‘The day they became Arsenal’
An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective
I didn’t realize what I was looking at until I was in Kentucky.
I took Max and his mate Jake to Cincinnati this weekend to watch the MLS opener vs Atlanta United. Terrible first half, better second half, Cincy won 2-0. The talk was the embarrassing chants. You don’t want to know but please forgive those that come up with chants in the US and those that repeat them. They mean no harm but the word ‘cringe’ is a compliment.
Max and a very troubled Jake, the Chelsea fan.
We watched the game at ‘The Pitch’ pub opposite TQL Stadium. We wandered in just as the US hockey team were scoring the golden goal to win the gold medal. A new experience for Max and I who both agree that ice hockey is hard to watch because you can’t see the object that they are playing with.
As I was driving back home I was thinking about this piece. What was the story? I went through the players that excelled and then it hit me. Eze, VG, Hincapie and Mosquera were the story. Then the light bulb went on. Four summer signings, two of which have had rocky starts, and the other two who were waiting for a big moment to raise their value to the team and fan base.
Mosquera has started well at Arsenal. Especially considering he hasn’t really had a run of games. Not just a reliable back up but clearly good enough for a team that many think are the best. This was different though. He had to do Arteta a favour. Timber was lead-legged and on a yellow card and Ben White was in his street clothes. Perhaps it was Arteta’s genius but it was likely done out of necessity. Arteta likely tells him to lock down that side, knowing that this was a big ask for a centre back playing right back in a game that Arsenal had to win for many reasons. He doesn’t look young but he is and his performance wasn’t a surprise which is admirable in itself.
Hincapie got a double gut punch at Wolves because he so nearly became the story and then he got that ripped away and the story was a long way from being about him. Arsenal don’t need him to score winning goals, they need him to be consistent. Reliable. Feared. He has the perfect size and experience to be a top left back. Not too big to lose agility and big enough to dominate physically and aerially. Quick enough to discourage wingers and good enough to be dangerous on the overlap. All Arsenal wanted Hincapie to be was solid. He didn’t need to be the headline. He needed to be a secondary story for those who really pay attention (like us) and that is what happened. Fans easily forget games against Leeds but remember every positive and negative when you play your rivals. The pressure intensifies and the shoulders have to be broad. Mosquera and Hincapie passed the test with 9/10 performances.
Eze maybe didn’t know it but he was standing outside a sliding door yesterday. Ordinarily, a new signing would get a second season. Arsenal as a club and a fanbase are sitting in a delicate place. The non-Arsenal fans love to mock us more than any other which I find odd. The media stoke it. Our fans fear a fourth second place. The world doesn’t allow for excuses. They want someone to blame. We made Eze an Arsenal boy before he was and many have felt let down because it can look like he doesn’t care enough. The ultimate sin. We found out that he was upset with Arteta after the Wolves game. Rightly so, because our coach unnecessarily popped his big happy balloon. Perhaps it was deliberate psychology? A way to get a reaction out of him as he has dipped his toe in and out of the first 11 but not nailed his name to the wall. Either way, Eze had something to prove and he did. I don’t want to get carried away because if your sin issue is inconsistency then you have to get fully healed before you can fully trusted. Scoring 5 goals from midfield against Spurs gives you a large dollop of grace, though.
VG is the big story for me. Beyond Eze. Arsenal have looked capable of winning without Eze. It was more of a personal need for him to prove to us that he was as reliable as the other players who get regularly picked.
VG has a bigger burden. Due to injuries, we have had very little choice but to lean on a guy that started slowly and probably didn’t deserve his starting spot. Arsenal really need Gyokeres. What has been interesting is that I have wondered if Sporting Lisbon sent his twin brother instead. Gyokeres’ super powers were his powerful running, solo goals, banging shots and a constant stream of goals. Of all of those powers it is his shooting power that has been most absent. I’ve only been reminded of it during training videos or player interviews as I can’t remember him hitting a banger but just once or twice this season. They say that you have to see it in person to appreciate how hard he strikes the ball and I believe that. Sunday was a big fat two fingered salute to those that thought he had sent his twin brother to London. That first touch and goal was certainly not something his twin brother can do and it was training ground perfection. Then his last goal shone the light on the power advantage he possesses. ‘Get out of my way…..bang!’ The biggest compliment I can give him was that for the first time I thought I was watching the player that I saw in green and white hoops.
To’ become Arsenal’ you have to offer hope. You have to be the kind of player that the fans celebrate when they see the team sheet. All four of these summer signings have done their club a favour at an important time and because the timing and opponent was who it was, these four just ‘became Arsenal.’
POSITIVES:
Eze:
The frustration that he provides us is also his super power. He has the best first touch as well as his weight of pass. You ask yourself how and then come to the conclusion that his relaxed personality has to be a contributing factor. When all around him look intense and too tense, he is calm. When all others snatch at shots in and around the box, he is more accurate. His second half was a steady stream of important decisions made with such delightful ease. His personality both on and off the field remind me of Zidane. If he can find himself to be a consistent threat, he may well find himself a similar career.
Raya:
Another player standing at a sliding door whether that was fair or not. His mistake against Wolves was so unnecessary that another mistake would’ve had fans asking questions, whether that fair or not. I’m sure there have been other goalkeepers in my lifetime that were equally as good at snuffing out cross after cross, but I can’t think of one as good as him. Just as teams start to feel encouraged, he deflates their balloon with such confidence in the air. His cat like reactions are in fast forward compared to others that thought they had the cat gene. The goal line save was unreal. I’ll also mention something that Max pointed out. He catches shots and crosses that others flap at or punch. I suppose if you have such fast reactions you trust yourself to get it if you drop it.
Saliba:
Nobody talks about the improvement that he has made in his aerial game. When he arrived he quickly got labelled a Rolls Royce but often we wanted him to be a double decker bus. He has become so dominant in the air. This was vital for him as being an elite CB isn’t possible if you are shaky in the air.
Arteta:
I have been hoping that Mikel is able to practice what he preaches. Never have I seen a coach who sounds more like a human Ted Talk than Mikel. I wonder if the players have somewhat humbled him by telling that he has been part of the problem. His sideline behaviour. His delayed substitutions on occasion. His unnecessary substitutions with the best example being the constant subbing of VG for Jesus when Jesus seems to really to struggle when given 20-30 mins and VG seems to get better as the game goes on. Perhaps his reluctance to put Dowman on the bench as an impact sub and favouring hierarchy. It could be the lack of freedom the players feel as he is certainly huge on control.
His quote about Eze complaining about not playing vs Wolves came from a man who ordinarily wouldn’t admit that to the press. Then he said that he has figured out how to get the best of Eze. Again, not a usual admission.
I think Mikel has had a big moment of reflection because his squad were encouraged to speak up. I go back to the sliding doors….. perhaps this was a big one for Mikel?
Rice:
His post Spurs goal reaction was pivotal. You will have noticed that he has been very demanding of those around him, especially in 2026. That is important and good and fine but can backfire if you are not willing to accept fault yourself.
Saka:
He is getting back to his top form. I wonder if the frequency with which he was given the ball against Spurs was all part of the squad reflection? I wonder if the players felt that we were going left too much and that Arteta’s original plan of using the right wing to create and the left wing to finish was brought up?
NEEDS:
Timber:
Give him a proper break. Let Mosquera play the next two. He has been so consistent until recently and I bet that his hiccups are fatigue related.
Fouling:
I’m sure that this summer we will have a new initiative from the PGMOL. Probably a crack down on what is happening in the box at corners. Although that is a real issue, I think that there are bigger ones. Strikers are being physically assaulted when their back is to goal. VG is a very large chap and frequently he is being thrown to the ground. What is so frustratingly hilarious is that centre backs can commit physical assault and yet you can blow on a player (like Trossard) and his legs will collapse, and as long as he grabs the ball with his hands, the ref gives a free kick.
Gabriel:
He was a little lucky and I think I speak for all Arsenal fans when I request that he stop diving in his own box, even if he is pushed.
HOPES:
Spurs:
This is too much fun to write about. Where do I start? Well, honestly I think Arteta will be quietly frustrated at achieving what looked like a world record XG performance and only scoring four. It was like being at the waterpark and watching the wave pool. Three minutes of intense action, a pause for 3 minutes and repeat. I don’t feel sorry for their injury list because it’s self inflicted. I don’t think they are crap because they have at least 15 players who the majority of good teams would love to have. They are where they are because of choices. Terrible choices of coaching staff and expectations from above that are too lofty. Spurs should start a 10-year plan. They should be honest with their fans and admit that the club has a real mental block and that it won’t change in the short term. They need a restart and in the first 3 years their fans need to not believe that they can get top four, but that top eight is achievable. Go for the cups because they are achievable too and start a winning mentality that way. They should be able to compete for top four in year four and then the big trophies can be a consideration in year six to ten.
None of this will happen. They will get relegated. All their best players will give up when they replace West Ham in the relegation zone as their agents will be telling them who is interested for next season. They will all leave and they will sign Beto from Everton and James Milner will be their key player next season as they travel to Lincoln City and Stockport County.
You might think I’m joking. I’m not. Lincoln are getting promoted from League One and Stockport will go up in the play offs.
I really enjoyed writing that. Mostly because I believe it.
TWEETS and THOUGHTS:
This is a picture of ‘The Bailey.’ The hardcore FC Cincinnati fans. I strongly advise you to ask Ticketmaster to put you at the other end of the stadium if you ever go so you don’t have to endure, “I believe that we will win’ with 30 seconds remaining when they are 2-0 up or their most creative chant ‘ FCC, FCC, FCC, FCC,’ for most of the entire game.
The pub was impressive though. Full up on a freezing Sunday morning.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Thanks to those that are keeping up with my new team. We beat our arch rivals on Thursday with a late goal. The bench emptied and the post game was so much fun. Chris Cortez (laying front and centre) scored the winner which was perfection as his parents just got deported. A regular problem in the town that I live in. Max was 5 yards too high with a late banger but as you can see (far left) he was so happy for the win.
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.
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