Odegaard and Partey turn it on to continue Arsenal’s excellent winning run

Arsenal 2 Leicester 0  
Premier League  
Sunday 13th March 2022 4.30pm   

It was a game of three acts yesterday afternoon at the Emirates.
Act I – 30 minutes of Arsenal dominance
Act II – 15 minutes of Leicester dominance
Act III – 45 minutes of Arsenal dominance.

On the balance of play, and chances created, the end result was a fair reflection of the game, and if anything, Arsenal could have scored more. However, Leicester, even without the injured Jamie Vardy, did force another excellent save from Aaron Ramsdale, and a critical second half interception from Kieran Tierney when an away goal looked almost inevitable. 

This could be my memory playing tricks, but I think when Burnley visited, they won the toss and decided that Arsenal should attack the North Bank in the first half. Leicester did the same yesterday, although unlike Sean Dyche’s side, were unable to profit from what is presumably some kind of psychological tactic to shake their hosts out of their normal way of doing things.

Arteta has been far more consistent with his starting elevens this season, at least when form, fitness and suspensions have allowed. And that can only be a positive in terms of the familiarity between the players. In terms of the difference from last season, only two of the starters were not at the club a year ago (Ramsdale and White), as Tomiyasu’s calf injury seems to have become a bit of a thing, with Cedric notching up his number of appearances. 

I’d hardly call the latter solid defensively, but he certainly adds to the threat in the opposition half. It was perhaps notable that the majority of Leicester’s attacks, when they did come, seemed to arrive down Cedric’s flank. For the most part, the incursions were dealt with once the ball arrived in the middle as the keeper and centre backs all had solid games.

Pressure was relieved early thanks to a Martinelli corner nodded in by Partey, scoring only his second goal for the club. Rather strangely, he could have scored a hat-trick given the other chances he had, hitting the post and having the ball cleared off the line in the move that led to the award of the penalty after the interval. Even if Lacazette did convert that spot-kick convincingly, his general lack of return means that goals will have to come from around the team, and there is no debate that on that front, Arsenal’s midfield have been disappointing this season, although Odegaard seems to be good for the odd one. It underlines the importance of the defensive solidity that we are beginning to see a little more often, and a clean sheet was very welcome, ahead of what is likely to be a difficult fixture at home on Wednesday night against Mo Salah and company. 

Arsenal’s early dominance was such that you did wonder if they would come to regret not increasing their lead. Their play was a joy to watch, but the only end product ultimately came from an old fashioned set-piece. Nevertheless, the building blocks seem to be in place to enjoy lengthy spells of pressure, and the pressing that was made throughout the team certainly led to a good number of turnovers and resulting attacks. 

The 15 minutes before the interval saw Leicester on the front foot and it seemed difficult for the Gunners to get the ball out of their own half. Perhaps fatigue played a part after the intensity of the opening spell, but the main thing was that the team weathered the storm and went into the dressing room with their lead intact.

The second half really felt like one way traffic. The one-touch passing, the movement, the dummies, the tricks – especially Partey’s to keep possession in tight spaces (which reminded a little of Patrick Vieira’s ability to hang onto the ball under pressure). It felt like this was a team on the same wavelength and sometimes (excuse the pun) Leicester’s players looked completely foxed. The use of movement into space showed football intelligence and evidence that whatever Arteta has been doing on the training ground is coming into fruition.

‘Match of the Day 2’ picked out Martin Odegaard’s contribution to this, and for me it was a toss-up between him and Partey for the man of the match, with a special mention for Kieran Tierney who was also excellent. Ian Wright said of the Norwegian, “This is what we wanted from Ozil”. Indeed. In fact, Odegaard’s movement into space and the extent that he made himself available for the ball to push the play on put my in mind of a Graeme Souness quote about his time playing in Italy. Then, the Brazilian maestro Zico was a member of the Udinese team, and Souness was asked if he was able to nobble him when he came up against him. “I couldn’t get near him,” was the Scotsman’s response. The stats yesterday showed that Odegaard ran more yards than any other player, the reason he was so often in space and available.

The second half saw the award of an Arsenal penalty after a VAR check decided that Soyuncu had got a hand on Partey’s goal-bound header, although the intent was not such that a red card was felt required. Lacazette stuttered on his approach to take the kick, although did not stop completely. Replays did show Saka was guilty of obvious encroachment, although in truth, this should only really become a factor if the ball comes back into play. Still, my understanding of the rules is that, by the letter of the law, the kick should have been re-taken, so perhaps the Gunners got away with one there. The two goal cushion was hugely welcome in a match where the three points felt vital in the pursuit of a top four place.

Arsenal did not sit on their laurels and maintained enough possession for us not to see a concerted Leicester assault on their goal. This was an example of the controlling matches that needs to become more of a habit. 

Given that both Manchester United and West Ham had picked up points over the weekend, it was key that Arteta’s men continued their momentum, especially as there are likely to be dropped points in the next two matches. I feel the best we can hope for is four points, but even three would be more than acceptable. I think most fans would regard anything other than defeat against Liverpool in midweek as a bonus, but then again, it is an opportunity to show progress if they can avoid being beaten. If that is not the case, then bouncing back at Villa Park will be what is required. Villa look a decent side under Steven Gerrard, not least because of the addition of Coutinho, but playing like they did yesterday, it’s a game Arsenal can win. 

A challenging week ahead, but the three points in the bank and the nature of the performance have set the team up nicely.

To be notified when there is fresh content on my blog (generally the day after matches), follow me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KevinWhitcher01