At last, we are back in the main European competition…The anthem of the CL will ring again at the Emirates. What a thrill already!

We are facing a decent test tonight though. PSV Eindhoven is a well structured team with a clear game plan. They play very direct football on the counter attack, are not shy of pressing and use the wings very effectively. They have a good finisher in De Jong and excellent passers of the ball in Dest, Veerman and Lang but the team is not the best at defending and they concede quite some chances. Losing Sangare destabilized them. Ultimately, I believe this is a game

• For our forwards to run behind their defense. I think that Trossard, G. Jesus and Saka will cause chaos tonight.
• For our midfielders to set the tempo. I would like to see Jorginho, Rice and Odegaard in the middle of the pitch tonight with Jorginho stopping their long range shooting and passing the ball over their defense, Rice adding extra coverage and Odegaard making forward runs and passes
• For our GK and central defenders to deal with crosses
• For our full-backs to block their wingers but also come into the middle of the pitch to destabilize their midfielder. Perfect game to start Zinchenko on the left and Tomy on the right.

So here is my preferred line-up:

Raya – Tomy, Sali, Gabs, Zinchenko – Ode, Jorgi, Rice – Saka, Jesus, Trossard

Here is my prediction: 2-1 to AFC with goals from Saka and Jesus for AFC and De Jong for PSV.

Come on Gunners! Let us get all fired up for our return in the CL!

We definitely dominated the game, in all areas but it was so hard to score and break down a purely defensive minded Everton…They strangely enough played so low and let us control the game…They tried to work some counter attacks or set pieces but hardly created a chance…On our side, we did have some good shots on target especially through Odegaard but Pickford easily blocked them…Luckily, we worked out a beautiful goal out of a corner. Quick passing and finally, the Everton defense was out of position and allowed our super sub Trossard to score a wonderful goal on a Saka pass…0-1, minute 70. The scored remained the same until the end of the game although we could have scored another goal…

Key takeaways:

1. We kept cool and resilient throughout the game
2. Our training on set-pieces since last season are really helping us score goals
3. Trossard has been a wonderful super sub and with Martinelli now down with an injury, will he get the nod ahead of Smith-Rowe, Nelson, Nketiah, Havertz or even Vieira at LFW
4. Arteta made a bold decision in dropping Ramsdale to bring in Raya, who had a good game overall. What is next at GK for our team?
5. We looked more solid in our traditionnal back 4
6. Vieira came in for Havertz in midfield and he did fine but he was not as sharp as when he came in as a sub. Is Vieira more suited to a sub role in the end?
7. Nketiah was well taken care of by Everton’s defense. That defense has heart and some decent players in Branthwaite, Tarkowski and Mykolenko.
8. Martinelli is injured…let us hope we get him back quickly, he is still our best LFW by a mile
9. When is Arteta finally going to give some minutes to ESR?

3 points in the bag and still 2 behind City. Liverpool, Tottenham and Brighton having a good start as well – the race for Top 4 is on. Meanwhile, Man Utd and Chelsea still finding their feet. We finally broke our duck at Everton, at last…

Grades:

Raya – 7, solid and untroubled

White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko – 7, reliable

Rice – 7, steady but lacking a bit of sharpness in his passing and runs

Odegaard – 7.5, good positionnig and some decent shots. Shame he could not score.

Vieira – 6, a decent performance but clearly better playing higher up the pitch

Saka – 7.5, an assist and a threat on his right side.

Nketiah – 6, ran and ran and tried but without any decent output in the end.

Trossard – 8, scored and created. Excellent performance.

Others: 6

What a dramatic way to snatch the 3 points at home against rivals Man Utd! Fighting till the very end to get the win in front of our fans! The game was plagued by frail defending on both sides, plenty of miscued passes, incisive counters and great goals.

Following a good start to the game, Man Utd soon matched our pace and commitment and started becoming dangerous…Havertz misplaces a pass and next thing you know, a few seconds later, Rashford opens the score with another well taken goal against us. The defending was a bit weak on him knowing that two players were on him but we allowed him too much space to place his shot out of Ramsdale’s reach. Min 27…

Min 28 – Captain Odegaard restores parity on a well-constructed placed attach with an astute shot. No time to feel sorry for ourselves or doubt. What a frantic two minutes..

Both teams then have their moments in their game. We could have gotten a PK, Man Utd feel like Ganacho was on side (he was not) when he scored and both teams had their scare…

In the end, our “never give up” attitude was rewarded when Rice awkwardly controlled the ball from a corner kick before shooting hard at the first post. Onana touches it but not enough to keep it out of goal. 2-1 for the magnificient AFC and what a goal for Rice! Min 96.

Min 101…Gabriel Jesus scores on a great counter-attack when Man Utd was trying to score the equalizer. A good run, a little dribble behind the foot to fool the defender and the goal is open, a curling shot and a third goal for THE ARSENAL!

The Emirates is erupting! 3 points against a direct Top 4 rival! 3 points earned in the last minutes of the game…BUT…it was not easy…

What we learned?

1. Havertz needs to up his game and fast. He clearly is a hard working player and he gets himself in good positions to be lethal on the attacking front but so far, he has not been able to contribute to a single goal and he also made an error leading to goal…so, he better wake up soon.
2. The back 4 was back yesterday but it was not as solid as before. Is it because Partey was not playing in front of them? Are we missing Xhaka too? In any case, we were a bit shaky.
3. Our midfield has yet to click it seems. Rice is doing his thing, Ode is doing his thing but we need Havertz to do his thing or even better, and when fit, Partey to join the midfield party (sorry, poor joke…)
4. Nketiah is such a team player so he is great for harrassing teams but Jesus adds more to our attacking plays in terms of variety and runs. Let us see what happens when Jesus is fully fit.
5. Viera is playing better this season but I can’t wait to see more of ESR!
6. Ramsdale is not yet to his best level. Did Raya’s arrival stress him out?
7. Rice is not fazed by pressure. He is doing well in our shirt and hoping he can become a legend for us. His goal is a step in the right direction.
8. Martinelli and Saka were rather industrious vs Utd, it was good to see Martinelli be more effective.

Ramsdale – 6

White – 6

Gabs – 6

Saliba – 6

Zinchenko – 6

Rice – 8

Havertz – 5

Odegaard – 7

Saka – 7

Nketiah – 6

Martinelli – 7

Subs: 6.5

Arteta: 6

COYG!

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

Ramsdale – White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko – Partey, Rice – Odegaard – Saka, Jesus, Martinelli

Subs: Turner (:-() – Tomyasu, Timber, Kiwior, Tierney – El Neny, Jorginho – Havertz – Trossard, Nketiah, ESR

Plus: Hein, RN + 3 other academy players

Out: Okonkwo – Cedric, Trusty, Holding, Tavares – Xhaka, Lokonga – Vieira – Pepe, Balogun, Marquinhos + Runnarson

Shout out to Xhaka for his career with us with all the ups and the lows. He leaves on a high and positive note, good for him.

Our most like first 3 recruits this summer:

• Timber – CB – Ajax, a Dutch international. A young and promising defender, he brings some physicality and pace to our back line and he is not bad at bringing or passing the ball forward, in the tradition of Dutch players. Gabriel and Saliba have a tough competitor to contend with now…
• Rice – DM/CM – West Ham, an English international. A solid performer in the EPL but also at international level, Rice can play at DM and at CM. Good at breaking plays and also at taking on people in the midfield, an astute acquisition but what a price to pay at 105 Mln…
• Havertz – AM – Chelsea, a German international. Considered a prodigy at his beginnings in Germany, he has been struggling a bit since joining the EPL. A hard working player that can play in the midfield and upfront. Versatile, young and talented but quite expensive as well at 65Mln

Does the arrival Timber means the end of the Holding experience at AFC or just the sending of Kiwior on loan?

With the arrival of Rice, there is a question mark on the future of Partey and Xhaka. Let us see. Ideally, we keep both.

With the arrival of Havertz, players like Vieira, Nketiah, Balogun and even ESR may seek a move away from our club.

The Edu-Arteta axis still targeting young, hard-working, technical and versatile players. We have to trust them. I am still baffled by Havertz but gotta trust the process…

Ramsdale – White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko – Partey, RICE – Saka, Ode, Martinelli – G. Jesus

Turner – Tomy, TIMBER, Holding/Kiwior, Tierney – El Neny, Xhaka – Trossard, HAVERTZ, ESR – Nketiah

Still think we can improve our RB position and our back-up GK…I d like to see us go for Frimpong at RB and then M. Sels at back-up GK.

COYG!

So you gave your verdict on the starting XI, now let us see what happens on our bench. Arguable, our lack of depth cost us some points in the last stretch last season so we need to make sure next season to have a well rounded squad to make up for injuries, dips in form or fatigue…

• GK: Turner, Hein.
  • Not convinced by Turner at all. I would suggest moving him on and bringing in a more reliable GK. I likeMaignan from Milan, Mendy from Chelsea, Lafont from Nantes, Meslier from Leeds but they ll probably want to be starters to why not make a move for Mats Selz from Strasbourg. He is a very good GK, highly underrated or Hradecky from Leverkusen.
  • Hein, the jury is out
• RB: Tomyasu, AMN
  • I think Tomy should be kept because he allows us to play in different set-up so I would keep him and I d loan out Kiwior (see below). That said, he may want to be a starter so let us see…Also, if we buy a RB to compete with White, things may change…
  • AMN should be moved on
• CB: Holding, Kiwior, Trusty, Mari
  • Kiwior and Trusty should be loaned out.
  • Holding is a tough one because he is now a club player. He is not great but he is a good squad player. If we buy a new CB to compete with Saliba and Gabriel, then I think he should be sold and thanked for good services. It would be a bit like saying good bye to Chambers.
  • Mari to be moved on
• LB: Tierney, Cedric, Tavares
  • He is a definite keeper for me. I d hate to lose him especially to Newcastle – they would have Trippier on the right and Tierney on the left, it would be a disaster for the rest of the EPL given their crossing abilities…
  • Cedric – not sure about his contract situation but he should be moved on.
  • Tavares – another loan would help him out. I d say Italy would be best for him. He is great going forward but needs to be more disciplined defensively. Lecce or Atalanta would be good destinations.
• DM/CM: Jorginho, El Neny, Lokonga
  • Jorginho and El Neny would be kept.
  • Lokonga – seems the EPL is a bit too much for him yet. He can be sold or loaned out.
  • Xhaka – I d keep him in the squad even if we get Rice. An experienced and valuable player.
• AM: ESR, Vieira
  • ESR, plagued by injury but needs to be kept because when he is fit, he is lethal.
  • Vieira – a tough year for him but he ll get better. A loan in the EPL would do him good. What about Forest?
• RW: Nelson, Marquinhos, Pepe
  • Nelson about to sign a long term contract again. He can be a useful player so I d say sign him up for long and then loan him out again. He needs more game time.
  • Marquinhos – another loan but at EPL level is required.
  • Pepe – the end of the road for our most expensive signing. He had an OK season at Nice. He d do well at Marseilles, Benfica, Leverkusen…Sad it did not work out.
• LW: Trossard,
  • Instant impact and then faded but good to have him on the squad. Must be kept.
• FW: Nketiah, Balogun
  • Two good forwards. Nketiah helped us really well when Jesus was injured and Balogun had a breakthrough season in France.
  • Nketiah and Balogun are both highly rated at home and away. Id hate to sell any of them but maybe we may have to part with one. I can’t decide.

So here are my keepers: Hein, Tomy, Tierney, Jorginho, El Neny, ESR, Nketiah or Balogun. Also interested in keeping Xhaka even if Rice joins us. Here is my back-up team:

SELS – White, Tomy, TARKOWSKI (or Gabriel if we upgrade at CB), Tierney – Jorginho, Xhaka – BOWEN (or Mbeumo, Barnes or Harrisson or Chukwuze or N. Williams or even Rafinha), ESR, Trossard – Nketiah or Balogun

I need to add 3: Hein or Okunkwo, El Neny and Taylor-Hart.

Of course, if Xhaka leaves, we will need a back up CM/DM: Ward-Prowse.