Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video
What sort of torture do you assume you may endure if it meant we gained the league?
Thumb screws? Waterboarding? The rack? The brazen bull? Maroon 5 blasting into your eardrums on a loop? Watching Arsenal play soccer? How far are you ready to go?
I’m delighted we gained yesterday. I went on the ArsenalVision Podcast on Thursday and Elliot requested me if I might take 5 1-0s in what stays of our Premier League season. With out hesitation I stated ‘sure’.
BUT NOT LIKE THIS!
I realise profitable is a very powerful factor, however that is my weblog, I’ve at all times been fully sincere about how I really feel, and that recreation put me by some issues yesterday. Even the superb objective we scored was tinged with a facet serving to of ‘What are you doing?!’. We had a nook, we took it quick, Noni Madueke performed it to Martin Odegaard and his move in direction of Eberechi Eze was lower out.
There was a second one, once more it was quick, this time Eze acquired a left footed shot away from the sting of the field which went not too far broad. Which clearly demonstrated the set-piece coach/analysts had recognized one thing about Newcastle’s set-up which we may try to exploit, however after we had one other nook and Odegaard dropped quick to take the move from Madueke, there was some frustration we didn’t simply get the ball into the ‘hazard space’.
Seems the hazard space is the place Eze was, as a result of Madueke ignored the captain, fed Havertz who laid it again, and Arsenal’s quantity 10 swept the ball dwelling gloriously. An outstanding end to place us 1-0 up after 10 minutes, and hopefully that will be the muse for us to go all carpe diem and seize the day.
Er, not fairly. Maybe a number of the anxiousness round these quick corners stemmed from the actual fact Newcastle had an excellent probability to attain within the opening minute. Will Osula kicked contemporary air as a substitute of the ball, which was one thing of a let off, significantly on a day once you actually needed Arsenal to return out and begin laborious and quick. We have been limp and sluggish. The objective felt prefer it ought to settle us, however I feel Newcastle had the higher of the primary half total, with 9 makes an attempt on objective to our 3. David Raya needed to make one first rate save from a Sandro Tonali shot which was wobbling like my nerves because it fizzed in direction of objective.
Issues weren’t helped by an damage to Kai Havertz who was changed by Viktor Gyokeres simply after the half hour mark. Any damage at this stage of the season isn’t welcome in any respect, and that was compounded early within the second half when Eze went down and Gabriel Martinelli got here on. Arsenal’s damage report is, frankly, absurd and a big drawback. It can’t be coincidence, and a few joined up pondering is required to type it out. Is it the calls for of the supervisor and his model? Is it the medical crew? A little bit from column A, a little bit from column B? No matter it’s, it’s an obstacle to success and we now have to repair it.
That left us with the Martinelli, Gyokeres, Madueke triumvirate up entrance which by no means works, and didn’t work once more. We have been additionally considerably hamstrung (no pun meant) by the actual fact we solely had yet another window to make adjustments. Twenty minutes into the second half and Newcastle had 64% possession. Positive, they weren’t doing an amazing take care of it, however a one objective lead at all times feels precarious, and much more so when there’s a title on the road. Additionally, for those who watched on Sky, they stored occurring and on about how Newcastle have been rising in confidence, however for me it was extra about Arsenal taking part in badly. Which we did.
We didn’t win duels up entrance, we didn’t win second balls in midfield, there was such imprecision in our passing from begin to end, and the choice making was in all places. That stated, I feel Newcastle have been fortunate to not go all the way down to 10 males when Odegaard performed Gyokeres in behind, Nick Pope got here out to comb up, missed the ball completely after which fouled the Arsenal striker. The ref issued a yellow, most likely as a result of there was a masking defender, but when the defender makes that foul and the keeper is the final man, that’s going to be a purple card. So why does a person with some gloves on get particular dispensation for that sort of problem?
Because the clock ticked down, you hoped our famed defensive solidity could be the factor to see us by as a result of we didn’t actually appear to be scoring once more. And to be truthful, Newcastle didn’t actually make a transparent lower probability … till they did. A extremely good move excessive from Nick Woltemade discovered fellow substitute Yoane Wissa who was 8 yards out with simply Raya to beat. Maybe the advancing goalkeeper put some stress on him, however he clumped it over the bar when he actually ought to have scored. That was a nasty, unhealthy miss, and a fortunate, fortunate second for Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka’s return was very welcome, he added a little bit management within the remaining third and helped us out in that sense. Odegaard had a shot nicely saved on the close to publish, however midway by the 7 (seven!) minutes of damage time, we had an excellent alternative to make the sport protected. I’m not a person vulnerable to dramatic outbursts of swearing and environmental violence, however I can’t inform you how shut I got here to flinging my laptop computer on the TV when this second transpired:
You simply can’t not make that move. All that house to roll the ball into the trail of two gamers who then have a one on one, and also you hit the defender? I do know Gyokeres has been our high scorer, and truthful play to him he’s additionally match and accessible, however I’ve discovered his incapability to do basic items such a priority from the primary time I watched him in our shirt. 34 Premier League video games and all of the cup video games later, moments like this do nothing to persuade me he’s going to enhance in that regard.
I perceive that incidents like this really feel heightened due to the anxiousness of the title race, and the way determined all of us are to see the crew go the space, however what if this was 0-0 and that was the objective that would have gained us the sport? Anyway, the laptop computer remained un-flung, we tried our greatest to make the ultimate couple of minutes scary by giving Newcastle a nook and a free kick in our half, however in the end we noticed it out.
No query it was an enormous three factors. I loved the ultimate whistle. The remaining, not a lot. I really feel a bit Kate Bush ‘Wuthering Heights’, in that I hated it and I cherished it too. We needed to win, we did, that’s a very powerful factor however as an expertise it felt like one thing to endure reasonably than get pleasure from. Dare we rating one other objective in a recreation to provide ourselves a cushion for our hearts and our churning insides? Dare we? WHY DO WE HATE CUSHIONS?!
Possibly that is simply the way it needs to be to win a title as of late, however actually, I can’t ever bear in mind a time in my Arsenal supporting life when I’ve felt so confused by soccer. I get it, stakes is excessive, however holy cow, it’s lots. Afterwards, Mikel Arteta was a bit extra sanguine, saying:
I’m actually pleased with the win. We talked about recreation one and the way vital that was. We most likely ought to have completed it with a much bigger margin in sure moments of the sport. However when it’s 1-0, it’s at all times robust as a result of they’ve high quality, as a result of they introduced so many good gamers from the bench as nicely. Once we don’t end the motion, particularly the open ones that we had, the margin goes to be smaller.
I don’t wish to end on a down word in any respect, as a result of we gained. One down, 4 extra 1-0s to go. Argh! However critically, Newcastle are a tough crew to play in opposition to, and our latest type hasn’t been good. I additionally firmly imagine that as confused as we could be as followers, the crew can be feeling it. If not fairly crippled by the stress of this title race, definitely inhibited by it. No matter you consider our model of soccer or sure people, we’re able to higher than this, however what issues this morning is that we now have the three factors beneath our belts, and we now sit again on high of the desk. Something aside from a win yesterday would have been a catastrophe, and we discovered a technique to do it.
Price noting that is the second time an Eze objective has been sufficient to win a house recreation, the earlier was the 1-0 in opposition to Crystal Palace. I additionally assume Piero Hincapie deserves a point out for his defensive efficiency. On a day when the sport is horrid and scrappy, he’s the right participant to dig in and do what’s obligatory. I preferred what he did and the way he did it, particularly the way in which he appears to complete video games with some further chew.
No matter consolation or optimism some features of our efficiency in opposition to Man Metropolis generated may have been obliterated by yesterday, and we now need to go to Madrid in midweek with some huge query marks over us. Not simply when it comes to how we’d play, however who we’d have accessible. Nonetheless, the factors are ours, and I really feel a bit higher having acquired this down on paper, so to talk. Europe is a distinct problem, so let’s hope it’s one we are able to rise to forward of one other difficult Premier League fixture subsequent weekend.
I feel I have to lie down once more. Have an amazing Sunday everybody.
