Can Arsenal break their Everton hoodoo? Our last win there was 6 seasons ago!

Tomorrow Arsenal make their way to Goodison Park, a place they haven’t had much success in recent years.

Our results at Everton in previous years is as follows:

2022/2023 – Lost 1-0
2021/2022 – Lost 2-1
2020/2021 – Lost 2-1
2019/2020 – Drew 0-0
2018/2019 – Lost 1-0

In fact, the last time we won was in the 2017/2018 season, when we beat them 5-2 thanks to a Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez masterclass.

That is an atrocious record given Everton are not a good team. Every time this fixture comes around, it’s the same narrative every time – Everton are a team struggling to pick up points, they then play us, make it physical and “turn things around”. We literally hand them 3 points every time to kickstart their season.

Our record in the North West on the whole is poor. Every time we go to Goodison Park, Anfield, Old Trafford or the Etihad, I am filled with dread. I have no idea if it’s the travelling, the distance or just the air, but we have a massive problem when it comes to playing in that area of the country.

So the big question is can we get a result tomorrow? Or will Everton predictably make it tough for us and grind out a narrow win against us?

Leave your thoughts in the comments section and let me know if we can finally break the Everton hoodoo this season!

 

Granit Xhaka cost Arsenal the game, and the title challenge in the process…

Yesterday’s match was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I thought it would be best to sleep on it before posting my thoughts. But the overriding feeling this morning is that despite what happened in those 90 plus minutes, it feels like a defeat.

The problem is Manchester City are a completely relentless beast. In previous seasons they have strung together 12, 13, 15, 16 and even 18 game winning streaks. They have a formidable squad and have a cheat code striker. Looking at their remaining fixtures, you wouldn’t bet against them winning them all.

If we win all our remaining games, we win the league. If Manchester City win all their remaining games, they win the league. Against any other team in world football, you could see them dropping points. But this is Manchester City.

Getting 3 points yesterday was vital as that would allow us to still lose at The Etihad and win the title. 1 point, which ever way you look at it, wasn’t enough.

And the painful thing is that we were 2-0 up and cruising. Arsenal were phenomenal in the first 40 minutes, and were deservedly ahead with Martinelli and Jesus getting on the scoresheet. Arsenal were causing Liverpool all kinds of problems and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson (as well as Virgil van Dijk) were having a torrid time.

Arsenal had Liverpool exactly where they wanted them.

But then it happened. Anfield was as quiet as I’ve ever seen it and Xhaka lit the touch paper. If there were two Liverpool players you didn’t want to hype up and rile it was Alexander-Arnold and Robertson. Martinelli, Jesus and Saka were all over them. Henderson screaming at TAA after Arsenal goals summed up Liverpool’s mental state.

They were done.

I don’t care what anyone says, Xhaka’s actions cost us the game. I am a huge fan of Granit, he is a strong personality and one of the leaders in the dressing room, and this season he has been absolutely fantastic – one of our best players by far. But yesterday, he lost his head when Arsenal were ice cool. We had tamed the beast that is Liverpool at Anfield, and all Xhaka managed to do was to fan the fire.

And it’s no co-incidence that minutes after that incident, Liverpool scored. The crowd were hyped up, the players spirits had been lifted and they were back in the game before half time.

Instead of keeping the Liverpool players on the ropes (they were playing as if Arsenal might score 3 or 4) instead we gave them hope. And at Anfield, that’s the last thing you want to do.

From then on it was all one way traffic. Liverpool were all over us and it was summed up by the possession and shot statistics by the end of the game. If we kept playing the way we were, we would have scored 3 or 4 goals and taken home all 3 points. In the end, it ended 2-2 and we could have lost.

Salah missed a penalty in the 50th minute and at 2-2 with 40 minutes left, we could have got battered like Manchester United did a couple of weeks ago. Once Liverpool and Anfield are rocking, no team can cope.

Fortunately, some excellent defending and even better saves from Aaron Ramsdale saved us from defeat. And the fact that Firmino scored in the 87th minute, meaning we were so close to a historic victory makes it all the more painful.

We should have won that game base on the first, but we also probably should have lost based on the second. If a football match was going to put you through the mill, yesterday was it.

A complete rollercoaster of emotions. I think the most disappointing thing was that after Jesus scored the second goal, I actually believed. Obviously Arsenal have been phenomenal this season, but like most Arsenal fans I suspect you don’t really believe you’re going to win the league until certain tests are passed.

When Arsenal made it 2-0, that was the first time I actually believed we would win the Premier League. In that moment, I thought to myself wow, we’re actually going to do it.

We were so dominant, in complete control and I truly believed that we would go on and win because we were flying at 2-0 up.

But a moment of madness from Granit Xhaka cost us dearly.

You might think to yourself I’m a pessimist but don’t believe the media around our 8 point lead. With Manchester City’s game in hand, it was always a 5 point lead. And now our 6 point lead is only really 3 points as we’ve played one more game than City.

And a 3 point lead at this stage against this relentless machine isn’t enough. We have to go to the Etihad and hope we don’t lose. If Manchester City win that game, the title race is over.

But what do you think? Can Arsenal still do it or is the title going back to Manchester? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

 

Left foot, right foot, headers… how Arteta’s new Arsenal are varying their goal threat

I love Arsenal and one of the things I like to do is put data together to see what’s going on, and one of those things that I’ve noticed this season is the variation in the types of goals we’re scoring this season.

I noticed early on in the season that we’ve been scoring an unusual amount of left footed goals, although that’s in part to having a few left-footed players in the team – Bukayo Saka, Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko just to name a few.

But interesting it seems like Gabriel Martinelli, who is right-footed – has scored a few goals with his left foot even though he plays on the left – so he has a threat coming inside but isn’t afraid to go on the outside either.

And we all remember Saliba’s screamer against Bournemouth (the first game) when he whipped it into the top corner with his left foot.

Take a look below at our goals summary for this season (Premier League goals only):

You will see that Martinelli, Jesus, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saliba, Saka and Trossard all have scored more than 20% of their goals with their weaker foot, and in some cases much higher than that.

Arsenal have scored 62 goals in the Premier League this season – and 3 of those were own goals – which interestingly 2 resulted from right-footed crosses from Saka (Crystal Palace and Tottenham) and the other the very satisfying “header” from ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez from Jorginho’s 20 yard strike.

The variation in the goals Arsenal score is one of the reasons many teams in the Premier League have struggled to stop us scoring. Martinelli and Saka are aggressive on the flanks, and can do damage on the inside or outside, Trossard is essentially two-footed and there is the belief Arteta has instilled into the players that they can play with a freedom and confidence where the players can try things on the pitch.

Given that Arsenal have had 14 goals scorers this season, and 8 of them have scored goals with their weaker foot, that bodes well into the remaining 13 games of the season.

And Reiss Nelson’s winner against Bournemouth? Scored with his weaker foot!

But what do you think? Does this make a difference to our attacking play? Will it help us get over the line? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below!

 

This is THE best Arsenal compilation you will see all season!

I came across this Arsenal compilation this morning after a friend of mine sent it to me, and if you don’t get goosebumps then there’s something wrong with you!

The video was posted by TheArsenalWay, but was actually created by reddit user Inevitable-Tip-6716.

Watch the video, and enjoy! #COYG

 

5 things we learnt about Arsenal from the Bournemouth game

What a match, what a performance – and what a team. If you didn’t believe before yesterdays game, you might have after Reiss Nelson’s dramatic winner.

Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotions, full of ups and downs, but here are 5 things we learned from that game:

1. Reiss Nelson is Arsenal’s Divock Origi

Every winning team needs that player in the squad who for whatever reason, produces moments of magic when needed. And for Arsenal, it’s Reiss Nelson.

He’s hardly featured for us this season, but that’s because he’s struggled with thigh injuries. But in the games he’s played in, he’s produced.

He came on against Nottingham Forest on 27 minutes when Bukayo Saka came off injured and scored twice and assisted once in a 5-0 win.

And yesterday?

He assisted Ben White’s first goal for Arsenal (and our equaliser) before scoring that massively important winner on 97 minutes.

He’s played 85 Premier League minutes and produced 5 goal contributions! Talk about impact.

2. Arsenal’s backup players aren’t good enough

Yesterday was a huge result for Arsenal, and there’s nothing like a last gasp winner to take all 3 points. But I have to inject a (small) dose of perspective. The bottom line is we were 2-0 down and it could have been more if Aaron Ramsdale wasn’t in top form.

In terms of changes to our starting line up there were 2 main ones – we had Takehiro Tomiyasu come in for Ben White, and Fabio Vieira came in for Granit Xhaka.

I love Tomiyasu, I really do but Ben White has been simply outstanding and while both players are excellent defensively, Benny Blanco really adds another attacking dimension when he plays – his interchanges with Saka have been a staple for our success on the right hand side this season.

Football is about rhythm and Tomiyasu hasn’t been in the team enough to be able to just replace Ben White without ramifications. Against Manchester City I thought it was a mistake to start him and he ended up making the mistake for City’s first goal.

If Arsenal want to keep winning, they need to keep starting Ben White.

Then we have Fabio Vieira. Arteta clearly backs him, but while he’s a skilful player he’s not at the level Granit Xhaka is. Xhaka is a leader on the pitch and has hugely influenced games this season. He also has excellent link up play with Zinchenko, Partey and Odegaard.

I’m sure Vieira will prove to be an excellent signing for Arsenal in the future, I’m not sure throwing him into games in the business end of the season is the way to do it.

3. Martin Odegaard must stay on corner duties

When Arsenal have corners from the right side, it’s either Bukayo Saka or Martin Odegaard who takes them. But yesterday, when Odegaard took them the majority of the deliveries were excellent. He sent in a great delivery when we should have had a penalty (one of many) and he put it in a great place which ended up being headed out for Reiss Nelson’s last minute stunner.

4. Aaron Ramsdale is England’s best goalkeeper

I’m not sure how this guy isn’t England’s Number 1 yet. In so many games this season, when it’s been 0-0 or we’ve been behind, he’s made a massive save. He did it against Aston Villa when it was 2-2, and he did it yesterday when we were 1-0 down. He consistently pulls of huge saves which have ended up with Arsenal winning matches.

I don’t know what else he needs to do to start for England as he has been absolutely sensation this season and is one of the reasons we’re still 5 points clear of Manchester City.

5. The mentality of this team is outrageous

Every team suffers a blip this season and we had it when we lost against Everton, drew against Brentford and then lost again against Manchester City. But at Aston Villa when it looked like we’d leave Villa Park with a 2-2 draw, Jorginho pulled a rabbit out of the hat, and yesterday we all know what Reiss Nelson did.

Whatever the score, and whatever the situation, this team keep going right to the end. No-one’s heads go down, no-one sulks or moans – these players are mentally monsters and never, ever give up. The mentality Arteta has instilled in this young side is nothing short of miraculous.

Could you see Aubameyang fight to the end? We’ve got rid of players who only care about the money and flash cars, and now have a squad of players who will fight for each other, fight for the club and fight for the fans. And never give up.

I honestly haven’t seen mentality like this since The Invincibles team.