Top at Christmas with room for improvement by Konstantin Mitov
Well lovely Arsenal people, we are top at Christmas. A 1-1 draw away at Liverpool which leaves me both happy and a little disappointed.
Let’s get it out of the way, we were lucky with the penalty. The second stroke of luck was them being 5 against 1 and hitting the bar.
That said, I thought we played pretty well, consider a few players had absolute nightmares.
Zinchenko is not a good defender. That goal we conceded was shocking. Good play from Salah, but come on, everybody and their mother nowadays knows the long ball from Trent to Salah on the wings and Zinchenko just left it go over him, then allowed probably the best winger in world football for the past 4 years to go on his favourite foot and slot it in.
There’s no way that ball would’ve gone over Tomi’s head, but unfortunately the Japanese international isn’t fit enough and we’re unlucky with Timber’s injury, but if I am honest, I’d be looking at a left back in January if we’re serious. Also the 5 against 1 when they hit the bar, was because Odegaard was trying to be smart on a poor corner. My point is we mostly limited them, apart from the silly mistakes.
Talking of silly mistakes, Martinelli is shocking. He missed the goal, with Alisson out of the picture. I know there were players on the goal line, but hit the target. But even if we ignore this, his pressing was poor, he was slipping, dribbled the ball out of play, but worse was his running. At times he looked lazy, which is the last thing I’d thought of Martinelli.
The problem with our wingers is that there aren’t really any alternatives. Saka was doing good against Tsimikas, but once Gomez came on, I barely remember Saka being involved and there’s a Reiss Nelson on the bench who just isn’t good enough to come on, based on how the manager doesn’t trust him.
Our subs are very predictable. Eddie for Jesus, Trossard for Martinelli and the other options are only to give players some rest when a game is already done. There wasn’t really anyone who can impact the game for us to win it. I though Eddie coming on actually did a job, but he doesn’t scare anyone.
There’s no point anymore in talking about what a beast Declan Rice is. The guy’s application is unbelievable. The way he tackles, the way he runs for every ball, I am amazed. Thomas Partey was the lynchpin of our team last year and we haven’t really missed him. Considering the way Martinelli has fallen off a cliff, Saka and Odegaard nowhere near their level of last year, we still are title contenders due to him.
I thought Havertz was actually the best of our front 5. He seemed like the calmest head of them, especially in the second half on a yellow. Then the 2 at the back. Saliba and Gabriel, with Rice in front of them are a title winning foundation.
Now, I look at January. We need more goals. Solanke at Bournemouth has 11 goals. 50 million? If that is what separates Arsenal from the league title, let’s just do it. You see what 100m brings in Rice, if we add a player who can put it in the back of the net, we’re going places. We need a lot of goals from midfield to cover the lack of a striker.
A left back won’t be on the menu, but it really should. I think we should move on Zinny. His mistake gave Wolves the goal that made our life nervy. I think his sloppiness conceded the corner that cost us 2 points Vs Fulham. He was nowhere to be seen for Villa’s goal few weeks ago. I’m done, part of Martinelli’s poor form is the fact he’s isolated. The inversion thing was nice last season, but the mistakes cost us more than he offers going forward. He gifted Liverpool the goal today, no matter how good Salah played it.
A winger should also be top priority. Jared Bowen has 11 goals at West Ham. I’m just saying there are options. Arsenal nowadays is flavour of the month. If we ring a player on the phone, he’s interested, because of the possibilities. People think we’re the best team apart from City and put us only behind City, Bayern and Real in the CL, let’s flex it. Let’s go there and show we’re not happy with 2nd and we’re willing to do anything it takes.
Overall, we’re top at Christmas again and we’re not playing our best football. I just think we need a few fresh faces with more hunger. I think some of our players might’ve thought we’d win it last year, and there’s a hangover from the realisation we didn’t. Also, a bit of experience would be welcome. That’s one of the youngest front fives you’ll see, and although youth is in no way a sin, the average age of a title winning side sits at around 28, not 24.
Overall, I can enjoy my Christmas now and if we are proactive in January who knows where we’ll end up.
Konstantin
Spot on. Well said.
Must have missed something🤔……..”win” at Liverpool?
Certainly, would have taken a draw before KO. Solid defending by 80% of back 5. Shame Tommy was out. Why, oh why, did we let Kieran go?🤷
Cheris, Tierney also never liked heading the ball. Timber is the answer for left footed players like Sala.
Klop quickly brought in Johnson who tamed Saka, though Saka has a sronger right foot and on one instance managed to reach the bar line and crossed.
I never understand how Tierney was let go. He could have been of great help to our team. Arteta’s ego sometimes is getting the better of him.
We lost our title last January and hope we wouldn’t repeat the same mistake this year.
Absolutely agree with your analysis, Konstantin, on almost every point. I’m not sold on Solanke being an upgrade. You’d better be careful throwing all these truths out there, I have a feeling you’re going to be labelled many things other than a faithful gooner.
Solanke scored a hat trick yesterday and now has 11 goals in 17 games.
Already aware of that. His header to the upper right corner was really sweet.
Unless we get a like for like replacement for Zinny with his ball playing abilities AND a steely defensive mettle, no sense in moving him on and suffering from lack of creativity, especially with Odegaard and Saka’s forms cooling off.
Nowadays if Saka manages to do anything positive, I chalked it up to luck, not confidence or assured ability. Such is his flat games these days. Not buying that defenders ganging up on him, this happens to all decent wide players. He can contribute by placing first time crosses immediately he receives the ball. Do that for first 30mins of the game and have defenders confused about his intents if then decide his cutback and shoot runs. Atleast mix it up. White needs to go up further to help Saka very close to opposition goal so that he can reserve that energy instead of spending it getting into tussles from the midfield.
Martinelli can swap with Jesus for a period of a game to mix things up.
Plenty more but I guess the guys below me will have a gander too.
Tell it to the coaches.
As an ardent follower and fan of Arsenal fc for more than 27 years I have said many times on this plartform that though Jesus is very good and skillful striker, there comes a time the coach and fans would want more from him in terms of scoring more goals.
Play making as much as it thrills the fans and make football exciting it doesn’t win a march but goals do. Arsenal need a good finisher.
Jesus is best as a supportive striker.
We can all see what a good buy in Declan Rice and flashes in Timber can do. A good buy in prolific tall CF would add to our chances of winning trophies with the skillful midfielders and wingers we have.
May be a terrorizing CF could have won us yesterday match, Villa and NewCastle game.
Hope the garfar and the board do the needful soonest.
What Arteta needs to do, is give the bench warmers some game time. No telling when they may be needed. I mean more than 5/10 mins here and there. Otherwise we’ll fold up just like last season if one of the first team gets a knock. Jus sayin…
Solanke’s 11 goals from 17 matches makes him look a bit special, but I don’t know where he’s been hiding it these last four or five seasons. I doubt that a bid will be made for him before the summer (if even then), but I’m certainly impressed, despite some unfair criticisms by people who ought to know better.
Solanke looks good at the moment but it is difficult to say whether this is just current form or that he has transformed into a consistent high quality finisher.
How many games has Tierney played for Sociedad?
The real miss Is the injuries to Timber and Tomiyasu, not the absence of Tierney please.
And our players should not have allowed Zinchenko to face Salah all alone. When Saka has the ball, two or more players would swoop on him knowing how dangerous he can be. But our players left Liverpool’s most potent player one on one with a defender!
Tierney’s on long term injury, due to very serious hamstring issues, that could require surgery, keeping him out for even longer.
We no longer have a player like Xhaka who used to be like an additional LB when we were defending. Havertz took over Xhaka’s role but doesn’t cover the left as much. MA appears not to have assigned any midfielder to help out on the left. That’s why Zinc was up against Salah alone.
As for KT, Timber played only 1 game this season so that’s certainly fewer than KT. Tomi like KT is also quite injury prone. Not sure why we shouldn’t miss KT
@CorporateMan
Exactly. That goal could have been prevented had Gabe pushed up and assisted Zinny in marking Salah. Jus sayin…
I think we have missed partey – imo he would have made the difference between squeaking through some games, like we have, and winning them more comfortably. Pairing him with rice would be incredibly dominant, potentially even against Liverpool at anfield.
Rice has been unbelievable though, no question. So good, and so consistent. We wouldn’t be in the race without him this season and he’s our most important player (I would say “by far” but saliba has also been crucial).
What? Have you forgotten Partey was being used as a right-back when he was available to be paired up with Declan Rice? Let him just remain injured man.
Yeah, a Partey and Rice with Ode midfield the word dominant comes to mind and I think Arteta will feel the same when he sees it. I can’t wait til we finally see it come to fruition
Gabriel, who had a fine game , ought to have backed up Zinchenko and engaged Salah when he cut inside.As he has done on numerous occasions this season, he stood off with his arms behind his body and failed to block the shot.You simply cannot move quickly with your arms in an unnatural position and the sooner this is brought to the attention of Gabriel the better.
@Grandad
🎯👍🏾
We begin each match with the identical starting lineup and the same two substitutes in Trossard and Nketia. It’s only a matter of time before opposing managers decipher our strategy.
Saka, and Martinelli, look tired and need a rest. Without fresh additions to our squad, clinching the league title this season seems unlikely.
We had to loan Raya as we couldn’t afford the 30m to buy him but lets go out and buy a left back, winger and a striker! Any incomings I’m sure will depend on outgoings first. The Zinchenko talk is rubbish, he has his flaws and fitness problems but on the whole he improves put team ten fold. He has the most progressive passes into the final third than any other Arsenal player this season, you can’t just leave him out of the team or replace him with another player and expect us to perform with the same efficiency. Our gameplay this season is built around structure and control our expected goals are down from last season but so are our expected goals against. To give an example of this, last season vs Liverpool at Anfield our expected goals for were 1.4, Liverpool’s were 3.9. This season it was 0.9 – 0.8. Martinelli, Saka and Odegaard’s numbers were always going to look worse than last seasons. To suggest they have fallen off a cliff is not taking into consideration our change in style of play. I think you are seeing our best football, it’s just not the football you want to see. Top of the league, last 16 against Porto. Good times.