I don’t normally watch other teams’ games live and certainly not our nearest rivals’ matches but yesterday at midday I put it on the TV in the hope that I would possibly see the Eastlands Mob drop a couple of points yet again. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that the Oilers would be so comprehensively outplayed and to such a degree that losing the game 2-0 actually seemed like a good result.
With that in mind my thoughts switched to the City Ground, Nottingham where on their day Forest can give anyone a tough examination, especially if the referee is lax, so I knew the Gunners would need to be on their mettle especially after such a tiring few days in order to take advantage of United’s win.
Arteta had Mosquera returning to the squad which was great but his defensive options otherwise were pretty much none. Norgaard dropped out of the squad for Mosquera and the other main changes to the midweek cup-tie at Stamford Bridge was Madueke and Martinelli in for Trossard and Saka who both got a sit-down and of course Raya for Kepa. No Nwaneri again which will annoy his fans but I suspect we’ll see him in the group in Milano next week?
With West Ham winning at Tottenham the Forest fans were aware of how important this game was and they created a big atmosphere that motivated their players who on top had a full week to rest and prepare. By contrast the Arsenal players were coming off of the back of a tough midweek semi-final vs Chelsea and probably needed to play sensibly to save a little in the tank and so the game settled into a pattern. Arsenal dominating possession but Forest breaking out of their low low block to suddenly have periods of pressure, not that Raya had many moments of concern.
Mat Sels in the Forest goal was far busier and was named man of the match, sorry player of the match. The opening 17 minutes saw Arsenal probing for Forest weaknesses and Forest shutting the door. Michael Oliver our old mate, turned a blind eye to some quite rough house Forest challenges which saw Odegaard fairly anonymous early doors. Zubimendi was also being closely policed by Anderson and on 24 disaster almost struck when the ball found its way to Hudson Odoi who looked through on goal, fortunately Raya was on guard and he executed a perfect sliding tackle to clear the danger, how lucky we are to have him in our goal.
On 28 a great cross into the box was just missed by Gyokeres and Rice and a minute later Madueke had a shot from the edge of the box, a Forest defender got a slight touch and it ran to Martinelli at the far post but he somehow put his shot wide. It would prove to be a precursor for our finishing throughout this match. Two minutes later Zubimendi sprinted into the box and calmly sent his low shot wide as well. By then we should have been cruising.
Forest came back and built up a head of steam and on 38 Hudson Odoi skipped past Timber and was brought down just shy of the penalty area. Anderson took the free kick but Raya saved it comfortably and it was back to Arsenal domination. On 41 a pass almost put Gyokeres away on goal but Murillo stopped him as he threatened to burst clear and that was that for chances. Half-time 0-0
Gabriel Martinelli is the cup goals king for us but doesn’t take that form into the Premier League which may have played into Arteta’s decision to replace him at half-time, he’ll probably score in the San Siro on Tuesday. As it was Leo didn’t have a huge impact either as Forest’s tireless closing down stymied any Arsenal attempts to create. Arteta didn’t hang about and 12 minutes after the re-start he took off the disappointing Madueke for Saka, the tired looking Odegaard for Merino and Gyokeres for Jesus.
On 59 Saka showed his class by getting past his full back and crossing invitingly into the box, Rice met it but his shot wasn’t clean and Sels saved. On 64 Trossard put over a great cross but Merino, of all people, missed his header. A minute later Rice surged down the left and his pinpoint cross was met by Saka who looked to have found the top corner of the goal with his header until that blasted Sels tipped it around the post. Great save damn him. On 70 minutes Saka again put over a tantalising cross but you-know-who saved Merino’s header. Two minutes later a Rice free kick floated into the box but Merino unluckily headed wide. On another day he would have had a couple or three goals, maybe he’s saving them for the San Siro?
Then on 75 minutes came the incident that had me scratching my head in disbelief but not surprise, the co-commentator called it as a penalty and they’re not often wrong when expressing an opinion beforehand but VAR inexplicably waved away Arsenal’s penalty appeals when a Forest defender clearly controlled the ball with his arm. Arteta mentioned it in his post match so he was obviously fuming. But for me that decision was exactly in line with all the other poor, average and lackadaisical officiating we saw during the game. Maybe the PGMOL wants to ensure that the title race goes the full distance, only for the good of the product and TV viewers of course?!
Eze replaced Zubimendi on 79 and almost got on the end of a through ball immediately but it came to nothing and even with 5 minutes added time Arsenal couldn’t make the breakthrough, but at least we didn’t pick up any injuries and when you have a chump like Oliver as referee, that’s always a worry. All in all it was a great day so we shouldn’t be too disappointed, I just hope we don’t get Oliver anymore this season.
We march on….
By Kev
Apparently, as Declan Rice he went to applaud the travelling fans in the away end, he could be heard/sern saying: “F—–g s–t. Every f—–g time!”
Morning Kev, all.
Must have been tough writing that Kev, thank you.
Something is wrong with our attacking unit. Odegaard, Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli and subs were off. Really disappointing performance.
What a great chance to go 9 points clear!! Sorry Arteta got this one wrong with his starting line up. Why the hell didn’t he start Saka, Trossard, Eze?! If he had I believe it would have been a different result. Ok they gained a point!
We all have our eyes on MC but let’s not forget AV! For me they are the more dangerous out of the 2. Hopefully they will snatch a draw today.
We want to see rotation and then when Arteta does rotate, he gets criticised.
Players need to take a bit of responsibility imo.
And am sorry but Gyokeres should have scored! It’s getting embarrassing and laughable where he is concerned. The fans for the last two seasons were screaming for a Striker. Arsenal went all out and through hell and high waters to get him and he hasn’t lived up to anyone’s expectations! He needs to buck up asap or Arsenal seriously need to re-think in the Summer of getting in another Striker! Sporting Lisbon must be laughing all the way to the bank!
Rice is right! “Every f—-ing time” when we get to this stage! Get it right Arteta and some of the players or we will see the title slip away from us rapidly!!!
Rotation I agree with but do it wisely and with a lot of thought. This was the game we needed to go out and put it to bed early and then rotate.
Morning Gooners, it’s quite mild out thankfully.
Morning Rico, yeah it was difficult, we huffed and we puffed but we needed a break and that was the penalty.
As for the selection, wasn’t Trossard carrying a knock before the Chelsea game and Saliba? Maybe Leo wasn’t 100% and Arteta mentioned in his post- match that Saka was also carrying a knock. People can complain about selection, I saw Gunnerblog moaning about it yesterday, but let’s be clear, the players Mikel selected imo should have been good enough to do the job…
I saw some absolutely crazy comments on Arseblog News yesterday by posters who are usually quite reflective in a sensible way but went right OTT. Yeah I was disappointed that we didn’t extend our lead to 9 points but have some balance ffs.
What, after a midweek game against Chelsea? We were playing Forest, not City.
The opportunity imo Kev fell to Martinelli, his left foot isn’t that reliable though. The penalty shout was an odd one. I thought it was a pen but other than Arsenal fans, few do.
Good morning Kev, that was a hard result to swallow. too many wasted chances, tired legs and the denial of a nailed on penalty.
I wonder how Gyokeres feels when he’s subbed in favour of the ghost of Jesus past. A player who just does not fit the Arsenal profile any more. Poor to bad pressing of the ‘keeper, lacking pace and conviction. In my opinion not a player to come on in the last fifteen when we are in desperate need of a goal.
Odegaard is knackered and desperately needs a week off. He shouldn’t even travel to Italy on Tuesday. I’d like to see Havertz in his place, or perhaps Nwaneri with Havertz alongside Gyokeres up front. Something different, something a little less predictable.
Yes Rico, Martinelli miskicked with his heel, I thought he did the right thing aiming for the far post but his execution was wrong.
Merino is usually so efficient with his finishing but he couldn’t do it yesterday, even the guys who came on who should have been rested didn’t improve things, what did Jesus do, or Madueke or Eze?
No wonder Rice was moaning to himself, but I wouldn’t read too much into that, he’s a winner and he was p’ssed off.
Morning Cicero, probably the same as I felt. Disappointed. Jesus is just so weak.
I’m glad to see Rice disappointed Kev, he should be. They all should be..
Morning Cicero, yeah, when we needed a goal I don’t think that Jesus was the answer, tbh Harriman Annous could have done what he did.
There were a lot of heavy challenges going down and that’s why I don’t think that Arteta risked Havertz, we didn’t need the two Forest monsters at the back putting Kai back on the treatment table, he’ll be fine for Milan.
With half the season gone I fail to see why we bought Eze and Madueke, they have not been the revelation we expected to see based on the pre-purchase hype surrounding them.
Yeah, I get that Cicero, over £100m as well, but maybe the Champions League is where they’ll shine and they allow Arteta to rest Odegaard and Saka, although Merino came on for Odegaard and other than his finishing I thought he had a decent game.
A compact defence always causes us problems..
Odegaard needs a week in Dubai, warm weather training… 😜
Re Eze, I get the frustration but imo, he’s not played enough, he doesn’t look as sharp as he did when he was playing regularly. Madueke just causes confusion, for himself as much as anyone else.
Yes Rico, Eze has paid a big price for not tracking that Villa player who gave them the lead a few weeks ago, he needs a few more minutes for sure – and he can score goals.
Exactly Kev but other players who make errors aren’t ostracised as much..
Afternoon Rico and all.
I personally think the reason why so many fans get angry at Arteta is because he very seldom comes out and blames the players for a poor performance, as much as he would like to keep his anger behind closed doors, once every now and then does not hurt to see him show the players and fans his frustration during and after a match,
Hi Geoff, personally, I would hate him to start blaming players.
Public criticism of his players is completely unacceptable in my opinion. There is no worse way to destroy the confidence and togetherness of the team. What he says to the players, behind closed doors, should remain those same closed doors.
Manager/coaches who publicly denigrate their players rapidly “lose the dressing room” and that leads inevitably to the departure of both players and manager/coaches. As an example Amorin and Rashford. Not an example to follow.
Agreed Cicero. I was going to add that it’s the beginning of the end for a manager..
No much to say after my post match rants . In retrospect I can’t change my mind . We badly need a spark in midfield and it would appear from the behind the scenes leaks that some of the players think so too .
When Rice arrived he said that working for Arteta was refreshing , he said that Arteta was driven to success but now perhaps he is thinking that the obsession is intransigent .
I like Martin Odegaard but he is not Dennis Bergkamp or Liam Brady . He is meant to be able to see a pass but too often he is trying to thread a needle because our build up is so slow that defences get organised.
I lost count of how many times yesterday we won the ball about 25 yards from their goal and three passes later Raya hoofs it upfield and the ball is lost again. Why do we not have the player in the middle that’s first thought is to go forward and attack ? , Why do we set up to not get beaten as our first thought ? . Where is the man that drives us forward in the last third ? No wonder Rice apparently told out master tactician that he hasn’t got a clue.
Great comment Potter.
Some of the assessments about Arteta coming from Arsenal fans across the internet is totally crazy. Throughout the season I have criticized Arteta several times, but yesterday was on the players. Ironically, yesterday, both starters and subs were all prominent players for their National teams. Those collection of players have no excuse for not beating a potential relegation team.
I certainly don’t think it’s Arteta’s plan to keep passing the ball backwards etc.
Sadly I think it is . I saw someone this morning say that his tactics are risk aversion . He would rather keep the ball than take a risk on all out attack .
Had he taken the risk on Martinelli and played him in the middle , he would not have got caught after 10 yards yesterday and with a whole 8 yards to aim at as opposed to trying to squeeze it into 6 inches we might just have had the forward that would have saved us the Gyokeres deal .
Great managers shake up their coaching staff , maybe it’s time to look at whoever coaches iur forwards .
Watching the Women’s F A Cup game is like watching the Arsenal game yesterday. Lots of possession, lots of decent chances but poor end product..
Some poor decisions by the referee who must be Michael Oliver in drag.
That’s better, 2 – 0.
Please try and explain to me Rico, why you think Legohead is a better manager than Michael Carrick. At least Carrick was brave enough to give it a go in the Championship at Middlesbrough, where he reached the playoffs twice in spite of having his best players sold constantly, and without the luxury of spending £millions.
I think Potter said yesterday, if United play like they did yesterday against City, they will beat us.
So, with respect, apart from the massive gulf in money spent, how is Arteta tactically better than Carrick?
Good afternoon Rico and all.
A realistic match report Kev. Exactly as it happened and exactly as I viewed the match from my own lense.
Geoff, whenever someone says that Arteta never blames any player I would always ask that person….Would you criticize your own son in front of everyone?? Would you criticize your own partner in front of others?? My answer would be a NO. I would back them all the way. I wouldn’t even consider staying silent as that is admission of what they did. Then when I am alone with them all hell would break lose but it would remain between us. Outside I would defend them. And when once someone criticized his wife for the bad choice he made I just shut him up telling him that he was once her choice as well. So no wonder she makes bad choices.
I was disappointed yesterday. Not with the result itself, but because of the fact that it took us over 60 mins to get a shot on target. That was highly frustrating. If you want to win the lottery you need to buy a ticket at least. Otherwise don’t complain. So why wait an hour to get a first shot? NUFC are over 83 mins into a game…..still awaiting their first shot against Wolves. So its not just us. but its still disappointing that with our players’ level we had to wait over 60 mins for our first shot.
tbh I am not scared that much of MC. I am more scared that the FA/PGMOL are trying to make AV the champions like they did with Leicester. So am more scared of them then MC.
But then again…..how many of us would have answered the following question negatively?? If at the beginning of the season we were told that after 22 games played we would be first with a 7 point lead, 1st place in CL, in SF of CC and still in the mix for FAC, how many of us would have taken that??? My answer would be YES. I would have taken that.
There are still people who would criticize Arteta even if we won the EPL and the CL etc…..yesterday I read on the internet a moron who practically said that even if we won all 4 cups, the reason is simply because all the other teams were crap.
I mean, why is Arteta playing double -pivot DM’s in Rice and Zubimendi against a side in a relegation fight?
Where’s the fluidity after such a massive spend?
Why were we constantly pumping crosses into their box in the second half when there’s no-one to cross to?
Was that our tactical genial manager finding more ways to get it wrong?
Two promoted sides were braver against Liverpool than Arteta. Burnley took a point from their two games (and managed to score), Leeds held them to two draws and scored three in the first game.
But yeah, Arteta is better than Carrick 😂
Didn’t Middlesbrough sack Carrick? He can’t be that good.
Cicero, even Thomas Frank is considered a better coach than Arteta. A few days ago he was seen holding a cup in his hands, something which Arteta hasn’t tasted for 6 years now since 2020.
Cicero, come on mate, at least add some context.
Middlesbrough have been in the Championship since Southgate took them down in 2005.
They sacked Carrick for finishing 10th, after again selling his best players.
How do you think ultra–cautious Arteta would have coped with no money to spend?
That’s right Cicero, he wouldn’t have the bravery to test himself at that level.
I don’t know how much more women’s football I can watch. It’s not the football, its not even the commentators, their sidekicks and the pundits, It’s the television coverage. They persist in showing close ups of players, coaches and every spectator and his/her dog WHILE THE BALL IS IN PLAY!
They show replays of incidents while the ball is in play at the other end of the pitch.
The quality of the football is, in general, pretty good and not as cynical as the men’s game although that is seeping in to an extent.
Everton hit the post in the first minute . We really need Everton to put in a performance.
S.A.H . Double pivot ? as I said earlier the phrase risk averse sums him up . Like many others it is frustrating .Sometimes you have to drop your shoulder and go round someone.
Rocky, Merse , Hudson , Charlie George wouldn’t stand for it neither would Freddie or Bobby Pires who could just as easily go through the middle as wide. Maybe we should put another youngster out wide and play Saka in the Odegaard position.
I don’t want to write us off just yet but we sure make things difficult for ourselves
I have just looked up all of the Assistant coaches at Arsenal , Miguel Molina analyses players mental strength. Albert Stuivenberg our general tactician , Gabriel Heinze defence, Inaki Cana goalkeeping , Nicolas Jover set pieces .and then who is coaching our forwards …….Kelly Smith ….No offence Rico but really !
Potter, for Kelly Smith to coach forwards she must have UEFA A licence because the FA/UEFA do not allow assistant coaches at elite level to have less than A UEFA. So while I understand that you might have a different opinion regarding KS coaching the forwards I ask you to keep in mind that Maradona was (and imo is still….even better than Messi) the world’s best player. His coaching credentials are another story, so I prefer to remember him as a player who I loved to watch.
Isn’t it incredible, Potter, how slick and shiny the product looks on the surface, selling excitement on false premises with as you say ‘risk averse’ football, no X-factor, no creativity and still no clinical striker after spending amounts that no other manager in the history of football has ever had.
Whoever the manager is, Arsenal should be challenging for the biggest prizes.
A set-pieces coach, a throw-in coach and a defensive coach (why didn’t he recruit Martin Keown?), says everything about our negative identity, and the attritional horse-shoe football we force on the fan-base.
If it is Arteta’s tactics then nothing will will change potter
Alan, if Carrick was that good, surely his career wouldn’t have stopped when it did. Let’s see where Utd are in a couple of months time.
I don’t like our style of football, at least we agree on that.. lol
Afternoon Devil..
None taken Potter but I think if she did, we might improve as it seems no one else is doing it. Why not get Freddie back, or Bergkamp who wouldn’t need to travel far and wide.
Looks like Zinchenko is off to Ajax and thank you Everton.
Villa 0 Everton 1
7 points clear. enough said.
So she has done her badges but that doesn’t mean that her WSL experience makes her able to coach in the Premier and behind her back are the players listening.
Thank you Everton indeed…
Just goes to prove that no result is guaranteed.
You can’t help[ wondering if anyone really wants to win it.
Potter, you are right on many counts, however it can be a man coaching and there is no guarantee that players will be listening either.
I don’t think Arteta would make a bad choice with regards that. He would enough time to see if she’s up for it or not. If she was bad he wouldn’t keep her.
It’s incredible but some of the fan base are literally down the gutters that Villa lost. They wanted them to win just to prove a point. Cutting their noses to spite their face 😂😂😂
I watched with everything crossed after Everton scored . In all honesty both teams looked rubbish maybe the pressure of going second got to them .
We certainly don’t like like a team which wants to win the PL..
The bottom 5 in the Premier League conceded just 2 goals between them this weekend, none of them lost. They played against: Arsenal,Liverpool,Spurs, Newcastle, Fulham
100s of millions of ££ worth of attacking talent, struggling to score against the “worst” in the league
The level of defensive structures and ability to nullify attacks throughout the premier league is as high as it’s ever been. It is making the league harder to watch
But what do you do?
Hit the target Devil, we had enough chances to win yesterday imo.
Plus, and without sounding harsh, we shouldn’t use other clubs failings as an excuse for our own.
I am not using other team’s failures Rico.
I am merely pointing out that other team’s play as well. Teams who have enough knowledge and are equipped well enough tactically to restrict any one.
As I said earlier….we did not have a single shot on target for the first 60 minutes and then had only 4 afterwards.
The league is a marathon in which we need to be patient
We are 7 points at the top.
(1) There is a big difference between players and family,
(2) The players are paid big money to perform and do their job, and if a player can’t take being told off by a manager, that’s the players problem, they are not babies they are adults
(3) so, you can’t shame a player by telling him off in public, yet it’s fine for the player to yell and abuse the ref during a match in front of fans – media and their families
Maybe “justify” was a better word for me to use Devil.
Patience is my middle name. 😜
Our players don’t abuse the ref though Geoff and any harsh words for those players should always be kept behind closed doors.
Thanks Dev, enjoyed your comments…
Tbh Cicero I’d rather watch a dog in the crowd than watch, er, I’ll leave it there. 😀
Morning everyone
Just a slight point of perspective from another angle
Last season after 22 games Liverpool had 51 points while Arsenal had 44 points. 7 points difference and a goal difference of 30 to Liverpool and 22 to Arsenal.
This season after 22 games Arsenal have 50 points while City have 43. 7 points difference and a goal difference of 26 to Arsenal and 24 to City.
Despite our problems we have improved on last season, we are first, have a 7 point cushion and a better goal difference.
Maradona / Messi ? personally as a player and a person I prefer Cruyff , his influence over the great Dutch teams of the 70’s bringing players like Van Basten , Bergkamp through and then laying the foundation at Barcelona for both of your players to thrive . We should not forget the other great players like Xavi , Iniesta and to some degree Fabregas that have shaped the style of football that we are seeing from Wenger , Guardiola and again Arteta .
Maradona and Messi were great players as was Cruyff but Cruyff’s legacy is far greater.
Going back to Kelly Smith ,I have been in many dressing rooms and I know that it is quite possible that the players switch off when she talks because although the management are supportive , if the players don’t believe in her C.V , she is lost.
A treat for us all tomorrow evening, the Inter Milan match is live on Amazon Video which should mean no Gary Neville garbage. Mind you, we may be lumbered with Wayne Rooney instead. I’m not sure which is worst. 😉
I think Cicero that you’re being very very harsh on poor Mr Rooney, I’ve always found him myself to be very erudite and clear in his explanations of whatever he’s talking about. Just because I haven’t a clue of what he is actually talking about is not his fault and shouldn’t be held against him…
However the same source that gave me the Kelly Smith information now says that it’s Gabriel Heinze.
Just as mysterious.
Here’s some stats from Arseblog for you to digest, and ponder whether it’s Arteta’s horseshoe of sadness, or Kelly Smith just isn’t fit for purpose -:
Viktor Gyokeres – 1 goal (penalty), 0 assists in his last 10 games.
Gabriel Jesus – 1 goal, 0 assists in his last 8 PL games.
Noni Madueke – 0 goals, 0 assists in his last 24 games.
Gabriel Martinelli – 1 goal, 0 assists in his last 19 PL games.
Captain Martin Odegaard – 1 goal, 3 assists in his last 16 PL games.
Bukayo Saka – 0 goals, 2 assists in his last 8 PL games.
Leandro Trossard – 1 goal, 1 assist in his last 7 PL games.
Lies, damn lies and statistics.
Both Havertz and Mosquero are in the squad for Tuesday’s game. From Arteta’s pre-game presser.
The team with the most goal attempts this season is Manchester United and they’ve been a shambles.
Next best is Liverpool and they’re all over the place, I’ve even heard Scousers on phone-ins saying that Slot should go. That’s how fragile some fans are these days.
3rd are Arsenal and 4th are City.
With the greatest of respect, Kev, a goal attempt can hit the corner flag, go 10 yards wide, or sail high over the bar.
The further information you provide suggests our conversion rate is quite poor and that as an attacking force, Arsenal can be quite impotent.
As I said the other week, how can a small club like Brentford find a striker like Igor Thiago (16 PL goals so far this season), and Arsenal pay well over the odds for Championship quality Viktor Gyokeres?
Some of the club’s recruitment makes absolutely no sense.
Morning all.
New post up.