It’s been a memorable last few hours in the life of this Arsenal fan, I don’t mind saying. On Bank Holiday Monday I went to work mainly because it took my mind off of the Everton vs Man City game, only in the end I found myself parked up outside of the Novatel Hotel in Tower Hill following the game on my phone via the BBC website. That was a lot of stress, but I was delighted in the end with the draw because I sensed that something may have been breaking in the North West of England.
Yesterday, for the first time this season I experienced a kind of European stress, a new kind of stress, because up till then the CL had been like some kind of a mild relief from the monumental tension of watching Arsenal fight for the Premier League. Monday’s result and the sudden realisation of what our club was close to achieving brought this new European anxiety that only football can provide, but what a beautiful anxiety it turned out to be!
Before the game a crowd of Arsenal fans congregated by the roundabout by the two canons and greeted the coaches as they approached the ground. Whoever organised this deserves a major pat on the back because all of the players and staff mentioned how great it made them feel pre match.
The match itself was an exercise by both teams in exhibiting the highest level of tactical organisation and mature defensive discipline at the top level. For Arsenal it seemed that the teams’ performance against Fulham had given Arteta a lot of food for thought and he hinted as much afterwards. Instead of doing what most of us expected he went with an unchanged team. Calafiori at left-back although he spent a lot of the game in midfield and attack, Arteta also retained the technical security and quality of Trossard and Saka on either side of Gyokeres, whilst in midfield he pulled a big surprise by retaining Myles Lewis-Skelly, and none of them let him or us down!
It meant that Arsenal went into this game with a quality on its bench which was frightening with Zubimendi, Martinelli, Madueke and Hincapie joined by Odegaard and Havertz. Not bad eh? Given his season to date it was an astonishing turn around in the fortunes of Lewis-Skelly and a timely reminder to all of us what a talent this 19 year old lad surely is.
The game kicked off with an electricity in the air, an atmosphere which sparked quite like it had never done before at the Emirates, sparked by anticipation. But Atletico had not arrived to be the sacrificial lambs, they meant business and in those opening minutes Alvarez almost broke our hearts but fortunately he stabbed his effort wide under pressure from the King of Brazil.
Arsenal began to exert some dominance in possession but on 12 minutes another lightning break caused me more consternation. Atletico, fresh from a weeks rest, were chasing and pressing likes dervishes and stifling the Gunners from building up from the back. Up front Gyokeres was a man on a mission, he was fighting the Atleti defence and creating havoc as much as he could to take away the strain from our defenders, it was like that until the 19th minute pretty much and beyond.
Then Ben White, whose form has improved exponentially, pushed a teasing pass to Saka who beat his marker and fired across a low drive which caused panic but was partially cleared to Gabriel who blasted a low drive across goal and narrowly wide.
From then on Arsenal exerted sustained control but this was a tactical contest of the highest order and clear openings were at a premium – as well as a fussy referee who let a lot of shirt pulling go. Gyokeres as usual enjoyed scant protection as he was routinely roughed up but nothing seems to upset our unruffled Swedish centre forward who whilst clearly frustrated at the reluctance of the official to award him fouls, just redoubled his efforts to give his markers a night they won’t forget anytime soon.
Myles found himself doing a ‘Bakayo Saka’ around the 25 mark getting free on the wing and driving the ball across the goal area, it looked inviting but it was cleared to safety before a red shirt could react and so the tactical contest continued. It was enthralling if a little terrifying because any mistake could spell curtains.
Finally the deadlock was broken as the half-time break approached, a great pass was fired up the right wing to Gyokeres who had pulled wide ‘a la Fulham’ and as he drew defenders to him he crossed to Leo Trossard, who had had another massive 45 minutes. Leo shimmied and then fired low drive past a wall of Atletico defenders and Oblak got down amazingly to make a great one-handed save, meanwhile Saka, showing the intelligence of a world class footballer, feinted one way and then darted in to stab home the rebound from Oblak’s save before anyone else could react. Cue bedlam.
I waited for VAR because I didn’t want to enjoy the goal only to then get a nasty kick in the gonads, as is the case many times with VAR theses days, so the immediacy of the goal was lost and taken away. But I guess the feeling that I most felt at the half-time whistle was one of relief. Now we had something to hold onto and nobody is better at that than this Arsenal team. Half-Time 1-0.
All we had to do now was to keep a clean sheet for the next 45+ minutes and we’d be on the Orient Express to Buda and Pest. But Simeone, no doubt devastated by conceding on 45 minutes, had got into his players and they came out determined to turn things around and for about 15 minutes they put Arsenal under a lot of sustained pressure. On 51 they almost equalised when Saliba misguided his clearance and it fell to Simeone jnr who looked sure to score but HRH Gabriel got In a last ditch challenge and Simeone scuffed his shot wide. Inexplicably the referee awarded a corner but Raya came out flying like Superman to punch clear and the Arsenal defence dug in.
I felt we needed fresh legs as the hour approached and as Simeone made some changes Arteta acted and on 58 Odegaard came on for the fading Eze and both Saka and Calafiori were rested following their fitness issues with the fresh legs of Hincapie and Madueke replacing them. Almost immediately Noni got free on wing and set up Odegaard whose powerful drive just cleared the bar. Then I lost my feed…
Griezmann, who was a threat all game got in a stinging drive which Raya saved and as Griezmann tried to follow up the rebound it was cleared. Then what could have been his crowning glory, as following great work by Hincapie and a brilliantly whipped cross, Gyokeres hooked his shot over the bar with just Oblak to beat. Apparently the ball reared up as Gyokeres addressed it but it was a big big chance missed. On 74 minutes Zubimendi replaced Myles and a minute later Gyokeres fought off his markers to get off a shot that flew over the bar. Despite the big miss Viktor didn’t go into his shell he just battled on as normal.
Atletico had a couple of chances in the last quarter of the game, with Raya making a few saves but he wasn’t in any trouble and the one decent chance Madrid had was when well place Soloth decided to kick fresh air instead of the ball – and that was that. Martinelli replaced Trossard on 83.
Arsenal managed the remaining minutes and the suspiciously elongated added time with a couple of bookings for either side as it got a bit tetchy and the referee blew up. For a few Gooners the end might have reminded them of Highbury, Anderlecht, 1970, but I missed both so all I could say was that our team and coaching staff celebrated hard on that pitch.
We now stand only 4 games away from a season of unimagined historical glory, but there still much to do and much to achieve and as of now we’ve won nowt. But by heavens it does feel good to be an Arsenal fan just now..
We March On
By Kev
Test
Morning Kev, all.
Great post after a fantastic night for Arsenal FC but you are right, we haven’t won anything yet. Plenty of rest, recovery and focus on West Ham because they are going to be fighting for their lives to stay in the PL.
Thanks Kev,
Fair summing up as usual. In the words of the song – O what a night. The line up took me(maybe Simeone too ?) by surprise,a nice surprise,and credit to Arteta for that.
I fully expected Zubemendi to return,probably Havertz and Hincape,instead he rewarded the players who played so well against Fulham.
Everyone played their part,I thought Gyokeres was outstanding,what a joy to have Saka back at this time.
I saw something crazy earlier,that Kepa has the chance to win his third Champions league winners medal.
All thoughts turn to the Premier league now,just three wins,we’ve done that loads of times in recent years. West ham will be tough…
Agree re Gyokeres, his constant battling with defenders who were pulling at him time and time again was incredible. So unlucky not to have buried the tie with a goal. I hope fans, not here I add, give him a break from the ghastly criticism he receives.
Love your extended version of “The Night We Drove Old Diego Down”, Kev.
What an amazing journey this “Road to Budapest“ has been.
Purely hypothetical – my own private Netflix scenario – … or is it? Y’all tell me:
The curtain is drawn on the current Ligue 1 season sunday, may 17th. The French season officially ends up with the Coupe de France final friday, may 22nd.
Does that mean Ethan will be available for us come may 30th? I’d love so much for him to be on the bench, be brought on around the 80th, and score a 93rd-minute winner (because 1-0 to The Arsenal it’ll be of course) …
https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-15794067/What-furious-Atletico-Madrid-saying-privately-Arsenal-Anger-underhanded-tactics-THREE-penalties-figure-scenes-behaviour-substitute.html
Jose Mourinho BLAST Arsenal critics and Heaps praises on Arsenal team play:“I have to be honest. I have to speak the truth. For months, I am listening to these people, these so-called ‘experts’ on the television, telling me that Arsenal are boring. They say Mikel has become too pragmatic, that they only play defensive football.
So, tonight, I decided to tune in. I wanted to see it for myself. And I must say, I am surprised. But I am not surprised by the defense I am surprised by the artistry
The way they move the ball, the verticality, the conviction in every single pass… it is high-level football. You look at the reading of the game, how they occupy the spaces it is fantastic. People talk about Barcelona, but let me tell you, even Barcelona at their best could not challenge this Atletico team in the Champions League. They would suffocate. But Arsenal? Arsenal did it. They broke them down with personality.
I don’t care what anybody says. I don’t care about the critics. For me, right now, this is the best team in the world. Simple. They deserve to be in this final, and they deserve to lift the trophy. When you play with this much heart and this much tactical discipline, you are at the top. Everything else is just talk.”
Gosh, unexpected high praise from Mourinho…
Arsenal run to Champions League final earns more than £120m in UEFA prize moneyArsenal have already earned more than £120m in UEFA prize money from their run to this season’s Champions League final – and winning it could be worth £10m more.
The Gunners booked their place in the May 30 final in Budapest thanks to Tuesday night’s 1-0 semi-final second leg victory over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium, which completed a 2-1 aggregate win.
That success means Mikel Arteta’s men have already earned over €142m (£122.6m).
Every team that entered the league phase received an €18.62m (£16m) starting fee, with Arsenal’s table-topping exploits ensuring they received €40.6m (£35m) in performance fees, including €11m (£9.5m) for reaching the last 16.
A night starting with great atmosphere quickly overtaken by nervousness , it took about 10 minutes of stroking the ball around at the back to quieten the crowd.
People are criticising because of the nature of the game but it takes two to tango and Atletico play a very similar game to the one that we have grown used to .
It was a cagey cat and mouse game in which we got the break but don’t run away with the thought that it might not have gone the other way.
Simeone and his son are still moaning , as I said yesterday , wind him up and he loses focus , his push on Berta sums him up , he already had a yellow perhaps the second might have been warranted .
After what happened in Madrid last week , the biter got bit and doesn’t like it.
Cheers Kev, yet another excellent up-summing.
I can only agree with you about the way Var is killing the excitement and joy of goal scoring. Everybody kind of holds their breath waiting for the seemingly endless reviews to be completed and a goal awarded or denied after a couple of minutes nitpicking. They say that what comes around goes around or the decisions work out evenly in the end. That to me is just a load of old bollocks. Just scrap the whole rigmarol and go back to a ref and two linesmen officiating what used to be a set of laws that were accepted by players and fans alike.
Very nice write up Kev, it was a great winnow if we can only get City to lose a match in the premier league.
Morning Rico and all
Cheers Cicero, yeah I just held my breath when Bakayo scored in case he was offside? I tried to get up-summing into my up-summary of the game but it passed me by, I’ll try again on Sunday because you have started a trend.
Nice words by Mourinho, I’m kinda warming to him after all these years despite his endless appearances in adverts – that guy loves a pound note!
Merci LG, Ethan will get a medal in any case, I’m sure he’ll be with us in Budapest.
Thanks Limey, yeah Kepa got a late yellow card as we wound-up the Atletico bench, we’re really quite good at this dark stuff aren’t we?
Thanks Rico, Atletico don’t like their own medicine do they? There’s a sweet symmetry about their in-house complaints, they were obviously aware of being accused of hypocrisy after the 1st leg so let them grumble. The £120m is a nice little earner that’ll help pay bonuses, pay rises and leave a bit to fill up the summer transfer fighting fund. 👍🏻
Simeone should look at his own actions before criticising anyone else, his behaviour in both legs was awful.
hi Geoff.
Kiwior has become a Porto player on a permanent deal apparently.
Thanks Geoff, another City draw would do I think, of course a defeat would be great and I’m wondering about their mentality now that it’s all gone so wrong in a couple of days? Even Guardiola will be struggling…
What was the fee for Kiwior Rico and did we make a profit?
Interesting if not surprising to see Kiwior described as a ‘flop’ by The Sun after joining Porto. Does that make every player Liverpool, ManYoo, City or Chelsea sell as a flop as well, is Havertz a flop, was Zinchenko and Jesus flops when they joined us?
€17m I read Kev so no profit..
Actually, scrap my last.
The deal involves a fixed fee of €17m, plus another €5m in potential add-ons, and Arsenal also retain a fixed €2m sell-on clause (meaning that if Porto ever sell Kiwior, they’ll owe the Gunners an extra €2m, regardless of the sale price).
Arsenal also received a €2m loan fee from Porto last summer, so the deal therefore has a maximum value to Arsenal of €26m (£22.5m). The Gunners signed Kiwior for €20m (then £17.6m) in 2023.
is Havertz a flop, was Zinchenko and Jesus flops when they joined us?
I don’t think any of them can be called a great success but flops is a bit harsh. A lot of their criticism comes from Arteta’s desire to play them in positions that don’t suit them. A bit like Wenger playing Bendtner on the wing and Ramsey doing the same to John Radford for England. Havertz and Jesus are inside forwards and Zinchenko was a forward looking midfielder who was never suited to left back and although allowed to come into midfield was caught out on his defensive duties.
Kiwior was never coming back , so a break even deal was as good as we could expect plus the fact that Portuguese clubs know how to charge but have very deep pockets and short arms when it comes to buying.
Apparently Porto immediately put a sell-on clause in his contract valuing him at €70m so there’s your flop for ya…
Zinchenko totally changed the way we played and was a key figure in our 2022/23 campaign as was Jesus until he got injured. They also both had an impact on the training ground in raising standards and showing others what you need to do to compete at the top level.
Hoy es el día
Es la ocasión de triunfar
Para hacer realidad el destino que soñábamos conseguir
Una vida de lucha nos trajo hasta aquí
Y llegaré hasta el final
a lovely and beautiful good afternoon Rico and everyone here who is not sitting on a cushion.
ahhhhhh, the sweet sound of North London forever.
The lovely view of Cicero’s post match comment.
The poetic match analysis of Kev’s report.
The smile of everyone here after yesterday’s win.
And the exceptional taste of home made Marsala wine while reviewing the goal and NLF song countless times.
Arsène Wenger on beIN Sports….
“I think Arsenal wanted it a bit more than Atleti and they were more decisive in the duals.
“We said before the game that to go to the final they needed to be strong defensively and they didn’t concede a goal tonight.
“They played a team who for 45 minutes absolutely needed to score a goal and they didn’t give them a chance.
“I believe it shows how strong Arsenal are defensively and how disciplined they are, as well a bit the limitations of Atletico, who were not good enough in the final third.
“In the end it’s a well-deserved win for Arsenal, there’s no doubt they were the better team over the two legs.
“They celebrate well tonight which is normal but you want to focus already on the final and the next games.
“The celebration is deserved and happiness is normal – absolutely normal – but the next step is to go to the final and win in.”
Just a few thought on MLS……From the moment he was put in midfield, which his natural position, everything just opened up. The passes had more intent and the game had more tempo. There was less hesitation on the ball, less sideways and backward passes.
Something else happened as well. Declan Rice level went up. Yesterday he looked FREE of the shackels of which he had on lately and that was covering for everyone around him. He was not carrying the midfield on his back but just playing and stepping forward. He was choosing his moments while getting the ball forward with purpose. That version of Rice was terrifying every atleti player.
And that didn’t just happen from nowhere. It came because the player beside him actually belonged in that space and did the job that Gilberto once did. MLS covered ground, won duels, broke lines, carried the ball forward and did it all with the confidence of someone who has finally been told to just be himself
Miles had 97% pass accuracy. 79 touches. 6 ground duels won. 6 ball recoveries. 4 passes into the final third. 19 years old. In a must-win Premier League game he delivered everything and more.
Up till now MLS has been playing left back, learning, adapting, doing the job without complaining. And now he was put him in midfield and suddenly he was carrhing the ball, taking risks, playing forward, and not hiding from passes but instead asking for the ball
Zubimendi was slowing down in recent weeks. And imo Zubi was suffering from the Cesc Fabregas syndrome…..he went downhill from February onwards. Because of this the midfield wasn’t always flowing. Things looked forced. With the introduction of MLS as the DM this team doesn’t just look good. It looked COMPLETE. Balanced, confident, dangerous without forcing it. Clinical without being chaotic.
The issue was never tactics. It was the players’ mindset. It was trust. Trusting players in their real positions. Letting their natural strengths breathe instead of trying to manufacture solutions that the squad is already providing.
With three Premier League games left and a Champions League final this is not the time for experiments. This is the time to back what we saw recently with MLS in midfield on Saturday and Tuesday. We’ve seen enough now. The answer is right in front of MA. Fingers crossed that MLS will provide that stability from now till 2038. That’s 12 years.
I have no doubt that if Jose Mourinho or GG was our manager atm they would put him there and make him untouchable and undroppable.
MA as Arsenal manager asked us to trust the process……..
In the CL……….
UCL 23/24 — Quarter Finals.
UCL 24/25 — Semi Finals.
UCL 25/26 — FINALS.
One step at a time.
One. Step. At. A. Time.
His league record as Arsenal manager………..8th. 8th. 5th. 2nd. 2nd. 2nd.
He has NEVER gone backwards. Not once. Not even by a single position.
Every single year he has matched or improved what came before. Other clubs were sacking managers who had even won, rebuilding squads ad nauseam, spending billions of pounds and still going backwards (Chelsea???), but this manager quietly, building something solid and with an identity
We keep on trusting the process even if nothing comes this year.
Fingers crossed we win both
Means we get a bigger amount if they sell him Kev. Lol
Hi Devil.
Isn’t knowing when to move players on the key to good management? Personally, I think we have 3/4 positions which really could be improved on.
Yes Rico, a team always evolves. we need to improve a number of positions around the team.
We need a reserve keeper for sure.
The defence as it is needs no upgrade. Unless White is sold. The others are strong and reliable. I am happy with them. Timber, Saliba, Gabi, Hincapie; White, Mosquera, Calafiori. MLS emergency.
Midfield sees Zubimendi, Rice, MLS for two places. We definitely need another for cover. Norgaard will leave I am sure. Advanced midfield sees Odegaard and Eze. Eze will stay but Odegaard might leave so we need to replace him (maybe Dowman) but Merino and Havertz can play there.
The attack sees Gyokers as CF with Havertz and Merino as cover for him. The wings have Saka Trossard, Martinelli, Dowman, Madueke and Eze as well. Trossard is getting older now. While I like him as a player and I feel he still can give a lot we need a new face to give us fresh ideas and options. Madueke is just a replacement for the right hand side imo. He cant play centrally and on the left. Nwaneri, unless sold, will also provide cover.
So yes we need a keeper, maybe another defender, a central midfielder and a winger.
Rico….where has the REPLY option gone???
It was a blessing and a god send. And I loved it.
I may be wrong, was Tuesday’s game the first that Gyokeres both started and finished? I think that he has at last won the trust of Arteta both physically and mentally. It has taken almost the entire season to finally get the seal of approval from our manager.
Let’s hope his road ahead is a little better marked out. I think he can become a very valuable asset in the future.
D G, I can do without the reply function, but having to enter name and e mail number every time is a bit of a drag, but I’m not complaining, not really. 😉
I’d love to know what the clubs plans are for the summer Devil. Hopefully we’ll sign another striker as backup for Gyokeres. Unless Arteta has his eye on one of the academy players.
Still, plenty of time for that..
I didn’t like the reply option so it’s gone.
Cicero, if you create a WordPress account you shouldn’t need to keep filling in your details. Mine stays logged in for weeks..
Nice Kevski. Surprised you couldn’t find a rub a dub to watch the game in, but glad your gonads survived the evening. I wonder if PB will get to the final, and I bet our GN5 is beaming up there in Heaven.
Nice words from Mourinho. Thanks for digging those out, Potter. Tho’ my mum thought him a “handsome dude” I never took to him, but he cert’s knew a thing or two about tactics and winning football games.
Yogi too Stuart, I miss ACLF, such a balanced view on Arsenal.
Arsenal are set to offer Mikel Arteta a new contract in the summer, as per @fabriziorom.
The Kroenke’s had already decided they wanted the Spaniard to extend his deal, regardless of how this season ends.
Mikel Arteta is in love with Arsenal and only wants to continue in North London.
PSG are winning 1-0 tonight.
If BM go through Arsenal will have to wear their 2nd or 3rd kit. But if PSG go through there is a chance that Arsenal will play with the season 2026/27 home kit.
I dont care if they wear only G-strings for the final. Just go and win it after wrapping up the league.
Two goal advantage will be difficult for Bayern to overcome I think. Looks likely to be Arsenal v PSG..
PSG are going to be a most difficult opponent, so much pace, one-touch flicks n tricks, goals from all over the team, we’re going to need Timber back to deal with that left-winger with the unpronounceable name. What I did notice was how they continually foul opponents, just enough to put you off balance and they get away with it. Their defence looked very good but I didn’t notice Bayern going over the top, I wonder how they’ll cope with the ball in the air particularly at corners and free kicks?
Rico, I think we’ll get €2m regardless of any fee Porto get for Kiwior. I’m pretty sure that there was a story about, before Christmas, regarding Porto signing Kiwior and then immediately selling him for a nice profit to a number of interested Serie A clubs?
Late to the party, but yet another top level performance against a European heavyweight.
The media may look down on our semi-final as ‘second’ best of the two, but Atletico beat everyone’s darlings Barca over two-legs, so Arsenal are very worthy of their place in the final.
I wonder if MLS has played himself into starting against PSG, he has added some much needed dynamism and Arsenal seem a bit more fluid from the defence through to the final third.
Gyokeres is a definite keep, even if Arsenal upgrade, he would be a good option from the bench. His attitude and application have been first class.
After what we have achieved and could achieve this season, perhaps I should lighten up a little on Arteta.
If (let’s not tempt fate), Arsenal win the PL, I’m sure someone will suggest a statue, and it will definitely happen IF Arsenal add the CL to that PL trophy, and I would be ok with that.
We will be underdogs against PSG, but in a one-off cup final it’s all up for grabs, anything can happen and it’s nothing Arsenal can’t overcome.
At least now our games are one a week, so rest and recovery is key for the final stretch. Eight days between the West Ham and Burnley games.
I really hope Jurrien Timber is back for PSG.
Four games from legendary greatness on a biblical scale.
Stay humble everyone…
Bb, something I suggested a week or so ago. 😂
The time for any criticism of the team and Arteta is surely once the season ends rather than when we’re still chasing two trophies. Frustration and disappointment provokes many feelings though and at times it’s hard not to critical.
Kev, unless Timber returns very soon, I can’t seem him being up to speed for the final. Not if he’s been injured rather than having a break.
New post up.