Morning all.
Mikel Arteta stuck by the old ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mantra yesterday evening as he fielded the same starting eleven for the second match running. If it was because he’d anticipated a tricky game as I did,, he couldn’t have been more wrong. The fixture turned out to be one of the most one sided games of football I’ve watched in a long long time. Perhaps the last time was when Arsenal thrashed Everton 7-0 back in 2005.
The first half was incredible. The football was in my opinion, up there with the best football I’ve seen from an Arsenal team since the early years of Arsene Wenger, perhaps it was even better although the opposition did very little to stand in Arsenal’s way.
Arsenal’s passing was quick, accurate and bamboozling the opposition. Trusty couldn’t get near Bukayo Saka, meanwhile, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli looked like they were simply enjoying a training session.
Just four minutes into the game, no one could have complained if we’d already taken the lead. Saka had hit the bar, Martinelli had the rebound cleared off the line and Havertz had been just inches away from getting to a Ben White cross. As it happened, we had to be patient… for another minute before Rice found Odegaard and the latter found the back of the net.
Both Saka and Odegaard had opportunities to increase the scoreline but it was an own goal which doubled our lead. Utterly deserved lead by the way. Saka had yet again beat his man down the right, whipped in a horrid cross for the defence to deal with and in attempt to clear, Bogle got it wrong. Mind you, their keeper shouldn’t have let the ball go through his legs in the first place. Not that I’m complaining…..
It was Jakub Kiwior who set up our next goal with Martinelli the scorer. Fifteen minutes gone and Mikel Arteta’s men were 3-0 up against Chris Wilder’s boys. Although boys they were, and are not. Just a group of experienced players who looked lost on the pitch. Chris Wilder, who I doubt will last much longer if things don’t improve for his team, made his first change by adding an additional defender into his team. Yep, that would sort things out….
After a boring ten minutes without a goal, yes, I jest, 3-0 became 4-0. Martinelli was on his way down the left when a Utd player pulled him over. It was the clearest of cynical fouls seen but sensibly, the referee allowed play on with the ball in the possession of Havertz. On he went before firing the ball home. How the Utd player escaped a booking though, I do not know.
Arsenal’s football didn’t relent, the energy level didn’t drop and Utd continued to struggle. Unsurprisingly really because they were taking a battering. Their own fans had seen enough too as many an empty seat was clear to see. I think relegation for them is a certainty. Mikel Arteta’s team already had Utd by the scruff of the neck, but then went for the jugular. Saka was again involved down the right and it was his cutback which Rice scored from. 5-0.
Saka didn’t appear for the second half as he had a breather, plus, Mikel Arteta has since said he was feeling unwell. Fabio Vieira replaced him on the right. A better cross from him might have ended with a second goal on the night for Martinelli but it was Ben White who scored our sixth and final goal of the game and what a cracker it was too. Havertz was the provider after taking a pass in his stride before knocking the ball to our right back. White made history as the scorer of Arsenal’s 10,000th goal in all competitions.
Yeah, I wasn’t really sure to be fair. I shot obviously, didn’t look where I was shooting and did a little spin, so I didn’t actually see the ball go in. But obviously I heard the crowd and was really excited. I don’t score much, so it’s really nice. – Ben White.
The game kind of drifted after Mikel Arteta made further changes. Thomas Partey made his first appearance for a long time, Gabriel Jesus made his return too and would have scored a wonderful goal had the keeper not made an excellent save. Leandro Trossard also got some minutes as did Cedric Soares. I thought it a shame that Reiss Nelson and ESR didn’t come on from the bench but I suppose three of the substitutes needed to regain their fitness and Soares is our only natural right-back.
The only concern on what was a fantastic night for Arsenal football club was/is the injury to Gabriel Martinelli. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico, with Kiwior doing so well as a “fill in” and Timber on his way back I really see no future at Arsenal for Zinchenko as a full back and there’s not much room for him in midfield either.
10,000 goals in all competitions? Unbelievable!
Morning Cicero.
I’m sure there’ll be a few changes this summer though, perhaps both ex City players will be moved on. Fitness must come into the equation with both.
morning Rico and all.
Saka has apparently picked up small injury, not sure what it is or how bad it is.
Raya starting to collect a few clean sheets to his name, it’s going to hard to knock him off our number 1 keeper.
I reckon Arteta will give Zinchenko another year as he wanted him and to sell him so quickly won’t look good for him next time he recommends a player to buy.
Hi Geoff, Arteta said Saka was feeling sick. I’d imagine had he been injured, he wouldn’t have been sat on the bench watching on.
Morning Rico and Co…
Any anxiety I had during yesterday’s game was quickly dispelled, in fact it pretty much was a walk in the park from the OG that made it 0-2 to the bruised bananas.
The only time I got agitated from 0-4 onwards was on the very rare occasions that Sheffield got near to Raya’s goal as I badly wanted that clean sheet.
Performance wise this defence is up there with the best in our history, longevity is what sets the Adams era lads apart.
As for selling Zinchenko and/or Jesus I’m not sure? Well not yet!
It’s taken Arteta a lot of hard work to collect this squad and a long time, so selling off parts of it this summer doesn’t rest easily with me, not yet anyway. I reckon we should keep the key ingredients of this squad together for at least another year and yes I’m fully aware of how many times we’ve failed to sell players at the right time but I feel that there’s a few others who need moving on first.
Jesus has a contract up till 2027 and Zinchenko until 2026.
Of course if the Saudis come in with a crazy bid for Jesus then you have to think about it Rico, as they do like a Brazilian.
But he’s on a considerable wage so anyone else isn’t going to offer us the whole £45m we paid for him as well as taking on his salary let alone Arsenal making a profit. Getting £25/£30m for Eddie looks a better piece of business to me.
Transfermarket have Eddie as worth £35m but his wages of £100k per week might stymie that kind of fee?
Morning Kev, even though SU are going through a horrid period, I thought they’d make it tougher than it was. Tom was right, it was all too easy…
Barca and Real pay big wages Kev… To be honest, I’m not fussed about the summer right now. I just want us to win the PL so I can retire happy. 😂
Retire Rico? Not from Highbury House I hope. Maybe if we came a close second would you give it another year? 😉
Only once we’ve won the PL Cicero. HH could be around for years yet, unless he upstairs has his say. 😂
👍
Rico, you are far too young and have much too much oomph to want to give up on HH. 💪
And anyway, what would JM do, where could he go, after all he has such a unique take on things. 😬
But yeah, like you Rico I think that the summer can take care of itself, I was just responding to opinion.
If Arsenal win the Champions League, that’s when you should consider retiring…
Ha ha Kev.
I realised you were just responding Kev, me too re the future of Zinchenko and Jesus. I think both will have a vital role to play between now and May, just like all of our players.
Saying that, I’m not really sure what Vieira brings to the team. As Potter said yesterday, it would have been better had ESR got playing time. For him especially.
I’ll be long gone before that day Kev. 😂
Rico, hang up his boot, no way he will stay around until we win the league, European cup, and the FA cup all in 1 year, even then he will stay around to see if we could do it 2 years in a row. 😊
Geoff, I’m not being transphobic, but he is a she and has been a she ever since I first came on here, around 2008’ish.
Btw Geoff, my pro nouns are He, Him, Know All and Smart Arse…
Agree Rico (that’s Ms Rico) Vieira is simply the most underwhelming player we have in our squad.
When he came on at Bramall Lane he made a couple of early runs , some useful interplays and looked like he was up for it, then he got shoved off of the ball a few times and promptly disappeared. He’s as feeble as a wet weekend in Slough…
Kev not sure what to call people any more in this mixed up world, the other day we had a student complain because they could not register them self as none human.
Know all and smart arse, descibed most teenagers.
A primary school here had to deny press reports that it had bought kitty litter and a tray because one of it’s pupils self identified as a cat.
Kev, I watched him on a corner. I could have made more of an effort to get my head to the ball. He literally just jumped on the spot, pathetic.
2008 though Kev, you did well as I wasn’t here then. 😂
I read that somewhere Cicero, the world has gone bonkers.
New post up.