Arsenal Vs Brentford An X-ray! by Baron
I’m glad we were able to get the win. It was a battle out there, just like i expected. Our games against Brentford are always very tight, with the odd goal deciding it, most times.
This is the EPL & no game is easy. You have to earn the right to win every single game. Take any opponent for granted, & you’ll pay dearly for it. Even City struggled to beat this same Brentford 1-0 a couple of weeks ago. That tells you just how compact they can be at times.
There’s a reason i didn’t get my knickers in a knot when Raya became our number one, ahead of Ramsdale. A number of Arsenal fans literally crucified Arteta cuz Ramsdale was a fan favourite. But whisper it carefully, Ramsdale was one of the primary reasons we couldn’t cross the finish line last season.
Make no mistakes, he is a ridiculously good shot stopper, but his quicksand has always been that needless rush of adrenaline, as well as his inability to properly play out from the back (an essential ingredient in Arteta’s system).
That momentary loss of concentration, that second of indecision, that penchant to be overly excited, cost us dearly in key matches last season, & it was on full display again today. One minute he’s a hero, the next he’s a villain.
Raya on the other hand is quite calm & relaxed, & relieves pressure off his defenders. I totally love Rambo, he is for me, a much better shot stopper than Raya, but per our current system & set up, Raya is simply a better fit.
The calmness in our defense when he plays is priceless.
We have been scoring bucketloads of goals in recent matches, but we have to understand that there are matches we’d have to dig deep & grind out a result. This was one of these such games.
Games like these are decided by fine margins, & i’m glad we were eventually able to navigate this hurdle.
I almost puked when i discovered that Paul Tierney’s “punishment” for being a tool in the Liverpool/Nottingham Forest game was a demotion to VAR duties for our match today. I mentioned that he always seems to have an agenda against us, & once again, he lived up to my expectations of him today.
Officiating in the EPL really has a lot of work to do. This one-week-one-trouble officiating drama has to stop. The just concluded AFCON would be a good training ground to start that much needed holistic introspection.
Kai Havertz is slowly but surely becoming an integral part of the Arsenal attack. He’s literally undroppable at the moment. It isn’t just what he does with the ball that has made me begin to take notice, but his off-the-ball contributions as well. His hold up play, intricate passing, link ups & most importantly, his pressing has been quite impressive.
For someone like me who has been a critic of his, i say “long may this continue”.
At this moment we remain third favourites for the title, but it feels good to still be firmly in the mix as the run in gathers momentum. It sure promises to be a rollercoaster ride.
Who blinks first? Only time will tell.
Now we can relax & watch the Pool v City classic, knowing we’ve done our bit.
On to Porto next in the Champions League game, & i hope we have a night to remember on Tuesday.
Exciting times ahead!
Onwards & Upwards!
COYG 💪
From Baron