Artetaball wins the day as Arsenal go four points clear after North London Derby

Arsenal 3 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Premier League 
Sunday 1st October 2022 12.30pm   

I had a reminder from regular correspondent Ian Henry before yesterday lunchtime’s North London derby about something Myles Palmer used to say – that the big matches in Europe were decided by which team had the better Brazilians. Ian thought the game would be a good test of that theory and fully expected Arsenal to win as a consequence. As it turned out, one of Spurs’ trio – Lucas Moura - was out injured, although the roles of the other two, Richarlison and Emerson Royal, were at different  times significant. The same can certainly be said of the home side’s Samba boys, the three Gabriels. 

Artetaball – which ultimately is Pepball – looks wonderful when it comes good, as it did yesterday in a terrific and hopefully significant derby win against the getting noisier neighbours. Let me be clear – Arsenal were by far the better side. However, Spurs went into the game with a plan that would have surprised nobody, and created dangerous counter attacks in the opening 45 minutes. Fortunately, by and large, they made a hash of them. We can only hope to see similar profligacy when other Champions League contenders visit the Emirates, and we won’t have to wait long for that. So, there were similarities to the Manchester United away match, also a 3-1 victory for the home side. Arsenal dominated possession and territory, played a high line and looked vulnerable at times when possession was lost. United were more clinical on the break and a narrow game that could have been won by the Gunners was lost. 

The gulf between the two sides yesterday was greater – because Spurs only really threatened danger in one half. The sending off of Emerson Royal just after the hour mark at 2-1 ended the game as a competitive affair, and in that sense echoed the match last May at the Lane, when Rob Holding got his marching orders at 1-0 down. 

Arsenal were able to pick as strong a side as could be hoped – Thomas Partey and Zinchenko both fit to start. Spurs might have selected Kulusevski had he been available, although it simply meant that both Son and Richarlison began the game, so no huge disadvantage on paper, even if in reality Son had a rare stinker. 

The banners before the start of the game were a reminder of Arsenal dominance in terms of trophy wins, and a reason for the bitterness felt by the opposition support, most frequently manifested outside the stadium at the reverse fixture in the form of thrown fists and bottles. Maybe one day, they’ll get over it, but in terms of the number of trophy wins, that certainly won’t be in my lifetime. Spurs have won two League Cups in the last 30 years, a period that has seen Arsenal land (off the top of my head) 14 trophies. 

All the same Antonio Conte is a results manager. And as long as he is getting results (as he did in enough quantity last season), the Spurs fans will back him. However, his style of play is the antithesis of what Tottenham fans are used to seeing, and quietly, they must have seen the game yesterday and wished their players could perform with the confidence and expansiveness of Arsenal’s. At times, William Saliba was doing a passable impression of Glenn Hoddle – just outside his own area to boot. 

The early minutes saw plenty of Arsenal pressure, including Martinelli hitting the post from wide, although at the other end a glorious chance for Richarlison from a free-kick was only foiled by Ramsdale’s reaction. Spurs were doubling up on Bukayo Saka, evidently seeing him as the key dangerman in the home side’s attack. How right they were. This created greater space for his colleagues around the box and the opening goal came from his lay off to Ben White, who then teed up Partey for a first time strike into the top corner. Only his third goal for the club, it was a thing of beauty. 

Spurs responded with a dangerous break that seemed to have come to nothing after Son played a poor pass to Richarlison that sent him too wide to get a decent shot away. However, Xhaka made a hash of the clearance, allowing the Brazilian to regain possession, take the ball into the area and win a penalty as Gabriel kicked him rather than the ball. Harry Kane doesn’t miss many from the spot and true to form it was 1-1, even though Ramsdale almost got a trailing leg to his low strike down the middle. 

Most of the chances though, were being created by the home side, and Jesus almost scored before the interval after dribbling through a crowded box. It felt like Arsenal were dominant, but at half-time the sides went in all square.

As Xhaka and Gabriel had made errors in the build-up to Spurs’ equalizer, not long into the second half, Lloris and Romero had moments to forget as a Saka shot created chaos in the Spurs’ six yard box and Jesus was on hand to poke home a ball that slid under Lloris. A scrappy goal compared to the other two Arteta’s team would score, but a fully deserved one that gave a more accurate reflection of the match up to that point. Arsenal just looked so much better. 

Just after the hour. Emerson Royal went in on Martinelli’s ankle with his studs, nowhere near the ball and ref Antony Taylor deemed it serious enough for a red card. We've seen Arsenal players sent off for similar, so fair enough. That, in essence was game over, confirmed shortly afterwards when Partey brought the ball forward, played in Martinelli, who in turn gave the ball to Granit Xhaka to finish crisply into the corner of the Spurs’ goal. 3-1. As much as anything Conte’s substitutions became damage limitation. There could have been more goals – not least a Jesus header with the score at 2-1, but in these games, the win is the first priority. The horrowshow at the Lane last time the two sides met could have been a lot worse than 3-0. 

Arsenal took chances in their own half that looked wonderful because they got away with them – such as Saliba’s aforementioned dribbling. It’s a risky game, but one we will have to get used to, because that is Guardiola football and Artetaball is a carbon copy, albeit with less expensive players. So far, so good. No-one can complain about seven wins out of eight, especially the confident manner of the side’s approach. They recovered quickly from the defeat at Old Trafford and got straight back to winning ways, and that is what we need to see more of after the justifiable questions about the players’ psychological fortitude last season. 

There is no doubt that the level of the team has been raised by the arrivals of the two Manchester City players, and the return to the club of the excellent Saliba. This has rubbed off on the players around them, and the tactical changes such as Xhaka being played in a more adaptable attacking role have brought the best out of individuals in the squad. Ben White has been a revelation at right back. All round the performances were top notch and for the first time in years, there is a genuine confidence that this Arsenal is a less brittle version than it has been for too long. 

It is early days, eight games is nothing, but the quality seems to be there. It does feel critical that Partey stays fit, especially for the big games, but that particular area may well be addressed in January if the club’s finances allow it. It’s also important to secure the futures of Saliba and Martinelli on long term deals. Bigger clubs will be coveting these youngsters. And there is room for improvement, although in a sense, that can only be better focus and more accurate passing in possession, because defensively, Arteta is not going to get his players to play it safe. They will press high up and always be vulnerable to the counter attack. That is just the way it is. Ultimately, I suspect Arsenal’s future success might just boil down to the words of the Fat Les (aka Keith Allen) 1998 World Cup ditty ‘Vindaloo’ –
“We’re gonna score more goals than you”

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