Arsenal is a team, right? I know, I know, this time last week we were calling hotlines asking how to deal with that United result, but this week there was a comeback. Arteta’s presser, Kairat’s mishandling, then rolled out against a strong Leeds team this weekend, beating them in every way possible by 4 goals and a clean sheet.
The boys ended game 15 of the countdown with a win. That was an important moment. Not just a win, a message to the league, the fans, the doubters, the class of 92 rage-baggers. We only leave London three times in the Premier League this season. Our goal difference is now +29 and the best in the league. Our defense is the stingiest this season with four goals. For all the loud whining about not scoring the kind of goals people want to see, we are now one goal behind Manchester City in total.
“But, but, but I don’t like the goals” growing up.
Our team is basically fully fit and the bench is monstrous. If you want to talk about character, let’s talk about losing our best player in the warm-up to a hip injury, and the much-maligned replacement Madueke, who came in with two assists and a great performance. Those are the micro-hero moments that win Premier League titles.
What about comeback stories? We have three. They are all moving forward. Kai Havertz started his second game of the week, dropping into midfield and playing a more advanced role, sometimes looking like a backup striker. He was brilliant. Viktor Gyokeres, who enjoys playing against Leeds, once again came to a stadium and looked busy. I already said it this week: I don’t care about misses, because good strikers are volume players. Gyokeres got in behind the Leeds defense when he was found early and shook up his lines. Then he did exactly what we expect from a battering ram: he delivered a brilliant Martinelli cross from five yards, with a Leeds defender hanging around his waist. If he collapses in a heap, he doesn’t get the punishment. If he misses, he is not penalized. When he scores, he is a hero. He chose well.
Gyokeres’ victim phase was boring. I don’t care about feelings, I don’t care about sad stories about living alone, I want my strikers to sleep on slate beds, watch Ian Wright Youtube compilations on repeat and appear possessed. Gyokeres scored that goal and celebrated with a Bane mask so dramatic a theater kid would have been proud. He showed that he is no longer a beta, and he has finally accepted that if he does not fight back, the Premier League will claim him as a victim.
Real athletes don’t want your sympathy, they want your admiration. It looks like we’re seeing a different Gyokeres this week. Will it ever reach the heights we dreamed of in the summer? Doubtful. But to win this Premier League we probably need five more games like this where he can make the difference. Great job from the big man, really great.
Gabi Jesus, shunned after one crappy performance? Held to a different standard because he’s old news to Arteta? Horrible. But then again, big strikers cry about that? Ask fan accounts to tweet ‘what would HR say about this injustice’ or do they just go ahead and do bad things to teams like Leeds? Jesus received the ball in the penalty area, twisted and turned, cut half a yard away and curled his shot across the goal.
That’s big man stuff. That’s what he later did for City. These are the contributions of the Premier League winners.
Zubimendi fell back into monster form. He was again the controller in midfield. But what do big players do when they commit sloppy passes against the Arsenal faithful? They appear in the penalty area with world-class headers to open the scoring on BIG challenges.
Arsenal are not reading the vilification of being too dependent on set pieces. If someone says he doesn’t like Mike Tyson because he knocks out too many people with uppercuts, do you think he would change that to appease the boredom? Did Lewis Hamilton stop driving aggressively because the purists cried? Has Tiger Woods stopped ripping the ball because he dominated the stock markets in his prime? No, these crybabies whining about our set-piece dominance are making so much noise because it’s a team tool that isn’t an aberration, it’s a carefully curated skill set that few can approach. If we win the league with this, who cares? I’m going to get SETPIECE FC tattooed on my forehead to make it clear.
But if you look at Arsenal and think we are just one thing, you are looking at the wrong game. You don’t read what the best coaches in the world say about us. You don’t succumb to the ugly beauty of what we do here. If you’re an Arsenal fan right now, you’re experiencing a special moment, and you know it. So who cares about the nonsense from the ‘is football boring’ headline? It’s boring because Arsenal are brilliant. People are angry because we’re having a good time. You have a good time because you deserve it. This, my friends, will be our moment, our year, and it will be unbearable.
Arteta grew up in an Arsenal team that lacked the tactical acumen, strength and courage to be bullies. This Arsenal team is bold, beautiful, smart, aggressive and ready for any fight, anywhere, anytime.
This feels like our year. That match was a big moment. Our momentum starts now.
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#BRUTAL #ARSENAL #SET #TONE #BEAT #LEEDS