Rough Spuds turned into Eze-Peelers: Arsenal 4-1 Spurs

TotalArsenal

Oh what a glorious NLD Victory on a momentous day for red and white North-London.

What’s the score Declan? On my back, Gooners!

8 Observations

  1. Rosicky, Flamini, Fabregas and many other famous Arsenal midfielders have come before him but Eze, with his fabulous ‘training-ground’ hattrick, will be remembered for many decades to come. Arsenal were deadly through the centre of the Spuds’ central defence, something we have not seen this season. It looked like Arsenal targeted this area constantly on purpose, and boy did Eberechi make it look Eeeeeezeeeeee.
  2. But there was more to Eze’s game than just goals. He brought dynamism and confidence to our attack and played by far his best game in his beloved shirt.
  3. The other fundamental difference was the wall of RiceMendi behind Eze. I thought the Spuds’ midfield would give us a proper game but our boys bossed them 90 minutes long (except for that one moment of Palhinha theft and Richarlison magic). This midfield combo is of the same quality as Vieira and Gilberto once were, and thwy are absolutely fundamental to us for winning silverware this season.
  4. I still want to pick out Declan’s performance who was a real leader today in all aspects of the game. He is always good but today Rice was the embodiment of what our club stands for, and this is priceless.
  5. Piero Hincapie was excellent and made us forget Big Gabby in defence. Not that the defence had much to do, with them having just two shots on target and the single corner to defend. But Piero played with presence and confidence and was great support to RiceMendi.
  6. Our wing-play was excellent and both Leandro and Bukayo played very, very well both technically and tactically. Their play created space in the centre of the box area and they were also able to get the ball into that space at will, it seemed. Both play3d out of their skin.
  7. And then the full backs!! How strong were Calafiori and especially Timber today??! They were a big factor in both supporting attack AND not allowing the Spuds any time on the ball. Just awesome wing back play.
  8. The atmosphere was electric and Oliver had a decent game for once, but my last observation is for Mikel Arteta. That was a tactical masterclass against a good manager who was out-manouvered from the get go. To do that with so many key attackers missing and score four in the process against a team that conceded just 10 in the previous 11 PL games is nothing short of genius.

ooh to Be.

By TotalArsenal

45 thoughts on “Rough Spuds turned into Eze-Peelers: Arsenal 4-1 Spurs”

  • Thanks Total. They made it look like a run in the park, didn’t they? It is a mediocre Tottenham side, one of the poorest I have seen, but they were unbeaten away up until this absolute destruction of their tactical plan. The space they allowed Eze was tantamount to footballing suicide. But credit to Mikel for the movement he has coached into this team, movement which opens up that space. I know symphonies are to be enjoyed with our ears but this was one to be enjoyed with our eyes.

    I shall be 35,000 feet in the air for the Bayern game, winging my way back home to NZ. I already feel on top of the world…

  • The Spurs were uncharacteristically toothless for the NLD, it must be said, but you beat what’s in front of you and so our lads did….and it could have been by more.

    Good spot, TA, on how we seemed to attack them from every direction but with focus on exposing their centre. If that was the plan, then kudos to Arteta and the use of Eze for that purpose. Pure genius. Thomas Frank talked all week about how he was going to all to win and this put some doubt in my head. He was well and truly mugged by his opposite number in that derby and must be down in the dumps.

    All the players, to a man, were exceptional. Trossard was a shoe in for MVP till Eze was like “hold my beer”. Declan was a master in the middle while Timber was just himself (has he ever put out a below 8 performance?). Saka didn’t score but remained dangerous throughout the game. To see Noni and Martinelli on that bench is such a good sight. To think we can soon have all of Odegaard, Gyokeres, Jesus and Havertz back is such a blessing as we enter a crucial stage of the season.

    Yeah, Michael Oliver was fair and managed the game well, to my surprise. Maybe the pressure worked because he can be a good ref on his day. Big ups to him for avoiding making it about him; it may also be down to Spurs not offering much of a battle.

  • The electronic display the club put on, on the night, is worth mentioning too. Oh, and that TIFO with the image of some legends who have influenced the NLD in the past, with Sol Campbell at the top of the rest….. that was so powerful and amazing, at the same time. The fans were already pumped for it but that display must have cranked up the decibels and the passion a good level.

    More nights like that please.

    Also loved the unavailable players joining in the on-field celebrations right after the game, and into the dressing room. I guess the boys earned the right to be so excited. Now, to focus on Bayern’s visit, and some rotation expected.

    I wonder who else thinks we can only afford to rotate for the UCL game as we need the 3 points against Chelsea more, at this time. 🤷🏽‍♂️
    Which of the next two games should we prioritize over the other, since we must rotate?

  • Great comments, Eris. I can sense your energy enthusiasm throughout.

    To me it was so obvious the way we targeted their ‘D’ area with overloads, quick passing and deadly runs. Awesome.

    Agreed re the tifo etc. It was a cauldron on Sunday.

  • Chelsea are the priority but footballers love these games against big European teams and UEFA tell clubs to field strong teams aa to not devalue the competition, so I expect a strong starting 11.

  • I’ll stick to (8). How could I do otherwise, now that Mick has found his inner Michel Hidalgo, and re-invented my favorite France’s setup – ever – the first-half-of-the1980s 4-4-2, and truth is he’s done it to a T.
    Declan is 21st century Tigana, who runs his opponents to exhaustion. Like a Tarahumara Indian, he turns running into a spiritual journey that takes him to a higher level on consciousness on a pitch.
    Merino has been given the very position fitting him like a glove, that of the free No. 10 mastermind Giresse used to be – a lover of the perfect technical skill used at exactly the right time, scorer of great-goals-that-matter-only.
    Zubi is the Genghini-Fernandez hybrid Hidalgo dreamt of, he who had to pick either the one, or the other. He’s more defense-minded that Bernard used to be, and much more creative than Luis ever was (but – to be fair to him – Luis, after giving the ball away, would have cut Richarlison in half, rather than let him get away with a chance to take his shot!)
    And of course, we have Eberechi, a reincarnation of Platini – the like of which I have never seen in 40 years. His hat-trick reminded me of the two Michel scored at the start of Euro ’84, one against Belgium, the other against Yugoslavia. That position inside or on the edge of the “D“ outside the box, or within the “imaginary D“ completing it inside the box into a “circle“ of sorts, is where Michel was lethal from. Put Ebz in that position, and he turns into the sniper Platini used to be. As a matter of fact the first time I was struck by the “déjà vu“ feeling was when Eberechi delivered that gorgeous long ball to Marti over the City defense – something which Platini did a million times to Boniek at Juve (or to Battiston in that ’82 WC semi-final, the pass which ended up in Harald Schumacher’s attempted murder on Patrick …) – and I won’t even expand on how reminiscent of Michel’s Eberechi’s footwork is …
    Michel Arteta it is to me from now on, then … Now, what I find truly remarkable is that, after such a performance, we are now on top of two very efficient setups, the “classical“ 4-2-3-1 with a target CF upfront, but also this brand new 4-4-2, which of course – since it is brand new – can still be improved, and /or adapted (of course Øde could be given the “Giresse“ part, for instance), but may already be regarded as an insurance against panicking if things don’t turn out as we expected them to. We just might never be condemned to the kind of piling up of forwards Slot had to turn to against Forest at the end of the game; instead we will be able to shift from one coherent setup to another, in case the first one we tried didn’t work out fine.
    What an achievement that is; you really have to bow down to the hard work, the intelligence which put us in that position. What a time to be a Gooner indeed.

  • Fab comment and wonderful comparison with the French national team, a team i watched when I was young but wasn’t able to appreciate yet.

    For me Eberechi is like Pires, which I have said on here before. He has that same demeanor of calm and efficiency, and his shooting is similar too. A worldy is always on the cards with them. I think Eze works harder than Pires ever did, but the similarities are striking.

    Agreed re the hard work and intelligence. Like a proper castle, this team is thought through and built with planning and cunning and the best materials. And values of course; without these nothing will be achieved.

  • Fine comments all round. I can’t disagree with much of what’s been said by you fine gentlemen. When th team is doing well, there is no shortage of superlatives to describe what we are witnessing and plenty of examples from the past to make reference to. Long may it continue.

    I am sure Arteta would put out a strong enough side to win it tomorrow. Then, again, do we even have a weakened side these days? To a man, I believe any player trusted with the task would play with no drop in standards. I feel we could see Martinelli in a false 9 and MLS to counter Olise. Or, could it be Timber switched over to left back, so Ben White can get a runout? Personally, I would stick with what we started with on Sunday and finish with the inclusion of full complement of subs available. Just so some of the lads are fresh for Chelsea. Two really hard games ahead.

  • Agreed with your line up strategy. Look at Citeh yesterday. They made a lot of changes and suffered a demoralising defeat. A rest for Timber and maybe Saliba may be necessary, though, given their recent number of games played for club and country.

  • I suspect MA will pick the very same starting XI as he did Sunday.
    Ending up 1st or 2nd is very important this season: both teams will play the return games of the knockout stages at home (all of them, from Ro16 to semis!). It is all the more important for us, since from February on, PL teams will be at a huge disadvantage in comparison with PSG and … Bayern, who will already be French and German champions by then, and will be able to rest their stars and play their “B” team “domestically” before all of the PL showdowns they’ll be involved in – not to mention that:
    1) Since their ways to being champions in their respective leagues are nothing but strolls in a park, their best players are much less likely to get injured than ours
    2) Last season, the French League simply postponed the games PSG should’ve had to play before the final stages of the CL (including before their games against … us – and even though their very best XI was available), and will do it again this season
    Anyway, I want Martin or Bukayo to grab this big-eared piece of silverware in P.’s hometown come may 30th. A long journey it’ll be but since “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”; finishing 1st or 2nd of the league phase is this very step …
    Our very best XI will start tonight; COYG.

  • Nice move (Copley, Thompson) ending up with Max’s equalizer against Bayern at Boreham Wood bathed in gorgeous, wintery sunshine.
    Not exactly deserved tbh but who cares? The kids ‘ve had such a dreadful start in the competition that even a smash-and-grab win I certainly won’t sniff at.
    HT 1-1 but the last 5 minutes, were very good – after the equalizer. Is the problem in the kids’ heads? Help ’em, Dr. Freud.
    Porter did very well, first a spectacular save around the 20th, when he palmed away a close-range shot, and more importantly a fabulous anticipation on a 45 + 1’penalty-kick awarded to the Bavarians because of a ludicrous handball off a CK from Copley.
    After 20 minutes I was about to quit watching, but I did well to keep on keepin’ on …
    COYYoungGuns
    (The Bayern fans who have turned up at Meadow Pk. create the perfect atmosphere for a youth game – hats off to them)

  • All agreed on lineup, DucdN, but still think there will be a couple of changes.

    Saw last 30 minutes of the youth game including Dowman special. What a dancer.

  • A fine result for the young fellas. I guess we won’t be seeing young Max on the bench this evening. What a squad the club has assembled, surely the best in our history. Ian Wright is on record stating the best three players on the planet right now are our Declan, Mbappe and Harry Cane. Tonight two of them go head to head and I fancy our Number 41 to emerge heroic and victorious, helping us to bury the memory of those three ghastly 1-5 reversals to the Bavarians.
    COYG.

  • AFC U19 4 (Dowman Thompson O’Neill Dowman)
    Bayern U19 2
    Max’s 90 + 6′ cherry on the cake: just watch the highlights …
    Attaboys; bring on the grown-ups
    COYG

  • Have a safe flight, Stu.
    Since you’ll be so very near the Big Guy for quite a while, do you think a few whispered words in favour of the lads … just between you and Him?
    In a dozen hours or so it’ll be springtime for you; to say I envy you would be an understatement.

  • Thanks LG, just waiting to board. Eze is the one with the hottest of hotlines, mate. And he’s not alone, by all accounts there is a lot of Christian faith in that changing room. I have never doubted that The Good Lord is a Gooner, but because it’s you, I’ll add my whispers at Vespers.

  • Yes, our Spring is something special (where is it not?) but leaving my two grandkids behind is a wrench on this ol’ heart of mine.

  • Just watched the highlights. How good was Maxidona’s goal. And the 13 year old who came off the bench… stunning.

  • Safe flight, Stu, and i hope that those fresh memories and experiences with your grandchildren will compensate their temporary absence from you.

  • Thanks Frank. I get to watch the first half here in the terminal, but will be boarding at 8.45pm, so it’ll be up to you fellas to see us over the line…

  • Olé Olé !!!
    Serves them right … so full of themselves they are with their rondos all over the pitch
    COYG

  • Yes indeed.
    Not sure Mick is very happy about that, either … HT could be a case of dots on Is and crosses on Ts.
    C’mon, boys, get yourselves together
    COYG

  • Noni!!
    Talk about a game of two halves, we jumped down their throats from the getgo – should be 2 or 3 goals up
    Would have loved to be a fly on the dressing-room’s wall at HT. Pretty sure Mick Pacinoed the boys into wakin’ up.
    C’mon lads, finish ’em up

  • Eberechi to SuperSub Marti … Platini to Boniek all over again
    What a team – a master class in changes and tactical fine-tuning Mick’s treated us to, hasn’t he?

  • Here’s to your 33000 ft high whispers, Stu:

    Thank Him for me; this trashing had been much too long overdue …
    (and Slot may have sat for the last time on ‘Pool’s bench, btw)

  • Brilliant comments and in-singer’s from you guys. What an awesome night of football. I thought we started too tentatively, like feeling the out and ensuring we keep them from scoring first.

    The boys were all amazing (I won’t pick on MLS for that goal we conceded; he kept Olise relatively quiet). Sorry for Trossard as he had started well and hope it is nothing serious, because Martinelli can’t really be up to speed yet. But what a goal. That’s 4 in 4 games for the lad.

    Mikel got his subs right, yet again and they did finish off the game and that’s what I call revenge served cold. Arteta rarely loses big games and he’s kept that reputation going. Next for the chop: Chelsea.

    COYG!!

  • I read an incredible stat earlier and I haven’t fact-checked it….
    Under Arteta, in UCL, at the Emirates, it’s been 10 games, 10 wins, 29 goals scored and only 1 goal conceded.

    Impressive, if true.

  • Martinelli is having a purple patch in the UCL. It’s now 4 goals in 4 games for the lad.

  • I’m afraid the statistics are not correct.
    2023/24: W4, D1, L0
    2024/25: W5, D1, L1
    2025/26: W3, D0, L0
    Since both draws (PSV and Bayern Münich) and the loss (PSG) came in the elimination phase there could be a polished interpretation that
    – in the Emirates
    – under Arteta
    – in the GROUP matches of the Champions League
    we had 10 of 10; but that seems like those irrelevant bullshit statistics other clubs are proud of, like they have never lost a league game that started at 12:00 on a Saturday, or that they are yet to lose their first January game when the AFCON is being played paralel to the league.

  • Thanks for taking the trouble to check that out for correctness. After posting, I was thinking to myself that we did lose to PSG at the emirates by more than one goal, but it was during the knock-out phase.

    I guess it could be referring to ONLY the group phases games. Lol, PB; cool it, man. Stats can be manipulated for personal contexts, no? 😝

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *