Arsenal Player Ratings vs Brentford by Peter Doherty
Hope all is good. The Gunners march on!!! It’s starting to get exciting. Here’s my contribution to the Player Ratings this week:
What a difference a year makes. The fall out from last year’s insipid defeat at the Community Stadium after Arsenal were bullied by Brentford was immense. The cries for Arteta’s removal were deafening and the atmosphere surrounding Arsenal was toxic. Look at us now!
Here are ratings for yesterday’s game:
Ramsdale (7)
You can only do what you have to do at times, and Ramsdale had very little to do,, but he did it well. Alert to sweeping up when we played a high line, good distribution and a fantastic reaction when Brentford broke the defensive line on one occasion.
White (7)
Looks increasingly comfortable in his new role. Gave Brentford no encouragement to attack his flank and was offering more overlaps to stretch their defence.
Saliba (9)
The kid is world class. Took his goal well but it was his defensive attributes that stood out. Toney has been one of the most dangerous attackers in the Premiership this season but Saliba completely subdued him. Made an incredible recovery tackle in the second half that very few centre backs could accomplish and emerged calmly with the ball.
Gabriel (7)
Was solid, commanding and untroubled. He looks considerably more comfortable playing with Saliba as the younger man’s pace allied with Tierney’s are huge assets.
Tierney (8)
In his absence it was easy to forget what a quality operator KT is. His speed and aggression as well as his stamina level offers solidity at the back with an ever present attacking threat.
Partey (8)
He is the foundation of this team. His capacity to receive the ball in any circumstance and create space gives his backline and attackers huge confidence. Simply put, he elevates everyone around him without having to outshine them.
Xhaka (9)
Having said that it would be difficult to outshine Xhaka at the minute as he is playing on another level. With Partey and Saliba offering greater protection his role as the gap filler is no longer necessary and this allows him to express himself, and it’s damn good.
Vieira (8)
The concern of how the young Portuguese was going to adapt will be largely eased with this performance. Looked assured in possession and showed vision, as well as a cracking finish to boot.
Saka (7)
His reputation causes havoc even if he doesn’t always dominate. Defences are doubling up on him and this is creating space for Martinelli and Jesus. The beauty is that there are now three legitimate threats to deal with and soon Saka will be the one exploiting the space.
Martinelli (7)
Sometimes tries to do too much, but then that is part of what makes him such an incredible talent. As he matures and his decision making improves this guy will be even more frightening.
Jesus (8)
Again the leader. Bullied the Brentford backline which delivered the karma after last years effort. Fantastic neck action to generate the power for the header. Could have had a hat trick and is forgiven as he created the other opportunities all by himself.
The symmetry and cohesion of this team is increasing with each performance. The seamless replacement of Odegaard and Zinchenko bodes well. The fact that the defeat at United left no residue on their confidence is probably the most reassuring aspect of what was considered a tricky outing.
The NLD is now a tantalizing prospect rather than a fearful one…
Peter Doherty
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You are getting carried away.It’s far too soon to categorise Saliba as “World class”. He looks the part but he faces two huge challenges against Spurs and Liverpool when it would be appropriate to review his performances and status.For the first time this season I witnessed an Arsenal side without a weakness, and this was maintained with the arrival of Lakonga , Tomi and Nketiah.Bearing in mind the absence of Odegaard, Zinc and ESR, we have at least 17 players who we can call upon with a measure of confidence.We may still lack the depth of one of two other sides, but we are getting there.
What a sensible post Grandad, full of real context and a REALISTIC summation of where our squad is right now.
On SALIBA I would say all the portents show a player who looks extremely likely to become world class, but as yet, it is far too soon for that description to be deserved.
Any true world class player needs to show REGULAR excellent quality for far longer than SALIBA has yet had the opportunity to do so.
He has huge potential but is he even first choice for France? Varane will play, so Saliba is competing with Kounde and Upamecano, both quality players
What gives you assurance that Varane will play? If he is not in form, he will be dropped to the bench.
Tierney seems to have improved his understanding of the inverted LB role. His positional play was much better than the ones in our previous two matches
Xhaka’s cross from the half-space reminds me of Cancelo’s to Haaland in Man City’s game against Wolves, although Cancelo’s was more impressive due to his technique using the outside of his right foot. Hopefully Xhaka and our inverted LBs keep making those long crosses from the left half-space, since they have good technical abilities to make accurate long passes
Son has shown that he can frequently score from outside the penalty box using both feet, so it’d be interesting to see how White and Saliba will deal with him on our right wing in the NLD
*I mean “Man City’s game against Dortmund”
Stellar performance all around from the lads. And praise goes to the Coach as well.
I’m not worried about Klopps crew at the moment. I’m more interested in seeing how our midfield and back line fair against Spurs and mainly MC, with theirs beasts in Debruyne and Haaland.
There is a reason Partey said he would like to play in a midfield beside Xhaka one year before joining Arsenal.
I must admit am particular happy for this reliable player, bringing his A game to the table, I know await his 27 yards screamers i know he has in his locker
Why does your comment ALWAYS have the man city players in it ? You are ALWAYS referencing cancelo or somebody else in that city team. Its almost as if you are a city fan but acting like an arsenal fan.
The dude is possibly a city fan in disguise, and then he dares not comment without mentioning ‘inverted’ LB,RB or ‘inverted’ wingers. Just like music stuck on a repeat 😁😁
Exactly,
Glad im not the only one who noticed.
😂😀😂
My comment above was for the gotanidea guy.
Emperor Augustus, Has it not occurred to you that GAI is using the undoubted best Prem team as an example of what we need in order to match them?
It HAS occurred to me and, I suggest, to many others who ALL support Arsenal , not City.
I just wanna reveal my admiration of Cancelo’s technique and think our left playmakers should’ve done something like that more often to create more chances
Nice rating but for me i would give white 8 and saka 8 too partey was the only player who had more touches than white in the game
👍
Kudos to the boys, real after our fall to united, Tothenham poses another acidic test again after the international break, another loss will see us look like a cinderella team, beat spurs and 💯% of mouths out there will be shut, then managers will start looking at us looking for weakness.
Until then let’s bask in the euphoria of this away win. for now.
I have to admit, it’s a complete different team that we’re seeing this season and like many have already said,the credits go to the manager and players too.my MOTM goes to Saliba especially after MA said that he was injured and didn’t train for 10 days and had one training session before the game but he wanted to play.having said that,I find it ‘unfair’ to single out just one player after such a team performance.lastly, Saliba told Canal plus after the game that he would have no problems signing a new contract if/when offered one by Arsenal. COYG!!
Excellent performance from all the boys yesterday.Up next spurs…I hope the boys will relish the opportunity to end spurs’s unbeaten run in the league.
Everyone especially we here recognise what Partey does for this team except the manager and Edu. How come it they have been looking for a cover for him since January and had all of the summer to get in someone but couldn’t?
We take fewer or no goals when Partey plays. But the manager believes ironically that Lokonga can replace him when he is unfit. Unfortunately our defense always struggles when Lokongo slots in for Partey. Lokonga doesn’t just provide the same stability for our defense as does Partey.
Yesterday was amazing but the moment Partey isn’t there, the defense becomes vulnerable. Onana was available but they didn’t get him. Now he is doing a fantastic job for Everton.
Say what you like but Saliba is simply world class. We class Van Dijk Sergio Ramos… as world class and they are, but doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes.
Salimba was consisted in the League1 last season and he has been the best CB in the league so far…
Yes the guy is world class.
Seriously, I dnt why they are saying he has to play against spurs and pool, b4 they can confirm he is world class. Like performing well in two games against big team makes a defender world class. D guy is world class it’s very obvious and dats nt gonna change if he makes mistakes against city or pool.
One game at a time, the team is playing well and we only need consistency and aim at amassing many points as possible. Then thereafter even the big teams will start trembling at the sight of the gunners.
Kudos to the team and the coaching staff, surely trusting the process is starting to yield fruits.
Great game. But what stood out for me is the togetherness and the strong bond they carry themselves throughout the game. Look out how everyone was on Saliba to celebrate him, look at how everyone was Xhaka after that world class assist. I have a good feeling about this time. Let’s just keep the focus, when we fall, let’s rally round and carry ourselves up and continue. COYG
Can Thomas Partey just stay fit please, he is the heart and engine of this team and orchestrates every good thing the team does. Can the guy just stay fit and do this thing he knows how to do best. He is a joy to watch. Partey owns the Arsenal midfield and makes things so easy for the rest of the players. Am not among fans wishing Partey be replaced because of his constant injury worries but am wishing that Thomas Partey can just stay fit and help Arsenal run things. Partey is pure class and if you know football, you’ll agree with me that no Premier League player in hia position can do what Thomas Partey does for Arsenal. He plays a totally different kind of football from the rest in his position
One can’t agree more.
Saliba comes across as world class but he is young with less experience in playing the very big teams..eg..city..Madrid
The Arsenal back four will be able to contain the spurs attackers
This team is now playing with a lot of cohesion….we’ll out play spurs
Interesting……Saliba began playing football at the age of six, coached by the father of Kylian Mbappé
On 25 July 2019, Arsenal announced that Saliba had signed a “long-term” contract with the club.[7] Media reported a contract duration of five years and that the transfer fee amounted to £27 million.[10] Arsenal faced competition from rivals Tottenham Hotspur to complete the deal, with both clubs meeting Saint-Étienne’s valuation of the player, however, Saliba chose to join Arsenal, with the club’s interest in Saliba dating back to late 2018.[11]….wikipedia
The back 4 CANNOT CONTAIN Spurs attackers if Partey isn’t there to keep guard on the midfield. We badly need a valid cover for him when he is unfit. It’s not Lokonga. The defense is vulnerable and abandoned to itself when Lokonga plays
Thank you guys for the win against Brentford, but there is a massive game ahead against Tottenham Hot-Spur.
Guys go out there and get the job done for yourselves and fans. This is a true test of our season.
I am confdent , that we can beat both Spurs and Liverpool if we play our 1st 11. But I doubt we can put our strongest 11.
-Partey is going on for international duty and I am not sure if he comeback fit enough to start.
-Jesus if he gets a yellow against Spurs will miss the Liverpool game due to suspension.
– Odegausrd and Zenchenko i am not sure
– Probably we are the only team where players get injured during ttraining