This match, the outcome of which would affect neither the Arsenal’s top place finish nor PSV Eindhoven’s second place and dismissed by some as ‘a free hit’ or ‘a dead rubber’, provoked some debate as to whether we should just ‘play the kids’ to rest our overworked first choice players or instead take it seriously and unnecessarily put at risk the fitness of key players for whom it’s now abundantly clear that we lack adequate cover. Advocates of the former approach, however, didn’t take into account Arteta’s allegedly unremitting will to win nor the £2.4m reward for another win in the group stage which, for a club on the cusp of FFP legitimacy isn’t to be sniffed at. Moreover after a frustrating, undeserved defeat at Villa it would further ruffle the sensitivities of the Goonerverse, not to mention the players, to have to come to terms with two defeats on the trot.
Mikel Arteta made eight changes from the team that lost at Villa. Aaron Ramsdale regained his place between the sticks to acclaim from the travelling Gooners. Cédric and Kiwior flanked the first choice ‘hard centre’ pairing of Saliba and Gabriel. Jorginho, tonight’s captain, and Elneny joined Havertz in midfield while the forward line consisted of Nelson, Nketiah and Trossard. Mikel had clearly had a look at Matt’s choices, nine of whom he selected but chickened out of starting the two kids. The selection gave several fringe players the opportunity to make their cases for more playing time.
Our opponents lead the Eredivisie by 10 points and are unbeaten this season except for a certain 0-4 reverse in north London. PSV apparently selected a few young players, notably replacing de Jong with Pepi at centre forward, and started energetically straight from kick-off, appearing keen to avenge that drubbing at TNHOF. They deployed a high press and our unfamiliar players struggled to find a way through it. An early warning came in the 6th minute. PSV played their way out from the goalkeeper with far more confidence and élan than we had exhibited then Pepi played a lovely through ball from the halfway line to the right winger Bakayoko who left Kiwior for dead and played a square ball into our box for the familiar van Aanholt who was rushing towards our penalty spot. He was about to strike at goal when Saliba deftly touched the ball to the side and the Dutchman and Saliba landed on top of Ramsdale who had dived towards the ball at the feet of van Aanholt. The threat was not yet averted as the ball rolled to the edge of the six-yard box to Pepi who struck it with venom only for an alert Gabriel to stretch his right leg across behind the pile of bodies to deflect Pepi’s goal-bound shot over the bar. Great defending by our ‘hard centre’. The resultant corner led to a free header for Obispo at the far post that fortunately looped wide.
Along with determined pressing that kept us pinned back and won the ball back far too easily, PSV then showed directness, speed of thought, close control, crisp accurate passing and an ability to find a teammate moving in space that tested our defenders, particularly our full backs and most particularly Kiwior who found Bakayoko a real handful all night. The interplay of their triangle of central attackers looked a particular threat. The widely lamented selection of both Saliba and Gabriel now looked prescient, the former preventing Pepi’s connection with a curling ball into our six-yard box from Bakayoko from the right. Nelson and Nketiah raised our spirits as they combined to give Nketiah a shot from a difficult angle that went for an unproductive corner but it was a brief intermission as PSV returned swiftly to attack mode. When we regained possession, Nelson appeared to be our best outlet but his efforts yielded no opportunities on goal.
A worrying moment followed when Ramsdale, in his Champions League debut, went down with an ankle injury (possibly a result of that earlier melee) and required treatment. The sight of Raya warming up prompted the thought that that lad hasn’t had any luck this season but fortunately for his c.v., he was able to continue. After 14 minutes of being largely on the back foot we briefly began to assert ourselves with some silky movement through midfield and passing around their box but without any end product. A misdirected header by Havertz from a lofted free kick was as close as we got. Again, Nelson caught the eye, carrying the ball across the midfield as well as on his right wing beat.
Having been the hero of the early alarm, Gabriel was at fault when he completely misjudged the flight of a lofted through ball from Bakayoko to allow Pepi to run in on goal and the Brazilian will have been grateful that Cédric baled him out by intercepting Pepi’s cut-back to Vertessen who then headed the recycled ball against the foot of Ramsdale’s left post with the keeper beaten.
PSV now dominated possession and threatened mainly our left flank with Bakayoko skinning Kiwior at will and on one occasion cutting inside, he shot just wide of Ramsdale’s far post. Our replacement full-backs and midfielders struggled to get through PSV’s high press and for a spell we just couldn’t retain possession. It seemed for a while that our forwards just couldn’t get hold of the ball so it was a pleasant surprise when Nketiah nodded a high ball from Cédric down into space inside PSV’s box for Nelson to run onto unmarked but unfortunately the keeper beat him to it.
But that was merely an aperitif. We then had our best spell of the first half, began to move the ball better and find our passing range. Whether PSV chose to rest or we solidified our midfield and pressed higher, we seemed more resistant to their attacks. Nice work involving Elneny on the right and Nketiah centrally led to a looping cross from the left by Trossard that floated over Havertz.
An extended period of possession in the opposition half ended with a 12 yard run by Elneny directly towards their goal before he unleashed a low 25 yarder that seemed to be heading for the lower left corner of the goal before just curling away to clip the outside of the keeper’s right post.
Despite our more assured possession, PSV reminded us of their threat with a breakaway starting from an interception in their own box followed by seven passes to leave them two on one with Cédric running back to help out the solitary Saliba. It seemed that a goal would be inevitable as Pepi passed the ball to Saibari but rather than shooting, the latter squared the ball back to Pepi whose shot was superbly blocked by Saliba as the rest of the defence arrived.
PSV’s rapid and progressive interplay was certainly easier on the eye than our relatively laboured efforts to move the ball towards the opposition goal without the drive and creativity of Rice and Ødegaard but, largely due to the excellence of our centre backs, they had nothing to show for their periods of dominance.
Apart from that breakaway Arsenal were now dominating possession, dictating the tempo of the game and passing the ball around midfield and the arc d’ennui with confidence. After good work on the left by Havertz, then interplay between Trossard and Jorginho, Kiwior swung in a low cross that Nketiah crouched to head towards goal but it struck a defender and was cleared. Was that our first effort on goal since Nketiah’s shot that was deflected for a corner?
On 41 minutes, a slow build-up involving at least 16 passes and 9 players moved the ball from right to left and right again just inside our half and then led to nice interplay on the right between Nelson and Cédric. Nelson surged forward onto a return pass from Cédric before squaring the ball to Nketiah who was standing centrally on the edge of the box. Rather than taking the ball with his right foot, Nketiah let it pass in front of him before hitting the ball with his left foot through a defender’s legs back towards the direction from which it had come. The ball ran quite slowly along the ground then struck the foot of the keeper’s left post before bouncing into the bottom corner of the net. The keeper’s dive didn’t get near it. “One nil to the Arsenal!” rang out and the camera panned to the PSV bench. To a man they looked nonplussed! Arsenal had scored with their first shot on target!
Before the half time whistle, PSV responded. Bakayoko skinned Kiwior with a fearsome burst of pace and his chip found the head of Pepi who, under pressure from Gabriel, couldn’t get his header on target. Gabriel then gave Kiwior another roasting for failing to control his man. As 45 minutes came up, there was a VAR check for a potential handball by Elneny that was swiftly dismissed. FPGMOL take note. Another cut inside by Bakayoko led to a left footed shot that Ramsdale turned away for a corner at full stretch low down to his left.
Half Time: PSV Eindhoven 0 -1 Arsenal
I have to confess that, despite our improved play in the last 20 minutes or so of the half, I felt we were fortunate to be ahead. The stats displayed on TNT confirmed this by recording 10 attempts on goal for PSV with 3 on target against 4 attempts on goal for the Arsenal with only 1 on target. But that one counted! We could clearly also thank our two central defenders for that lead.
Arsenal started the second half tentatively but PSV once again started energetically and almost immediately a Vertessen shot curled past Ramsdale’s right post with the keeper well beaten. Within five minutes, PSV were level. From a throw in high up on their right they worked the ball back to the keeper then forward to Tillman in left midfield who played the ball directly forward to Pepi that Saliba lunged for but missed. With advancing teammates on either side of him, Pepi bore down on the solitary Gabriel with the rest of the Arsenal defence awol. He slipped the ball left to Vertetten who curled it beautifully past Ramsdale’s dive and in off the far post. That woke up the home crowd and boosted the belief of the PSV players.
Our heads didn’t drop, although in this early phase of the second half, PSV looked livelier apart from Nelson who made another good transverse run from right to left across the front of the PSV penalty area beating several defenders but it came to naught in the left corner with Trossard. PSV certainly looked the more threatening side though Arsenal came close with a Nketiah far post header from a Cédric cross that looked from the perch of the travelling Gooners to have gone in but struck the side netting.
Just before the hour mark, Elneny sat down near the centre clutching a hamstring which prompted Arteta to deploy his re-inforcements: Ødegaard for Elneny, White for Cédric and Rice for Saliba. Almost immediately on the restart, Nketiah went down apparently with an eye injury after a collision with Havertz. Nketiah recovered after lengthy attention from the physio and a lecture from the ref.
After the game restarted, Nelson, high on the right, nicely controlled a high ball, beat a defender then darted into the box, shimmied past another defender but his confident left footed shot only found the side netting. When PSV next moved forward, Tillman produced another lovely pass from the halfway line right through our defence for Saibari to run onto. After jockeying for the ball with Rice on the edge of our box, he won it, veered left, turned and his shot beat Ramsdale but rebounded off the keeper’s right post and the ball fell to Kiwior who cleared it gratefully.
As the game entered its final quarter it was pretty even, with both sides endeavouring to win the ball back high up and probing well organised defences. However PSV again began to threaten and the Arsenal defenders were required to make several crucial tackles and interceptions around and within our box. Bakayoko was still their major threat and having once again left Kiwior in his dust, the Belgian international won a dangerous free kick on the left edge of our box when Jorginho decided he wasn’t going past him. That free-kick was cleared and when Bakayoko was surprisingly replaced on 73 minutes, it must have been a relief for Kiwior who will see him in his nightmares for the next few nights. The best we could do in response to PSV’s recent pressure was a brief piece of keepy-uppy deep in their box.
PSV’s dominance at this point in the game is evidenced by Ødegaard having primarily a defensive role during his first 15 minutes on the field.
On 80 minutes, Kiwior headed a cross from an Ødegaard free kick on the left into the net with the keeper stranded. The linesman flagged for offside which Gabriel, who also leapt for the ball behind Kiwior, certainly was but VAR strangely confirmed the onfield decision. ‘Strange’ as Kiwior’s onside position was ‘clear and obvious’. There was no interference with play by the offside Gabriel as the play took place in front of him and he touched neither the ball nor the keeper but hey-ho, we know we just don’t get the rub of the green.
On 88 minutes ESR and Jesús came on for Havertz and Nelson leaving a glum looking Zinchenko on the bench. There followed a basketball-like period with feints and thrusts at both ends of the pitch. However, as the game came towards last knockings, a greater degree of control was exerted by Arsenal’s midfield and attack and the defence stood firm to PSV’s probing but our only end-product was a long range shot from Trossard that soared well over the bar.
Gabriel then repeated his earlier error, again misjudging on the halfway line the bounce of a long ball from the keeper. Til ran onto it into space and into the box with Rice tracking back in parallel to stop him moving centrally. As a result the Dutchman took it wider than was optimal and from a difficult angle on our left fired across Ramsdale’s goal and past the far post with Saibari open for a squared ball.
Six minutes were added, in which each side had opportunities to win the game. PSV had the first when ESR cleared the ball from our box straight to a PSV player but he fired straight at Ramsdale.
Then, as the clock passed the 6 added minutes, Arsenal could have, somewhat undeservedly, won it. A throw-in on the right from White was headed on by Nketiah to Trossard who swerved deftly to beat a defender and shot from close range. This excellent effort was blocked by the keeper only to fall nicely for Kiwior who sliced a thunderbolt well wide from just inside the area. The referee promptly blew the final whistle.
Full Time: PSV Eindhoven 1 -1 Arsenal
The stats confirmed that the second half had been pretty even with 7 attempts on goal from PSV (3 on target) and 8 from Arsenal (2 on target) and a draw felt about right. Both teams clearly wanted to win but not to over-extend themselves and we certainly played within ourselves.
Of the players for whom this was an opportunity to make Arteta think about them a bit more often, only Nelson stood out. Frankly, I do not know why he is not regularly given more time on the field to take the pressure off either Saka or Martinelli. Ramsdale was secure, made no errors and had no chance with the goal. Cédric was ok and more impressive with the ball than without. Kiwior had a hard night against Bakayoko but became more prominent offensively once the Belgian was replaced and was very unlucky to have his goal chalked off. Jorginho made some key interceptions but sometimes struggled against the swift attacking movement of the PSV forwards. Elneny ran around a lot, had a good shot but is bypassed too easily. Havertz worked hard and contributed well throughout. Nketiah found it hard to get involved for long periods but took his goal well. He doesn’t link up in the build up as well as Jesús but he is always a goal threat. Trossard was quiet for long periods but showed his close control to good effect and might have won the game at the end. I thought Rice was a revelation when he replaced Saliba. Indeed, he was so competent in that right sided centre back role that he was like Saliba Mark II. It was nice to see ESR back on the field but he had little time to show he had lost none of his skills. Hopefully we will now see more of him.
What of the youngsters whom many Holics were keen to see get a run out? Well, it was clear we needed a strong defence against that PSV team who are very good indeed. After the game, Arteta said, “I don’t think it was the right context. Making eight changes already, to throw them in there against a team that hasn’t lost at home in nearly two years, I didn’t think it was the right moment.” I think he was right.
Four wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat and a +12 goal difference gain us 13 points to top the group. Job done. We can now forget about the Champions League for a couple of months and concentrate on the Premier League.
Job done. Onward.
My thanks Bath for a comprehensive review. My takes:
1) I agree with you about not throwing the kids on. I enjoyed the Wenger days when we played a virtual U20 team in the league cup, but remember we didn’t actually win it under Wenger. We learnt that Declan is a back up centre back (which I think we knew) . ESR came back to life and let’s pray that this time he’s in for a long spell in the first team squad.
2) Again I agree, it’s an outstanding return to the Champions League. Bravo!
3) I really enjoyed the game and one of the reasons was the 20 year old winger for PSV, John Bakayoko. A full Belgian international, he was exceedingly fast, technically excellent and tracked back. Kiwior must have been thinking why me? Transfermarkt values him at €25m which sounds a bit low to me. He would make an outstanding addition to our squad, specifically as a backup to Saka. He seems very valuable to PSV, top of their assists this season, so we may have to test their resolve.
4) Let’s all laugh at United!
Thanks Bath for your right-on-the-money report full of insights. Let’s hope Kiwior’s nightmares aren’t too bad, and that Arteta finds places in the squad for Nelson, Bakayoko, Martinelli, Saka, and Nwaneri although it sounds like a big ask.
As per item 4 in drink #1:
https://www.goonerholicsforever.com/
***Larffs at United.***
A fitting and comprehensive accounting of a game in which a draw was a fair result, Bath.
PSV’s Bakayoko reminded me of Al-Ahli and formerly Geordie Arabia’s Saint-Maximin, big, fast and direct. However, I suspect Premier League defences would soon work out how to neutralise his threat, as they did Saint-Maximin (just 13 goals in 124 games for Newcastle).
One thought your comparison of Nketiah and Jesus’s link-up play prompts is that when Eddie holds the ball up with his back to the goal, it never seems that he will spin his defender as Jesus can. Thus, (i) the defender can get tighter, and (ii) Eddie has to pass square or backward.
Thanks Bath for an excellent report and a kind mention that 9 right ain’t bad.
All things considered a good evening though it was a pity for Mo if he has done
his hammy, I was expecting to see him against Liverpool in the cup.
On the other hand I was very pleased to see ESR back as I share Trev’s opinion
in the previous drinks about his potential.
There’s an Arsenal Invincibles quiz at The Athletic if anyone feels the urge to test their memory from 20 years ago…
I got 17 though I must admit I fluked 3 or 4 of those,
Season ticket priority window deferred by a day until tomorrow
IT problems yet again 🥶?
Fine and very comprehensive report Charles .
I enjoyed the game probably because the result was utterly irrelevant apart from the win bonus .
For the life of me I don’t know why Arteta didn’t blood some young players . Sousa might have been affected by a roasting from the impressive Bakayoko and Nwaneri coukd have relieved Nketiah instead of Jesus .Cedric did well but why not see what Walters is made of?
I agree about the quality of Nelson. I would also commend Havertz and to a lesser extent Jorginho and imo Ramsdale helped to provide a more solid defensive feel .
We will lose these lads if they never play and Arteta rarely bloods any of them
That game was more entertaining than I anticipated it would be and I was impressed throughout by PSV’s quality and style. If they play like that every week, I’m sure their fans enjoy their visits to the stadium. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the next round of this competition, they’re no pushovers.
Saliba’s tackle to deny our opponents a first goal was quite outstanding, and Gabriel’s speedy reaction to the follow-up strike was almost equally impressive. I too thought that Nelson had a very good game. Hopefully we’ll see more of him and earlier in games than the dead minutes at the end. I wonder if that will be Cedric’s last ever appearance in an Arsenal shirt? Elneny’s too if his injury woes continue?
I was neither surprised nor too disappointed not to see any of the three youngsters take the field. They’ll be developing and improving by playing regularly with the first team players and their time will come when it’s the right time for each.
An excellently detailed report, Bath. Reading it brought the game right back to life.
Comprehensive and enjoyable review Bath!
For a group of eleven players that haven’t ever played together we didn’t do too bad. I too wonder why none of the academy players traveling with the squad didn’t get any minutes whatsoever, I hope we do not move too far away from the Arsenal that has always been known for giving youngsters a chance.
Reiss showed again that he deserves more minutes in PL and CL. And he can deputize on either flank giving rest to two of our most overworked — and most fouled by opposition— players. I really hope his career flourishes with us.
Was great to see ESR back on the field. Let’s hope we can keep him fit, a fit and confident Emile can be a decisive contributor.
Saliba’s little mistake for their goal was so glaring because so rare and uncharacteristic it was. In the last few matches a little bit of mistakes have crept into his game. It’s not unexpected and likely a result of fatigue, physical and/or psychological. Arteta trying out Rice in that right sided CD role was an important experiment.
Not a bad return to the CL. Hopefully when the knockout round starts in February we will have a fit and firing squad.
Got to say that, like Arseblog and our correspondent, I’m finding the “I preferred it when we played the kids” a bit romantic. Under Mikel, we’re in it to win it. I’m backing him.
Trust the process.
Giroud strutting his handsome French stuff for AC Milan against the Saudis at SJP.
Lens punished for chucking flares at Arsenal. Good.
https://x.com/sr_collings/status/1734983663366881587?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
Pep seemed happy to play his kids against Red Star. Just saying…
Different quality opposition Ned, IMHO.
Thanks for the kind words fellas but the piece is too long with far too much fine detail and doesn’t flow but I had a couple of unexpected distractions that resulted in no time to edit it properly before the deadline.
Meantime, Milan are puncturing Saudi’s CL ambitions and, I suspect, putting Howe’s job on the line this summer if they can hold onto their lead.
I am absolutely convinced that Arteta was correct in not bringing the kids on in that match. You can damage a young player’s career irrevocably in such a game.
Saudi boys out of Europe like Man U. Very funny but could damage our chances of getting a fifth CL place next season.
Possible next round opponents
Napoli
Inter Milan
Lazio
PSG
Leipzig
Porto
Plus Copenhagen
The HFB with the assist for the key Milan goal.
C100@14: Fair point, up to a point.
We are sure to get PSG. I feel it in my water!
Bath@15: There is some scuttlebutt abroad that the Special One might be in the frame to succeed Howe should the Amersham artisan get the Saudi tin-tack at the end of the season.
On non footballing terms, Porto or Copenhagen for me. .
Ned @21, I’ve seen that too. I’m sure the Saudi Crown Prince who is the ultimate owner of Saudi United will now see the appointment of a comparable psychopath and erstwhile serial winner as the next step for his plaything.
Although I had a couple of young players in my side in the pre-match review I thought MA’s reasoning not to play them was fine too. So, not damned if we do and not damned if we don’t is my win / win conclusion.
Right, now to get the splinters out of my arse from sitting on this fence 🙂
I had no idea Howe was from Amersham! My mum lives there, I wonder if she realizes the same and disgrace he has brought to the old town.
Shame not same, fat fingers.
Agree with C100, Porto or Copenhagen. PSG is a circus and I don’t want them.
I’d like to come back with a contrarian argument about the use of youngsters . Remember it when we struggle to hold on to Walters or Nwaneri when their contracts are up . Unless they see a pathway to team first team with Arsenal they will go somewhere where they can play .
I absolutely accept the argument that putting young lads into a game like the Saudis had tonight or United had last night is potentially career -wrecking because of the consequences of defeat. But never has there been a high quality game that mattered less than last night’s match . It was effectively a pre-season friendly in a competitive setting but the result was literally irrelevant . What a chance to see what Walters could do at right back- a position we are almost certain to be stretched in. And what a chance to give Nwaneri twenty minutes at the end upfront , either as a false 9 or dovetailing with Havertz. Bakayoko might have been too much for Sousa I agree , but what if Jesus had twisted his ankle in his cameo? What would the Goonerverse say then ?
I accept ESR needs to be nursed but he could have come on earlier .
I worry about what happens to Patino , Cozier- Duberry , Nwaneri , Lewis- Skelly and all of the talent flooding out of Hale End ? These boys are possibly good enough to emulate Saka if given the chance and thereby saving us a fortune which with FFP nipping at our ankles may be very useful.
Mikel has a plan but sadly I don’t think it embraces many ( if any) of our young tyros . I think that’s a pity
TTG raises a significant issue and one that affects all the elite clubs, not just ours.
Academies are producing a number of top-class youngsters from every intake who have the potential to make the first teams of the elite clubs but who, with only rare exceptions (Bellingham, Saka), are going to be anywhere near the finished article as teenagers who can displace what are for the most part top international senior players in the top clubs’ first team squads (just think how many internationals we, or City or ‘Pool typically have sitting on the bench for a PL game). For more and more of them, there is going to be no route to first-team football — or even having a shot at making it. The PL2 league for U23 teams doesn’t provide the proving ground for up-and-coming youngsters that senior men’s football does. There is no reserve team football anymore, and loans seem a hit-or-miss way for youngsters to get that developmental experience. My two cents is that the solution is going to have to be ‘B’ teams playing in the lower divisions as occurs in Spain or a multi-club model that would let clubs own feeder teams in other leagues. There are obvious issues with both. B teams not being able to be promoted into the same division as their parent team distorts the competition in the lower league, and think how fans of, say, Charlton or Millwall or QPR or even Fulham, would feel if their club was owned by Bayern Munich or Juventus or PSG and had a squad primarily full of the parent club’s academy players. Whatever is left of local connections in football would be eroded even more. Would people turn out to watch them? But does anyone have any alternative ideas?
That should, of course, be ‘are not going to be anywhere near the finished article’.
I’m very sympathetic to TTG’s argument for a clearer pathway to the first team for talented youth but I have none for the argument that the three youth players on the bench should have played for 10 minutes or indeed for a bigger chunk of the game on Tuesday. The price of our current competitiveness is the need to maintain that competitive level. Arteta sees these lads in training with the first team and can identify their strengths and weaknesses in a manner we cannot even if we see them at under 21 games. In the final v West Ham which I attended, Walters and Skelly stood out, particularly the former but Nwaneri did not. I still recall seeing, to my surprise, Patino looking like a lost boy in the middle of a man’s game. I trust Arteta to know when and if it is right to throw them into a first team match.
In the discussion of Hale end talent, the case of Omari Elijah Giraud-Hutchinson is quite interesting. He’d been bounced out as a young boy from Chelsea on a couple of occasions and eventually found his way to Hale End where, by all accounts he was very highly rated. I don’t recall either Unai or Emery picking for a first team outing and, perhaps influenced by that, in July 2022 he upped and ORFT (you’ve got to love ‘Oh Brother Where Art Thou’ to pick up on that acronym) to the infinitely greener grass of Cobham.
And there this hopes of a first team game materialised in Chel$ki’s match against Man City which I watched just to see him play. He didn’t do well and was never picked again. A year later he joined the Tractor Boys on loan for a year and, quite coincidentally, while I was watching breakfast tv a couple of days ago, I saw him assist their winning goal on their highlights reel, keeping Ipswich Town in the hunt for promotion.
I may saunter up to Ipswich (a consequence of my Emirates ballot ban, unless of course Fulham tickets are offered up by my fellow bannee) and see him play now that I know he’s there.
Has he increased the likelihood of a first team place by joining Chelsea? Time will tell. What does any of this waffle prove? Absolutely nothing. It simply confirms that we live in a competitive world where good fortune, hard work and a caring coach system are the components essential for success AND that ‘Oh Brother Where Art Thou” is a beezer of a movie if you haven’t seen it.
By the way, I was a huge proponent of Chuba Akpom, went to see him play several times, and genuinely thought of his younger version as the next TH14. He’s still working on that goal I believe in foreign climbs, which shows exactly what my talent spotting is worth.
Oh, and TTG, defeat by PSV would have cost us £2.5M as I understand things.
OK, that’s enough. Time for the driving range and my new 4 rescue club. It’s going to transform my game.
Good article in The Athletic (££) on the recent premier league meeting which, amongst other things, reduced the maximum length of contracts for amortisation to five years, mainly to stop Chelsea dishing out 8 year contracts to reduce FFP implications.
https://theathletic.com/5131690/2023/12/13/premier-league-chelsea-loophole/
There was a very funny article about Manure in The Athletic too, the posts after the article (unintentionally) made me laugh out loud. They are in meltdown.
And I entirely agree with BTM, O Brother Where Art Thou is indeed great.
Hutchison and Patino make an interesting comparison. Both are 20 and both are playing in the Championship, on loan at Ipswich and Swansea, respectively. After 21 league games each this season:
Hutchison vs Patino:
Squad: 20 vs 19
Starting eleven: 6 vs 13
Substituted in: 13 vs 3
On the bench: 1 vs 3
Suspended: 0 vs 1
Injured: 0 vs 0
Goals: 2 vs 3
Assists: 3 vs 4
Internationals: Jamaica (Not in squad; 2 caps last season) vs England U21s (2)
Would Hutchison be in much the same position he finds himself in had he stayed and not gone to Chelsea?
Meanwhile, Patino has bulked up. Not to Saka standards, perhaps, but he is no longer the slip of a lad he was when he made his debut for us.
The much-travelled Chuba Akpom is 28 and at Ajax now, where he is back-up to 21-year-old local boy Brian Brobbey, who has just broken into the Dutch national team. Somehow Akpom’s career has never taken off as it once promised it would.
Thanks Bath for a very comprehensive review – I’ve been reading it since the final whistle !
I agree entirely about Reiss Nelson – worked very hard and carried the ball well. A shame that on the night he had an off form Trossard and an off form Nketiah to try to take advantage of his approach work. Time to see if he can step up more often to relieve our regular wingers.
I also agree that, on balance, it was not the right time to throw on the kids against a very tidy, pacy PSV. Yes, the game was ultimately meaningless to our advancement but PSV clearly hadn’t read the message, and maybe the manager was determined to pick up the extra £2.4 million prize money. Introducing them one at a time into our proper first eleven when the time is right – I.e. a game safely wrapped up – is likely to let them show how they could really fit in, rather than three of them into a makeshift team.
There are two other issues with players of 16 and 17 years of age. Playing them too early can raise their expectations and lead to impatience to get into the team regularly, thus encouraging them to look elsewhere, which I feel at this stage is just as likely as them demanding to go at such a young age. They will have been in the dressing room and got a flavour of the pace and intensity of a game at this level. And they will know that the manager at least has them in mind.
The other issue is one of physical maturity. They might look well developed boys, but that is what they are. Playing other 17 year olds is a world away from playing 27 year olds. There are too similarities between the way Arteta and Wenger played the game. Passing to feet, agility and bursts of speed – encouraging challenges at pace and resulting injuries to immature connective tissue.
Remember what happened when Wenger was forced, for economic reasons, to play Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlin, Wilshere and Ramsey at similar ages ? Sadly, we never saw the best of any of them.
I understand that these lads are already playing above their age level in the under-21 team where they are performing very well. However throwing them into a CL game against a very competitive and very good PSV team, albeit in a ‘dead rubber’ is a different kettle of fish. The Gus Caesar effect is a real phenomenon and applies beyond football – you can look like a world beater at one level but if you step up a level, you can look like a donkey. Trev’s observations about the physical risk are also relevant.
Re: The much-travelled Chuba. As I was researchinbthe preview for the Brighton game I noticed that in the year Brighton were promoted (2016/17), one of their players was Chuba Akpom who was on loan from Arsenal. His squad number at Brighton was 28 at the time, or at least Wikipedia says so.
With a name like Chuba how could he miss?
Case against Arteta for his words after Newcastle game found to be not proven and case dismissed.
https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom-new/files/rules-and-regulations/2023-24/the-fa-v-mikel-arteta—written-reasons.ashx
If you don’t want to wade through the legalise ( and who can blame you) here’s a summary.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39112228/fa-clear-arsenals-arteta-var-rant-newcastle-defeat
Worth repeating from the ESPN article linked above by c100:
“It is also revealed that former Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock, now playing for Newcastle, told his ex-team-mates that he believed the ball had gone out in the build-up to Gordon’s goal”
C100@40: It is worth wading through the legalise if only to get an understanding of (i) what a bollox the FA made of prosecuting its charge, although that is partly because the charge was a load of bollox in the first place, and (ii) the FA’s petulance over any criticism, however well founded. It called Arteta’s interviews ‘vitriolic’ and ‘incensed, enraged and infuriated’ and his words ‘inflammatory’.
The commission says:
[MA’s] words are not so ‘inflammatory’ (to use the FA’s term) as to ‘cross the line’.
While they are indicative of a strongly held view, their use by MA does not bring
the game into disrepute nor are they detrimental to the best interests of the game.
To adopt the test set out in the FA’s ‘Essential Information for Managers, Owners
and Directors’, there is no real prospect of such comments being perceived as
damaging the wider interests of football or the image of the game; they are simply
personalising a state of affairs that the Premier League had already acknowledged
was deficient and needs addressing.
The FA were also egged on by the hyperbole of the UK sportshack scum who initiated a prolonged feeding frenzy against Arteta for his alleged disrespect verging on sacrilege. In the last couple of days, some of these varmints even tried to link the serious assault on a Turkish referee to Arteta’s words after the Newcastle debacle. These people need to be ignored. They also need therapy.
https://x.com/ab_singh7/status/1735334577386787198?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
Re: The FA charges and the Commission. The correct decision was reached, but what a sideshow. Parse my highlighted words at your peril, and thanks Dennis that I didn’t go to law school.
Another point from the findings document: there was a meeting on VAR (among other things) two days before the Newcastle match between the PGMOL, representatives of the Premier League and the majority of the PL Managers, described in the document as ‘highly unproductive’ by which I assume is meant that the PL managers gave the PGMOL another earful over VAR’s shortcomings and the PGMOL’s slowness in addressing the issues and got two fingers in return. (It is all in Section 50 of the document.)
And whilst I am expressing my ‘firmly held opinion’/getting ‘incensed, enraged and infuriated’ about the coverage, why does the BBC report start “Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has avoided punishment…” rather than “Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was cleared of charges…”
Also, why is there all that guff in the BBC report about the English word ‘disgrace’ and the Spanish word ‘desgracia’ when the Commissioners’ report says that Arteta acknowledged at the hearing that he understood the difference between the two words and used the English word knowingly, even though there was some suggestion in Arsenal’s written defence that there might have been some confusion. Don’t journalists read findings documents any more?
I saw that about disgrace and desgracia, Ned, and the footnote saying that Arteta said he actually meant disgrace. Which it was, most seem to agree. ARTETA CLEARED. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
(Looks out for the celebration police)
I for one am absolutely delighted that not only has Arteta been found innocent but, more importantly, the club, by which I mean the owners, stood up to the authorities. For far too long the club has been complacent in just accepting the ever more ridiculous assertions of the regulatory bodies. Many of us remember the ludicrous 2 point deduction for the
handbags at Old Trafford in 91 where, lest we forget, United only received a 1 point fine. In those days we had a patrician ownership and, frankly, they never stood up for us. Having owners willing to stand up for the benefit both of they club they own and, lest we forget, common sense are way overdue.
I never thought I’d have said that. Humble pie truly wolfed down.
Buona notte. As opposed to Buonanotte I should add.
I hope the FA remember to store their touchline ban with their two point ban 1991. I hope the season ends the same way too.
Like everyone i am happy that justice was done and free speech successfully defended, however I suspect that petty revenge will now be sought.
Alternatively this analysis by the Athletic unpacks tge arguments and conclusions quite succinctly
https://theathletic.com/5138309/2023/12/15/explaining-mikel-arteta-not-guilty-written-reasons/?source=user_shared_article
To me the reaction of David Dein was surprising and redolent of the patrician attitude which CER describes well. Frankly Arsenal were robbed of a point by a system that is not fit for purpose and a few minutes after the game Arteta was asked how he felt . He replied honestly and I don’t think he showed disrespect he showed a degree of righteous and justifiable anger about a fundamentally flawed system which is distorting outcomes in Premier League football.
Sky set up these interviews to provoke comments to foment discord and produce headlines which they can then use both to drive an agenda and provide sensationalist headlines throughout its media .
I spoke to a ( Leeds supporting ) referee this week who officiates at two levels below the EFL. He takes a very different view to me on many contentious incidents involving decisions by refs . He told me that the push on Gabriel was clear and obvious and was a very big error by the referee. He could not understand why VAR did not overturn it immediately . ‘ That should never have been a goal ‘ was his conclusion . He also felt that the foul by Luiz on Jesus was a very clear penalty last Saturday .
Well in for the half-ton, bt8.
Thanks TTG@52 for the link. It was a good piece by The Athletic, good to know our legal team is admired in the industry – don’t fuck with The Arsenal.
The FA guideline is, as was noted, highly subjective and it basically means they can charge anyone they feel like charging. Good that they lost this one, and not just for us going forward. Hopefully it will encourage a more reasoned attitude in future, though I won’t be holding my breath.
A lot is hiding in plain sight in the commissioners’ report:
— The PL is unhappy about ‘systemic flaws’ in VAR.
— There have been multiple discussions on fixing them, including involving many PL managers who share the PL’s concerns.
— There is broad dissatisfaction over what is seen as PGMOL foot-dragging.
The subtext was that Arteta was voicing a consensus view of many in the game who are outside of PGMOL that the issue is systemic and not about one or two individuals or able to be resolved with a tweak or two.
Perversely, the commissioners have been able to publicly and clearly say what managers cannot: that the VAR system and its processes are deficient, that there is a need for improvement, and that the pace at which any improvement occurs is inadequate.
You would be hard-pressed to find a fan who disagreed, let alone say that expressing that view was damaging the wider interests of football or the image of the game. VAR’s shortcomings are doing that.
None of which appears to have stopped the UK tabloids from piling on this morning.
Ned@55
A tabloid newspaper which piled it on has been found guilty of phone hacking today . They had previous with the Milly Dowler incident . They exist to feed a readership which thrives on sensation and trivia . I include the Mail in this category as a tabloid even though they would consider they are above this type of sensationalist reporting . They aren’t . Football is viewed through a very distorted lens by many people because they enjoy the approach that UK tabloids take . It is probably the main reason why I don’t love the game as much as I did. It’s becoming a circus , one overseen by incompetent organisations like the. PGMOL. Let’s see what the Premier League eventually do with those 115 charges against Citeh . That will be a massive test of the game’s credibility
Well said TTG.
Spot on, TTG.
It’s not just the tabloids. Oliver Brown in the Torygraph has today produced a hatchet piece on MA8 and argues that the commission’s decision gives a carte-blanche for further criticism of VAR and referees. His most egregious comments are:
“What is more difficult is allowing a manager of Arteta’s influence and reach to spout his vitriol on the subject without restrictions.”
“Anyone who listened to him that night would agree that this was not a lecture, but a tirade, an emotional response to what he considered unforgivable errors but which now turn out to have been anything but.”
“But his focus in that instant was on the wrongs he thought had been delivered against his team, and on the officials he held responsible. And now it turns out that all three supposed wrongs were figments of his imagination.”
“How can the game preach a gospel of respect for referees one minute, and then allow a leading manager’s rabble-rousing about “disgrace” to go unpunished the next?”
Do these hacks not check facts before they spout their personal opinions? I thought proper journalists were supposed to cross-check ‘facts’? Have sports journalists followed the path of political journalists to simply peddle their own opinions?
Did Brown not hear the cri de couer from Roy Hodgson? Does he not care about the destruction of the national game as a spectator sport by processes turning it into a pantomime or circus? The very processes that Arteta called on to be improved more quickly!
Criticising Arteta virtually beyond the point of reason is clearly an expression of a deep seated antipathy to Arsenal. As Blogs said, the only way this VAR bullshit can be ended is for us to bury tribalism and call out these errors whenever they occur especially when they occur in our favour. Incompetence must not be shielded. Respect must be earned.
Bath@59: Absolutely. Anyone who reads the commissioners’ report will see it stated clearly that there are restrictions on criticism of VAR and referees and that there is a line, to use their language, that cannot be crossed without sanction.
That is how it should be. Criticism should be civil and constructive, unfashionable though those are. But, equally, the problems with VAR are significant and widely acknowledged. They won’t go away, let alone be solved by sweeping them under the carpet without a word being said, or worse still, shooting the messenger.
TTG@56: At the risk of sounding even more curmudgeonly than I was in response to Bath, you are sadly right. Controversy generates audience engagement and that is the currency of social media. Where controversy doesn’t exist, it will be created. The market demands it.
Great posts thanks gents. I was annoyed to read similar nonsense in The Grauniad about “Arteta escaping punishment for his ranting etc etc”
It is looking awfully crowded on the morally bankrupt high ground for the ladies and gentlemen of the press.
The BBC reporting that the Chavs want Rammy in January as Steele is out injured.
Let’s tell hapless Todd that £1 billion will get it done. Then we can buy 4 forwards, 3CMs, 2 defenders and a partridge in a pear tree.
I’m out of the country and haven’t found time to read the full decision document, but it strikes me that, finally, the club have decided to go into these meetings fully lawyered up. Rather than sit back and passively accept the pre-determined outcome of the kangaroo court, they have actually sought to ensure something approaching a genuine legal process is followed. I imagine that the Star Chamber assembled to dish out the usual egregious punishment was massively shocked -and, have taken serious legal itself – the curious 5 week gap between the event and the decision would seem to indicate this- has been advised that it risks opening itself up to legal challenge if it were to punish what is clearly not a punishable act – telling the truth. I further imagine that this has resulted in back channel briefings to malleable so-called journalists to assist in the face saving and the frankly poisonous attempts to smear Arteta are the result.
I hope that this is the first of many attempts, not just from Arsenal but other clubs when wrongly charged, to break the iron rule of the malign dictatorship at the top of the football pyramid.
Having taken serious legal counsel itself. Apologies. 5.30 am and I’m still dealing with jet lag.
For those of you who are concerned at CER’s jet leg, and who are assuming that he is tirelessly crisscrossing the world in his role as a business road warrior, I can inform you, through private knowledge, that he is taking a pre Christmas holiday in Antigua, with his lovely wife, but sans les enfants, including 21CG, who have been left home alone in Winchmore Hill.
Waiter please bring me the world’s tiniest violin.
Jealous? Moi?
Have a great time CER.
Here i go again ( i lost my original essay…oh the wonders of IT.)
So to resume…I am most pleasantly surprised to learn that the allegations of MA’s “misconduct”my words..were not proven. Do i see a glimmer of hope that the PL see some serious issues with their off-spring – PGMOL. Whilst like many, i thought and hoped that VAR, would improve the game which IMHO opinion has been enthralling ever since it kicked off in 1800 or whenever (i’m not that old generally..only on Mondays & Thursdays). i’m not good with detail and overall don’t miss it but my bond to AFC continues to grow, often to the astonishment of my long-bearing Australian wife. So i saw comment recently by TTG and Bath and others…detail not being one of my strong points…but fellas..i know what you feel about losing your attachment to the game and its very sad…and mostly the fault of the almighty PL and its bastard child – PGMOL.
So in my dotage i look back to the days of AFC in the 30s and early 50s…mostly i wasn’t there but my family were and we were regaled by the likes of Hapgood, Bastin, Drake, James, Logie, Forbes, Mercer and then when i was a young bloke my own heroes – Kelsey, Herd, Haverty and then Skirton (we loved him) Baker, Eastham, Sammells..and then Bertie’s troops.. who i saw with my Dad win the Fairs Cup…personal heroes..Simpson, Radford, Storey, Wilson, Graham, Kelly and the leader Big Frank…they played 60+ games with a squad of 16..ball like a piece of plasticine encased in mud, pitches like i used to play on at Wormwood Scrubs and truly brutal opponents…Giles, Bremner, Harris, Hunter, Charlton(J), Stiles…and many more…we had Peter Storey..in my top 5 ever…were the refs smarter? So Saka gets kicked from pillar to post…every game…where’s our Snout to deal with it? But now we have endless injuries…i don’t get it…its a new game apparently, were they tougher back then…i’ve lived in Oz for just past 50yrs and if (PC-incorrect, i reluctantly accept) and you behave like a big Sheila and writhe around when you have a touch, as is often the case…is that the way to carry on? Of course the great Pires was one of the first to introduce this but now its endemic and it reflects very badly on Football…and i have to say its coming more and more in all other codes as well….
Well done all correspondents – you collectively are a wonderment…barely a harsh word, though some for the Marshdwellers is never too much…i look forward to the game vs the Seagulls…i’m old and old-fashioned but them being in Div1 is a bit bizarre…i can even remember when L’Pool and Manure where in Div 2…life’s good being a Gooner
Apologies for the ramble…i had a big “tea” with my eldest daughter and our 1st Grandson who is being schooled along the lines of “Good Old Arsenal, we’re proud to say that name”…you know the rest
Not bad Rose but sad its now all gone
COYG
so in closing, i am more than ever committed to AFC and through them pay homage to the gallery of GHF scribes who endow their wonderful wisdom, continually…it keeps me very close to my roots in London and with my beloved Arsenal….but i feel little attachment to where i was born, mostly through paying more than enough attenetion to the (hideou…IMO)… BBC
MMTWP, thank you for a truly wonderful post.
In contrast to the above quoted rags the times plays a straight bat on the FA independent reglatory commission’s judgement, without quibble or any attempt to smear Arteta as a fearful radical trying to bring down the temple. Thet lead off with the judgement and simply report the proceedings and name the six individuals who represented MA8.:
“An independent regulatory commission found on Thursday afternoon that the Football Association’s charge against Arteta for an alleged breach of FA Rule E3.1 ‘to be not proven’. They concluded: “We do not consider that MA’s (Mikel Arteta) delivery during the interviews was improper in any way.”
Brilliant post MMTWP!
That was a heartwarming read and you’re not alone in your opinions on the big Jessie’s (Scottish version) who dive and writhe if breathed upon and the decline of the BBC as a source of accurate information.
A large glass of your favourite tipple awaits your next visit to Dave’s virtual bar.
I didn’t have any time to follow the discussion above as it developed but have just now caught up. What a pleasure to read some actually well thought out and expressed reactions both to the judgement itself and the various press reactions to it.
Thanks to all of you.
MMTWP – have a big, old fashioned, manly hug to you and yours ❤️
Wonderful drinks above. Dave would be proud.
Cheers Trev
Big hug accepted..TKU..virtual or real, its very nice. I’m very fortunate here Downunder with 2 lovely daughters both of whom have birthed our first grand kids, Wyatt on 6/12/22 and Sophie 6/02/23…we’re a bit biased but they are each so wonderful…so we’re as happy as we can be and notwithstanding our hideous (IMHO) Left-wing Government we’re pretty happy… I have much to say on politics and the irrationality of our Labor Government but not really for GHF…unless someone asks me.
COYG
Lovely piece, MMTWP.
C100 @65 above. I must confess that 28 degrees C without humidity and a few scudding clouds is no hardship.
Although I do wish someone would turn the sea down a bit. It can disturb enjoyment of the pre-prandial G&T……
MMTWP
That was a wonderful post and your engagement with GHF is hugely appreciated . Enjoyment of it is only spoilt by the fact that as I write we are losing to the lady Marshdwellers in a game where we have had about 80% of the play .
Maybe it is the time of the year or the stage of my life but I’m becoming more reflective as time goes by and the state of football and of course the state of Arsenal occupies a lot of my thinking
Are we really involved in a league that is corrupt and designed to favour the wealthier or more influential teams ?
Are we ever going to sort out the mess that PGMOL have created with VAR and refereeing ‘ inconsistencies’ ( see above)
Will the careful husbandry undertaken by Arsenal off the field finally bear fruit on it ?
That’s enough thinking, I need a drink !
MMTWP@66: A great read. The past is a different country, as they say. You list a pantheon of Arsenal legends. However, I suspect many of the hard men you list would spend more time suspended than playing these days.
CER @ 63: I was curious if the degree of lawyering up for the Arteta case was unusual. A cursory inspection of the FA’s archives suggests that for what the FA calls key cases that end up before an Independent Commission, the chair of the Commission is typically a KC and both sides are represented by KCs. Thus, the process and findings are court-like.
Key cases are the exception, not the rule, of course. Most FA disciplinary hearings are not contested, like one recently against the club for an altercation during an U-18 match v Reading. In those, punishments (a £3,500 fine in that case) get doled out much as a magistrate’s court would.
I suspect you are right that the FA was taken aback by the robustness of the club’s response to the charges against Arteta. I have no doubt that you are right that it is briefing friendly press against the decision.
CER@75: Taking one the team! Enjoy every minute of it.
That should have been CER@74, but the sentiment applies to TTG@75. 🙂
MMTWP – congratulations on your two new grandchildren. Daughters are wonderful things – even if they come with their share of worries. The elder of my two will be 20 years old tomorrow, exactly 14 years to the day since I took her to see Father Christmas in Lapland on her 6th birthday. Where does the time all go – at ever increasing speed ?
Damn fine 95th minute penalty from Crystal Palace mean City drop two more points. Need to win tomorrow!
Appreciate the weighty eighty.
I have made a donation of £250 to Willow for the Megs Wilson Memorial Fund from Goonerholics Forever . It is hard to organise these things . We anticipated that a number of Holics who know or have had dealings with Megs would want to contribute and estimated that a donation might be around £15 or £20 . If we collect more I will send the surplus on to the charity and will add a donation from myself .
I’m not keen to advertise my bank details on a public website so if you would like to donate please drop me an email at peter@lebeauvisage .co.uk and I will send them to you Each donation will be totally confidential
Details of the Memorial fund and the Just Giving page with our message can be found from the Willow website
Well played TTG!
What C100 said @83.
Is there an unexpected ton on?
Wot C100 said @83
And of course wot Ned said @84 come to that
Talking now of coming to that I am thinking no wot Ned said @85
Thinking no should be thinking of
But of course there is no need to point out the annoyingly helpful spillchuckets many unwanted grammatical helpings to the discerning Holics wot hang around here
We seem to be in the 90s almost as if by accident
Anyway, a belated adding of congrats to MMTWP on the grandchildren😃
My own kids are in their 20s now and I am holding out a vague hope I might
get some of my own one of these days
Anyway, this is an Arsenal blog and back to matters Arsenallian.
I agree with C100 @80 entirely, we need to take advantage of
any little gift 115 MCMBD Shitteh give us, not least to send them
a message
Needless to say but I will say it anyway I also entirely agree with TTG @56 on the current investigation into 115MCMBD’s myriad wrongdoings being a massive test of the PL’s credibility.
To be honest I am not hopeful of an organization that so cravenly caved when faced with government pressure on the House of Sauds acquisition of Newcastle. Surely one of of the advantages of living in a freeish society is the freedom to tell the government to take a hike when they ask you to do morally reprehensible things for reasons of (perceived?) national interest
For today’s (for me) game with Brighton I hope to see ESR restored to the bench and adding to our attacking options in case of difficulty
Matt,
As you dribble towards an empty net I’m running alongside you waiting for a tap-in
Though given their current form I am not expecting the seagulls to be keeping any clean sheets and the issue is more likely to be our own ability to manage their attacks
I sense a presence, it’s an eerie uncanny feeling and I don’t know what it could be 😉
The Seagulls rotate heavily and have a big squad. And they love coming to our ground. 4 wins there in the last 4 years inc Carabao
It’s me!
I nicked it off you in front of goal Matt. Shameless goalhanger me
Whatever, enough of such worrying, I will finish my Sunday morning coffee and head back to bed. I wonder if anyone will hit the 100 while I sleep 🤔
😂😂
Well in for the ton, TTG. Shameless is as shameless does.
Well in TTG, even with the dubious self assisting.
Impressive work in the buildup Matt. Was the sake of any help there, I wonder?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>