ARSENAL WIN WAS A NARRATIVE KILLER

by .

HELLO I AM BACK.

Apologies for the slow week. I’ve been VERY busy, but I will get back on it this week as we head into transfer deadline day.

So, how about that win?

I love a game where you can feel the critics sharpening their pencils.

‘New players, same old problems’ was where it was heading when we went one goal down to a Gabriel mistake. There was fear in the bones. We’d had to bring in two new players to the starting 11, we hadn’t taken our chances in the game, and we have been utterly awful at recovering from going a goal down.

I wasn’t at the ground, but friends messaging me said the belief was strong that we weren’t going to let it be one of those days for us, you could definitely hear the positivity from the crowd from home.

The players didn’t drop their heads, Martin Odegaard rallied the group and found a moment that worked for him, smashing a shot in off a Fulham defender’s legs. You could call it lucky, or you could call it a reward for perseverance.

No one was going to exit a Fulham game feeling like a point was value for money and the energy levels felt like something was brewing.

Another corner from Martinelli was fed into the box, Bernd Leno came out flapping, the ball dropped to Big Gabriel who slashed it into the net to complete his very quick redemption arc.

What a way to finish a game.

The celebration police were out in force after the game, but honestly, I don’t think you’ll find an Arsenal fan in the world that gives a f*ck. At this point, you know the reason people are angry is because we’re now getting to the position where there’s nervousness kicking in. The hierarchy in the Premier League is being rocked and some don’t like it.

But let’s talk about what we saw yesterday…

Some incredible football, a dominant display, and a show of character that should have us all buzzing.

It might not have felt like it, but we were magnificent. Don’t let your feelings from the past cloud how good we were at times. Fulham were unbeaten this season, they’ve exited with better xG than all the teams they’ve played so far including Liverpool, they are no mugs.

We totally dominated them all game. The football was fast, the passing was incisive, and the attacking variety we had on offer was a sight to behold. If there was a criticism to be levelled, it was that maybe we weren’t as aggressive in front of goal when it came to the final deliverable of a move. But, it’s hard to look at the numbers and not be wowed. We had 22 attempts at their goal, hit the target 8 times, and scored two goals.

Defensively, there were some hairy moments. Gabriel made a very poor mistake in the build-up to their goal which was really painful to watch. He has a bit of Lord of Chaos in him and it came out there when he wasn’t paying attention to the beat of Mitrovic in his blind spot. There was also a moment when the same player buried Jesus into the ground to get a free header from a corner. But here’s the thing, you have to look at Mitrovic as one of the best forwards in the league. It’s not even a question for me. He is the new Drogba, Chelsea should be chasing him, he’s almost unplayable at times because of his power. But overall, we kept him in check. Ben White with a deft shove, Bill Saliba robbing him to start a move, Aaron Ramsdale smashing him in the face from 8 yards with a daisycutter.

There has been a little bit of criticism aimed at Big Mo and I won’t have it. People have their preconceived player ratings for certain folk and I think they lack context. “NOT AT THE LEVEL” just won’t cut it. If it here weren’t at the level, Arteta and his staff wouldn’t have given him a new deal. Can he do Thomas Partey things? No. That doesn’t really matter to this. He slipped into midfield, did his job, gave the ball to those that could do damage, and was part of a very dominant afternoon of football. Did we notice our midfield was different because we were missing both Partey and Zinchenko who tucks in? Yes. But again, the outcome was a win, and it wasn’t even close. It wasn’t like it was a skanked three points, Arsenal were brilliant.

Big Mo won’t play more than 1500 PL minutes this season. If there’s a TP05 in Europe, firstly, that’ll be a £50m player, secondly, they aren’t coming to Arsenal to sit on our bench. You also need to consider what he brings to the culture with his personality and experience and also consider what is coming in behind him. Are we avoiding a #6 because Patino is being earmarked for that role in the future? Maybe. However you cut it, complaining about Big Mo is a high-class problem, and really, it’s not a problem for me. Always remember, we lost 3 games on the bounce last season when we lost Partey because we put and up and comer there. Big Mo came into the side and we beat Chelsea away, West Ham away, and United at home. Less of the ‘he’s not at the level’ because he is.

There are some standout players I want to shout out.

RAMSDALE, TAKE ME BACK, I WANT TO BE A RAMSDALIAN AGAIN. What a great performance from the Englishman. He held all his crosses, he didn’t flap, his kicking was mostly top-level, and he looked calm. What I loved about his performance is he prevented goals with two top-class saves. The kid is made of strong stuff, I hope that game is the start of a better Aaron. He needs to be England #1, with performances like that, I don’t see why not.

Martin Odegaard was absolutely outrageous. He bossed the game on so many levels. He led the press, he worked like a carthorse in an Orwell book for the whole game, he opened play from deep, out wide, and through the middle – he was unplayable – and he scored a goal. He also did it against a rough team that wanted to press. That was one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt.

Benny Blanco, is he the best right back at our club? Right now, based on form, no doubt. He gets better with each game. He’s so measured as a player, he’s making more and more good decisions, and his abilities in tight positions or one vs one seem to be levelling up. He’s getting that second season bounce we all hoped he would and he is looking VERY good.

I always think the sign of a top centre-back is you don’t really think about them. Bill Saliba had one of those games yesterday. He just oozes control and calmness. His decision-making is too good for a 21-year-old and his physical attributes make him an absolute nightmare to play against. We have the best young defender in Europe on our books and for once, a young player is delivering over and above the hype.

Let’s also give some praise for the early Eddie sub from Mikel Arteta. He landed 30 minutes and he made them work. He gave the side fresh energy and he showed why he’s a good alternative to Gabi Jesus. He made incisive runs, he dropped deep and connected play, and he popped up in the right places to get chances. He’s a striker than can go wide, where Gabi is a winger that can go through the middle. Eddie was unlucky not to score, but I tell you what, I do not regret tying my rep to his career, he’s a top, top talent.

Final point on the game, Arteta commented on the atmosphere.

“I saw someone here today at the stadium that I love. They haven’t been here for two years until today. They said it was the best they’ve seen the atmosphere here since Arsenal played at Highbury. The support we’re receiving in the stadium at the moment makes things much easier.”

One would presume he was talking about Gunnersaurus who was there yesterday. Regardless, the people I love, my Arsenal family, are sending me videos like the below.

Say what you will about the pain of the last few years, now you can see where we are, as a fanbase, unified around a clear vision of football played by a group of players we love, orchestrated by an exArsenal captain… do you think it was worth the pain? I do. Arsenal fans have gone from being a negative in the ground to 12th man every single week. The support is helping Arteta develop the young players faster and no doubt it is helping with recruitment.

We’re heading into the transfer window finale. The team Arteta rolled with yesterday shows that we do need to find some top quality to rotate in with Saka out wide and we also need to deliver one more midfielder with Premier League experience and class. I have no idea where we’ll land. Pedro Neto would be nice, but his output is based on potential, Asensio would also be nice, because he’s a winner and in our market because he has 11 months left on his deal.

If we get one of those players this week, we are cooking this season. Even if we don’t, with a bit of luck, we can still cook this season.

Game one of a big week has rolled in our favour. Now we have to see what Arteta has planned for Aston Villa who are under pressure… and we have to REALLY get our minds focused on doing some damage to United at Old Trafford. EtH is getting a turn out of his players, the atmosphere will be big, and we are great at gifting them points when they are under pressure.

Right, get your ears on our podcast and Youtube video. I have Jess on from She Knows Arsenal. Before you ask, yes, Johnny and Matt have a dossier being compiled against them. I’d rather not speak on it now, but their absence might be related to a preseason breach of protocol. The non-negotiables are being tested right now… BUT, the pod we dropped was awesome.

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Raulishuss

My bad about bergkamp but we had very good players on the bench.

Graham62

Northbanker

I stand corrected.

Then it’s that lot up North!

raptora

Naija,

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-11156213/Pierre-Emerick-Aubameyang-robbed-armed-men-home-Barcelona.html

Yeah, it’s actually crazy what’s going on with burglaries, theft, blackmails, gangs… it’s insane.

When I read your post, at first I thought you’re talking about Pogba, who also had to go through some horrific stuff, as reported in the last few days. Now Auba…

AFC Forever

Rich “ I’m not convinced clubs can be successful without quality squad depth” Totally agree. You have to have quality in depth and competition for places. Look how losing players during the run in cost us 4th place. Squad we have now, that wouldn’t have happened. However, we have to be realistic and at the moment we aren’t the draw Liverpool and City are. It’s a whole new ball game when you’re in the CL, players will take that chance of sacrificing a guaranteed starting position at their former clubs to play in Europe. Arsenal are definitely a much bigger… Read more »

Wicked Willy

RP

Big difference between a 24 yo CB who has 9 seasons ahead of him versus an AM who has 4/5 ahead of him.

Ben White also English so good for the quota, and was Premier League experienced so lower adjustment risk / integration time

IAT-Robbie

“But we live in a society now , where Arsenal supporters ( Arteta critical ones , that is ) are slashed and their wives jostled at Arsenal games”

What?! When was this?

Positive pete

Graham.Make no mistake.Dermot Gallagher is a complete tosser.Who tows the PGMOL line & backs his old buddies.Hence the complete & utter load of bollocks as an explanation.He has form with this .A pro Manure ref to the core.So he’ll trump up any verbal diarrhoea he can to get them off the hook.Whenever I hear they’ve got him on ,as the go to I piss myself laughing.Useless.

China1

As someone who works in tech I’m slightly terrified by the medium term trajectory of AI taking a huge % of the workforce’s jobs

But footballing refereeing? No the sooner it’s automated and AI with minimal to no human touch the sooner football matches will stop being ruined by refs

Emiratesstroller

Arsenal need still to shift 2 unwanted players out of squad namely Bellerin and Maitland-Niles
and that will be concluded by end of transfer window. We are unlikely to generate any transfer
fees from these two.

That will bring our squad down to 23 in number excluding Hein the third string goalkeeper.

So I expect Arsenal to bring in one more player before close of transfer window on Thursday.

Marko

AMN being linked with two relegation fodder sides in Southampton and Bournemouth tells you all you need to know about the player.

dSidstathopoulos

What is the danger of AI in refereeing?
Xhaka 53 EPL yellow cards. Machine learning……

AFC Forever

Graham62 “I think it’s got to the stage now where all registered referees undertake a psychological assessment.” Interesting that official Bankes, who was doing VAR for the Man Utd game , was from the Liverpool area (North West). As Hackett said, the geographical problem Riley created has meant a higher degree of risk from unconscious bias. There has to be a reason why there is so much inconsistency in the refereeing, even in the same game. How can they make these mistakes and never get sacked? This season we have already had a VAR official, Mike Dean, admit he made… Read more »

Naija+soccer

Raptora Naija ,https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-11156213/Pierre-Emerick-Aubameyang-robbed-armed-men-home-Barcelona.htmlYeah, it’s actually crazy what’s going on with burglaries, theft, blackmails, gangs… it’s insane.When I read your post, at first I thought you’re talking about Pogba, who also had to go through some horrific stuff, as reported in the last few days. Now Auba… Yeah its pretty crazy how those events seem to have escalated. Celebrities are so visible nowadays with technology and social media. Some of them you can literally follow them around town as they go about their daily business. And then on top of that they are out there flaunting their money. Nothing wrong with… Read more »

Markymark

“But we live in a society now , where Arsenal supporters ( Arteta critical ones , that is ) are slashed and their wives jostled at Arsenal games”What?! When was this? This is the sort of stuff that Graham Perry of the Arsenal Circular column used to try on. Always complaining about people who wanted Wenger out as being thugs who’d attack innocent fans. Often it was people holding up placards who were actually attacked along with Keown calling protesters stupid. Perry was an ex judge but would happily lie through his teeth so I suspect this slashing story is… Read more »

Naija+soccer

Don’t just buy a midfielder, we need a physical one. That can also pass

Naija+soccer

This doesn’t get talked about enough, but Arteta has brought energy back into the Arsenal fans. He has galvanized our support and suddenly we are not Library Arsenal anymore. A lot of our away games feels like a home game, bcuz all you hear is Arsenal and Tequila. I don’t see Tuchel,Cunte having the same impact with fans.

Arteta is doing a

Naija+soccer

*good job

Raulishuss

standard.co.uk
How bonds built by Arteta helped fearless Arsenal team grow up

This will be artetas greatest legacy imo.

Markymark

The Ref’s salary of around 70k though decent would be a more attractive in the North than the South.
I’d increase basic to £150k for the Prem. I’d actively market the role to retiring Pro’s and Semi Pro’s.
Bring in top ex refs from Abroad to teach the role. Create a new cadre of the very best.
When it’s built up momentum definitely work on reducing geographical bias

Nigel Tufnel

I feel like Arsenal are playing it cool, but trying very hard to bring in 2 players, and that outward appearance is just part of the method, so as not to get fleeced.

I expect at least one incoming. Those saying here that it looks like nobody is coming in are just trying to prepare emotionally for the worst case.

I don’t have any idea who might come, because our club are handling business in a wise, mature manner, with a plan that they’re sticking to.

Not like those amateurs at United and Chelsea. Those people are buffoons.

AFC Forever

Just seen Chelsea have terminated Ross Barkleys contract. They have paid him off to shed his £200k per week wages. That club has made so many bad signings, including Drinkwater, Torres, Shevchenko, Mutu, Morata, Arrizabalaga, and top of the lot Lukaku. Which just proves that there are no guarantees with players. Not sure who the worst Premier League signing of all time is but Chelsea and Man Utd will probably be responsible.

Nigel Tufnel

Raul,

Great article. Ramsdale is actually an unusually honest and refreshing character when he speaks. Especially the way he talks about our defenders. A fan and a player.

Nice that he gave credit to Ben White for that sliding block. Without that, all the conversations would be very different now.

Pierre

Wicked willy
“Can I suggest a truce between Nigel and Pierre?!”

I think you’ll find that it’s Nigel that has the problem not me.

Probaby because Nigel is envious that many actually enjoy reading my comments , whereas Nigel spends his time making snide comments about me….

LoveSausage

AFCF,

For me, Pogba is probably the single worst signing if you look at some sort of cost:value ratio. On aggregate though, It’s probably the money Chelsea have spent trying to buy functioning forwards. They seem to be cursed in that department.

AFC Forever

LoveSausage

That’s a good point. Both teams have made some dreadful signings, not helped by the huge turnover of managers. However, Chelsea’s poor attempts at buying strikers is hard to ignore.

Useroz

Graham62August 29, 2022 14:27:36
I think it’s got to the stage now where all registered referees undertake a psychological assessment

… and lie detector test too

Nigel Tufnel

Willy, A guy like Pierre claims to be happy with what Arteta is getting from the players after a big win, then tries to make some leap to blaming him for practice injuries. Completely made up, with no real knowledge,, because he doesn’t like Arteta. When 100% of the fanbase is over the moon with our Captain for an imperious performance Saturday, he praises him in a backhanded way, and tries to set the expectation levels for that kind of performance in all future matches. He knows that level is impossible to maintain every week, setting Øde up for failure… Read more »

Naija+soccer

Re-watching the Fulham game, hopefully the next time we play them any one of BenWhite, Saliba, Gabriel or Xhaka will be the ones marking Mitrovic on Corner kicks and such. My heart can’t take Gabriel Jesus getting bullied by Mitrovic like that.