Exactly What I Deserve

 For some reason, NBC preferred to televise the relegation battle between Arsenal and Burnley rather than Leicester-Brighton, and I stupidly watched, at least until a minute ago when Granit Xhaka did what he does best--something stupid--and got sent off with the score at nil-nil.  Why Willian was out there I am not sure; he was not good.  Lacazette tries, and did some good things, but at this point you present him with an open net and he'd still find some way not to score.  Had Ceballos played...well, he didn't.  Barring a quick turnaround, Mertesacker will be caretaker manager by January and we'll be hiring one of the usual suspects to make the best of a bad situation for a year.  

Arsenal Is Telling Me to Get a Life

 Thanks, guys.  If you can't get interested in playing football when you're being paid for it, I have permission to lose interest in watching it when I'm not being paid to sit through your performances.  Good luck.  I'll check back in a few months.  Probably.

WTF?

 We follow the solid win at Old Trafford with a limp surrender to Villa at home.  I give up.  I don't know what to expect from this team.  Arteta better concentrate on a cup competition, because he's got a mid-table team now.  They will likely struggle for Europe again.

Europa Win, League Loss

 Fuck Jamie Vardy.  

I'm beginning to like the fact that NBC isn't televising a lot of Arsenal games.  It saves me from watching them.  Let me know when something interesting happens.

City 1 - 0 Arsenal

 [I didn't see the Liverpool and Sheffield games]

I think most Gunners figured we were unlikely to come away from the Etihad with any points, given our poor run against them and indeed all the big six away.  Nevertheless, it was disappointing to see the lack of punch in this Arsenal squad against a very beatable City team.  I was impressed with City's defensive discipline and positioning, and they deserve some of the credit for our poor offensive display.  

I don't have a lot to say about the players.  I thought Ceballos was excellent, and was also impressed with Saka, Tierney, and Bellerin.  Willian was almost anonymous.  The free kicks we had were poor.  We looked second best most of the game, and deserved to lose.  Our 3-0-2 record is about right.  As Thomas is integrated into the midfield, I expect we'll improve.  I would like to see Saliba in the cup games; Gabriel looks fine but I keep expecting a major mistake--he's had a couple near misses.

Arsenal 2 - 1 West Ham (EPL) and Leicester 0 - 2 Arsenal (League Cup)

 I can't believe we won that game against the Hammers.  Pre-Arteta, we would not have.  I can't explain why we were so flat.  Well, three points.

The kids were more than all right at the King Power, and we earned the right to go to Anfield a few days after we play them there in the league and try to beat them to progress.  I like the way Arteta won't write off any competition.  He understands that winning is a habit, and so is losing.

Fulham 0 - 3 Arsenal

 I'm not going to get carried away.  This was Fulham, the club that bettors think most likely to be relegated.  The Cottagers were flat and lacked a cutting edge; their defense was not well organized.  But it was a comfortable win.  Laca, Auba, and new boy Gabriel scored.  Willian got two assists.  Everyone played well.  Elneny and Holding got a run-out and performed.  Leno was called upon to save a goal early.  And most important, we got three points.

Everyone knew we'd desperately want six points from the first two games, and would have expected us to get them.  There's a run of tough games after that.  Let's see where we are mid-October.

Martinez looks to be leaving.  20M pounds is fair, and he'll be making a lot more playing for Villa.  Good luck to him.  

Liverpool 1 - 1 Arsenal (4-5 PKs) -- Community Shield

 Once again, I did not watch this realtime.  Maybe the Shield is considered by some as a meaningless tune-up for the season, but Arsenal hasn't taken it that way and I don't either.  It's minor silverware but it's silverware.

Yes, this one could have gone either way in normal time, but we got the PKs and they were all excellent (even the miss was close and unstoppable had it been a foot lower).  I love how the young guys stepped up and buried their kicks.

I'm very hopeful that this season sees us climbing the table, and maybe we can win a cup or two as well.  Our transfer business is fine:  Sokratis out, Magalhaes in.  Torreira looks as though he will get a chance to start for Fiorentina, and we'll have Ceballos back for another year.  Don't ask me what the problem is with Auba.  Maybe he's insisting Stan rehire the staff he canned last month.  I really hope we keep Hector and AMN.  Who could we buy who'd help us more this season and in future seasons?  Lacazette deserves a chance to star somewhere; he's not going to be the main man in London anymore.  I honestly think Eddie or Martinelli would score as many goals in that position.  I do love Alexandre; he works hard and frequently outmuscles larger defenders.  But he's not scoring at center forward.

More on the final

Arsenal.com finally put the whole game up on video and I just watched it.  Just as Arseblog's "By the Numbers" feature shows, we were the better team in this game and deserved to win it.  It's true that Chelsea was snakebitten, losing Azpilacueta and Pulisic to hamstring injuries at 1-1, and the second yellow on Kovacic was harsh, but I didn't see Chelsea ever scoring another one after their early flourish.  The penalty was definitely a penalty, and if Christensen got Bellerin's knee in his back (I didn't see it) in the buildup to the second goal, it was because his reckless lunge carried him into Hector.  The defender "won" the ball and passed it directly to Pepe.  The Gunners had more quality opportunities.  I was most impressed with the discipline.  The Blues committed 14 fouls, we committed three.  That says to me that Arteta prepared them to position themselves properly, and also drove it home that we can't afford to give away cheap free kicks around the box.

Everyone played really well.  It's hard to single out anyone other than Auba, who of course won this final and the semi.  Xhaka was a beast, and Ceballos a dervish.  If Lampard thought he was going to boss midfield, he got a rude surprise.  The Chelsea defense always looked shaky; Pepe seemed to terrify them.

I'll have plenty to say about how the future looks, but this game has made the present seem quite shiny.  If you'd have offered me this in December, I'd probably have taken it.  It looked unlikely after our terrible form at Villa Park and at home against Watford, but we beat a big team and it was not a smash-and-grab like Liverpool or an against the run of play situation like the semi.  We just plain beat a good team to win a trophy and set Mikel up for a continuation of his very impressive work in four competitions.  What academy player wants out now?  

Well, a word on Pulisic:  he was their most dangerous player, and I hope he recovers from that nasty hamstring injury quickly.  He's going to be a great player for club and country.  Here's some sympathy for Pedro, too.  He's leaving Chelsea but laid it on the line as a sub and got a dislocated shoulder for it.  Azpilicueta has never been a favorite of mine, so his tears left me unmoved.  The Blues have oodles of money to spend and will be in Champions' League, so they're fine.  We needed this one a lot more than they did, and I'm delighted we seized it.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Chelsea (FA Cup Final)

I listened to the Arsenal.com audio.  Whew!

I have been very very happy ever since the final whistle, but a chance perusal of a Tottenham fan site has delighted me further.  They noted that our win pushed them into qualifying rounds for Europa League, as well, of course, as eliminating Wolves entirely.  The comments were about how bad the officiating was (spoiler alert: they felt it was the worst in English history) and curses directed at Chelsea for losing--though they grudgingly noted that the Blues beat Wolves on the last day to keep Spuds in the EL.

Well as Stimpy says, Happy Happy Joy Joy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghPna1AugBw 

The Final

I'm actually relieved this one isn't being televised (for free) in the US.  I'd be a wreck watching it.  After what happened with Watford, I'd feel that no lead was safe; and if we went behind, I'd be anticipating Baku II the rest of the game.  A draw near the closing minutes would be agonizing.  And don't even mention PKs.

Fingers crossed.

Aston Villa 1 - 0 Arsenal

What a dreadful display.  Aside from Grealish, Villa did nothing especially good in the run of play, but they still were better than the outfit that beat Liverpool and City in the last week.  There's no point rating the players; the whole team was awful.  There was little chance for a 7th place league finish even had we won our last two games, so we lost just a few million pounds with this tepid display.  Tenth place...the table doesn't lie.We're not very good.

Arsenal 2 - 0 Manchester City (FA Cup semifinal)

I knew we could beat City, but I was not confident we'd win.  They're just so good.  However, we have the talent to get at their back line and in truth City could have shipped another two goals.  For all their dominance, they had (I think) just one shot on target, beautifully saved by Martinez with the game in the balance.  We were lucky against Liverpool, but we thoroughly deserved this win.

Every Gunner was magnificent.  It certainly looks as though the players are buying into Arteta's project.  The Brighton collapse, our failure at Tottenham, and the Nketieh red card (not a red for me) has made the Cup our last shot at Europe.  It will not be easy.  We aren't going to sneak up on anyone now.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Liverpool

Had we played decently last game and got the three points, or even one point, this great result would have been significant for our season.  I suppose it still could be if we get a lot of help, but odds are that it will be remembered very fondly by Reiss Nelson but will not linger long in anyone else's mind.  I do like that it will get across to the players better than any talk from Mikel that they can't ever give up, that anything can happen, and they can win if they do their jobs.  We looked dead and buried after the 'Pool goal, but this time it was our opposition's turn to self-destruct.

Anyway, we're still in the Cup, and it seems clear that Arteta's focus has shifted to that competition.  We can beat City on our day.  One step at a time.

Rob Holding finally started.  If only he'd been in the side the last couple games!

If Bernd Leno gets any more time this season, I'll be surprised.  It's pretty crazy how many excellent keepers we've had in recent years.  They had to be.

Spuds 2 - 1 Arsenal

Too many mistakes, starting with Arteta playing Kolasinac instead of Holding.  It could have been 5-3 Tottenham if the good chances had been taken by both teams.  This finishes us for Europa League, I think, barring a Cup miracle, though they'll keep flailing until the curtain comes down.  The table does not lie; we're a mid-table underperformer that will probably languish there unless we shore up a dreadful central defense.  Martinez was excellent again.

The Run-In

Here's the territory around us with four games to go:



United in 5th (58) is out of reach, and Everton in 11th (45) is not going to challenge for Europe.  Here are the remaining games for each of these teams:

Arsenal:  Tottenham, Liverpool, Villa, Watford
Wolves:   Everton, Burnley, Palace, Chelsea
Sheffield:  Chelsea, Leicester, Everton, Southampton
Spuds:     Arsenal, Newcastle, Leicester, Palace
Burnley:  Liverpool, Wolves, Norwich, Brighton

No one has it easy.  Our last two games may be against teams fighting relegation.  If we're fortunate, by the time we play them their fates will be determined and it may cost them an edge, but you never know, as Tottenham found out a few seasons ago against Newcastle on the last day of the season--the last St Totteringham's Day on record.  Obviously, our next game is crucial; losing at Spuds could all but extinguish our hopes for Europa League qualification.  Anything we can get from Liverpool will be precious.  Then it's a matter of not slipping on a banana peel in the last two games.  Ten points should be enough, maybe nine or even seven if we're lucky.  With three of the teams at a goal difference of exactly eight, running up the score is imperative if we get the opportunity.

Arsenal also has it in their hands to qualify by winning the FA Cup, of course; and if we don't, I think that means that 7th place in the table will qualify for EL qualifying rounds.  I am assuming City will once again be let off and allowed to play in Europe, otherwise maybe 8th place will do.  But we'll be aiming to maximize points and finish in 6th--just in case we can't dispose of City and Man U/Chelsea to win the Cup.

Arsenal 1 - 1 Leicester

First, credit both keepers for making some excellent saves.  Martinez also came outside his area to clear dangerous outlet passes at least twice too.  The result, I think, was unlucky for us.  Nketiah's infraction was borderline red.  He didn't leave in the boot and the player he fouled wasn't hurt.  But those are often given, so I can't complain too much.  Disallowing the Vardy goal would have been harsh.  I thought Perez slowed the ball's progress slightly with a grazing touch, but it wasn't obvious and apparently the VAR authorities weren't interested in that anyway, or so they say.  Before the game, I hoped for a win but I was not terribly confident about it.  A point doesn't do us much good, but maybe we can win three of the last four and that will suffice.

I was really happy with how we played.  The pace was fast, and there were misplaced passes from both sides.  Players were hitting the ground, Mustafi got kicked in the head and slammed to the turf, there were a lot of fouls (but few cards), and no one was moaning.  It's a damned shame we had to play short for 24 minutes, but the Foxes were getting chances when we had 11 out there in the second half, so I'm not sure we'd have done better had Eddie stayed on.  Kolasinac was decent but he really doesn't know what to do with the ball when he has it.  I liked Xhaka's play a lot.  It's funny how Saka seems to play better on the left.  Tierney once again was excellent.

No complaints, just a few regrets.  On to the NLD!

Wolves 0 - 2 Arsenal

This was a real test.  Two superbly taken chances won the points for the Arsenal.  Saka's was prettier, a lovely sweeping high volley just inside the near post, but I enjoyed Lacazette's even more.  The first touch was perfect, and the rocket off the inside of the far post unstoppable even though the keeper was in position.  The Gunners made Molineux look like a comfortable place to go, and deserved the three points from this hard-fought contest.

Four wins in a row definitely has improved my mood.  I really don't see us overhauling United or Chelsea, but it's not impossible.  What I really want is a European place, and Europa League will do if the ECL is out of reach.  We need the games for our young players and squad players.

Five games to go, including a high stakes North London derby:  Leicester, Spuds, Liverpool, Villa, and Watford.  Two teams at the top, two fighting for their PL lives, and rival Tottenham.  I think we'll be up for it.  The three at the back system we've been having success with does seem to have made us harder to break down with balls into the box.  Our GK has looked commanding on high crosses too.  Tierney and Soares are dangerous on attack and are proper fullbacks too.  (Hector is taking a while to regain his pre-ACL form.)

Midfield is still a worry but the back three gives the fullbacks more license to help the engine room.  I hope Torreira is close to 100% because we sure could use him.  If we can keep Auba, we have plenty of attacking firepower, though we never did fill that Giroud-shaped hole up front.

Please, boys, don't burst my bubble!  Sixth place should do it, maybe seventh, depending on a lot of things with the ruling on City and the FA Cup results.  Heck, why not just win that?

Arsenal 4 - 0 Norwich

Sure, we got two absolute gifts, easily converted by our top scorer, but pressure forces mistakes.  It wasn't total domination by any means, but the Canaries took Man United to OT in the Cup game a few days before.  Goals for Xhaka and Soares (on his debut!) were most welcome too.  We were due an easy win.  Martinez was sharp when he had to be.  The Arteta project is one I hope we follow through on.  Ozil and Guendouzi are being shown that they are not needed in their current frame of mind.  I'll miss the Frenchman, but am sick of the German.  How can he want his career peak to end like this?  Arteta is showing faith in the players, young and old, who are committed to his vision for the team and show it every day in training.  They are responding, too.

On to the Semis: Sheffield United 1 - 2 Arsenal

It was an ugly game, with injuries, niggling fouls, haphazard officiating, and other assorted annoyances.  But in the end, a tough opponent was seen off and we're going to Wembley again.  The bad news is that we'll face City, who thrashed us at the Etihad not long ago.  Maybe they'll be overconfident, or de Bruyne will miss the team bus.

Credit Mikel for realizing he had to use three center backs to counter the aerial threat.  It wasn't hugely convincing, but it was just good enough.  (Mustafi, Kolasinac, and Luiz may not have been the three I trust most, but they managed not to concede a PK.)  I'm getting very peeved at the way opponents foul to stop our counterattacks but the refs don't always pull out a card.  These days, the counter is our best shot at scoring.  Our passing is ponderous and frequently mistimed or off-target, so buildups generally go nowhere.  That's worrisome, because we have some real talent out there and we ought to be able to find more space for Pepe's shots or Saka's runs.  

I still believe in Arteta's ideas, and eagerly await his molding of our young midfielders into slicker passers and better defenders.  We're not winning the league any time soon unless Stan has a dramatic change of heart in Arsenal's favor, but better days are coming if we keep the faith.

Southampton 0 - 2 Arsenal

I didn't get a chance to see this one, but it was great to beat the Saints and get back to winning ways.  Willock needed that goal, and hats off to Eddie for working hard to pressure their keeper into a dreadful error. 

Unmitigated Disaster: Brighton 2 - 1 Arsenal

It takes just a few minutes of good offensive play to beat Arsenal these days, and that's all the Seagulls needed today.  After Pepe's goal, I was screaming for Arteta to replace Lacazette with a midfielder, but he didn't and we paid the price.  I have no idea what those substitutions were supposed to accomplish.

Leno's looked like season ending injury.  Another nail in our coffin.

A Day to Forget: MC 3 - 0 ARS and JUV 0 - 0 NAP* (2-4)

Don't blame it all on David Luiz.  We were second best all game.  Tierney kept allowing their forward to get open inside him in the penalty area.  All of our center halfs were shaky.  Only Bernd Leno can be proud of his performance; had he not been in top form, it could have been 6-0.  I liked the way our youngsters kept at it.  Eddie was a real handful.  Joe Willock was fairly anonymous, but Saka and Guendouzi were lively.  Xhaka, Mari, and Mustafi going down injured was a blow; for City, Garcia's horrific injury will be a downer despite the scoreline.  Dreadful stuff all around; even the weather was filthy.

Arteta will have a lot to discuss with his men and little time to do it.  I don't know who's left at CB; Rob, Calum, and Sokratis?  Do we even have Mavropanos healthy?  We could still have a very successful run-in.  Arteta will not let anyone give up.  And if Luiz gets another minute, I'll be surprised.

A poor game was followed by the usual PK nonsense in the Copa Italia final in Rome.  The only bright spot was that this game played 80% concurrently with Arsenal's, so I saw a lot less than half of it, and I allowed myself to be distracted from the mess in the Etihad for a while by the mess in the Stadio Olimpico.  I would have hated to waste another hour + on these flaming bags of poo.

Perspective?

I'm finding that I don't miss Arsenal, and football, as much as I thought I would.  I hope a few billion humans are coming to the same conclusion.  The economic fallout from this crisis is going to scramble expectations.  The biggest clubs will probably be fine, including Arsenal.  Stadiums may prove not to have been the best investment, though, so Spurs may be regretting their magnificent new edifice and the debt that came with it.  Some clubs weren't far from bankruptcy as it is, and this will push them over the edge.  Players are going to have to take pay cuts.  Our men went first in the EPL, accepting a 12.5% cut, but that is going to be just the start.

Sports in general are a communal experience, both playing and (for most people) spectating.  We've all seen high profile games that were televised before empty stadia.  It's not the same.  There is nothing wrong with a big decline in interest in big time football.  It may even be healthy.  I'll be following Arsenal when things start up again.  I'm even watching recorded games on occasion now.  But I hope I can maintain some more emotional distance.

I got through a messy divorce from the Baltimore Orioles a couple decades ago.  We were happy together from the 1960s through the 1980s, But Peter Angelos came between us, and after a disappointing decade I called it quits and barely even follow them in the paper anymore.  I never watch them try to play.  I'm not saying that Stan Kroenke is as bad as Angelos--yet--but I know there is life after I fall out of love with a club, so I realize I don't actually need Arsenal.  That's liberating.

The Wrong Headline

The Guardian has a story about Arsenal players violating contact guidelines, and several paragraphs down, it says:

Several players have been caught flouting the government guidelines since the UK introduced a lockdown to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
Jack Grealish was found to have attended a house party, Kyle Walker hosted a party of his own with two sex workers and Mason Mount was spotted playing five-a-side with Declan Rice.

Walker was definitely not social distancing.  

Crashing Out of Europe

I thought it was a long shot to hope for winning the Europa League.  There are too many good teams in it.  Arsenal showed it just isn't strong enough to beat them and that's reality.  Arteta has to take some of the blame.  He must have worked on set piece defense, but what he said apparently did not sink in.  Those two goals were really soft.  Olympiakos players cruised in untouched and with no one to beat but the keeper.  Ridiculous.

The only positive I get from this is that Saka might get a few days off now and then.  We're in serious danger of running him into the ground.  Other than that, it's a disaster to be ejected so early from a cup competition.  At least it used to be the Champion's League we'd be dismissed from in the first knockout round.

Arsenal 3 - 2 Everton

The Toffees have been good guests in recent years, and we have no reason to complain (well Sead might) about them today.  Their goals both came off set pieces and some questions can be asked about how Kolasinac and Bellerin kept the scorers onside, but that's how it goes sometimes.  Our goals all came in the run of play and were gorgeous.  Saka's cross and Eddie's finish for the first were majestic--wow.  The through ball from Luiz, and the run and finish from Auba, for the second were equally sublime.  Auba's header from Pepe's excellent cross was both brave and expertly done.  There were several more chances for both sides, too.  It was a great show.

Saka must be feeling the wear and tear of being used so often.  In the second half, he gave the ball away several times.  Tierney is probably not going to be fit until April, and Kolasinac appears to be another long term absence; it's a worry.  Why not Maitland-Niles as backup?  I know he's a right footer, but he can play fullback.

Nketieh justified his selection, but I really expected Laca to start. 

Ceballos blows hot and cold.  This was a dropoff from his last EPL outing, but on balance he was fine.  Ozil was similarly in and out of the game.  Xhaka continued his run of excellent form.  The assist from Pepe was great; when he has time he can put in a perfect ball.  His decision making is a little off the pace most of the time, though; he can beat almost anyone on the dribble, but tends to keep the ball too long.  Auba had two really fine goals and helped on defense.  Bellerin is pretty solid now.  Our center halves did the business and we can have no big complaints about them.  Leno was once again superb.

Don't look now, but we're just four points off fifth, the final ECL spot this year now that City has been banned from Europe.  Just win, men!

Arsenal 4 - 0 Newcastle

It wasn't a perfect performance.  We allowed too many free kicks in dangerous areas and too many corners.  The Toons could have potted two goals.  The first half was laborious.  However, the second half showcased how Arteta is getting more out of this collection of talented players than we were getting before.  Pepe with a goal and an assist!  Ozil scores!  Auba rolls on!  Laca with a goal and an assist in just a few minutes!  A CLEAN SHEET!  This is the sort of game that builds confidence.  And now we're in positive goal difference territory.

With Hector back and Saka playing left back, we are a terror on the wings.  I can't wait until Tierney or Kolasinac works into playing shape, so Saka gets a rest now and then.  Maitland-Niles must be on the outs with Arteta not to get any time on the field lately; he was a very good deputy for Bellerin.  With Soares coming in and our crowded midfield lineup, he has to be thinking about an exit strategy.

I kept waiting for a Mustafi Moment, but he was solid again.  David Luiz sent several long balls into touch, but I think it was part of the strategy to get their fullbacks worried about the long throughball so the middle third was more open, and it seemed to work fine.  This is the sort of game Ozil can take over, and he played his part.  Ceballos was quite good.  Xhaka did well too, but he is going to get a second yellow one game soon. 

The front line scoring goals--lovely.

This was one we expected to win, and to be fair we made hard work of it in the first half, but the pressure told and we opened them up frequently all second half, albeit allowing them two or three prime chances too.  Being Newcastle at the Emirates, they spurned them.

Olympiakos.  Again.  Let's progress, men!

I think we have our Arsenal back.

Chelsea 2 - 2 Arsenal

Weird, weird game.  Arteta has to be thrilled with this lesson in endeavor and optimism.  I actually switched the channel after the PK out of disgust (Mustafi!  Arrgh!), but of course I switched back a minute later.  I wanted to see how we reacted, though I was positive this was not a deficit we were going to come back from.  Buoyed by the way our ten men were playing, I kept watching, growing prouder of them by the minute.  We didn't look good on corners, we allowed too many shots, but the ball was kept out of the net the rest of the first half and for a long time in the second. 

The Martinelli run and strike were magnificent.  He had Laca on his right but he wanted to take it on and he came through.  He's a teenager with enormous confidence and heart.  I figured the Chavs would get another goal, probably off a corner, and we'd lose.  Well, you know how wrong I was on the second part of that prediction.  It was shades of that spanking we gave Liverpool years ago as Bellerin lashed a left-footed shot into the far side of goal.  We held on and got a point that was much more than that in terms of forging a team spirit and faith in their manager.

Yes, Chelsea could have had four or five goals on the night, but they didn't.  We took two shots all game and they both went in.  Under the circumstances, it's hard to argue we didn't deserve that point.

I'm sure Shkodran Mustafi is a nice guy.  He obviously likes the club; he has been invited to leave it numerous times but hangs on.  But come on--that horrible back pass was just one of the unforced errors he made in this game.  He keeps trying to find that killer throughball but he never does, and in the process turns it over cheaply several times a game.  Remember that Mustafi was at fault for Chelsea's winning goal in the Emirates game.  He costs us points quite frequently with poor play.  Can't we move this guy on?  Luiz probably should have avoided the foul; at least we'd have had 11 on the field.  But I don't really fault him for his play there.  Leno might have come out quicker but I suspect he'd have been beaten to the ball anyway and it would have been his red card (albeit outside the box) or a goal anyway.  Our GK played well and made a few decent saves.

OK, the honor roll:
Xhaka was excellent, both in midfield and as a makeshift center back.
Torreira kept them from setting up clean shots up the middle, and kept possession several times under duress.
Bellerin was quite good, corralling Willian and of course for the goal.
Saka put in another fantastic performance, at least after the first ten minutes or so when Hudson-Odoi turned him inside out a few times.  He got solid on defense and he was a real threat.
Martinelli did the business yet again.  He's clearly a real prospect and has already proven indispensable on our first team.
Pepe was pretty good, I thought. The way he takes defenders on is awesome, and he's going to start connecting with the other frontmen soon to bang in more goals and rack up assists.  It was important that he kept Azpilacueta et al occupied.
Lacazette did his job and then some.  I love the guy.  The goals will come.

Ozil was the underperformer.  He just wasn't on.  He's trying, but he's not sufficiently switched on.  At 11v11, he didn't show up, and it took the steam out of the attack.

Well, I'm rather tired of character-building draws, and I know Mikel is too.  Burnley for the FA Cup tie, then we get Auba back and some winnable games in the league.  Nine points would make our prospects look a lot sunnier.

A Couple of Draws

I didn't write about the Palace game, and was tempted not to write about the Sheffield game just played, because 1-1 was so disappointing when we'd played so well.  But I honestly feel as though we're getting our Arsenal back, bit by bit.  We'd dug a hole for ourselves that we're most unlikely to emerge from this season, Europe-wise, but we're a more solid team with a real identity now.  I love the way the team supports each other, and the hustle is evident everywhere on the pitch. 

It was a fair result today, no complaints about being robbed.  The visitors had the better first half yet we scored late, and it was the reverse after the break.  There were some letoffs for both sides, and both goals resulted partly from deflections.  Mikel should be proud of the effort he saw.

I'm most excited about our future.  Some of our stars are still in their peak years, but the best news is how many Gunners are teenagers and in their early 20s.  Here's a solid foundation for you, with one gaping hole we'll cover later:

Leno is 27, quite young for a top GK
Hector is 24, Kieran 22, Rob's 24, Calum just under 25, Saliba 20, Sead's 26 and Ainsley 22
Lucas is just under 24, Joe and Matteo are 20, Granit 27, Smith-Rowe 19
Nicolas is 24, Reiss 20, Eddie 20, Martinelli 18, Saka 18

Okay, I know Saliba may not make in the EPL, and Holding and Chambers are no one's idea of top-class central defenders, though I think they're good.  That's our main issue, and I think it can be addressed in the summer.

I want to see more progress this season, of course.  But I'm really confident that next season Arsenal will be top four contenders again--I'll think we'll make it, too.

Arsenal 2 - 0 Manchester United

Now that's more like it.  Man U was decidedly subpar on the evening, but the Gunners played with style and effort and deserved the win.  We had more chances and better ones.  The defending was finally at the proper level of organization and desire.  There was a lot to like about what Arsenal did in the Chelsea game, but this was much better, and the result shows it.  It's early days in the Arteta era, but it looks as though he's already making the players and the team better.  It's not just attitude, although that has improved.  They're making better decisions individually, running more, and contributing on defense.  As a team, they're coordinating better, covering for each other quickly, and playing according to a plan they all appear to understand and buy into.

The question now is how we adapt to the injury crisis, especially in defense.  AMN has been extremely important and is getting better all the time.  I don't know when Bellerin's getting back, but at this point he'll have a difficult time supplanting the Englishman.  Tierney's months away from full training.  Chambers appears to be out for the season, and maybe for part of the next.  Kolasinac played hurt today.  Saka is an intriguing fill-in; he's learning to defend like a fullback and still retains the ability to torch the opponents with his speed and dribbling when he gets forward.  Maybe I'm imagining it, but Luiz and Sokratis seem to be playing a lot better under Arteta.  Mustafi might improve too; I sure hope so.  Holding has to be close to featuring again.  But we're on very thin ice defensively and another serious injury would put us in a spot.

As we might have expected, it's in midfield that we see Mikel working his most impressive magic.  Ozil is 100% better.  Torreira is happy in his natural position.  Xhaka benefits from the better organization and discipline Arteta has inspired.  Guendouzi can focus better now that he's working in a system that makes sense.  Willock can come in and do the job when called upon, and perhaps Smith-Rowe can get into the rotation. 

The forwards/wingers take seriously their charge to be the front line of defense now.  They know that helping to win the ball back means more frequent scoring opportunities.

We're improving at a good time, with the cup competitions restarting and our position in the table poor but not hopelessly out of contention for Europe (Europa League anyway).  But like always, it's one game at a time.

I admit to rooting for a Liverpool loss soon so they won't be invincibles too.