Kevin Whitcher's Arsenal Blog

Arsenal 2 Newcastle United 0   Premier League   Saturday 27th November 2021   12.30pm     Arsenal managed to climb to the lofty heights of fifth place with the good run that ended at Anfield last weekend. That game served as a reminder that this is still very much a work in progress, but one thing that is indisputable is that Arteta’s team has to be winning matches against poor opposition if they are to return to the status of contenders. Ideally, this season, that means squeezing into fourth place and generating the extra funds that the Champions League provides. So the idea that anything but three points at home to the bottom placed side in the division was simply unthinkable.   Eddie Howe has a huge job on his hands, and as it stands, a very poor pool of players to work with. The real triumph of the years of underinvestment under Mike Ashleigh is the club remaining in the top flight. The money is certainly there to buy better now, when the opportunity ar...

Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0   Premier League   Saturday 20th November 2021   5.30pm     Shortly before Arsenal entered the Anfield pitch to take on Liverpool, in the rugby union, England pulled off a notable victory against world champions South Africa at Twickenham. It felt like a surprise given the dominance of the Springboks during the game, but one thing that was not lacking was tenacity and commitment.   Fast forward to full time at Anfield and it was time for a reality check. In terms of tenacity and commitment, Liverpool showed Arsenal how to play the pressing game effectively. It was a salient lesson and a timely reminder that the road back to former glories is going to be a long one. Arsenal had played eight Premier League matches at this stadium since their last win here, losing six of those games – often heavily. This as Liverpool went through a process of sorting their act out, as the Gunners must now, going on to win the Champions League and the dome...

Arsenal 1 Watford 0    Premier League    Sunday 7th November 2021 2pm    Arsenal’s next three away trips see them visit Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton. For the sake of momentum, home games against Watford, Newcastle and Southampton during the same period are vital, and although the Gunners made hard work of finishing off Watford yesterday, the points were secured. Doktor Schneide sent me a text after the game - Phew. Got there in the end. Was it me or did you see a number of Watford fans holding up signs saying ‘Pierre-Emerick, can I have your shirt?’ And indeed, it was a game for the Arsenal captain to forget for his trio of contributions in almost-goals. 1 – Saka’s offside. Auba failed to control a simple ball after Lacazette’s parried shot that he might have lashed into the net, leading to a forward knock-on – I won’t call it a pass – to his offside colleague. 2 – The penalty after Danny Rose’s foul on Lacazette. I’ll give him this, he hit it h...