We finally managed to break the Goodison Park curse by beating Everton 1-0, thanks to the Trossard’s beautiful strike. The win yesterday took us to 4th position with 13 points out of 15, 4 wins and no losses. Only City is ahead with 15/15 but we are only into 5th game and there are a lot of twists to come. We will catch them eventually.
A 1-0 performance for me is a better result if we manage to control the game, do not panic and do not allow the opposition at any point of time, any chance of a comeback. We had a very controlled game yesterday, managed a whooping 74% possession with 13 shots and 4 on target. We also limit Everton to only a single shot on target and it was as easy as it comes for David Raya. We were much less chaotic at the back and it must have given Arteta the sense that playing Partey at RB does more harm than good.
There were some brilliant individual performances by Zinchenko, Saliba and Rice. Fabio Vieira showed a glimpse of his talent and I will have to make a U turn by saying that we may have a player there. I wasn’t happy with his last season’s performance but he looks much more confident this season and was dangerous for couple of times. End product will improve once he plays regularly. Saliba showed his importance yet again by controlling the defence and his partnership with Gabriel is going to be the one for years. Ben White is charismatic and Saka is well, Saka.
Mikel took a bold decision to bring in David Raya in place of Ramsdale and I was happy with it. Though he didn’t get a chance to do much, he is equally capable with balls on his feet, distribution and long balls. With games coming thick and fast, we will see a lot of rotation between him and Ramsdale. It remains to be seen who ends up in the PL and who plays primarily in the cup games. I think Ramsdale will get his chance to play his first Champions League game against PSV and he knows there is a competitor on his back ready to replace him if he lacks that concentration. That’s gonna keep him on his toes.
We had a bad news, Martinelli scored a beautiful goal before it was chalked off as offside and felt something in his hamstring. It must have been bad, otherwise a first half substitution is rare. Trossard came in his place, looked way off initially with poor passes, lost balls a few times but improved substantially in the second half. It was his brilliant strike that made the difference at the end, and was rightly judged the Player of the Match. It feels nice to see your bench player coming in, and winning you games. Just shows how much quality depth we have. With 4 competitions, we would need all the help we can to remain fit, focussed, and winning.
Eddie didn’t have a good game by his standard. A fully fit Gabriel Jesus is lurking on his shoulder. He is getting all the run of games we were complaining earlier and remains to be seen what he makes of it.
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At the end, it was much controlled game, we earned all three points and remains unbeaten this season. We are going into the first CL game with confidence and a North London Derby is next at Emirates. We live for the NLD and going into the game on a winning record, full of confidence will surely help. I am saddened with Martinelli’s injury, he has worked his arse off in couple of season and an unfortunate injury will mean he is going to miss out on his CL debut. I hope it’s a small one and he remains available for the NLD at least.
I’m sure you had a nice weekend.
Ambarish
I thought we were lacklustre, turgid and bereft of ideas and flair.
How much has this team cost to assemble compared to the Scoucers?
Watch Brighton play against Man Utd with a team costing £17 million before we start crowing.
Some of us remember, when we used to play with serious firepower and regularly scored 5 or 6 at Goodison Park,
This narrative playing out in the gutter sports media that Goodison Park is difficult place to play is simply bollocks.
It is only difficult because this cunt in charge , never normally wins there.
Art
Arteta’s spent close to £650 million – when you add in the values of the players he inherited (Saka, Martinelli, Saliba, Gabriel etc) you’re looking at a billion pound squad.
As I said yesterday having the ability to win when not playing well is important but its every fucking game so far.
AF
We can keep the moaning for the bad days, scoreline does say only 1-0 but we had a good game. The thing is, we have collected 13/15 points in PL inspite of Arteta’s bollocks of playing Partey at RB and sticking to Havertz. We are not even at our best at the moment. At some point it’s gonna get even better.
Lads need all the support before the coming NLD. And Champions League is back.
Pep’s robotic style of play which Arteta inherited will not see us winning games 5-0 most often.
Marc
I thought we were in much better condition yesterday. First 4 games were nervy, but we are picking up. A long season to go, we remain positive but critical.
North London Derby is on the way! My only regret of the UK stay of 3 and a half year was to not able to watch the NLDs.
Marc
You are right pal ,the best players were the ones he inherited.
I am glad you noticed.
Saliba
Gabriel
Saka
Martinelli
Smith Rowe
Martinez ( sold )
I think we are a fucking diabolical watch these days, for the money we have spent.
And did you read about the soppy cunt , wanting to change goalkeepers mid game in his press conference?
Fuck right off and concentrate on winning games like we used to with a bit of firepower and flair.
Trying to be too fucking clever as always, with this bollocks and the time wasting at set pieces.
AF-spot on…whenever a bench option, who’s one shining moment was thankfully the deciding goal, and our deepest-lying midfielder are battling it out for MOTM, against a bang average, at best, bus-parking side, it speaks volumes about our tactical shortcomings…as for the whole Keepergate nonsense, it simply highlights the inherent problems an organization will invariably face whenever you allow/enable a cult of personality narrative to permeate your clubhouse…of course, it might ultimately be a nothing burger, but the very fact that he would actually voice such nonsensical sentiments in a public forum suggests that he truly believes that he’s beyond reproach, from a managerial perspective…old is new again
Vera Lynn
You are also spot on.
To even countenance that goalkeeping subsitution bollocks in the presser shows once again , what an egotistical halfwit we have in charge.
He has spent fortunes, more than all the other managers combined in our history and he is grinning on the pitch like a cheshire cat after a turgid one nil win against skint Everton.
Fuck off back into the dressing room and get the team playing better and with more flair and firepower, like we used to.
Cunt.
Rant over.
One tactical positive I wanted to draw from yesterday’s game was the use of short corners. Everton like to pack their six yard box with their big boys and so getting those two on ones or two on twos caught them off kilter and obliged them to come out and defend Saka, Ode, Trossard et al running at them.
We should be putting teams like that to the sword as many of you have said but as Ambarish commented, we never looked likely to concede. Everton were soooooo unbelievably poor. The team and the miserable crowd. Could this be the season they finally go down and implode?
It was always going to be a win ugly game because of our cautious set up, and tactics of possession football, which means slow quick slow quick quick slow through the gears with a few 3-point turns for good measure.
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We got our 3 points, but not much else other than to say Raya looks more Emi like between the sticks commanding his area twice, was it? Not a real reflection of what Raya has in his locker.
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Ambarish I feel you need to understand the distinction of supporting the lads through thick and thin and having serious reservations about A&E, and Arteta, once again, is gambling big on his galaxy brain decisions.
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All we can do is be 100% behind each player – even Harvertz because he is our player. At some time Havertz is going to sink or swim. For our challenge potential I hope he swims like Phelps, but that’s for another day.
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Even if at times it doesn’t appear so, we ALL here want our club to win the top honours by constant challenging. Our points tally is good: our play is poor to what it needs to be to challenge on all fronts.
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Problem is we have a threadbare squad with Martinelli potentially broken or just weakened by the 5th game.
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We live in hope of no injuries to key players at least. Same as the last 2 seasons.
“Problem is we have a threadbare squad with Martinelli potentially broken or just weakened by the 5th game.”
How the hell can a generational managerial talent who’s spent £650 odd million and has a billion pound squad be down to a threadbare squad with 3 injuries one of whom has only played 45 odd minutes for the club?
Apparently we are interested in Ivan Toney along with Spuds, and the Chavs. We need a striker and Toney is PL proven and ready, so I’d have no problem with adding Ivan to our attack. At least he’d get his head on the ball.
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He reminds me of Drogba’s style and ability.
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Anyone else with thoughts on this chap?
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https://www.transfermarkt.com/ivan-toney/profil/spieler/251664
Champs league is back. Some take the view our group is a good one on the basis it looks easier. I can’t help but being a little jealous of Newcastle and their ‘group of death’. Our group looks so Europa and a bit underwhelming, where’s the glamour in that?
For me the CL group being easy means more money if you advance to the last 16 so its OK if you are in a group of duds. Real test is in the knock out stages then is when for me the glamour and excitement begins. Hopefully for the supporters sake we get to the semis but with our MIT it will be a miracle to get to the quarters.
KT, I’m just being greedy. Money and a bit of glory.
The Geordies have got three big home nights coming up. Like us, they’re unlikely to win it but at least they’ll have fun on the way
I have no idea re tonight’s game vs PSV where it’s on too early morning for us. We should win with our squad, but the 3 bigger Dutch clubs can be very decent on their given days..
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What has pissed me off royally is Arteta doing full mea culpa for not playing a midfielder more last season. I’m sure you along with me thought finally some encouraging words about ESR and maybe a start tonight.
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Of course Arteta was talking about Vieira who I thought got too much time last season but Xhaka was on his one-off season.
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#giveESRminutes
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Going to be my posts’ header from now on. Ambarish a post from you perhaps?
KP
Not sure how cooperative Pumpkin is going to be this evening, as he’s sulking now his mum has finally got herself a job in electronic marketing for a very cool & successful company. She told me it’s a 20minute walk from her condo, which will become a swim in the next 15 to 20 years, but I digress.
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2 tough games for Arteta to get his process right with everyone on the same page and playing fast, accurate, vertical football.
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Can’t see us losing if we play direct at home, can you?
Fresh from talking absolute bollocks about subbing the goalkeepers during the game, yesterday ‘Tets’ was appearing in the annual team photo, done with naturally the dog, Win, right in the centre of frame.
Once a cunt, always a cunt.
Let’s see if we can actually beat PSV tonight, they fucked us over 2 nil last season.
I hope the refs send the cunt to the stands if he keeps getting out of his box.