It was not pretty, it was not good, but a clean-sheet 1-0 to the Arsenal at Old Toilet certainly feels great.
This was an existential battle between two teams with a lot of pressure on them that definitely would have preferred this modern classic of an encounter not to be played as the season’s opener. You could tell from the start that the stakes were high: a game neither could afford to lose and would love to win.
Eight quick conclusions:
Our midfield effectiveness remains a work in progress (see previous posts). What can Arteta do to make Zubimendi and Rice much more effective? And why is Odegaard coming so deep to get the ball and carry it forward so often? I will have to watch the game again just to see these three midfielders in action again and then try to understand how they are interacting with each other. At the moment I am at a loss why I noticed them so little during the game.
The left wing is not working, and I am being kind. The big question is can Arsenal afford to not buy a left winger before the window shuts?
Bukayo was shackled and isolated, and so was Gyokeres. They both tried hard to have an impact but the midfield service and general team cohesion and tactics were well below par.
I know I am repeating myself, but the above-mentioned three points will be key to get right this season imho. I am happy that the team decided to keep Odegaard as our captain; he cares for the club and gives his all. The question that Arteta will have to answer is whether Martin needs a period on the bench as to regain his form and confidence. His final balls/passes/shots just lack confidence and precision, and it will hurt us if it doesn’t improve soon. We currently have two underperforming ‘Martins’ and there is a player, still in red and blue stripes South of the Thames, who would be ideal to push them both all the way. Please don’t let him go to the cheesy Spuds. In the meantime, let’s give Ethan a game or two in the nr10 position.
The really big positive to take from this game is the quality of our defending. The back five, all giant warriors, were outstanding. Raya was back to his very best after a couple of less convincing friendly games. He had presence and a couple of his saves were phenomenal, and I also thought that his contribution was good yesterday. Big Wil and Big Gab were awesome and all four full backs performed well. Calafiori just has the X-factor. He is still young but this may well be his big, breakout season. There is no fear or nervousness in this guy and it does not come as a surprise that he became our match winner. Love this guy.
We won again through a set-piece. This has the added effect that teams will worry even more about our ability to score from them, and that in itself is a factor contributing to the successfulness of them in future games. Set-piece again, set-piece again, set-piece again, Ole Ole! 🙂
Our bench was incredibly strong yesterday, and this had a big impact on our ability to see the game out and take all the three points back to North London. There were a couple of hairy moments but in general the team were in control and played with a maturity that bodes well for the season.
So, plenty to improve on and plenty to admire. Key is that we won, kept a clean sheet and now do not have to come back to leaky dump of red-Manchester for an entire PL season. As we played away for our first game, we will play at home for our last game, which may well be crucial. Starting the season away is seldom easy, and playing MU straightaway could have given us an awful start to the season. Luckily, the boys made sure that they were victorious, and that is just bliss. Bring on the newly promoted Peacocks!
By TotalArsenal