With the weather being exactly what you would expect from the North West at this time of year, the Arsenal team rolled into Burnley with the intention of continuing the brilliant form of late. Liverpool has unsurprisingly rolled over a pretty supine Brentford in the lunchtime kick off and nothing but a victory would do.
The team was as expected with the only surprise, and disappointment, being that none of our injured or returnees from international duty had even made the squad. As a result, the bench included James Sweet and Mauro Bandeira who hadn’t a minute of first team football between them.
Burnley started off in a manner of which Dyche would be proud, with a Stoke-style long throw and a couple of fouls in the first few minutes. The spirit of Dyche was clearly living on and physically embodied by Craig Bellamy on the touchline, with the sublime footballer that was Vincent Kompany banished to the stands as a result of indiscretions last week.
It took only 4 minutes to crack the case however, as Martinelli sprinted down the left wing, cut back and picked out Ødegaard on the edge of the area. The Norwegian took a first touch to control the ball and then absolutely arrowed his half-volley shot into the very corner of the goal. A superb finish and indicative of the form which he is in at the moment.
The spirit of Dyche continued to be channelled by the Burnley players a couple of minutes later with 2 fouls visited first upon Martinelli and then on Saka in quick succession as we broke up a Burnley corner and looked to counter-attack. The referee, who I thought did a good job on the day, was having no nonsense from Burnley and booked a Burnley player – Aaron Ramsey, no less- for the Martinelli foul.
The high press with which Burnley had bravely started, was beginning to fade and after 20 minutes it became noticeable that Burnley were starting to fall back deeper behind the ball when out of possession. Which was quite a lot! On 22, at an Arsenal corner, we saw the increasingly common sight of wrestling at a corner with the Burnley defender literally grappling with Ben White in order to prevent him from making his now customary run to position himself in front of the keeper. The referee did not cover himself in glory here, as gave a free kick to Burnley for White being put into the kind of hold that many will remember seeing last in the 1970’s ITV Saturday sports show “World of Sport”, being inflicted on some hapless dupe by Mick McManus.
On 23 the one ray of sunshine on the Burnley team, the young winger Odobert beat first Saka and then White and fired in a shot from a tight angle which was well saved by Raya as it took the kind of deflection which could have seen the ball ping into the net. Good reactions from the keeper.
Arsenal were well in control but without the second goal which would probably seal the victory and on 33 we missed a great opportunity as Saka crossed in from the right and both Havertz and Trossard exhibited poor control and the opportunity was gone.
Ødegaard was now the human embodiment of the oil in the machine. He reduces the friction as they ball progresses up the pitch and facilitates the smooth running of the entire machine. On this form he is a joy to watch. Shortly before half time he combined with Havertz to send Trossard through on goal and a poorly timed tackle saw him upended. A certain penalty despite the frankly ridiculous protestations of the Burnley defender. Saka eventually took the penalty and his not entirely convincing effort just beat Trafford and nestled in the corner,. 2-0 as we went into half time.
We came out for the second half with the intention of putting the game beyond doubt and it took only a minute to add to the lead. Havertz controlled well a difficult ball into him in the final third and shifted the ball on to Ødegaard, who in turn hit a delightful pass inside the right back for Saka to run onto, cut outside the defender and leather his right footed shot high into the roof of the net at the near post. This was now exhibition stuff.
Arsenal attacks came in waves and were it not for some curious finishes from Trossard we could have scored a few more before the Belgian finally put the onion into the bag, being rewarded for his patience and perseverance after joining the orderly queue at the back post which had formed rather in the manner we used to see at a London bus stop.
Arteta now decided to make some substitutions and we saw Cédric, Nketiah and Nelson come on for White, Trossard and Saka, respectively. With the CL away tie with Porto coming up next week, this was an excellent and uncharacteristically early decision from Arteta and all the more welcome for it..
On 77, Havertz scored a truly excellent goal, capitalising on some either sleepy or downright daft defending from Burnley who seemed to squeeze up at an Arsenal throw on half way, allowing Havertz to run in behind the defence, take the ball on, nutmeg his defender and slide past the keeper.
At this point Arteta decided to replace Rice with Jorginho, another excellent substitution, with the game now well and truly decided.
Conclusions
We have heard a lot from the media naysayers along the lines that Arsenal need a proper striker to compete with Liverpool and Abu Dhabi. And yet nearly 2/3 of the way through the season, we have only been outscored by Liverpool. Could it be that the usual suspects don’t actually know what they’re talking about and have simply been guilty of projecting what they want to see? Surely not, for they are experts who couldn’t possibly be guilty of reducing a nuanced tactical development in the game to an easy to communicate binary view. Oh for more Brian Glanville’s and fewer Gary Neville’s.
There are more difficult away days to come this season – City and the Walthamstow Marshes among them. However, we appear to be hitting form at just the right point of the season. In the first half of the season, we amassed points but were way off the standards set last year. Looking at it with the benefit of a certain amount of hindsight, this may perhaps have been by design, with Arteta looking to conserve energy for the final third of the season. Recent performances have been all the more impressive given that we have 6 first team players out: Timber, Tomi & Zinchenko in defence; Partey & Vieira in midfield; Jesús up front. If we start to get these players back, we could be in for a very exciting run in.
Cheers CER. Still buzzing from our current, play, results, and efficiency.
Hopefully the return of the Champions League won’t trouble our progress.
Excellent report of an excellent day which went even better than I expected . It was an exhibition match in all but name and we continued the momentum we have been building since the trip to Dubai which appears to have been the catalyst for our revival after that mini slump
We need to get bodies back to populate what looks a thin bench . Most of our sick notes are unlikely to stay fit for long but it will be good to see what Partey can bring in the tighter games and it will be lovely to welcome Timber back
There are lots of beneficiaries from the mid-season break but Saka had really flourished . I had a talk with a disillusioned Spud today who suggested the natives are now turning on Ange . I am delighted we’ve shown faith in Arteta’s vision . He’s doing a marvellous job .
And Odegaard was superb – wonderful player
I watched the game on a stream from Egypt. The first 30 minutes were very fitful but after that it settled down and I could watch in piece.A real delight to watch.
Anyone else think the side has looked much better with Kiwior at left back?
21CG and I were talking about that funnily enough, C100. I think playing some more games has helped Kiwior, but also the quality of the opposition over the last couple of weeks. He’s an actual defender, which can’t really be said of Zinchenko. I’d be glad to see him get some more game time against the top teams – away at City for example – as Zinchenko can be a defensive liability against teams which have the ability to target him.
What an absolute pleasure it is on a lazy Sunday morning to relive the experience of a marvellous Arsenal performance and crushing victory from the day before. Thank you CER.
This team certainly looks the business.
As Calgacus might have said, had he spoken Latin and had he been transported some 1900 years forward and 300 miles south, ‘magnam artem faciunt et extasim appellant’.
These exquisite victories are becoming a bit of a habit and pleasant though they are, I am reminded of one of Arsene’s timeless observations from November 1998, “If you eat caviar every day, it’s difficult to return to sausages.” Can we keep wallowing in caviar? I certainly hope so. But be ready for the odd tough old banger.
Yes to Kiwior. Looks a proper defender and some great forays forward too including the run leading up to our fourth where he beat Martinelli to the ball!!!!
I actually had sausages for dinner yesterday, so I am getting mentally prepared…
Back to the foie gras soon…
Nice work, Bath and correctly declined!
Thanks CER, a fine report of a very enjoyable game, like Ode I was well-oiled during the game but it was just as enjoyable when I watched the highlights again today.
There was a long Alan Shearer piece in The Athletic about our poor finishing a little while back, I didn’t read it as I think he’s a twat but he really should be made to publish an apology.
Thank you CER for a highly readable account of our stroll on the moor. Good humor included as seems to be your custom.
A succinct and accurate account of a most enjoyable game, CER. Your point about conserving energy for the final third is well made. I was struck by two comments Arteta made in his pre-match press conference: the gnomic one about Raya being like Havertz in doing all the things you don’t see and the one about keeping all the players fit until the end of the season being the no 1 requirement to win the league.
C100: Thanks for the Frank Stubbs link in the previous drinks. It is a salutary read for those of us whose travelling for games involves no more than a short walk to the couch or an indulgence in hurkle-durkle, reputedly a Caledonian colloquialism now enjoying its 15 minutes on Tik-Tok that I came across for the first time yesterday.
To answer a question OM posed in the previous drinks, our match record in all competitions this season when Zinchenko has played is P28 W19 D4 L5. Without him, it is P8 W4 D2 L2. Not proven would be the verdict, to continue the Scottish theme.
To amplify Ned’s comment about away support I thought the away support yesterday was extraordinary. It was incredibly loud and very humorous (unless you support Burnley )
I admire those who chug up and down the motorways enormously . Even when much younger I didn’t do it regularly and rarely do it outside London now . To be at Dublin or Belfast Airport on match day and see the efforts that many Gooners make just to get to home matches ( and the considerable expense they incur ) makes me feel a second class supporter
We could indeed be in for a very exciting run in, CER.
Re Kiwior, he’s come on well. If there’s a question about his game, for me it’s pace. I’d play Tomi ahead of him vs Salah and Zinny or Tomi ahead of him vs Foden. In any case, I think his future is at CB not LB.
Watching ManUre play at Luton I was musing tgat if someone launched a competition ( that would be very popular ) the first prize of which woukd be the chance to punch the face of a United player , who would you choose? So many candidates !
It is interesting that Sambi Lokonga is having a hell of a game in midfield for Luton . I haven’t seen him play that well for us
TTG@14: Lokonga has been receiving good notices at Luton, especially since his return from injury. They have indicated that if they stay up, they’d be interested in making the loan permanent. I do wonder, though, if he has earned a second look by Arteta, especially if ESR and/or Partey leave.
Lokonga and the improvement in Kiwior with a run of games underlines the importance of players of that age playing regularly. ESR’s career is stalling for lack of games. One of the things that has to be on Arteta’s to-do list for next season is how to strike a balance between squad depth and giving the benchwarmers the regular games they need to develop.
BtM@13: The specialist full-back appears to be becoming a thing of the past. Most top clubs now seem to play a back three or four comprising defenders who can play centre-back or full-back with equal facility. That is true of Tomi and Benny Blanco, too. When Zinchenko is in the team, Gabriel spends almost as much time playing left-back as he does cenre-half.
German fans showing some inventiveness in their protests against private capital in the Bundesliga.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68327140
Great stuff, CER – an enjoyable read that perfectly captured another great performance.
C100 touched first on an issue I wanted to take up. I completely agree about Kiwior.
He has shored up our left wing in defence and we are no longer wide open to attack down that side, but I think it goes much further than that. The idea of Zinchenko as the inverting full back is to overload on the opposition’s midfield. I actually think Zinchenko overloads on our own midfield and crowds Odegaard and Havertz.
Where Kiwior stays at home, it has led to more space and almost liberated Odegaard and Havertz who are playing the ball forward more quickly and ahead of our forwards who seem to be enjoying running past defenders and into space instead of waiting for balls to be played slowly to feet and finding themselves already marked with attacking lanes closed off.
The shape and pace of our play has been transformed without Zinchenko – and while he is undoubtedly a clever player, he has to learn to cut out the endless twisting, turning and dominating possession of the ball and get the thing moving more quickly. Unfortunately for him, we currently look better in attack and defence without him.
Trev@17: https://youtu.be/5beivGJWHFc
Thanks for the link Ned, and for the info
on with / without Zin.
Hardly original on my part but I think
Timber is the guy, like Benny, who can
do well at both orthodox / inverted roles next
season so the Zin / Kiwior discussion will settle
itself really. Both are good players to have of
course.
Benny continues to impress
with his ability to adapt and was a great
spot.
The key point is I would punch Fernandes first
Matt
Sound judgment
I’d go Fernandes, Casemiro and Garnacho ( he looks sooo punchable) in that order .
I’ll put Garnacho second. Although….Antony, he’s got a good claim too.
Ollie,
Antony is a good shout . I might extend the invitation out to four .Martinez woukd be number five ( Lisandro not Emi )
I’d punch the whole lot just to make sure. Ten Hag would be quite high on my list too 😉
Ned @18,
I had a look at that video and I get that Ben White inverted to create the extra man in midfield but he fist do it in the same way that Zinchenko does. I’ve seen Zinchenko run into Odegaard and others, literally getting in their way as he runs everywhere from left back to right wing. He also slows our play down, allowing opposition defences extra time to get organised – time they have less of when we’re moving the ball more quickly.
Fair points, Trev @ 24.
I’m delighted to agree with Trev on all the above points.
One new observation. Lee Van Clef made a virtue of his reptilian features by playing the bad guy in a large number of western movies. I reckon that Manure could provide the cast for a whole gang of western villains: Maguire (the fat, stupid one), Martinez (the vicious killer), Fernandez (the nasty, untrustworthy one), Casemiro (the fat, jolly but thoroughly evil one), Antony (the ugly, vicious, double-crossing killer), Hojlund (the youthful acolyte who pulls wings off flies), Garnacho (his youthful sidekick who catches the flies for him) and their leader Ten Hag (the dolt who thinks he’s an evil genius). All eminently punchable.
Trev@25: I agree with you 100% that Zinchenko slows things down, and his tendency to roam far and wide means that the box of four in midfield goes out of shape too easily. That might mean someone else comes in to restore the symmetry so the midfield starts tripping over itself. White was disciplined in that regard. Also, the Saka–White–Ødegaard triangle on the right has gelled in a way that is not matched by any equivalent on the left. To pick up on OM’s point, had Timber not been injured, Zinchenko may have had a lot less playing time in the PL. I do wonder if he was bought with a particular eye for the CL, where his technical skills are more valuable.
Bath@27: :} The Good, the Bad and the Ugly without the Good.
Bath – 🤣🤣👏🏻👏🏻
Bath – there’s a touch of the young Earnest Borgnine’s about Casemeiro 😳
Roy Hodgson leaving Palace with the dignity he deserves. It is probably all a bit Potemkin Village, but at least it suggests that there are some shreds of decency left amid the money.
Bath@27 – the line “ I don’t need no stinking badges” could have been written for Fernandez.
I would put Fernandes in a headlock before smashing his and Antony’s heads together with some considerable force.
But i see the that Bath @27 has it all thought out . 🤣🤣🤣
I had Roy in the sack race. Was he pushed or did he jump?
AST’s response to the rise in ticket prices for next year
https://www.arsenaltrust.org/feed/news/2024/AST-ticketing-response-season24_25
Re: c100 @22: Thanks as ever to the link to Mike’s write-up. Just wanted to highlight here the part he put in bold referring to the ways Arteta has used Trossard and Havertz in recent games: “It’s amazing what a coach can achieve by leaning into his players strengths rather than asking them to lean into his.”
It is worth following the link in Mike McDonald’s piece to something he wrote for Le Grove in 2021. An interesting read, especially in the light of hindsight.
Just to disagree a bit with Gary Neville I was wondering if there are are any rules against hiring current Premier League referees as referee consultants. If not, I humbly suggest that we hire all of them immediately.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11727/13075734/mark-clattenburg-ex-premier-league-officials-referee-analyst-role-at-nottingham-forest-explained
Tough gig, apparently, the Marseille job, with the last two managers staying only eight months between them. Surprisingly perhaps, Guendouzi could have had nothing to do with the sacking of Gattuso because the former has been on loan at Lazio since the end of August. Maybe Ollie knows more.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68335976
Well Guendouzi was named Man Of The Match for Lazio against Bayern only last week, so indeed. Marseille results with Gattuso have been pretty much horrendous. To my great delight . :-). He himself admitted he couldn’t find the key to motivate their players. They’re consuming coaches at a very high rate. The final straw was this Sunday’s loss despite playing most of the match 11 v 10. Although it was at Brest who are currently sitting pretty in second (so first non-QSG club…).
Gasset (him who got sacked by Ivory Coast after the first round) takes over.
Ollie
I note Lens appear to have picked up after a poor start and are in 6th .Interesting to get some sort of benchmark given our games with them in the CL. PSG are one potential opponent if we reach the last 8 .They appear to be far and away the best in Ligue Un
Hello all.
I’ve been a bit absent from the bar recently (life gets in the way of football sometimes!) but this doesn’t seem to have hampered our form in any way.
Perhaps I should have stayed away so as not to jinx it!
I was informed that Sancho Panza kindly inquired if I was alright – thanks for that SP, and I am happy to confirm that I’m all good!
Especially with the lads playing like we are. What a run of form. Long may it last!
To be fair, TTG, I think Lens more or less started picking up a bit when we played them first. But like everyone non-PSG, they have been very very inconsistent. Well Brest have been fairly reliable for a while. Rennes and perhaps Lille may be the more in-form teams at the moment. Very hard to predict the non-top spot (can’t even remember how far ahead QSG are now, definitely more than ten points….).
I’d very much like to draw PSG (€2.56 return trip to an ‘away’ match, anyone?)….but the work calendar may make the next round very inconvenient.
Good to hear you’re well, GSD!
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