DISGUSTING NLD AFTERNOON
This season will be long; there will be ups and downs, but my word, it’s starting to feel like this particular Arsenal side might just be inevitable.
Big teams approach massive games without emotion. They just read the room, make adjustments, and exit with what they need. Arsenal did that yesterday against Spurs in absolutely brutal fashion, spanking them 4-1 without remorse. It had all the punch of Reiss Nelons against Bournemouth, it was shocking like Declan vs Madrid last season, and it felt easy in a way that only happens to teams chasing down big trophies.
Arsenal have been an exceptional team for the last four years, but we lacked a bit of special sauce, some of that bang BANG, those players that make a difference in moments that require something out of the ordinary. Eberechi Eze wasn’t on the agenda at the start of last summer, but once he was, we all kind of felt like this was the sort of game-changer that could move the needle for a very functional Arsenal team. We finally saw how that played out with an exceptional 90 minutes of football that ended with the first NLD hat trick since Alan Sunderland in 1978.
It didn’t start there, though. The first goal came via a piece of creative genius from Mikel Merino. Yep, you read that right: the Spaniard picked the ball up in the middle of the pitch. He had two blocks of four and a keeper to navigate; most of us thought he’d just play it out wide. Instead, he clipped a central ball between the lines. Trossard envisioned the pass with a cross-box run in behind. He controlled the ball as it landed, pirouetted, and stroked his shot into the bottom corner. Absolutely magnificent. The sort of open-play magic Ozil and Sanchez would create, or Bergkamp and Freddie Ljungberg.
The state of play before that goal was quite bleak. Thomas Frank had put together a back five for the second time (the first time was in the Super Cup), and he seemed quite content to ask absolutely nothing of his players going forward, but had plenty of ideas about spoiling the run of play with time-wasting, ugly fouls, and hoofed balls. I understand that Spurs finished 17th last season, but honestly, I was expecting a little more from a team that had the best away record in the league, and a little more from a manager who does not have many admirers in the Spurs fan base.
Arsenal were delicious from moment one. We were more aggressive in the duels, we looked fitter, and our physical presence and high levels of technical superiority really seemed to have Spurs players rattled. I don’t know about you, but I look at so many of their players and feel like they’d have been the sort of names Arsenal would have signed under the Don Raul and Unai Emery era. They’re not going far with players like that. Show ponies, the lot of them.
The great thing about a team that comes to play in cowardly fashion is that if their plan is scuppered by a 36th-minute goal, they tend to have no way back. Thomas Frank didn’t seem to have a plan if they went a goal down. They were shell-shocked to the point that Vicario continued to time-waste.
The second goal came just before halftime, another goal that summed up our spirit. Zubimendi lost the ball, the cleared pass spun up, Timber won the header with ease against Odobert. Trossard picked it up on the right, he makes a short pass to Saka, there’s a pass to Timber, his cross is poorly cleared, Declan hoovers up the loose ball and plays Eze in centrally with a first-time pass. Eze dances past two defenders, then smashes a ball through a crowd of players. A brilliant piece of individualism, but made possible by the relentlessness and quality of those players around him.
The second half began. Xavi Simmons was on, the back five of Spurs was abandoned, but it didn’t matter. Same issues for Spurs. Arsenal created a bit of pressure from kickoff. Odobert was meekly dispossessed by Saka (didn’t chase back), Timber found himself in possession, his first pass failed, he collected the block, then found Eze in acres again centrally. He shifted his body and placed it into the bottom left with a side-footed left shot.
MY WORD! 3-0 up! WE WERE DREAMING!
Well, 10 minutes later, Spurs did have a moment. Zubimendi lost the ball near the halfway line, Richarlison, who had done nothing all game, just smashed a hopeful shot over Raya.
Spurs were back in it. Kind of.
I felt threatened. The team that created 0 xG in the first half had my heart rate go up 10 bpm because they made some passes near our box. I think Xavi Simmons did a step-over that looked dangerous. It really was fucking pitiful what was worrying me. What can you do? The brain rewires itself to new realities and contexts as you get older; my rewiring is to feel threatened by any xG over 0.5.
I don’t really want to come back to this later, but some folk criticized the loss of possession from Zubi and the positioning of Raya. Look, Zubi did make a few errors, but he’s top class, and still learning the ropes. He’ll get better and better as he really adapts to the rigors of the league. As for Raya? Come on. You can’t lap up all his front-footed bravery then complain when he occasionally gets lobbed with freak 0.02 xG goals. It’ll happen. Rarely. But never a zero chance.
We finished the game out. Hincapie beasted Richarlison to a header. Declan hooked it to Merino. The Spaniard with his back facing goal hooked a ball into Trossard’s run. The Belgian found Eze, centrally, again. He took a touch, pushed the ball to his right, and smashed into the bottom right from 18 yards. His celebration had all the sauce of a Thierry moment, just jabbering to the crowd in a knowing fashion. This man loves the Arsenal and he knows what he has done for our title credentials.
The game was quite rough finishing out. Declan Rice smashed over Xavi Simmons and leant in to call him a c-word I believe. Porro ran over to tell the much larger man to reconsider his ways. Richarlison, one of the most pointless players in the league, injected himself into the conversation by behaving badly. The man is an office paper shuffler. Just there for the busy work. He’s the guy who has to feedback in a meeting he shouldn’t be in just to let everyone know he’s there. NBC called him a villain you’d like on your team. Really? Not for me. Luis Suarez a top-quality villain, this clown? He makes things worse for no real reason.
But, no amount of shitty behavior designed for uneducated fans to say ‘at least he cares’ will make up for an unprecedented spanking. Spurs were so bad, Thomas Frank had to remind everyone they finished 17th last season. He wanted to make sure people weren’t imagining Spurs, who play PSG this week, were in the Champions League because they were good. He wanted to remind them that this was relegation fodder last season and we shouldn’t expect too much. Love that.
As for Arsenal? It looks good, doesn’t it? Dispatching a NLD Derby like a bit of roadkill was the sort of ruthlessness we’ve been waiting for. For three seasons, we’ve played with our food, and watched it slip out from under our claws. Now, it’s a straight savaging. We’re spilling guts and eating our prey alive. This Arsenal team has learned that the only way to get over Premier League trauma is to inflict it on others, week after week after week.
Declan Rice, unstoppable.
Jurrien Timber, just a monster at both ends.
Leo Trossard, urging fans on after 10 minutes, and delivering exceptional again. Is this the biggest bargain of the last 10 years?
Hincapie, just dropping into the team to cover for the best defender in the world, and he was faultless.
Mikel Merino just deciding to be a master creator to open the game.
Seasons are made when players step up to do hero stuff, and this season, it feels like everyone wants to play a role, and all of them think we’re going to exit with a big trophy.
We now have a very big week. Bayern Munich will tell us how strong our squad is. Chelsea will tell us how good the second-best team in the league is right now. If we take three points there, we will be nine points clear at the top of the league BEFORE we enter December. That’s quite incredible on many levels. Unexpected too.
What makes all of this even better? We have key players like Noni, Martinelli, Odegaard, Gyokeres, Jesus, and Kai coming back into the team. Motivated, fresh, with points to prove. We’re only going to get better as the next six weeks get deeper. So if Arteta can rotate properly, and the squad can get a bit of luck, we could be in an enviable position by the end of this next block of games.
It’s an exciting time to be a Gooner. Tune into the On The Whistle. Johnny’s ratings going up later. x
P.S. Pregame hype video and the club x supporter tifo was really awesome. Let that be the standard moving forward.
Podcast## ARSENAL DESTROY GUTLESS SPURS!
Pedro
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Nov 23
ARSENAL DESTROY GUTLESS SPURS!
PEDRO AND MATT WENT LIVE AFTER THE GAME TO BREAK DOWN A HUGE WIN UNDER THE LIGHTS AT A FOG-FILLED EMIRATES 🌫️⚽️
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