Reflecting on a standard European victory.

Morning all.

I left these words in the comments section of yesterday’s post but here they are again. They describe the late Ken Friar’s vision through the clubs eyes.

Ken Friar probably wouldn’t want people to dwell on his life’s achievements, as he very much embodied Arsenal’s ‘Always Forward’ motto. His maxim of ‘tomorrow’s match is always the most important’ wouldn’t allow for too much contemplation of the past when there was an important future to deal with.

What a positive outlook. Why concentrate on the past when either today or the next presents an opportunity to do something better? I have quite a strong view on this outlook myself but I’d be here all day writing about it and I doubt anyone would be interested in any case but I do think too much focus is given to rewriting the wrongs of yesteryear.

Ken Friar was one of many Mr Arsenal’s the club has had over the years and fans have a lot to grateful for. The news of his passing yesterday was sad to hear but my goodness, he probably had a wonderful life. Watching ‘his club’ lift one more Premier League trophy last May must have been fantastic for him as it was for us.

Rest Peacefully Ken Friar…

On to Kev’s review of last nights match.

Mikel Arteta made five changes from the team which had accounted for Leeds United last Saturday. We got what many fans had been asking for, to protect Bakayo, Kai, Capt Martin and Calafiori etc but it obviously came with a certain degree of risk and possible disruption. Noni Madueke had switched back to the right wing, behind him Timber was at right back, Eze was on the left wing, Myles at left back, the underused Mikel Merino started alongside new boy Bruno for the first time. Viktor led the line up front, sometimes it can look seamless but on other occasions things don’t quite sync…

There seemed to me a certain lack of urgency and sharpness about Arsenal’s play, I put it down to figuring out the opposition initially but as the passes went astray and the crosses were overhit you could sense a frustration both on the field and in the stands whilst Arteta was clearly unhappy with what he was seeing. The players knew things weren’t quite working, you could see it in their expressions and body language, all the same and with the exception of two efforts on our goal by Lille the Frenchmen were pinned in their own half and often pinned into their own penalty area as their 4 5 1 sometimes became a 4 6 0.

With 15 minutes gone we were still waiting for the game to liven up but it was very much your average uneventful dull European fayre, although these games can be dangerous because you think it’s only a matter of time before you score and then a mistake at the back sees you chasing the game. Fortunately this Arsenal team doesn’t panic, it has learnt from the previous couple of seasons that you need to be switched on even more so when things aren’t clicking.

Eventually Timber got going and between minutes 20 and 22 he set up two great chances, but Bruno fired wide and then Senor Reliable Merino headed a great chance limply to the goalkeeper. Lille did actually score but fortunately it was offside, so yes it’s really as easy as all that – and then you’re in a world of you know what! On 38 Myles did great to create a chance but it was missed by Eze then on 46 a smart Bruno drive was pushed away with Gyokeres lurking. H/T 0-0

No changes at the break but there was a slight improvement in intensity and movement from the Gunners although Lille had superbly parked their autobus and the Gunners just couldn’t get around it but on 59 I thought we had a strong claim for a penalty when Bruno was clattered in the box, unfortunately the VAR computer said no.

Arteta decided to act and as with Leeds it had the desired effect because as the subs were preparing to enter the fray Noni found Timber who smartly knocked the ball into space and as he caught up with it he chipped a delightful wedge shot over the Lille goalkeeper and we all went phew…

A minute later on came the cavalry with Saka, Havertz and Odegaard replacing Madueke, Gyokeres and Merino and then everything just fell into place, the speed of pass, the movement, the connection, the Gunners had finally woken from their slumber.

Six minutes after the substitutions the game was over, on 67 Timber and Odegaard combined to win possession and then Martin put Bakayo away on the right wing, the much maligned Saka laid on a peach of a pass on the plate for Ebbs Eze who thumped home an unstoppable drive.

On 70 Eze almost scored again but the goalkeeper made a smart one handed save, then a minute afterwards and following more intense pressing from the Gunners, Havertz found some space despite a possible offside call and set up Bakayo who calmly fired home. Job done…

Still time for Konsa to make a great tackle and stop a breakaway before Ben White replaced Timber on 78 and finally Max made his entrance for Eze on 85. The last 20 minutes or so after that three goal burst was just good old game management.

It would be easy to make a big deal out of this game. To overly criticise the performance of the Gunners but Inter Milan lost at home 3-4 to Club Brugge and Norwegian minnows Viking held mighty Bayern to a 3-3 draw in Stavenger so maybe a bit of reflection should be on the agenda about where we are, what we are and where that might take us in May or June next year?

Bayern are in the frame, that’s a game I’m really looking forward to because we’ve suffered an awful lot of pain in Munich. Harry Kane and Co will be favourites, they’ll be looking to avenge the beating they took at our place last season, but maybe it’s time we righted a few wrongs..

We March On.

By Kev