A load of old balls

It’s very chilly right here in Dublin this morning. You recognize who I blame? The Carabao Cup ball.

Truthfully, I do know we stay in an age the place clickbait guidelines, however a few of the stuff round Mikel Arteta’s post-match feedback has been dismal to say the least. In case you assume he’s actually blaming the ball, you didn’t watch what he mentioned, and it’s a measure of the place we’re on this media world that his phrases have been twisted the best way they’ve.

Remarking on one thing will not be the identical as complaining about it. And it’s positively not the identical as blaming it. If anybody actually thinks that when the supervisor and his employees sit across the video screens to analyse the sport once more they’ll come to the conclusion that it was the fault of the ball, they’re nuts.

Right here’s the place I feel the ball may lie within the record of ‘culprits’, for need of a greater phrase:

1 – Jurrien Timber miss2 – Gabriel Martinelli’s miss3 – Kai Havertz’s miss4 – Poor defending for each goals5 – 845 [A load of other things that we can do better when facing a team in a low block]846 – One thing else847 – The ball (perhaps).

It additionally ignores his post-game remarks when he made it clear what the large challenge was:

It’s about scoring objectives. Once we miss the possibilities that we missed after which concede a purpose, it’s at all times powerful.

BuT thE BallS!!!!

Scoring objectives. Being scientific. I discover this dialogue so attention-grabbing, as a result of I don’t assume there’s any doubt we will do higher in that regard – however while you take a look at the Premier League desk solely Liverpool have scored extra and so they have the perfect participant on the earth in a few of the greatest type of his profession to make them that bit stronger. We’ve scored the identical as Chelsea, and so they have a participant in Cole Palmer who’s producing with unimaginable consistency.

Salah has scored 38% of Liverpool’s Premier League objectives this season; Palmer is liable for 33% of Chelsea’s objectives; whereas our highest scorer within the league is Kai Havertz with 7 which is 17% of our whole. Is that higher as a result of we’re much less reliable on one man, or will we miss that one man to offer us the sting? I suppose it’s value mentioning that we’re lacking Bukayo Saka whose 10 assists make up 25% of that whole for us this season, and his 5 objectives cement his contribution additional. When it boils right down to it, Saka is for us what Salah and Palmer are for Chelsea – you possibly can’t assist however marvel/hope how they’d deal with their absences.

Within the Champions League, we have now 11 objectives from our 6 video games, a great distance behind a few of the main scorers, however having conceded simply twice we sit in third place in that individual desk proper now – and it does generally really feel like defensive parsimony is an efficient factor to have in Europe. Which isn’t to say you wouldn’t need extra up entrance, however that defensive solidity stays an vital platform.

My intestine feeling on this, and it simply that, is that we’ve hit one thing of a ceiling with regards to what these gamers can produce from an attacking foundation. That doesn’t imply it’s throughout, nor does it imply we will’t get a bit extra out of sure people. I feel it’s apparent that Leandro Trossard is able to extra, Gabriel Jesus has solely simply began scoring once more after a interval within the barren wastelands, and if Gabriel Martinelli may produce numbers akin to his greatest season, we’d be in higher form up entrance.

The large query of whether or not we add to the attacking roster earlier than the top of the month is the one that’s on everybody’s lips. Proper now, it doesn’t sound like there’s something imminent, though Arteta insists we’re open to creating that occur if the best alternative comes alongside. I hope it does. We’ve come such a great distance and made such wonderful progress, and it now looks like we’ve simply plateaued a bit bit. An injection of one thing new and contemporary feels just like the factor we have to kick on once more.

It additionally looks like one thing everyone wants proper now. Not simply the supporters, however the gamers themselves, and even the supervisor. A brand new face can have a big effect by way of the dynamic and what they will deliver to the group. If the fires are beginning to dwindle, pour a bit petrol on them within the form of a brand new participant. I hope the possession are paying consideration, as a result of whereas it’s not a 100% assured repair, you possibly can breathe life again right into a group with the correct of addition.

Past that although, I nonetheless assume we have now issues we will do to make us a bit more practical. As I wrote yesterday, pace of thought, passing and motion can enhance. I’d wish to see a bit extra threat taking with passing from deep when ahead gamers make actions that are too typically ignored. If we lose the ball, we have now gamers who can win it again, we shouldn’t be so afraid of transition moments. Sacrifice a bit management, and maybe the reward is the chance to go at a group who’ve to return ahead and go away a little bit of house for us to assault.

Anyway, I’m certain after he performs a coaching floor ritual through which he burns a load of Carabao Cup balls in entrance of the gamers utilizing an historic Latin incarnation to alleviate of us its curse, these are issues Mikel Arteta shall be engaged on forward of the FA Cup tie towards Man Utd on Sunday.

For now, keep heat, until you’re someplace heat already through which case I’m jealous. Until tomorrow.