On Saturday against Southampton we suffered a late goal that knocked us out of the cup. Last night we conceded a late goal that could well have had the same effect. We’ll know for sure in a week’s time, but Kai Havertz’s last-minute winner in Lisbon was definitely a welcome and felt significant victory. This was a Sporting Lisbon side that had not lost at home in the Champions League all season, that was buoyed by a vociferous home support, and that would have fancied their chances against an Arsenal side with two cup defeats and some poor performances under their belt.
And if it wasn’t for David Raya we might have been defeated, but having him back in the team showed what a difference you can make when you have a world-class goalkeeper between the posts. I actually don’t think Kepa was that bad last weekend – he’s just not Raya, who exuded calm and composure with the ball at his feet, but also made some great saves. His first pass after a pretty great “Paul Merson pass” outside Diomande’s ball sharer that put Araujo in the goal was brilliant. It crashed against the underside of the crossbar, but he made crucial contact with the ball, which allowed the ball to avoid flying into the net. And who knows what direction the game could have taken if it had worked?
By the way, the shooter in this case must have had something against the referee, because how Araujo managed to avoid a yellow card suspension despite having more than seven fouls last night is beyond me. He had obviously read that Jordan Ayew Book of Impunity with Referees, Because even when players like Madueke asked in exasperation, “How many?”, he still got away with one or two more.
It felt like a game where we really had to breathe last night. We were in control in terms of ball control and creating xG chances, but Sporting had their moments. If you look at the stats it was pretty much 50-50 and as time ticked down to the end of the game my nerves were more about avoiding a last minute finish, as we have done several times this season, than winning the game. When Martinelli created enough space in the middle of the penalty area to pass it to Kai and shoot it into the goal, I was overjoyed. It was a rarely seen Martinelli pass; Normally we do not expect him to be the provider of such a goal, but rather the man who seeks it. It was a really clever and quite impressive trick from the Brazilian. The same goes for Havertz’s effort and finish, which was definitely very sober and you could see how happy he was with his celebration. The run was the kind of run you would expect from Havertz when Gyokeres is on the pitch; He plays as a false nine while Gyokeres occupies another defender. He finds the space between the center halves, allowing him to play completely unmarked with a run from the D to the penalty spot. Kai won’t give us the vision or passing range in midfield that Odegaard or Eze can, but he has a big impact as a second striker.
Elsewhere in the team we had some good, if not spectacular, performances. I thought Rice was once again excellent in his midfield winning role, winning one tackle, making four interceptions and recovering the ball 13 times on the night. Any nervousness about his continued fatigue disappeared last night, and that was great. Big Gabi had his hands full with Luis Suarez, but he got through 90 minutes and, like Rice, I’m just glad we didn’t have the after-effects of what was clearly a painful knee injury on Saturday. I thought White looked shaky in some of the “big” moments – like Diomande’s chance at Araujo – but when you look at his performance as a whole, I think he was pretty good. We also got 70 minutes out of Odegaard, which is positive, although his performance looked like a pretty rusty guy. He wasn’t able to really impact the game at all, and I’m having a hard time remembering how many of all of his 48 passes (out of 59) actually did any significant damage. It’s tough when the man you come on for does what Kai did, but this season has certainly been one where the substitutes have had the biggest impact. I can’t remember the exact number but I think we’re at around 40 appearances by Arsenal players this season. I think that’s miles more than any other team, so it really shows the positive impact that Mikel Arteta’s changes have had this season.
Understandably Mikel Arteta was delighted last night, but I wonder if he will continue to analyze why we found it so difficult to break down teams. It’s not like Sporting were sitting on a low block last night, I didn’t think. There was space there that we could exploit, but we felt like we opted for safety first when it came to holding the ball, which I think is understandable considering this is the first of a two-legged affair. But I felt at times we could have got more out of the likes of Trossard and Madueke, who were hot and cold last night, I thought. We all know that when Gyokeres isn’t playing he’s basically a passenger, which is why I wanted a little more from our wingers. And that far-forward left hand pitch continues to be a mystery because it feels like no player wants to step up and make it their own. Martinelli was pretty weak against Southampton but came into the game and made a difference last night. Trossard had a mediocre game but if he isn’t in the starting XI at the weekend I would imagine he will play well off the bench against Bournemouth. It’s frustrating, but also a bit of a relief, that these guys can have an impact from the sidelines when they come on. Or maybe it’s just because Martinelli loves the Champions League? That’s six goals and two assists in 512 minutes – he averages a contribution every hour – Harry Kane averages one every 70 minutes, for context.
So it’s a win, it’s a commanding position in the Champions League, but now it’s back to the national focus with Bournemouth on Saturday lunchtime already filling my stomach with a bit of dread/dread/butterflies. We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow to have a few more thoughts as we prepare.
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