Happy Friday! Well done for making it through another week.
Is that it for Liverpool? Not long ago I spoke about how it felt they were in a similar position to us last season – just getting through games, looking like they had run out of steam and about to drop off.
Now I am not saying I am right, but last night against Atalanta they were shocking. A 3-nil home defeat coming off the back of the weekend draw at Manchester United.
In their last 5 games in all competitions, they have won just twice against Brighton (2-1) and Sheffield United (3-1). Before this run, they also needed a 95th minute goal to beat Nottingham Forest.
Now I am not saying they will not win the league. They are clearly still in the title race and things can change quickly. But as we saw with us last season, momentum is a huge thing in football.
I expect them to win this weekend. Then they have those 3 Premier League away games in a row, followed by Spurs at Anfield. Sandwiched in between is the return journey to Atalanta.
The wheels can come off quickly, and they might find themselves out of the title race in a blink of an eye.
There is not much real Arsenal news floating about. Press conferences are today ahead of this weekend’s football, so we will blog about them tomorrow.
There is talk that Charlie Patino has decided to leave the club this summer. Not a huge surprise.
Patino was supposed to be the next big thing, in a long line of next big things. But like most of those before him, he has shown how hard it is to go from dominant youth team football to having an impact in the man’s game.
As a 15-year-old, Patino was part of the England youth set up alongside Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala. Whilst they have kicked on, he simple has not.
I have watched him on loan at Swansea City and he still looks lightweight. He has not really bulked him since that performance against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup back in 2022 which showed he was not ready for men’s football.
He has had two OK loan spells at Blackpool and Swansea, but has not dominated. The reports are he wants to see more first team football, but his performances over the last 2-years would not be good enough for The Arsenal.
We are at a different stage of our evolution compared to where we were 3-years ago. The level you need to be playing at if you want to be part of our first team squad is much higher; as seen with the reduced game time of Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson.
Smith Rowe is clearly superior to Patino, and if he is not seeing much game time, there is not much hope for the younger man.
Football at a youth level is very fast moving. One day you are the biggest prospect at the club, and within a blink of an eye you are in your 20s and there are other 17-year-olds everyone is talking about.
Ethan Nwaneri & Myles Lewis-Skelly are the pair looking to usurp Patino.
If the club think these lads have a higher ceiling, then they are better off investing time in them rather than Patino. A bit like when we cast aside Henri Lansbury to give Jack Wilshere more opportunity.
One thing you always have to remember is Arsenal’s coaches would have seen a lot more of Patino, and other youngsters, than anyone else. Whilst fans might cry on Twitter about them not getting a chance, they are basing their opinion on very little evidence.
Patino is clearly technically gifted. Someone will take a punt on him and we should get above £5m cash money!
Enjoy your Friday. Grab yourself a beer at 4pm! You deserve it.
Arsenal (1) 2 Bayern Munich (2) 2 Champions League Quarter Final First Leg Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park, London N5 1BU Tuesday, 9th April 2024. Kick-off time: 8.00pm
(4-3-3) David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Jakob Kiwior; Martin Ødegaard (c), (Jorge Luiz Frello Filho) Jorginho, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli. Substitutes: Aaron Ramsdale; Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith-Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leandro Trossard, Fábio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Mohamed Elneny, Karl Hein, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Scorers: Bukayo Saka (12 mins), Leandro Trossard (76 mins) Yellow Cards: Thomas Partey Arsenal Possession Percentage: 59%
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden) Assistant Referees: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden), Andreas Söderqvist (Sweden) Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (Sweden) UEFA Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain) UEFA VAR Team in Geneva: VAR Pol van Boekel (Netherlands); AVAR Dennis Higler (Netherlands)
Attendance: c.60,000
Tonight, we are hoping to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in fifteen years, and so far the team news is good with no new injuries reported. Bayern Munich are a formidable European opponent, as we have seen to our cost in the past, but this evening’s match here at the Emirates is one of our most important matches for quite a few years now, and nothing else but a victory will do.
An incredible cacophony of sound, a wall of sound if you will, greeted the players as they walked onto the pitch tonight.
The visitors kicked off this quarter-final game and immediately both teams sprung into action. Of course, both Eric Dier and Harry Kane received boos and jeers as soon as they touched the ball, but that was only to be expected.
There was an early touch for former Gunner Serge Gnabry, but we were playing patiently from the back but veteran Bayern goalie Manuel Neuer has had nothing to do so soon in the game.
Bukayo Saka neatly robbed Alphonso Davies and slotted it neatly to our captain. Martin Ødegaard was not able to do much with it when the ball came to him on the edge of the penalty area, so he squared it for Gabriel Martinelli who was in a little more space, from which he whacked a superb effort just wide of Manuel Neuer’s far post.
On the twelfth minute, we took the lead when Ben White passed the ball to Bukayo Saka, whose left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area flew past Manuel Neuer and ended up in the bottom left-hand corner of the net. A great start!
We almost grabbed a second goal a couple of minutes later when an extremely weak header from Serge Gnabry fell for Kai Havertz who played the ball through to Ben White with only Manuel Neuer to beat, but he shot the ball straight at the goalie, who saved it easily.
The visitors drew level when Serge Gnabry ran onto a ball from Leon Goretzka and he coolly put the ball through David Raya’s legs for the equaliser. Just afterwards, a Declan Rice cross met the head of Jakob Kiwior, whose weak header easily found the open arms of Manuel Neuer.
A Bukayo Saka corner found both Jakob Kiwior and Ben White, but the Bayern goalie pounced dramatically on the ball to claim it. On the half hour, Leroy Sane was brought down by William Saliba in the penalty area; referee Glenn Nyberg gave the penalty and Harry Kane (who else?) scored for the visitors.
A few minutes later, Leroy Sane ran through the middle of the pitch, and just as he was going to pull the trigger, Ben White made a world-class tackle to deny him a goalscoring chance.
With three minutes left of the first half, Martin Ødegaard won a corner, and Bukayo Saka got the ball to the back post this time with a decent delivery which Kai Havertz met first, before referee Glenn Nyberg spotted a push in the back on Harry Kane from Kai Havertz and awarded a free-kick to the visitors.
The half-time whistle was blown a little while later and we went into the break two-one down.
We started the second half well, and with Mikel Arteta replacing Jakob Kiwior with Oleksandr Zinchenko, we could hopefully see more action in the midfield areas now.
A lovely ball from William Saliba found Kai Havertz, who got towards the byline and looked up for Gabriel Martinelli running in at the back post, but Joshua Kimmich was there first, who headed it back neatly to Manuel Neuer.
We were awarded a free-kick in which Declan Rice hit the ball over the crossbar, and as both teams were trying desperately to find a way through these tight defences, Harry Kane received a well deserved yellow card for putting an elbow into Gabriel’s jaw.
The corresponding free-kick was cleared by the Bayern defence, and a couple of minutes later, Bukayo Saka was brutally brought down by Konrad Laimer and unfortunately the following free-kick was chipped into nowhere by our captain.
The visitors were absorbing pressure and were devastating on the break; somehow we have to gain control of this game. Kai Havertz went down in the Bayern penalty area, but our calls for a penalty were denied by the referee, and then Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus replaced Gabriel Martinelli and Jorginho in an effort to grab that all-important goal.
Martin Ødegaard slotted the ball to Gabriel Jesus, who intelligently gave the ball to Declan Rice, whose shot was disappointingly blocked by a Bayern defender.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus combined well before feeding Bukayo Saka out on the right wing. He put the ball into the back post for Leandro Trossard, but unfortunately he was beaten in the air by Matthijs de Ligt.
With fourteen minutes of the match remaining, we grabbed the equaliser when Martin Ødegaard flicked the ball round the corner to Bukayo Saka, who played Gabriel Jesus into the penalty area. He held onto it past a few challenges and squared it beautifully for Leandro Trossard to roll it into the far corner. What a goal!
The visitors came back at us, which was to be expected, but we managed to hold them off. After a shot by Bukayo Saka that went inches past the post, Kai Havertz was replaced by Thomas Partey for the last five minutes of this incredible match, who within no time at all received a yellow card for a tough tackle on Jumal Musiala.
We got a real let-off when Kinglsey Coman, who put the ball through David Raya’s legs and smacked it against the base of the post and back into play. During the five minutes injury time, there was controversy when Bukayo Saka ran through on goal and Manuel Neuer came out and they clashed, with the result being that our man hit the ground, and how the referee did not give us a penalty was a crime within itself. But a draw it was, and the second leg next week in Munich should be an absolute cracker!
What a match! So much to talk about, so many incidents, with the main one being the penalty that never was at the end of the match.
How the referee did not give that, was unbelievable, but we need to recover and focus on the second leg next week.
The substitutes utilised by Mikel Arteta were inspirational, and we have every chance of beating them back in Germany in the return leg. Every man played their part, every man did the best that they possibly could and a draw is absolutely no disgrace tonight. All to play for at the Allianz Arena! 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: Aston Villa at the Emirates on Sunday, 14th April at 2.30pm (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
Arsenal fans – heading out to Munich for the Champions League? Grab yourself a new bottle opener.
Our retro kit bottle openers can be added to your keys, put in your wallet/phone case. No issues getting through airport security. Perfect for Euro aways!https://t.co/lBkFuWS5xapic.twitter.com/H39nZoUvzf
Arsenal (2) 2 Luton Town (0) 0 Premier League Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park, London N5 1BU Wednesday, 3rd April 2024. Kick-off time: 7.30pm
(4-3-3) David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Ødegaard (c), Thomas Partey, Emile Smith-Rowe; Reiss Nelson, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard. Substitutes: Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Jakob Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu, (Jorge Luiz Frello Filho) Jorginho, Fábio Vieira, Declan Rice
Scorers: Martin Ødegaard (24 mins), Daiki Hashioka (o.g., 43 mins) Yellow Cards: Kai Havertz Arsenal Possession Percentage: 59%
Referee: Craig Pawson Assistant Referees: Marc Perry, Steve Meredith Fourth Official: Simon Hooper VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Tim Robinson; AVAR Dan Robathan
Attendance: 60,262
Following last Sunday’s draw at the Etihad, it is of course imperative that we secure a victory against the Hatters tonight. Of course, our title rivals Manchester City are plying their trade against Aston Villa this evening, so we need to keep them at bay, and only a win will do!
A firm, yet casual start by the chaps tonight, and within a couple of minutes we were immediately on the attack as Kai Havertz surged through the middle of the park. Leandro Trossard made a good run into the penalty area but the pass from Kai Havertz was way too heavy and the opportunity disappeared into the ether.
Not deterred, we started to play well, both on and off the ball, finding our men easily and moving forward towards the visitors’ goal. Oleksandr Zinchenko received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and took a strong shot at goal, but Alfie Doughty blocked it, and foolishly, the visitors attempted to play out from the back, but they lost the ball quickly and a Kai Havertz shot was also blocked by a rather panicky Hatters defence.
We were pressurising the Luton defence, and attempting to find a way through somehow, and you could see a good pattern of play here tonight by our team. However, Ross Barkley played a great ball to send Jordan Clark away down the left wing. He raced towards our penalty area and then fired in a low ball looking for Andros Townsend, but Oleksandr Zinchenko read the danger well and cleared the ball.
After twenty-four minutes, we took a well-deserved lead when Emile Smith-Rowe capitalised on a mistake by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu before neatly slotting a ball to Martin Ødegaard, who performed a clever one-two with Kai Havertz, before firing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
The visitors appeared to spring back into life after our goal, with Andros Townsend causing one or two problems at the back for our defence. Thomas Kaminski made a really good save to keep out Emile Smith-Rowe’s curled effort inside the penalty area, but then the match was stopped briefly after a couple of Luton Town defenders went down to the ground injured, but after treatment, they continued on with the game.
Ben White did some clever work on the ball before passing it to Kai Havertz, whose left-footed shot was again saved by Thomas Kaminski, who correctly dived to his left in order to save the shot.
A couple of minutes before the half-time break, we grabbed a second goal when Emile Smith-Rowe took the ball to the by-line, slotted the ball across the face of the goal and the ball then appeared to come off a beleaguered Daiki Hashioka and into the net. Although there was four minutes injury time, nothing much happened and we went into the break two goals to the good.
We kicked off the second half and it was fairly obvious to everyone that we continued in the same vein as at the end of the first half; in control, looking for spaces and chinks in the Hatters’ armour.
Leandro Trossard tried to get himself to another good Emile Smith-Rowe ball into the penalty area, but Fred Onyedinma defended well and won the free-kick. Tahith Chong cynically brought down Reiss Nelson deep into the Luton Town half, but referee Craig Pawson waved play to carry on, amazingly.
Our captain fouled Jordan Clark twenty-five yards from our goal, but the corresponding free-kick came to nothing, fortunately.
The visitors were trying to constantly find a way through our defence, and on one occasion Leandro Trossard tracked back to stop Andros Townsend taking a shot at David Raya’s goal, and then Kai Havertz was booked as referee Craig Pawson deemed that he went down to the ground too easily in an attempt to win a free-kick.
Shortly afterwards, Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz were replaced by Declan Rice and Eddie Nketiah with about twenty minutes of the match remaining. Oleksandr Zinchenko neutralised a Luton Town cross from the left wing when he chested the ball down to David Raya perfectly.
With eighteen minutes of the game remaining, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Reiss Nelson were replaced by Gabriel Martinelli and Takehiro Tomiyasu in order to try and grab some more goals here tonight, and within minutes, Takehiro Tomiyasu took a good shot that curled just wide of the mark.
Jorginho replaced Emile Smith-Rowe with six minutes left on the clock to try and put more spark into the game.
After a Daiki Hashioka shot which was blocked by our defence, at the other end just minutes later, Thomas Kaminski managed to get down to his right hand side in order to turn a ball around the post from Jorginho, and as the match entered the four minutes injury time period, game management became the order of the day, and we simply coasted to a fairly pedestrian two-nil win here tonight, which more importantly means that we are top of the Premiership by one point over our nearest rivals Liverpool.
All in all, it was a very comfortable win for the boys, with very little pressure from the visitors, who surely have their own problems as the season ebbs away.
Everyone played well, everybody looked comfortable both on and off the ball, and in many ways the score was a bit flattering as we should really have got a couple more, but in the end of the day, we earned our three points which has taken us to the top of the Premiership tonight.
Although we never really got out of second gear, Mikel Arteta managed to rotate the squad well, and everyone got a run out before preparing for the Brighton and Hove Albion match on Saturday. Let’s hope that Bukayo Saka is fit and raring to go for that one. 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: Brighton and Hove Albion at the American Express Stadium on Saturday, 6th April 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
Arsenal fans – heading out to Munich for the Champions League? Grab yourself a new bottle opener.
Our retro kit bottle openers can be added to your keys, put in your wallet/phone case. No issues getting through airport security. Perfect for Euro aways!https://t.co/lBkFuWS5xapic.twitter.com/H39nZoUvzf
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 