The Arsenal travelled to Everton yesterday hoping to end a confidence-sapping run of games without a victory. In front of a small crowd at Goodison Park that did not happen, and we continue to stumble through games looking for a smile from Lady Luck but getting only frowns at best. I must admit this was another game I had to watch again as your intrepid reporter was, not to put to fine a point on it, plastered as he watched yesterday’s events unfold. Masochism perhaps, but in fact it was less frustrating this time round and minus the noisy screaming at the TV for which my family were thankful.
It was an Arsenal side that kicked off minus Aubamayeng, with a calf strain, though no doubt conspiracy theorists throughout the Goonerverse have already lined up more sinister interpretations. It was also a side that saw Hector left on the bench and AMN in to replace him as right wing back. We went with a three-man defence consisting of Captain for the Day Rob, Luiz and KT. Eddie started instead of Laca at centre forward. Pepe returned and Willian continued in his new role of whipping boy. Saka started on the left with an Elneny / Dani duo in the middle. Joining Hector on the bench were 8 men this time round – though the logic of this escapes me I’m afraid – Laca, Soares, Kola, ESR, Joe W., Martinelli, Mus, and Runarsson.
1st Half
The game kicked off and I wish I could say the first 20 minutes whizzed by in a blur of excitement but that would I am afraid be a gross distortion of a cagey (tedious might also be the right word here) start lacking in anything of any note – a foul from Elneny for which he was booked and fouls by Davies and Calvert-Lewin for which they weren’t plus a long range shot from Keane which Leno had covered as he watched it go wide. If we were following the old football saying of when away from home keep it tight in the first 20 minutes and shut the crowd up then the plan worked perfectly. Unfortunately, we hadn’t planned for the 21st minute.
Everton 1 The Arsenal 0
We had allowed Everton to work the space for a cross aimed at Calvert-Lewin, he duly nodded it straight on to Rob’s leg for a deflection that nestled into the corner of the net. It was the sort of goal that you just have to take on the chin. I suppose if you wanted to be harsh, a commodity not lacking recently, then you could say that we shouldn’t have let them have the cross in the first place or that Rob should have done a better job on winning the header. However, having watched Everton a few times I have seen that chucking crosses at Calvert-Lewin, a very good header of the ball, is one of their standard tactics and you’re never going to prevent them all.
There followed a nice ball from Saka, I think, to put KT in behind the Everton defence. KTs first-time cut back for an unmarked Eddie in the area was nigh on perfect and then Eddie skewed a shot wide on a bread and butter finish for a decent striker. Another head-shaker in a long line of head-shakers over the last few games, though to be fair to Eddie he is not alone, Auba, Laca and Saka have been the culprits just as often. Apart from Godfrey going through Dani unpunished nothing of note happened until AMN pushed forward into the penalty area following up on his own cross.
Everton 1 The Arsenal 1
Fortunately for The Arsenal an inattentive Davies did not see AMN coming to win the ball and basically kicked Ainsley in the leg instead of clearing the ball as he intended. Pepe dispatched the penalty to Pickford’s right, whilst Pickford dived left, and the scores were level.
The game accelerated to a fast amble after that with an Everton free-kick in a good spot just outside the box fortunately wasted by Siggurdson, KT was booked for the foul simply for cleaning out Calvert-Lewin. A minute or so later I though Dani was lucky not to follow him into the book when the appeared to rake his studs down Mina’s leg. Perhaps it was accidental. In the 43rd minute a half chance fell to Eddie but he shot straight at Pickford before Leno was called into action a minute later with a good save from a well-hit Calvert-Lewin shot from just outside the area.
Everton 2 The Arsenal 1
From the resulting corner, Mina ran across The Arsenal defence for a near-post header that Leno did well to get a reactive hand to but could not keep out. Mina also did well for the goal to be fair to him. No doubt questions will be asked afterwards on the marking but actually if you look at the facts we haven’t been letting that many in from set-pieces.
It was truly infuriating to watch us give away a goal just before the break again and also after we had managed to get ourselves level.
In truth though the score was 2-1 neither side had looked particularly dangerous and I felt we didn’t particularly deserve to be behind. A view only reinforced on 2nd watching – we did little but then neither did Everton.
2nd Half
With no changes at half-time, the 2nd half kicked off with, for at least the first 10 minutes or so, a more positive approach from The Arsenal as we tried to impose ourselves on the game in the Everton half. The closest we were to come to pulling level came in the 53rd minute when Pickford weakly palmed away a Willian cross to the feet of Luiz, his quick shot hit the post and the chance was lost. We huffed and puffed after that as the game followed a pattern of Arsenal pressure, the final pass going awry, then Everton playing on the break, and actually failing to do any better than us. Joe Willock arrived in the 64th minute, followed about 5 minutes later by the welcome return of Martinelli and then the introduction of Laca. As the tiresome twelve had stood in the way of progress once more, that was it for the subs.
In the 86th minute Joe Willock nodded a presentable chance wide and that looked like it would be it until in the dying seconds Saka got in behind the Everton defence with a great chance to equalize, which he then hit too close to Pickford. The final moment of frustration for the watching Gooner faithful. Saka like Eddie earlier should have scored. They didn’t and we go into the upcoming games with Man City and Chelsea with confidence at a fairly low ebb it would appear.
Post Game
After the game MA was of the opinion that we had dominated the 2nd half and were simply unlucky again. I would certainly agree we were unlucky with the own goal but not that we dominated the 2nd half. There was the usual speculation about Mikel’s future and our prospects of relegation – from my perspective nothing I saw yesterday changed my thinking on either. We should persist with Mikel and there is no chance of us going down. Yesterday, we again played ok in what was a tricky away fixture and deserved a point. I have already read a lot of criticism of the 1st half performance but it wasn’t that bad, just as I also felt the improvement in the 2nd half was not that marked. I see no reason to clutch at that particular straw. Until we start finishing our chances things will not get better. Whilst, I am making statements that many of you will disagree with I may just as well add that I saw no lack of effort and that Wilian was no worse or better than any of the rest of our attack. Personally, I didn’t want to sign him but now that he wears the shirt I see no reason to single him out either. Or Luiz for that matter, who seems to be attracting some criticism in a guilt by association line of reasoning that is just nonsense. We actually look better when Luiz plays I think and he did well yesterday as did Tierney. Leno was fine as mostly was AMN and it was good to see Gaby Martinelli back.
On we go then and a couple of big games to look forward to (or not depending on your frame of mind I guess) in the next week. As for me, I am praying for Auba’s calf, Partey’s thigh and a tiny little sliver of luck.
A very fair report, OM which you appear to have views in the same mood as me. The miss by Eddie just after Everton had scored was critical and is very much the story of the season so far. My Aunt Fanny would have scored from there and there is little point in bemoaning the absence of a creative midfielder if Auba, Laca, Eddie, Saka and (from presentable header chances) Rob and Gabriel can’t even hit shots on target.
The hysteria around Willian is now amusing. Ablog awarded him one point against Pepe’s six yesterday. A very minor slight bias there. Typical of the current mood in the ‘fanbase’
All to play for. If the players can summon some guile and ignore the bleating chicken hearts on the terrace and behind keyboards, the rest of the season might be one of the most interesting we’ve had for a while. Constant top four was boring.
A very fair and balanced match report, Matt. Faberesque in those qualities and quite uplifting in the reading of it.
I didn’t think there was much difference in quality between those two sides yet by virtue of two moments of misfortune we languish in 15th while they rose, albeit transiently to second. Fine margins again but with dire consequences when packaged in bulk.
We aren’t nearly as good as we had hoped when this season began but we probably aren’t as bad as we fear.
OM
May I congratulate you on both a very sensible report of the game and having the stoicism to watch a very mundane game twice . Everton impressed me not a jot except for Calvert- Lewin and a decent block in the second half knowing we could not dismantle it because of the slowness and predictability of our approach play . They impressed the bloke in the Sunday Times who thought they gave us a lesson but I agree with Btm that had Eddie taken the well-made chance by Tierney we would have been well in it .We are incredibly dependent on Aubameyang upfront and this needs attention
On the wider question of Arteta , he was unlucky that the spine of the team was absent with Gabriel, Partey and Auba missing . Those three , Leno , Saka , AMN and Tierney are the nucleus of a decent side but there is a big disparity between them and the rest and while we put the equivalent of the Dog and Duck to the sword around Europe we are a soft touch for stronger if we concede first . I desperately want Arteta to succeed but the jury is very much out on his ability to get us operating as an attacking force . The next few games are crucial
An excellent report Matt. Another reporter on this blog who can rewatch a game. I have to say I can never rewatch a game we lost.
BtM about your Aunt Fanny. Is she available in the January window?
Maybe you should watch the game again… and again… Keep watching
Deduction is a process
Don’t stop
Never surrender
I haven’t read the post or the drinks and I don’t have time to now. I’ll catch up later.
But I have to give a big shout out to bt8 who nailed the preview and then nailed a ton in the dying seconds. Well played that man!
Well in bt8!
Thanks OM, well reported but that second watch must have been brutal.
Onwards and upwards.
Glass half full, OM, but welcome. So many others would drain the glass and then smash it.
I think (hope and pray!) that you are right that we won’t go down. We have 24 games to get the 26 points to reach the magic 40 point mark. Doable but so much better if we can do it sooner rather than later.
As TTG says, there is the core of a decent team there.
Cheers Matt!
Thanks Bath, BtM, TTG, C100, Ned and
bt8.
And SSY too, though I’m afraid
I didn’t understand the point.
Ned it’s come to this that we’re looking to get to the magic 40 points like a newly promoted team. We’re right on track with a points per game. However, we’re 19th in the form table.
Gallows humour is the only way to keep smiling.
Winning a game or two would put an even bigger smile on our faces, SP.
Do you remember the good old days, when Real Madrid’s presidential candidates would target our players and promise to sign them if they won, and we’d be bricking it in case the player’s head was turned?
When I read Joan Laporta’s promise to bring Barcelona the head (and everything else) of Hector Bellerin, I was wondering if there was any way I could regsiter to vote for the bloke 🙂
In other news, Arteta doesn’t want any “victims”. Well stop fucking victimising us with shit performances with results to match!
What’s gallows humour?
Cynic,
It’s what you specialise in !
From training and hints from Arteta we may be playing a young team tomorrow
If there’s a 67% chance we will play a young team and we do, or vice versa, with only a 3% chance of winning and we still win, or lose, with a young or old team, last season or this season, there’s a 100% chance Arsenal fans will read his presser quotes and wonder wtf he’s talking about.
Thanks very much Wolves, we all appreciate your lack of effort this evening.
Thanks for another balanced and reasoned report, OM. I agree with almost everything you said except that I think that we are in a relegation fight, however much we may not want to not admit it. I thing that if we get that little sliver of luck you mentioned, we will pull away from the relegation threatened lot. Whatever our problems, can’t wait for the next two games against City and Chelsea.
Relegation fight? Could be instructive watching overpaid dross getting their comeuppance. 16th placed Arsenal, assuming Burnley hold on against Wolves, don’t have much lower to sink.
Turns out Burnley have a game in hand on us but we retained the precious 15th spot as the table I looked at had already been updated, but only them and Brighton separate us from the relegation places, two points away.
OM,
Great match report I do believe this could go into relegation fight.
Cynic @16
I have read that earlier where on earth is getting these stats from?
Great report Matt!
Nothing for me to add.
Or subtract, multiply, divide. Or extrapolate, derive, integrate…
Limit(Arsenal – Ennui) -> Infinity …
Arsenal is a complex entity now, where all of the actual excitement is happening on the imaginary plane.
Arsenal = Embarrassment + i Excitement
Arsenal has been a living embodiment of this phenomenon called “2020 A.D.”
If only our strikers could hit the back of the net as well as you hit the back of the topological net, Dr F.
bt8@20: I am not sorry Wolves lost. Keeping the mid-table closely packed may help us ascend the table once we get back to winning ways.
**Slugs a glass of what OM is drinking**
I’m not at all into this relegation talk.
I have never done ‘I told you so’ posts in this bar or Dave’s bar. And I am totally happy for others to make ‘I told you so’ posts aimed at me and any other doubters if we do end up in a relegation scrap. But I genuinely cannot see it.
I think there is a big difference between being a lot worse than we want to be and being one of the three teams that go down at the end of the season..
I’m not sure our frustration at a possible bottom half of the league placement (for the record I still think we will manage top half) is best served by histrionics about how close we are to relegation. Any objective look at teams that have avoided relegation from the points we have at this stage would tell you we are not in danger.
As to a look at our top scorer…
Teams that go down consistently fail to score goals. If Auba gets 12 league goals we will stay up. I bet he gets more. We have players that can score but are in a bad patch. The teams that go down are the ones that cannot score.
We have enough firepower not to be relegated. And, in the same way that I have seen some people claim we are in a relegation battle whether we want to admit it or not, I cannot believe that I have to make the point that by the end of the season we will have scored enough goals not to be 17th or lower.
We are not going to be relegated. Whether you want to admit it or not.
To be totally clear…
That’s a terrible benchmark for The Arsenal. But I’d love to point out how crap 12th in the league would be without a barrage of opinion claiming that 12th would be brilliant because we are actually gonna be relegated.
Also, we might be good against Man City and Chelsea. 😅🤪🤞
GSD@25: Interesting point about the relationship between scoring and going down. Over the past five seasons, with a couple of exceptions, all the sides that went down averaged less than a goal a game, and all the sides that stayed up averaged more than a goal a game. If you can’t score, you will struggle to win games, of course. But as soon as we can start putting the ball in the back of the net, we should start moving up the table.
GSD, hope you are proved right and we start to score. Right now we average less than a goal a game (12 in 14 matches) and only Burnley, West Brom and Sheffield Utd have scored fewer goals. Of these three, Burnley has started scoring (they got a goal against us and two against Wolves yesterday). Brighton which is below us has a greater than one goal a game average. I feel that at some stage we will start scoring and all this worry about relegation will be behind us but right now our forwards are totally out of form and we are having a tough time scoring.
GSD, I would be very happy if we beat City and Chelsea.
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