2021/22 Arsenal Season Diary pt.1

Quote of the season: “The biggest things in life have been achieved by people who, at the start, we would have judged crazy. And yet if they had not had these crazy ideas the world would have been more stupid.” – Arsene Wenger.

Just like last season I kept a diary for every match I watched this season. I like looking through these old notes because they remind us of where we were as a club and how we felt during matches. And even more to that point, I keep unvarnished notes. These aren’t well-polished thoughts, these are things I think of in the heat of the moment. That means that some of the things you’re going to read might not be thoughts I carry today or even agree with in retrospect. And I will also often contradict myself. People can and should change their minds, especially when presented with new information.

So, think of these as a peek inside my thought process, rather than a set of conclusions. These are my unedited, raw, thoughts captured during a match.

I took notes on Atalanta matches and Olympique Lyonnais matches as well as cup matches but for now let’s just do the Premier League games.

Pre-season Tottenham Hotspurs (August 8, 2021)

• My back is killing me
• Commentators seem to love Ben White
• Lokonga patrolling DM more than AM
• Lokonga getting forward though!
• Pepe delivery on free kicks is good!
• Auba looks done
• Xhaka with a terrible tackle
• Huge chance for Dele Alli – free kick, dumb foul by Mari, unmarked at back post
• Every Arsenal attack is a cross -____-
• Son scores, such calamitous defending by Arsenal
• Smith Rowe plays to Saka for our best chance of the game, came from high pressure
• Elneny just got burnt, Mari falls over, Elneny falls over
• That was shit, buy some players.

Brentford v. Arsenal (opening day)

• Crowd singing
• Balogun starts, Lokonga, bench is light, Saka is the only one on the bench to change the game. Laca and Auba sick. No Willian on the bench.
• Corner – we apparently got a corner coach! Yay! Wasted, corner, short.
• Chambo at RB?
• Arsenal being pressed and no can play out
• Going long now
• How many games will we give HIM (Leno)
• 1-0 – wasn’t terrible by Chambers, his clearance wasn’t great, maybe he could have closed down quicker? but the ball went between his legs and beat Leno at the near post
• Ben White doesn’t seem to know where he needs to be
• Ben White nearly destroyed for a 2nd goal
• BALOGUN was kicked, hard, spun around, no pen??? NO VAR?? WTF?
• Their press looks great. They press our back, leave Xhaka as a trap, and when we pass to him, spring the trap and nearly scored

2nd Half

• The Brentford press seems better, more confident
• Individually, Arsenal are playing well
• Smith Rowe turns his man and dashes forward
• For about five minutes in the first half, Arsenal had the cool aura of a team that knew it was better
• Saka on and suddenly we look dangerous. Saka and Smith Rowe have so much footballing empathy
• Ben White gets out of trouble nicely, would have been a turnover if Xhaka was in that pressure
• ANOTHER good chance for them off a MF turnover
• Arsenal finally hustling, trying to get back into this
• Goal from a throw in: Leno was pinned, where was VAR? No one can clear with their head. Ben White lets the ball just drop in front of him. It bounces over him. Score.
• Good thing we recruited all these defenders to make the attack better!
• Brentford great save off a great Arsenal counter.
• Well, this feels like the bad old days

Arsenal v. Chelsea (22 August 2021)

• 1st home match with fans since March 2020
• Lukaku starts for Chelsea
• Ben White has COVID
• Martinelli starts? At CF?
• Good turn by Lokonga
• Chip from Xhaka to Saka, knockdown for Smith Rowe shot, easy save
• Xhaka head injury
• Cedric beaten easily
• Lukaku doing his post-up play like a big power forward in the 90s, hey grandmama when do I get to shoot my fade away?
• Tierney cross looks good but low %, gotta get in closer
• Defensive disasterclass on the left by Tierney, Xhaka, and Saka. Just woeful, gifted all the space to James.
• Lukaku shucks Mari to the ground, Leno nothing, Holding nothing
• Defense just seems all over the place, rushing in and out of spaces, getting turned, leaving huge gaps
• I guess it’s because of injuries but this is basic stuff. I don’t understand. Do the players need Arteta’s constant instruction?
• They just easily drew our press, broke it, then played to James in acres of space. No fucking DM. Fucking Xhaka. “Arsenals pressing is embarrassing “after Xhaka chases aimlessly up the pitch by Lee Dixon.
• Absurd tackle by Pablo Mari, yellow card followed by a Xhaka comedy tackle. No one on the left side again
• Saka tripped by Reese James, no pen, VAR says no
• Such a bad touch by Martinelli

Second half

Lukaku posting us up. We are pressing better now snapping into challenges much better, suddenly feels like we are in this game. Nice step Mari. So much better from Arsenal, amazing save Leno.

WBA – Arsenal

I was at work and only watched the first half.

Manchester City v. Arsenal

Back three? Willian last season, Auba this season (editor’s note: not sure what this is in reference to. Maybe them sucking? I was pretty bummed out by Auba’s start to the season.)

• A lot of spacing, one V one by Arsenal, can’t figure out who the back three are. Oh, it’s Kola – Holding – Chambers.
• Overloaded Tierney (Jesus and Silva) Jesus delivers, Gundogan beats Chambers in the air
• Wow. Another big cross to Gundogan, this time on Kola’s side, save Leno.
• Stupid foul by Xhaka. Set play, Xhaka and Cedric can’t stop it, easy goal for Torres
• They are just playing right through us
• Smith Rowe closes down on Ederson – our best attack of the year!
• I wonder what the score would be if we swap managers? Lol
• Feels like we are just going through the motions
• Pressing Ederson gets us another turnover
• Kolasinac yellow. So both Cedric and Kola on yellows, lol
• Walker seems to push Tierney in the box no call
• Their press looks like an extra man every play
• We line up like we are going to play it out of the back, then go long
• Xhaka red card, two footed tackle “but he won the ball”
• Elneny on for Saka
• Rodri great goal. No pressure from Arsenal, perfectly placed shot.
• Oh boy there’s going to be a lot of talk about Mikel patting Xhaka on the butt as he went to the showers. I get it, Xhaka let the team down, but Mikel had watched the replay and didn’t think the red card was justified. I just can’t be bothered to argue this stuff anymore.
• 60th minute stop watching.

Arsenal – Norwich

• Tomi starts
• AMN starts w/Lokonga in MF
• Ramsdale starts
• ESR on the bench
• Ben White has been our best MFer
• Norwich had a good attack against Tommy but noone was home and Tierney launched a good long ball but Auba took a long shot instead of driving in and getting a better chance
• Arsenal pressing high
• Ode nice chip to Auba, good chance, offside
• both teams trying to play it up the back and neither are great at it but keepers start kicking it straight out. Avie asked me why they’re playing like that and I said “they like playing like that” and he laughed
• Maitland-Niles and Lokonga putting in a ton of bad passes and touches
• Max errands gets a soft yellow card for a pull on Auba, nice chip from AMN

2nd half

• Lokonga showing his class. Looks so much better than AMN.
• Nice from AMN to split defenders.
• Saka shot blocked, Pepe BIG chance blocked
• Arsenal getting closer
• Wild subs by Arteta: takes Lokonga off, move AMN to RB, bring ESR on, moves Ode to CM, takes Tomi off
• Arsenal get the benefit of a bad call and Auba scores Arsenal’s first goal of the season. (Turns out it was offside!)
• Partey is effortlessly good
• A couple of good chances here: poor kick by Krul, Smith Rowe has a good shot, saved, in open play, and Saka misses from the rebound.
• Saka looks composed of the season. Hope the shots start going in for him.
• Norwich haven’t created a lot of shots but they have created a few half decent ones.
• Ben White calming people after the goal

Arsenal – Burnley

• Partey and Øde start
• Auba – Saka – Smith Rowe – Pepe
• Tierney – Gabby – White – Tomi
• Ramsdale
• Light pressure from Burnley but Arsenal breaking it well
• Two good saves by Pope. Tierney beats his man, Øde nice chip, cross cut out, Pepe can’t bundle it in
• Breaking press again, mostly right to left
• Ben White is TERRIBLE at headers but at least Gabriel and Tomi are good
• Stronger press by Burnley and now Ramsdale is caught in possession
• Burnley make Gabriel play higher up the pitch and they are winning the second balls. They close spaces so well. We can’t get the ball to Partey, they keep shading Ben White so he can’t play to Thomas.
• Barnes yellow card for hand to Tierney’s face.
• Partey not moving enough?
• Westwood foul in the D for a DFK. ØDEGÅRD DFK GOAL! HIS FIRST ARSENAL GOAL???And the ball went in over Barnes!
• “England #1” they were chanting
• Barnes acts tough but falls over when he’s touched. And now Burnley is trying to intimidate us. Some shithead acted like he was going to kick Smith Rowe who didn’t even blink (it was Westwood)

2nd half

• BADmundsson fouls Tierney
• Barnes fouled Gabriel
• Cornet comes on, Ramsdale saves his shot, no one was covering him???
• Atrocious pass by Pepe on the counter to Auba, anything better and it’s a goal
• VAR gets the call right! Ramsdale won the ball. No pen.
• Westwood is a real shit fucker. Like he literally goes home and fucks piles of shit. He is trying to force Tierney to get up after he goes down with an injury. Nuno on for Tierney.
• A lot of Arsenal passes have been oddly short.
• Ramsdale has been very good. Nice high claim.

Arsenal v. Tottenham (I didn’t watch the AFC Wimbledon match, I was at work)

• Xhaka starts
• Ben White slide tackle on Son, referee calling everything tightly
• Arsenal attacking aggressively, but Tomi is playing sloppily
• Saka is the target of early pressure. This is when a player really grows up. When your opponent respects your threat.
• THE SMITH! 11:30 – Saka finally got an inch of space, nutmeg cross, THE SMITH just walks across and scores
• 13′ – the referee stood in the way of an Arsenal attack, very cool.
• 16′ – Partey shot on goal! Xhaka has been virtually anonymous. Ødegaard unmarked constantly or is he just finding space?
• 21′ – Spurs pressing and winning the ball off Ø. Son runs at us and gets a shot off.
• 2-footed “jump” tackle by Xhaka, how on earth doesn’t he even get a yellow card?
• Hold-up play by Auba, over to The Smith (Xhaka great tackle on Hoibjerg to start it – replay showed that Hoibjerg dived to try to win a pen), back to Auba 2-0 now.
• Tomiyasu is a target for pressing
• We’ve gone to a back three?
• 33′ – Harry Kane gives the ball away, Øde to the Smith, to Saka, Kane slide to assist Saka!
• 45′ – That pass from Partey to Auba!

2nd half

• Tomiyasu corrals Son nicely
• Arsenal covering channels and pressing well? Or have Spurs given up on their manager?
• Arsenal want a pen, Gabriel goes down easily. Reguilon pretends to get hit in the face. Kane goes down easily.
• Ramsdale save off Kane shot. Spurs are awake and applying pressure. Someone must have told them it’s a NLD.
• Kane offside. Tomi falls over way too easily. Shot wide.
• LOL.. Xhaka punches Ndombele in the face, no card.
• Arsenal can’t get the ball. Handbrake.
• Even when we have the ball, all 4 defenders staying back, no overlapping.
• Skipp yellow for hard tackle on Thomas’ ankle
• Arsenal slowing play down. I love to see it.
• Partey lets Son go past him
• Xhaka hurts his knee (Lucas crashed into him) Lokonga on for Xhaka
• Spurs have a little belief
• I don’t like that shot from Tierney
• Ramsdale falling on the ball
• Ramsdale save! What a save, dipping shot, I’m not sure Leno could save that.

Brighton v. Arsenal – matchday 7 October 2nd

• 1′ – BHA pressing, Saka breaks a tackle, gets a shot off
• 7′ – Partey looks explosive
• 14′ – Non-shot big chance, Brighton cross right across the 6 yard box
• 15′ – Pressure from BHA, get the ball to Trossard
• 16′ – Now we kicking long
• 18′ – Poor counter pass by Lokonga
• 20′ – Huge let off – Ramsdale spilled the ball but the ref calls a foul when Duffy crashed into him
• 23′ – Saka gets free for a second and gets in a blocked cross, Auba shot blocked off the line (header)
• 26′ – Looks like the kind of game we need to win ugly if we are going to win this
• 27′ – Lallana cross NON-shot big chance
• 28′ – Dunk deep cross to burn, between both cbs
• 29′ – Tomiyasu caught on the ball, long shot
• 34′ – Auba can’t control the ball, ugh
• 35′ – Partey takes an atrocious DFK
• 36′ – Tomi getting abused by Cucurella
• 38′ – This ain’t about “intensity” or hard running, BHA are just better organized
• 44′ – A little bit of pressure from Arsenal wins the ball back in MF, The Smith gets in space, crosses, Auba wide open, no shot. Non-shot big chance

2nd Half

• 54′ – Foul throw Tomiyasu, crowd laughs
• 55′ – Great header by Gabriel
• 60′ – Lallana interception, I really love how well organized BHA are
• 65′ – Pepe on for Øde, The Smith moves to AM and puts in a couple good passes
• 70′ – Brighton now playing man-to-man? Odd. Lacazette on for Auba
• 75′ – Good defending by BHA CBs, cut out space for Pepe’s shot. Man Tomiyasu looks so shaky.
• 86′ – NON-SHOT BIG CHANCE – cross from a header to Maupay but palmed away by Ramsdale
• 87′ – The Smith shoved over and doesn’t get a call the asshats on my tv say “not enough contact”
• 91′ – and like clockwork, they want a pen for Brighton. I wonder if we could code the commentator’s observations as positive and negative for each team?

Crystal Palace (matchday 8)

No notes, I was at work and left my notebook at home. But I have a note in the next match which reminds me of the controversy on how McArthur got away with assaulting Saka.

Arsenal v. Villa 22 October 21

(Lacazette starts despite fan protests) *I’m not sure what protests I was thinking of.

• Watkins yellow for throwing Gabriel to the ground (1st min)
• Auba bicycle cross, the first bicycle cross of the season
• Nice pressure, do we press better with Lacazette? Maybe a point to look up? (I never did!)
• Watkins complaining about Gabriel in the 7th min
• Pawson very busy in the first 10 min.
• Lacazette very lucky to stay on after a nasty challenge on Doug Luiz
• Partey hits the crossbar, unlucky
• PARTEY DEBUT GOAL! Header, cross, 1-0, will we go for the 2nd?
• Lacazette nice switch but then we kill the attack with a back pass
• Yellow for Mings for less of a foul than Lacazette
• Arsenal still pressing in the 30′
• SAKA huge chance, Emi save, Tavares good pass, The Smith driving
• McGinn has a weird head and also a yellow card – I feel bad for his mother
• Tavares and Lokonga has been very good
• Lacazette very good in the false 10?
• Arsenal going handbrake in the 35th
• 3rd Partey shot from a set play, looks like Arteta is trying something new
• Lokonga yellow in the 45th
• VAR overturns a no call and Arsenal get a pen. However, Emi saves, but Auba scores the rebound. LOL. Huge xG boost there.

2nd half

• Over the top ball for Watkins, 1st shot of the game for Villa?
• VAR should have given a red card to Ings for absurdery (*I don’t remember this)
• Why can’t we win the ball back?
• GOAL The Smith, deflection off Mings
• Got back to a tight formation, Arteta actually spoke to Laca
• Targett yellow foul on Saka
• Buendia big chance, Partey just sleeping a bit
• Auba draws a yellow to stop play and let Laca get subbed
• 70′ Villa is pressing now
• Another corner aimed at Thomas, the 4th one? We seem to be targeting Thomas on corners. Is this what we paid for?
• Goal Ramsey, low %
• Watkins WIDE OPEN non-shot big chance, Ben White just let Watkins walk past him
• Tavares foul throw

Leicester v. Arsenal October 30th 2021

• 1′ – Saka wriggles through, 1-2 with Laca, nearly own goal
• 3′ – Lokonga gets away with a bad tackle (so late he kicked air)
• 4′ – Another set piece goal
• 7′ – high press, Auba chance
• 10′ – high press again turnover – nice dribble by ESR, bad cross
• 11′ – Dumb foul by Ben White at the top of the D for a DFK
• 15′ – Laca great cross, blocked by Evans
• 17′ – The Smith! Our ability to pass in to pressure, first touch, control, and movement in midfield is impressive
• 27′ – Leicester growing in this, Ramsdale’s bad pass, Iheanacho shot from distance, saved
• 31′ – Tomiyasu saves a goal by cutting out a through ball to Vardy
• 33′ – They pressing us, we getting by barely
• 40′ – Arsenal have a number of players making weird runs
• 42′ – Ben White fouls Maddison AGAIN in the D. Ramsdale massive save off DFK

2nd half

• Leicester switches to a 4231
• Tavares foul throw again
• Arsenal going full turtle
• 2 big saves for Ramsdale
• Miss on a through ball for Leicester
• We can’t get out of our half 60′
• Another bad pass Ramsdale
• Arsenal can’t get anything going
• Ben White can’t defend
• Vardy shot just wide, not a big chance
• Evans gets away with a foul that should have been DOGSO
• Auba big chance off a corner
• Saka gets a NSBC on the scramble
• Vardy yellow for a terrible foul
• Auba (80′) angry with Ødegaard for a bad pass
• Evans and Vardy tried to rough us up and did get a little bit. They played with high pressure from 73’+

I think that’s all I can do today. These notes are much longer than last year’s and it’s pretty tiring transcribing them. Let me know if these are valuable.

Qq