Sorry for being absent from some time. I wasn’t able to watch the game live replayed it first thing in the morning and it stood out to me that we had a good game against a not so good team. Forests were average at best, and we tried to encash it.
Saka opened our account with a beautiful solo goal beating 5 defenders and the goal keeper. Ok, there was a bit of help from Odegaard but I would still give 100% credit to the best right winger on the planet. Bukayo could have scored 2 hat-tricks had he been more lethal, but he has come a long way in scoring and is only going to get better. Mikel subbed off Jorginho at the beginning of the second half and Thomas Partey, within 6 minutes of his introduction, scored a worldie. Saka passed it back to Partey, who wasn’t marked at all, made some space for himself, and sent the ball on a bullet train to the Forest’s nest.
About 10min left on the clock, Odegaard and Saka made way for Nwaneri and Sterling and within 4 minutes, the pair decided to make it 3-0. Nwaneri took the ball to the final third, passed it to Sterling who fed him back and the 17 year old scored his first Premier League goal. He is brilliant for his age, and to his bad luck, we have two world class players with whom he is competing. And the best part of it all, is that, he has that knack of goals. Probably too early to say that, but he is always there around the ball and is always direct. He has got the intent, he has that natural striking mind, and with more game time, he could become a 20-goal player. Time will tell, but I have a very positive feeling about this lad.
Right, so we won 3-0 and moved to 4th position with 22 points, equal to Chelsea who sits on 3rd and only 1 behind City. Tottenham, for once, helped us by beating City 4-0 at Etihad. This will further dent their confidence and we might see a change in title winner this season. Would it be us, or Liverpool who sits with a 5 point lead and a game in hand is a different conversation.
Let me quickly say that Odegaard was brilliant. We missed him, and we struggled without him. And we seriously need Nwaneri to step up as an understudy to him because if we want to win anything, his role becomes very crucial. If he remains fit, he plays that role or we get someone else to do it.
We have lots of games coming through, and December will give us a hint of our season. We are visiting Sporting on Tuesday night, then playing West Ham on Saturday evening in our next 2 games. Some exciting games ahead, December won’t bore you and me.
Short one today, hope winter is doing you well.
That’s why I favour Timber over White…good on Marts for being in the right place at the right time…not sure why Havertz wasn;t able to make contact beforehand, but probably good for us because who knows where his effort might have gone
not sure why we always seem to be on our heels after ever tally…obviously that’s some “learned” behaviour that MA’s mistakenly instituted over the years (Wenger had a similar propensity during his latter years)
I’m a fan of Partey’s, minus all teh injury bullshit, but the only reason he’s playing ahead of Merino is so that Rice can continue to push forward, which still seems nonsensical…no top-notch manager would ever make the investment we made to do likewise
that’s the kind of Eddie-like chances that Havertz needs to score…good work by both Partey and Saka to silver platter that one
TRVL
Havertz heard you..
That was some pass from Partey. A fit in form Partey is better than Rodri on his day.
2-0 away, one more we need to put this to bed. #COYG
Martinelli is playing very central today. Calafiori is filling his place on the sideline. I told you guys Mikel reads us 😉
Ambarish—I will say this, knowing full-well that Havertz will be a starter so long as MA’s in charge, I’ve seen a few glimpses recently from Kai that make me think that he could be a positive contributor if he were to play along side a bona fide Striker…now if it were up to me he would be utilized primarily as a depth piece, in a similar vein to Jesus nowadays, but one must be realistic when discussing such matters
btw your Partey comparison to Rodri was totally mental
Sporting’s Keeper has been caught in no man’s land on multiple occasions, including on both goals, so we should be both encouraging their defenders to pass backwards and sending in low crosses ad nauseam
good save by Raya…there’s a lot of eyes on that 17 year old…supposedly we’ve been sniffing around Quenda too…hardly doubt we would be his first priority considering how MA has treated young blue chippers
good work Gabs…what a well-timed run-up!!
this Sporting side looks completely different from the version under Amorim…thankfully we’re taking full advantage
Gabriel decided to turn into Cr7 for that jump. Great header.
TRVL
Yeah, may be I over stretched it but Thomas Partey is certainly among the 3 best midfielders in the league. Injury first, then Mikel decided to misuse him and his life events affected him.. but he is enjoying his role this season and if he remains fit, he will be part of our season.
Rice and Jorginho can’t replace him in that playing XI.
this is why I was far more positive about our chances today as the new manager “bump” usually only applies in a situation when a manager is sacked…whereas in this case Sporting’s manager was poached, thereby leaving them in a state of disarray…after all, most of these players were handpicked by Amorim, so many of them could be out of sorts…let’s hope we really make a statement in the second half and put them to the sword
Odegaard has become one of the most important piece of Mike’s game. We look a different team when he plays. A positive that we have such a player, a negative there will always be a drop in quality when he is not playing.
Rodri is an all-world all-timer in the DM position, which isn’t meant to demean the abilities of Partey…I would simply say that I would rather have Rice playing as a more traditional DM, in deeper spaces, so that we weren’t relying on him as a Partey-like pivot…in order to do so we would need to field two AMs, each with Ode-like capabilities, so Rice would merely need to provide them with just enough service to enable them to push forward
interesting start to the 2nd half, hopefully that quick tally won’t see MA opt for a full-blown defensive shell
maybe MA should have spoken more about the very real possibility of a Sporting push-back after the break, especially with this being in their home park
we need to make a concerted effort to pot a 4th to put this match to bed, otherwise things could get rather dicey…too much time wasting, long clearances and extra touches in our own end
Arsenal with Odegard is totally different. He makes us tick more than anyone else.
maybe our devaluing of Victor has actually helped us today, as he’s trying to kick the air out of the ball
very crucial penalty to restore our 3 goal lead, especially considering our scrappiness following the break
Agree with both of your thoughts on Ode…imagine what could be on offer if he was even a slightly above average striker of the ball
in front of goal that is…
MA should get Ethan out there, now that things are all but decided
I guess I thought MA might have been inspired by the fact that our opponent’s started a 17 year old…should have known better, even though we have a 3 goal advantage…time to appease those with assurances in the fine print
Here we go…smart to get Cala and Ode off, considering their recent injury woes…probably should do the same with Saka
their Keeper is the gift that keeps on giving…just wish Merino had taken a little look to his right because Ethan was unmarked about 8 yards out…I’ll take the goal everytime of course
Timber and Cala’s ability to play inside and out could be a decisive factor for us moving forward
that was a perfect example of the good and bad with Havertz…I like that he’s finally trying little deft maneuvers with the ball at his feet and that he worked tirelessly to recover the ball when it didn’t work, but you can’t give away a free kick in a dangerous area in the process
great result, but if you think this would have been the same result if Amorim were still in charge, you’re sadly mistaken…regardless, some stellar outings by several starters, which should bode well for us moving forward
let’s hope we’re just as adventurous in our next outing against a bang average Hammer side
Guardiola’s post match interview was super odd. His head covered in scratches and his nose grazed and bleeding. He’s either been lamped or was doing a bit of self harm. Fucking strange bloke.
Our probably two best displays (Forest and SCP) of the season and I couldn’t watch either of them.