07/12/2025
Arsenal in a cutting-slice loss to Villa.
Villa Park is not a place a team goes and comes out unscathed, it's usually a rarity but Arsenal came painfully close to pulling it off with at least their heads held high but got chopped off with a huge slice with practically the last kick of the game, off a goal "mouth scramble and gamble"which is part of the admixture of excitment and cruelty that the beautiful game throws at you sometimes.
That said and done we move on, in preparation and search of new drama,encounters and conquest but not before taking a good look at the mirror and of course inwards with some few "personal and herd takes".
It took a long time for me to become a fan and align with David Raya but he has come off age and moved out of the shadow of a Goal Keeper that is deemed and described to be basically shielded by a world class defence,with his recent display of agility,command,daring saves,distribution and boldness. He has to however stop some his loose antics and concentration lapses which are capable of damaging the teams quest for glory.
Ebere Chukwu Eze quickly descended and degenerated from being "the head of the corner stone" to being the weakest link in the team in yesterdays game.He was tactically not conscious of his defensive duties in support of the backline and this opened up the team to the forays of the Aston Villa that eventually resulted in the first goal and safe for luck this manifest deficiency of his, could have resulted in even more goals.Ebere also needs to stop dwelling and showboating on the ball for a bit too long,whilst we are aware of his talents,he needs to be swift in its deployment for the common good and potency of the team.
Yesterday’s encounter exposed the masterclass in the defence duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba for they were greatly missed and some of these lapses and shortfalls would have been mopped up and shrouded by their performance and the confidence they invoke.
Captain Odegaard is world class,never mind his subdued happy-go-lucky personality,he knows his onions and the onions of the game, marshaling and tooth-combing every breath and aspect of the game.With a dint and stint of hard work,awareness and skills,he clearly showed why he is the engine room of team,lets hope he renains injury free and you can be rest assured we have a glittering gem in our midfield.
Noni Madueke has come off on top of his game at Arsenal and it can pass that he is really settling down.Frontal in taking on the opponents defence with his mazy runs but beyond those runs and deft footwork,he needs to add a telling and effective end product to his game by way of an increased assist tally and goals.Toward the end of the game,he would have held on to ball and played the corner flag to run down the clock but he insisted in trying to break down the defence with deft footworks at that very risky and precarious time in the game and this is where experience comes to play for its not everything that the Coach who is not within ear shot will tell you.
Declan Rice,a workhorse and team player with energy reserves that enables him to be a box-to-box, dangerous and effective player, offering cover and defensive shield to the defence(a decision, I was made to understand he took upon himself,given the team's exigiences) and in the process,sometimes gets overworked. The question then arises,who is providing cover for Rice and this is where the technician, Zubimendi comes in.He needs to do more in plugging those loopholes and disrupting the rhythm of the opposing team before they come to the final third.
In Ben White,we have a no nonsense, highly mobile and effective defender who is plugged and in tune with snuffing off danger and excelling in the art of deploying the basics in that segment and area of defence.I hope he would be spared of injuries to enable him contribute his quota to the team.
Merino has done well in becoming a utility player that can be called to hold any position down that is outside his midfield duties and he has done even more and flourished.He is a technically gifted player that needs to however add some gritt and rough edges to his game as he sometimes presents as soft and a "Mr nice Guy",he needs to boss his area and ambiance, given his frame, as intimidation is part of the game.
Trossard is a game changer any day any time.Here is a player thats is good at using pockets of space and making timely runs and not to mention the quick and technical dexterity at his feet.It is then left for Arteta to deploy his weapon appropriately.
Martinelli remains the most effective impact player in the team,not one to remain alert and effective for 90 minutes as he tends to be a drifter and less potent as the game lingers for too long.
In a tactical mind game,I think Max Dowman should be introduced into some games for he has a knack for stretching the defence and committing them to errors.Lets see more of this young lad in spite of the Coaches man management challenges and headaches.
Bukayo Saka did very well yesterday,he was business like and upfront amd frontal right from the blast of the Referee's whistle,making several incursions on the right side of the attack.Much as Saka plays for the team on offence and defence ,the team should play for him and here is how.Give Saka the ball while he is positioned to run at the opponent's defence and not when he is backing them,for when the ball is given to him in this later scenario, two or three players would already be on him before he turns so he has to wriggle out to make an impact or initiate an attack which he manages to pull off most times.This might come as a surprise but I think Saka should be more selfish on the final third in an attacking sequence.This will either give us goals,draw fouls,corners kicks or even penalties,elements that translate to goals when properly managed and executed.
If Arsenal can give Liverpool Chelsea and Aston Villa a dose of their own medicine by picking up maximum points in the reverse fixtures at the Emirates,then we can have our sights on the title and blow a warm kiss at the trophy.
