Arsenal beating Fulham felt like a leg day in the gym. It was grueling for most of the game, but once the job was done it was very satisfying. Eight extra points were taken from teams we didn’t do so well against last season. Contextualizing this against the toughest start of any team makes the result even better. It finally feels like we’re seriously addressing our weaknesses… beating teams we should be beating.
It’s even more glorious when you think about the injuries we’re dealing with. Our captain was unavailable again, our first choice striker is nowhere to be seen and we have no Madueke, White or Hincapié. These are big names that may have impacted our ability to win in seasons past…but not right now.
Arsenal are top of the league, second in goals scored and first in BEST DEFENSE EVER. We are so watertight at the moment that we are on course to challenge the record of 15 against that very good Chelsea team. Fulham made ZERO shots on target, which is really remarkable for a really good team.
Arsenal controlled Fulham. They patiently tried to work through a very resolute central block that turned into six at the back as we broke the lines. People told me we won the game ugly, which I can certainly agree with… but winning ugly now means 16 attempts on goal, five on target, with three big chances? That’s just winning for me. There’s nothing ugly about it. A dominant performance, rewarded with a Trossard tap-in from a set-piece nod-on reminiscent of the Steve Bould routine of old.
Arsenal look extremely balanced at the moment and the belief they built in the first eight games is really starting to pay off.
There are still some challenges. Gyökeres extended his drought to eight games. Arteta said this:
“He was very close again today, two or three times. We were all begging for him to score. The work rate he is providing for the team is phenomenal, so we are trying to give him support and love and that will come.”
I can definitely get behind the idea that he was close. He hit the target twice after making good runs that evaded defenders. I’m sure he’ll get into the swing of things soon, but it’s really challenging to watch him because I just don’t have a good feeling about his overall play. His touch is poor, he makes poor decisions when trying to link play, and I think he is mainly eaten by the centre-backs. People praise his ability to occupy centre-backs, but I don’t feel at all that he dominates them because of strength.
I don’t think it’s controversial to say that Gyökeres wouldn’t start at the moment if Kai Havertz was fit. We’re not getting any goals from our nine at the moment and the all-round play isn’t anywhere near that of Kai Havertz or Mikel Merino. There are certainly some areas where we can make improvements. The service wasn’t great, but… are we sure the service hasn’t been great? Or do we think the players aren’t too keen to serve Gyökeres in tight spaces because he hasn’t really shown that he can be trusted?
If you think I’ll leave the harsh words only for the nine of us, you’re wrong. Eze was not very impressive. There were a lot of sloppy moments, a blind alley, and very little spark. Not his finest hour in an Arsenal shirt, and it certainly made me long for Ødegaard’s abilities in the pockets and between the lines.
But Saka… my word. He looked excellent. The fitness is getting closer to where it needs to be, but what I really enjoy is the mental sharpness. His decisions are so good wherever he is on the pitch. He’s such a complete player. But the biggest improvement? He looks like he’s having a good time. But… if you like statistics, here are some:
The most chances came with 6.
Most take-ons 6 successful out of 8.
Most ball recoveries with 9.
Won 14 matches.
What. A. Player.
He was unlucky not to win a penalty. He was confused, the referee called the correct call, but again a VAR room containing Stuart Attwell intervened and sent the referee to the VAR television. After sitting there for an excruciatingly long time, the referee ruled that the ball had landed first, even though we could all see Kevin’s thigh undulating before his foot hit the ball. Another bad decision, another example of another Arsenal decision, another decision that made no difference because we are so good at football.
There was also a bad moment for the referees. Calafiori scored an absolute world-class goal from the top corner. He was offside. But really, are we going to cancel out such good goals just because the rules say so? Where is the vision here? Are we artists or robots?
The Italian again played a great match. He was probably our most devastating offensive player. He does what he wants. That’s his game. Just a weird freak of nature who trots around the field and makes big moments happen because he’s good wherever he wants to be. He’s a chaos merchant and also has a huge bag of meat… it must be so hard to control him. Fulham really struggled with him.
So, in conclusion. A great victory. A nice way to warm up with the architects of the misery, Atlético Madrid. This will be a great season. Everyone is behind us and we have all the ingredients to have a very positive season. Let’s see if we can keep it up.
#UGLY #WIN #EARN #GLOWUP