Before I begin, I want to thank you all for sticking to the blog. This is the 300th article on LONDON IS RED. I started this in March 2021 out of frustration; fans saw Arteta as the next Arsenal God without anything to back up those claims and I wanted a place where people can be critical of the team they support without being told off. We have celebrated the wins, we have criticized the losses and we will keep doing it. There’s no agenda here and we don’t worship any manager or player but the club.
The beauty of Champions League is that there’s a better wanker out there than you. Arteta loves to control the game and sometimes, it comes at the cost of boring, uninspiring football where you see your striker defending in your own box. Well, he gets to play someone who does it better and been doing it for much longer. If the rules permit, Simeone will jump on the pitch himself to add an extra defender. We are going to see two of the most defensively drilled teams play together in the Champions League today and you shouldn’t expect an exciting, goal laden match.
However, it’s a home game and with 2 wins in first 2 games, you have the advantage of going for a win. Atletico are one of the worst teams to play against. They crushed Frankfurt earlier with 5 different goal scorers and almost made a comeback against Liverpool at Anfield after going down 2-0 in first 10 minutes which they lost ultimately, thanks to an extra time goal from Van Dijk.
Team News
Both our midfielders in Zubimendi and Rice has earned 2 yellow cards in first two matches, and if they happen to receive another one, they will get a one match suspension. Playing them together will have the risk of missing out on both in the next game, and hopefully Mikel is not that foolish.
Without Odegaard, we would have to rely on a midfield of Eze, Rice/Zubimendi and Merino. Yes, Nwaneri is not going to get his starts anytime sooner and both Rice and Zubimendi shouldn’t be on the pitch, which leaves us with Merino. Against Atletico, I would be tempted to start Martinelli, he is in goal scoring form and can run through their defence.
Saka-Gyokeres-Martinelli up top does the job for me. Defence will pick itself, with Timber and Calafiori on either side and the best CB partnership will start.
Wrapping Up
You can’t relax against them. You can’t think 2-0 is enough. You can’t try to dictate the game because they will be tough to break and you simply can’t park the bus hoping for a set piece goal because that’s what they have been doing since 2011. What’s the way then? Attack.
We should go into the game with a positive, fearless mindset. We have a solid defence and with an attacking midfield, we could create them some problems. The game will not be played in the middle, so the onus lies on Saka, Gyokeres and Martinelli/Trossard to convert whatever they get in the opposition penalty box.
Also, we will get to know who the master of dark arts is. See you during the game.
Arsenal Goal scorers list is out for this season and I am updating it regularly. We don’t have the desired results from the front 3 so far, with Timber an Zubimendi in top 3 in Premier League; Champions League stats looks okay though. Take a look –
I do like that we’ve tried a handful of early, more direct, passes thus far…no end product as of yet though
Raya was a very lucky boy there…not sure why he’s going to ground so far from goal
for a team who towers over most opposing sides we spend way too much time rolling around the ground screaming in pain…another horrible trait that MA’s brought to the club
this is clearly not the same brand of football that Atleti deployed for the better part of Deigo’s time there…they’re undersized and far more interested in scoring goals…we had better find a few of our own before they strike first…right now they’re weak link appears to be Nico, so we should use that to our advantage
their weak link
good on Gabs for the run and the deft touch with his head…no one would be happier than MA if our top goalscorer this season was fucking Gabriel
Marts needed that badly…good one touch finish
I think we were helped by Diego’s questionable subs…I would have taken out Nico, but they were playing better since we scored, so I didn’t think 3 subs were required yet
VG’s goal made me think about Havertz just for a brief second
Diego can only blame himself…maybe Gabs is trying to become our top assist man too…if someone only saw the scoreline they might get the wrong idea about this one
Yeah Vieira, I agree that mad dog diego got it badly wrong against us. After they were 4 down, they looked capable of playing some decent stuff. First half didn’t really suggest a second half as convincing as that. Lots of confidence building measures on show tonight. Great display.
The lads obviously wanted to recognise Ambarish’s 300 article milestone tonight!
Congratulations on your 300th post MB. Great work, always a good and at times even hilarious read, and glad we had a fantastic result to top it off for you.
I’ve always rated Simeone as manager. He met his match in Super Mik Arteta today and had no answer.
Top of the league, smacking up European heavyweights, yet another clean sheet. Havertz and the other injured parties to return soon. It’s been a great season so far.
Here’s to more of your dedicated blogging and enjoyable football to inspire you courtesy of Super Mik and the the team.
KP—the fact that they were running with a back 5 and yet Marts was so wide open inside the box was definitely due to them not adjusting to Diego’s subs…I can’t imagine being on a plane with that cat going fucking mental…Alvarez will blame himself, with him missing the open net on Raya’s fuck-up and then hittng the bar from distance, but he was the best player on the pitch tonight…it’s been awhile since I saw a match turn on a dime like that…a win is a win, but that was no 4-0 blowout
Don’t be silly Vera, Alavarez had his moments, he’s class of course he would but he wasn’t even their best player by any metric.
You win 4-0, that’s a blowout in anyone’s book. Anyone with half a brain. There’s very few redeeming features to being thrashed 4-0 in any game at any level. Missing a half chance from outside the box isn’t a turning point or decisive in any way.
We’ve both seen the stats, even though they dealt with the set pieces well initially, ultimately Simeone got schooled and returns with Emirates oles ringing in his ears.
Going on YT now and enjoy some other haters take their humble pie after we get the job done again.
Simeone’s heaviest defeat in Europe. The stats don’t lie. Opta call it a thrashing. They’d be right.
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid Stats: Gyökeres at the Double as Gunners Thrash Atlético | Opta Analyst https://share.google/9yMGsgX8Dan5eB3Wv
For me, tonight’s game was all about the assists , Rice’s superb delivery from dead ball situation for the first and 3th goals were world class, Lewis skelly will have put his doubters in their place with his breathtaking run through the heart of madrid’s midfield to set up martinelli who finished with perfection for the 2nd goal, the ball from Zubimendi for our 3rd goal was perfection personified, perfect weight and perfect pace with his weaker foot.
Those who doubted that we have the fear factor are being made to look foolish as every week passes, in the last 12 months we have thrashed both madrid sides as well as Manchester city and there are still some who doubt us..
And of all the match days, I slept on the best one. Just watched the extended highlights and we had a fantastic game and result.
Gabriel broke the deadlock, so our set pieces are still working. Martinelli turns himself into TH14 from time to time and both the goal and assist was a thing of beauty.
Gyokeres finally was at the right place at the right time for both the goals and our striker getting 2 on a Champions League night against Atletico is only going to help him and the team.
Zubi + Rice pairing is trying to prove me wrong, and if they did, I would eat the humble pie – no shame in that.
Arteta beats Simeone 4-0… WOW.
Thanks Aitcho, appreciate your counter views here. Soon, we will be celebrating half a decade of this blog.
Wicksy, appreciate you too mate for sticking around.
–
One of the stats from that Opta article stuns me frankly.
“”Since returning to the Champions League in 2023-24, Arsenal have won all nine home group games by an aggregate score of 27-0. Indeed, they’re the first side in the competition’s history to keep a clean sheet in nine successive home group games.””
We have been immensely defensive. Most of the players have a good 100 games under their belt for Arsenal – Martinelli, Saka, Rice, Gabriel, Saliba etc and are hitting their prime. Eze and Gyokeres are new additions but they are veterans and don’t need time to settle.
This could be our year if we win one of the PL and CL. I won’t mind both at all, though.
We should not only be judged by our results but also by how we play. Most teams would be satisfied just winning, but how we win is important.
This coming weekend marks the 60th anniversary since watching Arsenal live at Highbury. I have seen some turgid games in that time but have also seen some breathtaking performances by the team that remain in the memory for years and even to this day. Is the football currently being served up by our team fun to watch?
Most of the players have the ability to provide entertaining football but are restrained.
Norg, I hear you, Wenger’s quote about Sausages and Caviar comes to mind.
I grew up in the Graham era where 1-0s were applauded and even sung about. Our greatest moments in Europe weren’t based on swashbuckling, free flowing goal fests and for all that Wenger gave us we criminally underperformed in Europe during his time. Remember the miserable nights at Wembley and the miserable ride home afterwards?
The objective this season is to win, as simple as that. There’s a focus on getting the job done. Whether it’s a 1-0 v Fulham or a 4-0 v Atleti, the job remains the same. The team seem to have bought in to that and are committed to getting this across the line as evidenced by the contract extensions and the comments they make.
All teams are satisfied by just winning. That’s the ultimate KPI. Enjoy it because that’s what we’ll be judged by.
Aitcho
GG did provide some entertaining games despite having spending restraints imposed by the board. His back 5 were probably the best ever put together with very little expense – a home grown captain – two cheap buys from Stoke and a cocky chap from Nuneaton.
Can you remember the League cup game against Leeds – only 7 goals to the Arsenal that evening.
I thoroughly enjoyed the games at Wembley despite our overall performance. The atmosphere was electric.
Norg, I hear you. Like Tets, GG did put an emphasis on defence as a base to build on but there were moments probably late 80s where we could also excite. When we had the likes of Limpar and Rocky we were fun to watch and I suppose it has to be remembered 89 was won on goals scored. I remember watching a game on Italian TV on holiday around that time with the commentator raving about ‘Rroocasstleh’
I’ve often felt a GG vibe with Tets teams, young hungry tyros with a point to prove and clean sheets being a priority. Like GG, Super Mik has given us an iconic centre back pairing.
I didn’t enjoy the Wembley nights, a schlep only to schlep back in disappointment. Perhaps it’s just over time my memories are coloured by the Lens and Fiorentina games. A bit like 2011 or the Carling Cup final v Man City. One was pissing down the other freezing, waiting in the queue for the Met Line from Wembley is no fun after a bad result. I hope we don’t end up there during the stadium expansion but maybe I’m just being self indulgent.