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Arsenal 3 – 0 Nottingham Forest: the perfect post-interlull game to gear the team up for the tougher tests to come this and next month. Yet, this game gave me also a deeper feeling, one of the dawn of a new era full of glorious, winning football.

A home game after an interlull period is always welcome. The manager has so little time to prepare for these restarts that not having to travel is a real bonus. Forest changed manager during the interlull for some reason. Nuno is clearly a very capable and fine human being, but he keeps agreeing to work for big, fat egos who just don’t value him. I am hoping that Forest will pay a very big price for this and that the Portuguese will find a club that values him much more than the sorry Spuds and the Forest owner did.

Eight observations:

1. The most obvious observations is of course the strength in depth Arsenal possess now. No Saliba? bring in Mosquera. No Rice? Merino replaces him seamlessly. No Bukayo? Bring in Madueke. Odegaard injured during the game? Well, young Ethan slots in just fine. This is just amazing, and I think Mikel has tried to put the pressure on Slot and Liverpool by stating they have the better squad. But he Spaniard has all the necessary tools in his shiny shed, and then some.
2. Control. Really successful teams are able to control matches, and the sort of control Arsenal had at home v Leeds and Forest is reminiscent of the first eight years of Arsene’s reign. Early days of course, and Arsenal will play better teams than these two, but it was great to see how much control the team had in all areas of the pitch. Control is based on balance, quality, confidence and cohesion, and I think that Zubimendi is the one who holds it all together for Arsenal. He connects defence with midfield, and midfield with attack with such composure and panache, and I am truly jealous of those who currently are able to see him play live in a stadium.
3. The wings gave us balance: Madueke has that typical ability to penetrate of Bukayo on the right wing; Eze has a Pires-like calm and calculated approach, and then also that unexpected burst or touch of genius to effect a game on the left wing. Together they helped us spread the game and make us much less predictable, and, it must be said, Merino and Ode/Nwaneri gave our midfield a better balance from an attacking point of view than we have had for a while.
4. It was great to see that Arsenal now have men in the box when a cross goes in from the left or right. Madueke put in a number of fine crosses and the likes of Eze, Merino and of course Gyokeres were there to pounce. It will take a bit of time before this will really pay diffident, but I am so glad to see us play a more direct and aggressive style of play this season. Having Gyokeres as our CF, and a bevy of quality wingers for Mikel to pick from, makes all the difference.
5. But what’s also important is that the whole team is responsible for creating and scoring goals, and I don’t think it is a coincidence that two weeks ago it was Timber who scored a brace and this weekend it is Zubimendi who does so. If goals can come from everywhere then the opposition will have a much bigger task to prepare for our game and keep our attacking threat to a minimum. We know all about Arsenal’s ability to score from a set-piece, and two of our goals came from just that, but if we can also surprise opponents with shots and unexpected headed goals then Arsenal are in a much better position than last season.
6. There were some great moments of beauty in yesterday’s game: Zubi’s fabulous rocket from outside the box; Eze’s razor sharp cross for Viktor to pounce; the glide of Ethan and his crisp passing; Mosquera’s composure and ability to find a free man, another fingertip save by our stopper, Trossard’s clever scoop into the box etc, etc. But for me the most beautiful ball of the game was by our Italian full back. Calafiori’s ball over the top was inch-perfect, and just what was needed to decide the game. These sort of balls appear to be hard to play by defenders, but the Italian produced a peach of a pass. Some may say the defender should have judged the ball better but I think he was simply beaten by the delivery. Eze then had time to pick his pass, which he did brilliantly, and Viktor said thank you very much.
7. I was also pleased that the team never sat back and allowed our opponent a sniff of a way back into the game, and that’s despite all the attacking quality Forest possess. This was often lacking last season, and let’s hope it’s behind us now. Three clean sheets in four is a very encouraging start to the season indeed.
8. My final observation is related to the first one: strength in depth means a deeper striving towards excellence. With at least two great players in each position, these duos are likely to push each other to higher levels. They learn from each other and of course there is an element of competition too. Nobody is an automatic starter if all are fit: leaving Rice, Martinelli and White on the bench is a good indicator of this. They are likely to play on Tuesday and will then be extra motivated to perform well. To have this luxury situation of two great players in all 11 positions, and some extra quality on top of this, is just bliss.

By TotalArsenal.

Our greatest foes, and whom we must chiefly combat, are within.

Miguel de Cervantes

A few days after the Pool game and the transfer window closed, we can all relax again. The big picture is that Arteta has a great squad to work with now: brilliant signings in all areas and many at good value for money. Happy days.

The unfortunate and untimely loss v the champions will hurt for a while. This game simply came too early in the season, and I think that Pool were lucky to play home first. It made a huge difference.

Arsenal controlled large parts of the game and kept the Anfield crowd pretty quiet. This is a major achievement. It wasn’t a game for the purist, and for some reason the lazy, shallow media blamed Arsenal/Arteta for it – if Arsenal had scored that free-kick instead of Liverpool they would all have focused on them rather than Arsenal…

The truth is that our attack did struggle to break the Pool defence down, and apparently it’s all Arteta’s fault for his lack of adventure/desire to control everything. The fact that Pool’s equally expensive and talented attack hardly sparkled and was ineffective, doesn’t seem to be mentioned anywhere. The victors always seem to get a let off, just because the won.

We lost to a sublime free-kick late on. It’s as simple as that. Arne Slot, who impresses more and more as a decent guy, summarised it simply and effectively: “If we play this game 10 times more in the same fashion then I think it’s eight times a draw, we win it one time and Arsenal wins it one time because it was an uneventful game, which is something sometimes positive as well because both teams were really good in rest defence and in defending.”

An attack of Merino (with a defensive remit), Madueke (just arrived), Martinelli (out of form) and Gyokeres (just arrived) is unlikely to click and be awesome in the third game of the season, at Anfield. It was always going to be an encounter in which Arsenal had to control the game and hope to score one or two goals, most likely through a set-piece and/or a moment of class. If we could have started with a more established and fully fit set of Odegaard/Merino, Saka, Madueke, Havertz/Gyokeres in a game of this importance, I believe our attack would have been much more effective. To expect the same of those four who started on Sunday is simply naive.

Let’s take this one on the chin, celebrate the progress Arteta has made and the huge quality of the squad, and accept that the moment of magic/and a bit of luck just went the other way. C’est la vie.

THIS TEAM IS GOING PLACES.

It’s going to be truly awesome.

Oh, and Marquinhos, welcome to the Arsenal proper. That was an amazing performance.

By TotalArsenal

A 5-0 drumming of the Peacocks, or Whites, if you prefer that nickname, was just what the shrink ordered. We all loved the 1-0 at Old Bog, a result we will always take when playing red or blue Manchester. But we also knew that our attacking football was underwhelming, and that Arteta and the boys had work to do. To then play our first home game this season v newly promoted Leeds offered a great opportunity to put in a marker, and that’s exactly what Arsenal did yesterday.

Leeds started well enough. They were well drilled to soak up pressure with a low block and then pounce on the counter (ideally targeting the space and personnel on our left). Farke wanted his team not to sit back all the time but also come out and play. But, as he also later admitted, Arsenal were simply to dominate and strong, especially in midfield.

It looks to me that with Calafiori pushing up on the left our attack is more balanced. Madueke, chosen over Martinelli and Trossard on our left, offered a presence and energy Arsenal have not had for a while. With both wings offering a threat, there appeared to be more space through the middle for the likes Odegaard, Rice and Zubimendi. Gyokeres was also dynamic and produced the sort of runs and movements that made the central defence of Leeds constantly unsettled. Yet, poor final and penultimate balls kept us from creating gild-edged chances. The boys were trying hard and the Whites held strong and something special, or in Arsenal’s case typical, had to happen.

1-0 to the Arsenal

Set-piece again Ole Ole. What a weapon and monster this is: 33 in 78 games now (since August 2023); that’s 0.42 per game! And it was a beauty of a set-piece. The fear factor for these is enormous, and that in itself is a reason for Arsenal’s success with these. What are the Gunners going to do this time? Who to mark? Why are they all standing at the back post? at the edge of the box? all in an offsite position? etc etc. It is just pure pandemonium.

2-0 to the Arsenal

The second goal was a team beauty and school example of how to beat a low block. Raise the tempo, push hard, make lots of movement in and around the box and defenders lose their whereabouts and control: organised chaos. Nwaneri was a big factor in this. He lost the ball but Rice regained it, the always quick thinking and acting Timber, on a high after his fine opening goal, played in Saka with a finely weighted ball into the box. Bukayo had plenty of time to look and plan his action. Gyokeres was ready to pounce and this created space and doubt in the defence; the young Englishmen sharpened his ‘weaker’ right foot and rifled the ball into the top far corner. Glorious.

3-0 to the Arsenal

The third goal is of course a very important one. It settled the game for us but, more importantly, it was Gyokeres’ first PL goal of his Arsenal career. And one from open play: after Calafiori launched him into space, Viktor had a lot to do but he had been waiting for such a ball all game long. It was a brilliant individual goal and scored with the sort of confidence and ease that we have been missing sorely from a central attacking in recent years. Welcome to the Arsenal, Viktor.

4-0 to the Arsenal

Set-piece again Ole Ole. Enough said.

5-0 to the Arsenal

Max Dowman on the ball, with or without space, is a joy to watch. He takes you back to playing football with jumpers for goal posts: caress the ball and move forward, take on opponents, and take them on again, until the ball is past the line. He gets fouled so often and has already gained two penalties for us in a handful of games on the pitch. Arsenal only got two PL penalties all season in 2024-25, and Max is the sort of player who will get them for us time and again. Gyokeres took the penalty the Neeskens way. No nonsense with tricking the goalkeeper, just filthy power. Boooooooooom.

I don’t think I have been happier this years, except for the drumming of the other Whites from Madrid at the home of football. Yes we lost a few players to injury but this is happening to all clubs at the moment. A five nil win is always wonderful, but it is that heavenly Eberechi Eze smile when he entered the ground that was especially sweet and will stay with me forever. Welcome home, son.

“The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” T.S. Eliot

By TotalArsenal

The announcement of the signing of Eze is imminent, and I think this is great news.

The much reported story of Eberechi’s love and attachment to Arsenal on the one hand, and all his qualities on the other hand makes me believe Arsenal have signed a top player. I don’t think Arsenal can make real progress by relying on Odegaard and the still so inexperienced Nwaneri in the middle and Trossard and Martinelli on the left. Madueke was a good signing to provide cover for Saka; Eze is next level given his age and PL experience. He is ready to rock and I reckon he is the missing link in our attack.

I can see Arsenal start with the following attack (Zubi/Norgaard – Rice/Merino behind them in midfield):

1. GOES: Eze – Ode – Gyo – Sak (3-1): two aggressive flanks with power, speed and dribbling skills, Ode has options left and right and through the middle; Viktor gets great service.
2. GEMS1: Madu – Eze – Gyo – Sak (3-1): two aggressive flanks with natural wingers, Eze offers drive and power through the middle and a great shot from outside the box, Viktor will be spoiled.
3. SEGH: Eze – Gyo+ Hav – Saka (2-2): As above but now Havertz and Gyokeres will alternate through the middle and offer combined strengths in the box/ defences will not know what is hitting them.
4. GEMS2: Eze – Saka – Gyo – Madu (3-1): Saka in the nr10 position to feed Eze, Gyo and Madu: players interchange and bamboozle the opposition, goals from all over the pitch and box.

The above combo’s can be further strengthen by starting one or two of Martinelli, Merino, Trossard, Nelson, Nwaneri or Dowman instead of one or two of the above. Our options are many.

It would be good to hear what my fellow BKers think of the Eze signing and what it will do to our attack (and all readers please comment). I anticipate that a few will worry about the potential lack of opportunity to play football in our first team for the likes of Nwaneri, Dowman and Nelson. These new arrivals will certainly make it harder for them, but, as MLS and Ethan showed last season, if young players get a chance and they grab it, Mikel will play them. It is a long season with plenty of games, and I for one am very, very happy to have such a strong squad now. Bring it on.

By TotalArsenal.

It was not pretty, it was not good, but a clean-sheet 1-0 to the Arsenal at Old Toilet certainly feels great.

This was an existential battle between two teams with a lot of pressure on them that definitely would have preferred this modern classic of an encounter not to be played as the season’s opener. You could tell from the start that the stakes were high: a game neither could afford to lose and would love to win.

Eight quick conclusions:

1. Our midfield effectiveness remains a work in progress (see previous posts). What can Arteta do to make Zubimendi and Rice much more effective? And why is Odegaard coming so deep to get the ball and carry it forward so often? I will have to watch the game again just to see these three midfielders in action again and then try to understand how they are interacting with each other. At the moment I am at a loss why I noticed them so little during the game.
2. The left wing is not working, and I am being kind. The big question is can Arsenal afford to not buy a left winger before the window shuts?
3. Bukayo was shackled and isolated, and so was Gyokeres. They both tried hard to have an impact but the midfield service and general team cohesion and tactics were well below par.
4. I know I am repeating myself, but the above-mentioned three points will be key to get right this season imho. I am happy that the team decided to keep Odegaard as our captain; he cares for the club and gives his all. The question that Arteta will have to answer is whether Martin needs a period on the bench as to regain his form and confidence. His final balls/passes/shots just lack confidence and precision, and it will hurt us if it doesn’t improve soon. We currently have two underperforming ‘Martins’ and there is a player, still in red and blue stripes South of the Thames, who would be ideal to push them both all the way. Please don’t let him go to the cheesy Spuds. In the meantime, let’s give Ethan a game or two in the nr10 position.
5. The really big positive to take from this game is the quality of our defending. The back five, all giant warriors, were outstanding. Raya was back to his very best after a couple of less convincing friendly games. He had presence and a couple of his saves were phenomenal, and I also thought that his contribution was good yesterday. Big Wil and Big Gab were awesome and all four full backs performed well. Calafiori just has the X-factor. He is still young but this may well be his big, breakout season. There is no fear or nervousness in this guy and it does not come as a surprise that he became our match winner. Love this guy.
6. We won again through a set-piece. This has the added effect that teams will worry even more about our ability to score from them, and that in itself is a factor contributing to the successfulness of them in future games. Set-piece again, set-piece again, set-piece again, Ole Ole! 🙂
7. Our bench was incredibly strong yesterday, and this had a big impact on our ability to see the game out and take all the three points back to North London. There were a couple of hairy moments but in general the team were in control and played with a maturity that bodes well for the season.
8. So, plenty to improve on and plenty to admire. Key is that we won, kept a clean sheet and now do not have to come back to leaky dump of red-Manchester for an entire PL season. As we played away for our first game, we will play at home for our last game, which may well be crucial. Starting the season away is seldom easy, and playing MU straightaway could have given us an awful start to the season. Luckily, the boys made sure that they were victorious, and that is just bliss. Bring on the newly promoted Peacocks!

By TotalArsenal

An assist, a pre-assist and a goal. These were Saka’s ‘hard-measure’ contributions to our win on Saturday. If Saka gets space to roam and he is at his best, he is simply unstoppable. Teams know that he is our main threat; if you stop Bukayo you stop Arsenal to a large extend. They double up on him, foul him, deny him any space, and even Saka sometimes doesn’t know how to deal with it.

The question is how can Bukayo be freed to do what he does best to devastating effect? Our attacking options were limited last season mainly because of injuries. But things are different now after the recovery of injured players and some fine transfer business over the summer. Arsenal are in a much better place to make our attack, and Bukayo in particular, much more lethal.

Options:

1. With Odegaard and White fit again, the golden triangle is back. Timber is another way to make the triangle approach work really well. So maybe all is fine again and nothing else needs doing.
2. Get the ball quicker to Bukayo when he is free. Last season, it often amazed me how regularly Liverpool’s Salah would be receiving the ball in acres of space on the right. Surely opposition teams knew how dangerous he was?! The difference was that Pool worked the ball quicker to the Egyptian and from further away than Arsenal did to our star boy. Just that extra second and bit of extra space can make all the difference. There were a few moments in the game on Saturday when I thought Arsenal players were trying to find Bukayo in space sooner and more effectively than in previous seasons.
3. Play Saka behind the CF (LeGall’s option). This is quite an exciting option. Free Bukayo from the overcrowded flank and allow him lots of space to strutt his stuff in a nr10-like position.
4. Strengthen the left flank and make it as dangerous as our right flank, whilst also strengthening the distribution and threat through the middle. Arsenal were too lop-sided at best of their times last season. Martin works his magic best on the right with Bukayo and Ben, but this made us predictable, and teams could concentrate on that area of the pitch, thus eliminating or undermining most of our attacking potency. Now, with Zubimendi, Madueke and Gyokeres in the team, Arsenal are much more able to attack from all three areas, and it looks like Arteta may strengthen the left wing further with one more signing. This will help Saka a lot as opposition teams will be pulled apart in defence much more than in previous seasons, and space and time for Bukayo makes a world of difference.

I believe that Saka is our starman and he is now of an age for Arsenal to really, really free him up and allow him to be as effective as possible. Salah won Pool the League last season, Bukayo can do something similar this season. Let’s free up Saka the Beast.

By TotalArsenal.

Well that looked both much more solid and energetic/inventive. It was just a friendly of course, but we could all see that the boys meant business today.

Eight Observations

1. I noticed how deep Declan played on my tiny phone screen and how advanced Zubi was for large parts of the game. This may be the balancing act we were waiting for: Rice just in front of the CBs dictating play and Zubi keeping the high press tight higher up. Of course they will interchange at times as they have similar skills, but Declan looked better today than in any preseason games before.
2. I thought Arsenal were much more balanced today, with the left flank much more involved. Calafiori was good support for Martinelli, and Rice and Zubi were also effective on the left. Madueke offered real freshness and thrust when he came on, and he was unlucky not to get an assist when for example Gyokeres headed onto the post.
3. Timber is a versatile player who has got just such a great presence and energy. Keeping him fit will be a big challenge but if he and Calafiori can have a largely injury-free season then we are up for something great on the flanks, especially with the more than excellent backup FBs.
4. Gyokeres is a CF alright! excellent movement and involvement in the wider game. He offers thar extra movement and passing option in the centre, and we have been missing this. There is also a wonderful directness about him when he gets a chance.
5. Talking about directness, i loved the quick balls over the top when we regained the ball in midfield or even deeper. Two goals came from this today, and the excellent Bukayo and bionic Kai will feel good for getting on the score sheet. I hope this is a structural change for the new season.
6. Odegaard tried as hard as ever, and gets a 10 for effort. We just need more end product. It’s great that Nwaneri is now his backup, and Martin will have his work cut out to stay ahead of him.
7. It was great to have Big Gab back and what a difference he makes. But I was also impressed with our new Spanish beast of a CB, Mosquero. What a presence this guy has, and I never felt we had become weaker in defence after he replaced the Brazilian. Early days but this is promising.
8. The biggest plus is that we did not just start with 11 top players but were also able to bring on real quality players when substitutions took place. I cannot remember a stronger bench in 30 years of following the mighty Arsenal. Do you? Any other observations?

By TotalArsenal

The pre-season is almost over and it’s not long before the PL starts. We know that the ‘unbiased’ computer has given us a hell of start to the competition with away games to Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle before October, so we need to hit the ground running. The pre-season games, it has to be said, do not fill me with great confidence. Teams have been playing us with low blocks and on the counter-attack, and we struggled to break down the former and protect ourselves against the latter. Arsenal looked unorganised and lacking cohesion, and let’s hope tomorrow’s final pre-season game will be much better.

The good thing is that Mikel has opted to give as many players as possible meaningful football minutes, and if indeed this was his main objectives for the pre-season games then we should not worry too much. But tomorrow’s game needs to be different and I expect him to start our strongest possible first team. We need a good win and a team that clicks in all areas.

The big question is – see also comments in previous post – how will Arteta setup the team for those first few tough games? 4-2-1-3 or 4-1-2-3? Or something else? I feel that Mikel wants to play with one holding midfielder and two box-to-box/creator players, based on a high-press dominance of our opponents. But I think he is more comfortable with Arsenal sitting deeper and not giving away too much space. Teams really like to play us when we push up and try and beat us on the counter, and we have looked vulnerable in pre-season against the likes of Newcastle, the silly Spuds and Villareal. Can Arteta afford to play like this in Manchester, Liverpool or Newcastle? I don’t think so.

Playing with two of Zubimendi, Norgaard, Merino or Rice in front of our defence seems a much better guarantee for getting more points during the first few months of the season. In fact, I think we would be pretty unbeatable and with our attacking reinforcements we would have every opportunity to nick a goal or two. And maybe Arsenal should play like this against all teams: invite them to attack us more, create turnovers in midfield and attack the then available space with real intent. The likes of Martinelli, Saka, Madueke, Gyokeres would certainly love it.

But that is not really the Arsenal/Arteta(Guardiola) way, and I expect that (sooner or later) our manager will want to play with a very high press and one DM. Zubimendi does seem to fit this style a lot, and Norgaard is a great alternative for the Spaniard. If and when Arteta can play the fully fit formation of: Raya, White/Timber, Sal, Gab, Cala/MLS, Rice, Zubi, Odegaard/Ethan, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli/? then this should make a 4-1-2-3 formation very strong indeed.

The problem is that this approach needs all 11 players to be great and to sing from the same hymn sheet. It will take a while before all players are in tune with each other, and one or two injuries, let alone more, will disrupt the flow and effectiveness of this system of play (as we have seen so often in recent seasons). The squad is deeper/better now, but it is still a more risky style of play.

Arteta knows that there is no time for experimenting and the pressure of winning silverware is huge this season. I trust that he will make sensible decisions and look forward to the new season, both from a tactical point of view and the sheer delight of playing meaningful football again.

Ooh to Be.

TotalArsenal.