JoeTrips to Stamford Bridge bring back a host of memories for most Arsenal fans. It was a happy hunting ground many years ago before oil money filtered into West London. But then after assembling a squad worth an insane amount of money Chelsea kicked into gear and we were on the end of a fair few losses there. However following yesterdays result we’ve not won there in 3 successive seasons and make no mistake there was only one team in the game.
The Match
From the first whistle to the last we were totally on top of a frankly poor Chelsea. They simply couldn’t handle us, we were exactly where we needed to be every time. Every player knew where his team mates were, whereas Chelsea had to stop to look up and when they did we were all over them like a rash. When we swept forward in waves their defenders visibly panicked and some of the passages of play from us were spectacular. The two Gabriels; Martinelli and Jesus were simply unplayable and even though the latter is desperate for a goal, the rest of what he does is unreal.
And then there’s the midfield. I’ve said this so many times now but I’m going to say it again, Thomas Partey is simply world class. There’s nothing else to that debate: he’s powerful, dominant, calm and skilful. Alongside him Granit Xhaka is like a man reborn and that is entirely down to the impact Partey has had. Whilst TP sits infront of the defence as an extra layer of protection, Xhaka has more freedom than he’s ever had and its paying dividends. His passing has always been out of this world and now he’s able to get into positions where it can be absolutely devastating. At the back our defence is just solid. Willy Saliba is a Rolls Royce of a player. Much like TP, strong, composed and surprisingly fast. It’s no wonder he’s played his way into the French squad.
1-0 flattered Chelsea yesterday, in truth we lacked a bit of cutting edge in front of goal. On another day it would and probably should have been 3-0. Oh and a little word about our former captain. He gave us plenty of good memories but that’s all they are. When his palm was crossed with silver he joined that lot so therefore he deserved everything he got yesterday: all 8 of his touches, his yellow card and his substitution. Nothing personal Auba.
Going forward
We now incredibly only have one league match until boxing day due to this ridiculous World Cup. We play Brighton in the league cup on Wednesday and then face a trip to the midlands to take on Wolves. If we win that we will go into the World Cup top of the table. What happens post WC is something else but football is cyclical, nobody stays at the top for long so enjoy it! I’ll see you on Wednesday.
COYG!
-Joe