I did want to do some kind of mid-season review before the Manchester City match, but held off unless I had some kind of “jinx-effect” on the game (ridiculous, clearly). The timing of the match was interesting as we are now roughly half way through the season and we last met the Champions at the start of the campaign. So, it would be a good marker to show how much the team had progressed in the intervening time.
For full disclosure, I did not expect Arsenal to win on Saturday. That’s not me doubting the team or lacking belief. It’s realism; that we are still developing and improving and coming up against an established, high quality team that beat us 5-0 only a few months ago was going to be a real examination. I knew we wouldn’t be embarrassed, but it was still a tall-order to expect anything from the game.
What I wanted to see was this iteration of Arsenal 2.0 to put up a fight, battle and make the *serial cheats* or “Champions Elect” sweat for the points. Ultimately, this is what happened, but not under the circumstances maybe most of us expected.
It’s the classic case of the best team, by a very, very clear margin, did not win. It reminded me very clearly of that Champions League Final with Barcelona all those years ago. The better side bossing the game against (supposedly) better opposition, going a deserved goal up, only for the the *oppositions twelfth man* referee to intervene and decide the direction of the game.
However, as disappointing as the result is, what we Arsenal supporters cannot be distracted from is that Arsenal were the better side, for 85 minutes with a hellish 5-minute period deciding the destination of the points on offer. This isn’t just the opinion of biased Arsenal supporters (apart from the #ArtetaOut contingent, who should be all extinct by now – or at least be considering supporting another team or finding the nearest bin to put themselves in) but the widely-held fallout from the game was that Arsenal went toe-to-toe and had Manchester City on the ropes for much of the 90 minutes, only for some good fortune to come Manchester City’s way….. funny that.
This development and improvement in the side since August is genuinely exciting, incredible, astounding and frightening. I thought we were going in the right direction, but not at this pace and speed.
First, to give my 2-cents on the VAR controversy. In my opinion it gives weak referees a crutch to make decisions for them. It seems, in the case of Stuart Attwell, that decisions made in the game are always overridden by VAR, because the referee on the pitch simply defers responsibility if their decisions are “advised” to be checked. Walking to the pitch-side hallowed alter that is the VAR monitor is almost a baptism of accountability. It’s a charade. The referee has already decided to go with VAR before the monitor is looked at. Its almost as if Stuart Attwell is really just taking a mental count down to make the act of considering what is being played back to him look convincing to the watching audience. If he had any courage of his convictions, he would have stayed the path of his original decision. But he, like others, and especially Mike Riley, are weak little men who clamor for the rulebook lifeboat in the rough sea of common sense and sportsmanship in a sport they could never master as players but instead control with rules (they inconsistently and illogically apply).
Another point is that VAR allows the referee to take a starring role in the game. In the “good old days”, a referee wouldn’t be noticed, a good one at least. A good referee would let the game flow (without the needless diktat from on high), give a yellow card when merited and a red when deserved. No one noticed them and they were largely anonymous to the watching crowd. No one knew who they were. Now, it’s almost like referees want to be celebrities in their own right. Egos telling the rich footballers what’s what. The bullied becoming the bullies. VAR is a useful tool to stamp their authority on the game and have the last word, then exit stage left.
Attwells first yellow for Gabriel wasn’t because he was scuffing the the penalty spot, it was because Gabriel was shoved into Attwell who took offence and petulantly reached for the card. Re-watch the incident and tell me I’m wrong.
All that being said, VAR doesn’t prevent diving, gamesmanship, rotational fouling, cynical fouling or dissent. VAR doesn’t improve the quality of the individual referees who officiate games. It’s also doesn’t offset personal bias referees have for individual players; while we all tear our hair out over Xhakas “Xhaka-ing” in some games, it’s clear his card is marked. He only has to sneeze to get on the wrong side of the ref. It’s not fair, it’s human nature. However, VAR is a facility which takes seconds to review on a game. It takes a few minutes to review an incident and make the right call. The fact is that the very decision to check or not check VAR is strange and open to error and corruption. I say corruption deliberately. I’m not referring to match fixing or some anti-Arsenal conspiracy. This goes for all clubs. Corruption can simply be the VAR officials not deciding to ask the referee to review the footage because they don’t like the home side, the manager, the player involved, the scoreline etc. Or they just don’t do it for no reason. Who checks that the operators of VAR are impartial? No one, they mark their own homework.
If you think I’m being a bit silly here (and I hope my opinion is unfounded) I only have to say “human nature” and this covers all incidents of bias we can see in referee decisions on a weekly basis. Simply by being football fans and watching thousands of games over our lifetimes, there are many, many incidents involving referee decisions which defy logic, common sense and objectivity. And nearly always favour the best team in the league at the time.
Either two things should happen. Either VAR is scrapped or it is referred to on each and every major decision (card or penalty decision). This wouldn’t be onerous, a few minutes in a typical game is nothing against making the right decision (or near as damn it anyway). Referees should also be miked up so we can hear what is said. We have this in rugby and motor racing, why not football?
When all said and done, I would rather support the better footballing side than one which needs the referee to intervene to decide the game. It seems we all now know how Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes felt after the final race of the 2020/2021 Formula 1 season….
Back to Arsenal. The boys did a sterling job against *cheaters* Manchester City, they defied many expectations against them; because of the underperformance of the club in recent seasons, we can forgive ourselves by being cautious with the development of the team, perhaps a little skeptical. Results against Everton and Manchester United show there remain kinks which need ironing out. We need to improve how we take our chances (if we did this on Saturday, the VAR decisions would have been irrelevant). We need to improve the mentality of the team; not collapsing into frustration against *cheating* teams like Manchester City, not sitting back when a goal up, not falling into a funk of woe lose. To be fair, the latter two examples have seen demonstrable improvement over the last few weeks, this needs to continue – especially after this weekend.
The style of play has finally evolved into being more direct and attacking, cutting through the oppositions press and also being more aggressive and combative off the ball. The defensive unit continues to be solid, Partey is now finally showing his true ability, Martinelli is just wonderful to watch and Ramsdale is such a delight; a real piss-taker as well as a great goalkeeper. In the spirit of one Mr Ian Wright – can we have some apologies as loud as the disrespect before he signed please?
It’s up to the underrated and unfairly-maligned (but most of all vindicated) Mikel Arteta and his team to continue nurturing the improvement of this exciting team (that he built). If you have read my previous blogs, you will know I am an #ArtetaIn proponent. I won’t say “I told you so” but I am (along with the vast majority of the sensible Arsenal support base) allowed to be a little smug about how well Arteta is doing, despite and against the odds. Arteta has and continues to transform the club, long may it continue.
The progression of the team is a delight to see. This is what The Arsenal is and should be all about. I found Per Mertesackers recent comments about transfer strategy very refreshing and interesting. That the attempt to sign experienced players to close the gap on the top 4 was flawed (I paraphrase but thats about the long and short of it) and the new direction of the club in targeting younger players is the way to go – both in the transfer market and the Alchemists at Hale End. A clear transfer and player development strategy which has demonstrable impact on the pitch – again, exactly what Arsenal should be. We have been blessed with frighteningly high quality talent – now it’s the turn of Richard Garlick and Tim Lewis to prove their credentials in keeping the players with “sensible” contracts long term.
A few other thoughts:
The decision to omit Aubameyang from the squad was ballsy but the right move. A weaker manager would have u-turned by now. But such is the strength of conviction of Arteta, he has stuck to his guns. Aubameyang’s alleged rule-breaking is not indicative of the toxic culture that existed at the club per se, but it is an example that all players, regardless of contract size or considered importance to the side, should all play by the same rules. There needs to be consistency and fairness. Arteta has his infamous “non-negotiables” and has, yet again, been consistent in their application. I personally think Aubameyang is the last of the “fat contract for 30+ year-olds” player we will see at the club now. A painful lesson was learned with Willian and, beforehand, Mesut Ozil. Aubameyang was different as he single-handedly won us the FA Cup and his contract was greeted with widespread celebration. Its a shame how his decline has manifested but its time for him to go. Alleged interest has been received from Newcastle United for his services – which could be a good deal for all concerned.
Gabriel Martinelli has been sensational since he started playing more regularly, with Arteta describing how we need to “cook” him slowly. Like some delicious, melt-in-the-mouth brisket slowly barbecuing on a char grill. I like this. For months, some supporters demanded he played more regularly. However, Arteta has (once again) been proven right with his treatment of Martinelli. He is a delicious footballer (pun intended but also not intended) and it is so great to see this wonderkid develop in the team. Shades of Henry, Anelka and Bergkamp in his play. I pinned him as our top goalscorer before the season started (see my Twitter feed as evidence) and I hope my pre-season prediction comes true.
In the case of William Saliba, I believe Arteta is applying the same logic to his development. He will be back next campaign and his experience and playing time for Marseille will stand him in good stead.
Saka and Smith Rowe. I have run out of superlatives for these boys. F*cking excellent footballers. Examples to young kids. Examples to older experienced players. We are lucky to have them.
Xhaka. Notwithstanding the foul for the penalty against *cheaters* Manchester City, I have warmed to him a bit more since he returned. This is largely thanks to his partnership with Partey. Xhaka is a solid footballer. There is nothing wrong with crunching tackles or being aggressive. He makes mistakes, sure, but I will be sad to see him go when he inevitably does. I hope, genuinely, we sign/find someone as good as him when the time comes. Partey needs a partner (like all good buddy-cop movies) and Xhaka is a solid paring.
Odegaard. If there is anyone left who genuinely thinks James Maddison is better or would be a better addition to this Arsenal side, please put yourselves in the bin.
I, like many others, like this team. We like its trajectory of improvement. It’s resilience. It’s dynamism. Results like Manchester City are disappointing, but if we play like we did against then for as much as possible for the remainder of the season, we may just hear the Champions League Anthem ring out at The Emirates sooner than we think.
