This season will be long; There will be ups and downs, but my word: it’s starting to feel like this particular Arsenal side might just be inevitable.
Great teams approach huge games without emotion. They just read the room, make adjustments and walk out with what they need. Arsenal did that against Spurs yesterday in absolutely brutal fashion, beating them 4-1 with no regrets. It had all the punch of Reiss Nelons vs Bournemouth, it was shocking like Declan vs Madrid last season, and it felt easy in a way that only happens to teams chasing big trophies.
Arsenal have been an exceptional team over the last four years, but we have lacked a bit of that special sauce, a bit of that banging BANG, those players who make the difference in moments that require something unusual. Eberechi Eze was not on the agenda at the start of last summer, but once he did we all felt this was the kind of game-changer that could move the needle for a highly functional Arsenal team. We finally saw how that played out with an exceptional 90 minutes of football that ended with the first NLD hat-trick since Alan Sunderland in 1978.
But it didn’t start there. The first goal came through some creative genius from Mikel Merino. Yes, you read that correctly: the Spaniard picked up the ball in the middle of the field. He had two blocks of four and a keeper to navigate; most of us thought he would just play it wide. Instead, he wedged a central ball between the lines. Trossard imagined the pass with a cross-box run from behind. He controlled the ball as it landed, pirouetted and fired his shot into the bottom corner. Absolutely beautiful. The kind of open magic that Ozil and Sanchez would create, or Bergkamp and Freddie Ljungberg.
The state of affairs before that goal was quite bleak. Thomas Frank had put together a back five for the second time (the first time was in the Super Cup), and he seemed quite content to ask absolutely nothing from his players in the future, but he had plenty of ideas to spoil the flow of the game with time-wasting, ugly mistakes and hoof balls. I understand that Spurs finished 17th last season, but to be honest I expected a little more from a team that had the best away record in the league, and a little more from a manager who doesn’t have many admirers among Spurs fans.
Arsenal were wonderful from moment one. We were more aggressive in the matches, we looked fitter, and our physical presence and high technical superiority really seemed to unsettle the Spurs players. I don’t know about you, but looking at so many of their players, I feel like they would have been the kind of name Arsenal would have signed under the Don Raul and Unai Emery era. They won’t get far with players like that. There are many show ponies.
The great thing about a team that comes to play in a cowardly manner is that if their plan is thwarted by a goal in the 36th minute, they usually have no way back. Thomas Frank didn’t seem to have a plan if they were to concede a goal. They were so shocked that Vicario continued to waste time.
The second goal came just before half time, another goal that summed up our spirit. Zubimendi lost the ball, the approved pass spun, Timber headed with ease against Odobert. Trossard picked it up on the right, he makes a short pass to Saka, there is a pass to Timber, his cross is poorly cleared, Declan collects the loose ball and plays Eze centrally with a first pass. Eze dances past two defenders and then drives a ball through a crowd of players. A brilliant example of individualism, but made possible by the ruthlessness and quality of the players around him.
The second half started. Xavi Simmons was next, Spurs’ back five was abandoned, but it didn’t matter. Same problems for Spurs. Arsenal provided some pressure from the kick-off. Odobert was meekly dispossessed by Saka (didn’t chase back), Timber found himself in possession, his first pass failed, he collected the block and then found Eze again centrally in acres. He shifted his body and placed it in the lower left with a side-footed shot to the left.
MY WORD! 3-0 ahead! WE DREAM!
Well, ten minutes later Spurs had some time. Zubimendi lost the ball just before the halfway line, Richarlison, who had done nothing all match, just blasted a hopeful shot over Raya.
The Spurs were in it again. Sort of.
I felt threatened. The team that created 0 xG in the first half had my heart rate increase by 10 bpm as they made some passes near our box. I think Xavi Simmons made a move that looked dangerous. It was really fucking pathetic what I was worried about. What can you do? As you grow older, the brain readjusts to new realities and contexts; my rewiring is that i feel threatened by any xG above 0.5.
I don’t really want to get into this later, but some people criticized Zubi’s loss of possession and Raya’s positioning. Look, Zubi has made a few mistakes, but he’s top notch and still learning the ropes. He will continue to get better as he really adapts to the rigors of competition. As for Raya? Come on. You can’t soak up all his front-footed prowess and then complain when he’s occasionally bombarded with bizarre goals of 0.02 xG. It will happen. Seldom. But never a zero chance.
We finished the game. Hincapie beat Richarlison with a header. Declan linked it to Merino. The Spaniard, with his back to the goal, hooked a ball into Trossard’s point. The Belgian found Eze central again. He touched, pushed the ball to the right and struck from 18 yards to the bottom right. His celebration had the flavor of a Thierry moment, with him chatting meaningfully to the crowd. This man loves Arsenal and he knows what he has done for our title credentials.
The game ended pretty rough. Declan Rice went over Xavi Simmons and leaned in to call him the c-word, I believe. Porro ran over to tell the much larger man to reconsider his behavior. Richarlison, one of the most pointless players in the league, joined the conversation by behaving badly. The man is an office paper shuffler. Just there for busy work. He’s the guy who has to give feedback in a meeting he’s not supposed to be in just to let everyone know he’s there. NBC called him a villain you would want on your team. Real? Not for me. Luis Suarez, a top quality villain, this clown? He makes things worse for no real reason.
But no amount of crappy behavior designed for uneducated fans to say “at least he cares” will compensate for an unprecedented beating. Spurs were so bad that Thomas Frank had to remind everyone that they finished 17th last season. He wanted to make sure people didn’t imagine that Spurs, who play PSG this week, were playing in the Champions League because they were good. He wanted to remind them that this was relegation fodder last season and that we should not expect too much. I love that.
As for Arsenal? It looks good, doesn’t it? Sending an NLD Derby like roadkill was the kind of ruthlessness we’ve been waiting for. For three seasons we played with our food and watched it slip from under our claws. Now it is utter devastation. We spill guts and eat our prey alive. This Arsenal team has learned that the only way to overcome Premier League trauma is to inflict it on others, week after week after week.
Declan Rice, unstoppable.
Jurrien Timber, just a monster on both sides.
Leo Trossard, who urges the fans to continue after ten minutes and performs exceptionally again. Is this the biggest bargain of the past decade?
Hincapie, who just came into the team to replace the best defender in the world, and he was flawless.
Mikel Merino just decides to be a master creator to open the game.
Seasons are made when players do heroic deeds, and this season it feels like everyone wants to play a role, and they all think we’ll end up with a big trophy.
We have a really big week now. Bayern Munich will tell us how strong our team is. Chelsea will tell us how good the second best team in the league is right now. If we get three points there we will be nine points clear at the top of the league BEFORE we go into December. That’s pretty incredible on many levels. Also unexpected.
What makes all this even better? We have key players like Noni, Martinelli, Odegaard, Gyokeres, Jesus and Kai returning to the team. Motivated, fresh, with points to prove. We will only get better as the next six weeks deepen. So if Arteta can rotate well and the team can get a bit of luck, we could be in an enviable position by the end of this next block of games.
It’s an exciting time to be a Gooner. Tune in to On The Whistle. Johnny’s ratings later go up. X
PS Pregame hype video and the club x supporter tifo were really great. Let that be the standard for the future.
#ARSENAL #BUTCHER #SPURS