Manchester United (0) 0 Arsenal (1) 1
Premier League
Old Trafford, Sir Matt Busby Way, Stretford, Manchester M16 0RA
Sunday, 12th May 2024. Kick-off time: 4.30pm

(4-3-3) David Raya; Gabriel Magalhães, Ben White, William Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu; Thomas Partey, Martin Ødegaard (c), Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz.
Substitutes: Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith-Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Jakob Kiwior, (Jorge Luiz Frello Filho) Jorginho, Fábio Vieira, Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Scorers: Leandro Trossard (20 mins)
Yellow Cards: Bukayo Saka, David Raya
Arsenal Possession Percentage: 46%

Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistant Referees: Scott Ledger, Mat Wilkes
Fourth Official: Darren Bond
VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR John Brooks; AVAR Constantine Hatzidakis

Attendance: 64,137

Our penultimate match of the season, and it just has to be Old Trafford on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Of course, after yesterday’s results, it is more important than ever to gain maximum points from this afternoon’s game, nothing else will do at this stage of the season. Apparently, there are fitness concerns over Bukayo Saka and Takehiro Tomiyasu; but however, if they are available it would mean that Mikel Arteta will be able to name the same starting eleven for the fourth match in a row!

We kicked off proceedings at Old Trafford, and immediately we brought the match to the home team by pressurising their defence into conceding an early corner. Bukayo Saka had the first shot of the game, which André Onana comfortably saved.

At the other end, Rasmus Højlund had a chance to score, but fortunately he scuffed his shot, and then Alejandro Garnacho also had a chance to score, but his shot was deflected for a corner. Declan Rice then made a very nervy, but weak back pass to David Raya, but fortunately the ball was cleared.

The home team advanced deep into our half through Diogo Dalot, and as the ball came loose, Declan Rice cleared it for a United corner, which went nowhere.

We then started to get a grip and had a period of good possession, and then on the twentieth minute we opened the scoring when Casemiro could not get out of the United penalty area quick enough and Kai Havertz was onside down the right wing. He simply sauntered into the Manchester United box and slotted the ball across for Leandro Trossard to tap the ball home from close range.

Now that we have scored, we were starting to control the game. Declan Rice advanced towards the United penalty area, but he lost the ball and it fell to Takehiro Tomiyasu who’s strong shot bounced off a United defender, and a couple of minutes later, Ben White was unlucky not to score when he hit the ball over the crossbar from a very tight angle indeed.

On the half hour, the home team got into our penalty area, but the shot from Casemiro was headed clear by Gabriel, which was good defensive play indeed.

A diagonal pass into the our penalty area from Casemiro which was chested down by Ben White back to David Raya, which was a good move, and after Amad Diallo stood on Thomas Partey’s foot, which although the United team appealed for a penalty (which it obviously was not), everyone took the opportunity to have a well-earned drinks break.

A poorly taken corner kick by Diogo Dalot ended up with a United player fouling Kai Havertz, and after the subsequent free kick went seemingly nowhere, the match carried on.

Amad Diallo passed the ball to Garnacho who was pushed down the line by Ben White. He sent a low cross-shot into the penalty area which was beautifully palmed away to safety by David Raya. During the three minutes injury time the home side put our defence under pressure, but we held out very well to end the first half a goal ahead.

Manchester United kicked off the second half, and almost immediately Diogo Dalot ran down the wing, but Thomas Partey slipped as he tried to clear the danger, but fortunately William Saliba was on hand to kick the ball away. Shortly afterwards, Martin Ødegaard started a good move out on on the right wing and found Leandro Trossard on the left wing, but his diagonal cross was far too heavy for Kai Havertz to do something with, and so the ball bounced out of play.

We started to gain a lot of possession, and we almost grabbed a second goal when a shot from Declan Rice was blocked on the edge of the penalty area and after the ball ended up on the left wing with Leandro Trossard, the United defence again closed down the space to stop Bukayo Saka turning the ball into the back of the net. Shortly after the hour mark, space opened up for Martin Ødegaard but his shot went straight at André Onana, and a minute or so later, Gabriel Martinelli replaced Leandro Trossard in order to press for more goals.

With eight minutes of the match remaining, Bukayo Saka slid off the steep slope behind the goal and clattered into the advertising hoardings. Mikel Arteta told him to go down, which he did, and was quickly replaced by Gabriel Jesus.

After yet another Arsenal corner, the heavens opened and torrential rain replaced glorious sunshine in seemingly an instant. A minute before the end of normal time, Alejandro Garnacho ran at our defence again, but was expertly blocked off by William Saliba. In the six minutes injury time, Jakob Kiwior and Jorginho replaced Martin Ødegaard and Thomas Partey to try and shore things up, which worked very well as soon as they came onto the pitch. Shortly after David Raya easily collected a cross, referee Paul Tierney blew his whistle to signify the end of the game.

And so this season’s title race will go down to the last match of the season next Sunday, irrespective of the result between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City on Tuesday. Today’s match was not the prettiest of games, but we got the three points which is what counts at this stage of the season. Everyone did as well as they could today, especially when the downpour happened five minutes from the end of time. All eyes on Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday evening, then. Well done, chaps!

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: Everton at the Emirates on Sunday, 19th May at 4.30pm (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

Doing a final pre-order for bruised banana swim shorts this summer….https://t.co/vlaHeBWIC8 pic.twitter.com/1X61qNQMNI

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Jorginho

I for one am delighted that we are offering Jorginho a new contract.

Jorginho is a leader on and off the pitch in this squad, and it is important we keep these sort of players around.

Where I sit in the Emirates is behind where the subs warm up. Whenever we are chasing the game, Jorginho “warms up” when in truth he is actually coaching close to the opposition box. This is a tactic that has been used by Mikel Arteta a few times, and one which goes relatively unseen.

On the pitch, Jorginho has had accusations that his “legs have gone”, but can your legs go if you never had them to begin with?

He is like a Xabi Alonso or Luka Modric. Never been blessed with pace or physical ability, but blessed with a brilliant footballing brain. The first 5-yards are in your head and all that.

Jorginho offers an alternative option to the hustle and bustle of Thomas Partey and Declan Rice. His calming effect in the ball is a positive from both an attacking and defensive stand point.

I expected one of either Jorginho or Partey to leave this summer, with a new central midfielder to come in. My expectation was that it would be Partey to go, with Jorginho staying on for an another year.

A new 12-month contract with an option for another 12-months. That feels fair for a man who is still only 32. Jorginho could be at Arsenal for some time to come (and I would not be surprised to see him managing or coaching us at some point in his life).

Declan Rice

There is a fabulous interview in The Athletic with Declan Rice. For those without a subscription, just search his name on Twitter and you will get almost every quote.

The interview really highlights how much Rice has grown as a player and man in the short time he has been at Arsenal.

No longer does he look to just play long balls to the wings in the hope a team mate gets on the end of it. He talks about learning that playing a great diagonal ball is pointless if it will leave his team mate isolated. And this is the difference between a good player playing for an average team and a top player in a top team.

A poor player plays the Hollywood ball and then thinks his job is done. A top player realises that the pass might look good on his showreel, but it does not benefit the team.

To highlight further, you often see on Match of the Day a player for a lower team put an aimless cross into the box. Commentators then celebrate the ball in and then criticise the strikers for not getting on the end of it. When you watch a top team, their wingers (such as Bukayo Saka), recognise that an attacker will be unable to get on the end of the cross so look to keep hold of the ball and recycle rather than play it into the box and lose position.

Rice has now realised it is not all about him. That top teams get to the top by recognising what their team mate will be able to do with the ball when they get it.

The interview is a worthwhile read to understand just how much Mikel Arteta’s coaching has influenced his thinking, and just how much he has grown as a player.

Arsenal WAGs

It had not gone unnoticed how Arsenal players wives and girlfriends were socialising together. And not the “falling out of nightclubs” and wanting to be famous themselves socialising of England’s Baden Baden era.

Partners of the players watch games together in eachothers houses, look after eachothers dogs and are often seen dancing in a box at the Emirates together.

Arteta has built a squad of players who are all in and around the same age, which in turn means their partners are. His players are humble and not interested in the celebratory life, and they have wives and girlfriends to match.

A happy wife means a happy life. And if a player’s partner is comfortable in the presence of a teammates partner, then it will naturally lead to less anomoisity on the field and players also getting on better.

Arteta has spoken in the past about how the “Arsenal family” is more than just the players. It is the coaches, the backroom staff, the guys and girls that work in Highbury House, players partners, children and parents.

I have never known an Arsenal squad to be so much as one and with no cliques. Arteta should take credit for that.

Five players to leave Arsenal

Just read a clickbaity article from the Express (sorry, I know I should do better) which talked about 5 players that might never play for Arsenal again.

Four of those 5 players were Mo Elneny, Kieran Tierney, Nuno Tavaras and Cedric Soares. Two players with their contracts ending and two players out on loan. It really is not a hard hitting piece of investigative journalism and just highlights that the media now care more for clicks than actual stories.

The fifth player oddly was Fabio Vieira. I would be surprised if the Portuguese midfielder is going anywhere.

The journalist clearly does not realise Vieira has been injured for much of the season (he fails to mention any injury). Vieira is a technically very good player in the same mould as Bernardo Silva. He will grow with more playing time, and if he does not get that playing time it just means other players are performing (Martin Odegaard is an unbreakable force. He never seems to be injured or fatigued. A blog for another day).

Enjoy your Wednesday.

Keenos

Just some of our Arsenal beach towel collection!https://t.co/G1EP4yvpZ6 pic.twitter.com/pD6EVrlExx

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