TheCable

I bet there was no Arsenal fan with a low pulse and low blood pressure between the hours of 4.30pm and 6.30pm GMT on Sunday 1st September 2019. That was pure heart attack inducing and stomach churning stuff. If I had a portable device to watch the match on, I would be firmly stuck in the loo throughout the game.

Then the match started and I started to wonder what I was worried about. It was all Arsenal until Leno and Kolasinac displayed signs of nervousness by giving away possession just after the 7thminute. Not too long after that we conceded their first goal.

Sokratis went for a ball he shouldn’t have. He probably knew Xhaka would be beaten to the header but why dive in? He should have anticipated that the Spurs player will get the header and waited for the ball or stayed with his man. He did neither. He left Maitland Niles with the job of covering two men and then Sokratis again stopped tracking back, either he anticipated the goal or he believed Leno will bail him out with a save. Leno did his bit but could only parry into a dangerous place for Spurs opening goal.

I have seen a few people blame AMN and Leno for that goal. I think they are wrong. If you are looking for blame, it is all on Sokratis and even then twice over. With the amount of shots and chances Arsenal concede, Leno is easily turning into one of the best Premier League goalkeepers at this time. His parry leading to the goal deserves no criticism in my opinion.

After the opening goal, there was something of a patchy run of play with both sides having a lot of decent chances leading up to the 37thminute when out of frustration Alexandre Lacazette fouled Lamela for a free kick in a decent range for the Spuds. It was the team’s inability to get the ball out after this free kick that contributed to the 2ndgoal. Again if you are looking for someone to blame, this was on Xhaka but the young man perhaps showed himself as someone who doesn’t deal with pressure well. All the talk in his first season was about staying on his feet when diving in for tackles. To then go down in his box with that kind of tackle was reckless and that was not the only sign of recklessness he displayed throughout the match. I am not a member of the anti Xhaka fan club, but he needs to cut out that side of his play. He was lucky to only get a yellow during the match.

The Arsenal first goal just like the Burnley goal he scored was all about the desire, physicality and ability of this one man – Alexandre Lacazette. The goal is so good, it is now getting the special treatment on the club’s website. Go look it up. Didier Deschamps – what are you doing leaving this man out of your squad. Pepe’s pass for the goal was good too. It wasn’t a conventional one. Going into the break at 2:1 must have given the boys a lot of belief. You could also see the fans playing their part. You just wish The Emirates can be as atmospheric and as supporting as this for every single one of Arsenal’s matches.

We had chances – loads of them in the 2ndhalf, we had maybe soft appeals for penalties. We had the shysters on the ropes and you could see why this spuds lot haven’t won away since January. The Guendouzi Aubameyang combination was a joy to behold. PEA made the spuds backline look like statutes.

At the point of the Arsenal second goal, I thought there was only going to be one winner – Arsenal. However considering that we were two nil down, I was ready to take a draw at that point. We almost did win it but for the VAR call on the smallest of offside margin that denied us that beautiful third goal. We also could have lost it at the death if Sissoko was not a motor park tout masquerading as a professional footballer.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want a draw. I don’t think dropping two points is a good thing and I do think this was a missed opportunity but the boys deserve praise for their fight back. You saw belief, you saw application, you saw effort. Some of these were missing in Anfield when they went three down. Yes, this lot were lesser quality opponents but the principles are the same.

I thought Referee Atkinson had a good game. This is the first time I have seen a referee penalize spuds rotational fouling. This type of tactics is one of Pochettino’s key strategy. I thought he should have booked Kane and Alli for diving for both of the fouls he gave against them nearer the end of the match. I have also read that he shouldn’t have blown the whistle before the Arsenal goal that was ruled out. They have apparently been given instruction to let VAR do its job. It is a bit curious why he felt he had to blow the whistle.

I saw a number of David Luiz moves on Kane and these gave me joy. Just like his Burnley game, Luiz was very physical and held his own against the undoubted winner of the diver of the year award.

Someone needs to call young Dani Ceballos aside and ask him to chill when he has to deal with knob heads like Dele Alli. His altercation with him could easily have been blown for a foul the way Alli threw himself down.

Many have commented about Unai Emery’s decision not to play a proper midfield or have again criticized his team selection. I think they are all wrong. This was a gunfight and you don’t come with sleek knives. You go with your fiery front three and hope they do the business for you. Torreira playing less than 70 minutes, Lacazette coming off after signaling that he wanted to points out to the fact that both players were not 100% ready to start at Anfield. Before we second-guess a manager’s selection and tactics, be 100% certain you have the same information as he does on players’ availability.

Baba Grumpy works in financial services in the United Kingdom. He blogs mostly about football at http://babagrumpy.blogspot.co.uk. His Twitter handle is @BabaGrumpy