Subs, Squad and Sunday League
An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective
There was a time in my early twenties where I’d figured out the absolute best way that a human can spend 24 hours.
Here was the recipe…
Saturday:
Highbury at 3pm.
The delightful smell and taste of the greatest partly grey cheeseburger with onions that the Lord placed on earth and decided to put on Avenell Rd.
Then off to Arsenal World of Sport at Finsbury Park to buy whatever I saw Anders Limpar modeling in the catalogue.
Tube to Central London. At least 2 slices of pizza from the vendor opposite the Hippodrome.
A pint or three at The Moon Under the Water .
The Comedy Store. A hidden gem of London.
Because I was a disciplined athlete who was clearly concerned about his food choices and sleep, I only got one more slice of pizza and a cheese and leek pastry at Euston Station before going home at about 12:43am.
Sunday:
Sausages. Lots. And dip. If you aren’t British you need to google ‘dip.’
Actually, I’ve done it for you. It’s that thing that looks like the toast but actually it’s deceiving you. Don’t even think about finding out how it’s made
THEN….
Sunday League!!!!!
When football had given up on me I was only able to play Sunday league, so said the doctor. I hated it at first because it wasn’t a level that I had been playing but then I got to love the absolutely blistering comedy of it all.
A constant litany of mistakes and laughter.
Off the back of watching Arsenal win and going to The Comedy Store, I challenge anyone to find a better time.
Doesn’t matter if you play or watch Sunday League. It’s hilarious.
Premier League football isn’t supposed to be funny.
It’s supposed to be a good time, but not really comedic.
I try to somewhat detach myself from the emotion before I write so as to get clarity. I can’t pretend that I found the game comedic during the rather stressful 97 mins but considering those two teams consist of a group who cost over 1 billion and a team that is worth over 1 billion, I wasn’t expecting what I saw.
Naturally, the first moment came from VAR who gave a penalty because the header was going on target. It was definitely ’on target’ if the goal was 7 yards wider.
Actually I’m wrong, the comedy started when our most reliable technical player gave them a freebie after 90 seconds.
The comedy got more Sunday League as the rain kept coming. Mudryk crossing the ball into the net and then celebrating as if we didn’t know.
Raya trying to make it 0-3 with a suicidal pass and then Robert Sanchez deciding to get some negative attention because we weren’t giving him any opportunities for positive attention as we weren’t shooting.
Chelsea then crapped themselves as the script of the soon to be released Netflix documentary ’What on earth was that?’ looked like surely it was going to end with VAR deciding that Arsenal deserved a penalty kick for Abou Diaby volleying John Terry in the head as it falls under the new law, ‘Everyone hates John Terry.’ A law that every team can take advantage of up to 5 times a season and backdate the offense to when John Terry signed for Chelsea Academy at the age of 4.
There is a completely different way of looking at this game, however.
With all the comedy going on you’d think that Arteta would’ve joined in and subbed Reiss Nelson for David Raya, but he wasn’t at The Comedy Store like the players were. He stayed calm and for at least the third time this season he won the game with his substitutions. His biggest impact was likely nullifying the threat of Sterling who was picking on Zinchenko. The Trossard sub was crucial but probably as much credit to Trossard. The bigger credit that Arteta gets is knowing that even though your best players aren’t playing well, it’s always wise to leave players who can produce a moment of quality on the field.
Havertz started to hold the ball where Eddie and Jesus had failed. Ideally, he needed to be on at halftime as we weren’t able to go through or around their block.
The last headline is starting to emerge as our injury list subsides. We are getting points that we wouldn’t in previous seasons because our bench is as good in some areas as the players on the field. There is an argument that our bench has sent on stronger players in recent weeks.
I looked at our bench in comparison to theirs. Ours cost a third of theirs and makes much more sense too.
Football changed sneakily a few years ago. Arsenal call their players ‘starters’ and ‘finishers.’ With the games averaging 97 minutes a player coming on after an hour nearly plays half a game.
Arsenal got a point because I think Sunday League would not be comedic to Mikel Arteta. He’s too serious.
He has built the most impressive squad probably in our history and is starting to get big points from the bench as well as from every other part of his job.
Promising.
POSITIVES:
+ The time may be coming sooner rather than later that Arteta starts playing Tomiyasu at least for equal time as Zinchenko. It is obvious that almost every opponent picks on that side. The obvious solution is to play Tomi in the bigger game and either invert Partey or White from right back or play a true double pivot and have the full backs focus on Lane 1 and 5 and support the attack on the outsides.
Alternatively, he could do the reverse of what he is currently doing. You could start Tomiyasu and if it becomes more important that Zinchenko plays to get rhythm in the center of the field then you could sub him in?
+ I’d imagine that the league will be won by a fine margin. If so, it could be many things. If it’s Arsenal’s season then I’d say that we will look at Declan Rice and his impact in big games and big moments.
+ Trossard is a rather interesting player. He is either very quiet or has a defining impact. What do you do with a player like that? It would be easier if he was a game changer exclusively from the bench but it’s all over the place. Either way, he’s valuable and a super squad player at the least.
NEEDS:
+ it’s not just a reactionary tweet to say that Odegaard struggles after the international breaks. For everybody concerned, it might be good to have a chat with him in case it is psychological issue or fatigue. He’s going to need rest anyway as he plays as many minutes as he can. I wish he was given more freedom to wander across the pitch because it is becoming too easy to predict his starting position.
+ I would imagine that our online and stadium fans are making Raya nervous. People need to understand that they might prefer Ramsdale but they prefer Arsenal over both of them.
Arteta isn’t a knee jerk coach and wiser than most. He will know that if he switches keepers after a couple of mistakes then he will have two, not one, but two nervous keepers.
+ So, we already have defenders defending with their arms behind their back as if they are preparing to do the limbo.
Now they are going to have to start jumping as if they are a 6 yr old pretending to be a rocket at the school play.
Every six months there is a new dance or dance move that the teenagers do. I think the latest is the ‘griddy.’
I predict that the next one will be a combo of the limbo and the rocket. If it’s not, I will open a Tik Tok account and ensure that it goes viral.
On a serious note, it’s time to rewind and think about what a penalty is.
It’s an 80 percent chance to score. Surely, surely, surely we can all see that the vast majority of penalty kicks are absolutely nowhere near denying an 80% or greater chance of scoring.
Most of the time the experience feels like being given 5 years in prison for stealing some Percy Pigs
The punishment does not fit the crime. Not even close.
+ As is a fan’s knee jerk tendency I’m seeing that there is talk of ‘Arteta losing faith in Partey.’ After one game of not playing him. They might be right. It could also be that Partey will start in Seville and is only going to play 1 game a week. I think he didn’t play against Chelsea because he was still getting over the privilege of meeting Max on Tuesday. Max refused everybody else’s requests for a selfie.
+ I’m unconvinced about Rice at left eight. He is such a good player that he would have an impact everywhere. The issue becomes that if he can give you seven out of ten in that position at the least but nine or ten out of ten as a defensive midfielder, then it becomes about comparing Rice to Rice. As good as he becomes at left eight, are there other players who could do it better and are more suited? I think if I had to make the decision, I would only have Partey and Rice on the field, when absolutely necessary. Only because Partey is not able to play without fear of injury. It seems somewhat risky to try to force them in the same team when it’s smarter to do it once in a while and have the option of Partey all season.
HOPES:
+ That Emile Smith Rowe keeps getting opportunities. If we sell him, then I want to have at least tried to get him back to his best. His best is the impact player that Trossard is now for Arsenal at the very least. A younger version also.
+ Sevilla is going to be tough. They just got a point from Real Madrid yesterday. They aren’t doing particularly well in the league, but are always motivated by Europe. If we learned our lesson from Lens, we should be OK to get at least a point.
FINAL THOUGHT:
At some point in the near future, I’m going to research to see how many different types of games Arsenal have got points in.
Without research, it sure seems that we are proving to ourselves that we are capable of doing new things. That was my hope for the new season. Beyond winning a major trophy I wanted to see that we were winning games that we didn’t deserve by finding a way. Getting a point that we didn’t necessarily deserve like yesterday and many other examples of the variety of ways that you have to learn to to figure out during a long season.
When Arsenal are not on top form, I remind myself that we were frequently very disappointing during the Invincible season. Nobody really remembers or cares about that now.
They certainly played games like we did yesterday. And much like yesterday, they simply refused to lose.
Joint top of the league in October is perfectly fine, as is a draw at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea decide to play their best game of the season (and still couldn’t beat us).
Former Highbury regular. Moved to TN, USA in ’99. Married with 3 kids. Coached in UK and US for 27 years.
Mike McDonald Soccer Academy in Morristown TN, Olympic Development coach, Regional Premier League Champion.
Mike, thank you for your thought. Always a good reliever everytime I found myself disappoint with our result.
I have tried to find a reason, why do we look so struggling in every game when we suppose to be an upgraded version of ourself last season.
Game against chelsea makes me understand it partially; everyone has known Arsenal for too well. Everyone knows Zinchenko is not a natural defender; they targeting his side every game. Now the opponent has a pacey, technical and experienced player in Sterling; what else are they waiting for? We start our built-up from GK, but we dont have target man upfront (ex: haaland, hojlund, toney..), we were hunted relentlessly because short pass is our only option. We love our winger to cut in, our midfield love to shoot; they love putting 6 people in front of D area.
The opponent took advantage of Pep’s idea, Ten hag’s, Dyche’s, here and there, and so on.. to the point that “how to beat Arsenal” has become a college textbook with flowchart, maybe.
I hope Arteta wont wait until certain loss for a tactical reborn. Some tweaks should be enough to shake opponent trust to their manager. Put Tomi as LB from beginning should be enough to cast a doubt; so we can no longer targeting that side? Doing a long ball at random should be good to squeeze opponent endurence running back and forth.. etc. You have said that above.
One thing that make me proud from our boys, they never give up. Running from two goals behind needs some mentality, indeed.
The Invincible’s, as you right suggest weren’t amazing in 38 games, we who can recall that season know that so well, it doesn’t show in the stats of course. I’m reminded of the Pires tumble that got us a penalty that season, in a match I saw at Highbury vs Portsmouth if I recall correctly, it got us a 2-2 draw and earned Pires an undeserved reputation whilst Rooney and RVN dived with aplomb. The media are so dishonest…
Was yesterday our Portsmouth moment?
Eddie almost won it for us – how we would have laughed, even more so if that had occurred.
Sanchez cleaned out Jesus, totally missed the ball, nothing from VAR.
I can’t help but escape from the feeling that if Raya had cleaned out Sterling in the same way that it would have been a spot kick.
Palmer stamps on Jesus’s ankle nowhere near to the ball, could have been damaged ligaments or worse, a yellow card. Xhaka makes that challenge? Well we all know don’t we?
It’s all about Raya but Sanchez was equally inconsistent and the pitch, well you could have taken out your surfboard.
You have a choice Gooners, you either listen to the Gary Neville’s of this world, who struggle to conceal their dislike of Arsenal or you trust your own judgement. Yes, We weren’t great, but psychologically we can take a lot from that result.
Cheers Mike, always an entertaining as well as thoughtful read.
I am missing the fast starts of last season where we took the game to the opposition. I never thought we would miss the balance and link up play that xhaka brought to the side. I’m wondering how good we would be with him and rice in the same side. However, I have faith that Arteta will work this out and we will get better as the season progresses.