I thought I’d take the later post today, see how things pan out, then get into the mixer on the Leicester game.
So overall, we teed up another, THIS IS THE DEFINING moment for the club. The reason Leicester was so important was quite simple, they are a really good side and they will be in the mix for top 4 at the end of the season. We were also dealing with an away game, an area of inconsistency for sure.
Well, we certainly picked up where we left off against Aston Villa. We started with outrageous ferocity, we nearly scored after 2 minutes with Saka weaving his way into the box. For the next 27 minutes or so, we ripped Leicester apart. They had no answer to our pressing, they couldn’t deal with Lacazette, their midfield argued with each other about being overrun, and we actually made the pressure count… twice.
Our first goal came from another corner. Saka on his 100th appearance swung a ball in at the front post, Gabriel bullied his way there and glanced a beauty of a header past Kasper. A great start and another example of the good work Nic Jover is doing with the set-plays this season. He seems to be channelling a bit of that 90s George Graham energy at our corners. He’s also taking advantage of the fact most of our corners for 10 years haven’t made it past the front post… now that’s an asset.
You have to note that this happened on minute 5. We are early starters now, something we were not last season. This is how Klopp transformed Liverpool in the early days. He also had fitness challenges. Unai Emery let his side tire themselves out in the Europa Final, then pulled them apart after 60 minutes. Plenty to work on, but I love that we come out the traps.
Saka was in the mixer for the second goal, his run into the box found Lacazette, who was tackled, but the spillover ball fell to ESR who stroked his shot past Kasper. Our young superstar #10 has 2 goals and 3 assists in 10 Premier League appearances. Kind of special as Mesut Ozil is out of the Fenerbache squad for an away game they lost with no injury. Has anyone tweeted him to Trust the Process?
The opening 27 minutes was beastly. It was an absolute scene to look at. The only thing missing was another two goals. When this project is further down the line, we’re doing what City did to Brighton last week. You give them no way back, so when the energy levels drop, you’ve already broken the opposition.
The next phase of the game was equally impressive. Johnny said on the podcast that this game was important because you knew we’d been in a fight. I agree. Matt also said during the match that this moment was about character. Did we have the right mentality to deal with the waves of Leicester attacks?
We did. It wasn’t always pretty, but there was a standout defensive performance from the team as a unit, and there were some outrageous individual performances as well.
Aaron Ramsdale really was the star of the show. He is, without doubt, playing to world-class levels in this moment. You can’t argue it. There isn’t a weakness in his game right now. He has found a spectacular level in a short space of time and he’s answering all the questions we had about him emphatically. The big moment was the freekick. Facing into the sun, he somehow managed to scoop out an inch-perfect kick and put it on the bar. Peter Schmeichel said it was one of the best saves he’d seen with his own son on the pitch. There was more to his game than that, his passing was exceptional at times, his command of the box was dominant. He’s even revving up rival fans by finishing their chants for them. It also didn’t go unnoticed that he told Ben White to get the physio out to waste time. You LOVE to see it.
If there were one slight piece of feedback, it would be that his choice of kicking when we’re tired put us under more pressure. Arsenal still has work to do on controlling the game when we don’t have the ball. At the moment, he goes into long ball mode and we don’t really have an outlet to deal with that. This might be part of the strategy, but I don’t think so, because it invites waves of attacks and gives the opposition and their fans the upper hand.
Gabriel was absolutely elite again. He is the rock in the heart of that defence. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a genuinely imposing centre back. Gabriel is raw athlete. He towers over strikers. He’s strong, he’s fast, and his danger awareness has kicked up a level. You want his name on that team sheet, he offers so much assurance from set plays and now… from our very own attacking set plays.
I thought Ben White did a really good job dealing with Jamie Vardy. He used his speed to great effect and snuffed out a lot of early danger. Our full-backs also put in a very good shift. Tomi’s adaptation at 21 has been something special, especially when you watch Emerson Royal over at Spurs dropping 5/10s. Tavares has also been a revelation. His directness going forward has always been a known quantity, but not so much his defending, which has been really, really solid. Arteta went out of his way to credit Edu with that signing, a show that things are good behind the scenes now everything is working.
Back to the game. We had a rough middle part, but the subs that came on changed our style a bit. Odegaard created two chances. Auba was bundled over and Evans should have been sent off. Towards the end of the game, you felt Leicester were spent. We went home with the 3 points and moved up to 5th in the table.
So where are we in the season now?
We’re one of the form sides in Europe now. Spanish papers are writing about the turnaround. Pep was paying attention last week when he said Arsenal are improving one game at a time.
The early season problems can now be seen with mitigating circumstances in mind. Playing Brentford with a covid outbreak is always going to be rough, they put 3 past Liverpool with no injuries. Playing City with a (now) entirely back-up defence was always going to be hard, especially down to 10 men. Chelsea was the same. We’ve even seen this weekend that Palace and Brighton are decent after they took points from Liverpool and City.
It’s time to move away from #ArtetaOut after every result. Everything fans wanted to be addressed has nearly been addressed.
His talent ID along with Edu now looks elite. You can’t knock the signings. They’ve all banged. Outside Runarsson and Willian last summer, hard to not look at Gabriel and Partey as bangers as well.
The football, with ‘his’ players, can hit a level we’ve not seen in a very long time. Spurs, Villa, and Spurs all shone a light on where we’re going as a team over the next two years. No more donut football. There’s movement, speed, range and intensity.
We’re not just copying Manchester City. There’s something different brewing. We’re like a counter-attack specialist team. As a Gooner pal said, this side feels more George Graham than Arsene Wenger. The foundations have been built on an elite defensive system in which the whole team has to be participants… I think that’s quite exciting considering where we were under Emery at one point: Ranked 1st for errors leading to shots. 1st for errors leading to goals. 1st for penalties conceded. 4th for shots faced. 10th for goals conceded. We don’t have days where a Watford like side could pepper our goal with 32 shots. We are hard to play against.
The squad that he’s built and the football that they are producing has the fans on another level. People are bought into the project. Away fans are making loads of noise. Home fans are making loads of noise. Why? Because something special is brewing at Arsenal and we can feel it.
Say it quietly, but you can now say that maybe, just maybe… the table since Christmas a lot of people cried about might have been more predictive of where the squad was going than we gave it credit for. Why? Because we’re actually now sitting in 6th on that same points as the team in 4th (West Ham). We’re 3 points off Manchester City in 3rd and 5 off Liverpool in 2nd. I don’t have to splice a table to tell you that is impressive. I’m sure we won’t be there at the end of the season, but I suspect if we have a good December we’ll be closer to 4th than we thought we’d be after the first 3 games where people were saying we’d finish 8th this season.
There’s still a long, long way to go this season. There are going to be ups and down. The players are going to drop disaster performances along the way. We’ll win some we shouldn’t. We’ll lose some we should win. But it’s time to move away from catastrophising every result because we finally have clarity where the club is heading.
Let’s also laugh at Spurs. Let’s laugh at the Arsenal fans who thought Jose was a power move. Let’s laugh at the fact they hired their 4th choice manager. Let’s laugh that Kane and Nuno had a mega bust-up because he doesn’t want to be there. Let’s laugh that their fans BOOED Harry Kane. Lovely stuff.
Right, that’s me done. I know you want to watch our On The Whistle video where Johnny makes a confession that will SHOCK you to the core. Enjoy, like, and share the work. LOVE YOU ALL x
First
Second
Treis
Quatro
We getting that?
5
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Sete
TROP8Y
Nice to read about my new hero Rambosdale
Could have made top 4. Had to read the article first.
There is a consensus that Xakha is keeping Arsenal back. But he has convinced twice by Artera to stay and a salary bump up meaning he can’t be moved. Chalk that up to the credit of Arteta along with Wliams, Runnarson, trying to convince Mustafi to stay, and overpaying desperate amounts to get average White so as to keep Saliba out, no matter what bullshit is spun
The aggressive starts are probably the most encouraging sign right now. It says a lot about the attitude in the team. We’re not a bunch of scared chickens anymore. I still don’t like the tendency to fall back and stop playing when we have the lead. That’s not good defending, even if you get away with it. If Rambo hadn’t been world class, this game would have had a different outcome. But either way, extremely important result. Hopefully, we can find ways to maintain aggression and press for longer than 20-30 minutes per game. A young and fit team should… Read more »
Apologize for putting Trop8y in wrong count.
So sooooory
Leeds win 2-1 after conceding a soft goal. Those guys are so iffy suddenly
We do seem to be unable to keep up our intensity.
Strange, so it needs sorting out.
Arteta’s constant sideline coaching confuses the players, so maybe this unsettles them
It is a good feeling being 6. Hopefully we can crawl to 4. That would be really good and commensurate to what Arsenal is. Also will help us get the better players. AM, no more defenders please, Saliba is likely gone Mikel. Relax
Very happy gooner here. I’m a greedy bastard and want more but seriously, we’ll played Arteta these last few games.
I’m very happy with the result and performance.
Ramsdale’s save was one of the best but, otherwise, I felt we defended very well. We limited Leicester down the flanks and the centre was rock solid save for the free kicks.
A great team performance.
OK, time to put 3 or 4 past Watford and give some of the bench more time
Oh the joys to see Spuds sinking.
Levy should have offloaded Kane for the £130m that MC were offering.
Monumental mistake on his part.
Happy days Pedro. Happy days
Absolutely glorious to see Spuds all turning on their own.
All of their fans that have taunted me over the last few years,with nothing to show-apart from the much vaunted Audi trophy have gone silent.
Levy having a board meeting to discuss Nuno’s future-it should be his future under discussion.
while we steadily climb the table and discover a way of playing ,with all of the summer signings improving match on match.
If we are in the mix for 4th come December I will be convinced Mr Arteta is the man to take us forward.
Martinez very slow down on the goal.
He’s a good keeper but maybe one of those players that played better without the pressures of a crowd during the lockdown.
Willock another that flourished. This season 9 PL appearances 0 goals or assists 25m for him is looking good business.
Patrick Bamford another the Leeds crowd were on his back pre lockdown he got plenty of stick at times.
He looked superb without crowds and the pressure of everything that didn’t come off being moaned or groaned at.
Graham62. Totally agree. Not selling Kane was a massive mistake by an ego driven idiot. Reading Spurs got spanked and Arsenal winning makes the perfect weekend. For what it’s worth would like us to go for Sterling if he is available. His work rate adn goal tally would be a terrific foil for Auba. He will cost serious money but we need another striker. Good post Pedro and I agree the Arteta out noise of which I’ve been guilty needs to be put away for the time being.
Great post Pedro. My favourite moment of the match was when the Ram did the ‘shit’ completion of the fans chant with a fist and a huge smile on his face. Absolutely priceless.
Do agree he was over kicking some of the clearances which did lose possession but after watching Leno’s tame and predictable short rolls to defenders under pressure and opponents hanging around like vultures in expectation, I will take that . It allows him to play the short ball and keep them second guessing
Agree all the comments on Kane.
It’s little point keeping an unhappy player it rarely works out for example we had the likes of Fabregas sulking over a move and it showed.
You are better off moving them on reinvest especially for the 100m plus on the table for Kane. City were never going to pay 150m plus for a 28 year old that Levy wanted, now they have a very unhappy player that value has plummeted.
2nd West Ham goal Martinez again could do way better imo.
What’s rick wakeman doing on the touchline with the villa coaching staff ?
Martinez and Flappy no exactly covering themselves in glory today.
The Bard
100% no in regards Sterling.
Too much baggage and too much money.
I’d love to see someone like Ollie Watkins(AV) or Ivan Toney(Brentford).
SamesongAugust 31, 2021 16:15:04
Unpopular comment but I think Ramsdale will be a good goalie for us in the future. He’s got big cojones man!
Nice one Pedro. But Nuno, Spurs 4th choice, think you’re being a little generous to him there!
Utter joke that the villa and city players get sent off for an identical challenges to the evans one on Auba yet evans is only a yellow…
Buendia regretting not coming to Arsenal now.
‘’ and overpaying desperate amounts to get average White ‘’
Lol u joker
We’ll see how average he is.
I love it after a good away win and that was good as any we’ve had for a long time. So we’ve learned that our signings this summer has been spot on . The attack is slowly clicking into gear , our defense is solidifying . One weakness that may come to bite us in the ass is Midfield. You cannot deny that injury to Partey or Lokonga means we’re down to AMN and Xhaka/ Elneny. That is disaster waiting to happen .
Good save by Martinez off free kick.
But Aston Villa losing 1-2 against West Ham
I was delighted by the result yesterday. It’s no mean feat to go to the King Power and win. But like others tried to say yesterday, while the result was great, the performance left something to be desired. Leicester were all over us in the second half. They had all the momentum and their substitutions added threat to their side. Without Ramsdale I think we throw away the points on another day. We dialled it down when 3 up on Spuds, we relaxed too much when 3 up on Villa and we took the foot off the gas when 2… Read more »
Inside right.. I think game management comes from experience.. we’ve got one of the youngest teams in the league
I think game management comes from the manager. It’s down to Arteta to change things, give direction to the players and ensure we are not inviting pressure that could cost us a lead.
I think, because of his long tenure, we remember Wenger incorrectly. When he won leagues and trophies his game was intensively coach fitness, press high and get the ball to the attacking forwards like Henry as fast as possible. Very much a team who played on the break… it was only after we encountered Iniesta, Xavi and Messi and the tiki taka possession football that handed us our arse on a plate the first time in the Nou Camp that Wenger became all about trying to emulate that, and went all ‘Wengerball’, and at times like that Willshire goal it… Read more »
Aston Villa cooked 1-3 . Martinez shooting his mouth before Arsenal game is getting further just desserts. That fellow had become a worm
love to see someone like Ollie Watkins(AV) or Ivan Toney(Brentford)
Antonio perfect Laca replacement
Glad emi is getting battered
Ha ha ha Martinez
1-4 now. In exactly the same movement
Of course have to factor that Villa is down to 10 men. But West Ham over runing them
Asoa white is far from average you are obviously watching the wrong player and defo not the same player I am watching
Hammers got a few good players in their team. I must say.
TheBlaster,
You’re absolutely correct. Barca’s dominance was eventually broken by teams playing gegenpress, I.e. a more organised and intense way of pressing. It’s no coincidence that our fortunes started turning when Arteta gave up on trying to emulate Pep-ball and we became much more vertical after winning the ball.
White is fast and intercepts intelligently. But suspect overhead. Without Tomi cover that would have been glaring. Also Gabriel is solid on the other side. If Tomi bombs too far up, also would be weak if opposition gets on the break. With a back 3 , however all is good though limited to that extent as above.
Remember in the summer and people were saying that ESR should be considering Villa as a better football alternative to Arsenal?
lololol
Pedro who the hell would say that????
Samesong, it was actually a debate about which club was more appealing, I kid you not.
Really exciting games next week, decent one tomorrow night as well
The PL is brilliant at the moment, competitive + exciting
Pedro
I am glad we didn’t go for Maddison for £70m yesterday proved we got better deal with ESR contract and odegaard who just needs to work on his strength on the ball and he will be on fire soon
Pedro is right, there was this Aston Villa Arsenal rivalry and Villa being a step up from Arsenal that only existed online in the warped minds of some Villa and Arsenal fans.
Emi ‘Villa is a step up’ Martinez.
Mavropanos I did see a player in him but sometimes this league might not suit him
Saliba getting raves in France now we just need him to keep developing
He is increasing his value as we speak
Excellent post, Pedro, on the ball and very tolerant.
I’m gonna be less tolerant. Time for the anti-Arteta brigade too lay off him. They have been so wrong for so long they are an embarrassment to this site and to themselves. And let me hasten to add – before they sound off about free speech – that fair criticism of Arteta is perfect okay. And here is some.
Eddie is a better fit than Auba. His energy would have kept the Leicester defence occupied throughout the game.
The 2 Emi villains find themselves close to the bottom three. 2nd goal allowed by Martinez was awful, and it changed the game while they still had 11 on the pitch. Leno would’ve been well roasted here for that one.
Maybe they’ll make another cheeky bid in January for Smith Rowe.
I have a feeling that Palace will be the next team to make their mark.
Quality signings
Olise
Edoaurd
Guehi
Anderson
Eze last season
Conner Gallagher a possibility .
Could be a team to watch as I’m sure Vieira knows the market and has a few surprises up his sleeve for next season.
Johnny Cochrane is an embarrassment to himself, so says englandsbest.
I bet he loses sleep over it.
Our fast starts and goals to our game have negated the dirty anti-Arsenal officiating.
Michael Oliver could’ve been the star of the show for giving a fk to a soft foul leading to that Ramsdale worldie.
JE should’ve walked like Laporte did for the same transgression. Who knows, the scoreline might have been so different and we could’ve kept Manure from leapfrogging us. It’s these little sneaky manoeuvres that can cost teams titles or top 4 finishes. Bet you they’re still out to fix Arsenal.
Same
Doff the hat to you sir… You called it.
Shabz, I think Maddison is a great player, but he’s been totally rattled by the rumours. Also doubt he’d do the work needed by this system. For £60m? Good miss imo.
Pedro
I was glad we didn’t go for him at all even buendia as well I think they sniff at it and was patient enough to wait for odegaard and edu pulled it off
We just need that midfielder in January I think it could Dennis zakaria he fits the profile
The up turn these last few games coincide with the switch to 442 and xhaka exiting the side. That’s not coincidence. The new signings have pretty much hit the ground running bar the odd duff performance. I think most of us are willing to eat the humble pie on ramsdale, nobody expected to see his level of performance since he came in, and yesterday’s double save was world class. And 30 million now looks a bargain. White was pretty clumsy to give away the the two free kicks but for the most part did well. Also the fact that the… Read more »
Shabz, Zakaria is basically Xhaka with mobility, right?
There were serious red flags with Maddison Going to a party a few days before a game, ignoring your managers calls to go home during a pandemic, and then going off to another party, was so irresponsible Leicester missed out on CL by 2 points, there’s a time to let your hair down, and a time to get your head down Expecting senior professionals to get that balance right, really isn’t unreasonable, he let the fans down, and he let his team mates + coaches down, the good work they’d put in all season was damaged by senior players who… Read more »
Jamie is a top poster on here no doubt but Englandsbest is even better.
One of my all time favs of his was has to be him lamenting other people’s temerity to suggest who Arteta should’ve played, while in the next sentence suggesting…………… who Arteta should’ve played
Villa getting entangled in the relegation would be hilarious, but not as hilarious as Newcastle getting the drop.
Pedro
He is a box to box player and he is going to be free next summer rumours Jose is after him too
Especially we going to be light in midfield in January we might need to get him in
I know he plays in the Swiss team behind xhaka lol
Tom
Nonsense from you, an example of someone embarrassing himself.
Fair criticism of Arteta is fine – and I’ve made plenty throughout.
“One of my all time favs of his was has to be him lamenting other people’s temerity to suggest who Arteta should’ve played, while in the next sentence suggesting…………… who Arteta should’ve played”
I dunno man, this sounds like textbook bedwetting chat and I’m pretty sure you’re embarrassing yourself here.
The universe rights itself.
“A point at the bindippers would be a miracle for me, but if Brighton can do it?“
Up4grabs, Brighton are Klopp’s bogey team because they never stop playing through the middle and around the press no matter the circumstances.
Arsenal aren’t there yet.
Hi Pedro. I guess it’s the same goalkeeping coach that made Leno useless that’s still coaching Ramsdale? Will you also apologize to him?
Villa should be fine, but in the unlikely event that they get relegated, we could offer Martinez as 5% chance of starting as Arsenal No1 next season
Tom, did you see Matty Cash applied for a Polish passport, you got to be happy with that? Really good player
Tom that’s why i said it would be a miracle.
Still think we’ll get our usual 3-4 goal stuffing, but maybe ramsdale could be the difference and keep it to a narrow defeat.
I’d love to get something their though.
That would really prove we’ve turned a corner.
Rich, I saw that lol.
No idea what that boy was thinking.
I would think surely even a chance to make the England team would’ve been better than a starting role for Poland. That team isn’t going anywhere.
Jamie, I’m all confused by labels these days but if calling facts on Legrove gets you that bedwetter label then so be it.
https://youtu.be/cx7VnKMZew4
It’s time to move away from #ArtetaOut after every result.
It depends on how many negative results we get?
Over 200 million pounds invested.
He has had 2 years.
We dont play in Europe this season.
If he doesnt get 4th this year, he never will.
Couple of (great) results does not change that.
Although he seems to be better at motivating the players.
The team that beat Villa and Leicester was partly due to injuries to Oord and Tierney both whom had faked to impress up to then. The question is whether Arteta actually realisez the extra dimension to our play that Lokonga and Tavares brought in. It will be interesting to see his team selection for Watford.
Nice one, Tom. Watched that earlier today. Spicer was on too. Absolute buffoon.
Re our new high intensity start Arteta needs to get more tactical with his subs to combat fall off from fatigue. Take a leaf out of rugby union and let a front player such as Nketia run like hell for 60 mins then bring on Laca or vice versa.
Benjamin £220-£230 million invested £140-£150 million of that was this summer on young players, who are only between 7-10-league games into their Arsenal careers, in which we’re unbeaten in the last 7 in the league, and 9 in all comps Last seasons big signings Gabriel £22mill + Partey £45mill, both missed the first 3 games this season, Partey missed more games than he played last season, and Gabriel (23), is now growing in stature with experience, and as he settles into his environment White, Ramsdale, Sambi, Tavares, Odegaard, Tomiyasu, should all be better next season, than they are this season… Read more »
‘’ If he doesnt get 4th this year, he never will.‘’
Why’s that then
What is wrong with Asoa? Doesn’t seem to enjoy nice wins. We can beat teams we’re not expected to beat, and like every good side in the Premier league, we can lose to weaker clubs. The people saying that game was dangerously close are overdoing it. They never looked like the better team yesterday. Evans could have been on a yellow already when he took down Auba, even though we didn’t get the red we deserved. Saka had 2 perfect scoring opportunities he missed badly twice when Ødegaard slipped the ball to him. If he gets one of them, them… Read more »
Why’s that then
Cause he finished 8th twice, and if we finish 5th then playing on thursday is not gonna help.. He is not going to
Get 150 million again.
“Arteta’s constant sideline coaching confuses the players, so maybe this unsettles them”
Yes it confused them so much they scored unreplied 2 goals.
Talk of talking trash.
Obum, nope. Not sure the keeping coach can take any credit for a player that arrived ready. Though he will certainly try.
Tee, moaning about arm waving is as embarrassing as that time we had a debate about the use of the word ‘project’
Not all improvement need to be external improvements:
Ramsdale 23
Tomiyasu 22
Tierney 24
Tavares 21
Saliba 20
White 24
Gabriel 23
Sambi 22
Patino 18
Odegaard 22
Smith Rowe 21
Saka 20
Martinelli 20
Balogun 20
Nketiah 22
We’ll need to supplement the squad, clear out more deadwood, but we’ve quietly assembled quite the collection of exciting young players, there’s a good chance we’ll see lots of internal improvements with this squad
We have done well this summer on recruitment. 60 mil maddison would have been a joke. Spending a lot of money because you can is not the way to build a team. 33 mil Burndia who I thought would be phenomenal for us if we had signed him is also taking time to get going for villa. In that sense we have done okay with Odegaard. And I think he will contribute a lot more in the coming months. Especially against teams like Burnley and Watford who will sit back. Ramsdale though is the highlight for us. What a phenomenal… Read more »
Nigel
“Saka had 2 perfect scoring opportunities he missed badly twice when Ødegaard slipped the ball to him.”
That’s pushing it a bit , I thought Odegaard did well when he came on but they were half chances at best if that, the best chance of the 2nd half was Schmeichel save from Aubameyang with his foot from a corner.
I hope Newcastle get relegated before the sheikhs have had a chance to seriously invest any money on them. I hope they blow it with stupid players in January and still get relegated. They will be top because of sheer investment after a while but it would be good if takes them 10 years.
Habesha
Tavares is fast becoming the surprise package (along with Ramsdale)after his last 2 performances, what pace and a 92% pass completion rate v villa shows he is more than just a speed merchant.
Tavares seems to offer more options than Tierney going forward, incredible recovery pace, strong as an ox, and seems really switched on unlike say AMN.