Let’s start with a quote from Mikel.

‘It wasn’t like we had to play them {young players}, because we had enough senior players. We played them because they fully deserved it.’

The most beautiful words I’ve heard all season.

The most beautiful Arsenal.com words of 2020?

INJECT IT RIGHT INTO MY EYES I WON’T EVEN BLINK!

My major concern after the Chelsea game was that Mikel had been pushed into dropping the toxic exChelsea duo by an unlucky covid exposure. That we’d see them return as soon as they were available. Well, it appears they were dropped because they are toxic. There might be something in the stories about the two of them bitching to Edu. It might be the shitty behaviour behind the scenes. It might be Willian’s shit performances in nearly every game. It might be David Luiz trying to shame Mo Elneny on the pitch. Whatever it was, I’m fucking glad it happened.

Phase two of the season starts today. Mikel is placing value in people that want to do the work. His embargoed press conference didn’t just land on ‘the kids done good’, it went to ‘they showed you a glimpse of what I’m trying to do here.’ He spoke of energy, movement, forward momentum, risk. All the things we haven’t been seeing from the senior players.

Now, it’ll mean very little if we play Brighton and lose like we did last time. My hope is that the temptation of complacency is overpowered by a desire to impress. We won’t destroy Potter’s team, they’re too well-coached, but I fully expect all 11 players to be present and to put on a show. This needs to be the 95 minutes that shows the Premier League the Chelsea game wasn’t a fluke.

We have some things going for us. They haven’t won in 5 games. Their last 3 games have been draws, though they have deserved more if I’m honest. We’ve also been lucky enough to have an extra day’s rest, huge at this level.

I don’t know how Arteta is going to think about squad rotation. Right now, it’s probably best to stick with what worked. Saka, Martinelli, ESR were absolutely key to our attacking game. Brighton like possession, just like Chelsea. I know Martinelli has played a lot of games, but damn, it’d be a big call to rest him. Lacazette was very good against Chelsea, he links play well when he has the space to do so, but you wonder if bringing Auba into the mixer would be a good move. Surrounded by 3 energy merchants is exactly what his game has lacked. What I don’t want to see is Nic Pepe on the field again. He’s not it. He offers very little. Our game dips with him in the 11. He’s had enough chances.

Midfield might see some fresh legs. Granit Xhaka will probably land minutes, deserved based on what he did on the last game, and also worth remembering he’s fresher because of his suspension. Mo Elneny had a pretty horrible game against Chelsea (lots of minutes), I’m hoping his place goes to AMN, who offers far more to the attack that Ceballos ever seems to.

The defence has to stay the same. Gabriel is out with covid. Mustafi shouldn’t be anywhere near the first team. Cal Chambers hasn’t had enough games. I worry a little bit about Kieran Tierney. He’s so imperative to our game, and Kola just isn’t a footballer, so he’ll likely play… but at some point, we’re going to have to get real about an RPL for him so we can keep Kieran going.

Tactically, we need to keep things straight-forward again. It was interesting to read Arteta say this after the Chelsea game.

‘We need to make life as clear, as simple, as efficient as possible for the players’

He’s owning the reality about the players he has. His vision of the game is too complex for the now. There’s too much to think about. The controlling nature of his ideas paralysed the players and the output was consistently robotic and uninspired. Giving energy to the frontline gave the midfielders permission to release the ball fast and early. Loosening the positional rules on the forwards gave them permission to improvise and create little pockets of art. Let’s do that again. If we can replicate that against Brighton, we’ll score more open play goals. Arteta’s big learning is that too many rules for creatives kills the joy. Freedom to express was Wenger’s strength and his downfall. Arteta needed to find a middle ground. Structure should be a platform to create in safety, not a bunker to launch occasional sneak attacks from. Planning creativity in a game of chaos is like scripting sex. You don’t do it, unless you’re in the industry, or a freak (which I know many of you are).

What I found very interesting about his prezzer is how chastened he sounded after a pretty exciting win. I suspect he put a lot of energy into crafting that win. He sounded broken, like he’d lost the game 3-0. Clearly, he’s been to some dark places over the past month. Questioned his worth. Doubted his abilities. Probably read a few mean tweets and wondered if he’d ever escape the moment. Well, that’s a good thing. Everyone goes to hell in their job, especially in the early years, the best don’t cave to the bad moments, or blame those around them. They learn their lessons, they make the changes, and they power forward.

Mikel loves this job, he gushes over how much he enjoys being the manager. He loves the club. But he’s made some very, very bad decisions in a structure that lacks proper checks and balances. Today is a chance to move forward, to show that the 2.0 version of our season is going to be better, to prove to the fans he’s the right man to take us forward.

Let’s see what the boys have for us. Hopefully, it’s something special so we can put 2020 behind us. Over to you, Mikel.

P.S. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST RIGHT NOW. Another one coming after the game.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play