ARS 3 - 1 WHU and BHA 2 - 4 ARS

 It's been a productive couple of matches for the Gunners, picking up six points while some of our close competitors dropped two points.  (Spuds dropped five!)  West Ham offered very little resistance, getting a pen from a breakaway but otherwise getting pulled around until we popped three past our former GK Fabianski in the second half.  Brighton was more dangerous, fighting all the way to the end, scoring twice and having a goal disallowed for a ridiculous offside.  Unfortunately for them, they did not defend as well as they attacked and Arteta's men scored four very nice goals.  Nketieh got the eventual winner, poaching as he does so well.  Our wingers were fabulous, each scoring, and MOTM Odegaard got one too.  Tomiyasu and Tierney both got minutes and seem fine.  I am very happy.

Fulham 3 CP 0

 Two red cards.  A lamentable performance.  A day to forget, if one is able to forget.    

What a Game! *Argentina 3 - 3 France (4-2)

 I like both these nations, so found it hard to root against anyone.  La Albiceleste was the better team on the night and deserved the win.  Emi Martinez is quite the shithouser.

France and Argentina

 Looks like fun.  All the Cinderellas are gone, but Croatia is not much of a Cinderella any longer.   Should  be a good consolation match on Saturday.  

England lost

 Nonetheless, I thought it was the most the most entertaining match of the Cup.  Both teams played well, many serious threats, fast action, and a lot of missed opportunities, made it an interesting match from start to finish.  I was sorry England lost, but I am a Francophile, so it didn't bother me all that much.  The only regret is that English fans will now continue to mourn that their lads don't know how to win.    

Brazil Dances Out of Cup

 I love it when arrogance gets a comeuppance.  Croatia played a great game and thoroughly deserved to get to spot kicks, where they are really really good.  In fact, they were perfect again today, not even needing a fifth after Brazil missed twice.  Neymar's goal was very good, the equalizer a bit fortuitous, but football often rewards hard work and discipline, which Croatia had in spades.

Europe (plus ARG and BRA) Still Dominant

 Morocco has a chance to break the stranglehold tomorrow, but so far the Asian, CONCACAF, and African nations that made the round of 16 have all lost.  Seriously, those Japanese penalties were mostly awful.  The Croatian keeper was brilliant, but two of the PKs he saved were dreadful.  Too bad; the game itself was quite good.  I thought Croatia were the better team and although I wanted Japan to win I'm not complaining about the result.

Brazil crushed an overmatched Korean side.  I despise all the dancing, and I hope they trip up along the way.  If they do, they will not deal with it well.  Since the US is out and Italy didn't qualify, I'll be pulling for England.  I think they can take France.

NED 3 - 1 USA

 The Dutch goals were all way too easy.  One of their guys is invited to play a ball across to an unmarked runner who makes no mistake with the strike.  The Americans should have scored twice via Pulisic and Wright with only the keeper to beat, but they squandered those chances.  Our goal was a freak scoop over the keeper's head from Wright.  The Oranje looked happy to defend for the most part, and I thought they looked comfortable even when we got some decent chances.

The USMNT gave a good account of themselves in this World Cup.  They were the lone CONCACAF representative in the round of 16.  They will know they could have done better in this game, but will have to admit that the better side won.

Drama Kings

 The group stage format sets up a lot of possible outcomes, and it frequently comes down to the third and final game to decide the teams going into the knockout round.  Today was no exception, and it was South Korea who delivered the major shock, beating Portugal to pip Uruguay to the prize on total goals scored, the third tiebreaker.  I'm always happy to see Luis Suarez miserable, as his superb attacking play was for naught in defeating Thomas Partey's Ghana.  The second set of games had a lot of Arsenal interest, and Xhaka's Switzerland put a feisty Serbia to the sword 3-2 in a match that featured eleven yellow cards and a lot of fouling and shithousery.  Cameroon's win over a much-changed Brazil meant nothing in the standings.  Our Gabriels, Martinelli and Jesus, played for Brazil; Jesus got injured (knee) and Martinelli looked really good.

How About That Japan?

 Wowsers.  Japan beat Spain today, after having beaten Germany on Day One, and die Mannschaft is out of the tournament.  Earlier, Belgium was bounced after being held to a draw against a dangerous Croatia, which never looked as though it gave up on scoring despite enduring a late barrage from the Red Devils.  It was compelling viewing.  

Iran 0 - 1 USA

 A fair result, I think.  Iran gave us a scare, but once again our midfield proved too strong for the opponents.  We face the Netherlands in the round of 16, and I like our chances.  They'll be favored, by virtue of their talent and experience, but they will likely be the group winner least fearsome.  Turner has barely been tested, but I think he'll be fine.  Our big problem is that in three games we scored just two goals, and we are very unlikely to win any games 1-0 going forward.

That Tournament in Qatar

 Everything about this World Cup is an abomination and an outrage, except the actual football, which has been watchable.  Randomly:

The US allowed Wales a draw when a quick throw-in very late got the ball to Bale, and Walker Zimmerman chose to knock him down in the penalty area.  Stupid.  We drew with England today, and a win over Iran would see us through to the knockout round.  It won't be easy; a draw would do Iran very nicely and they will play for it.  The US is not a free-scoring team and will have to commit numbers forward, meaning the counter will be on.

It's a decent event for Arsenal players.  Turner was excellent in the US goal, Saka scored twice against Iran, Xhaka's Switzerland won.

The Dutch don't look so great.

Qatar is already knocked out, having lost its first two games.  They did score today.

Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina, and Japan upset Germany, scoring twice (after Tomiyasu came in) to turn it around.

WOL 0 - 2 ARS: Merry Christmas!

 Wolves defended doggedly (ha) and had a couple dangerous counters.  They were pretty good.  But it always looked as though we'd find a way through and it came early in the second half, via slick work from Jesus, who backheeled to Vieira (who came on for Xhaka when he went down ill) running towards the endline, and he dinked it across the goalmouth where Odegaard took it off Saka's toes.  Nice football.  The second came after Martinelli (who had a great second half) stole the ball in their corner, carried it across towards the goal, then backheeled to Zinchenko, who closed and zipped a low cross into the six yard box, blocked out to Martinelli, whose snap shot was saved by Jose Sa, that rebound coming stright to Odegaard twelve yards in front of goal, who had time to take one fine tounc and then curl inside the left post with his favored left foot.  This one was even better.  Martineli had lost the ball to that defender he chased into the corner and won it back from, by himself.  We had a lot of guys in their penalty area.  We kept looking for the second goal and it came.  Wolves did not look all that bad to me.  Maybe the new guy can get them back on track.  A slight improvement, in my opinion, would see them pass a few other clubs by March and they might have a comfortable May.

Top of the table.  There's been a lot of mention on the TV commentary about Arsenal's phenomenal start and how everyone in this position previously won the league.  I'm not buying it.  It will be tough.  We will lose more League games.  We play City twice.  But it's a good year to be a Gunner.

Brentford 2 Manchester City 1

 and now Arsenal is still two points up with a game in hand.  The league seems better balanced this year, from top to bottom, than it has been in many years.  

ARS 1 - 3 BHA: Out of the League Cup

 Well, damn.  Arteta made ten changes from the team that beat Chelsea, and it showed.  We started well enough, with Eddie Nketieh scoring a very nice goal (according to the commentators), but our keeper slipped and then fouled Danny Welbeck in the area and he scored the penalty.  In the second half, they got two impressive goals on counters and weathered the pressure our guys brought to bear.  Arteta did not seem much put out by the result, and in truth this competition has never been one that Arsenal has taken seriously.  But losing any game damages confidence.  Spuds also lost, to Forest.  I guess we didn't need more fixtures, but I would have been happier had we won this.

ARS 1 - 0 ZUR and CHE 0 - 1 ARS

 We did not look great at home against Zurich, but managed to make Tierney's excellent goal stand up and won the group.  It was a relief to know we won't have that extra knockout round to negotiate.  

What a wonderful performance against Chelsea at the Bridge!  The Gunners were dominant and the three points were richly deserved.  We're still top of the table, barely ahead of Man City.  Newcastle is now 3rd (tip of the hat to goal scorer Joe Willock), Spuds, Chelsea, and Man U all having lost.  It's early days yet so there's no point looking at the table and drawing any conclusions.  Every team is just a couple injuries away from a slump.

I congratulate my co-author on Palace's well-earned three points away at West Ham.  The winner came in the last minute of stoppage time.  Palace is now in the top half and will be far above the relegation zone the rest of the way.  I'm backing Vieira to keep them humming even if Zaha leaves after this year.  They have several good players (Eze, Olise, Edouard) who can score.

ARS 5 - 0 NF: An Emphatic Answer to the Doubters

 I admit that I was one of those doubters in gloomy moments.  It was just Forest, who have been pretty bad this year, but for once we took apart a low block and poured in the goals.  It could have been worse for the visitors too.  Artetaball features our "holding" midfielders (usually Xhaka) playing far upfield on a regular basis, and defenses get overloaded.  Forest was shellshocked and must be wondering now how they ever managed to blank Liverpool.

There was so much to like yesterday.  Reiss Nelson's renaissance was the best present Mikel could have gotten, because Saka can't play every minute of the season, and Nelson is his natural replacement.  Nelson was supposedly the next big thing from our academy until Saka burst onto the scene.  Injuries slowed his progress, but he had a very good loan spell at Feyenoord and he was shopped around for a good transfer fee.  Then another injury in the summer scared off suitors, so we kept him here.  That may have been a stroke of luck.  He's earned another run-out or five and if he plays as well as we know he can he'll be a huge asset this season that no one was really counting on.  Credit to Arteta for putting him in after Saka was kicked in the ankle repeatedly and had to come out.

Partey's belter, a carbon copy of the one he scored against Tottenham, was delicious.  Martinelli had another great game, and his opening goal header was spectacular.  Odegaard even got on the scoresheet.  The odd mistake at the back did not hurt us.  Believe it or not, this was our first League clean sheet at home, though all six were wins.

Fingers crossed that Saka recovers.  Arsenal and England will be relying on him.  I don't know how serious Turner's groin injury is, but the USMNT has to be concerned.  He's a commanding presence in the penalty area and not a bad shot stopper either.

Notts County won on Saturday and are three points clear of Wrexham at the top of the National League.  Only two of its 24 teams are promoted to League 2, and only the winner earns automatic promotion (the other has to negotiate a six team playoff).  Every point is precious.

PSV 2 - 0 ARS: From Bad to Worse

 The Gunners were outplayed by a wide margin today in the Netherlands.  PSV had three goals chalked off for offside, so it could have been even worse.  Now we have to win next week to make sure we top the group.  The good news is we're playing Zurich, who we beat at their place, while PSV has to go to the Arctic to play Bodo/Glimt.  If PSV wins, we have to win, and then we're top.  If they don't win, we're top.  Zurich did beat Bodo today, but we should manage to best them.  Bodo and Zurich both have a shot at continuing their European adventure in the Europa Conference League if they finish third, so they'll be playing for something too.

Our drop in form has reached alarming proportions.  We should have lost at Leeds but managed a 1-0 win.  We outplayed PSV at home but got just the one goal, meaning they have the tiebreaker now.  We drew at Southampton.  And today we got smacked around in humiliating fashion.  In three days, we face Nottingham Forest, who despite their lowly position in the league (in the relegation zone) defeated Liverpool last weekend.  We've gone from champagne football to Boone's Farm Apple Wine in just a few weeks.  A turnaround is required, and I'm not sure Arteta can engineer it.

ARS 1-0 PSV and SOU 1-1 ARS

 The win on Thursday was welcome, because it almost guarantees that we'll finish top of the group and avoid a round against a team dropping down from the Champions League.  The draw at Southampton yesterday was a letdown. It was a golden opportunity to put some distance between us and the Spuds, but instead City is just two points back now.  Our lack of goals is worrying.  Jesus has been a little off since the elbow from Tsimikas in the Liverpool game.  We got no help from the officials yesterday, but we should have won anyway.  Well, on to the next challenge, PSV midweek.  I'd try to play for 0-0.

Everton 3 Crystal Palace 0

 A real stinker.  

Everton scored early, and it was 1-0 at half.  Still a decent game.  

The second half, it all went to pieces.  The hostility between the two teams broke out into a near brawl once or twice.  Everton still wanted to play football, in spite of the animosity, but  Crystal Palace seemed to have lost all interest in anything other than fighting, and allowed Everton a couple of easy breakaway goals.  The score could have been worse.

A game both sides would like to forget, but Everton not so much. 

Lyon Feminin 1 - 5 Arsenal Women: Nobody Saw This Coming

 In last year's Champions' League group play, Arsenal was creamed by Barcelona in two games.  This first group game saw Arsenal defeat the reigning champions 5-1.  They scored some lovely goals, a couple of which came off bad turnovers.  Lyon has dominated women's club soccer for more than five years, so this was a statement win.

Leeds 0 - 1 Arsenal: Three Points Not Earned But Very Welcome

 We sure had a stinker at Leeds, but a combination of awful finishing from Leeds, gritty defending from Arsenal, a superb strike from Saka, and VAR meant we're four points clear at the top.  I checked the expected goals numbers from this game, and ours was less than one while Leeds was over two.  This result was surpassed in "unfairness" only by Chelsea's win over Palace that weekend.  I do not mind this at all.  It's better to absorb lessons from poor performances in a win than in a loss.  We know we can have a bad collective game and still win.

Both our center backs had solid performances but made terrible errors that could easily have cost us the game.  But Aaron Ramsdale bailed us out, going the right way on Bamford's PK and forcing him to put it wide, and also saving one from Bamford with his nuts.  Our midfield could not cope with the Leeds press, and I'm sure there will be a lot of work done on the training ground on that, when we get the time.

BG 0 - 1 ARS

 Bodo/Glimt had won their last 14 European home games, using their rabid supporters and plastic pitch to good effect.  They demolished Roma 6-1 last year.  So it was with relief that the Gunners walked away from the Arctic with three points.  The game was drab, and indeed most of the better chances were carved out by the home side.  But it was Saka who scored the game's only goal on a lovely give-and-go with Lokonga.  A defender made the block, but straight into Saka's chest, and it rebounded in.  The performances were not great, even from our regular starters, but Bodo/Glimt has a way of making opponents look bad in their place.

Now Arsenal has a two point lead over PSV Eindhoven.  If we can beat group doormat Zurich at the Emirates, we can clinch top spot by winning either of our two games against the Dutch side--and they still have to go to the Arctic for a tricky game on the last day.  It's important to finish top because the second place team has a knockout round against a Champions' League third place team, and we don't need those extra fixtures.

Another Look at the Liverpool Game

 Arseblog's excellent "By the Numbers" column, written by Scott Willis, shines a light on the performances of the two teams on Sunday.  I admit that I thought the balance of play was more even than it turns out that it was.  Liverpool's expected goal metric was under one, ours was just under three.  Field tilt was in our favor despite the Reds having more of the ball (a possession advantage is expected when a team is behind most of a game).  We held 'pool to their lowest shot attempts in a game since last October (against Man City).  While I still acknowledge that we had a bit of good fortune (for a change) in refereeing (non)decisions, it's clear that we outplayed Liverpool and deserved the W.

Willis highlights the devastating play of Gabi Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.  Our two 21 year old wide attackers have been excellent for quite a while.  Remember that last year's second highest scorer, Emile Smith Rowe, had surgery and has not played.  If he can return and get match fit in a few months, it will give Martinelli a chance to take a game off now and then.  Both wingers have electric pace, can finish, and can pick out a pass.  With Jesus terrorizing the center backs and Odegaard pulling the strings, and Xhaka playing high up the pitch, it's no wonder we're scoring goals at a high rate.  Thomas Partey has even gotten into the act.  It's only a matter of time before the fullbacks contribute a goal here and there.  We're also scoring off set pieces.  

Arsenal does have weaknesses.  There's the occasional lapse at the back, partly the result of playing such a high line.  We've given some goals that didn't have to happen.  But I love it when a manager decides he's going to outscore the opponents and commits to attack.  We're winning and we're a blast to watch.

Elsewhere in the league, the teams that were expected to win actually did win.  Spuds, City, United, and Chelsea kept pace with us; I should include Newcastle in that crew now, I guess.  It's way too early to make predictions about Champions' league or relegation battles.  But I think we're in for a super season.  It's too bad that stupid World Cup has to interrupt it.

ARS 3 - 2 LIV: What a Game!

 This contest had everything:  controversies, spikiness, injuries, and best of all, lots and lots of champagne football from both teams.  All the goals were beautiful.  Every player gave everything.  Arsenal scored in the first minute, Martinelli slipping past his marker to receive a perfect entry pass from Odegaard on a break, and finishing expertly past fellow Brazilian Alisson.  The Reds equalized on another break, with Diaz setting up Nunez with a fantastic cross.  Then, 15 seconds before the 5 minute extra time ended, Martinelli assisted Saka at the end of another lightning break for 2-1.  Controversies include a handball by Gabriel that was not given, and a hand to the face of Saka that was not carded.

The five minutes was for several injury stoppages.  Ramsdale, Alexander-Arnold, Saka, and Diaz were among those who took their time recovering from hard accidental knocks.  Unfortunately, Diaz had to come off after a knee-to-knee with Partey.  Alexander-Arnold had to come off at the half--he was being roasted by Martinelli anyway.

We were on top in the second half, but on Liverpool's first attack, Firmino (in for Diaz) finished expertly into the far corner of Ramsdale's goal.  2-2.  It was mostly Arsenal after that, but the game was open and both sides had their moments.  Jesus, who was battered on several occasions, most notably with a nasty elbow from Tsimikas that left him on the ground for minutes and even had the Liverpool players concerned, was kicked in the area as he was about to turn in a cross:  PK.  Saka dispatched it in fine style.  Liverpool threatened several times after that, but so did Arsenal, and we saw the game out without too much worry.  

It was a fair result, and one that will be especially bitter for the Reds, who may have lost two more important players.  It was good to see the players talking in friendly fashion afterwards (especially the Brazilians, of which there were five on the field), because it got rather heated during the game, with lots of pushing and shoving, hard words, and harder tackles.

Next up is a trip to the Arctic Circle for the return match with Bodo/Glimt in Europa League.

PS  Alex Iwobi just scored for Everton.  I like that guy.

ARS 3 - 0 BG (Europa League)

 As expected, Bodo/Glimt were defeated at the Emirates rather handily.  Arteta started only three of the players who took the field to face Tottenham four days ago, but they combined well enough to make this a comfortable match.  It may be tougher when we go to the Arctic Circle next week.  It can't be helped; the squad needs to be rotated if we're not going to run players into the ground.

I am impressed with Fabio Vieira.  He's still got some things he can improve on, but he's learning fast and has loads of talent.  Matt Turner is a very good shot stopper and can command his area, but with the ball at his feet he's a liability.  I love the quality and depth that Tomiyasu brings to the defense.  He can play fullback or center back and he's pretty good.  It was great to see Rob Holding get another goal.  Tierney had a successful outing.  

Liverpool will come to the Emirates on Sunday.  I think we'll need to score at least three to get the W.  I'm reasonably confident, but then I thought we'd beat Man U too.

ARS 3 - 1 TOT

 I did not know how confident to be about this one.  The home team has a great record in NLDs, so I should have seen this coming.  We looked fantastic early, but then we looked great early in Manchester.  Partey's opener was a majestic blast.  The equalizer was annoying, mainly because it was Harry Kane who tucked away the PK by driving it at the spot Ramsdale vacated.  I should have realized that when Gabriel Magalhaes screws up, as he did when he fouled Richarlison in the box, Arsenal always comes back to bail him out.  And so it happened.  Lloris's goalkeeping howler was pounced on by Jesus to put us up again, then Royale made a nasty ankle-stamp on a retreating Martinelli and earned a straight red, which was perhaps a bit harsh, but only a bit.  He made no attempt to win the ball and was in control of himself, and left in the studs.  Xhaka finished a period of strong Gunners pressure by sealing the win with a third goal.  Both sides threw on the subs to prepare for their midweek European games, and little happened after that.

This was one we needed.  We'd lost to the other Big Six club we've faced.  We have Liverpool up next.  (That should be a cracker.)  To have any chance of competing for the league championship, we'll need to beat our close rivals at home.  Man City is very strong; Spuds and Man U are looking good; Chelsea will be there.  Only Liverpool seems vulnerable now, with a leaky defense, as they showed in a very entertaining 3-3 draw with surprising Brighton at Anfield.

Ajax Vrouwen 0 - 1 Arsenal Women (2-3 aggregate)

 Arsenal dominated in this second leg.  Ajax defended very well and made a few good attacking sequences, but Miedema's ruthless strike just inside the left post was enough to send us into the Champions' League group stage.  It would have been disappointing to miss this year's party.

USA 0 - 0 Saudi Arabia: World Cup Expectations Not High

 Maybe the USMNT will achieve World Cup glory one day, but I don't think Gregg Berhalter will be coaching it.  The quality of our players is higher than the quality of our play.  We're in a fairly easy group, but our last two friendlies show that we're unlikely to get out of it without massive improvement. Once again, Matt Turner showed he was a good shot-stopper but was capable of some near-disastrous distribution.  He'll get five or six games at Arsenal to become sharper.  I really did not like what I saw from the defense, and the offense was even less impressive.  SA did not look good either.  Awful all around.

Arsenal Women 4 - 0 Tottenham Women

 This was a comprehensive beat-down.  A couple of headers off corners (Miedema and Rafaelle), a rocket from Beth Mead, and a ruthless finish from Miedema after a bad giveaway (not in that order).  It could have been a lot worse for the Spudettes had there not been some timely blocks.  This was Arsenal's eighth clean sheet in a row in the WSL, a new record.  Let's hope they can take this winning form to the Netherlands for the second leg of their champions' league qualifier against Ajax.  We were off-color in a 2-2 draw in London.

Japan 2 - 0 USA

 This was a real stinker of a performance from the US.  Japan looked sharp and energetic without doing anything great, and that was enough to thoroughly outclass the poorly organized and decision-challenged Americans.  There wasn't enough movement without the ball and our guys looked as though they had no idea what they wanted to do with the ball.  We did not get a shot on target.  Had Matt Turner not made a couple excellent saves, it would have been worse.  He was probably our best performer today, but that is not saying much.  His distribution was pedestrian too.

Turner was not the only Arsenal man out there, of course.  Tomiyasu played very well at center back, shrugging off the occasional wan "attack," though he was not particularly busy.

Lazy passing and a lack of outlets made the Japanese press look more intimidating than it would have been against a team that had some idea what it was doing.  No one in white looked good today, but coach Berhalter was exposed as having failed to adequately prepare his players for the opposition, or indeed any opposition.  This was more a case of US incompetence than Japanese excellence.  They played well, and that was enough to dominate the US in every phase of the game.  Japan didn't even play their first choice eleven.

Pathetic.  It's three and out in the group stage unless Iran is worse than I think they are.  I can't see us beating anyone.  We may not even score.

BRE 0 - 3 ARS (and bonus coverage!)

 First, I want to acknowledge the assured performance from Marquinhos in our game in Switzerland against FC Zurich.  He scored once, beautifully, and assisted Nketieh on the other goal, returning the favor.  It was a nice start to the Europa League campaign and a promising beginning to Marquinhos's tenure with us.  Matt Turner looked a bit shaky in goal; but he's getting valuable experience with Arsenal.  In his own words:

“My game has come a long way since I began at Arsenal,” Turner told MLS Soccer.

“Just the speed and the intensity of everything, every single day. Mikel [Arteta] doesn’t accept anything except full-gas at training sessions, so you have to bring it every single day, or else you get found out pretty quickly out there on the pitch.

“For me, it’s the consistency that I have to bring every day in training, being ready for moments where I’m going to be able to get to play and overall just the speed, technical execution of things, making saves against world-class players every day in training, sometimes getting found out by world-class players in training. But all the while learning.”

Turner also revealed how much emphasis the boss places on maintaining a positive attitude when things aren’t going to plan.

“We were playing a small possession game and it was really, really tight.  I tried to make a pass and I gave the ball away. I sort of visually got frustrated and upset and he [Arteta] just came up to me and shoved me. He was basically like, ‘I don’t want to see that. I don’t like seeing that reaction. I want to see you pick yourself up and keep going.’

“I think that really set the tone for my mentality within the club and just to keep going no matter what. If you fail, that’s alright. What matters is how you react and not about the failure in itself. That was a really nice moment.”

Three superb finishes were the margin of victory against the top half Bees, who'd beaten Man U 4-0 earlier this season.  It was another dominant performance against a team we should be beating.  Two minutes were given to 15 year old Ethan Nwaneri at the end, making him the youngest player to come into an EPL game--ever.  He got a touch too.

Odegaard was not in the roster, so Fabio Vieira filled in, and was very good.  Partey controlled the middle of the park, and our center backs had Brentford's forwards in their back pockets.  In fact, Saliba scored the winning goal with a fabulous glancing header off a corner.  A great assist from Xhaka gave Jesus the opportunity to bury a well-taken header for 2-0, and early in the second half Vieira fired in off the right upright from about 26 yards.  It was a very comfortable win.  We needed that before the international break, what with all the postponements.

I was pleased to see that Alex Iwobi had another fine game for Everton, getting the assist on the winning goal.  I was sorry we sold him, but it was a good move all around as it turned out.  He's a regular starter for them (he played every minute of their season so far) and at 26, he should have a great career in front of him.

MUN 3 - 1 ARS

 I could complain about the VAR decision, but it's pointless.  Sooner or later these are going to start going our way.  I thought it was a great game, and Arsenal played very well.  A few defensive lapses were punished by excellent passing and finishing from a talented United squad.  Arteta likes to play one way--the Guardiola way.  Good counterattacking teams will enjoy playing against us when we're not as clinical as we need to be.  I wouldn't have played so expansively against United at Old Trafford, but the Gunners nearly pulled it off.  If we're pinging the ball around like that every game, we'll do well this year.  If we could get Thomas Partey back, we'd do even better.

I missed commenting on the Villa win.  It was another dominant performance and a deserved three points.

We had to lose sometime.  We're top of the table yet, by a point over Spuds and City.  Surprising Brighton and a resurgent Man U are just behind them.  There will be ups and downs.  We may have to give academy kids some playing time, and we have yet to use Marquinhos.  A challenging period looms, but that's what we want.  Beating up on the likes of Leicester and Bournemouth is easy enough; it's teams like United we'll have to pick up points from.

The amounts paid by Premier League clubs on transfers is astonishing.  Arsenal's net spend was £97M, which is a lot, but United spent more than twice that, as did a couple other clubs.  Arsenal was only 7th in the spending table.  

ARS 2 - 1 FUL -- Gabriel Gets Himself Out of Jail

 Phew!  The announcer said that on paper this game should have been an easy win for the Gunners.  I don't know where he got that from.  Fulham won the Championship last season and they were unbeaten through three Premier League games.  They played very well, I thought.  Arsenal had almost all of the ball, but could not break through in the first half.  The Cottagers were well organized and resolute.  Early in the second, Arsenal was on top, but a dreadful error at the back by Gabriel Margalhes (we also had Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus on the pitch) gave Mitrovic the chance to show he was quicker and stronger than Gabriel:  he stole the ball and slotted it past Ramsdale expertly.

I'd be lying if I said that I was confident that we'd turn that around in the next 35-40 minutes, but of course that's what happened.  Odegaard's shot took a heavy deflection off a Fulham defender that took it past Leno, but I am not going to complain.  Then, late on, Gabriel put it in from very close range after the ball dropped to him on a corner, and he had the privilege of turning tragedy into triumph in half an hour.  Not many people get that chance.

Both keepers had great games; some excellent saves were made.  The Fulham left back did a fantastic job on Saka.  Our attacking players all looked dangerous; Martinelli was particularly pesky.  The level of play from both teams was high.  But the story Arteta will tell his men is about how they bailed Gabriel out when it looked as though he gave the game away.  In All or Nothing, he said this exact thing after another Gabriel error that led to a goal was followed by an Arsenal comeback.  I haven't seen the post-match comments, but I'm sure that the words "resilience," "suffer," and "belief" will feature.

Still top of the table, for now anyway.

I thought we did well to beat Bournemouth 3-0, but Liverpool put nine into their net today.  Ugh.  I guess the Cherries are not going to be helped by goal difference in a relegation battle.  I'll let my co-author discuss what happened at the Etihad.  Man U must feel they're back on track.

Three Weeks In

 Arsenal is top of the table after three games.  Last season, we were bottom.  We finished fifth.  Three games is a very small slice of a season.  Arteta is telling his men about what they can do better, not praising them for what they've done.  The Palace game was a much closer affair than the score indicated; the late own-goal put a gloss on the scoreline that was not entirely earned.  Leicester was poor and we ran all over them at home; they were fortunate to get any goals.  Bournemouth simply did not compete.  There will be many games that will be more hotly contested.  

Nevertheless, I see reasons to be hopeful.  With a dreadfully thin squad last season, we nearly sneaked into the top four.  This year, we not only brought in excellent talent in the form of Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko, and William Saliba, but our first choice outside backs have recovered from injury, and new signing Fabio Vieira is close to full fitness.  Almost all our impact players from last year are still young and have another year of EPL experience.  The new guys have slotted into Arteta's system very well.  We are not two injuries away from trouble, and if a couple guys are out of form, there are willing replacements who can do the job.

Contrast this with Liverpool, whose coach wondered if there was a witch in the building causing all the injuries, or Man U, which is still (today's game notwithstanding) a dysfunctional mess, or Chelsea, which runs like an expensive car with sugar in the gas tank.  On the other hand, Newcastle looks scary good, Man City is still the team to beat, and Tottenham is even better than last season.  I think this is going to be a crazy season.  My hope is that Arsenal keeps getting stronger and can go toe to toe with the big boys while beating up on the lesser squads, as we used to do under Wenger.  But it won't be easy.

BOU 0-3 ARS

 Newly promoted Bournemouth was never in this game.  They exhibited some spirit and drive in the second half, but by then the game was gone and they knew it.  The Gunners were all over the Cherries from the start, and the result was decided after ten minutes, with Odegaard potting two goals after impressive work from the entire front line, especially Jesus.  William Saliba swept in a third in the second half, to the delight of the traveling fans.

Odd results elsewhere means Arsenal will be all alone at the top of the table after three games.  That will change after we start to play the other top teams, but it sure looks good now.

DC United 0 Phi 6

 What a disgrace of a game.  The DC midfielders and defense simply cannot advance the ball.  The strikers seldom get a touch.  Meanwhile, this leaves the defense under constant attack, tires them out, and leaves them vulnerable.  Benteke, hung up on visa issues, still has not joined the team, but what good will another forward do the team if he can never get his feet on the ball because the ball is always on the other end?   

CP 3 Aston Villa 1, and CP seems solid enough to hope for a mid-table year.  Arsenal with nine points in the first three matches, one of their best starts in years, finally returning to the top?    

Liverpool 1 CP 1

 For once, CP held a lead on Liverpool, but could not maintain it.  In any case, CP has a long record of struggling with Liverpool, and losing badly, so this was nothing to complain about.  

ARS 4 - 2 LEI

 The game wasn't televised, and we had a family thing going, so I did not see the game realtime, and had to follow it in Livescore.  I've seen highlights and read summaries.  Jesus's first goal was spectacular; his second a bit lucky, in that Vardy headed it to him on the back post and there were no defenders there.  He could have had a couple more, too.  He's going to score a lot of goals for us.  I would not be surprised if he netted 30 in the league.  Here's hoping he stays healthy.  Martinelli was fantastic too.  It's a rare game for Arsenal when Saka is reduced to a supporting role and the real menace comes from the other side of the pitch, but wow, our youngest Gabriel was a force.

The Saliba own goal was just unlucky.  I've seen him make some very bad errors for Marseille, but this was more a case of him doing what he was supposed to do but it just didn't work out.  The supportive reaction of GK Ramsdale and later the fans was great to see.  Leicester was lively but outclassed.  As the only team in Europe's top five leagues not to have added a player, they look like a squad that's going to finish in the lower half, but have too much quality to be in a relegation battle.  Their problem will be in keeping players like Maddison and Tielemanns.  

Well, six points from two games.  It could not have gone better.  There's plenty of room for improvement, especially in defense, but when Tomiyasu and Tierney are fully fit that will get sorted out.  It's vital for us to stay in all four competitions as long as possible, so there are enough minutes to spread around for players like Nketieh, Smith Rowe, Lokonga, Marquinhos, and other young guys who have so much to offer.

I don't know what the hell happened to Man U at Brighton.  It's a nightmare start for ten Haag, the latest coach who is supposed to save them.  They look to be in shambles and may be focusing on Europa League to rescue the season for them.  I'm hoping for a drab 0-0 draw with six red cards when the Spuds play Chelsea today.  But this year, my fervent wish is that the Gunners don't care what any other team does, because they are focusing on beating the team they're playing, and doing it.

CP 0 - 2 ARS

 The post-match commentary oversold our defensive soundness, I thought.  Palace should have had two and could have had more.  But between Ramsdale and some poor finishing, we got the clean sheet.  The technical levels of both teams were very high.  The Gunners especially exhibited some great close control and one-touch passing, but I was impressed by Palace too.  

How cool is it that Arsenal, which used to suffer so badly facing corner kicks and free kicks, is feasting on them lately?  Arteta revealed to Sky Sports just now that the play on which they scored was devised by a set piece coach and they practiced it yesterday.  That's the sort of thing that convinces players to trust the staff.

Everyone played well.  I was concerned by the constant testing of our outside backs with long diagonal passes.  Their wingers usually came up with the ball.  Zinchenko and White were both caught too high up the field at times.  But Saliba and Gabriel were fantastic.  White will not start in big games after Tomiyasu is fit.  But he's a wonderful option in two important positions.  Martinelli's goal was fine; Saka was fortunate to have his errant cross turned in for the clincher.

Three points.  Top of the league.  Feels good.

Benteke from Crystal Palace to DC United

 

DC United needs all the help they can get.  let's hope Benteke still has a few good years left.   

All Or Nothing

 I have never watched this show before, so wasn't sure what to expect.  It's pretty good.  I don't know how many secrets are revealed, but it does give a flavor for how Mikel prepares the team, and an idea what some of the players are like as human beings.  We even get to know the staff; the team photographer has a great cameo.  Amazon just released the first three episodes, taking us from the first game through the debacle at Anfield about third of the season in.  They teased the Auba problems for the fourth episode.  I will definitely watch the rest.

The squad will probably be relieved not to have a film crew around all the time this season.  It may even help to lose that distraction.

Bernd Leno is definitely worth more than Fulham is paying for him.  But I think it's a mark of a class operation to allow him to go for less than they might have gotten elsewhere so Bernd could stay in London, as he wanted.  Mari and Torreira may move on soon.

Rooney was not so magic yesterday, as DC United lost 3-0 to expansion Charlotte.  Grim.

Rooney Magic

 DC United won Senor Wayne's first game in charge with two stoppage time goals. 2-1.  Wowsers.  This season may not be salvageable, but never say never.  Next year might be interesting.

ENG 2 - 1 GER

 The final of the women's Euros, like many of the games throughout, was an excellent game.  Germany looked the more dangerous and more organized squad for most of the game, and but for some near misses could easily have won.  But it was two goals from English substitutes (Toone and Kelly) that proved decisive.  Toone chipped the keeper beautifully after a lightning breakaway just after the hour mark, then Magull finished smartly from a fine entry ball to level things near the end of regulation.  Kelly settled matters with ten minutes to go in extra time by poking the ball into the net at close range after a corner kick scramble.  England dominated the second half of injury time after looking second best most of the game.  The play was physical, and at a high technical level.  

Women's Euros

 It's been a great watch.  The quarterfinals were all close.  It's ENG-SWE and FRA-GER in the semis.  It's been on ESPN2.

A Delightful Preseason, and Transfer Talk

 So far (there's one friendly left), Arsenal has won all their games (four).  It doesn't mean a lot, but the team does seem ready to compete.  New arrivals are:  first and foremost Gabriel Jesus, the scorer we need; Fabio Vieira, a regrettably injured expensive attacking midfielder; Marquinhos, another Brazilian winger bought for very little; Matt Turner, US backup keeper to Ramsdale; and Oleksander Zinchenko, who can play in midfield (he's Ukraine's #10) and left back (for Man City).  I think we look good all over the field.  The injury woes of Tomiyasu and Tierney are the big worry, but now we have quality cover.  And they may stay fit for longer this year.

DC United Manager Wayne Rooney

 That is not a title I thought I would ever write.  I hope they give him some time, because this year is already gone before he starts with us.

Lackluster performance - Minnesota 2 DC United 0

 This was one of the most dismal performances by any team that I have seen in a long time.  DC was on defense most of the match and showed few signs of life. They were fortunate to have only surrendered two goals. The match was much more one sided than the score indicated.  They rarely got the ball past midfield.  It was painful to watch.    

Transfer Talk

 So far, Arsenal has added a backup goalkeeper (Matt Turner, USA) for $7M, a young winger with potential (Marquinos, BRA) for $4M, and a top class attacking midfielder (Fabio Vieira) for $38.5M.  We're also on the cusp of securing the services of Gabriel Jesus for I'm guessing around $55M.  It's said that Raphina is also a target, but I think it would be a mistake to load up on attackers when we desperately need some defensive cover.  For those keeping count, and not counting Raphina, that makes four Brazilians (three named Gabriel) and two Portuguese on the senior squad.  Edu (our Technical Director) definitely has connections an influence on who we rate and who we acquire.  I like it, after he got Willian and David Luiz out of his system anyway.  We still need a top quality left back for when Tierney rips his next tendon, and a backup for Partey, who has had injuries too.  Arsenal is keen on Lisandro Martinez, who can do both of those, but the price will be high.  If we do improve in defense and midfield, we may try to sell Tavares and Lokonga, who are both good young players who may thrive under another system.

We've generated just $15M in player sales, $12M of that for Marseille to finalize their promised purchase of Guendouzi, a player I liked but who would not do what Arteta told him to do in training or on the field.  He's quite good, but he won't play for Arsenal.  Mavropanos was let go to Stuttgart for just $3.5M I like him, but he would never play for us on a regular basis), and Lacazette went to Lyon on a free,  We have a lot of guys in the departure lounge who ought to be in demand, like Bernd Leno, Cedric, Pepe, and a host of loanees like Torreira, Bellerin, Nelson, Maitland-Niles, etc. who have to be moved on and will bring in some money.  (Some of those deals are being done.)  One loanee who is definitely coming back is Saliba, as things stand.  He's that top quality center back we'll need to spell White and Gabriel in tough games without having to use Holding, who I love but who has a more limited skill set.

All of which is to say that it looks as though the Kroenkes, having won the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup this year, have decided they like this winning thing and are willing to spend some money to make that happen.  I love that Arteta is insisting on players under 26, who are just reaching their prime or are a couple years away from it, and integrating them into a tightly knit system.  There's a lot of overlap between the skill sets.  There is no Olivier Giroud type to post up and wear out big defenders, win long balls from the back, and bang in headers off crosses.  He's loaded up on defensively sound, speedy players who have an eye for a pass and who can finish at least adequately.  Arteta wants the Gunners to play through the opposition, move the ball around smartly, and make incisive passes to speedy wingers or attacking midfielders who burst into the box unexpectedly.  He wants a suffocating press that will keep the ball in the other side's half and win it in good positions.  There will be five subs next year.  Imagine a fresh Saka in the second half, having come in for (say) Vieira, or throwing on Martinelli or Smith-Rowe late after Odegaard or Jesus put in 65 hard minutes running at the opponent's defenders.  Not many clubs could match that pace and energy.

Arsenal - Crystal Palace, August 5

 Opens the 2022-2023 season.  

ARS 5 - 1 EVE, Thoughts on the Season

 I don't think Gunners fans are really upset about not making Champions' League; it's mostly disappointment we lost the last spot to that lot and so late.  I was hoping for 5th or 6th before the season started, and that's what I got, so color me satisfied.  With just a +13 goal difference, we are not ECL material anyway.  The near-collapse of Manchester United was a surprise; I did not think we'd finish above them.  Spurs finally hired a guy who could do what Pochettino did for them, and they can convince themselves they'll make another long run in the ECL--but I doubt it.

Arteta and Edu were playing with fire when they slashed the squad so ruthlessly in January, and we were fortunate to only get singed, as West Ham, Wolves, and Man U all faded late on.  Even keeping Maitland-Niles on would, I think, have seen us get 4th.  But as injuries piled up, we had to rely on backups, and they were backups for a reason.  Arteta made some naive tactical decisions in crucial games, too.  But all's well that ends well, and I'm happy with where we ended.

The decks are cleared and we can take on several transfers to complement the core of the team.  The major questions are about injuries, and about our loanees.  Will Saliba play for us next year?  Can Tierney spend more time on the pitch?  Can Partey stay fit?  Tomiyasu?  White?  We're looking for the same high quality players everyone else is, and they won't come cheap.  I'm content to wait and see.  With European football, we will have more game time to keep youth and fringe players sharp.

Crystal Palace ends with a win and a loss

But not the win and the loss I expected.  

Everton very much needed the win, Manchester United had little to play for. I hope that no punitive actions will be taken against Viera for his loss of patience with Everton fans gone to excess harassing him.  

Arsenal disposed of Everton 5-1, but lost to Newcastle, having had reasonable hopes of winning both. and this season is done.  The Europa League lies ahead for Arsenal. 

What a Game! EVE 3 - 2 CRY

 Fan belief, and some tactical brilliance from Frank Lampard, pulled Everton to an unlikely turnaround against a Palace team that dominated them in the first half.  It was a great spectacle for the neutrals.  I will confess to a fondness for the Toffees, plus I wanted them to have nothing to play for against Arsenal Sunday (though Newcastle had nothing to play for and killed us).  Everton showed enough life in the first half to make watching the second half seem worth it, so I did, and I was glad.  It was end to end in a very open game.  There was some question as to whether both teams, and especially Palace, would have eleven men on the field to the end, the action was that intense.  Even the scrappy goals were watchable.  And the jubilation of the home fans was an amazing sight.  Well, they'll be in the top flight for a 69th successive year.  Well done blues.

Palace was very dangerous too.  They had a few gilt-edged chances in the second half but hit straight to Pickford, who did not look very sure of himself.

NEW 2 - 0 ARS : Bonesaw United Dominates Shorthanded Gunners

 It's not looking good at halftime.  Newcastle is on top and I don't see us turning it around.

And so it proved.  If not for Ramsdale, it could have been 4-0 or 5-0.  We had just a couple of decent chances; Newcastle had dozens.  Fair result, and the end of our Champions' League dreams.  Norwich is not going to beat Spuds at Carrow Road.

When you look at our goal difference this year (+9), it's clear that we are not at the level of the other Premier League squads in the top four.  Europa League is a competition we might go some ways in.  We'll see.

I won't bother to rate the players.  The whole team just plain got embarrassed today.  The Magpies came to play, and they crushed us.  Everton must be encouraged by what they saw and think they have a safety valve to avoid relegation.

TOT 3 - 0 ARS: A Game Not as Close as the Score Indicates

 A lack on Arsenal's part of composure, and attention deficit syndrome, assisted a sharp Spurs side in demolishing the Gunners and making it as tough as possible for us to win both our remaining games.  In this loss, Holding was red carded, Gabriel had a hamstring injury, and Ben White was not fit enough to replace either of them from the bench.  So next game, we'll be without any senior CBs.  Tomiyasu can play there, and then we have an outside back problem and are still short a center back.

The game was a bit more affected by refereeing than it ought to have been, but Arsenal can't claim it was an unjust result.  It could have been worse and not overstated the dominance of Conte and his men over Arteta and his. We did not take care of possession when the game was competitive.  I disagree with Arteta's decision to make the game open early.  It exposed Holding to being turned or sprinted behind by Son.  It is not Holding's natural inclination to get that tight so far out.  He must have been instructed to try.  It's not his game.  He'll shine when we're on the defensive and repelling cross after cross.  But in transition, he's not fast or quick enough to be pulled so far out to mark one that closely.  He knew it, and Arteta should have known it.  The second yellow was just nasty from Holding and could have been a red.  He made those fouls, but playing in a way that did not suit him at all.  Dreadful performance.  Cedric wasn't so hot either.  Gabriel was OK before his injury, and Tomi was fine.  Our mids coughed up the ball a few times under little pressure.  There were only a few moments of real danger to Lloris's goal.  This strangulation of an inferior opponent was what Arsenal was incapable of against Leeds, down two goals and a man and still got to 2-1 at our place.  While the boys up front played some good football, we never looked like scoring.

I'm not worried about the psychology of this loss.  They're pros and will focus on Newcastle.  I'm worried about our entire defensive first choice team being unable to play at St James's Park.  Lose there, and Spuds lift that fourth trophy, and I'll remind myself in consolation that I'd have been delighted with 5th place if offered it last August.  It looks grim.

Tottenham did what they had to do, and then some.  Credit to them.

A proposal for you, Char

Char, here's a deal for you. I will pay for tickets to you and I and your wife and my son to the next Crystal Palace – Arsenal game at Selhurst Park, but not your hotels, food, airplane tickets, etectera, We will stay at a nice place I know of in London, good and moderately priced, at Queen's Gate Hotel, in the Kensington area. Gloucester train station is nearby. I will get us good, but not the most expensive tickets, and make certain that you have access to them, once purchased, with or without me. If, of course, I can talk my son into it and your wife is agreeable, and the timing is not impossible. That hotel is near Imperial College, which has a nice museum. It will take some coordination, but I am willing to look into it. I am not going over $500 for seats. A fairly good seat should be no more than $250. Once seated, the Brits don't even leave the game to pee.

If your lads disgrace my boys, and you run afoul of my fans, and they get ugly, you are on your own, but we are not nearly as brutal as the Liverpool crowd. I'm an old man, and a few hundreds of wasted dollars are no big deal for me. If it would be fun for you. If I should not up and die, you could work it out with Randy. Money, at that level,  is of little concern at my age (80).  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_College_London

Arsenal 2 - 1 Leeds

 The Gunners made hard work of fending off ten man Leeds with a two goal lead.  That third goal never came and we coughed up our first goal of the season off a corner kick to make the last 20 minutes a whole lot more nerve-wracking than it should have been.  But job done, and we now sit four points better than Spuds.  Tottenham needs to beat us at home Thursday, and current form indicates that they ought to do that.  But I'm hoping we rise to the occasion.  A win and Arsenal will have secured fourth place.

Everton managed another three points today to pull themselves barely out of the relegation zone.  

Crystal Palace and Arsenal battling over Eddie Nketiah

 

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/05/05/report-crystal-palace-make-player-mikel-arteta-wants-at-arsenal-their-no-1-summer-target/

Coming up - Crystal Palace - Watford

 Meeting our old manager on the other side of the fence, Saturday.  I expect Watford, surely doomed to relegation,  to play well, maybe even to win  

European Finals Set; Astonishing Semi in Madrid

 Those who thought that the second leg of the semifinal between Real Madrid and Manchester City could not be more exciting than the 4-3 thriller in England were delighted to be proved wrong, as the Spanish giants scored three times after the start of the 90th minute to turn the tie around.  I almost turned it off with Pep's boys up by two goals on aggregate, and Real not having registered a shot on goal for a long time.  But two excellent goals from Rodrygo got the 16 time European champions to extra time, and a Benzema PK got them a ticket to Paris to face Liverpool, who had a scare of their own before reasserting their utter dominance of Villareal in the second half of the return fixture in Spain.  I am looking forward to that final.

There was less drama in the semis of the Europa League and Europa Conference League.  Frankfurt will meet Rangers to decide the former final, and the lesser final will be between Roma and Feyenoord. West Ham picked up an early red card, dooming their hopes, and Leicester never really got going.  Glasgow looked strong.

WHU 1 - 2 ARS -- Three Points Just Barely Earned

 Outplayed for much of the match, Arsenal managed two headers off corner kicks and kept pace with Tottenham, which had easily beaten Leicester earlier in the day.  I expected the Hammers to rest more of their important players before their crucial second leg against Frankfurt midweek.  But they put out a strong team and were very good.  Our man of the match, according to Arteta and me, was Rob Holding, who got his first Premier League goal in 81 appearances.  Credit to him for training and being ready to come in for the injured Ben White (hamstring).  He's not great with the ball at his feet, but he's become a reliable central defender with unmatched prowess in the air.  Ramsdale made a great save too.  West Ham scored at the stroke of halftime off a fine move and finish, helped by a deflection off Gabriel's butt.  Gabriel got our second, though, on a continuation after a corner kick, Martinelli putting in a wonderful cross for Gabriel to power home off Fabianski's knee.

There are four potential banana peels remaining:  Leeds, which will be desperate to avoid relegation; Spuds, who are playing better than us now; Newcastle, which looks quite strong currently; and finally Everton, who may also be desperate to avoid relegation then.  Up next for the Spuds is Liverpool.  Then it's us, Burnley, and finally sorry Norwich.  

Losada out at DC United, ECL Drama

 A run of poor results late last season and to start this season doomed Losada's job.  He was not a popular figure, but as long as he was winning, that was fine.  I'm not convinced he was the problem, but United did win their first game after the firing.  I'd like to see more games at Audi Field and I hope the team is worth watching.  The last United game I saw there was one of the worst games I have ever seen in any sport, a 0-0 snoozefest with no action to speak of.

Man City 4 - 3 Real Madrid.  What a game.  It should be a dynamite return leg in the Bernabeu.  Liverpool broke Villareal in the second half yesterday and could have done better than 2 - 0, but that should be plenty.  The Spanish side never looked like scoring.  Unai Emery is a tournament specialist who regularly wins or reaches the semis and finals of these major European contests (they're in Champions' League because they won Europa League last year, and Emery won three times with Valencia, and got Arsenal to the final).  But it was always asking too much to get a good result at Anfield, and I think they'll be taken apart on the counter back home as they press for a goal.

Notts County is in great position to make the promotion playoff in the National League.  I am not confident they'll win the three games against their rivals to join Stockport going up to League 2.

Juve looks to be going to Champions' League next year.  They are also in the May 11 Coppa Italia final against Inter. When those teams play, it's called the Derby d'Italia because they are Italy's two most successful teams historically and recently.

A Closer Look at the United Game

 Arseblog carries posts by Scott Willis, who crunches the numbers and analyzes games.  This is his latest "By the Numbers" column.  This is the graphic that I wanted to call attention to:

This game could have gone either way.  Arteta's post game comments shjowed that he understood that.  This was not a case of the Gunners dismissing United at home: it was a wild affair in which the visitors looked more dangerous than us until Xhaka smashed our third with 20 minutes to go, after which we closed shop and they could not get a shot on target.

My point here is that while we are better than the Palace, Brighton, and Southampton results, we are still vulnerable, with a thin squad that requires a bit of luck to win games.  We did great against Chelsea, no question, but United could very easily have gotten one or even three points Saturday.  It's not going to be a cakewalk into 4th place.  The bright spot is that Tottenham and United are just as inconsistent as we are, and West Ham is distracted by Europa League.  If we beat the Spuds we ought to be in Champions' League next year, so that's the pivotal contest.

Back in Control? ARS 3 - 1 MUN (and Spuds held at Brentford)

 This is the part of the season where we can evaluate the run-in and come up with perfectly reasonable expectations that get dashed by actual results.  So let's do it.  But first:

Once again, I was not parked in front of a TV for this crazy game.  That's fine with me, because it had way too much defensive error excitement and VAR hijinks to make for comfortable viewing.  Following it on LiveScore was grueling enough.  It's 1-0, then it's 2-0, then it's 1-0 again, then VAR picks up Tellez barging into Saka for a penalty and it's 2-0 again.  Our defenders fall asleep and Ronaldo makes it 2-1 within minutes.  We could have had three penalties called against us, but only one was, and Fernandez missed the goal entirely on his PK.  Ronaldo put the ball in the net again, but was offside by an inch.  And finally, Xhaka blasts past an unsighted DeGea for 3-1, and Nketieh could have been ruled to have interfered.  Hey, I am not going to argue if VAR has suddenly become our friend after torturing us all season.  The bottom line is that this was a huge win in a game that could have gone either way.  It puts United pretty much out of contention for 4th.  And Spuds dropped two points against the Bees, leaving us two up on them with each team having five games left.  The good news for Tottenham is that they play us, so they have their destiny in their hands, as do we.

The last five games:

Arsenal              Tottenham

West Ham          Leicester

Leeds                  Liverpool

Tottenham           Arsenal

Newcastle           Burnley

Everton               Norwich

West Ham and Leicester are both in European semifinals and are concentrating on that.  I'd expect three points for both North London sides.  Leeds should not pose a problem for us, though you never know when they're fighting to stay up; Liverpool really ought to beat Spuds.  Then there's the NLD, with the win being vital.  It's at their place.  I'm hoping for a draw or better.  Both contenders have a tricky fixture in the penultimate week:  Newcastle is on fire, and Burnley will be desperate to stay in the Premier League.  This could be the weekend that breaks hearts.  On the final day, We'll be playing an Everton side that may be on the brink of relegation, while Tottenham will play a team that has been resigned for months to going down: advantage Spuds.  I'm hoping we have a four point lead over Tottenham by then.

I'm reasonably confident, but we have two key players out for the season (Tierney and Partey) and we did lose three in a row recently to teams that are not all that strong.  At least we're in a strong position to get into Europa League if we don't finish top four.

What a Ride

 I was so sure Chelsea would beat us at the Bridge today that I spent the first half at the beach.  After a shower, I checked the score and saw that I was missing a 2-2 barnburner.  So I turned it on and within twenty seconds Nketieh got his scrappy goal, which proved to be the winner.  Chelsea had 35 minutes or so to equalize yet again but could not, then came a late questionable penalty on Saka that he finished emphatically for the final score, CHE 2 - 4 ARS.  

Since none of the teams from 3rd through 8th seems capable of sustained adequacy, the European qualification slots are all up for grabs.  Chelsea is in commanding position for 3rd, but is a team in trouble now and could conceivably blow it.  But for that to happen, two of the teams below them would have to win five of their last six, which will be nigh impossible given that they play each other.  I still think Tottenham will grab 4th, but I have high hopes for a Europa League slot for the Gunners.  They could also stroll into the Champions' League if the Spuds collapse and we play well the rest of the way.  Getting seven points from the West Ham, Man U, and Tottenham games would be fantastic.  Five might be enough for UCL.  Four means a good shot at Europa League.  Wolves are odds-on to be the 8th place team that misses out, and West Ham is my pick to be in Europa Conference League, if they don't win Europa League this year and qualify for UCL.  That would mean that Arsenal and Man United would be in the Europa League, and pre-tournament favorites to go a long way in it.

Don't forget the razor-thin margin at the very top, with City a point ahead of Liverpool but a worse goal difference, and the struggle to avoid relegation, which is nowhere near resolution.

Newcastle 1 Crystal Palace 0

A road loss, which makes it three losses in a row for Crystal Palace. The team badly needs a win to turn their season back out of this tailspin.

Prince Bonesaw's ownership has turned Newcastle around - maybe the Newcastle players and coaches are afraid he will invite them into his embassy if they don't perform well.  

Chelsea 2 Crystal Palace 0

 The FA Cup run ends in the semifinals.  It was the best Palace has done in several years.  Not many goals for Crystal Palace to aim for during the rest of the season.  

Joy in Spudville

 Wolves, Man U, and Arsenal all lost, while Tottenham crushed Villa 4-0, a team that Arsenal squeaked by 1-0 when we were healthy.  Conte has apparently fixed what was wrong with the inconsistent Spuds and I will be very surprised if they don't get a Champions' League spot.  Arsenal was in the driver's seat, but that was before Tierney and Partey picked up serious injuries.  Tomiyasu has been out for a while at RB, and now our starting LB is out for the season.  Partey is irreplaceable in the center of our midfield.  We have a non-scoring center forward.  Arteta has no answers.  Every team wants to play us now.  I would be happy to make Europa League.  That's where I was when the season started.  The Gunners are not a Champions' League squad.

OK, the season has a way to go yet, and there could be twists and turns.  But I do not see Arsenal or Man U beating Tottenham now, and both absolutely have to do just that to have a chance at 4th place.

Crystal Palace 3 - 0 Arsenal

 I can't argue with the score at halftime.  Palace was at least that much better.  I don't see a way back for the Gunners now, but I'm looking forward to seeing how they go about meeting this challenge.  A loss here would drag them into the middle of the pack of chasers for 4th spot.

------------

The second half was much better, but Palace still was superior.  We had a lot of the ball, which Palace did not mind, and fashioned some good chances, which the defense did just enough on to stop.  Palace's penalty was irrelevant to the result.  As far as I'm concerned, the referee did a very good job and I'll accept his call.  

I was really impressed with the energy the CP players brought.  They kept running, and pressing, and going forward.  The goals were superb.  For once, Arsenal looked slow and lazy, at least until the second half.  Vieira may have prepared for Arsenal's preferred formation, but whatever the reason, the Gunner attack was nonexistent for the first 45.

We're out of 4th place and our prospects of regaining it probably hinge on the games with our direct rivals in the table:  Man U, Tottenham, and West Ham.  We also play Chelsea.  Run that table and we're in, get blanked and we're out.  The actual results will probably lie in between, but where?  At the beginning of the season, I'd have jumped at 6th place and Europa League.  That may be where we end up--or even lower, unless we pull ourselves together.  The problem is the thinness of the squad.  Our two outside backs are injured, and the replacements were just enough under the first string level that it showed.  Partey got injured today.  We can't go much further into the squad without throwing more teenagers out there (apparently Pepe has been forgotten).  I think 6th is more likely than 4th at this point.  I hope it's not lower.

Costa Rica 2 - 0 USA: USMNT Backs Into Qualification

 The point earned in Mexico City proved crucial as CRC and USA finished even on points, the USA's goal differential proving to be the difference between 3rd place and automatic qualification and 4th place and a two-legged playoff with New Zealand.  With one eye on that playoff, Costa Rica sat most of their starters due to yellow card jeopardy--they had nine sitting on a yellow, and another would mean sitting out the next game.  I like Zach Steffen, but I am sure that had the goalkeepers been switched, the US would have won.  Navas made two excellent saves.  Steffen was weak on the first goal--a strong header that got past him when a lot of keepers would have reacted quicker--and was partly responsible for the second, punching a cross that he could have gathered, only to see it go directly to an opposing player.  He was hit by the first shot, and when the rebound was picked up by CR, a simple cross found two totally unmarked players, one of whom could tap it in.  The defense was dreadful on that one.  On the first goal, Zimmerman got caught under a corner kick to allow a free header in the six yard box, a cardinal sin.

We've now lost ten in a row in San Jose.  This was a great chance to end that streak, but the US was not up to that task.  US Soccer is celebrating qualification, but Berhalter must be disappointed in his team's performance.  They weren't incisive enough up front and they were not strong enough in the back.  I'd be surprised if he didn't let them know that they'll have to be a whole lot better than this if they want to avoid embarrassment in Qatar.

This was the last time the US will have to worry about qualification.  USA, Mexico, and Canada are co-hosting in 2026 (so all get a free pass into the show) and that will be the first World Cup with 48 teams (instead of the post-1998 32).  CONCACAF would probably get at least five qualifying nations under that format, and I don't think there are five teams that could plausibly finish above us, let alone six.  (Italy could breathe easier too.)

USA 5 - 1 Panama

 The USMNT is in the driver's seat after a 5-1 demolition of a lively but disjointed Panama squad.  Los Canaleros were strong for the first ten minutes, but a blatant foul in the box put Pulisic on the spot and he did not miss.  An Arriola header was followed by an emphatic finish by Ferreira when the ball broke to him three yards out another Pulisic spot kick.  And that was just the first half.  In the second, Pulisic got his hat trick with the prettiest goal of the night, then Panama got the consolation via a header off a free kick.  Highlights. 

The US has sewn up at least the fourth spot, and they'll finish at least 3rd with a win or tie against Costa Rica, or even a loss that is by fewer than six goals.  In that unlikely event, we'd still be able to book our ticket to Qatar by winning a two-game round against Oceania (New Zealand).  So, we're almost 100% in.

Canada shocked everyone by winning the group.  Their coach, John Herdman, was very successful with the New Zealand and Canada women's teams, and now he's killing with the Canada men.  The next stop for this guy is a professional club gig for big bucks.  He's too good to be coaching just on international breaks.

World Cup Qualifying

Italy was beaten by North Macedonia, ending its quest to qualify.  It's just as well; they wouldn't have done well anyway.

The US drew with Mexico 0-0 in a very entertaining game.  We had two golden opportunities, and Mexico came close a couple times.  Costa Rica won, and Panama drew, so it's all in our own hands.  If we beat Panama at home, that should be enough.  We better, because the last game is in Costa Rica and historically we are not successful there.  The point won at Azteca is valuable. 

FA Cup

 Crystal Palace 4 Everton 0

and on to the semifinals, against Chelsea, April 16.  Two goals each half, four different players scoring.  

Aston Villa 0 - 1 Arsenal

 A dominating first half, during which Saka's shot which fooled an unsighted Martinez, was enough to keep the Gunners in good shape for their battle for 4th place.  There was the usual dropoff in the second half, but Villa managed just one shot on target all game, with a free kick that was the game's last action.  Leno was in goal, due to a Ramsdale training injury, and did fine when called upon.  Villa is firmly mid-table and had little to play for, but Gerrard has them doing their best.  It got spicy on a few occasions and it looked as though there would be some sendings off, but eventually the sides settled down.

Pepe came on for Saka in the second half and was dreadful.  When Arteta sent Holding in for Odegaard to shore things up in the back, we lost all semblance of control in midfield.  The three points were earned, but Arsenal made hard work of it and we'll need to kill off games like this against the likes of Villa, a good side that has less motivation.

I didn't see the Liverpool game, but by all accounts Arsenal played very well.  We still have to deal with Chelsea, and of course three of our rivals for top four:  Man U, Spuds, and West Ham.  Those are all crucial contests.

CP 0 MC 0

 Palace plays to the level of their opponents.  I have not seen an analysis of this game yet. MC does not daunt them but Palace has not played a decent game in several years when they play Liverpool.  Zip - Zip will do, and it was not a bad outing.  . 

Arsenal 2 - 0 Leicester

 Arsenal has a very challenging last stretch of the season.  "Games in hand" are not points in the table.  At home against mid-table Leicester, you'd expect the Gunners to prevail, and this time, our play matched out point haul and a dominant performance saw us through.  Ramsdale did not repeat his dodgy kicking performance against Watford, and indeed the whole team played a step quicker.  Ramsdale had to make a fantastic save early, but the worst of it afterward was getting hip-checked by the Foxes' forward as he came down with the ball.  He milked it for a minute's delay, though, so he was probably happy to take the punishment.

I was expecting a win, but Leicester has been hot recently and there's always the chance that a few unlucky bounces make the difference.  But this was a case of Arsenal being too much for Leicester all over the field.  These are the games we have to win to maintain the upper hand for the 4th place spot.  We have to play our three closest rivals before the end of the season, as well as Chelsea and Liverpool.  Accumulation of points from the likes of Watford and Leicester is a must.

I watched two former Arsenal #2s, Fabianski and Martinez (the latter joined by Chambers), face off in the earlier game.  I was hoping for more dropped points by the Hammers, but they beat Aston Villa convincingly at the London Stadium.  Both keepers were great, but Lukas was better protected than Emi.  Calum spent at least eight minutes on the ground after two blows to the head.

A remarkable Champions' League encounter between PSG and Real Madrid, at the Bernabeu, saw Real mount a late comeback to win with three goals (all from Karim Benzema) in maybe 15 minutes.  It was an epic PSG meltdown.  The refereeing played a role, and the co-owner of PSG chased down the officials after the game and made quite an ass of himself.  But PSG, which had been playing with a swagger after Mbappe's opener made it 2-0 to Paris on aggregate, fell apart on attack and defense.  The entire second half, Real was on top, and it's a fair result, considering a modicum of good sense from the manager or his players would have seen PSG safely through.  Pochettino needed to take Neymar and Messi off and put in fresh legs, on more defensive-minded players.  But no.  GK Donnarumma could have gotten the ball away before Benzema charged him down (and yes, I'd have blown the whistle for a foul there).  Good show.

Watford 2 - 3 Arsenal

 Watford was much tougher than I expected.  The Gunners dominated possession but still would have dropped two points had Watford managed a third.  All the goals were top quality, and it was a good spectacle as well as a welcome three points.  Watford had the ball in the net after 17 seconds, but the goalscorer was a yard offside.  Ødegaard scored a legal goal on five minutes after a slick one-two with Saka, then Watford's Hernandez executed a magnificent bicycle kick to even things up.  Not long after, it was Saka's turn to be set up for a great finish to restore our lead.  Early in the second half, Lacazette set up Martinelli for another superb strike.  Things looked easy for the Arsenal at this point, but Watford got a goal in the 87th minute to set up a tense finish.  Despite the charged atmosphere and energetic play, there were few fouls and just three yellows in the game; this was a very polite contest between next door neighbors.  (I have been at Watford's training ground for a frisbee tournament, and it is literally adjacent to Arsenal's.  In fact, it was Arsenal's old training ground before they built their current one.)

We're in fourth place for the moment, ahead of Man U's game at Man City.  There will be twists and turns, no doubt.  We have 13 games left, three of them against our direct rivals for European places.  We need to be better than we were at the back today, but the goal production is good.

It ended up not costing us, but Ramsdale had a stinker today, giving the ball away twice in situations that really should have gifted the Hornets a goal.  Gabriel and White have both been better as well.  Xhaka had a late brain fart immediately preceding Watford's second goal.  There's plenty for Arteta to discuss with the troops.

It has been a great weekend for Arsenal so far, with Wolves, West Ham, and United all losing, while we won.  Tottenham plays Everton tomorrow, which should mean three points for Spurs, but Arsenal managed to lose to Everton in the Fall, so who knows?  I'm not complacent.  Our squad is thin and we're a hamstring or ankle injury away from losing an important player for whom we have no replacement of that quality.  Saka and Ødegaard are particularly important.  Smith-Rowe is a great replacement for either of them, but past him, it would be difficult to find as good all-around players.  If we stay fit, we're favorites for 4th place.  If.

Ukraine fallout

 Abramovich claims that he will be selling Chelsea.  The team is said to be valued around 3.2 billion dollars, forth among Premier League teams and 7th in the world.  .   

FA Cup Crystal Palace 2 Stoke City 1

Upsets continue:  Nottingham Forest 4 Leicester City 1, 

Middlsebrough 1 Tottenham 0, 

Boremwood 1 Bournemouth 0.  

These clubs are good, even below the top two levels.   

Don't Tell Me the Odds

 Arseblog's stats guy posted that Arsenal is a favorite to get 4th place--64% according to his model.  Well, we won't be playing in his computer.  We'll be playing actual teams, who are healthy or injured (just like us), and more or less motivated due to relegation scraps or contract situations or new coaches, and which (just like us) encounter dips or surges in form.  We play West Ham, Man U, and Spuds, all opportunities for either us or a rival to make huge progress or suffer a huge setback.  Arteta and every other coach goes game by game, trying to win every one, and that's the only way to approach this run-in.  Europe wants us to return, I just know it.  I don't want to disappoint them.  One step at a time, please.

Of course, stumbles like United's at home against sorry Watford help.  They're in fourth, being two points better than us, but having played three more games.  West Ham and Wolves are playing now (scoreless early in the second half) and one or both will drop points (I'm hoping for a draw, of course).  I won't cry if we finish fifth; Europa League is still Europe, if a less lucrative tournament than Champions' League.  But eighth would be a dismal failure, our having been eighth the last two seasons.  We're better, especially defensively, and we should finish higher.

That we are out of all the tournaments does simplify matters for Arteta.  His sole focus will be on the league, whereas United (for instance) will be dividing effort and attention.  But ultimately, we want to have that sort of problem next year, in the hunt for multiple trophies.  Fingers crossed.

Crystal Palace 1 Burnley 1

 Crystal Palace does all the scoring - a goal by Jeffrey Schlupp, an own goal by Luka Milivojevic.  Several other threats from both sides that came to nothing after that.  The 12th draw this year by the Palace.  

Another Nail-Biter, Another Three Points From Wolves: Arsenal 2 - 1 Wolves

 I won't lie.  I thought Arsenal would win this one comfortably.  We hung on at Molineux playing with ten men and won.  At home, I figured we should handle them.  But a dreadful back-pass after ten minutes put us in a hole.  Wolves had not lost a game in which they took a 1-0 lead for three and a half years--44 such games.  Their defense is by far the best in the Premier League, and now they could sit back and hit us on the break while we huffed and puffed and tried to score.  They were strong and resolute, but with eight minutes left we finally got our equalizer from Pepe.  Wolves had been guilty of so much time wasting that we got another six minutes of stoppage time, and in the sixth minute, a fortunate split-second sequence turned a Lacazette close range mis-hit into a goal via two deflections off Wolves players.  2-1 to the Arsenal, and now Wolves are in our rear view mirror for the moment, five points back having played one more game than us.  This was a tough challenge, and there will be several more in the next 14 games, but our top four aspirations can become reality with no help from the rest of the league, so long as we keep winning.

Wins like this can really energize a squad.  Tomiyasu is still unavailable due to a calf injury, but Cedric is deputising adequately.  For me, the really hopeful sign was Pepe coming off the bench and rescuing us, and with an assist from Eddie Nketieh too.  Then Laca gets the winner--perfect!  We'll need substantive contributions from all of those attacking players.  When the fixture list gets crowded, Saka will have to sit out a game here and there, and it's good to know that Nicolas Pepe can still put the ball past a keeper.

Crystal Palace 4 Watford 1

 Hapless Watford goes down hard again.  Crystal Palace goes back to the middle of the table.   Watford is now four points from safety, having played more games than the teams ahead of them as well, and has a rough road ahead if they are to avoid relegation. Zaha ends a drought and scores twice.   

Arsenal 2 - 1 Brentford

 The Gunners dominated possession, shots, and chances, and (of course) had several penalty shouts waved off.  Two fine strikes from medium distance (ESR and Saka) were enough to make sure of the three points, though it was disappointing to concede a sloppy consolation at the end to spoil the clean sheet.  West Ham dropped two points against Newcastle (Joe Willock scored his first for the Magpies this season to equalize), but Tottenham were sensational in a back and forth contest at the Etihad to take an unlikely three points against the champions.  Top four dreams are very much in the realm of possibility, but with 15 games to play anything can happen.  A few losses and we could be staring at no European football; winning those games could send us to a Champions League play-in.

Crystal Palace gave up a late goal to Chelsea at Selhurst, drifting down in the table.  There are seven teams below them, so it would be quite a collapse for them to be relegated, and they are just too good to go down, I hope.  Newcastle's big spending seems to have bought them a Premier League spot next year, unfortunately.  Everton, Leeds, and Brentford have a realistic chance of going down, if Watford and/or Burnley get hot, but those two and Norwich look like favorites for the drop.

It's been quite a season and it may just get more interesting, with City's loss today.  Liverpool is just six back, with a game in hand, and a game against the champions.  Both have imposing goal differentials that are very close.  Chelsea seems nailed on for third place, and then we get into the scramble for fourth, which is too close to call.  West Ham is fading, and Wolves need to start winning, but they're in the thick of it.  Man U and Spurs are in prime position with Arsenal.  One of those five will get no European football.  One will go to Europa Conference League, the kiddie table.  Two get Europa League tickets (unless an outsider wins the FA Cup), and just one gets the big prize, a lucrative date with Europe's elite in the ECL. 

Notts County beat Eastleigh to stay in the hunt for a promotion playoff spot.  That's a real dogfight.

Crystal Palace Under 18s 5 Arsenal U18s 0

 The old guys may be slumping, but the U18s are doing well  

Overlooked players; the top defenders

 Strikers get all the big money, but preventing goals matters, too 

Mostly we hear about these guys when they screw up and get a foul, but we all want to have one of them on our team  .  

Whew! Wolves 0 - 1 Arsenal

 Our defense was good enough to keep Wolves out for the game, even with the last 27 minutes a man down.  A first half Gabriel tap-in off a corner kick scramble was good for an important three points against a close rival.  The yellow cards kept coming, with Partey, Xhaka (of course), and Gabriel collecting one each until Martinelli did them one better by picking up two from Referee Martin Oliver in three seconds.  It's never happened before that anyone can remember, and it was weird, but Martinelli was totally out of line and stupid.  Fortunately, it did not cost us the points, due to Wolves' lack of punch.

We edge up to fifth, with two games in hand vs 4th place West Ham.  Hot on our heels is Man U and Tottenham, with Wolves just five points back.  There is very little margin for error.

We have nine days until we face Brentford, who embarrassed us on opening day 2-0.  Martinelli hasn't been scoring anyway; I hope Pepe gets a run out.  Lacazette seems to have run out of gas.  He works hard but the end product is not there when he gets in position.  He missed a golden chance today.  The only other central striker on our rolls is Eddie Nketieh, who has not scored in the league this year (albeit with not a lot of minutes played).  Heck, Laca is already a "false nine" so why not play that way, with a fluid front four of Pepe, Saka, Odegaard, and Smith-Rowe?  Tierney is fully capable of joining in the attack as well.  Anytime you want a shot from distance, you can call on Partey or Xhaka, especially if you want to see the ball go a few yards over the bar.

Anyway, we needed this.  If Tomiyasu gets healthy, we can play even better,

Table Talk

 It's all to play for with 17 games to go (for Arsenal anyway).  Man City, Liverpool, and Chelsea (in that order) look like taking the automatic Champions' League spots.  But positions 4 through 8 are a virtual tie.  #4 West Ham and #5 Man U have played more games than the pack of Arsenal, Tottenham, and Wolves just behind them.  Spurs lost a chance to put themselves in good position today by losing to Southampton.  When these five teams play each other, it'll decide who goes to ECL, Europa League, Europa Conference, or nowhere.  I've been skeptical about West Ham, and hope they fade.  United is too talented to drop far, aren't they?  Wolves have a thin squad; can they hang with the richer clubs?  Speaking of thin squads, Arsenal left themselves no room for injury problems by clearing out squad players while buying no one.  Tottenham ought to be playing better; I hope they continue being so Spursy. 

Sadly, Newcastle seems to have bought their way out of relegation in the last window.  Everton is in free fall and may save one of Norwich or Burnley from the drop; I think Watford is doomed.

Mid-table seems to be a popular place, as crowded as the European slot chasers, with the potential for either making a run at 7th or dropping into a relegation battle.

It's going to be interesting.