Arsenal forge on in Europe with a dominant performance against unadventurous PSV

 

Arsenal 1 PSV Eindhoven 0 
Europa League Group A - Matchday Two (Postponed) 
Thursday 20th October 2022 6pm   

As expected, it was another mix and match midweek side for this early evening kick off at the Emirates, in a game that ensured Arsenal would qualify for the knockout stage, although not yet as group winners to avoid having to play a two legged qualifying tie before the round of 16.

Five players who you would consider starters in Mikel Arteta’s first eleven began the game – Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Xhaka, Saka and Jesus. I suppose you could make a case Tomiyasu wouldn’t be if Zinchenko were fit, but he’s been picked ahead of Kieran Tierney, who was included yesterday evening. Turner in goal was no surprise, and the others in the eleven were Holding, Lokonga, Vieira and Nketiah. It does feel like Cedric is no longer trusted in either of the full back roles, but on a long contract, unlikely to go anywhere unless some kind of financial package is agreed to pay him off. He may be simply happy to collect his wages, and who would blame him?

There was a great statistic about Kieran Tierney becoming the first Scotsman to make 100 appearances for the club since Charlie Nicholas back in the 1980s. When you think back to the likes of Willie Young, George Graham, Frank McLintock, Bob Wilson and going even further back Alex James, the north of the border has played its part in Arsenal’s history for sure, and it seems a shame the spirit of these players is no longer such a factor. But there’s a long discussion about the decline of football in Scotland for another time.

Tierney played in his customary left back position, with Tomiyasu on the right, seemingly to ensure there was less threat from the PSV skipper Cody Gakpo, whom there was a fair bit of fuss made about in the build up to the game. 

Nketiah and Jesus both started, which was fairly unusual, the former on the left hand side of the attacking trio. The first half saw a healthy amount of danger created by the home side, but the finishing touch was lacking – too many efforts going high or wide of the target, or shots that didn’t really test the PSV keeper. The visitors did a fair job of frustrating the Gunners, at the same time as posing a threat if Arsenal switched off, which hardly happened. Both sides had a reputation for scoring a few, but signs of that were not really evident in this match from the Dutch side.

Arsenal’s dominance was more marked after the interval, with better chances, including a really good one for Saka fairly early on. To establish greater control, Arteta introduced Partey and Odegaard for Lokonga and Vieira after 66 minutes, and their role in the only goal of the game shortly afterwards was significant. 

The move started in their own half with the two combining to get the ball forward. Both joined the attack and after some interplay, Tomiyasu overlapped and his low cross was converted with his right foot by Granit Xhaka. It was an excellent finish, and with 20 minutes left, it meant PSV would have to be more adventurous after frustrating with defensive numbers up until that point.

They did fashion the occasional threat, but the sheer number of attempts on goal by Arsenal did not reflect the difference between the two sides in the final scoreline. I doubt they will be as unadventurous in the return game next week, not least because they risk Bodo Glimt finishing ahead of them and demoting them to the Conference League. 

Saka was the standout performer on the night, a constant danger with his running at defenders. In summary, you’d say it was a game in which Arsenal did plenty of attacking, but were not clinical. They didn’t need to be, one goal being enough to take the three points. ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ started in a European game back in the spring of 1994, and that was the last time the club won a European trophy. Four continental heartbreak finals later (Paris, Copenhagen, Paris again, Baku), it’s about time they won a third European trophy. 

Arteta is not using this competition to give youngsters a run out in the group stages, but to maintain match fitness in his reserves, using a sprinkling of first choice players on a rotational basis. It’s worked. It’s difficult to believe that FC Zurich will get anything at the Emirates, so whatever happens next week in Holland, yesterday’s win means top place looks assured. Assuming the club remain in top four contention after everyone returns from the World Cup break, we wait to see how the manager handles the remaining months of the season. 

My prediction is that he will sacrifice the domestic cups, by using those to give the younger prospects some exposure, a bit like Liverpool do (although Klopp did strengthen when the finals neared last season, to take both pots). Sadly, and largely for financial reasons, the FA Cup has become devalued, and the League Cup even more so. Yes, the games at Wembley make for some nice days out, and trophies are trophies. But they are low priority compared to the prize money in the Premier League and Europe.

Seven more matches for Arsenal before everything stops for Qatar, four of those in the League, and three of those away. Who knows what the break in the season will do for momentum, but as long as the going is good, they need to keep racking up the points. Southampton, Chelsea and Wolves away will all be difficult trips, regardless of the table. Let’s see what happens on Sunday for starters.

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