Morning all.
I don’t think it’ll just be Mikel Arteta who’s very pleased but all Arsenal fans too. That was a very good performance. The Emirates was loud from start to finish. Super stuff.
The changes Mikel Arteta made had an impact on the way the team played. Sambi Lokonga in for Martin Ødegaard, Alex Lacazette for Pepe and Nuno Tavares for Kieran Tierney who was reportedly injured.
Arsenal started well. The tempo was high, the players were quick to the ball, winning tackles and passing well. Ollie Watkins went into Craig Pawson’s little black book with just minutes on the clock. Tyrone Mings should have done too for his elbow into the face of Lacazette. In fact he was perhaps fortunate to last the entire game.
Thomas Partey had hit the woodwork and Captain Aubameyang had a goal disallowed for a Lacazette foul which never was before Arsenal went ahead. Old Arsenal man turn Villain, Emi Martinez had saved one or two as well. Was it going to be his night? Ha, no!
Thomas Partey opened the scoring with his first goal for the club, our second came from the penalty spot after Alexandre Lacazette was fouled, although Craig Pawson initially waved away his appeals. VAR were awake and watching and instead of the players going off for half-time, told Pawson to check the pitch side monitor, in other words, it’s a penalty. Martinez, booed every time he touched the ball, saved the initial kick but Auba was quick to fire home the rebound. After the break, Emile Smith Rowe made it 3-0 with a little help from a deflection off Mings. Who cares, it went in and I for one was chuffed for our number 10.
That’s what he’s capable of and that’s what we have to demand, Mikel Arteta said of his schemer’s display. “[Goalscoring] should be a habit and he should demand that in his game because he’s capable of doing it. I’m happy he’s developing; he still needs to develop more.
Harsh I thought!
Other than the first half against Toots, that’s the best football this group of players have played under Mikel Arteta in my opinion. We were at it from the off and kept at it until the end. Yes, Villa nicked a goal later in the game which clearly cheesed Aaron Ramsdale off, but Arsenal got exactly what they deserved last night.
Arsenal had 22 shots on goal last night, many from distance but boy were they off target. 9 were on target. Lacazette made a difference, certainly to Aubameyang who didn’t look such a lonely soul up front. I hope the Frenchman was just exhausted when he went off and not injured.
I don’t think any player can be singled out for their lack of energy or commitment. Lacazette was excellent and played with an edge to his game. He wanted to win every ball come hell or high waters and the rest followed. Sambi Lokonga alongside Thomas Partey was really good, Nuno Tavares, playing in his first Premier League fixture was excellent and Smith Rowe was just Smith Rowe, superb. Ben White also had a very good game, probably his best yet. The entire back five were on the ball. We faded a bit towards the end which coincided with Lacazette going off and Villa getting their goal but the game was won by then. At least that’s what I kept telling myself at the time.
Ramsdale won the goalkeeper battle at a canter. His distribution at times was amazing. Whether it was a throw out or a dead ball kick, he found a red and white shirt. And I just love his enthusiasm and attitude. And the crowd in full voice singing:
He’s better than you
He’s better than you
Aaron Ramsdale
He’s better than you
Aston Villa were poor I thought. In fact they reminded me of how Arsenal have been on too many occasions this season. They couldn’t handle the Arsenal work rate. I don’t know about missing Grealish but I think they’re missing John Terry’s presence around the team. Love or loathe Terry, he is a big character to have around. Smith changed things at half-time by going four at the back and they came into the game a bit more but apart from the one they did score, Arsenal were pretty much at ease.
Watching that performance last night was enjoyable, but kind of sad too as in a way, it justified the recent criticism directed at Mikel Arteta. I’m sure we all know Arsenal’s squad is far better than performances and results would have us believe. But the one game up, the next four/five down, isn’t good enough. I’m already wondering what we’ll see at the King Power Stadium against a team which will play on the front foot.
Arteta has to find a way to make last nights kind of attitude and commitment the norm rather than the exception. I know there’s likely to be an off day, most teams have those but as long as the approach to every game is like yesterday, I doubt they’ll be too many complaints.
Next up for Arsenal is a League Cup fixture against Leeds at The Emirates on Tuesday.
See you in the comments later.
Yea Rico, what a terrific performance yesterday, never been so satisfied with arsenal’s performance since that first half performance against the Spurs…ESR getting better, Tavares proved a worthy back up for Tierney….I am lost for words to explain my inner satisfaction about the match, wish this can be repeated over and over again…
Do you think that Villa’s derisory offers for Smith-Rowe and the continuing ” we got Martinez for a song and beat you to Buendia ” bleating that has been a constant media drip had anything to Smith – Rowe’s performance ?
If so can we dig up a hate campaign for the rest of the league.
Anyway on last nights performance he doesn’t have an Alice band and he don’t wear his socks round his ankles and fall over every five minutes but he is a better , more effective player than Grealish will ever be .
No wonder Villa wanted to steal him.
Fantastic effort.
The more this group of players are together, the more regularly we will see such performances.
Morning Rico. The team shape made sense with a much better balance and the players were all good. Contrast that with the Palace game where the set-up was bizarre and not many had great games. We’ve been here before though on the Arteta up and down ride.
Excellent victory though, inspired in some part by Laca getting stuck in and putting it about a bit. Which is also good.
Kyalo, in some ways I think Tavares was better than Tierney but, with a more balanced midfield Tierney would probably benefit too.
Well said Potter.
Not if Lacazette goes back to the bench and Odegaard plays alongside Partey we won’t.
Morning Adam. Totally agree. The team selection for Palace was just odd and it cost us dear.
Morning Rico et Al,
Well I have to say from the midweek feedback I was still saying Arteta needs time to bed in the new players yes we are still short on midfield players and we should get Saliba back in the squad but it was good to see AMN and Martinelli come on, I hope they get more chances and game time hopefully midweek.
Last nights performance reminds me of what Arteta was saying last season that once we get the right players and the team gelling they can become a very special team and will show this sometime soon. Well first half of the NLD and for 85 mins last night they did show us. I thought fresh legs should have come earlier both Auba and Laca were spent when they came off did you see how Auba was limping he was so cramped up. ESRs fitness levels have improved he lasted the whole game last night which puts him and the team in a great place going for the rest of the season.
As for the players there wasn’t a single player you could mention who didn’t put his heart and sole on the pitch last night to a man they were excellent. I agree with some of the comments and yours Rico that we need to see this week in week out consistency to play at that tempo is what we lack. However, we are showing consistency based on our recent run of results we haven’t lost since those first three Covid ravaged games, and a few key injuries, imagine if our team had been fully fit we would be top four of five now.
I also have to disagree with your comments on Pawson if you watch back he clearly asks VAR to check the foal on Laca, so let’s give credit where it’s due, Pawson was the one who triggered VAR for the penalty. Having watched it back yes it was a penalty but Laca made it look worse and credit to him he got us the penalty.
I hope he gives some of the bench a decent run out against Leeds midweek Martinelli, AMN, Tavares again, Laca needs to build his fitness maybe Balogun and Nketiah can get a run out as well, let Holding have a game and maybe Mari who needs to prove himself, and Leno in goal. The team need some rest before Leicester on Saturday but I’m looking forward to the game. Cmon you gooners!!
Rico, he tried it.
It worked for 20 minutes but failed over 90.
No matter what we do though, Arteta will have his critics.
The entry to Odegard made the team more fragile, not because he wasn’t a good player, but because he weakens the midfield when he plays + ESR+ Saka. As I already posted, the midfield is physically weak.
Laca, undTr normal conditions, gives another combativeness up front and another touch of class.
the 1st substitution, must have been to enter M.Niles; Saka is physically exhausted and the right side no longer has cover support.
However, we played well.
Come on Arsenal!
The entry to Odegard made the team more fragile, not because he wasn’t a good player, but because he weakens the midfield when he plays + ESR+ Saka. As I already posted, the midfield is physically weak.
Laca, under normal conditions, gives another combativeness up front and another touch of class.
The 1st substitution, must have been to enter M.Niles; Saka is physically exhausted and the right side no longer has cover support.
However, we played well.
Come on Arsenal!
Hi all,
I guess I’m the sour supporter but I thought Villa played poorly, caught in possession too many times, too easily had thd ball ttakken off them, slow and no plan.
I thought we played well but our finishing is horrid. We looked great on the press but not fit enough to sustain it for even half a game.
Partey definitely needs a solid Midfield partner and especially helps if the have an engine like Lokonga.
Big up to Tomi who tried really hard at getting in a wing back role when clearly not his game.
Good day all.
If we are to play the high intensity, high pressing game we need to look at earlier substitutions. As our players tire we get pushed back and there is no out-ball available. Replacing Aubameyang with, perhaps, Martinelli at half time would give a bit more presence in the attacking half thus forcing the opposition to keep some defenders back and provide a target for the out-ball.
Alongside his tactical substitutions, Arteta needs to take notice of the physical sate of his players. Yesterday, and not for the first time recently, Saka looked shattered by 60 minutes, that would have been a good time to bring on Pepe with instructions to run with the ball at the defenders.
As I said yesterday we looked more balanced and hungry for the ball, but saying that the last ten minutes we turned off and allowed them to score 1 goal and lucky for us the also missed 2 more. I not trying to take anything away from the win because we deserved it. but need to stay focus for the whole match.
Hi Mig. I didn’t see any of that Pawson and the ref. Either way, the right decision was made in the end.
We might not have lost for a number of games but the football has been awful during most of it.
I’m hoping the second string play on Tuesday but it seems Arteta wants to win the competition so I suspect it’ll be a strong team again.
Scott, when?
The work rate in the first half was really high and many players were pushed to the limits . I do agree that we need to be more proactive with our substitutions , an earlier change should keep up the intensity .
However I did notice that when Martinelli came on he won two headers from Ramsdale’s clearences , it’s a change that should have been 10 minutes earlier .Changing in the first minute of injury time is no good to Martinelli’s development and It could only be construed as a time wasting opportunity interrupting the flow of play as Villa had got the upper hand.
Come January Brad, it’ll be Lokonga needing a midfield partner. Villa were poor though, especially in the first half.
Agree on the substitutions, they need making earlier and with like for like to keep the pressure on. ESR and Saka are still young but they’re going to be burnt out before much longer, especially Saka.
Got no complaints at your observations Bradley , in many ways I agree with you .
Villa did not look good and they were frequently caught in possesion but the question to be asked is why ?
Compared to the palace game we had a player that was effectively playing close to Partey that was pressing , being physical and yet also had the ability to find his own players when laying the ball off and covering a lot of ground protecting Partey from the front and backing the forwards from behind .
it’s little wonder he went off with cramp after 70 minutes. I think he lifted the team and gave the assurance to the young players especially Tavares and Lokonga that someone had their backs.
In my mind that was the difference between the two performances .
Were Villa poor or did the way we play beat them mentally and physically in that first 45 minutes?
Chicken v the egg again.
But, we seriously need to improve out long distance shooting range… lol
Hi again,
I don’t disagree with the style of play we’ve been playing hasn’t been good enough but if we can keep this run going the team will grow. Like everyone else once in every few games isn’t good enough we should be putting a Brighton and Burnley matches to bed much more easily than we have been and Crystal Palace the comments were well founded it was bizarre how we go from the first 15 mins to the last 10 mins and between be so poor.
But we’re going into a run of tougher fixtures Mig and performances which saw us scrape past Norwich and Burnley or draw with Palace and Brighton, won’t do any good at all.
A bad day at the office for Norwich! 7 – 0.
still concerned by the fact that we are -3 goal and some tuff matches coming up.
Hi Rico.. Great read, thank you.
I thought the fans singing about Ramsdale being better than Emi was brilliant, really made me chuckle!! And I’m sorry but I loved watching him pick the ball out the back of the net, not once but 3 times!!
That result has been a long time coming against them and they were such dirty sods!!
Auba’s closing in on RVP’s goalscoring record at the Emirates. RVP 46, Auba 43 – come on!! Auba was definitely on the sauce again last night, he was brilliant, as were the whole team – see we can do it!!
ESR my motm, I love that guy so much!!
Please keep it up – not much to ask, is it?!
They were playing with ten Cicero. Lol
Hi Sue, thanks.
Ditto re Martinez, I’m over him now we have Ramsdale. Loved the song too.
How pleasing it is to here Carragher and Neville talk about Saka and ESR the way they did after the game. Southgate will soon pick ESR I’m sure. A worldie in the making.
And during the game, Rico, bet it broke Carragher’s heart having to praise us 🤣
They’re right though, ESR and Saka are special and yes I’m with you, it won’t be long before Emile’s in that England team; which means I’ll have to tune in more often 😳 haha!!
Let’s hope we keep it up.. easy to call us world-beaters after a game like that, but seeing as we never know which Arsenal will turn up from one game to the next, just have to take it one game at a time. The table is looking quite juicy though!
Looking forward to Tuesday..
That’s my flu jab done, just need my Covid booster and I’m ready for winter. 😆
Absolutely agree Sue, they deserve all the praise they’re getting. I’m certainly not going to be too optimistic after yesterday. Pleased yes, but we’ve been here before. Even I might have to tune into England if Saka and ESR play. 😂
Good afternoon Rico and all
Thanks for the post Rico. I enjoyed that.
I loved watching the game. It was not frustrating bar one moment….when we conceded. I always detest conceding a goal. I would have preferred a 2-0 as a clean sheet means a lot. It instills confidence in the defense and defensive midfield.
Anyway…..some thoughts on our team
What is missing from this team is consistency and although there is a good level of depth….Tierney’s replacement, Tavares, is just an example, I still would love to see a better level of depth. It was good to see ESR run the show while Odegaard sat on the bench…..that is depth as well.
The consistency at this stage in the team’s development is still being formed. It is needed….but you pay by lack of consistency the fact that we have young players, by the fact that we have new players who are still settling in, who are still learning to gel as a team. I read recently that AW said that you pay for the young player’s development with points.
So yes….although I feel gutted when we dont win, I am patient, because I know that a team needs a good amount of time to be built. And I feel that Arteta is on the right track. Does he have until Christmas? I hope not because it simply does not make sense to sack him. That is my opinion of course. It is games like yesterday’s and against the Spuds which give us a glimpse what Arteta is aiming at.
And that does not come with the snap of a finger or two. It takes time. Even Guardiola and Klopp took their time in molding their teams. And they were experienced elsewhere. Arteta had just been asst to Pep.
Do I look forward to the next games?? Of course I do…but am aware that its easy to be crap in some games. It might even be the next one.
I enjoyed listening to the crowd singing Ramsdale’s name. tbh I love Martinez and did not want him to leave. But looking back now I think it was the right decision by Arteta. Take away the 9 goals conceded by Leno in the first three games. In the next 6 games Ramsdale has conceded only 4. Would MArtinez have done that at Arsenal this season?? Of course he would he is a good keeper. However, Ramsdale is English and for that reason alone (there are others as well) I prefer him to Martinez. Ramsdale is younger. Plus more vocal and is a Neuer style keeper. Martinez is more of a shot stopper mold. He is less skillful than Ramsdale in this regard who very often seems like an outfield player. I still like Martinez but I prefer Aaron.
I dont support England at national level….however likewise….I will enjoy seeing Ramsdale, White, Saka and ESR play for England. And will certainly tune in to see how they fare. Hopefully one day we will break the record of 7 players we set in the 1930’s against Italy…..who knows. I look forward to that.
Nice to see England skittle the WI out for 55 in their first T20 WC match.
Afternoon Devil, thanks.
Deep down I still think we should have kept Emi but I’m much happier with Ramsdale than Leno. I wonder if he will leave in January and if so, who’ll replace him.
Out of interest, what from this season so far makes you believe Arsenal are on the right track?
Everton have been beaten 5-2 by Watford. That’s a shock.
GG always used to say that when building a team always build from the back. Arteta did just that. And the defense seems more settled than it was ever before. Infact the last 6 games have seen us concede only 4 times. Besides, they build from the back and are a lot more calmer in doing so.
Ask yourself….do you panic anymore when you see us building from the back?? Do you feel jittery when Arsenal are under pressure because of a cock up of either Luiz or Mustafi type errors and lapse in concentration?
We conceded twice against Palace…..both were from midfielders’ giving the ball away. And mistakes that defenders make are not closing down earlier…decisions which need time to develop.
There will be games when defenders, like Tommy for example, will get a torrid time. Its part of the learning curve. But overall they are settling in better.
Of course not because Luiz and Mustafi are no longer at the club but forget the mistakes, it’s the tempo and the way we crumble under a bit of pressure which worry me. Yesterday was good of course but as Brad pointed out, Villa weren’t in the game, just as Toots weren’t during that first half but as soon as both managers changed things up a bit or Arteta made changes, the panic button comes into play. And both times we conceded.
Beth Mead score a hat trick as England lead 4 – 0 against Northern Ireland in World Cup qualifier.
Confidence should be building but we all know that we have soft underbelly and when we let the goal in a degree of nervousness appears in the players , the crowd and most definitely me .
And me…
Hi Devil,
Even after a 3-1 win against a side earlier in the week plenty had suggested would beat us, the need to find criticism with Arteta remains.
More comments on what Arteta should have done rather than what he did.
Very Predictable.
Potter, what else would you expect from a young squad lol
As predictable as your defence of him perhaps Scott?
If we all say hoorah, well done and everything is rosy, we might as well give up.
Scott , I expect the young lads to do what they are doing but what I want to see from the manager is a more proactive substitution policy to prevent them burning out.
If you read my comment fully I was saying that Auba and Lacazette were blowing out of their proverbial arses and Villa were coming into things 20 minutes out . That’s when Martinelli and Odegaard should have come on and kept the pressure on Villa .
We were lucky against Palace and they have a new coach also the didn’t have Zaha in who always scores against us. and even against Villa the last 10 minutes we let then score and the nearly scored 2 more at the moment we are still mid table with -3 goals I would not say that is improving.
Have to agree re the managing of our squad Potter. It’s not so much now they’ll hurt but certainly in the second half of the season.
Geoff, we improved upon the last game but one and a half good games doesn’t make a season. If the team sustain Fridays kind of football over the next few months then that will tell a very different story.
New post up now