Arsenal get season off to dream start at Selhurst Park

Crystal Palace 0 Arsenal 2 
Premier League 
Friday 5^th August 2022 8pm   

What a contrast to the opening match last season. Another Friday evening away trip for a London derby, but unlike at Brentford, Arsenal were not decimated by absences for various reasons, with only Tomiyasu, Smith Rowe and new signing Vieira unavailable. And only the Japanese defender would have been a likely starter from that trio. So a stronger, more settled Arsenal – aided by a pre-season far less disjointed than that afforded to Patrick Vieira’s Palace squad – performed significantly better than their previous trip to Selhurst Park in April and secured a very welcome away win.

It was a deserved three points – but that’s not to say Palace could not have enjoyed more than they got, and two missed opportunities that saw Ramsdale get his side out of trouble with good saves reminded us that this is still a work very much in progress, and Arteta’s delaying of his subs is something I will get to later.

So another big spending summer for Arsenal meant that Kieran Tierney’s presumed lack of match fitness was less of an issue as – with Tavares on loan, Arteta was able to start with Zinchenko at full back. On the other side of the defence, the return to the club of William Saliba meant Ben White was picked instead of the hapless Cedic. Add to that the evident improvement up front with the signing of Jesus Gabriel and there was good reason for optimism. We await to see what the signing from Porto, Vieira can bring to the team once fit.

In spite of a questionable pink away kit, Arsenal started brilliantly, picking up where they left off pre-season with attacking dominance and fluidity. Martinelli really should have scored in the fourth minute after good work by Jesus. The Gunners controlled the game with the new number 9 difficult to contain, and he won the corner that led to the goal. Martinelli made up for his miss after a well worked set-piece saw an unmarked Zinchenko head the ball back across the area allowing the young Brazilian to head his team into the lead.

As the half wore on, Palace found their rhythm, and could have leveled but for an excellent save from Ramsdale after a free-kick gave Edouard a clear header. Weak points to mention were Ramsdale with the ball at his feet – one pass straight to the opposition and some risks in possession he got away with. And Xhaka’s sometimes poor passing – in terms of decisions and execution. Partey also allowed himself to be robbed in his own half. There is a lot that needs ironing out and lessons to be taken from wins as much as defeats. Xhaka was also booked for a cheap dive. Bookings for necessary fouls, I can live with. But for diving and dissent – these need to be eliminated. 

Palace’s threat continued in the second half and after 51 minutes, it really should have been 1-1. Eze had only Ramsdale to beat, but failed to chip the keeper and his effort was saved. Palace would not get a better opportunity. William Saliba was named man of the match, and both he and Gabriel were a big part of the reason that their keeper did not have more to do. Zaha was a predictable threat and at times Ben White struggled to contain him, but assistance from Saliba and Saka at key moments negated the Ivorian winger. Defensively, the team worked hard for each other and on that note, credit where it is due to Xhaka, who definitely threw his body on the line more than once. 

Martin Odegaard needs to work on shooting at the first opportunity in training. Shortly before the hour he had a glorious chance, dallied as he looked to pass the ball on and allowed Palace to dispossess him. He’d done well to get into a position he should have scored from, but what point if he does not capitalize? It might not have been on his correct foot, but in that position, you just take a hard swing at it.

Palace continued to have the majority of possession, and it is here that lessons need to be learned by Arteta. When he finally bought two subs on (Tierney and Nketiah for Zinchenko and Jesus) after 82 minutes, the game turned and was secured by an excellent move, in which both subs were involved, leading to a deflected own goal, as Saka drilled a cross into the area. Palace skipper Guehi got the unfortunate final touch. The pressure was off, and Arsenal were able to resist what Palace has left in the tank.

However, it is now a 16-man game. To get the most out of the players you have, a manager needs to make two subs around the 65th minute, two more in the 75th minute and save one for an injury or some late clock eating. If chasing a game and it is necessary, then use the fifth sub in the 82nd minute (when Arteta made his first last night). However, the Arsenal manager left his starting eleven on for too long, allowing Palace to dominate possession more than they would have been able to against fresher legs. It will be interesting to see how the five subs are used by more experienced managers at the other clubs with title and top four aspirations.

Overall, in spite of areas where improvement is possible, the conclusion is that this was a hard fought win with moments of attacking brilliance and a lot of defensive resilience and organization. Palace can be a very tough prospect at home, but Arsenal played the better football on the night, and on chances created were deserving of their victory. The away fans gave the Holmesdale end a run for their money with a fantastic Zinchenko chant (to the tune of Spandau Ballet’s ‘Gold’ if you could not make it out on the box) and some love expressed for the former captain now managing the opposition once the game was safe. 

The pre-season optimism was based upon squad strengthening and an unbeaten run in the warm up matches. The reality though is games like this, and delivering when there is something at stake. Too often, Arsenal fell short on that front last season, so it was heartening to see the improvement in aspects of their game, specifically the contributions of Jesus and Saliba. The team now need to develop and improve further, and get as many points on the board as they can with the games against Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham and Villa (three of those at home) all winnable.

A great start to the season – results-wise, we could not have asked for more, and plenty of reasons for continued optimism.

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