The Premier League returned to action on Boxing Day and Arsenal came from a goal behind to beat West Ham at home and extend their lead at the top of the table. All three of Arsenal’s forwards put on an impressive display and scored a goal each (Saka, Martinelli, and Nketiah) with Odegaard mostly pulling the strings in the back. Plus as a special treat, Santi Claus delivered Arsene Wenger to the stands to watch his first ever game just as a fan.
It was good to see Arsene Wenger in the stands. He celebrated every goal like a true fan, just like anyone with any sense always knew he was. Fans cheered his name, sang his song, and while I think more should have been done to celebrate his return (he hasn’t been back since the Kroenke’s fired him) my guess is that he wanted it this way and that he didn’t want to be part of the story.
So often when we watch a Man U match, you see old Fergie up there in the stands, especially whenever something goes wrong. In the worst moments, the cameras pan to him and look to capture a moment of disapproval, giving the commentary crew a chance to tut “things like that didn’t happen under Fergie” or “that would surely have gotten the hairdryer treatment in the locker room.” Wenger’s a smart man, he doesn’t want to be the focal point, he knows that if anything goes wrong the cameras will find him. So he stayed away and let the team play, let them take the limelight. Now that we are playing well he can return, watch the games, celebrate, be a fan.
And there is much to celebrate at the moment.
The game itself started well. Arsenal were attacking through Martin Odegaard, everything good ran through him. And if you ever wanted to see a reason why Declan Rice might be slightly overrated you got a good glimpse of it yesterday as Arsenal’s midfield, and especially Odegaard, dominated West Ham. His passes were like butter (not no Parkay, not no Margarine, strictly butter, baby) the entire game. Time and again he found a lane through the packed in West Ham defense, layed the ball on, and gave his teammates a chance to score.
If not for a miniscule offside call, which they didn’t show how it was offside until well after the game, Arsenal would have opened the game with an incredible team goal. Nketiah had made a diagonal run, Ode picked him out, he played a backheel Saka who pumped in the goal. In the replay it looks like Saka got a touch, perhaps accidentally, which put Eddie offside.
For West Ham the game plan was obvious, sit deep and foul. Referee Michael Oliver was strong enough to call it as well, handing out an early yellow to Bowen for a very orange-card tackle on Martinelli.
But for Arsenal there was an air of confidence, almost swagger, to our attacking play. Odegaard tried to find Xhaka with a through ball from deep, only for Xhaka to be slightly too slow. Xhaka and Nketiah made these runs over and over again and West Ham had no clue how to play against them. It was almost sad to watch as West Ham’s much vaunted defense and midfield were cut apart by Arsenal.
West Ham did have a few moments of joy, however, especially in that first half. Bowen had the beating of Tierney several times and was able to get in some dangerous crosses. Ramsdale at one point even saved a goal by swallowing up one of Bowen’s crosses. And of course it was Bowen who would win the West Ham penalty.
Was it a penalty? Was it even a foul? I have to admit that at the time of the game I was hopping mad. Saliba was out of position, he was late, he went to ground, and it was such a bad tackle that he seemed to miss everything. As he’s sliding you can even see Saliba pull his legs out of the tackle. Bowen takes two steps and during the act of shooting falls over. On the replay we see a slight touch during the tackle. Ok, so, of course, you CAN give that penalty. I think you can give a penalty for just about anything these days. But I don’t think it was enough contact to give a penalty and think even Bowen was surprised to get that call because he knows that what caused him to fall over was that he was lunging to get the shot off.
But whatever. It doesn’t really matter, except of course that we’ve been told all season that they are letting more contact happen and calling fewer soft pens. I will be surprised to see Arsenal get a similar call…And to be fair, we did. In the win over Liverpool, Arsenal got the benefit of a call when Thiago seemed to barely kick Gabriel Jesus. And the referee was none other than Michael Oliver. So, I guess we can chalk this one up as a win for the folks who “just want consistency”.
Speaking of consistency: Coufal put in a hard foul on Martinelli, very high, studs up, also gets him with the follow through, and Mr. Consistency gives him a… yellow card.
And Michael Oliver would be at the center of the controversy once again. This time he calls a penalty for handball, but the VAR has a look and tells him to go to the pitchside monitor and it’s overturned because it obviously hit the defender in the head.
That ended the first half. Arsenal were behind 1-0 but had looked like the better team. Bowen was the only real threat and Ode was running the show. After the match, Arteta admitted that they needed to make a change at half time, probably to help contain Bowen, and as we will soon see, they did just that. And it’s also important to point out that Arsenal had a poor record when losing at half time. They had only won 1/25 games where they were behind at half time. Not only that, but Wet Hams had only lost 1 of the 24 games which they led at half time. If the past was any indicator, Arsenal would be good to get a point from this contest.
But this isn’t that old Arsenal. This is a new thing.
It would only take 7 minutes into the 2nd half before Arsenal would get the equalizer. Odegaard had his worst moment of the game, it looked like a shot but pretty poor, but the ball fell kindly to Saka who scores an easy chance. After the game, Opta would award an assist to Ode for the Saka goal. I’m fine with that, he deserved 10 assists on the night.
Four minutes later, Martinelli scores. Once again the play was dictated by Odegaard. Saka beats off Declan Rice (who really was made to look ordinary), runs around him, plays to Ode who plays to Xhaka in an advanced position. Xhaka then just makes a simple pass to Martinelli on the left side of the box and Martinelli does the thing: he plays the ball to his right foot to freeze his defender and stupify Fabianski, then plays the ball to his left foot and drills the shot into the near post. It was one of those moments in football where you’re just left with nothing but love for the game. Just a pure piece of beauty.
That great goal by Martinelli was equalled a few minutes later by Nketiah. Nketiah had a good game, he worked hard for the team, made good runs (diagonal runs were a feature yesterday), and created for his teammates. And so it was good to see him get a goal. The set up for the goal was that White does a little sombrero dribble over Benrahma, passes to Ode, Ode does a one-touch to Eddie, who just rolls his marker and fires it across goal. If I’m a West Ham supporter, that goal is a concern. All of that takes place in the middle of their low block. Benrahma is beaten far too easily and then doesn’t try to recover, Rice seems to have no clue where to go or who to mark, Ode is completely unmarked and Eddie turns his man. Word on the street is that Rice is ready to leave West Ham and by yesterday’s performance it looks like he already has.
Arsenal closed the game out without incident.
All of this bodes well for Arsenal. The comeback, Wenger in the stands (and taking pictures with the players after), Nketiah having a good game, Odegaard having a great game, Martinelli playing like a king, and.. Arsenal are now 10 points ahead of Spurs.
Saliba looked rusty in the first half in particular. And if that had been against us, I’d have wanted it given. It wasn’t a rough foul, but it certainly was a foul.
That was perhaps Odegaard’s best match for us. He was outstanding, just needed a little more bend on one of those shots at the end to get a goal to cap it off. The Cruyff turn to escape the two Hammers late in the match was great.
Not entirely sure what to make of these bids for Mudryk. We clearly need another good attacker in case of a further injury. But the amount we’re bidding is more for a a top level starter than a backup. Are we expecting him to displace one of Jesus, Saka or Martinelli? If reports are correct, we’re bidding twice as muchas what Pool are paying for Gakpo. Which wouldn’t realy make sense.
I’ll write about Mudryk tomorrow but the preliminary thing is that he exclusively plays on the left and yes at that price he would displace Martinelli. That, for me, is a bit frustrating. Unless the idea is to play M11 as a CF? Which then displaces Eddie, which I’m less bothered about.
Also Mudryk’s defensive numbers are shocking. So, if he comes in and starts playing defense, it will be a good chance for me to talk about how and why individual defensive stats are fucking junk.
Wouldn’t have believed it 18 months ago, but it’s conceivable now that Mudryk/whoever might have to rotate their way into the lineup, even at that price. Arteta’s very comfortable demanding premium players as “options” — no ‘making do’. Objectively kind of mad, but very much in line with how the league operates. For pity’s sake, West Ham paid 50ish for Lucas Paqueta for the privilege of a probable lower-half finish.
I’m guessing Arsene half-wishes he’d made that mental adjustment. Happy to see him back in the house he built, Qatar randomness notwithstanding.
He wouldn’t displace nelli at all.
He is a player with great potential but extremely raw.
Fear is players of that potential would be out of arsenal’s budget if not bought early enough.
There is a transfer inflation that has taken place where unproven players with high potential are going for 60 million+
It’s probably why klopp bought Nunez too.
Re: Saliba
He didn’t play at all for the last six weeks, which sucks for a player but I think the whole back line had a hard time with defense yesterday. Tierney was a 2/10 in that first half, Zinch looked like a shockingly bad player 1/10, Gabriel was about a 6/10 in the game, Saliba was a 3/10 in the first half and 7/10 in the 2nd, and only Ben White had a top game with an 8/10 all around.
It’s also true that Mikhail Antonio is a handful and that they seemed to target him on Saliba.
Hi Tim,
I’ve got to say that I love your writing and been reading for many years!
I’m just curious as to why you think Zinchenko was that bad in his cameo. I haven’t had a look at the passing stats and I know the game state was favourable at that point but I thought we saw a real difference stylistically on how he and Tierney play.
Maybe Zinchenko’s game is just aesthetically better and that impacts my thoughts but I thought he just looks so much more natural in the way Arteta envisions the role. I need to review a heat map but I felt Tierney was much more traditional in his approach in the final third and Martinelli was less wide than usual. I always felt we’re best when we isolate the fullbacks 1-1 with the wingers and I think that’s why Murdyk looks like a good fit. If Saka or Martinelli get injured or are ineffective, we don’t have any players stylistically that fit their profile even ESR is quite different. Hopefully he or Martinelli can play striker or they envision that either one can play the role if necessary.
I’m not worried about Eddie like others have been, whether he can withstand the pressure is on thing but his all round game has improved so much and he does have an eye for goal. I used to be a massive doubter but when run at the end of last season was impressive and I like his attitude. Arteta has created a system that is repeatable and we don’t necessarily need a 20 goal striker (although a nice to have!)
White was excellent yesterday. Whatever caused the issue in Qatar, didn’t seem to be bothering him at all.
I didn’t think Zinch was awful. He just looked rusty, which is not surprising, and he wasn’t playing LB at all, he was even more central than he had been earlier in the year. But I assume that was at least somewhat Arteta’s expectation.
Great post, welcome to the comments.
I like Zinchenko and what he offers Arsenal, which is different from what Tierney brings. Statistically, there was nothing wrong with his game against Wham. He made 30/32 passes. It’s just my impression which was that he was bypassed far too easily, looked slow, and out of sorts. I think it’s a fitness issue.
So many positives to take from yesterday!
Biggest for me is Nketiah playing adequately and getting his goal. I think the impact of confidence is overblown in punditry (it’s a very obvious and lazy thing to analyze) but in Nketiah’s case it’s clear he feels a lot of pressure with constant comparisons to Jesus. Glad that he got a high quality goal that let him showcase more than just his penalty box poaching.
On the topic of Mudryk, I think the plan is more to add a high-quality winger that lets us rotate our front 3 without a drop in quality. I think while it’s not his best position, Martinelli could play on the right as well as down the middle – this means Mudryk on the left gives us “cover” implicitly for Nketiah and Saka as well. We’ve been able to start Martinelli and Saka in every PL game so far but for the second half of the season we’ll need to be able to give them breaks, plus have an option if Nketiah goes down.
The real question for me is just how good is he? I can’t tell if we are going after an Arshavin or a Pepe right now.
City have Foden, Bernardo, Mahrez and Grealish competing for their two wing spots. That’s the kind of quality depth that championship winning squads have. The starts go to whoever is performing best and/or working hardest, simple as that.
Mudryk would be the the third banana behind Martinelli and Saka, making up a proper foursome once Smith-Rowe returns. That’s not City level star quality depth (they just sold Jesus and Sterling from those spots.. ridiculous), but it sure is an upgrade. Right now that spot is occupied by Reiss Nelson who is only here because injury prevented a loan move. If Jesus was fit it might be filled by Nketiah, who is not a natural wide player. It’s for sure an area of need.
The other thing you look for in a signing like this is what solutions do they bring that aren’t already in the squad? You don’t pay this much money for a player just to be an alternate (unless you’re City). The major thing that jumps off the screen when I watch Mudryk is explosiveness. You can’t teach the first step quickness and acceleration he has. Saka and especially Martinelli are quick players but rely on jukes and two footed ability to buy space, whereas Mudryk looks like he can just blow by people, the kind of terrifying winger that leaves opponents in heaps in his wake or scrambling to stay ahead of him. Thats an elite trait because it can open up space for his team mates or buys him space for his own shot. It’s a weapon in transition as well. The comps that come to mind are Kylian Mbappe (high end) or Adama Traore (low end). He doesn’t have Kylian’s size so I don’t think that ceiling is feasible, but he’s already a better technician than Adama.
The tools are there. The rest is up to proper coaching and desire from the player to improve. He will have the coaching and I doubt Arsenal would invest so heavily in a player who doesn’t have the proper intangibles.
Agree, City is the benchmark here. And I’d love to have their depth. But not yet convinced that we have their budget.
If signing Mudryk means problems with re-signing Martinelli, Saka or Saliba, it’s not worth it.
Missed the first half but it seems like I didn’t miss much, as it took those 45 minutes to get Arsenal guns oiled and fired. The 2nd half I watched in entirety and Oh My! Two words: Martin Ødegaard.
It was so much fun to watch him boss the pitch. If he can do that on a consistent basis in behind the nominal front three of Eddie, Bukayo and Gabriel? And those three at their best are best front three in the Premier League.
We have a real chance to do the business. The kind of business that leads to parades and confetti in the spring.
We’ve talked about Wenger and FIFA (boo!), but this match was all about Wenger and Arsenal (yay!) and that combination I can totally support and get behind. It was beautiful to see him up in the director’s box, relishing every goal.
There will be a statue and he will get his proper due and be feted at Arsenal, as he should be. I’m also itching to see Santi Cazorla come back to the Emirates and get a proper celebration as well.
Life is good, Gooners. Enjoy it while you can!
Ron Carter was definitely on the bass yesterday.
Abu knows.
So does Tim, obviously…😉
So many good vibes right now. We are playing consistent, aggressive and dominant football. Eddie scoring a delicious goal that will bolster his confidence. Saka and Martinelli doing their thing. Seeing Arsene in the stands was icing on the cake. Happy New Year 7am family!
The three points from the Spammer game were vital given the need to regain our momentum, the huge challenge of our forthcoming schedule and the results of the teams behind us. The half-time score was disappointing and undeserved as we had shown that playing style had not evaporated during tthe WC and we were recurrently unlucky with the final ball after smart interplays and the clip on Saka’s heel in the lovely build-up to his disallowed goal. The pen felt unjust given our dominance and it was soft but much more encouraging was our stolid, unruffled response both on the field and in the crowd. From minute 1, Ødegaard set the high tempo and pulled the strings and I would agree that was his best game for us despite his three chances going awry. Saka and Martinelli showed no ill effects from the break, were roughed up and kept coming back for more. Both their goals were beautifully taken. Partey, a few telegraphed passes aside, was imperious and eclipsed the much lauded Rice.
However the major pluses for me this week were Eddie’s superb performance and brilliantly executed goal and the sight of Le Boss in the Directors’ Box with a fulsome tribute from the crowd who having acclaimed the great man, celebrated our present and future with, “We’ve got super Mic Arteta…!”.
More please.