Tag: premier league

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.

Hello BKers. Hope you are having a great summer. Bergkampesque.com is back in business and thank you for your patience and support.

So the summer shopping spree is (almost) over, and what a fine collection of players have been purchased! It looks like it’s over, but there could still be one more addition.

The defence and GK depth is very impressive with just a little money spent.

Midfield looks awesome with two very good additions.

Attack has been strengthened significantly with Madueke and Gyokeres. Kai is also back and Jesus might be not far off either.

In order to progress once more this coming season, I reckon we need to see improvements in the following five areas/aspects of our game:

1. More goals. Enough said about that already and Gyo is our man.
2. Hold on to leading positions much better. The team go sloppy after working hard to get in front. There was a lack of focus after getting in the lead, last season. The boys entered a nomansland time and again, and boy did we drop a lot of points as a result of this. For me this is a maturity thing, and Mikel and Martin need to lead hard on changing attitudes.
3. We need more unity/machine in midfield. Odegaard, Rice and Partey all played well individually, but I missed the cohesion of a good working midfield last season; the sum was not more than its parts. Zubimendi is a great addition and I think he will link midfield better than Thomas did. This is also a big, big season for Declan and Martin. Rice will have to become more of a box to box midfielder, not only supporting defence well (which he masters) but also become a more consistent goal/assists contributor. Merino is a great alternative in Rice’s position, and together they should give us a lot in the coming season.
4. The attacking midfield position is also pivotal in the coming season. We need more from Martin, and he knows this. We need more bite and venom from his shots from in and outside the box, and we need more assists. It looks like Nwaneri will be his backup, but that is a big position to fill. If we are to add one more player, I would expect it to be competition for Martin. Or, with Gyo in attack, will Kai get more games in the nr10 position? Whatever happens, this will be a key area for Mikel to get right.
5. The left side of our attack needs re-energizing. Martinelli and Trossard are okay and great squad players – one of them could be our supersub this season (a much underrated function) – but we need somebody there who clicks with Declan and equals Saka’s thrust and outputs on our right. Is Madueke the answer? I like him a lot and he will help to push the only still 24 year old Martinelli all the way. But Madueke is likely to be mainly cover for Bukayo, and Mikel might still get a more specialised, established left winger in the coming weeks. Gyokeres likes to drift to the left in attack, and getting a left winger who clicks with the Swede will be vital. If we can get the right man then there is nothing really stopping us to be a very competitive team this season.

SO, it’s looking good and fingers crossed for a beast of a left winger to still join us.

By TotalArsenal.

Bukayo is back and ready to rock & roll. Ethan and Martinelli are chomping at the bit after a long interlull, Merino just keeps scoring for club and country, and Miles creates smiles everywhere. OOh to Be.

Martin bagged four assists in two games and Declan got two. OOh to Be a Gooner.

Form is everything at the business end of the season, and it looks like our boys are just peaking at the right time. We will still be missing our established CFs, Kai and Jesus, but the return of Super-Saka after a long period of absence is the tonic the boys needed.

We got used to playing with a double DM pivot of whom one can roam forward, but what if Arteta went wild and played Declan or Partey in front of the back four and allowed Miles or Jurrien to support them when appropriate? This would allow us to play Martin AND Ethan in front of an all moving and penetrating attacking trio:

——–Raya———–

Timb-Tequila-Gab-Miles

(Timb)-Declan-(Miles)

—Ethan—Martin—

Saka-Merino-Martinelli

Now, I would not start like this v Real Madrid, even though it would be something to behold, but, at some point in the game, it may be just what we need to surprise and overcome the Spanish giants. We certainly need to up the creative drive from the middle as Odegaard cannot do it on his own. Saka will help with this of course, and having back the triangle of Timb/White-Ode-Saka on our right will give Arsenal a huge uplift. Almost the same goes for playing Miles-Declan-Marti on the left. But that extra bit of creativity and push from attacking midfield may well be needed to really end the season on a high. Martin seems to need it, and I think Ethan Nwaneri is just too good to leave out. Together they will add a lot of thrust, unpredictability and chance-creation/goals to the team.

What do you think? Too attacking/ leaving us vulnerable through the middle/at the back? Or just what Arsenal need to add some drive and deadliness to our attack?

By TotalArsenal (inspired by PB’s comments)

PSV 1 – 7 NO CFs Arsenal

There are many good reasons to love the beautiful game, and it is especially its ability to spring a surprise that makes it such an endearing sport. Let’s face it, we all would have taken a 1-0 to the Arsenal, or even a draw from last night’s encounter with the Dutch champions. With no CFs available and no goals against the Hammers and the Tricky Trees in recent CL encounters, who would have thought Arsenal would hit the net nine times of which seven were deemed legitimate? I really think we are on to something special with Arteta and Arsenal, but it is all about evolution and we may not see the full potential for another couple of years (or more). Every season, the team grows stronger and what is so typical of this season is that Arsenal are now capable of big results such as the 5-1 v Man City and now the 1-7 v PSV. The PL title has Pool’s name on it, as they are as good as Arsenal and have just been much more lucky than us. I can live with that. The CL is a hard competition to win, but Arsenal are thriving in it and the European teams seem to suit our style of play really well. With the likes of Saka and Martinelli to return sooner or later, Arsenal may well spring a surprise and overcome one of the Madrid giants in the next round.

Eight Observations:

1. Facing Arsenal cannot be easy for opponents. Who to focus on in terms of goal threat? With six different scorers, more than half the team, Arsenal must have been so hard to read for the PSV defence. I love this! Everyone has a responsibility to assist and to score (and to defend); it’s what total football is all about. Our full backs epitomise this. They are such athletes and have an incredible skillset. MLS produced a peach of an assist, Timber rose higher than Haaland to score the opener, and Calafiori scored a beautiful diagonal across the keeper. PSV were utterly bamboozled by the omnipresent goal-threat of the mighty Arsenal.
2. Arsenal have their jet-engines back! Rice and Odegaard were the big difference between Arsenal and PSV. The Eindhovenaren have very decent midfielders at their disposal; they certainly made the difference v Juventus in the epic games they played against them. But it was boys against men last night, with Partey and Rice dominating the base of midfield and Rice and Odegaard also bossing the area in front of PSV’s ‘D-area’. Partey is having a great season but, as per previous post, if Declan and Martin can keep their newly found mojo going we are in for a treat. If you want to know the difference between the Premier League and Eredivisie, it’s all about intensity and time on the ball. Arsenal’s intensity and tempo were insane and Rice and Odegaard were just too much for sorry PSV.
3. Ethan! The embodiment of elegant deadliness. Pundits don’t dare to say it out loud, but yes there is something Messy-esque about his style and ability. Can you believe that Arsenal have both Saka and Nwaneri in their team and they both come from our own Academy?! Ooh to BE.
4. Merino is such a good buy. The sort of player who can play everywhere and will do his utmost to shine. He has taken on the Kai-role with real verve and now has three goals in four games. But it’s his ability to be everywhere and influence play that I like especially about him.
5. The full-backs Timber and MLS did not impress me with their defensive tasks last night. Miles cannot make such full-on tackles when already on a yellow card (against one of the UEFA darlings he would have been sent off for it), and Justin made it far too easy for opponents to cross into the box – this was the only weakness in our defence. I will need to watch the game again to see whether Ethan and also Partey and Saliba could have helped him more, but it was too easy for PSV to attack us at the right side of our defence.
6. Combine the qualities of an elephant and a giraffe and you will get the CB-duo of Saliba-Gabriel: defensive powerhouses.
7. I was especially pleased with the second half performance. It would have been natural to sit back after Arsenal scored the fifth goal but the boys remained ravenous for 90+ minutes. Arteta and the players deserve all the credits for this.
8. My final observation goes to our Belgian winger. Boy did he work his socks off yesterday and what an allround quality performance we got from Trossard. That was one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt.

By TotalArsenal.