I don’t know if you’ve heard but Arsenal play Spurs on Saturday. Kickoff is 0430 local time.
I feel strangely confident that I know how Spurs will want to play. Their strength is entirely loaded into counter attacking. Son in particular is the best counter-attacking forward in (at least) England (if not beyond) right now. Kulusevski is another who is particularly fond of space and while Kane is more versatile and a threat in small spaces due to his size and movement, every player benefits from open space.
The teams that have done well against Spurs have done so by denying them space to run into but that would be counter to everything that Arsenal are currently doing. We want the ball. We want to be in their end of the pitch. We want to control them and the game.
This is of course a gross oversimplification of the way that both teams play and I do think that there are subtleties which we can use to our advantage. How high we get up the pitch, how well we keep our shape when we do get high, how well we press their players in counter-attacking situations are all factors.
None of this is going to be easy. Both Arsenal and Spurs take a lot of touches, they are 5th and 6th respectively. But Spurs have the most touches in the League in their own penalty area and in their own final third and they have a relatively low turnover rate. Meaning that they are very comfortable playing out of pressure. And Arsenal are among the teams with the most touches in the opposition final third and penalty area! If there were any two teams diametrically opposed at this moment, it’s these two. We are the irresistible force, they are the immovable object.
But it’s football. It often comes down to just one or two big moments and all of these machinations (high up the pitch, etc) are just methods to get us to those big moments. It’s going to be an extra fraught match because we are top of the table and they will want to take that from us. I’m expecting a lot of hard fouls. A lot of hot tempers. We need to keep it together, play hard, take no mess (papa don’t), and unless something stupid happens – like a red card – Arsenal need to finish their chances tomorrow and I think we should be ok.
It’s a big game. But you already knew that. Everyone knows it.
“I’m expecting a lot of hard fouls. A lot of hot tempers…”
This concerns me. The approach this season by referees to “let the game flow” by allowing clear fouls to go unpunished is a recipe for injuries as players are allowed to use escalating physical aggression to intimidate their opponents who then retaliate with even more marginal tackles until someone gets hurt. It’s a dangerous path that relies, once again, on judgement calls by referees who (whether you believe in anti-Arsenal bias conspiracy theory or not) often seem oblivious when Arsenal players get whacked while regularly penalizing us for the same sorts of challenges. As Jonas Eidevall commented after the Arsenal Women beat Ajax, “We don’t get anything for free on the pitch. We get a lot of free-kicks against us and for the same things we never get for us,”. He could just as easily have been talking about the men’s team.
I get that some like the increased intensity that comes from allowing players to “get stuck in”, but the trade-off is that is actively discourages the slick, attractive football that we like to play these days, while the young and relatively small squad we have right now doesn’t hold up so well against thugs like McTominay and McGinn. It’s not as if a North London derby needs any additional intensity, FFS. Here’s hoping the referee can keep a lid on the mayhem.
I’m not optimistic because, like Utd, I think our style plays right into theirs.
We need to rise to the occasion….just don’t lose this match. COYGs.
I fu%&ing hate NLDs. I can’t see straight until we get this done with all three points in hand.
But also, I have time for what happened with Richarlison. 2022 and we’re still dealing with bananas on the pitch?
Still such hateful nonsense in the game, that Daughter-of-1-Nil lost interest in the sport and I can’t blame her.
I can’t imagine that happening here in Toronto in an MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS or CFL game…until it finally does. We’re not so special here, but if it ever did happen at any venue in any sport, EMS would not get to the perpetrator in time to prevent a concussion or broken bones.
Fantastic post as always. Appreciate everything you do. Looking forward to the NLD. I am hopeful of a win. Fingers crossed.
I just read your post from a few days ago about our statistical improvements. We are first or second in a lot of categories. Spending a lot of money to buy better players makes a huge difference.
We can blame management all we want for the slower paced less eye pleasing style of football we saw during the Emery and early Edu/Arteta era but I doubt anyone (not even Arsene) could have had those teams playing the style of football we are seeing now. Arsene was a great manager but he had Fabregas and that group of players and then Ozil/Cazorla/Wilshere/Arteta/Ramsey to build his teams around and the talent gap between Arsene’s squads and the players we had in 2018-20 is immeasurable.
Hi Bill, you literally post the same thing every time – regardless of topic, often days later, and sometimes you make the same post multiple times in a single comment thread – and I can’t figure out if this is a serious post by you, if your account has been taken over by a bot, if you think this is funny or fun, if you’re trying to take the mickey out of me and my readers, or if there’s something else going on here. But it’s weird and a bit worrying if I’m honest.
I’ve decided to hold your comments in moderation for the time being because this is incredibly odd. I hope you’re ok.
Arteta is a fraud coach and pretender who thinks he is Pep or Arsene whereas he doesn’t represent anything that is remotely connected to the original values the club used to have. I think he is definitely going to be found out with time.
Anyways I am happy for the 3-1 win. Though I don’t think we really outplayed Spurs. Nothing special about the way we play right now.
I thought Spurs fans had their own blogs, don’t they? 💩
I know for a fact that there’s a good number of folks on here that agree with my general point.
Anyways, this is where the sarcasm stops.
I have always believed in Arteta from day one because the vision and intention was clear to me.
I know many will never change their mind about him even if he wins a league title this year, and I understand that.
Ha! You got me.
Same here on Arteta, I’ve been a fan since his days at Rangers.
If he wins a title and folks still don’t belive in him, that must be stubbornness, no?
Even at this point it’s undeniable that the club has improved in leaps and bounds under his stewardship, both on and off the pitch.
Exactly.
A very pleasing scoreline but an even more pleasing performance. This unfolded just like I thought it would, similar to the United and Brentford games. The difference was that we controlled the key moments of the game better than against United, but not as utterly as against Brentford.
I thought what the team did really well with the ball was to take what Spurs gave us. We didn’t try to finesse it through 8 defenders. We took shots from where the space was. I think that suprirsed them a little bit. Partey’s strike was absolutely elite skill but it was the 3rd or 4th shot from that type of range up to that point, and we made them pay for leaving it open. Other than that it was the usual excellent buildup and combinations with very few mistakes. That type of control usually means it’s a matter of time before the ball finds the net.
Without the ball we weren’t as good. I worried about the inclusion of Zinchenko at Tierney’s expense. This wasn’t the type of game where you needed that additional bit of control in the buildup, but it did make us a bit more open without it. There were a few moments in the first half that were worrisome and better passes would’ve let them in. I thought we made the margin of error for those passes was really small though, particularly on Saliba’s side. Gabriel’s side was more open and that’s where they attacked us more often. Where the real danger came was in those brief instances when they could attack us without our structure in place, as happened for the penalty. It still took two individual mistakes for that attack to result in a goal though. I’ll be honest, I had my heart in my mouth every time Gabriel Magalhaes was on the ball, and the major blemish on this game is yet another individual error from him leading to a goal.
In the second half, Arteta cleaned up the advantage they found on our left flank by having Zinchenko position himself deeper and mark RIcharlison. Martinelly did his usual excellent work tracking the opposing wide defender (Royal) and that contributed to the tired challenge that got the Spurs man sent off. On the attack, Arteta adjusted things by having BW overlap when Saka had the ball, and it was from one of those situations that the second goal came. Arteta won the tactical battle today quite handily, and I think Arsenal also proved they have the better squad. They are still young and can be rattled in big moments, and that remains this squad’s major outstanding weakness. Coming through games like this will help with that.
Agree, Doc. The nagging element still part of our DNA is the constant, consistent (and unnecessary) defensive wobbling, re. Gabriel. Saliba, Tomiyasu and White are great additions, but we are not quite there yet.
The horrible tackle by #5 started that whole sequence. He pinged off Son like Coquelin off Hazard.
I don’t see any DNA in that 1Nil, it’s just a young team learning how to be winners. They are already most of the way there, judging by their response to being pegged back in this game. It’s been something of a patter this season: dominate the play, barely give the opposition a sniff, give away a cheap goal, win anyway. Giving cheap goals away hurts and it sucks but I’m way more reassured and excited by the rest of it.
Agree with all this. I also thought Ramsdale following the player and leaving the goal wide open in the build up to the pen was a foolish risk and probably contributed to the panic.
I too worried about Zinchenko given their preference to use the flanks. I think against Pool, Zinchenko and Marti together will be important to put pressure on TAA. They are rocking right now. Last year Marti really gave him the jitters, and while it didn’t matter in the end I think this year that could be key.
Is Conte taking a page from The Special One? Their game plan was to sit deep, take what we were giving them and try to counter-attack. Yes, their penalty came on a counter, but we pretty much bossed the game by taking time and space away.
I must have seen the Thomas strike a dozen times already: one touch volley screaming into the top right corner, what a beauty!
This was one where the great Brazilian is dead-on. Ronaldinho: “Creativity will take you further than calculation.”
And we have yet to beat a big team, because Tottenham indeed get battered every they go! Enjoy the weekend.
He’s always played this way. This is Conte ball.
It’s funny that no one sees that the only thing changed about Arsenal is the coming of Jesus and that Xhaka is instructed to literally attack.
Again I believe we are well defensively structured but Arteta is not yet playing his most optimum attacking player combination.
Martinelli is no good on the left and Saka is kinda just not improving although I still see a place for Saka in our optimum attacking team.
But we have a very bad depth for a team. We will struggle without Party or Odegaard or Jesus.
Arteta better start trying out combinations to see what works.
I see what you’re doing there. 😉
Excellent result. I have to admit to be nervous before the game. Had my favorite good luck maroon 02 jersey from the invincible days out for this one. I am sure there will be a downturn in form at some point this season but you can’t help but be excited about a big win and everything we have seen so far. Full credit to our front office and special credit to ownership for their patience and belief in our football people and the Kronke’s willingness to spend the money needed to rebuild this squad. Who would have thought we would ever be praising the Kronke’s but credit where it’s due.
Saliba is quickly turning into one of the best central defenders on planet earth. He is strong, imposes himself physically. And fast too. He is technically brilliant. He loves the ball. His placement is smart. He is good with the head. And blessed with an uncanny ability to get out unscathed from hairy situations. And, to top it all, he seemed at ease in high pressure situation, unfazed by the hype of a NLD. What a catch!!!!!
Jesus is a lot better than he was with City. He is relentless, quick, technical. He is a fighter and a wizard. Since he arrived, no ball in the box is innocuous. He makes our team longer. He stretches the opposition.
Martinelli is lightning quick, unpredictable, fearless and shows endless stamina. A defender’s worst nightmare. The way he turned inwards on the last goal… Such a smart and unconventional move!
Just wanted to rejoice on those three guys. These with more established (but young) talents like Saka or Ramsdale or Ode or Partey make us the sexiest team in England. At this moment.
Gabriel is our best CB since Kos, but Saliba looks like he might be our best CB since Sol. Is that saying a lot? It might be. Sorry Kolo, Mert and Kos, but Saliba looks like the first world class CB in donkey years. Gabriel is no mug, but Saliba really shows him up.
Saliba had a moment in the first half where he took the ball and turned on his own 6 past Kane and another spur, then dribbled out of the box and released a beautiful bomb forward. It was one of those quietly jaw dropping moments that won’t make a highlight reel but showcases elite technique and confidence just as well as #5’s strike did. This kid…just wow. It reminded me of a Zinchenko moment in the first or second game of the season where he was backpedalling as the last man and intercepted a fizzed lump forward with his heel, trapping it dead. What was the Wengerism, “technical security”? It’s all over this team.
I have searched internet for these exact 2 moments of the match. In fact this is the 2nd time zinny has done that exact same thing in a match… long ball sent forward by opposition, only him and he doesn’t panic and swipe at the ball… he just kills it just in time that it allows the momentum of the opposition players to take them out of contention and restarts our move forward. For Saliba… that move proves incredibly spatial and player awareness, like he has spidey senses and knows by instinct what to do when surrounded.
Aha… here’s the Zinny one on Arsenal Twitter
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1576829438029070337?t=IhGNqe5oqH6WuadC-Uur7Q&s=19
Off topic- anyone going to be in Philadephia for Fanfest in 2 weeks time? Been living here since ‘03 and looking forward to taking my 2 kids to the festivities. Ian Wright looks to be making an appearance and I’ve got my ‘93 away shirt that almost barely sort of fits for him to sign if the chance presents itself. I haven’t affiliated with the local Gooner group as I found their choice of pub for games suboptimal. Anyhow, how bout them Gunners!