Overall, we dominated the game after conceding the first goal…We, however, did not defend well on their last corner and then gave away more chances for them to win against us although they were 1 man down…A poor show of discipline and maturity and killer instinct….This will cost us more against bigger teams…The performances have been paradoxical this season: at times, we dominate so much and yet we find ourselves in situations where we have to grind out wins at the end of the game or in losing points stupidly…

Like other fellow bloggers, I do feel that we were more solid last year with White, Saliba, Gabs, Zinchenko as our traditinnal back 4…We have been missing Gab’s areal ability, it is not to say that Partey has not been playing well but we are missing his (and Xhaka’s – see below) presence in midfield and we have been missing Gab in our back line. I hope that Arteta goes back to what was tried and tested last season with success.

Another ingredient that we have been missing is Xhaka’s presence in midfield. So far, Havertz – despite some hard working attitude and decent runs/passes – has not been able to pick up where Xhaka left off. No assists, no goals and no breaking-play fouls to day. It does not mean that he will not get there and maybe even be better but at the moment, it seems that the task is too steep for him and he needs more time to settle in into this new role.

So, ultimately, Arteta needs to reflect objectively on our performances and our results and hopefully, he will go back to our usual back line, put Partey back in the middle…

Ramsdale – 5

Partey – 6

White – 5

Saliba – 6

Kiwior – 5

Rice – 6

Ode – 6

Havertz – 5

Saka – 6.5

Trossard – 6

Martinelli – 6

Subs: Nketiah 6.5, Vieira 6.5, Jorginho 6, Zinchenko 6

Arteta: 5

A game to forget and yet to lean from so we can build a stronger team…Next up is the Man Utd armada…

PS: A big thank you to TIERNEY for his outstanding attitude and positive contribution to our team while he played for us. Wishing him happiness and success in Spain!

PPS: Our strongest starting XI according to me at this stage:

Ramsdale – White, Saliba, Gabs, Zinchenko – Partey, Rice – Odegaard – Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli

A tale of two matches into one:

• First match – 11 vs 11, Arsenal dominating and suffocating Palace. After a few tricky minutes, AFC took the measure of its opponent with great plays from Partey, Ode, Saka, Eddie and Martinelli and a solid defensive display. With a bit of trickery, Eddie gets a PK when CP nods off in the wake of a free-kick. Odegaard expertly takes it and we are up one nil…deservedly so. Besides some interesting movements from Eze, Edouard Ayew, nothing really dangerous from the host team…But after the goal, we started slowing down the game rather than going for the kill and add a second…And due to poor refereeing, Tomy gets 2 yellow cards back to back and then the second match start…

• Second match – 11 vs 10, Palace putting pressure on Arsenal. After the send off, we dropped down and let C.Palace attack…but for some reason, we took Martinelli out although he is our faster player and hence the only player that could have kept Palace a bit wary of our counter-attack…Somehow, our defense with the help of the subs (Zin, Jorginho, Kiwior…) and amazing displays from Partey and Rice kept Palace from scoring and we leave with 3 points in the bag.

Ramsdale – 6, a decent display and a scare…

Partey – 8, what an engine vs Palace! Outstanding performance and a big improvement on his passing skills and selection.

White – 6, seems tender at times but kept his nerves to see the game through with his teammates.

Saliba – 7, our defensive rock.

Tomy – 6, unfair send off and was good before that…

Rice – 8, great at shielding our defense, good passing and some timely offensive runs as well. Adding steel to the midfield for us.

Odegaard – 7, a poor start and then a positive contribution, including a well-taken PK.

Havertz – 5, still looking for his place in the team but continues to work hard. His partners did not seem to be impressed with his movement but welcomed his defensive contributions. Arteta is going to have to make a decision about benching him or Gabriel. I d rather bench Havertz…

Saka – 7.5, what a joy to watch such an exciting and committed player. Another great display.

Eddie – 7. missed 2 chances but gets us the PK and worked hard. A fighter!

Martinelli – 6. Not his best display.

Subs: 6 to all.

MOTM: Partey and Rice for me.

6 points in the bag for now and 2 difficult wins out of the way.

Main question mark is on Havertz and on the benching of Gabs….Seeing White at RB, Partey in the mid and Havertz on the bench would not be too displeasing to me.

COYG!

We bagged three points at home against a limited yet brave N. Forrest team.

Besides a few minutes to get the engine roaring, our team took matters in its own hands in the first half and really dominated N. Forrest in all areas of the pitch and it was only natural – and fitting – that our academy product Nketiah scored our and his first goal of the season…Our star academy product Saka then produced a moment of magic with a wonderful goal…Arsenal 2 – 0 N. Forrest 🙂

In the second half, we struggled a bit more especially after Timber’s exit due to injury. We conceded a soft goal and then somehow held on to victory.

Arteta sending a signal to the EPL that we have more options now by playing Partey at RB and Timber at LB…Worked well in the first half but to be honest, I d be happy to go back to our usual line ups and to put Havertz on the bench…

Ramsdale – 6

Partey – 6

White – 6

Saliba – 7

Timber – 7

Rice – 6

Ode – 7

Havertz – 6

Saka – 8

Nketiah – 7

Martinelli – 7

Gabriel, Tomy and Trossard: 6

It is always nice to start a season with a trophy. The Community Shield is not the most glamorous or important trophy for a Club but it is better to win it 🙂

So what did we learn from yesterday’s game?

1. Man City will be heavy favourites for this season, yet again and despite losing players like Gundogan and Mahrez…They control the ball and the game very well and will be hard to beat in any competition.
2. The new rules are strict, gave us yellow cards but also plenty of time to score the equalizer
3. How Saliba is key to our team and defensive stability. Let us hope he stays fit and focused
4. How Tierney is now down the pecking order, even at LB…Timber playing LB was interesting…
5. Rice had an OK game but more worryingly, Partey played much better without Rice…This partnership needs to grow and quickly! Worthy note that the goal conceded came right after Rice and Timber were replaced though
6. Havertz is a hard worker but he needs to work on his finishing. Once he finds his German League scoring boots again, he will be a massive asset for us. Until then, he is a useful player to have…
7. Saka, Ode, Martinelli still need to absorb the pre-season but they showed glimpses of their brilliant selves
8. Ramsey and White were reliable and industrious already.
9. Trossard still being a great impact player for us and it was nice to see ESR full of running and desire yesterday
10. Vieira scored the winning PK but does he have a future in our team this season…Nketiah, was also a good addition
11. Arteta will have plenty of yellow cards, it s so nice to see his passion on the touch line

Ramsdale – 7

White – 7

Saliba – 8

Gabriel – 6

Timber – 6

Rice – 6

Partey – 6

Ode – 6

Saka – 6

Kai – 5

Gabi – 6

Tierney – 5

Trossard – 7

ESR – 6

Fabio – 6

Eddie – 6