Rice on Ice, But the Boys did us Proud: Arsenal 1 – 1 Seagulls

TotalArsenal

Yesterday’s game is a fine example of how football remains unpredictable and nothing can be taken for granted. Arsenal were not particularly cruising when Declan got his second yellow card, but it was 1-0 to the Arsenal and we were mostly in control of the game. Then the referee decided that Rice deserved a second yellow card and the whole complexion of our battle with the Seagulls changed in an instance. Nobody can argue that Kavanagh, the ugly and venomous toad, was not in his right to issue a second card, but a decent referee would have understood that the severity of issuing one was not merited at that moment. This was certainly what Rice was counting on, but he should also have known better. When you are on a yellow card make sure you stay disciplined for the remainder of the game; Declan did not do that.

It is obvious from the first three games that Arsenal are not firing from all cylinders as yet. The team has been riding their luck at times and relied heavily on both the form of Raya and the attacking sharpness of both Saka and Kai. Our midfield players Rice and Odegaard are out of form and they are both trying desperately to regain it. Partey has been a big plus, even though he will never lose his ability to play a bad, unforced pass or two in each and every game. Because of the stiffness and lack of confidence of our English and Norwegian midfielders the whole team was too static and predictable, but I am confident this will improve significantly from this month onwards.

Key is that we got 7 out 9 points from our first fixtures and have conceded only one goal. And that one goal only came very soon after Rice was sent off. It was the gap that he left behind that led to the goal; both central defenders hesitated at the crucial moment and after that the damage was done, despite a fine initial safe by Raya. In hindsight, Arteta should have acted quicker with bringing one an extra defender, but hey ho life does not always work like that.

It was obvious that the departure of Rice did not only mean we were a man down, but a key one at that for whom we did not have a like-for-like replacement. I guess if Big Gap had not landed on Merino we would have seen him play his first minutes in the mighty red and white, but it was not to be. Zinchenko would have been a good option, but combining Calarfiori with Timber was also sound. It just came a bit too late and the damage was done before we knew it.

I am very proud of how the team managed the game from the equaliser onwards. Credit to the Seagulls who had guts and quality to push us into our own half and try and force a winner. They almost did but Arsenal arguably had the better chances from a couple of counter attacks. In the end, I think we should be happy with the point and move on to the next game. Life throws these sort of situations at us and every team will experience them during the season. It’s the way the boys responded to the adversity that matters and, on yesterday’s evidence, we are going to be okay.

Finally, a three week PL break for Declan may do him good (and I think he should also get a break from international games). To me, he did not look ready to start the new season, despite no lack of trying his utmost. He will return in the game against Citeh and that may be just what we need then.

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.

Shakespeare

By TotalArsenal.

62 thoughts on “Rice on Ice, But the Boys did us Proud: Arsenal 1 – 1 Seagulls”

  • I don’t know if I will watch the game again for details and perspective. I usually do but it will be a frustrating rewatch.
    I’ll do some reading along with listening to podcasts this week.
    But I think we actually created some good chances, even with 10 men, so we should have had another goal.

    The overall impression is that the ref decided they could do whatever they wanted to stop our momentum in the first half, as most teams do…, but also wanted to stack the deck against us by jumping on the slightest technicality to hurt us when it came about.
    Mitoma slammed into Saka at the edge of their box, but somehow not a foul.
    Yet last week a touch on Savinho was given a soft penalty to rescue ManCity who were down a goal.
    This is what we’re dealing with, and I personally think there’s middle eastern money finding its way into all levels of pgmol, definitely ref pockets . Just an opinion.

  • “Rice on ice”… your bardic skills are ripening every bit as much as those blackberries, Total, and that marvellous quote from The Bard engenders comfort that good may be found in all things.
    There was indeed a lot of toadishness manifest in the red card incident, Danny Welbeck has sunk in my estimations, as has the ref and that posse of Brighton players who pursued him baying for Declan’s blood.
    I remain mystified about an earlier incident when Ben White loosed a shot which was heading for the far top corner only to hit the arm (clearly away from his body) of Lewis Dunk. Why VAR did nothing to intervene riles me as much as the incident a few hours later in the All Blacks match against the Boks. Their first “try” was not only grounded the wrong side of the line but was lost before the grounding. Darkness descended upon my Sunday. A thick, inky black darkness which contained every loathsome toad that ever crawled out from under a rock. I teetered on the edge of hopping madness.
    So where did I find the jewel in the toads head? Twelve hours earlier my Kerikeri team won our Northland Cup semi final 5-2 against Whangarei and we now look forward to a final at our Northland Stadium on my birthday at Septembers end. Let’s hope with the Bard, that all’s well that ends well.

  • I think both Kavanagh and the VAR-referee made mistakes there.
    Sure, the VAR-room cannot (couldn’t) interfere on Rice’s, case as a yellow card is well within the ref’s purview. However the VAR official should have told Kavanagh to check the video to give him the opportunity to either prevent/revoke the second yellow card or – more likely – send the BHA defender off along with Declan for the deliberate fault. And that is the kind of intervention the VAR-referee was supposed/expected to do.
    It still would have been a controversial decision, but no longer a harshly unfair one.

  • J, we had a couple of decent chances indeed. Saka just had to stretch too much and Havertz was not able to produce the right angle to his shot on goal. I just wasn’t to be.

    I so hope you are wrong about refereeing bias.

  • That is a very fine comment, Stu. . I read it twice. So glad you had something to cheer you up, and good luck in the final!

    Refereeing injustices seem to be a thing we have to live with. I thought Rice handled it with class: a young Stoic. Yes the Seaguls acted like a pond of ugly toats and other referees will have taken note. Karma will get them soon.

  • It just had to be the two ex-Ireland boys in the England team to do them damage today. Rice (1 goal, 1 assist) and Grealish (1 goal), like a well written script.

  • Thanks for the kind thought, TA
    I’m back! I’ve been for a few days, actually. The way they kick you out of the hospital after the op’ so your bed might be available again is not exactly tender; welcome to the 21st century, I guess.
    Having said that everything went well, or so it seems. What I’ve just written is something docs and nurses don’t have any control over – and all of them were top-class. Now I have to deal with a few post-op problems I had been warned about, which means I’m not surprised but experiencing them “in the flesh” is very different from being “intellectually” prepared to experience them.
    The docs are so aware of it, that they don’t give you a “recovery” appointment until 3 months have passed, for fear you might give ’em the “hair-dryer” treatment. Mine will take place … december 10th!!
    My final word about the Olympics ceremony – the political one. The main problem many people had with he show was that it had been designed around the ideas of freedom, open-mindedness (to cut a long story short).
    But Macron’s France is anything but free, open-minded. We live under a Constitution (the 1958 – my year of birth – one) which has in it all it takes to turn our President into a dictator. So far, both right-wing and left-wing politicians who had been in charge had been very careful to rub it the right (democratic) way. Macron has blown it all up, and now he has chosen a Prime Minister member of the party having gathered the fewer votes at the july general elections, and ostracized the one (Lucie Castets) who had been chosen by the ” New Popular Front “, winner of the elections by a plurality of votes, but winner nevertheless. More than that, what is plain for everyone to see now, is that his intention when he “dissolved the Parliament ” after the European elections was to bring the far-right to power. It is exactly what he has just done when he appointed his new Prime Minister, who will be unable to rule without the far-right support. In a nutshell, the Left won the elections, as a consequence of which – as it is legal for him to do within the frame of the Constitution, but of course completely illegitimate – Macron brought the far-right to power … hence, the political second thoughts of many people about the ceremony (even though, back then, Barnier had not been appointed yet – but who Macron really was was already obvious for other reasons).
    If some of you are interested in politics, the best books accounting for how a nothing like Macron can rape the French democracy are:
    Pierre Serna’s ” L’Extrême-Centre ” (The ” Far-Centre “), and
    Zeev Sternhell’s:
    – ” Ni droite ni gauche. L’idéologie fasciste en France ” (” Neither Right nor Left: Fascist Ideology in France “)
    – ” La droite révolutionnaire, 1885–1914. Les origines françaises du fascisme ” (” The Revolutionary Right, 1885-1914. The French origins of fascism “)
    There are great interviews of the young historian Johann Chapoutot about all this on youtube as well!!
    Kev and Stu I’ve not forgotten Dupont, but I’ll write about him, ALSO because I want to talk about … cycling!!
    P.S.:
    looks like our skipper is out … but the following XI will do very well come sunday:
    Raya
    White-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber
    Jorginho-Partey
    Saka-Havertz-Sterling (whisper it but … I’ve always liked him)
    Trossard
    COYG (rumour has it we won’t be able to don the red-and-white in a NLD – wtf is wrong with the FA!!!)

  • Unless Eris is writing under a pseudonym, Total, I’m pretty sure that is our Gallic mate in the above comments.
    Wonderful to have you back, LG, I trust your derrière recovers from that non too tender kick. 1958! I think that makes you the grand old statesman of this blog, now that GN5 is walking on uplands unbounded.
    Thanks for the reading recommendations. I’ll probably pass on them as I am on a long fast from most things political.
    I like your team for the NLD. Leandro up top? I have read that Jesus is back and raring to go. If so, I’d start him with Leandro on the left and Raheem off the bench.
    Hard to fathom that the three midfielders who would have started v Spuds are all out but I fancy us to mash them with what we have. I’m glad we are not going with the red shorts option. Never liked that look.

    So I walk on uplands unbounded,
    and know that there is hope
    for that which Thou didst mold out of dust
    to have consort with things eternal.
    – The Dead Sea Scrolls

  • Martinelli instead of Sterling because of his workrate and ability to get back and support his full-back who should also refrain from inverting and hold a four man back-line with the two old geezers playing a double-pivot in front of our centre-backs to contest and frustrate.

    Havertz and Trossard sharing the No.10 and false 9 roles and put our faith in the Lord and Bakayo…

    Great news: Arteta is signed until 2027, which will upset the faint hearts and Monsieur Rouen is well enough to play his accordion once more. Magnifique…

  • Great to have you back, LG. Trusting God to restore you back to full health and capacity soon enough.

    Just a thought on your political submissions, I find an increasing propensity for leaders in the west to tend towards autocratic rule, these days. It would come full cycle were Donald Trump to win the November elections (God forbid!). Something to keep an eye out on; otherwise, it would make it look like Africa had something going all along.

  • I like your starting 11 too, but I would prefer a more conservative start for the forward play, seeing as we have two key men unavailable.

    So, unless Jesus is back and ready, start with a front 3 of Saka, Havertz and Martinelli. Trossard or even Zinchenko to start in place of Odegaard. Neither will be direct replacement but each comes with his own unique traits in that area. Sterling should come off the bench, for me.
    Shame we can’t take a chance with Ethan Nwaneri (that’s who I’d start, if I were manager).

  • Excerpt from the club website, on the reason we are wearing our Away kit for this NLD, rather than the familiar Red & White:

    This season’s north London derbies will have a similar feel to them with the usual excitement and passion, however they will have a different look than seasons gone by.

    That’s because both teams will be wearing their away strips in the fixtures this campaign, after the PGMOL and Premier League ruled that our 2024/25 home kit features too much white, thus clashing with Tottenham’s traditional colours, even with the option of red shorts and socks for us, which was also discussed.

    As a result, for the first time in recent NLD history, we’ll be wearing our changed colours, with our black adidas away kit being donned at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where we’ll aim to clinch a third-straight victory at the venue.

    Our adidas away strip for this season has already got off to a winning start when we wore it for the first time in competitive action against Aston Villa last month. It has been designed to celebrate the rich and well-established connection that our club has to the African diaspora in North London and beyond.

  • LeGall, I wish you a good and full recovery and I hope you get looked after well at home. You are a tough nut and I hope The Arse will help you forget yours. 😉

    Politically, I can well understand your frustrations. What a constitutional mess and what seems an abuse of power.

    Love the lineup.

  • LG, I think your proposed line-up is already strong enough, and it seems even Odegard is available for selection.
    I wonder if – assuming Martin starts – Mikel would keep both Partey and Jorginho in the midfield engine, sends Havertz up front and leaves Trossard and Sterling as (super)subs, or plays the (close to) 4-1-4-1 formation with only Thomas playing DM and both Havertz and Odegaard acting as box-to-box attacking midfielders leaving Trossard or Sterling at the top of the spear ahead of Martinelli and Saka.

    I think both alternatives are viable and exciting, but my money is on the former.
    And nice to have you back, as always.

  • If Martin Odegaard and Jesus are available, that changes everything, with only a replacement for Rice and whether it is Martinelli, Trossard or Sterling to start.

    So, no one else thinks Zinchenko can play Rice’s role? That’s precisely what he does for his country and he has the eye for a pass too. Well, we’d see how Arteta plays it. He would probably go with Havertz as he hardly likes too many changes.

  • Yes Eris, Zinchenko has a good chance of starting. Both Partry and Zinchenko give the ball away unnecessarily at times, therefore that combo would worry me a bit.

    I would go for:

    Raya
    White, Sal, Gab, Timber
    Partey – Jorginho
    —– Raheem——
    Buk – Have – Mart

    Jorg is a great passer and safer pair of hands than Zinch. Sterling in the hole would frighten the Spuds no end. Spuds will attack and we can pounce from deep with speed and close ball control. BTW I am convinced Martin O will be out for a few weeks. Norwegians are serious people and the team doctor’s prediction is the one to go with. Arteta likes to bluff.

  • Lol @ “Norwegians are serious people”, TA. It is true Arteta has been known to bluff a bit, especially in crucial games against rivals, as this.

    I like your suggested line-up but the only area I shall differ is with a start for Sterling. I feel Trossard gets that call for No. 10 role and Sterling comes on as a sub.

  • I am thinking….
    Raya

    White Saliba Gabriel Timber;

    Partey Jorginho

    Trossard.

    Saka Havertz Martinelli

  • I really think Stirling will start and I think Tross will do too. A Treat has been working with them over the last two weeks, and they will be fresher than many other attackers.

    Eris, Trossard in the hole is an option, but I think he needs space to be at his best, and he will not get this as much in the middle, especially when we ate pushed back into our half.

  • Team sheet is out. Looks like Arteta picked from my predicted line-up.

    It is not the Arsenal way to throw new recruits in at the deep end, and pile pressure on them. Sterling will start many games for us but, just not this one. Not today. He will come on as a sub and do damage.

    COYG!!

  • I took 2 weeks off all Arsenal news after the ref bias incident.
    Ødegaard the one player I fear playing without I the whole squad.
    Let’s see how the boys respond.

  • Hi J, all to play for my friend. But yes the Ode is pivotal for us. I am feeling a bit better now about the line up. We can bring on Sterling and Jesus and that will give us a new dynamic.

  • The Aussie has picked a Wengerean line-up
    Not even one single holding midfielder in sight, plus Udogie who is a RWB
    Make-or-break approach
    Make it break lads
    COYG

  • Zinchenko is listed among the injured today. Our injury list is starting to grow. But, he has only gone to replace Gabby Jesus.

  • Well the boys handled this very well imo. Just need to b3 a bit mor3 cold blooded when in front of goal, but that will come. Love the way we fight for each other.

  • That’s what I call a NLD. We were even treated to a lil’ bit of a “fracas”. Timber’s a tough nut, ain’t he? Jurrien my lad the moment you grabbed the f….r by the throat, you made my heart soar like a hawk, you’re already a legend to me. Just wish at the end of it there had been a few drops of nose blood on some of those “too-white” kit of theirs
    We play by the Ali textbook, fly like butterflies, sting like bees – we’re very good at rope-a-dopin’ too, we’re gonna wound ‘em soon. Too bad Marti was wasteful with our 2 best opportunities; I get why Mikel was mad at him on the second, Bukayo had won the few inches he needed to score, Marti just had to first-touch cross – that’s academy level, really.
    The way MA has made Trossard and Havertz share the burden of making up for the Øde’s absence is one of the things I’ve admired most since he took over – tactical masterclass it is
    I won’t talk about this sinister joke of an umpire, he doesn’t deserve it
    Lads, on days like this, I pity those who don’t share our passion for football
    COYG!!!

  • Jarret Gillet sure loves to issue yellow cards. While I will agree most of them were deserved, 7 yellow cards in the first half puts the game on edge for the 2nd half.

    Reportedly, he has refereed four matches this term, including the Community Shield, brandishing 19 yellows (now rising to 26) and one red card in four games, and awarding one penalty. He must be a stickler for rules.

  • Could this be the first NLD, at Spurs, which ends goalless? It feels like it, unless…… Sterling, anybody?

  • Still trying to catch my breath after that goal. I don’t care how it comes, just get the 3 points.

  • Not sure I’d want to take off Gabriel Martinelli in this one. His defensive contributions are under-stated. And his presence just keeps defences honest.

    Trossard and Jorginho may be the changes we make.

  • Gabriel was brilliant today and deserves the player of the match. Partey and Jorginho did a good job too but it could have been a bit different with Rice’s marauding runs to add to this display. Who would have thought Sterling’s debut would be one for a defensive demand. A good way to get into it, I guess.

    We go clear 2nd now and it is pretty well set up for our next meeting against Man City.

  • Just like Ali-Foreman
    One punch was enough – we could have dealt another, but it would have altered the beauty of it all
    The perfect away game it was, we were as disciplined as a Roman legion, our Art of Defending was worthy of the greatest Italian teams of yore (well … 1960s 1970s), we just annihilated them, it was just the blueprint we needed before taking on the Cheatizens
    My only worry is the insanity the CL has become – 9 points are needed to make it to the knockout stage, we’ll pick ‘em up in London; let’s play our in-need-of playing-time lads in Lombardy …
    What a time to be a Gooner
    COYG

  • Here’s to you, GN
    Let his daughter know we share the more-than-ever tender thoughts she’s sure to have had for him today, will you, TA?

  • Newcastle are joint 2nd (3rd on the table) beneath us on GD. I thought Wolves deserved something from this game.

    Agree, TA. Rest as many as we can afford to. Let Kiwior get a chance in his old stomping ground too, along with Califiori, if fit. Sterling can certainly start this one. So also, Gabby Jesus.

  • Well observed, TA. Timber makes our defense click even more, and he can play both flanks.

    Pedro Porro was the most (only) quality player for the opposing side, and while I enjoyed Gabriel’s and Raya’s display I was blown away by Martinelli, who could show his defensive capabilities as well.

    I think we have to go full speed next Sunday, so play a relatively B+ squad mid-week to rest our key players. (If they have to, as some of them could have a rest during the interlull.) I hope that Atalanta will also field their B+ team so we can have a god game with 3 equally plausible outcomes.

    My proposed XI in the Champions League:
    Neto (will not play though)
    White – Saliba (Heaven) – Kiwior – Zinchenko
    Rice – Jorginho
    Sterling – Nwaneri – Trossard
    Gabriel Jesus

  • I have said this before, but I am pretty sure there’s a UEFA expectation that clubs play a strong as possible squad in the CL. So I expect Arteta to take a few out under the pretence of injury but thats it. Therefore, PB, I don’t think your lineup is likely to feature. But I do like it.

  • “How sweet it is to win by one nil
    How sweet it is to win by one nil
    With sweet love and devotion
    Deeply touching my emotion
    I want to stop and thank you, Gaby
    I wanna stop and thank you Gaby, yes I do…”

    Three wins on the trot at the bowl, “It’s like sugar…”

    “Attention to detail” is the term Phil McNulty on the Beeb used to describe the win. What a squad, what a coaching team, O, what a beautiful morning…

  • Yes, with boxing analogies in mind that was very much ‘rope a dope’…

    I’m not sure we missed Odegaard as much as we all imagined (of course we did actually miss him) because Trossard and Havertz did such great jobs creating openings and leading the line.

    Special mention for Jorginho, precious little football before yesterday and yet he led the team like the intelligent guy he is. Partey still worries me but in general we were calm and played the ball out of defence with maturity despite the rabid atmosphere.

    Good to see Jesus, Stirling and Ethan getting some minutes, we’re going to need them all over the next few weeks.

  • We see eye to eye, Kev. On both Jorginho and J.T.
    Thomas, indeed had some loose moments, as did the normally impeccable Ben. I think he, more than any other player missed our skipper.

    J, your chagrin would have no doubt been piqued by Szoboszlai’s kicking the ball away when already on a yellow and yet staying on the pitch. I share your angst bro’. Let’s follow the Bards advice…
    Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And, by opposing, end them.
    Or it that wishful thinking?

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