ARSENAL GO TO WAR AGAINST LIVERPOOL AND WIN
How about THAT.
Finally, Mikel Arteta’s boys delivered something majestical against a top 2 side… what an afternoon.
What made the 3-2 win over Liverpool extra special was that it came off the back of a very poor first half. We went a goal up very early, sat back, lost our belief, and let Thiago have his way with us. They snuck back into the game, but somehow, we went into the second half with the lead.
Normally, when the pendulum swings against us (when it’s Liverpool), we just let the story play out their way. The huge question mark at the 45 mark was whether Arteta had a game-changing team talk in his back pocket.
Well, turns out he did.
That second half was the best of the season considering the caliber of the opposition. We flew out the traps, we fizzed into challenges, and we made it count despite conceding first from a sloppy goal. There are some folk complaining that the penalty was soft, but I can’t have it, those are 50/50 in this league, and 70/30 when they go against Arsenal.
The big moment for me was Bukayo stepping up to take it. We all had flashes of England going through our heads. He didn’t, placing the ball hard and to the keepers right. That’s growth, bravery, elite level mentality all rolled into one.
It was a little bit shaky exiting the game, but hey, if you don’t expect to suffer against one of the great sides of European football, you don’t really get the game and I’m gonna have to ask you to stop reading and have a word with yourself.
The ref did his best to let the game roll on forever, but he did eventually close out the game in the 98th minute.
The three points were ours.
Mikel Arteta outfoxed Jurgen Klopp, the German grimacing on the sidelines like someone had slipped 3 grams of something dangerously good into his Lucozade. A thing of beauty.
The Arsenal players believed they were title contenders and decided they’d play that way. We are STILL top of the league after 9 games. So what does this mean? Can we start believing in the T.C. acronym?
Well, October is still a long month, we have to have a little perspective.
We’re only 4 points ahead of Spurs.
We’ll only be 5 points ahead of Chelsea when they win their game in hand.
United, despite their dreadful season, could be just 6 points behind us if the win their game in hand.
The key message for me is that if we have good luck with injuries, we’re in the conversation for top 3 this season. I don’t think Spurs, United, or Chelsea fans would see themselves better placed than Arsenal right now. For once, we’re setting the tone for points and performances.
As fans, we have to remember the job to be done this season: Champions League.
If your expectations have shifted, remember, that is on you. The target it get back into the top competition. Anything else is bonus content.
… but it does feel like we’re in bonus content territory this season.
We have 15 or so players that if kept fit, could sustain a title challenge. It’d be a bit Leicester-like if we did it, but we can make the Europa League work in our favour if we rest key players for it.
Our front three is outrageously good. Bukayo Saka has decided he wants to score goals this phase of the season. 2 goals against a MASSIVE team. That bodes well, he’s fast approaching his best.
Martinelli and Jesus have decided the best way to deal with the Brazil snub is to… play to world-class standards. Those two were outrageously good again today and it feels like a honour to be watching them play for Arsenal.
Martinelli was ridiculous. He was so brutal to TAA, the boy had to be subbed off. His transformation to world class in waiting wasn’t what I expected so early. He’s controlled his Boeing fighter jet-like power with Ferrari precision. He looks like our Starboy right now. It’s literally game-changing.
Thomas Partey and Granit were very poor in the first half, no doubt. But the way they played the second 45 was top, top level.
Tomiyasu played at left back and kept Mo Salah firmly nestled in his pocket for a whole 90 minutes. I barely knew he was playing.
Benny Blanco is basically showing Gareth Southgate he’s an idiot for overlooking him in favor of Connor Coady. Get in the bin mate. This player has some serious things to show you.
Big Gabi at centre back made a bit of a mess for their first goal today, it’s a a pattern right now, they notice it at the club, and it really needs to be addressed. But my word, think of how luxurious our problems are these days when I can cite a defender as good as Gabi being a problem.
This Arsenal team needed that win today. It’s all about hitching a ride on the belief hot air balloon. If we’d lost, it’d be ‘same old Arsenal’, now we’ve won, we have to make sure we don’t fuck it all up by going on a April-like run with Leeds, Southampton and Forest coming up.
The main job over the next 5 weeks is simple: Keep yourself in the title conversation before the World Cup because we can make that tournament work for us because our players are a little too young to be starting for their national sides.
Before I go, let’s drop some credit to Mikel Arteta and Edu. They’ve pulled together a top-class team, under huge online scruting, and they are delivering to their potential. Where are the ‘those signings don’t move the needle’ today? Eating their old tweets. This time last year, after every loss, we had to go through the inane process of hearing how he should be sacked for someone different. Now everyone has deleted their browser history, cleared the cache, and are going all in on the best young manager in world football.
That’s a great feeling. Arsenal are back. The fans are delivering the best support in world football right now. The hope feels like it has some substance behind it.
What journey we’re on.
Right, get on the latest Arsenal Opinion Podcast and I’ll see you in the comments. x