MATCH REPORT: Arsenal 2-0 West Ham United

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Arsenal (0) 2 West Ham United (0) 0

Premier League

Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park, London N5 1BU

Wednesday, 15th December 2021. Kick-off time: 8.00pm

(4-4-1-1) Aaron Ramsdale; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, Kieran Tierney; Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Gabriel Martinelli; Martin Ødegaard; Alexandre Lacazette.

Substitutes: Emile Smith-Rowe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Rob Holding, Nicolas Pépé, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mohamed Elneny, Eddie Nketiah, Arthur Okonkwo.

Scorers: Gabriel Martinelli (47 mins), Emile Smith-Rowe (87 mins)

Yellow Cards: Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale

Arsenal Possession Percentage: 57%

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn

Fourth Official: Peter Bankes

VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Chris Kavanagh; AVAR Sian Massey-Ellis

Attendance: 59,777

If we can chalk up another home win tonight, in this white-hot London derby atmosphere, then our subsequent victory will see us leapfrog our visitors (as well as Manchester United), and attain fourth position in the Premiership; of course, our opponents tonight, West Ham United, will also demand success as they too, wish to advance further up the table as well. Either way, we can expect an exciting match here tonight, we can all be sure of that!

Before tonight’s match, everyone in the stadium gave a minute’s applause in memory of 1971 “double” winner, Ray Kennedy, who passed away recently. The match started off with both teams treating each other rather gingerly in the early stages, with very few tackles being committed by either side, and passes going here, there and everywhere. After a free kick conceded by Thomas Partey, the visitors eventually fired the effort high and wide, and within a minute or so, it was our turn for a free kick to be awarded, when Alexandre Lacazette was fouled by Declan Rice. Granit Xhaka’s shot bounced off the West Ham defensive wall, and then the first incident of the match happened, when it looked like Kieran Tierney was elbowed by Vladimir Coufal; referee Anthony Taylor decided nothing was too bad, and gave a free kick to us which went nowhere sadly. The match started to pick up a bit after these early incidents, and we started to dominate the match, playing a good, strong, high-press game. Anthony Taylor went over to the Arsenal bench to speak to the backroom staff over an infringement, and in this close contest, Michail Antonio went to the floor after grappling with Thomas Partey, in which the West Ham striker came off second best. And still we kept coming forward; Bukayo Saka went down in the visitors’ penalty area, when he drew back his left foot to shoot on goal, but he caught Arthur Masuaku in the process. Neither player was injured badly, and our domination continued. Just before the half hour mark, we had a penalty appeal denied when Alexandre Lacazette went down in the West Ham penalty area after getting contact with the ball, and although the match was a bit over-spirited at times, Arsenal were certainly the best side on the pitch at this point in the game. We were fortunate not to be one goal down, when totally gainst the run of play, Pablo Fornals curled a long range effort from the edge of the penalty area that just went by Aaron Ramsdale’s left hand post, and this incident merely spurred the visitors to wake up and bring the game to us, with Arthur Masuaku shooting side of the Arsenal goal, thankfully. With five minutes of the first half remaining, a massive sliding block from Craig Dawson prevented Martin Ødegaard scoring, but the ball fell to Kieran Tierney, who whacked a twenty yard effort that Lukasz Fabianski tipped onto the bar. This is now our best period of the match so far; Alexandre Lacazette’s shot was pushed away by Lukasz Fabianski, then Gabriel Martinelli followed up but with the West Ham keeper scrambling to his knees to apply pressure he shot wide. No goals at half-time, but lots of intelligent, exciting play from our chaps.

Arsenal kicked off the second half, and within a minute of the restart, a good movement saw Bukayo Saka blast the ball over the bar. A minute later, we scored the opening goal of the night when young Gabriel Martinelli made a move and charged on to collect Alexandre Lacazette’s neat pass before stroking a precise, low shot into the bottom corner of the West Ham net. A superb goal. This certainly inspired us, and we came forward, hunting, looking for more goals. The visitors tried to catch us on the break, but Jarrod Bowen’s shot was tipped away by Aaron Ramsdale shortly afterwards. Alexandre Lacazette was brought down just outside the visitors penalty area, and a well-taken free kick was taken by Martin Ødegaard that was well saved by Lukasz Fabianski, who dived correctly to his left hand side, after which Gabriel Martinelli was booked for a pointless infringement on the West Ham goalkeeper. The visitors then had a period of bringing the match to us and made several spirited attempts to score, all of which failed, thankfully. Emile Smith-Rowe replaced Martin Ødegaard after sixty-four minutes, and a minute or so later, we had a penalty awarded to us when Vladimir Coufal brought down Alexandre Lacazette; the West Ham man received a red card, and Lukasz Fabianski saved it! With the visitors down to ten men, Arsenal now had a significant advantage, not just with numbers, but tactically as well. Hearts were in our mouths when Takehiro Tomiyasu headed the ball back and past Aaron Ramsdale, but coolly, our goalkeeper recovered to pick the ball up with no problems at all. With fifteen minutes of the match remaining, Gabriel was unlucky not to score, when his acrobatic scissor kick sent the ball inches wide of the post, and after a superb movement, Bukayo Saka was desperately unlucky not to score when his left footed shot was blocked by a West Ham defender. Gabriel Martinelli was replaced by Eddie Nketiah with eight minutes of the game remaining, and suddenly, the visitors were putting us under pressure desperately looking for a goal. It mattered not, as with three minutes of the match left on the clock, we broke at speed and Bukayo Saka found Emile Smith-Rowe, who cut inside and fired the ball the other way into the bottom corner for our second goal of the evening. Alexandre Lacazette was replaced by Nuno Tavares, and almost immediately, West Ham were awarded a free kick just outside our penalty area for an infringement by Thomas Partey. The wall did its job and the danger passed. In the five minutes’ injury time, we had one or two opportunities to grab a third, but the match ended with a two-nil win for Arsenal.

Tonight, all in all, the chaps did very well indeed. We were by and large the dominant team out there tonight, and at times, it looked as if they were going to get three or four goals from open play, but hey, it was a great result, and tonight we are fourth in the Premiership. Now, who would have thought that was possible back in “Bloody” August? There were some outstanding performances tonight; Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli were truly exceptional, and Alexandre Lacazette, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu were excellent too. Let’s see if we can continue this winning formula at Elland Road late on Saturday afternoon, and to go into the Christmas period being fourth in the Premiership (and semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, hopefully), would be a fabulous Christmas present for us all. We’ll see.

Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday, 18th December at 5.30pm (Premier League). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Steve

Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon.

Auba OUT, new deal for Laca and a stellar January signing

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Yesterday I made the statement that Aubameyang should never play for Arsenal again.

This was not a knee jerk reaction.

His recent form justified him being dropped. We were already looking to get in a new striker in January. His disciplinary issues now take him beyond being dropped and into being sold territory.

But if Aubameyang leaves in January, what happens next?

Firstly a lot will depend on what happens with Aubameyang. Whether we get a few for him. Whether he leaves on a free transfer, or is loaned out for 6 or 18 months.

Maybe Newcastle United will come in. Make him their stellar signing for January. Money for salaries won’t be an issue for them.

Barcelona are also desperate for a striker.

They have been linked with Edison Cavani in recent days. I am not sure what their financial restrictions are and whether that will block a deal for a new striker.

If they are allowed to sign Aubameyang, I can see maybe an 18-month loan deal being suitable for both parties.

Barcelona get the striker without a fee, Arsenal get the wages off their books.

And then there is China.

Before joining Arsenal he looked on the verge of disappearing into oblivion in the Far East.

It perhaps shows the motivation of the man that at 28-years-old he was pushing for a love to China.

Do they still have money out there? Are they still splashing the cash? I do not know.

Personally, I think we need to get rid of him regardless of fee. Either a free transfer or an 18 month loan deal where his wages are paid.

So let’s assume we get no fee for him. The move would still be beneficial for Arsenal as we could reinvest his £250k a week contract.

Aubameyang’s contract costs the club £13m a year. An accounting rejig splitting the amount across salary and amortised transfer fee could see Arsenal lose Aubameyang for nothing, spend big on a replacement and not have too much change on our yearly outgoings.

One target is Dusan Vlahovic.

The Serbian is reportedly on just £26k a week. Arsenal would likely nearly quadruple his salary to £100k a week if we signed him. That would be a £5.2m contract.

Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso has reportedly slapped a £77m transfer fee on his young striker.

Amortised over a 5-year deal, that would cost Arsenal £15.4m a year.

So a move for Vlahović would cost Arsenal around £7m a year more than what Aubameyang is currently costing the club.

It is an increase but not a significant one.

Outgoings would be further reduced as Arsenal will save a potential £2.5m a year if Eddie Nketiah leaves on a free next summer – and Nketiah would not need replacing.

If we could push Fiorentina closer to £60m, we could end up in a situation where signing Vlahović is offset by the departures of Nketiah and Aubameyang.

So financially, we could sign Vlahović for a big fee whilst losing Nketiah and Aubameyang for nothing without it having a big impact on our finances.

The only head ache is whether we would have the ~£70n burning a whole in our pocket to make that initial payment to get him in.

We can use the above maths swapping Vlahović for a number of names. It is about the finances rather than the name right now.

So we lose Aubameyang in January and bring in a new big name. What next?

What we would then next have to do is tie Alexandre Lacazette down to a new 2-year-extension.

Despite being in and out of the team, you never hear any grumblings of discontent from the Frenchman.

He comes across as a mode pro. Gets on with things. No discipline issues and never sulking. A few of our youngsters have also previously spoken about how he is a bit of a father figure in the squad.

So if Aubameyang leaves it then opens the door to a contract extension. Although it has to be a deal that makes sense for Arsenal.

He would then provide cover and competition for the new signing. Giving the name man a chance to find his feet in the Premier League.

A new top striker plus Lacazette would also solve the African problem in the club – we would no longer have to think about the ACoN when deciding what to do with youngsters.

It would open a door for Folarin Balogun to leave on loan for the second half of the season.

Arsenal would then have a new striker at their disposal is January, backed up by Lacazette and Nketiah. That should be enough fire power and cover.

Then in the summer when Nketiah leaves for free, Balogun steps up to be that 3rd choice striker and we move on.

Whilst the Aubameyang situation is leaving us all with a bad taste in our mouths, it at least gives the club the excuse to move him on for free in January without too much fan anger.

Aubameyang’s time is done. Out with the old. In with the new.

Keenos

Lacazette, Xhaka, Gabriel, Saka and Ramsdale – who should replace Aubameyang as captain?

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Regardless of whether you think Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should stay or go, it feels that we are pretty unanimous in thought that he should be stripped of the captaincy.

The only people I see sticking up for Auba online are those that are so hell bent in hatred of Mikel Arteta that they support any player that falls out of favour with him. These folk can be ignored as the majority are not really Arsenal fans. Most have never been to a game and their opinions are driven by what gets them the most attention on social media.

So if Auba is stripped of the captaincy, who are the contenders to take the armband? It is a question that has led to some heated discussion in the WhatsApp group. Driven by one who said Granit Xhaka was the most natural leader at the club.

So who are the runners and riders?

Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal’s vice-captain and the man who takes the armband when Auba is not on the pitch.

Lacazette is reportedly a good influence on the younger players on the training ground.

In an interview, Emile Smith Rowe said “Alexandre Lacazette has helped me so much since I’ve come into the side.”

“Laca gives so much of us young players confidence. He tells us how good we are.

“He’s such a good character in the dressing room. He’s basically one of the young players.”

But giving the armband to Laca might create some headaches.

If Auba stays beyond January, we might be in a situation where the man up top has had the captaincy stripped off him for discipline issues, whilst the man the inherited the armband sits on the bench.

And if Auba leaves the club Arsenal will surely bring in a new headline striker in January; which will still leave Lacazette on the bench

Lacazette’s contract also expires in the summer.

Unless he gets a new deal, it would not make sense to give the armband to a player who is gone in 6 months, and who will spend much of that time on the bench.

Granit Xhaka

The most natural leader at the club. There, I said it.

There is a reason why Xhaka was made captain of Borussia Mönchengladbach at 22. Why Unai Emery made him Arsenal captain. And why he captains his country.

Xhaka is a leader on and off the pitch.

A central midfielder with over 200 appearances for the club in 5 and a bit seasons. He ticks every box for captain material.

Except for one. His relationship with the fans.

For years Xhaka has had a fractious relationship with Arsenal fans culminating with him ripping his shirt off and telling the fans to “f**k off” after being substituted in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.

Many fans do not want Xhaka at the club, let alone as club captain.

Over the summer he was on the verge of leaving the club, only to remain at Arsenal and sign a new contract.

There is too much water under the bridge between the fans and Xhaka.

He should be part of any leadership group, but should not be wearing the armband.

Gabriel

This season Gabriel has emrged as the leader of the defence.

He is commanding at the back. The other defenders take their lead from him and he drives the team forward.

Gabriel has all the qualities to be Arsenal captain except for one. He does not speak much English.

Whilst some might not see that as a problem, I do. For me, a captain needs to be fluent in English to fulfill his role at the club.

A captain needs to be bringing players together. He is the managers voice on the pitch, and at times on the training ground.

Back to the quote from Smith Rowe on Lacazette: “Laca gives so much of us young players confidence. He tells us how good we are.”

Gabriel would be unable to do this due to his lack of English. He would be unable to unite the squad.

He would also be unable to bollock a team mate or give an inspiring speach to the squad. And he would be unable to participate in pre and post-match interviews.

One thing that always annoys me about Auba is he only appears in a post match interview when he or the team has had a good game. When we lsoe to Manchester City or Chelsea, Liverpool or Spurs he is nowhere to be seen.

That is when you need your captain to get in front of the mic. Not disappear.

Gabriel is a future captain. But not until he speaks English.

Aaron Ramsdale

Since joining the club Ramsdale has been a positive influence on the side.

When we sat down with Sheffield United fan Arty Bianco, we were told that Ramsdale’s biggest strength was his character.

“He is blatantly a good professional with the right attitude and bags of potential. He was well thought of by everyone at Sheffield United. He is a likeable guy and his move to Arsenal shows he has a drive to play at the highest level.”

He has shown this in his short time at Arsenal, quickly establishing himself as a fans favourite. He is also popular amongst his team mates.

During his time at AFC Wimbledon as a 20-year-old, he would often be found having a post-game kick about with kids in the car park of Kingsmeadow.

He is clearly a very down to earth, working-class man who will quickly became a fans favourite at every club he played for.

But he has only been at Arsenal for 6 months.

To go from being bought in as a number 2 to captain in such a short space of time would be ludicrous.

I am very big on a club captain being part of the fabric of the club. They should have been with the club for a few years before getting the armband. I am also not a fan of a goalkeeper being captain as he is unable to influence his team mates (or the referee) from the back.

Ramsdale is also such an intense character, I want him concentrating on his own game and not weighed down by the extra pressure of Arsenal captaincy.

Like Gabriel, he is one that will wear the armband atr some point down the line but for now it is too early.

Kieran Tierney

The Scotsman ticks a lot of boxes for Arsenal captain.

He has been at Arsenal for 2 and a half years and is a good infleunce on and off the pitch. He has previously had spells as captain of both Celtic and Scotland.

The only thing holding him back is his injury record.

Had he spent the last 2 and a half years consistently playing for Arsenal, he would have near on 100 appearances for the club.

As it is he has spent time during all 3 seasons on the treament table.

Can you have a club captain who spends so much time injured? In rehabilitation and not on the pitch or training ground?

Over the last 3 years, the combined appearances of the 3 players to play the most is 113. Tiernay in that period has played just 72 times.

If we take those statistics over the next 2 and a half years, it will mean Tierney would only be on the pitch for 66% of the games. That is not enough if you are club captain.

You might as well give the armband to whoever takes it for that time Tierney is injured.

Tierney is another who should be part of the senior leadership group, but not club captain.

Bukayo Saka

Having been with the academy since 7-years old, Saka is the very definition of “one of our own”.

Saka is already over 100 games played for the club and is one of the first names on the teamsheet.

He speaks well in front of a camera and is one to never hide from interviews after a defeat.

But he is still just 20-years-old and has never even captained a youth side. It would be a huge risk to make someone so young, with no leadership experience, captain.

I am also not a fan of a winger being captain. They have a tendancy to drift in and out of a game.

Saka should be part of the leadership team going forward so that he can further improve his leadership skills. But for now I would like to see him focus on continuing to improve his own game rather than have some of his mental space taken up by the actions of others.

Others

Ben White – Too early in his Arsenal career
Thomas Partey – Experienced central midfielder but has performed poorly since joining Arsenal
Martin Odergaard – Norway captain at just 23, but not been at Arsenal long enough. Still establishing himself in our 1st team
Rob Holding – Part of the current leadership team but does not play enough to get the armband full time

The modern game is about having a leadership team rather than a single captain.

Unai Emery implemented this at Arsenal, Pep Guardiola adopts it at Manchester City and Mikel Arteta has continued with the philosphy.

The leadership team is usually made up of 4 or 5 players, with ome being the head of the others.

Last season Auba sat head of the table, with Hector Bellerin, Lacazette, Xhaka and Holding making up the leadership team. This season it is the same personel bar Bellerin.

We need to look at things short-term and long term. Who should be captain and make up the leadership team for the rest of the season and what should it look like for 2021/22.

If Auba leaves, Lacazette as vice-captain should be promoted to captain. But that would promote Xhaka to vice-captain and see him wearing the armband for far too many games that I would be comfortable with.

With Holding barely playing, Gabriel should be added to the leadership team, taking the position of vice-captain.

That means when Lacazette is not on the pitch, Gabriel wears the armband. But as captain Lacazette is still in charge on the training ground and still does the pre and post-match interviews.

Gabriel would then need to fast t-rack his English lessons.

2022 would be a bit more of a headache.

If Lacazette stays, but we sign a new striker, I do not feel it would make sense to have him as captain. Although he should remain as part of the leadership team.

This is where fast-tracking Gabriel’s English lessons become important.

In 2022 he would have been at the club for 2 years, and would be a commanding influence at the back. He should be club captain, heading the leadership team. As long as he is fluent in English.

Lacazette, as a senior pro (and if still at the club), would take the vice-captain label enabling him to continue the good work he is currently doing with youngsters.

Xhaka would remain as part of the leadership team, as the most natural leader of the club, whilst Holding would lose his seat at the table (and most likely be sold).

I would then add Ramsdale to the leadership team as well as Saka. The move would give both men a chance to grow their leadership skills and brings them into the fold.

You then have a “captain” throughout the team – in goal, defence, midfield and up front. It is a philosphy very much taken from rugby where Eddie Jones likes to have leaders in important positions across the pitch.

The only concern would be if Gabriel fails to learn enough English and Lacazette leaves.

If that happens we could end up with Xhaka being captain.

Let us know your thoughts below or join the discussion on Facebok.

Keenos