This is the final installment of my match notes on the 2020/21 season and I have to admit, I’m glad it’s over! Writing these up for you all is a lot of work for very little analysis. I have some observations from these notes which I will publish in tomorrow’s installment and these notes were valuable to me because they reminded me of a number of things from the early season which I had forgotten about.
I hope that this series has been illustrative to you as well. If for no other reason than to show you how much work it is to put this blog together but also just to show you how my thought process works when I’m taking notes and preparing the post-match write-ups. Hey, if you want to buy me a cup of coffee I’d gladly accept that and you can do so on my PayPal. The blog is a labor of love but free coffee never hurts!
Back to the post at hand: this section includes some of the most difficult and important matches of the season for Arsenal. Let’s get started.
Arsenal 0-3 Liverpool
- 1st 10 minutes: difficult to find space, no time on the ball, also tough to pick out teammates with a pass but we have at least also limited Liverpool’s options as well
- Ødegaard not even getting on the ball
- Ceballos sloppiest of the MFers
- More sloppy passing by Arsenal, which is actually just Liverpool’s defense
- 2 chances: Pepe header after Auba played him in and Milner chance after Ceballos turnover
- (notes end)
I stopped taking notes because it was depressing. Arsenal were completely dominated in this game by Liverpool – tactically, physically, and mentally – and by the time Salah scored the second goal they had capitulated completely.
Playing Cedric at left back and Ceballos in midfield was enlightening because they are nowhere near the level we need to progress this team.
Arsenal 1-1 Slavia Prague
- Xhaka stars the game with 2 fouls in 4 minutes
- Their GK is nervous! Press him!
- They aren’t pressing us
- They get a chance when Willian and Soares leave a huge space. Big switch and cross.
- Arsenal pressing high, Holding gets a steal, poor cross
- Saka big miss, but it was probably offside
- They’ve had a few shots but not much danger
- 2nd time Arsenal get a counter but it dies because there’s no one forward
- Saka wins a free kick
- Saka good cross
- Another poor/mediocre 1st half
- Slavia pressing us high, change of pace from the first half
- Willian pretty good FK
- They counter, getting some joy against us with this counter and high press scheme
- Save by Leno
- They still hitting us on counters
- When is Auba coming on, Mikel?
- Lacazette terrible miss – slow, ponderous, poor
- Martinelli on for willian – Auba still on the bench (we would learn later that he had Malaria)
- They nearly score, 2 decent chances
- Arteta makes a ton of changes Auba comes on, Pepe on – Partey off for Elneny
- Auba nearly scores with his 1st touch
- Pepe scores! Counter from Arsenal, pass from Aubameyang (falling over) who looks a bit off
- Holes scores… they just beat our defense to earn a corner and followed that up with a sloppy goal conceded off the final corner of the game
Sheffield United 0-3 Arsenal
- Xhaka LB
- Wild start – Sheff U pressing, Arsenal struggling
- McGoldrick shot wide; Saka shot wide. 2nd minute
- Arsenal going very direct, Saka making runs and others seeking him out
- Great little buildup play;
- Laca with a shitty wide pass to Saka
- Saka finds Dani
- Dani backheels to laca
- Laca drills one to Martinelli
- his shot hits the side net
- Thomas playing single pivot, interesting, I think this is the way forward
- Very Wengerball goal – lots of one touch in the D, Laca cool finish, Ceballos assist
- (notes stop)
Slavia Prague 0-4 Arsenal
- Xhaka LB-ish
- Slavia have a plan to spin guys in behind us they have done it twice now
- Another moment – spinning guys in behind us. They have worked on this
- Arsenal score (Smith Rowe) but it’s offside, decent attack
- Pepe gets it again but offside again
- Nutmeg assist for Smith Rowe, Pepe strong to hold off the defender (he’s done that three times this season)
- Saka earns a pen, Laca scores, easy
- HAHA! replay shows Pepe complaining that the ref blew the whistle, he wanted advantage!
- Saka 3rd goal – short-sided the keeper from outside the box – keeper shame
- Keeper beaten too easily again
Arsenal 1-1 Fulham
- Arsenal two chances in first 6 minutes – Martinelli wide, asst Lacazette; Martinelli poor shot, Smith Rowe patented drag back
- Elneny stops Arsenal’s progress with an instinctive backpass – no pressure on him, players open and asking for the ball in front of him, teammates frustrated
- Oh cool, Arsenal have just two shots in the first half so far
- Josh Maja shot blocked
- Ceballos goal, extremely close offside (Saka toe)
- 2nd half
- Barely touched Xhaka does one of those 100 roll dives
- Gabriel concedes a pen (dangled his leg, almost no contact)
- Bellerin header
- Lacazette hammy
- pepe header
- martinelli chance (ha! I think I was getting bored)
- Martinelli has a good shot saved in the 90th minute
- Panic corner
- Ryan header (the keeper?)
- Ceballos shot
- Nketiah poach!
- I feel like “three shots in the first half” was a big part of the problem in this game
Arsenal 0-1 Everton
- Protests – 1st post-super league home game for Arsenal – many great pictures of protestors with flares and whatnot
- Partey always looking up
- Pepe letting guys just run past him
- (notes end)
Can’t remember why I gave up notes on this match, we only generated 0.9 xG in the 90 minutes so maybe I just gave up?
Villareal 2-1 Arsenal
- THEY ARE PLAYING IT OUT THE BACK! Come on Mikel, press them high.
- I warned about controlling the half-spaces in my match preview, we didn’t control the half-spaces and they scored
- And now they are pressing us – this ends badly
- Saka credited for a shot cum cross
- 30′ and Auba Willian and Cedric warming up
- Albiol free at the far post (Partey left him) easy goal
- Saka wins a pen – Pepe scores
- It’s like watching two Arsenal teams play each other
Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal
No notes but I watched the highlights: Elneny scored – ohhh.. that Aubameyang flying goal! He’s just back from Malaria! Schaar red card for tackle on Martinelli – That’s Mike Dean giving a red card to an Arsenal opponent.
Arsenal 0-0 Villareal
- Saka injured in warmup? (no he starts)
- No Xhaka
- Emery starts Coquelin, signaling the intent from the outset (defend deep)
- Arsenal slow start
- Save Leno, looks better than it is (low % shot by Chuckweizi)
- Light press with combination of cutting off passing lanes
- Bellerin turning the ball over
- Smith Rowe nice run from deep – killed by a bad pass
- Arsenal struggling to string passes together both fullbacks loose passing (Tierney and Bellerin)
- Partey not finding any space
- Pepe collecting the ball but not running at people, weird
- Saka collects, makes a run and earns a corner!
- Arsenal wide players seem to be told to stop and wait for team to catch up. it’s odd how few times they overlap or try to make runs behind
- ball bumbling around in the Villareal box and Auba hits the post with his shot
- 2nd shot for Arsenal: Smith Rowe to Auba
- Poor first half from Arsenal – atrocious really considering what’s on the line here. I almost want to turn it off
- 2nd half
- right away we are attacking, overlapping, getting players behind the defense
- Smith Rowe great chance, misses just wide
- Lucky escape – Villareal strip Partey and the shot is just tame
- throughball to a cross
- Aubameyang gets a header and Arteta takes him off
- Flurry of activity for Arsenal but nothing
- Villareal the ones attacking, just lack quality, this is devastating from Arteta – just an unbelievable tactical approach to a game of this import
At that point I stopped taking match notes. I skipped West Brom, Chelsea, and Crystal Palace but jumped back in for the final game of the season…
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
- Last match of the season
- Bissouma more like BOSSOUMA (not really)
- Partey and Xhaka shots
- Wasted Chance: Smith Rowe released, MØ shoots into space, Auba was open
- A bit more lively in attack
- Tierney did so well to block a cross on a counter
- Partey shooting better
- Home fans quiet, on their phones, nature is healing
- Bossouma tackle on Pepe
- Auba getting forward, nice cross from Tierney
- Looks like Brighton know our patterns of play and our best moments have come from chaos
- Gabriel headers off the bar
- Pepe good finish, right foot
- Arteta warned by Moss
- Moss denies a pen
- Pepe brace, this time his left foot
- Partey shot!
- Frustration that we don’t play this way all the time
Tim, thanks so much for that series. Excellent, detailed stuff. It’s a HUGE effort, and I for one appreciate it.
Upon review and totally with hindsight, the notes change your mind about anything or anyone?
ESR came up a lot, mostly positively. As did Saka. Our eyes didnt lie — Pepe started using his right foot more, and to good effect.
That Elneny back pass with plenty of forward options is a standout memory from last season. Glaring. It sums up the guy, and the quality of our midfield. We have plenty of work to do there in the off-season.
On Bossouma (great nickname), I agree with Josh. We cant afford 3 potential midfield absentees (plus Auba) for the Africa Cup of Nations, a terribly timed tournament from the standpoint of the main European leagues.
I will give some thoughts about places I changed my mind in the last post (tomorrow).
…plus pepe.
Story of my life as a Gooner:
“Frustration that we don’t play this way all the time.”
These posts, observed through the lens of 7 am, and noted with 7 am style are the definitive overview of 2020/2021. I read each and every word and I thank you.
Rest stuff Tim. These reviews are awesome. Looking forward to the next installment. I have been following and commenting on an Arsenal blog since 2008 and I am so grateful there are people like Yogi’s Warrior and you who are willing to spend the time and effort to put together a blog like this. Doing it for no obvious gain to yourself is amazing to me. We gain so much from your time and efforts. Sports are a great diversion and giving us a place to interact with others who share our interest is a public service and a clearly a labor of love for you. I don’t have the writing skill or the energy to put together something like this several times a week. I would last about 2 posts before giving up and deciding to take my dogs for a walk or go love on my horses or relax in front of the TV. Keep doing what you are doing. Thanks again.
+1
“Frustration that we don’t play this way all the time”
I am sure there is not a manager in the history of football or any sport who has not thought the same thing.
We would play like that most games if we could play Brighton or West Brom every game. Its much harder against a good defense that is able to prevent you from playing the way you want. The other problem is there is not much a manager can do once the players step on the pitch if they are not executing the game plan the way he drew it up. Arsene’s was a very experienced manager and his teams were certainly more talented then the current group but think of all of the dozens or hundreds of times he was frustrated when his team played with the “handbrake on”.
There’s plenty of talent but football is a team sport and so much depends on fit: culture fit, scheme fit, age profile fit and so forth. Arsenal’s squad building has been chaotic, haphazard, disorganized and lacking a clear direction. That’s how we ended up with an island of misfit toys, and that’s the colossal mistake that the club is working hard to rectify. One of the first things Arteta said when he was hired was how he admired how Liverpool bought players to suit specific roles they had nvisioned for them within Klopp’s preferred style of play. He has a clear vision of how he wants to play and is now trying to fill those gaps in the same way. But importantly, He’s not trying to build another Liverpool, he is trying to build his Arsenal.
A signing like Ben White is about fit first and pure talent second. Sure, he has plenty of talent. But Arteta wants him because of his quickness so he can protect us from counters as we push forward and for his ability to run the ball through the lines which makes us more press resistant. He’s also a culture fit and an age fit because of his work ethic and youth as we try to build a generation of players who can reach their full potential together instead of the mix of too young and too old that we’ve had recently. I could write the same paragraph about Maddison or Odegaard: two players tailor made for the CAM role in Arteta’s 4-2-3-1, in their early twenties and with a reputation as hard workers. That’s the process and it’s something I can believe in.
villareal v. arsenal: “it’s like watching two arsenal teams play each other.” classic!
For me, Odegaard was the special sauce that made it click to the extent that it did. Would be interesting to see a season split with and without him starting. Taking that one step further, when both he and ESR are on the pitch my guess is we look like a good attacking team by the numbers and by the eye test. Both players have a quickness of limb and thought and work hard without the ball.
That was one of the most entertaining 1-0 matches I’ve seen. Brilliant defending -and not just by Italy.
Wales were just as tenacious at 1 man down and GK Ward made some highlight reel stops.
Happy Father’s Day to everyone.
Doc. I think the real splits in our season that mattered were based on who we played and the quality of their defense. We looked like a great attacking team against Dundalk west Brom Sheffield United Brighton Newcastle etc etc. We didn’t look very good against many of the teams in the top 1/2 of the PL table or against Villarreal.
Countering that view? 3-1 wins vs Chelsea and Leicester. Then the 2-1 win vs Spurs. Arguably the best the team looked all season in attack (excepting maybe Leeds 4-2 and W Brom 4-0).
Against the other 5 traditional big six teams– Arsenal were 2-0-3 in the first 19 games (Wins vs ManU, Chelsea)– and 2-1-2 in the second 19 (Wins vs Chelsea, Spurs. Draw vs ManU).
Granted, dismal losses to Villa, Pool and City in the second half of the season– felt worse than just getting no points.
Bill, I think you have hit the nail on the head.
The first half of the season when we were dropping like a stone, we played a lot of the top half teams. It was not until the second half that we started to pay more weak teams, so in the last 10 games, the only teams that we payed that we above us were Liverpool and Everton, and we lost bot those games, and the rest were below us and we still did not win them all.
The second half of the season is a mirage like the first 22 games of Emery’s reign.
As it was, even in the victories, our performances were usually dire.
Unfortunately, many fans clutch at straws and and are totally unrealistic.
Bill and JJSOL, I found a widget that estimated the strength of schedule for each team by game week. It’s based on their current position vs. the position of the team they are playing:
https://footylabs.com/premierleague-fantasy/schedule-difficulty.html
Arsenal had the MOST favorable schedule over the first 19 game weeks in the entire league. Over the second half, their schedule was the 8th most difficult. Granted this is geared towards fantasy but for me it puts paid to the idea that we feasted on the poor in the second half.
Doc, I found that tool interesting as well. Decided though that I’d break up the season into 9/10 match segments. Which changes the dynamic somewhat:
1-9 14th (Easiest)
10-19 1st (Easiest)
20-29 16th (Easiest)
30-38 11th (Easiest)
In essence, Arsenal only had one segment– matches 10-19 where they had the easiest (by strength of opponent at that time) run of matches. The first five of which included losses:
L Arsenal 1-2 Wolves (Luiz RC)
L Spurs 2-0 Arsenal
L Arsenal 0-1 Burnley (Xhaka RC, Auba OG)
L Arsenal 1-1 Southampton (Gabriel RC)
L Everton 2-1 Arsenal (Holding OG)
W Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
W Brighton 0-1 Arsenal
W West Brom 0-4 Arsenal
D Arsenal 0-0 Palace
Figured a slightly deeper dive might reveal some interesting details.
^ D Arsenal 1-1 Southampton (Gabriel RC). 🤔
JJGSOL
I think we could have easily predicted we would have a good run of form after Boxing Day and we would finish the season with a good run of form because of the teams we played. To me the fact our tactics and strategy worked very well against weaker defensive teams suggests to me that the problem was not really tactical. If we could have played West Brom Sheffield United or Slavia Prague every game we would have looked like a fantastic team.
Most of the better teams have competent professional managers and you I don’t think you can realistically outsmart a competent manager with tactical changes because they have hundreds of hours of film and know what we can do well and they seen everything. In most games it comes down to which team is better able to execute their game plan. We just did not have the overall quality or talent to break down better defensive teams so we looked poor when the opposition defense was good enough to prevent us from executing our game plan. That is just an opinion but it seems like a reasonable way to explain the way the season played out.
The tool that measures the difficulty of a run of fixtures is interesting as guide, but less so in practice.
It depends on Mr. ATBE… all things being equal, which they rarely are. Injuries. Form. A distraction to a key player, maybe family related. Climatic/weather conditions. Dressing room friction. State of pitch. key player(s) hitting the red zone. A hard midweek European game, played away. Many other factors that affect play on the day, that I cant think of right now.
Speaking of Europe, no European football is a mixed blessing for Arsenal. Certainly the evaluation of Mikel will be tougher.
This is why Im such a fan of playoffs sports, and why the Phoenix Suns showed that finishing the second best team in the league and going to the Western Conference finals are correlated. Sheffield can beat us on a given day because a combination of factors favours them. They won’t (or shouldnt) over the course of 5 or 7 games (and yes… I know that football is very different from basketball)
Having watched Chris Paul in Houston for a couple of years– I’m rooting for him to be cleared to play and get back in the saddle. Paul catches the worst breaks come playoff time!
Doc
How can a team have the most difficult strength of league schedule in the first 19 games and then have one of the easiest in the second 19 when in reality we play exact same teams once each in the first half and the second half of the season. That makes absolutely no sense at all.
Our best runs of results during the season started on Boxing Day when we surprised Chelsea who were fortunately in the midst of a terrible run of form and then we played them and then we played Brighton West Brom, Newcastle, Southampton, Crystal Palace Newcastle. We finished the season with a very strong run of results against almost all of the the bottom 1/3 of the table teams. We utterly dominated Dundalk, Molde, Rapid Wein during the Europa league group stages and out scored them 20-6. We pretty easily moved to the semifinals in the Europa league and if you look at the game logs we scored a significant percentage of our total seasons league goals against worst team defenses in the league such as West Brom, Newcastle, Southampton,Sheffield United. There were obviously exceptions such as winning both games against Chelsea but it seems pretty clear that we beat up on the relatively weaker defensive teams but mostly struggled to break down teams that played solid defense which is why we finished 8th and we fell out of the Europa league when we met a solid defensive team.
The tool that Doc offered up gauges the relative strength of a team, during a given match week, based on relative current factors– that week. Taking into account recent results, current injuries, possibly factoring in non-PL mid-week competitions.
In our last 8 league games we played 3 against top half of the table teams and 5 against the bottom 1/3 dwellers including all 3 relegated teams. In those 3 games against top 1/2 teams Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea we scored just 1 total goal.
Villareal aside, I remember the Fulham and Everton games as being particularly disappointing in this final run. When we were trying to make up places at the end of the season, we needed to beat Everton and instead we put in such a flat performance. Against Fulham we were sloppy and switched off at both ends. Those two wins alone – 5 points dropped – would have put us in 5th, ahead of Spurs, Wham and Leicester.
So my overwhelming takeaway from this awesome effort from Tim is that the margins were quite fine across the season, and that too often we found ourselves on the wrong side of those margins. It’s also a compelling portrait of how a supporter watches games – Tim’s highly analytical and often critical eye comes across, as does the lack of enthusiasm with our performances, even the competent ones.
That last part has to trouble the club. Even if we tightened up the margins and found ourselves scrapping for points in the top 4 instead of the top 8, I’m not sure based on the style of football we sat through whether our level of engagement would have been any higher.