Bergkampesque

WWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!

Arsenal 3 – 1 Leicester City: Arsenal put on the style in the second half to claim their tenth scalp.

Eight initial observations from an important win that puts us in shared third place with our main London rivals:

1. I have spoken on here several times about a pattern in Arsenal’s play that I saw repeated again tonight: we invite the opponent into our own half by playing the ball out from the back; the deal is that for the pressure that we invite and the semi-chances we may give away, we get back space in the opponents’ half. In the second half we increase the tempo and after 60 minutes we bring on fresh legs and big guns; soon it is boom boom and the game is won and we can turn on the style. You may not like our tentative starts and the chances we give away, and Emery will surely keep working with his team to get better at safely inviting pressure (in exchange for space) going forward, but I have no doubt that Emery is keen to make us play this way game after game this season. Space is King!
2. Ozil the captain had a great game. It was hard to listen to the Sky commentators who clearly have it in for Mesut with their regurgitated, lazy views of our genius, but even they, begrudgingly, had to eat their words towards the end of the game. He loves space and he sees the gaps quicker than most; and there is more feeling in Ozil’s left foot than in the entire Germans’ national team. The Foxes do not have a bad defence but once we increased the tempo and brought on Auba, Mesut came into his game properly as he carved open the defence with the finest through balls and seemingly at will. Ozil scored of course an important goal in the first half, but it was his second half masterclass of maximising on space and movement that made all the difference. We are so lucky to have him for the next 3.5 years in the mighty red and white shirt.
3. Auba needed two minutes for his first goal and three more minutes for his second goal. I would have taken him off and rest him after that. Job done Mr Supersub; our supersonic special weapon cracked open the walls again. If Auba continues like this he will break the record for minutes between goals this season.
4. The MOTM has to go to Ozil but Bellerin was a very close second. He made excellent attacking runs all night and his reading of the situation ahead of him has improved immensely, as has his ability to put in deadly crosses and passes. That was one of Hector’s best games until now.
5. Xhaka and Torreira had a great game: the heartbeat of the team. These boys work hard and do a lot of dirty work all game long. They are the swan’s under carriage and make the team shine….
6. But behind them we have another couple of hard working players – Holding and Mustafi – who also enable to rest of the team to shine. Add Leno to these four players and you have the hard base of the team. They all worked their socks off for us and I flipping love them.
7. It was weird how all of a sudden this game was over. It really was boom boom 3-1 and Leicester became scared of a thumping. We saw out the game with defensive discipline and healthy aggression. We could/should have scored a couple more goals but it was not to be. And that brings me to Lacazette: what a worker and a key, key player for Emery’s ‘let’s knacker them out in the first 60 minutes and then pounce on them’ strategy. My Man of the Season so far.
8. The last one goes to the Nigerian Dynamo who is also really important in knackering out the opposition’s defence: Alex Iwobi. He carries the ball forward really well and takes on defenders to force himself into space. The throughball he produced for Mesut that let to Laca’s missing of an unbelievable sitter was of Bergkampesque beauty. Iwobi is definitely the most improved Arsenal player this season!

By TotalArsenal.

ARSENAL V LEICESTER :- IT’S “OPERATION TEN-TEN” WITH LACA LEADING THE LINE.

Where are we? I don’t know. There are mixed signals but I guess we are heading in the right direction. North.

We are 4th on the table of points yet a lowly 12th on attempts on goal (all stats from WhoScored after game week 8).

We are 12th on attempts on goal yet amazingly 2nd (behind City) on goals scored.

5th on possession yet a worrying 5th on the amount of action conceded in the defensive third. We dominate possession. We are dominated in territory. By comparison City is 1st in possession and is seeing the least action in their territory. Where are we?

Being dominated in territory should mean we sit back for the counters but that is blown to pieces by the fact that we have scored zero goals from counter attacks.  Meanwhile against the odds of territory we have scored a whopping 16 goals from OPEN PLAY, 2nd behind City.

It’s contradictions galore but we are heading north.

We are by a long stretch the best team in the shot to goal conversion ratio (at 19.6%) yet our 19 goals have been scored by 11 different players (1 own goal). Against Leicester don’t rule out a Bellerin goal or Torreira’s or even the keeper’s. Emery has them all pumped up.

If games had ended at 45 minutes we would have been at 7pts only. That’s relegation waters. At final whistles we are at 18pts challenging for the title! Even the Maputo Express (Maria de Lurdes Mutola) never used to finish her 800 meter race with as much burst of speed (wow …. the way she used to eat up space and opponents in that final stretch like an Emery Express).

At 1st half we’ve scored 5 goals and conceded 6 compared to the 2nd half during which we have scored 14 goals and conceded 4 only. Negative territory in one, bulls in the other. Where are we?

Is there a dichotomy in Emeryball or is it existing as a veiled strategy? I can’t rule out the latter because nine wins in a row has bounced beyond the bounds of fluke. That is why am leaning on the side that Leicester would come and go empty handed, leaving us with a perfect 10. Except that this is football but heavens forbid.

Leicester is no longer the Ranieri-Leicester who conquered the Premier league by simply holding the fort with a conservative 4:4:2 formation and catching teams unaware with over the top balls for the speedy and unerring Vardy. That team was found out by the following season. Currently they are 7th on the possession table, yes 7th but with the best counter attacking stats with 4 goals which says they now mix things up and have become more subtle, like a wolf in a sheep’s clothing. Add to that the fact of their terrific spine of the brilliant Schmeichel (keeper), the excellent Maguire (CD), the combactive Ndidi (DM) and the terror Vardy who’s banged in so many goals against us and it’s clear we have a battle in our hands. Emery, though, has all their details and I dare not begin to guess what Fabian tactics he would come up with, this time.

I expect our back seven to be the same that played against Fulham. Lacazette appears the only certain call in our front four. Some big shots just have to be on the bench, mark you, as elite troops to be sent into battle after the area has been thoroughly bombarded, borrowing from TA’s insightful analysis of Emery’s tactics.

Expected line up:-

————–Leno————–

Bellerin. Mustafi. Holding. Monreal.

——-Torreira—–Xhaka———-

–Mkhitaryan–Ozil—-Iwobi—

————Lacazette———-

Bench: Martinez, Lichsteiner, Sokratis, Guendouzi, Ramsey, Welbeck, Aubamayang.

There is the main plot of the premier league battle. There is the sub plot of 10 wins in a row. At the moment the sub plot is my bigger fancy. It’s so full of promises. It can stretch on and on and on but here we think OGAAT.

Against Leicester it’s “Operation Ten-Ten” and nothing more.

COYRG!!!

By PE.

Unai Emery isn’t looking back.  The coach says we must improve. I’d agree.  While the results (since those pesky early losses) have been impeccable, they only look easy in retrospect.  And, easy is just how it is when it comes to taking those points for granted.

Leicester City?  Are they the formidable champions from just a couple of seasons ago or are they the club that has found themselves fighting against relegation in the seasons since?  

We shall see.  In the meantime, while we wait for our match, what might be gleaned from thinking about and maybe watching some of the other football?  

Moo-United travel back to the club he haunted (perhaps) more happily.  By dint of winning the early–and extremely up and down–match against Arsenal, Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea team sit tied atop the Premier League and can heap more misery on Mourinho. From an Arsenal perspective, we probably want United to take at least a point at Stamford Bridge; Joe-Say might want the quick exit, but the longer things fester on the red side of Manchester, most likely, the better.

In the 3 o’clock matches are a few derbies.  Bournemouth currently sit sixth in the table and host their South Coast rivals Southampton.  Meanwhile, Spurs play West Ham at the Olympic Stadium, while Burnley must travel to town to play at Manchester City.  The game I’m interested in, however, is Watford venturing to the Black Country to play at Wolverhampton. Both teams are solidly in the middle of the table and feature as much in the way of continental (mostly Spanish and Portuguese) talent as perhaps we’ve got in any of the weekend’s matches.  

Huddersfield Town host Liverpool in the late game.  You could call that one a Greater Manchester derby too, and, while no game is easy, we’re talking about a club that clawed its way into the Premiership through the playoffs and somehow stayed up against one of England’s biggest and most in-form clubs.  

(Sunday, supposedly, we’re supposed to suffice with Everton-Crystal Palace.  Seriously? Everton are in the mid-table morass while CP are only in the single-digits-won grouping below.  There could be some strategic/tactical interest in how their managers approach the match, I guess…)

Fulham came up by way of the same route as Huddersfield yet Gooners have seized upon our most recent match, a 5-1 victory in their home stadium, as something of a stylistic turning point.  Finally Arsenal looked good–at times REALLY good–in beating the cottagers. Can we continue? Not just with the winning, but with a brand of football fans might really get behind? It’s getting deep into the autumn but we’d still like to keep on (or start truly) enjoying the fruits of Emery’s football.  Results first, of course, but some swashbuckling “getting our Arsenal back” football would also be lovely, no?  I’m feeling less greedy; really I’d just like to ground myself a bit further in what the new manager is after. 

As such, if I can rouse myself–and the espresso is working for me–I hope to watch the neutral football with an eye to how these teams are setting up and playing the game. Which teams are attacking? Who’s playing on the counter? Do ANY of these teams actually want the ball.  Are any trying to play the attacking football former manager Arsene Wenger espoused?  Is Emery’s approach different or is he (only) the latest in the growing(?) cohort of coaches who seek to strike before teams can set their defensive lines, often in the split seconds of transition when control of the ball switches from one team to the other? 

If Arsenal are part of a larger trend, is it one that favors park-the-bus teams?  (Certainly we’re not one of THOSE quite yet?…)  Maybe it was Leicester City defying the odds to win a PL title that really solidified this approach. Or was it Mourinho’s dour style in his Chelsea (Internazionale and Real Madrid) stints that set the groundwork?  Guardiola and Klopp, with their pressing from the front, are the new wave and those moments when they can force turnovers and recover the ball in their opponents’ half come regularly and with plenty of excitement.  Call it (Pep’s) Ronda-style or (Jurgen’s) Gengenpress or even (Emery’s) Protagonismo, but it all sounds about the same to me.  Unfortunately, I feel I must use the term “sounds” (instead of “looks”) because we haven’t really seen much of an Arsenal press-from-the-front as of yet.

But, what am I missing?  You tell me. I feel, after all the seasons of watching Wenger’s teams and knowing what he was after, that I’m almost emerging from a cocoon.  Certainly it was easy enough–in years past at least here in the Goonersphere–to dismiss folks with novel formation and tactical suggestions.  Not so now, but I’m just learning.  Are there (other) English teams you like to watch? What about on the continent? How has the game changed? Is anybody playing attacking, possession-based football (Wenger-ball?), and should they? Frankly, I miss it, but, on the other hand, I don’t mind the winning we’ve had (lately) at Arsenal.

Don’t be shy, tell me what I’m missing (and where to find it)…

Go on then…

(In the meantime, picture me–waiting for Monday night–like these old dudes…)

by 17highburyterrace

The match at Fulham was, if nothing else, encouraging.

It’s hard not to feel like this was the type of occasion Arsenal might squander. After a good period of momentum heading into the international break it almost seemed inevitable. This is less a dig at Wenger and more the mentality on display in the past few seasons. Whether this string of results is due to Emery’s efforts in addressing this mentality or if we’re just enjoying a period of good fortune remains unclear. My guess is that it’s probably a bit of both.

Instead, our club extended its run to nine consecutive wins across three competitions, not only a testament to form but the manager’s ability to effectively balance results, morale, and injury. Alexandre Lacazette put in another man-of-the-match performance. Alex Iwobi came of age. Aaron Ramsey finished a sweeping move that will surely compete for goal of the season. And Torreira… f*cking Torreira. The team responded positively to conceding before the break. The football was tidy and purposeful; at times, nostalgic. For the first time this season, it felt like we were watching Unai Emery’s Arsenal.

This is not to say that fundamental issues don’t remain. There are serious questions about the club’s ability to build a title contending team with the error-prone Mustafi leading our back line. The increasingly familiar butt-clench that follows a Xhaka turnover somehow managed to escape us these past few outings, but I suspect they too will return. Coupled with a broken wage bill and a few uncertain futures, it will be interesting to see how Emery’s time at Arsenal plays out.

Still, there is no denying the attacking football that was on display last Sunday. In addition to feeling like the first glimpse of the new Arsenal, it was also the first time I (and likely thousands of other supporters) felt like we’d made tangible progress on our performance the week before. Perhaps most encouraging—and the initial inspiration for this piece—was how we set up on Sunday. I must admit that I was completely oblivious to this change in formation during the match and it wasn’t until my second viewing that I started to form an idea of why everything seemed to be going so smoothly.

The debate over the importance of formation at the highest level is valid. Thanks to the fluid nature of football, at any given moment it is not unusual to find a center back occupying the space of a forward or a midfielder dropping deep to cover for their outside back. The debate over the importance of tactics is not. As I touched on earlier, it is still too early to draw any real conclusions about Emery’s managerial prowess and it will likely be an entire season or two until we can. But, if we can take anything from these first few months of life under Emery, it is that he approaches the game in a fundamentally different manner than his predecessor. It would not surprise me in the slightest if we’ve already produced more goal-line cut-backs in the last three months than in the entirety of the 2017/18 campaign. Hyperbole aside, Emery clearly has an idea of how he wants this team to play and continuing in a 4-4-2 is the right step in getting the most out of both the system and the players.

Well, sort of. I don’t actually believe that we set up in a 4-4-2. I think that a 4-2-2-2 variant might be a more appropriate assessment. We don’t possess the natural wingers. We do, however, have an abundance of wide attacking midfielders and a couple of fullbacks that love to eat up space. Iwobi and Mkhitaryan were brilliant on the day, the latter quietly so. As we built from the back, our “mid-wingers” often tucked in to create space for the fullbacks which created multiple chances and eventually our first goal. These narrow positions also served to tighten things up defensively and relieve pressure on our back-six.  On a side note— how good is Seri? He had a relatively quiet game by his standards, but I certainly wouldn’t mind some of his technique and calmness on the ball in our midfield.

If you revisit the first half at Craven Cottage you will find some beautiful partnerships forming. The pairing of Torreira and Xhaka at the base of midfield allowed our attacking unit the confidence to get numbers forward with great effect. The understanding shared by two incredibly intelligent footballers in Mkhitaryan and Lacazette is a real treat. I wouldn’t say these partnerships or understandings can necessarily be attributed to the formation, but it’s hard to argue against the idea that every single player in that starting eleven lined up in their preferred position. What’s more, the game was effectively won before we even had a chance to observe the 4-4-2’s greatest offering— surely the biggest advantage to this formation is that it allows for the duo of our combined £100m men. Pushing Aubameyang wide hasn’t been entirely ineffective but it simply wasn’t the role he was brought in to play. Pair him with his pal Lacazette, let the bromance blossom, and allow our new strike-force a chance at greatness.

Again, this is all very encouraging. In my opinion? We aint seen nothin’ yet.

A few questions to consider during the lull…

1. Is the 4-4-2 (or 4-2-2-2) here to stay? Or will Emery’s tactical flexibility keep us wanting?
2. Where do we start reintegrating Ainsley Maintland-Niles?
3. How does 350,000-pound-per-week man Mesut Ozil fit in to all of this?

by Frozen

WWWWWWWWW: Fulham v Arsenal 1-5 – our ninth win in a row.

Well that was some second half of football at Craven Cottage. Our boys worked their socks off and then in the end they got very generously rewarded: five top-draw goals to the good guys.

Eight observations from an uplifting – We Have Our Arsenal Back! – game:

1. Nine wins in a row is a surprise to me. We rode our luck at times but every team needs a dollop of luck in almost every game to win it. I don’t think we are there yet and are very likely to have some bad results coming up sooner or later, but there are some structural elements to give us hope for a more sustained run of victories. Some of these will be discussed below. What I really like is how Emery seems to focus on the latter part of the game; if you think about it makes sense. Every game takes 90 minutes at least, and if you’d involve your strongest weapons in the last thirty minutes or so, you are more likely to get the goals to win the match. Why start with the strongest team if you can finish with your strongest team when the opponent’s defensive legs are heavy and holes appear everywhere?
2. Yes why not start with your hardest workers and  runners to weaken the walls of the castle and knacker your opponents out, for then to bring on the heavy weapons – the Aubas, Ozils, Rambos, Mkhis – to benefit from all that hard work done by the likes of Welbeck, Iwobi, Laca, Bellerin and Nachos? It is too early to call this a trend but I reckon Emery could well be doing this on purpose and a vast majority of our goals have been scored in the second half this season… at the business end. Soon it will be seen as an honour to start on the bench and come on in the second half to finish opponents off.
3. The other thing that Emery is doing definitely on purpose is to open us up and make us seemingly vulnerable. He is saying to the opponent: look we are playing it out from the back, don’t you want come and get the ball of us? The start of Arsenal games are not for the blood-pressure sufferers, that’s for sure. We play the sort of football Manure used to play under RedNose: absorb pressure and pounce on the counter or rebound. Rather than controlling the game in the opponents’ half, suffocating them by passing the ball round seemingly forever and until a crack is found in the wall, we invite pressure in our own half and with that create space in the opponents’ half. Every opponent until now has fallen for it, and although we still need to play the ball out of the back with more conviction – Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding and Nacho all had some Halloween passes on Sunday – it is working a treat for us. Every game we are doing the rebounds and counterattacks better and better and Fulham will not be the last team to get five past them this season, I reckon.
4. Absolutely key is the magic partnership between Torreira and Xhaka. They formed a wall in front of the defence and hardly anything got through them. And for the last few season we haven’t had such protection for our CBs. But these guys also can turn defence into attack in no time: Xhaka with his crisp passing and Torreira with his bursts forward and he is a good passer of the ball too. What they both have in common is tidiness and organisational skills. They anticipate danger and deal with it. They also like defending and yet they love to be starters of attacks too. Xhaka had to work hard against Fulham and his attacking contributions were relatively limited, but Torreira was everywhere and truly knackered at the end. We need a like for like replacement on the bench and hopefully Maitland-Niles will be back soon.
5. Lacazette, what can I say? Love that guy. How many times did he break up an attack of the opponent in our own half? Yes the goals had venom and precision but even more to like were his work rate, all over the pitch involvement and passing ability. Credit should also go to hard runner, Welbeck. He had the assist for Laca’s second and never stopped giving the Cottagers’ defenders something to worry about and act on. He is nowhere near as clinical as Laca and Auba but still an important squad player, and he is staying fit at the moment which is a real bonus for him and us.
6. Holding and Mustafi, with Sokratis eagerly waiting on the bench, fought for their starting places on Sunday. Mustafi was calmer, less of a chancer, and as a result made less mistakes. Holding is by nature calm and more composed and together they were well matched v Fulham. I worried about this combination at the back but they did very well in the end. The full backs were also effective on Sunday: Bells and Nacho both had an assist and these were mirror-images of each other. They played the ball into the available attacker with speed, Auba and Laca, then they controlled the ball, turned around their axis and banged it in the right-bottom corner of the keeper. Is this straight from the training ground? Four goals were scored in that corner which makes me also wonder whether Emery and his team of coaches had identified that area as a weakness of the Fulham goalie…
7. How important is Iwobi at the moment? He had a rusty first ten minutes but after that he did not stop with his penetrating runs and crisp forward passing. He is so effective now: the most improved player under Emery?!
8. The final observation goes to THAT team goal, wonderfully finished off with a Bergkampesque heel-pullback by Aaron. Seventeenho was right when he said the best moment of quality was Mkhi’s razor-sharp pre-assist pass to Auba. But Rambo’s drive to connect with defence and then be the link in that attack all over the pitch deserves the highest praise: he started it, continued it and finished it off in style.

By TotalArsenal.

Midfield?

Earth to Emery?  What (exactly) are you thinking here?

 

Here are the line-ups:

 

I don’t mean to doubt the methods of the manager who keeps Arsenal winning matches.  It’s eight in a row in all competitions, with our most recent three coming with clean sheets to boot.  Still, most Gooners have been able to bask in the glow of the results and have lamented the scary manner in which they’ve been achieved.  Doubts exist over some individual players, notably a pair who were rested for the midweek trip to Azerbaijan (Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka) AND whether it’s wise to combine attacking midfielders Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey.  With the former (supposedly) out with a back problem, it would seem a natural start for the latter.  If contract issues and working towards “life without Ramsey” is the goal why not give his bench seat to Emile Smith Rowe?  Ramsey’s wife is expecting twins.  Could AR get up from his bench seat to help, if matters progress?  The other combo that isn’t quite firing is Aubameyang and Lacazette.  PEA from a wide position seems a sacrifice.  Is he (or Emery) sick of seeing him play there or is Aubameyang (as rumored) just plain ill?

Ah well, it’s a great opportunity to see what we’ve got with the 11 who get to go.  Please join me in the comments as I try to describe the action.

Go on then…

by 17highburyterrace

FULHAM V ARSENAL:- EMERY PLOTS FOR THE NINTH STRAIGHT WIN.

It is now eight wins on the spin all competitions. It’s beginning to look like there is a method to the ugliness. Substance over form. That would be a sea change from the Arsenal we’ve known. I still very much doubt that’s Emery. He looks a man of grit alright but also a man of style.

Fulham is a team of style, full of beautiful triangles but they have shipped in 16 goals in the league, joint last with Huddersfield and Cardiff. We know that Emery already knows everything about them and his head would be buzzing with a very offensive plan.

Thursday/Sunday matches are a strain but Emery is showing a lot of experience in getting the squad round it. Amongst those who completed 90 minutes of action on Thursday only one of the two of Sokratis and Holding is likely to start. That means we would have a fresh enough team to face Fulham, hoping though the 6 hours flight back from Azerbaijan on Thursday night did not take a toll on the players.

Mkhi should he expected to start otherwise it would be the third straight match without action for him. Am also expecting Emery to start Ramsey and Auba who where left at home for the Azerbaijan trip. That would leave only one more player to select for the front four from amongst those who saw some action on Thursday. There would be some big ones on the bench. That shouldn’t be much of a headache to Emery who obviously believes in the use of super subs as an important part of his game plan. My guess is that Ozil and Iwobi would be amongst those on the bench.

Expected line up:-

Bench:- Martinez, Lichsteiner, Holding, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Ozil, Iwobi.

The Arsenaldom would always ask for some more: a ninth straight win and another clean sheet. That would make the inter-lull – 15 days!! – that follows a lot more bearable.

COYRG!!!

By PE.

Qarabag 0 – 3 The Mighty Arsenal – 8th win in a row!

Difficult for me to give a balanced view of the game as my granddaughter was demanding my constant attention, but from the bits that I saw, I thought that we defended quite well, getting in some crucial challenges at dangerous moments.
Quarabag were a tricky side, who loved a shirt tug and a bit of simulation but they aren’t totally without some skill and will give Sporting a tough time when the Portuguese visit Azerbaijan.

Holding made some impressive interceptions, his understanding with Sokratis is developing nicely. I like Lichtsteiner, he’s a bit of a bastard and that’s good, but he needs to play more at his age to improve his level and as that’s unlikely he’s always going to look laboured at times.

You can see how regular football has benefitted Holding. Kolasinac is a bit of a worry to me, he’s great going forward but as a defender I’m just not sure, but we need him so it is what it is.

Leno was great for me, if he made any mistakes, I must have missed them as I was having a wrestling match with my granddaughter, what I saw of him was encouraging, not least his competence with the ball at his feet and how relaxed our defenders were in those situations with him starting things off.

Great to see Emery experiment with a back three, I’m not sure it worked but credit to him for being flexible. Monreal did ok, but I prefer him at left back now, I hope he’ll be ok for Fulham this weekend?

Elneny and Guendouzi had a mixed bag of an evening, both doing some great things and not so great things; delighted to see Guendouzi score and didn’t he tuck it away with panache, right in the corner of the net, very impressive finishing.

Alex Iwobi is in danger of developing into a player who Emery cannot omit from the side, another swashbuckling performance from our Nigerian Cockney, all he needs is a few goals to ice the cake.

Emile S Rowe impressed again, becoming our 2nd youngest ever goalscorer in european competition and didn’t he finish it well after good work by that proper geezer Iwobi.

Oh Danny boy, why oh why couldn’t you just stroke home that late chance, after a grafting 90 minutes it would have been what you deserved, but you had your rugby boots on tonight – shame.

Nice cameo from Lacazette, setting up Guendouzi and using his expertise in taking the sting out of the game late on. Torrieira was steady and brought a modicum of security to a midfield that was a bit too open for me at times, but this is the Arsenal of today, never a dull moment.

By Allezkev

Qarabag v Arsenal

No Ramsey, no Mkhi, no Auba – they were all left in London. But we know by now that Emery takes the UEFA League v serious so expect a strong team to play.

Here is my predicted starting 11:

Remember it is an early kick-off (17.55), so get home soon or throw a sickie.

COYRRGs!

By TotalArsenal.

 

For us British-based Gooners a 3pm kick-off means either being at the game, listen to the radio or try and find a dodgy stream; there is no showing on Sky or BT Sports. Luckily, Arsenal.com showed the full game this morning and, with the score-line already known and having listened carefully to the radio coverage, it gave me a good opportunity to look at the way the team was set up and eventually won the game.

Eight observations from a pulsating game of near-cup-final football:

1. Yes the tempo was high and both teams played to win. The Hornets had nothing to lose and were clearly full of confidence, and they took the game to us as much as we took the game to them. This made for a good game of football with a great battle in midfield. Watford are a tall and physical team with plenty of technical ability, and our players – in defence, midfield and attack – were made to work hard for the entire game. What pleased me most is that we kept matching the Hornets for energy till the end and then made the difference in the last ten minutes. The first goal required bad-luck from the opposition but the second one was a razor-sharp punishment of a slackening in midfield. The players are fit (only Torreira looked done in at the end) and know that they need to keep going till the end, and because of this we won the game.
2. What also really pleased was the strength of the spine of the team: Cech/Leno – Holding – Torreira/Xhaka – Mesut – Lacazette held the team together and won most of the battles with their Watford counterparts. For me this is likely to be the Spine for the season, with Sokratis and Holding becoming the preferred pairing in defence.
3. Mustafi is a bit of a chancer who relies heavily on his high energy levels and over-my-dead-body attitude; this has to compensate for both his lack of reading of the game and physicality. He relies a lot on fellow defenders compensating for his occasional errors, but he also covers for them a lot when in good form. Mustafi gave away more than once an unnecessary free-kick and was skinned in defence a few times too. With Holding looking solid and Sokratis returning soon, our German whippersnapper may well end up on the bench for a while.
4. Cech’s injury was Leno’s opportunity to announce himself, and the German took it very well. This was not an easy game to come into. The Hornets had real presence in the box and the sun was constantly low and in Leno’s face, but he stood his ground well and made some vital saves to eventually win the game. Petr had already been important and Leno just took over from the Cech from the moment he stood between the poles. I loved the way he read the danger, made himself big and imposed himself on the attackers – he did not hide once.
5. Ramsey was clearly affected by the contract withdrawal announcement. He did his best to get into the game but nothing worked for him. It was Ozil who came to get the ball of Xhaka-Torreira time and again and start attacks from midfield. Why was Aaron not doing this? He looked lost and often more in the way than anything else. Emery will have to decide whether to continue playing both Ozil and Rambo from the start, but on yesterday’s evidence, it is not looking good for the Welshman.
6. Iwobi made the difference as soon as he came on for Ramsey. It gave the team much more balance: Iwobi is used as a winger who can stretch AND penetrate a defence with the ball. This allows Mesut to be the natural nr10 and it also creates more space for our main attackers, Auba and Laca. Iwobi’s wing-play gave us extra energy and it was from his cross into the box that we got in-front fortuitously. It was a difficult cross both for attackers and defenders: Laca failed to make contact and the defender made the wrong contact, and it was 1-0 to the Arsenal.
7. The second goal was a beauty. Welbeck won the ball with an aggressive tackle and Iwobi and Laca combined superfast to free-up the hard-working Frenchman, who then showed Iwobi how a ball needs to be delivered into the box for an attacker: beautifully weighted and never leaving the grass. Mesut, who worked his socks-off all game and was involved in almost all of our attacking play, was there to convert the perfect pass with a snooker-precise left-foot shot between keeper and goal-post. 2-0 to the Arse and game over. As hard and present Mesut and Laca – both my MOTM – were, Auba had a difficult game. He struggled to get into game and fluffed a few chances that came his way. We need him on the pitch for the extra goal threat (and goals) but Emery has to work with him to make him more part of the team.
8. Xhaka-Torreira looked solid and composed, and they had their work cut out yesterday against strong midfield opposition. Torreira is the more natural defender and his reading of the game – as in feeling where the danger will be next – is very impressive. Xhaka is good at moving the ball forward and finding the free man with his precision passes. Both have plenty of physicality and I just feel that the longer they play together the stronger a duo they will become. For the first time in a long time I felt the defenders were well-shielded in the middle, and long may it continue.

By TotalArsenal.