Ahh… Finally I got to watch a league game live again. And what a comfortable afternoon it was.
What made me smile?
The set piece goals are back! Nicolas Jover obviously put in an extra shit to get the ball rolling again. Hahaha – I was supposed to say “shift” there, but reading the sentence back with the typo makes for much better reading.
I love the idea of Nic spending extra time on the shitter getting rid of his demons until he got the tactical approach right.
Yes. I am a man-child that gets amused by such toilet humour.
In something not related directly to the game, it was nice to see Arseblog’s liveblog back after not being present for the Bayern game. It didn’t occur to me how much I used the liveblog as a bit of a companion when I watch most games, and kind of adds to my own match day experience. Either way, liveblog or not, I’m glad he’s feeling better. Health comes first and all that.
I quite liked the tribute to Ken Friar too. I’m a bit late to mention, but he truly will be remembered as one of the biggest legends of the club.
What pissed me off?
Everton’s Tarkowski really annoyed me in this match. I can’t exactly remember what it was for, but I just remember thinking “what a dick”.
And then on Match of the Day his comments:
“I thought the referee was very poor today. He was very poor. He gave them so many soft ones in the first half and gave us absolutely nothing.”
Like what’s his problem? I distinctly remember Max Dowman getting penalised for a 50-50 moment at the end of the game. So Tarkowski can really fuck off.
What surprised me?
I truly welcomed the early goal after some good play. I was expecting a complete onslaught at this point, where we put the game to bed early. Teams like to play the low-block against us, so I was looking forward to a game where a team had to come out and we’d be able to counter them.
But instead, I recall Everton having a very solid 15ish mins straight after our opener which I found surprising. It amounted to nothing and we gained control of the match shortly after, however I was a very tiny bit concerned at the time.
What worries me?
Gabriel going down had me very worried. Especially with Saliba still recovering, we need Big Gabi and Konsa to be wrapped in bubblewrap in between games.
Losing Saka is already a pain in the arse – it leaves us even short in an already light forward line.
Thankfully Gabi made a miraculous recovery – and scored the second! He’s such a fantastic player. And don’t forget Konsa too. At a time where our forwards leave a lot to be desired, the defence continues to carry the team.
Although I did hear some concerns about Calafiori carrying something. Hopefully it’s just something minor.
What does it mean?
It’s the mighty Fleetwood Town on Tuesday – but I’ll be honest that’s a game I don’t care much for.
My mind is on Liverpool. They’ve slowly started to find their rhythm a bit – and we just don’t win at Anfield. I didn’t watch Liverpool vs Brighton but I was surprised how many Arsenal fans wanted Liverpool to win. I know Brighton deservedly beat us, but there’s no way they would ever sustain a title challenge the way they’re playing.
If results go against us on Sunday against Liverpool then they’d only be three points behind us. I would much rather build up a healthy advantage in the league so we can focus on doing the league/Champions League double. Yes yes – I may be being delusional – but if we get a game-changing forward or two in Jan I think we can achieve something magical.
Song at the whistle
Invincible by TinIe Tempah
It’s been a pretty decent set of results for Arsenal this weekend. We extend our lead at the top of the table for non-cheaters, Chelsea lose to a relegation-battling team, Man Utd continue to rebuild after Fergie left, and Sham City were beaten at Villa Park.
I guess winning at Villa Park isn’t for everyone… but more importantly, City’s defeat means it’s a happy Invincibles Day for us!
Happy Invincibles Day, Gooners.
