As this match approached it was hard not to feel like an American meteorologist watching a hurricane gaining force out in the Atlantic.
First, it became clear that Lampard was out the door, which would boost any football team on the planet. Soon, Dyche emerged as the only sensible option. Landfall for this perfect storm was an early Saturday fixture at Goodison Park, where we haven’t won for 5+ years.
If you want a defining moment for the game, how about this:
In the 19th minute, after an uneventful opening, Saliba received the ball from Zinchenko and had to deal with a bit of attention from Onana. Everton’s No. 8 was the only blue shirt within 30 yards of Saliba, but he felt harried enough to clear the ball into touch. Onana pumped his fist, and the crowd roared.
This action brought on a five-minute air raid, with a long sequence of corners and crosses that forced us to defend for the first time in the game. More importantly, it got the home crowd going, and the collective drive eventually led to a spell of good chances for Everton.
We’ve seen that in most circumstances, Saliba has the ability to drop a shoulder and make an attacker look silly. Saturday’s match was not “most circumstances”. This was no ordinary new manager bounce we were facing.
Going out was one of the worst coaches in organized football, and with him all the accompanying tactical confusion and low confidence.
Coming in was one of the game’s all-time simplifiers, with a style and gameplan that can be assimilated in just one training session, let alone a whole week.
Compounding that you’ve got a crowd so starved of quality that even the most run-of-the-mill stuff would send them into raptures. Such low standards, matched with the usual indignation and rancour made Goodison Park the perfect launchpad for them and trap for us.
Checking the record Everton’s new managers get off to winning starts, especially if they arrive mid-season. Yes, even Frank Lampard pulled it off.
To manage these circumstances, I think there’s a certain number of little actions that you have to perform under moments of pressure.
Come out with possession enough times, and you reach a critical mass and your opponent’s tail will go down. That tenacity is the foundation for Dyche’s football. It’s the force that squeezes the gap between their lines to the width of a pane of double glazed glass. And on Saturday there was a massive reserve of it because of the freshness of the occasion.
Had Saliba dummied Onana, would the result have been different? Probably not, but that moment felt indicative and it stoked the flames.
Throughout the 90 minutes we made interesting incursions into their half. We wrung some decent chances from their resurgent defence, notably with a Saka volley and an Nketiah slice in the first half. We could have created quite a few more, with a bit more lucidity.
There were about half a dozen moves from back to front that will show up on a YouTube compilation showcasing our slick football, but they’ll leave out the miscommunications, overhit passes and iffy control that killed them, and for which Everton’s back ten deserve some praise.
Looking back, it’s hard to single out a single player who disgraced himself. Maybe Ben White’s passing was a bit loose, and he gave up possession for Everton’s best chance in the first half.
For their goal, we ran out of tall players to mark their many big men, resulting in the mismatch of Odegaard vs Tarkowski. There’s not much you can say about a set piece goal like that. It was a deep cross, and Tarkowski muscled out our captain to get his run at the back post.
On that subject it’s difficult to assess a performance against a Dyche team. Their goals come from split-second instances rather than passages of play. You can be probing, feel like you’re gaining the upper hand, then concede a set piece and suddenly be losing.
The final 25 minutes yielded more promising moments, especially as Everton’s two banks looked a little less ordered.
A sweeping passing sparked panic on the edge of the area, and Maupay’s attempt to shepherd Gabriel off the ball was clumsy. It should have been a penalty, and surely would have been a penalty at the other end.
That was followed by several more flowing moves over the next 15 minutes, with no response from Everton who were puffing at this point. Trossard struck the ball straight at Pickford, A Saka shot was rushed by more committed defending, Trossard curled over after floating into ample space, and a Vieira cutback was just about dealt with.
Any hope of a final flourish was extinguished by a litany of fouls, two hopeful long-shots by Zinchenko and a scuffle instigated by the ever irritating Maupay.
The uniting theme, true at numerous points throughout the match, was a lack of composure, from Saliba’s rushed clearance to Zinchenko’s fight with Maupay when we had more important things to be doing. Let’s hope we can rediscover it against another boisterous team next week.
Birdkamp.
Positively Arsenal 
Excellent read, I must admit to hoping you would make sense of the game, because I couldn’t. I also think there was a general lack of urgency throughout the game, although I do believe we were at our most dominant in the 15 minutes before they scored, we did seem to be getting on top to a degree that I thought we would win. However, after they scored I didn’t see us equalising without a moment of individual brilliance, one which Rddie actually had, but Martin skied the perfectly laid off ball.
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Very fair analysis.
I felt Everton were good value for the 1-0 win, if you like that sort of thing. Their new found energy, tenacity and belief no doubt thrilled their supporters who should surely be asking more obvious questions – namely, how come you play like that NOW, and not before? Player power v hapless mismanagement? Or a bit of both?
As a fixture for Arsenal this one was a banana skin served up on a red flags platter and we all know this particular drill: lunch time kick off, chippy, bitty northern fixture featuring added New Manager Bounce. Any one of those can be relied upon to darken our weekend so all three together was a death sentence.
People say the hallmark of this season’s Arsenal has been our ability to pick ourselves up right away after a setback, rare as these have been. Without being unduly critical, it’s worth mentioning this was our second defeat in succession having surrendered up our FA Cup run to City 8 days ago.
A northern club we are about to play again.
Twice, in fact.
Let’s all pray Pep doesn’t decide to move on; I daren’t check the kick-off times.
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Yeah the red flags were there and we all said so.before the game. Against the growlers sides everyone knows you need to move the ball quickly or you get hit and come towards the ball or you will lose it. Both of which we failed to do throughout the game which makes you question the coaching before the game. We will have to be more prepared for foreseen circumstances in the future.
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Thanks George and Andrew. I was out for this one, with the dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park in fact, and watched the full 90 mins when I got home.
Also just saw I messed up the double-glazing analogy. I was trying to describe that airtight gap between the two panes of glass. I was looking out of the window a lot!
I think this was the first game in which we really missed Gabriel Jesus. His footwork in tight spaces is immaculate, and he’s dominated more imposing CBs than Coady and Tarkowsky. He could have given them something different to think about.
That’s nothing against Nketiah; they’re different players with different skillsets.
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‘First, it became clear that Lampard was out the door, which would boost any football team on the planet.’
Win lose or draw, propa* poetry will keep the punters coming back for more.
Thank you BK.
*dont take my word for it football fans do like to sing etc.
We knew he was super quick but I agree the most astounding facet of Jesus’ play this season for me not having watched him up close has been his strength up against the CBs drawing them in then dancing past them.
Just having another main striker available would’ve been good yesterday and a match fit ESR could’ve had more joy in this fixture then MO the game.
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< A second striker off the bench and rotating MO & ESR through the game
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Thaks Birdy: a very fair and balanced response to as disappointing day at the office. I wasn’t able to get to a television until we had conceded the goal, but the moment I began watching one thing struck me in particular. This is not maant as an excuse at all, but rather an observation. The pitch seemed both slow and bumpy, conditions far removed from the slick carpet we enjoy at home. It seemed to me that our passing was slow, the ball often not arriving until Evertonians had surrounded the recipient. I saw Eduardo comment that we did not adapt at all, and I remember being frustrated with Arsene’s teams in similar situations, causing me to wonder whether the side ever practices a more robust and direct approach – or indeed, whether any of the Colney training areas are maintaned in a way that would begin to replicate the conditions likely to be encountered ihn the upcoming match. It is lovely to watch free-flowing football, and I am sure that the players enjoy pinging the ball about and constructing intricate patterns. However, there are surely times when a more pragmatic approach would pay dividends.
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FP, yeah I didn’t know that was part of GJ’s game either. I knew he was a tenacious runner and obviously had technical quality, but that was about it. If the worst comes to the worst, and this is the start of a slump, we could get an enormous boost when he returns.
The atrophy on his right leg looked mad a few weeks ago. Dunno how long it takes for an athlete to build muscle again.
I’ve got used to ESR being unavailable but he’s also direct and makes smarter off-the-ball runs than Martinelli. Want him back, and I’m obsessed with Reiss Nelson. It’s been two months now, but what he showed before that injury was tantalising.
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Hold up, he was well on the way a month ago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnApTPPMOPi/?hl=en
It’s like an 80s action movie montage, only with a Bossa Negra soundtrack.
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Recently watched the highlights of Nelson’s glorious return to the 1st team before the WC break. Incredible scenes that brought a smile to many fans.
Hopefully he’ll be back soon.
The evidence available indicates that the arseblaggers our there do not have the footballs to appreciate what a blow it is losing two top class squad players like Nelson and Elneny who’d proved themselves on the pitch of late and had the coach’s trust.
How Arteta coped without Xhaka last season when he was out for a spell (using Elneny who had been at the peak of his career prior to this injury) gives me some hope he has the intent to find a solution. That the club went crazy trying to find a replacement for Elneny tells us more about the Football then many of the online trolls have ever done.
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Tricky away games eh looks like we all have them city lose again
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Ironically manure probably the most likely team to win the league on current form.
People will say their to far behind but we made up ten points in the final ten games under Arsene so it’s definitely possible especially with strange league this year with Liverpool and Chelsea now classed as mid table sides but capable of beating anyone on their day and one would assume both will be better by April.
Historically, when we are doing well, February has been a black month for us (which includes a games against city and in form Brentford) plus a run in of games that includes away games at West ham, pool, city and Newcastle away and Chelsea and Brighton at home all interspersed with European games the second half of the season looks very tough indeed.
Guaranteed fourth place needs to be achieved before anyone can realistically talk about going for the title.
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our EPL fixtures before we resume EL
Brentford H
Manchester City H
Aston Villa A
Leicester City A
Bournemouth H
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Even the women’s team only got a draw so crap results for both teams.
It is interesting but predictable that Jesus comes up with the first game we lose, in the league, in ages.
Certainly in the later stages of this game it wouldn’t of been either or with him and Eddie but both.
With the sleepy Odegaard losing out throughout the game I actually think Jesus would of dropped into the ten role
Having said that I really don’t think this was a matter of personnel but of the coaches not emphasizing the need to move the ball quickly and that all of Dyche’s teams will not give you a second on the ball.
We did learn a few things from the game, firstly the above, secondly Mikel’s traditional late substitutions weren’t about tactics but lack of trust with players on the bench and now the bench is stronger his subs are regularly coming earlier and thirdly it’s difficult to see much use for Vieira this season and maybe in other circumstances he would of been loaned out. He may go on to be a great player but at the moment he’s just not ready.
How big does this make the Brentford game now!!!
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Ian, when it comes to GJ and Nketiah, I think there are games that are made for one or the other, though I’d love to see us try both at some point.
I personally think it might have been a different story had Nketiah started at Old Trafford. The ball was bouncing around their box all afternoon, and what we needed was someone with that ability to be in the right place at the right time. There have been other games like that where we could have done with his finishing much earlier—Southampton for sure.
GJ meanwhile is a superstar in all other aspects. Check this out: https://fbref.com/en/players/b66315ae/Gabriel-Jesus
He practically leads the way in almost every facet of attacking play. If you want to get a foothold high up the pitch, “earn the right to play your game”, and pull CBs around to open up space for Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard and Xhaka, he’s your man.
I think his physicality is definitely best harnessed as a striker. I don’t know how other people felt, but the first time I saw him in preseason, I immediately started thinking we could set our sights higher than a battle for fourth. I hope we can replicate that lift when he comes back.
Anticipating how a game will pan out and who will be needed is obviously a challenge. But I think Nketiah has earned consideration as a starter whatever happens.
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That is the best goal that Kane has ever scored in my honest impartial & unbiased opinion.
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My expectations are set for 4th don’t want to get my hopes to high.
Man utd look a genuine threat and they are getting decisions go their way at the moment and their form has improved.
Re Nketiah and Jesus, I got Nketiah as the better finisher and I got Jesus as the better baller who can play multiple positions better than Nketiah. Start of the season I thought they would be too similar but I think there’s enough difference between the 2 to keep the op guessing.
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My expectations are set for 4th don’t want to get my hopes to high.
Man utd look a genuine threat and they are getting decisions go their way at the moment and their form has improved.
Re Nketiah and Jesus, I got Nketiah as the better finisher and I got Jesus as the better baller who can play multiple positions better than Nketiah. Start of the season I thought they would be too similar but I think there’s enough difference between the 2 to keep the op guessing.
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I think Eddie is the better finisher no doubt but the other aspects of his game are good as well. He chases and competes for everything especially in the air (where GJ doesn’t). As regards his all round play he battles for every ball played up to him, always comes short to show for the midfielders and rarely loses possession.
GJ will come even deeper and has more creativity and vision. On days when MO is proving ineffective I definitely think that Eddie should continue the striker role and Jesus play just behind.
I think when everyone is fit the fact we have MO, GJ, ESR and Trossard who can all capably play that role is excellent.
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I remember Ian’s comments this time last season!
As we used to with ZimPaul, being the experts that we are, I have looked at the league table.
Utd on five defeats after twenty matches.
City now on four.
Newcastle with just the one but ten draws, their GD is too far off at the moment for them to indicate they can do more then top four..
All of which means there is some wiggle room there in the L column for the Gunners over the testing months ahead.
Given the favourites already have four, I speculate that this season’s title winners can afford a total of five or six league defeats. More then recently but such a pattern/number has often been the case for a title winner.
COYG.
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My comments last season before the ten game run in (when everyone was suggesting it was bang on we would get top four) was based on seasons and seasons on major movement in those last ten games, indeed we made up ten points on manure one year when we won the league.
If you look at our black February and the ten game run in, there are lots of games that are eminently losable. Especially as this season seems to have a dearth of teams whose form could massively change.
I’m certainly not saying we can’t win the league this season but I do think we are months away from thinking it will be a reality.
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The man city situation is interesting, historically football organisations tend to blow big trumpets at the start of these procedures only to reverse or come up short when it comes to the crunch.
The ARSENAL history society details the early days before southern teams had power and how Liverpool and manure paid money for their titles. In fact that was indirectly how we entered the top division after they tried to make their previous fraud right.
Come to modern day and although it certainly seems city have been corrupt in all sorts of ways not just FFP, we must state the obvious and say where are chelski and manure in all this.
Those two clubs led the way in the very dark behind the scenes ways since the corrupt PL has rocked up and changed football.
The Italian old Lady has been caught several times with her fingers in the till but in England it always seems to be ignored.
The other obvious thing this highlights is just how the miracle that Arsene produced on a shoestring was even bigger than most imagined and showed just how ignorant a large number of ARSENAL fans.
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Of course on the upside, Casemiro’s red card was as welcome as Romero’s was funny. I’d be amazed if united don’t pay the price of his dismissal with several points.
Spurs ability to mitigate our having to celebrate their win over city by having a player sent off was next level Spursy, if you ask me. Just brilliant.
Aye, this campaign has plenty more twists and turns ahead, for sure.
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things going a bit tits up for our /u18 side in their away game v watford u18’s in the FA Youth Cup, went a goal down in the first minute, an own goal by Lino Sousa, and then 2-0 down 13 minutes in, have found it tough going to make any clear chances, we had one very good one. Half time now, 2-0 down, need a really big second half from the lads
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Cozier-Duberry scores a penalty to get us back in the game,
Nwaneri comes on now
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kamara who came on at half time, won the penalty, has now scored to level the game at 2-2
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Rosiak has now made it 3-2 to Arsenal
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Rosiak is our right back, he actually scored by putting away the rebound after the watford keeper had saved from sousa our left back
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Fuck me 3-2
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Cozier-Duberry scores his second penalty, to make it 4-2 to the Arsenal, the penalty was won by schoolboy myles lewis-skelly who has been very impressive in this game
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Now 4-2 another pen
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FT: Watford u18’s 2-4 u18’s
13 minutes into the game we were 2-0 down, 13 minutes into the second half we were 4-2 up, great comeback for the boys
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Arsenal U18’s will play Cambridge United U18’sor Sheffield Wednesday U18’s at home in the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals. The game will take place at the Emirates Stadium
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Bradley Ibrahim reminded me so much of Francis Coquelin, in the way he runs and in much of his playing style
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The EPL Brand has to be safeguarded, that is why the EPL will let Man City off with a slap on the wrist, a pointless fine the most likely outcome. EPL can’t have an EPL Scandal, not good for the image.
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Their hot shot lawyers are on it as we speak.
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Ed, I see what you mean about Ibrahim although could do with bulking up a little.
I remember Coquelin, at roughly the same age, dominating Paul Pogba during his first spell at manure. So much so in fact that PP had to be pulled off (our lads only get an orange but heh that’s manure for you)
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I’m really getting bored of this city rubbish, sky news saying clubs want city to be relegated if found guilty. What a load of bollocks why would an independent body give a shit what the clubs think.
City are not going to be relegated and are certainly not going to pay in past titles.
There may be a small points deduction at the start of the next season after the findings and appeal is announced.
Also a transfer ban for one window but most likely a fine which city would love
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Our postponed game against Everton will be played on the first of March.
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We have eight games before the ten game run in starts on April 1st.
I think we will need to carry a seven point lead into that period to stand a chance of winning the league. That allows for two losses and a point to clear GD.
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Arsenal U21’s lost 2-7 to PSV U21’s in the PL International cup, putting them out of the competition, it was a bit of a mish mash of a selection, with several of the u18’s who would normally have been selected not used as they played last night, and we had four of last nights squad as subs tonight too.
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Arsenal U21s: Hein, Nichols, Awe, Jeffcott, Ismail, Smith, Bandeira, Cirjan, Ideho, Lewis, Sagoe Jr.
Subs: Cooper, Robinson, Kacurri, Cottrell, Roberts, S-E. Oulad M’hand, Kamara
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Lots of insinuation that Arsenal linked people and specifically Arteta are complicit with the accusations against City. Some bordering on libellous
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Ian I’ve been reading & learning from you & other commentators here every season. Thank you all.
A 7 point lead in April does not sound easy.
if the Gunners can keep those L’s to a minimum…
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7 point lead in April sounded like madman talk at the start of the season, saying it in
Feb is still just as mad, my head says will we even have a lead in April?
Gonna just try and enjoy it as long as the feel good factor lasts.
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I’m not saying I believe we will have a seven point lead but I think that’s what we will need looking at the difficulty of our final ten fixtures.
There are four really tough away games and two really tough home games. If you then consider the end of season surprise form of some of the bottom teams as well I think our run in might make us pay for the easier fixtures we had at the start.
However we have won games where most of us didn’t think we would pick up all three points so that’s what we have to hope for going forward in the meantime I totally agree with Gee that we should enjoy the lead for as long as it last.
The only problem is as an old ARSENAL fan said to me when I was very young “football will break your heart”
Actually it’s the only guarantee that any football fan can truly have.
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afcstuff
@afcstuff
·
2h
Arsenal Player of the Month winners so far this season:
August: Gabriel Jesus 🇧🇷
September: Granit Xhaka 🇨🇭
October: Granit Xhaka 🇨🇭
November: Ben White 🏴
December: Bukayo Saka 🏴
January: Oleksandr Zinchenko 🇺🇦
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FT: Man Utd 2-2 Leeds Utd
leeds went 2 up but its ends in a draw, meaning man utd are now 7pts behind Arsenal, having played 2 games more
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By the way thanks Fins for the complement and of course I always read your posts with interest as well as you are very knowledgeable.
I like to think I have got some stuff right over the years however as yourself and all regular readers over the seasons know I also got alot of things embarrassing wide of the mark.
Like George and others I like to think I can admit the times when I have been wrong something the Anti ARSENAL wobs will never do.
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If miracles did happen and city were docked points this season we would need a maximum of 14 wins from our remaining 18 games to win the title.
Ten Of those games are at home.
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