Get the fuck in! In a week where we play Leicester at home, Liverpool at home, and Villa away; to take 6/9 points from these 3 fixtures is nothing short of impressive. Through a goal in the 30th minute from Bukayo Saka, Arsenal traveled up to Villa Park and nabbed a 1-0 victory to extend our lead in the race for Top 4. For me, it never bothered me that we loss to Liverpool midweek, those results will happen to teams that are better than you. It was always going to be how we respond to losses that mattered and I have to give credit when it’s due, Mikel got the boys ready to play and they delivered massively. A well timed win going into the International break with the table looking like this:
PREMATCH/FIRST HALF – Mikel went with an almost unchanged lineup from the team that lost to Liverpool midweek with Leno, and Smith Rowe coming in for Ramsdale and Martinelli. Ramsdale is suffering from a hip injury that will most likely keep him out of the England camp. Martinelli came up with an illness that let ESR step into the team for the first time in awhile. Steven Gerrard went with a mostly unchanged side that lost to West Ham last week with Buendia, Konsa, and Ashley Young coming in for Ings, Chambers and Digne. From the start, Arsenal were all over Villa just like the old Wenger teams would do. I was pleased with how early Arteta got the boys to assert their dominance over an inferior opponent. Every time Arsenal wanted to, you felt like they were a threat especially with Saka down the right flank. Arsenal were then able to break through with a goal from Saka at the top of the box to give us the lead.
Get in fellas! I’ll have to admit, it is weird not having to complain about this team in recent weeks and the better part of this season. It means that I’ll have to develop a personality that doesn’t revolve around Arsenal being shit but I’ll take that trade if it means Arsenal keep playing like this. An early goal from Thomas Partey and a converted penalty from Laca gave us the comfortable 2-0 win at home against Leicester. As straight-forward a win that you’d like to see from the boys especially given the tough tasks ahead against Liverpool midweek and Villa away next Saturday. This game takes us a point above United with 3 games in hand but those games in hand don’t mean a thing if we aren’t able to take points away from those games.
PREMATCH/FIRST HALF – Mikel went with the same team that has gone on this 4 games unbeaten run with Tomiyasu being replaced by Cédric with Emile Smith Rowe nursing an injury on the bench. Leicester went with a somewhat rotated lineup from their Europa Conference League clash on Thursday against Rennes with Daka, Tielemans, Ndidi and Justin stepping aside for Iheanacho, Maddison, Mendy, and Pereira. The match started and we were out guns blazing. Xhaka was stepping into that advanced role in possession with Ødegaard taking up the half spaces to receive the ball. Arsenal won a corner in the 11th minute which subsequently led to Martinelli playing a delicious ball into the near post that Thomas Partey nodded in for the 1-0 lead. One of the biggest breakthroughs this season is Martinelli’s set piece delivery as you would think you’d want him attacking these crosses. Leicester let in another set piece goal which is the 14th time they allowed a goal from a set piece this season according to Statman Dave.
Leicester City have conceded 14 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, no team has conceded more.
Arsenal’s astonishing form to this point in the 2021/2022 season has caused Arsenal fans to salivate on the possible transfers that could take us closer to the likes of City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. When going through our current starting XI going into next season, the two glaring improvements we need to make is at the striker position which I have wrote numerous blogs on potential replacements but also on the Thomas Partey partner in the center of the pitch. That role is filled with Granit Xhaka currently with Sambi-Lokanga as the immediate replacement coming off the bench. Granit Xhaka has been fine this season and has brought a stability that comes with someone that has the experience he does however when you play with Xhaka, you must deal with Xhaka tax. The Xhaka tax comes in many shapes and sizes, most of it being with untimely red cards and decisions that have cost us countless points over the years.
With all that being said, Thomas Partey has been exceptional for us as of late and will need an improved partner in midfield to take us closer to where we want to be in the Premier League table. My number 1 target to fill that role and to replace Xhaka would be in the shape of a 5 ft. 9in. 24-year-old Portuguese right-footed CM who plays for Lille ( I am aware he had to come out due to a muscle strain against Saint-Etienne yesterday) (I am also aware that Milan and Maldini have claimed his services after this season but I am going to still write his blog regardless in hopes Edu can work his magic). Renato Sanches is everything I love in a modern day “8”. A player who is dynamic, press-resistant, athletic, but also possesses the ability to combine with teammates while covering every blade of grass on the pitch. I don’t feel like I am asking for much haha. Renato covers all those requirements while still very young which matches up with the young core Arsenal are trying to build. Even though he hasn’t reached his full potential that we all projected after the 2016 Euros with Bayern signing him up before the Euros that year, his performances with Portugal at the past Euros and Lille have brought back all the hype. Let me go into what Arsenal but probably Milan can expect to see from Renato Sanches coming into next season.
PRESS RESISTANT: I went into this same characteristic in the Thomas Partey blog but I am just obsessed with this ability. Being able to dribble or pass out of the press in the midfield areas is such an underrated characteristic that gives teams a massive advantage if able to find players who can do it. Renato Sanches does this for fun, dribbling himself out of pressure, bouncing off of defenders, using his athleticism to get past plffayers is something Arsenal can use from midfield. Martin Ødegaard isn’t as dynamic in those areas and Sambi hasn’t shown that ability in an Arsenal shirt yet. Having a player who can get the offense started from a deep midfield position from someone that is not Thomas Partey will be crucial going into next season as smart teams next season will man mark Thomas Partey out of games when we are in possession.
The poise in these areas is something most teams don’t expect and can open opportunities and mismatches going forward.Continue reading “Renato Sanches Szn”
After looking at the busy transfer period before the 2021/2022 season, even though it is early, we can count on a good amount of transfer busts across the Premier League from Romelu Lukaku, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Emi Buendia, etc. Despite Arsenal’s successful transfer window this season with Ben White, Tomiyasu, Ramsdale all playing a pivotal role in Arsenal’s place in the standings at the moment, it is fair to say our most expensive transfer of all time Nicolas Pépé can be deemed a “bust” as well. It might be harsh to say that for someone who scored 10 league goals last season (16 goals in all comps) and had double digit goal contributions the year before, but for the price tag we spent to get him, he should be contributing more, fighting for team of the season honors etc. With that being said, our run-in to finish the season in Top 4 with our lack of depth could be Nico Pépé’s make it or break it time with Arsenal, as his contributions or lackthereof could be the reason why we are playing on Tuesdays/Wednesdays next season or Thursdays (kill me immediatley if this is the case). Here are the reasons why this is the case (why Nico is important, not why Europa League makes me not want to live):
Useful right foot: As magical of a left foot and stroke he has, what alarmed me in his debut season with us was how reluctant he was in using his right foot, making him very easy to defend that initial season. What I think greatly improved his goal-scoring output last season through goals/assists last season was becoming more unpredictable with the threat of this right foot. My favorite goal last season was Wolves away when he absolutely destroyed Semedo and Neves while finishing off with a powerful right footed shot as shown below:
Here Pépé megs Semedo playing on the left-wing for a change He then subsequently shoulders SemedoHe then gives Neves the same treatment he gave SemedoPépé lasers a finish with his weak foot to give Arsenal the leadContinue reading “Nico Pépé Time”
As we go into the business end of the 21/22 season, Arteta and Edu have put all their chips on the current squad to carry us to the end. As much as I admire the sentiments, anyone with a brain knows that the only reason that happened was cause we ineptly couldn’t find any player for the right price, putting our eggs in baskets (strikers) we didn’t have any chance of getting. Regardless, I’ll rate out of 10 how all of our remaining rostered players performed in the first half of the season:
Aaron Ramsdale: 8/10 – solid shoutout for player of the season so far, the team totally changed when he was introduced as a starter and seems to have made the defense stronger with his leadership. Struggled a bit in the last month.
Kent: 8.5/10 – pretty solid for dealing with this team and knowing inevitably that they are going to let me down. Relentless consistency despite the team hurting him for years and years. Some could say he should stop and support another club.
We still have yet to win in 2022. What a joke. Arsenal doing what they do best and letting me down. No shame in losing to Liverpool, they have more experienced players, proven players, a superior coach and a Portuguese man up top who I wish would come over to the Emirates to play football for a living. But the way we lost, was so frustrating yeah we had a lot of the ball but produced nothing of real value or chances of any note. Just a disappointing display at home for a semifinal cup tie. Also apparently Sadio Mané and Salah didn’t play, like it freaking mattered lol. To be shut out so comprehensively at home with the hype Arsenal have been getting as of late…yikes, but that is the life of an Arsenal fan.
