Morning all.
Another good weekend of football results for Arsenal. On Saturday, Wolves lost at home to Crystal Palace 2-0 and West Ham were beaten at Anfield 1-0. Yesterday, Arsenal women kicked the day off with a 4-2 defeat of Birmingham in the WSL before Mikel Arteta’s team beat Watford. To top it all off, Man City thumped Man Utd 4-1 in the later fixture.
Arsenal needed three points at Vicarage Road if they were to move further ahead of both West Ham and Wolves. Emile Smith Rowe tested positive for Covid 19 so he missed out. Hopefully his symptoms are minimal and he’s back fit and healthy real soon.
But for an offside flag, Mikel Arteta’s team would had the most disastrous start possible. Not even a minute had gone by before Emmanuel Dennis had the ball in the back of the net.
Then we scored. A great goal it was too. Set up by a wicked little flick to Bukayo Saka by Martin Odegaard, a return ball, one touch, and a left footer which was just out of reach of Ben Foster’s right hand. 6 minutes later, it’s 1-1. A great finish by Hernandez but some pretty slack defensive work from Arsenal.
We took the lead again, this time is was Bukayo Saka who curled the ball past Ben Foster. He started the move too after nicking the ball off of a Watford player, passing it in to Lacazette before finishing off the cheeky back-heeled return ball.
After the break, Arsenal scored a 3rd. Another great strike too, this one from Gabriel Martinelli. Ballboy Mikel Arteta gave Saka the opportunity to take a quick throw in to Cedric Soares. He in turn found Odegaard, who moved the ball to Lacazette but this time, he set up our Brazilian who until then, had been pretty quiet. A really top notch finish.
After the game, Mikel Arteta said:
The fourth referee said, “Mikel, you shouldn’t be allowed to do that.”
It just came out. I am living the game there, trying to help as much as possible, I saw an advantage there to be taken and I did it.
Normal time was nearly up when Sissoko made it 3-2 so when 5 additional minutes were signalled, it was twitchy bum time. Cramp, going to ground a bit too easily, Ramsdale pushing his luck with the amount of time he took over goal kicks – you name it, Arsenal did it. Why not, every other team does that against us.
The game finished 3-2 to the team in red with another massive 3 points in the bag.
In between the goals, Arsenal played a mixed bag of football I think. A lot of good stuff but some wayward shooting and moments when we looked a bit shaky at the back. Including Ramsdale. The game itself was very open and quite honestly, either side could have won it but, in the end, it was Arsenal’s class in build up play and finishing which made the difference. Some of our attacking football was, in my opinion, Arsenal at their best.
Q – on the performance being clinical but not always controlled. Mikel replied:
I saw that in the first minute of the game – we could have been 1-0 down. We were really good going forward and we had all the right intention and the energy to do it. We scored three magnificent goals but we didn’t have the same energy and commitment defensively. When that happens, to win a game from home, you’re going to suffer. That’s why we suffered today – because defensively we didn’t have the right structure. We didn’t detect with enough urgency the moments where they could activate certain spaces that we knew. That’s why we suffered. We conceded two and we could have conceded another one or two.
If Lacazette still had 95 minutes of constant running in his legs, I think Watford would have been easier to beat because we lose something we he’s not on the pitch. I won’t mention his shot accuracy though.
Barring Arsenal being too open at times, something which new signings in the summer will hopefully eradicate going forward, Arsenal did what they needed to do and that’s win. Three outstanding goals scored and at times, our football was just a joy to watch.
Next up for Mikel Arteta and his players is Leicester City.
See you in the comments.
Morning Rico and all
The problem with Laca turns up again, do we give Him a one year contract or let him go, yesterday’s performance I believe shows we need to keep him for another year if we can convince him to be willing to play of the bench some matches. We still need a true striker but what he does to lift the younger players could be worth one more year
Morning Geoff, all.
I can’t see Lacazette staying. I think he’s great for the team right now but we need a midfielder to his work imo, and a striker who scores goals and works hard to get them.
Morning Rico. Good post. It was a bit up and down wasn’t it? Great goals interspersed with some customary sloppiness. This is the stuff we have grown used to of course, but it’s within the individuals to stop it happening with such regularity because it’s going to catch us out soon. We all know that.
Ramsdale has worrying moments when consistency it what he should be looking at. Gabriel needs to knit his game together, move from good to great and really become the dominant central defender that we know he could be. He seems to take a while to settle into the game and his early cross field passes seem too close for comfort to me.
Obviously this is stuff that Mikel must be working to put right. But this new role that Xhaka seems to have is good until opposition teams transition on us and explore the huge gaps he has left. Surely an upgrade on Granit in the summer must be on the cards. It was an aimless miscalculation of a long wide pass that led to Watford’s second goal and it was so unnecessary.
Enough moaning. It was a good win with three brilliant goals and those three points could prove vital.
Good morning Rico, although we have good defenders, who have played together long enough to be comfortable workings as a unit, they still have “moments” when they lose concentration or just make silly errors. It applies to all three of Ramsdale, White and Gabriel.
We can’t expect perfection over the ninety minutes of a game, but they need to cut out some of the poor clearances, some of the poor positioning and poor decision making.
Much as I like Cedric for his commitment to the team I look forward to the return of a fully fit Tomiyasu as he is a better fit with our regular centre back pairing.
Three excellent and well taken goals, with the added bonus of two full games and no bookings for Granit Xhaka. 😉
A good result with fantastic goals. It’s starting to get interesting now!
Morning Adam, thanks.
Our openness was concerning but at least Mikel Arteta talked about it after the game so he’s not got his head in the sand. I agree re Gabriel, he’s been a bit shaky of late but we know how good he can be, he just needs to be more switched on from the off.
Ramsdale is young and I think that’s showing. He’s enthusiastic, perhaps too much at times but I hate to criticise him. Perhaps like Gabriel, just be a bit more focused on the job in hand.
Xhaka, what can be said that’s not been already. One minute brilliant, the next he’s a bloomin liability.
Morning Cicero. Cedric didn’t have one of his better days but I do like him. He’s a bit like Elneny really, never moans, gets on with his job but lacks something, sometimes.
I think as these younger players mature, they’ll be more switched on.
Morning Rico et al, yeah a mixed bag yesterday but our quality won the day, maybe our guys are so good that they’re just a bit too casual in some situations? We cannot ignore our teams youth and lack of experience as most of our squad are going through this kind of pressure for the first time, that is having to win every game to achieve the prize, there’s no room to let up.
I thought that Soares did ok and even though we missed Tomiyasu and our defence wasn’t as solid as usual I see our midfield as the issue, with Xhaka playing further forward in some of these games I think that Partey isn’t enough on his own as a shield for our back four.
I also thought that Tierney did ok at left back, with Xhaka more advanced and Martinelli doing his own thing I think that Kieran is out on a limb back there lacking support. One of his main assets is crossing but there’s no point at the moment and as mentioned Gabriel is going through a slight dip in form alongside him and that’s bound to have a knock on effect.
Rico, I agree about the younger players maturing, we shouldn’t forget that Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães is just twenty-four and in only his second Premiership season. Ben White is the same age and is in his first season in the Premiership so allowances must be made. With good coaching both can become World class defenders.
I do wish that Partey could score a goal, he is averaging at least three shots per game (only my impression not an actual statistic) which are inevitably either high, wide and seldom worry the keeper. If one went in it could open the floodgates.
My problem with their first goal , worldie finish that it was is not the actual finish but the cross. Martinelli had a man and the runner that went on the outside passed two of our players Tierney and Xhaka I think . It was Martinelli that reacted and left his man and tried to get back and I have to say that Xhaka just stood and watched it.
Still we were all at sea on occasions at the back nobody looked comfortable . We have to put that down to experience and be grateful that we ended up with the points.
Morning Kev. I hope not re being to casual because that’d be a worry imo. I think it’s just experience or rather the lack of it. As you say, there’s a lot of pressure on these young guys.
Weren’t Brighton in the PL last season Cicero, I’d forgotten that. Take Xhaka, Partey and Lacazette out the team, the average age would be very very low.
The fixtures are piling up for Chelsea, all the travelling, two games a week, progress in the FACup and Champions League look fairly certain and will hopefully take their toll because we’re gonna need them to slip up quite a few times for us to reel them in, that’s assuming we can keep winning.
Glancing through Chelsea’s league fixtures it seems unlikely that I can see them slipping up in too many of them even if Arsenal can pull off a remarkable result at the Bridge, still, you’ve gotta aim high and the fact that it’s a possibility has to be progress.
They were Rico but Ben was on loan at Leeds, he only pled a handful of games for Brighton before loans spells at Newport County, Peterborough and then Leeds.
Rico, when I talk about casual I’m talking Van Dyke casual, not Luiz/Mustafi casual.
Top defenders are like that, they seem to have plenty of time and Ben is top top quality, a future Arsenal captain, his calmness under pressure can make him look casual but it’s just the impression his style gives off, it’s why when he makes a mistake it stands out.
I thought Ben White was voted player of the season for Brighton?
Hi Rico.. Nice read (nice result 😉). 3 fantastic goals! Yes, a few heart-in-mouth moments; but it wouldn’t be Arsenal without them! Ødegaard is class, love watching him, what a player! He’s always at the heart of our attacks and what a well-taken goal!
Stupendous Saka – what a season he’s having..
The only thing I raged about was the last 15 minutes – when was the last time Sissoko scored?! 6 years ago???
City spanking United was just as good! Great weekend.. now come on you Toffees!!
https://www.footballparadise.com/finding-arsenal-the-value-of-thinning-the-herd/
I think that was the season before Cicero. 36 games for Brighton last season.
Phew Kev. 😂
Hi Sue, thanks. I thought similar re Sissoko, only at Arsenal eh. He should never have scored.
City spanking Utd was pure gold, although I destroy them both, just City a bit less than Utd and we want 4th..
Had to get two new tyres on the car this afternoon so whilst being fitted, I took a stroll and had a coffee. £3.40 for a skinny latte, but then I was sat next to a £195,000 Jaguar motor car. In red I hasten to add…
When is it being deliverd Rico?
😂 Rick.
Totts have improved a lot with the introduction of the 2 players from Juventus.
Bloody Everton got smashed by Tottenham 5 nil now toots are 3 points behind us but have played 1 game more than us
Everton capitulate,
Lampard is out of his depth as his team sink towards relegation.
Maybe the current run of Pickford’s form could let Ramsdale have a sniff at the England #1 jersey, but to be honest he isn’t making his case rock solid nowadays either.
He isn’t Pbarany
New post up now