, Adam Hinshelwood, James Milner and Ferdi Kadioglu tonight.
With Jurrien Timber out, I do hope it’s not Thomas Partey who drops into right-back, not because he’s rubbish in that position but because he’s been so good in midfield. I don’t think our midfield is as good when he’s not in it. Sadly though, I’m not sure Mikel Arteta has many, if any other options available to him.
Anyway, I’m sure Mikel Arteta has a cunning plan up his sleeve…
Catch up in the comments…
Good morning Rico, cold and frosty start to the day and its an earlyish dog walk for me.
Brighton eh? The go to dirty weekend destination for generations of Londoners.
I thought we might get a look at the guy DG was talking up on yesterday’s post, Brighton striker to Evan Ferguson, but he’s out with an ankle injury. C’est la vie. 😉
Morning Cicero, it certainly is a chilly one. Lovely though.
Yep, Ferguson is injured allegedly but I think it’s more likely to be he’s on his way out of Brighton. At least that’s what the papers say.
Brighton is a lovely town imo, the lanes especially.
Good morning all.
Calafiori can play in numerous positions so he’s an option for RB though not as good as Timber with MLS as LB.
I predicted a 1-2 for today in my weekly contest with my grandson.
Didn’t realise Calafiori could play across the back four Berg, thought he was a left sided defender. Lets hope Arteta opts for him instead of Partey.
Needs must when the Devil drives, Rico. I just hope its not Partey as right back.
We have younger son’s dog with us for a few days,she’s getting on a bit but still enjoys a walk, her eyesight isn’t what it was but her sense of smell isn’t diminished, she sniffed out a pheasant hiding in a clump of gorse which gave me a shock when it took off about a yard in front of me screeching out it’s alarm call. She’s fast asleep right now in front of the fire.
Bless her Cicero, a pheasant is always a favourite for them. I get the shock factor though, it’s happened to me when one has flown up from the bushes. 😂
Needs must indeed..
I think you maybe right with Calafiori Rico, I think Arteta mentioned he can play all along the back four and as you say he is a left sided centre back but Thiago Motta used him as a LB.
Thanks Berg, must be better to play him there than lose Partey from midfield.
I see Totts lost again, 2-1 at home against Newcastle..
me too
Spuds one up and lose two one. Spursy again!
Aww poor spuds, are they in a relegation battle😂
Afternoon Rico and Co
Partey at right-back for me, Arteta won’t complicate things I suspect and he’s played him there quite a few times before this season.
Will Havertz start or will he be on the bench and which youngster will get the nod for a place on the bench? Josh Nichols perhaps?
Apparently, Newcastle’s first should have been ruled out for handball
Afternoon Kev, it would be interesting to see how our results have gone with Partey at right back..
I was thinking of Nichols this morning when writing. He’s older than MLS and Nwaneri but other than against Bolton and being on the bench, he’s not been tried. If he’s of the same/similar level as the other two, might Arteta throw him in today? Probably not…
Arsenal: Raya, Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Jorginho, Rice, Merino, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus.
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Lewis-Skelly, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Odegaard, Kabia, Butler-Oyedeji, Martinelli.
I wasn’t expecting that lineup… 😂
Team News from Arsenal.com
Arsenal: Raya, Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Jorginho, Rice, Merino, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus.
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Lewis-Skelly, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Odegaard, Kabia, Butler-Oyedeji, Martinelli.
Partey at RB, Nwaneri on the right, Trossard on the left.
Too slow Berg… 😜
Odegaard, Martinelli on the bench, Havertz not in the squad.
I didn’t see that coming.
Havertz is still getting over his hangover…
I’d love to see one of our guys do Veltman
Tierney on 93 minutes Kev. 😜
I do wish we’d cut out all the time wasting..
And Nwaneri picks up a booking. Deserved too and Taylor will soon add others to his list I’m sure..
Whose side are you on Rico? 😉
Brutal 49 minutes, Brighton are keen to turn it into a battle but we’ve stood up to their physicality.
Nwaneri has done really well but he needs to take more care of the ball, get into that gym and work on your upper body young man.
Tierney on 93rd mi Ute sounds good to me, we could play him as a winger come wingback, he’ll out Califiori, who’s had a great 1st 45.
Not a day for Jesus but he’s working hard, we kinda miss Kia and his ability to hang onto the ball.
That was some goal by Nwaneri! 🔔
Ha Rico, I didn’t see your team post. I hope Tierney or MLS does come on for a defensive reshuffle for Partey to replace Jorghino.
Agree re Nwaneri Kev
Just teasing Berg.. 😜
And yet another way found to give a pen or sending off against Arsenal.
Rico. I know😂
Well my prediction is still on, 2-1 and with MO08 on our chances have increased
Oh to have a striker on the bench…. 😜
😂
We’re getting nothing from Anthony Taylor. What a Tw…onk
It happens every game Berg.. lol
I hope your prediction proves right, we’re toothless up front..
Got lucky there..
Yeah and yeah. Missing Kai.
I don’t know the failure today was up top but more in the middle.
A bit of both imo. That’s what happens when Partey isn’t in the middle.
I’ll tell you what, Merino missed a sitter from that free-kick and then Brighton get that pen which wouldn’t have happened if Merino scores.
It’s all well and good talking about strikers but the others have to contribute in these games.
Partey with a 50p header
Yes Kev, fine lines.
For sure they do but surely, if there’s a ruthless striker in the box for that ball goes in..
Hopefully that’ll push the club into doing something in the transfer window.
Liverpool can afford to drop points now and it won’t be disastrous, having said that I reckon they’ll smash Man Utd tomorrow.
It’s going to take a miracle to catch them that’s for sure..
Well there you have it , thats the league gone , ridiculous penalty but seriously we lost the second half although the chances were there but bot the finish.
I thought the penalty was ridiculous but then thought about 5he same scenario but with the ball on the ground and with feet. Hope that makes sense.
The amount of contact would not cause him to go over leave alone roll on the floor and shake his legs for two minutes . However there are rules for football and rules for Arsenal . Darren England on VAR making up for his cock up for Diaz dissallowed goal against Spuds
He’d have still gone over though I’m sure. The theatrics were deserving of an oscar though.
I continue to have the same opinion, although there are those who don’t agree: Arsenal play to take a 1-0 lead and then worry about not conceding. There is no winning dynamic. If 2-0 comes up, ok, but it’s not the priority. The priority is to secure the result, slow down the game, delay throw-ins (hence there have been several yellow cards due to delays), and let the time run out. 1-0 was, is and always will be a risky result. There may then not be the time, capacity, physical strength and class to change the result. Regarding the game: I would like to know the ratio of points gained/lost with Partney playing at right defense. In my opinion, Partney is currently Arsenal’s best player in front of the defense. You have to make the most of it while you don’t get hurt. The Jorginho/Merino duo is not as reliable and does not convey the same security or quality. Furthermore, it is always useful and predictable that one of the players who is playing is replaceable by the one of the three who is not playing. As for the game: Rice and Odegar are physically bad. Overall, the team conveys physical and mental fatigue. I still don’t understand how having Tierney on the bench, in principle ready to play and “fresh”, doesn’t play. Just like Lewis, who played in the last 2 games, he is “fresh” and didn’t even enter. And then there is the eternal question of the center forward. The “gunner”. The “area man”. Several names emerge and emerge, which shine and have already scored several goals. However, my question is: if the team doesn’t shoot on goal nor is it in its matrix to produce football for a “area goalscorer” player, will a center forward be needed?
Nwaneri was subbed because of an injury. When it rains, it really does pour at Arsenal as fa4 as injuries go…
I said the same earlier about Partey at right back Jm, we lose our midfield structure without him.
and had a yellow (stupid) card
While we continue with a “set piece coach” on the touchline we will continue to waste time at corners and free kicks close to the penalty box. The messages take too much time to get from the coach to the players so it is inevitable that we will continue to pick up yellow cards. Maybe we could employ a tic tac man to signal to the players which ploy they should use.
Not only the opposition players have worked out our tactics but the refs are all too aware that time will be wasted at almost every dead ball situation.
J M is absolutely correct when he says we play to hold onto a one goal lead, when we should be working hard for the second goal as soon as possible after the first and while the opposition are still shocked by conceding.
This evening Jesus was back to his old ineffective self and Odegaard, when he eventually came on, was almost invisible.
League Champions? Yer ‘avin a larf!
What means “Yer ‘avin a larf!”?
Well another 3 point lost, draws are not going to help us, yes it was a cheap penalty, but how many times do we have to tell certain players to not hold the opposition player in the box.
Or more simply, sort the set-piece routines out before the game like most clubs seem too. It’s boring from a spectator point of view and frustrating from a fans point of view. Raya wastes time, throw in are dreadfully slow and the set-piece delays are tedious. I’m surprised only Nwaneri got booked for time wasting.
I don’t think the players deliberately look to look after a 1-0 lead because we usually have a number of opportunities to score more but all too often, we miss them.
Absolutely agree Cicero, we’re not a league winning team right now..
Jm – Having a laugh at the idea of Arsenal winning the league..
Geoff, Saliba went for the ball, missed and caught the player in the head instead..
Saliba actually got to the ball first, a la MOTD. Even Lineker said no pen!!
We don’t know how many of our players were suffering the effects or after effects of the virus, all we can do is opine but with no real insider knowledge.
As it goes I didn’t see Arsenal looking to defend a 1-0 lead in Lisbon when we spanked Sporting with 5 goals or at West Ham, but if you’re carrying a host of injuries and have illness affected players doing their best then you have to conserve as much energy as you can especially against a team that’s had 48 hours more rest than you and you have a cup semi-final on the horizon.
Did Arsenal sit on a 1 goal at Brentford (won 3-1) or Crystal Palace (won 5-1) or AS Monaco (3-0) or Man Utd (2-0) or Forest (3-0) or PSG (2-0) or Leicester (4-2).
Arsenal have been on the receiving end of some unbelievably harsh refereeing decisions, decisions I’ve not seen replicated anywhere else and on any other team, so far it’s cost us up to 12 points, you don’t recover from that!
JM :- está rindo
Referees get away with hammering Arsenal to the absolute maximum and beyond and nobody calls them out about it on TV, the radio or in the press and that’s because the vast majority of football fans despise Arsenal and love to see us fall on our faces.
There’s nothing we can do about it, nobody wants us to win the league except proper Arsenal fans.
The club can’t talk about it obviously, but they can do something about it and what the club can do is to provide Arteta with the tools and enough of the tools to take the referees out of the equation. So that when we’re in midst of a few injuries that we don’t have to put kids on the bench, kids who have no chance of coming on and just to fill up the substitute spots.
When we signed Declan Rice it seemed to indicate that the ownership was on board with the fans and were going all in, I just hope that they’re not tightening up again?
Rico, the ref nearly blew his whistle for holding there shirt.
Did anyone else notice the way Brighton disrupted our corner routine? They put two players on the halfway line, one on either side of the pitch, so we had to put defenders there to match them in case of a breakaway. Simple!
Cicero, it was either Sporting or Monaco put three players there in the champions league and the commentator alluded to the fact that this would be copied in the EPL 🤔. As teams are now more aware of the technique, Jovier needs to find another gem similar to the Rice free kick that was hard fast and on the ground around the wall.
Morning all.
Definitely not the first time I’ve seen the opponents keep players up on the halfway line for our corners. It was only a matter of time something was tried, after all, everyone has been talking about for a while.
I think yesterday’s performance pretty much summed up this season for Arsenal…
Morning Rico, it would appear we are going to fall short this season for a few reasons but definitely for not getting consistency from the reffing Webb fraternity (delete that “r”😊)
Morning Berg, the officials are certainly not helping our cause…
The majority of our attacks are down our right hand side, orchestrated by the trio of White, Saka and Odegaard. Firstly White got injured and there is little or no news of his imminent return. Then there is Odegaard just returning from a long injury break and by no means as fit or effective as previously. Now we have Saka out and he will probably not return before the first Swallow of summer arrives. Timber can fill in, defensively, for White but with no Saka and a misfiring Odegaard we can’t expect much product to come from that side. Nwaneri may well come good, his goal yesterday was the only bright spot in the whole Arsenal performance, but he needs time to work with the team on the training ground and there is little chance of that in light of the fixture congestion which means three games a week just now.
I’ve just dug out some stats for yesterday with a few concerns, Brighton’s xG was higher than ours
and considering we are the “corner kings” we fluffed 5 opportunities, OK Havertz was missing but there’s enough quality as seen previously to convert chances.
Brighton Arsenal
Possession 45% 55%
Shots 12 10
Shots On Target 5 4
Shots Off Target 4 4
Cards 2 3
Corners 2 5
Fouls 17 14
Offsides 0 3
xG 1.19 1.12
White could be back this month according to Arteta Cicero. Mind you, he said Havertz would return yesterday too….
Brightons “good” stats came post penalty, it gave them hope…
New post up by the way.