BUTTONED UP
The rotation merchants took a scalp in the Luton Town game. Mikel Arteta made 5 pretty substantial changes to his starting 11 and exited with two goals, a clean sheet, less than 0.3 xG, and a MoTM performance from Emile Smith Rowe.
It was a great evening considering we rested Kiwior, Rice, Jorginho, Jesus, Saka, and Martinelli. I’m not sure there’s too much to write about. It was drama-less. We started strongly, controlled the spaces we normally control, and we were clinical when we needed to be.
The first goal was started when Emile raided Luton in their own half, Odegaard took the ball centrally, released Kai on goal who returned the pass and watched the captain place a first-time shot in the bottom right corner.
The second goal started on the right, Zinchenko found Smith Rowe in space, he glided into the box, hit the touchline and cut back to Reiss who missed it on purpose so Luton could get on the scoresheet with an own goal. A touching moment.
2-0 up before halftime was perfect and it didn’t feel dangerous.
In the second half, we were comfortable playing in 2nd gear. We let them have more of the ball because we are extremely comfortable defending in 2024. Luton huffed, but there was very little puff.
Arteta brought on some of his big names so they wouldn’t have to warm down and they could get some match minutes as we prepare for the run-in.
Kai Havertz picked up a booking, for some reason, the whole internet thought he was suspended because he has a lot of yellow cards, that turned out to be incorrect.
I went there because there was so little interest for either team in the second half, all I had was a fan mistake to talk about.
Rob Edwards said after the game that he thought Arsenal were the only team in the Premier League that has an answer for everything. You can’t rough us up, you can’t outrun us, and you can’t play against us. We aren’t perfect, but as a complete outfit, we aren’t far off.
The positives of the game were clear:
Emile Smith Rowe looked extremely good and Arteta purred over him after the game.
“I was really impressed with him. He has been training really well and we felt the game could suit us. Really pleased for the boys who came in. It is a busy month, we have started well again after an international break and next is Brighton.”
It’s been a painful few seasons for the blonde creator. One thing you forget about Emile is his output. He’s always good for a goal and he is a unique menace. I don’t know why he fell out of favor so hard, but it was notable that he got a start over Arteta’s favorite, Fabio Vieira, who sat on the bench. That’s ominous for the Portuguese who doesn’t look like he’s going to make it. The question over ESR is whether he can have an impact on the rest of the season? Perhaps like Freddie Ljungberg did in the final 10 in ’02?
Thomas Partey was pretty decent. We know what he has when he’s fit and in the mood. I love his speedy turns and ambitious vertical passes. This is a guy who can start any game and make a difference. He’s also a special player to bring on to change a game, whatever the state. Those 65 minutes will do him the world of good. No doubt he’ll be used plenty over the next few weeks.
Zinchenko didn’t have the best game. I know he padded his numbers with loads of passing, but it wasn’t good to look at. I suspect he’s in a bit of a sulk that he has lost his place in the starting 11 to Kiwior who can defend better, give more physicality and height, and can do a lot of great stuff on the ball.
As for Reiss Nelson, I just don’t get it. His pressing is meek, he makes bad decisions, and he looks like a fish up a tree… just like Fabio. It was a very odd decision to give him a new deal. But here we are.
So overall, another boring day at the office, racking up points, staying in the race.
As for Unai Emery – what did you expect? His little fan club best stay out of the comments section today. That was a cowardly lineup against City and he was utterly spanked. It’s the same old story with him. You just can’t rely on him.
Anyway, get on the latest podcast.