Arsenal were held to a draw at a subdued Home of Football tonight. It was one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had at Arsenal.
The game doesn’t warrant detailed coverage as it was played without huge intensity. Zinchenko scored on six minutes curling a left footed shot into the corner after a touch from Sterling. After Kiwior almost gave a goal away with a naive blind pass PSV equalised when that popular Croatian, Ivan Perisic, finished smartly as they moved through a porous midfield. A fine run and cross from Sterling on 37 minutes (possibly his most positive contribution in an Arsenal shirt) enabled Declan Rice to restore our lead with a header that went under Benitez (personally I think Rafa has to retire, he’s past his sell-by date).
Gunnersaurus failed to appear for the penalty shootout at half-time, presumably prevented by UEFA red tape although there was an unsubstantiated rumour that he was in talks with PSV to replace Rafa Benitez in goal when he takes the Tottenham job (you heard it here first).
After 70 minutes Jorginho lost the ball and Driouech finished superbly over Raya. The rest of the game was relatively uneventful and petered out into a 2-2 draw. But we were dealt a crushing blow in injury time when a yellow card for Sterling ruled him out of our next game in the competition, which I have learned as I am writing will be against Real Madrid. Sterling had a decent game tonight and it was good to see. He has had a really unimpressive year but it is important that his form improves.
The PSV support was incredibly good. There must have been a lot of soul- searching in Eindhoven last Wednesday when they looked at the reality of trailing by six goals after their home leg but they showed a lot more enthusiasm than a lot of Arsenal fans tonight and I’m told that there is quite a lot to do in London after dark. I’ve never been one for pleasure myself.
I suppose it depends upon your point of view as to whether you were at Ashburton Grove tonight, perhaps protesting the excessive sums being charged for a game without any jeopardy or maybe finding it difficult to sum up much enthusiasm for one of the least consequential games Arsenal have ever played. What did I just write? Least consequential? All those years of Thursday night football when we would have killed for a six goal first leg lead away from home in the last 16 of the most glamorous club competition in the world.
I did go, partly because I was writing this report and partly because I wanted to fill at least one of those potentially empty seats that the team had created by selfishly thrashing one of the best sides in Holland last week.
Mikel Arteta understandably rang the changes, picking three left backs in the starting eleven although our starting left back was a midfielder and one of our experienced left backs played in midfield and scored. Another left back came on later and played left back when the original left back moved into midfield to replace the left back who had scored and gone off. Kieran Tierney, who always plays as a left back, played as a left winger throughout. I hope that’s clear.
There will be a certain bafflement that young players on the bench like Butler-Odejeye and Kabia didn’t earn minutes tonight. If not tonight then when might they have a chance to stake a claim? Their prospects might be better if they had a propensity to play left-back, and I hear one of Berta’s first priorities is to sign a left back (that’s serious by the way).
Frankly what matters tonight is that we are in the last 8 of the Champions League playing against Real Madrid. I’ve already heard Arsenal fans saying we will get battered. Shame on you. We won’t, and it’s time to show some faith in a team that is one of the very strongest in Europe. We were nowhere near as good a team when we played that Galactico-laden Madrid side in 2006. Eboue and Flamini were the full backs, Senderos one of the centre backs . If only we had a Thierry Henry upfront. But these are exciting times. I wish a lot of Arsenal fans were enjoying it a bit more.
Tonight was surreal but it’s on to play Real. See what I did there?
Thanks for an entertaining review TTG, and one that was delivered in the wee small hours
Garden of England time. As you say hasn’t taken long for the support to become a touch blasé about our return to the Champions League. They could just ask the mugsmashers if they’d still like to be in it I suppose. Or even Cheaty 130ty. In fact our CL last eight tie will be the biggest game any English club side has been involved in this season to date. Of course it will be surpassed when we march into the semi-finals.
Pleased for Zin, I think he likely won’t be with us next season and that goal will be a nice way to remember him.
Is Berta serious about finding a left back?
I read today we are interested in Sane on a free (No and no again)
Guimares (thrice no) and Zubimendi (usher him in please)
Nothing about a left back though
Well written, TTG. Admirable bricks, given the lack of straw.
CL rules require away fans to be allocated about twice as many seats at the Ems as away fans get in PL games. So, the Dutch support had quantity as well as quality. The commentator on the US broadcast suggested that PSV had picked up the tab for the tickets in penance for the team’s performance in the first leg. No idea if that is true, but it would be nice to think it was.
As I mentioned to OM in the previous drinks, I think we have a better chance of beating Real than Atleti, which is the sort of defensive team we struggle against. Real will play more open football, but that plays to our strengths.
@3 just an idle thought but I wonder if we should start Benny Blanco to wind up Mbappe in the away leg.
Cheers TTG.
Matt @2 . When Ricky and Leo came on and I saw Merino and Rice were taken off, I had to laugh and shout ‘ALL THE LEFT BACKS!’. I didn’t think Mikel was ready for banter like that, expected him to take one of the LBs off.
I’m with the ‘better Real than Atleti’ camp but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
The slight surprise for me at the empty seats is that because it was sold out (tickets only available on exchange), it meant that empty seats were paid for, so only caused people deciding not to go and unable to resell (or give if ST), rather than tickets not bought. Maybe it was cold too.
Matt @ 4 . Could work. Or result in a red card.
Great point Ollie .
The game was a sellout and about 15-20% of those who had paid for the tickets already decided not to bother . That strikes me as odd and a bit disturbing and quite an insight into the mind of the modern Arsenal fan. I bet Newcastle for example would have been at capacity . I could understand the reluctance to attend if we’d been 7-1 down . But to not use tickets that cost £70 upwards when as we discussed last week a lot of fans are struggling financially ? I think the word fickle suggests itself to me
Thanks TTG for an entertaining and swift match report. I really don’t know why it has taken MA8 so long to play Zinchenko in his natural position where he has excelled for Ukraine. Over and above the excellent goal, he proved a competent, if less flamboyant, deputy for Ødegaard. It was nice finally to see Sterling roll the years back and get two assists, that for Rice’s goal being particularly good. Although Sterling was awarded MotM, Rice was MotM for me and our dynamism dropped dramatically when he was subbed. Both the goals conceded were eminently preventable and though otherwise he had a good game they demonstrate why Jorginho will be playing elsewhere next season. Time waits for no man. Real Madrid wait for us.
Made me chuckle, TTG.
A pleasant ramble through 90 minutes of football. An astonishing block by Gabriel, a fine cross by Sterling and an excellent Zinchenko goal were memorable. We certainly miss Saliba when he’s resting.
Several players on the field last night who won’t be with us next season. I don’t think they’ll be greatly missed.
I was surprised that Rice remained on the field for so long performing at 100%+ capacity. I feared an injury coming on. However, Mikel knows an iron man when he sees one.
Nice report TTG. It captures perfectly a very curious night at the Emirates.
The guy next to me, who’s had that seat since the Emirates opened, was telling me that his two sons were in the family enclosure. Now before he had a season ticket my son used to go in there. He watched “that” Barcelona game from there. It cost me £13. My mate Jamie told me it had cost £40 each for his lads last night. That’s some inflation.
Spurs announced a price freeze yesterday.
Got to say I am absolutely buzzing for the game about Real Madrid on April 8. I have never seen us play them live. What a night is in prospect!
Thanks, TTG for your super quick on the spot report.
A game of two halves for Sterling – a much improved first half but the effort evaporated in the second to normal recent, weak levels apart from the strange, rash sliding tackle that got him yellow carded and banned from the first leg of the quarter final. He seemed quite insulted when asked in his post match interview if he’d felt he had a point to make to Mikel Arteta about getting more playing time. No, he said, I don’t have to prove anything to anyone about what I can do. Actually, yes you do. It’s been so long since anyone has seen anything from you. That’s why you’re out on loan in the first place. Maybe it’s not his fault. Maybe it’s not a lack of effort – his legs and strength have gone and he just can’t do it anymore.
Cheers, TTG, and thanks for your entertaining report. I saw what you did there. Now let’s get real, or Real I mean. As for much of the rest, I didn’t quite follow all that left back mumbo jumbo but I didn’t see the game as it wasn’t part of my cable package. I think we can turn over the galácticos but we need to stay tight at the back and practice our pens.
Re: BtM, Mikel may know an iron man when he sees one, but what about the cases of Saka, Havertz, et al.?
Meanwhile, down the Tottenham High Road ….
https://unexpecteddelirium.substack.com/p/the-thursday-spurs-the-foreboding
Thanks for that hilarious link @15, c100. In case anybody missed it, here’s one of the highlights of that Sp**s blogger’s musings: “If the club (Tottenham) could just focus on eliminating that feeling of foreboding that we all feel, that would be nice.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nice review TTG! I completely agree with you that a few Arsenal supporters seem to have taken the recent solidity, attitude and overall consistency of this team for granted instead of appreciating this for the privilege that it is. Even though we need to get a bit better in a few aspects — thoroughly discussed in all corners of media — before this team reaches the heights that we are all hoping/dreaming/expecting them to, the very high bar of expectations they have set in itself is a magnificent achievement. What they have been doing in the last couple of years is not easy.
The fact that a completely makeshift team still played without any obvious tactical weaknesses or any significant individual howlers (maybe Jorginho’s mistake for their second goal can be counted as one) is a testament to our attitude, preparedness and maturity.
Sterling had his best game for us. It had become evident over the season that he has lost the cutting edge of pace and ability to run at the defense that made him a highly effective player in PL, but he should be commended for his attitude. It was nice to see a few glimpses last night.
Also good to see that Zinchenko is finally getting a few opportunities in his more natural midfield position. It’s true that neither for City nor for us when he was at his best he ever played there, but I thought it was a bit odd that even when we don’t have Martin available we never play him there. It’s likely because he doesn’t have the athleticism to manage the relentless press and dropping back that Ødegaard offers. But he does provide a decent technical abilities and creativity from that position. Will it be possible for him to do that a bit more to allow Martin some breathing space so that he doesn’t have to play 90+ minutes every few days? We will see.
Raya made some great saves. I think his shot-stopping has taken a significant step forward this season.
One strange — and maybe worrying? — aspect is that our goals from corners have completely dried up. In the last month or so Gabriel, Timber and I think Merino all had beaten their markers to the jump but all headed wide. Hopefully just a temporary dip. Saka’s inswingers from the right have been missed too, but Martin/Ethan (and yesterday Zinchenko) offered a reasonable imitation.
Looking forward to the Madrid tie. I think it will be a much closer competition than what many are expecting. If we can get Saka back, and play a front three of Saka-Gabi-Ethan the Real defense — which generally pushes up to join in the midfield — may not find it easy at all.
Cheers, H2H, and it was great to hear from you in the previous drinks. Yes, the game and the ruling bodies may be going all to hell in a handbasket but We are the Arsenal, and will therefore eventually overcome it all. MMBD
Dr F@17: Ancelotti is a wily old codger. He does a passable Sean Dyche impression in getting his team to drop into a 4-4-2 low block when they don’t have the ball.
C100@15: Thanks for that link. I picked up my morning coffee, put down the schadenfreude and enjoyed the read. It brought to mind that Alan Bennett line in Beyond the Fringe, ‘there’s always someone worse off than you’.