Kevin Whitcher's Arsenal Blog

Manchester City 4 Arsenal 1     Premier League    Wednesday 26th April 2023 8pm     Ah well. Arsenal are still top of the table after last night’s chastening defeat at Manchester City, but their rivals for the title have two matches in hand and are playing like a runaway train that could feasibly win the treble. The season isn’t over, and football is unpredictable, but for Arsenal to end the season top of the pile, they will surely have to win all of their remaining five matches and then see if City lose and draw one of the seven they still have to play.    The injury to William Saliba in the Europa League second leg against Sporting Lisbon looks to have cost Arsenal dear. The team managed the absence of Jesus fairly well, but that has not been the case with the young French centre back. The team is less balanced for his absence. This isn’t a criticism of Rob Holding, it’s just that he’s a different type of player who isn’t at the same level when we look at his all-round game.    Last

Arsenal 3 Southampton 3     Premier League    Friday 21st April 2023 8pm Taking a cold hard look at Arsenal recently, this is not a team displaying title form. They have conceded seven goals in three matches – five of them against relegation contenders. Three points from nine matches is the equivalent points-wise of losing two of them.    The late Gunners’ equaliser provided cause for celebration at the end of normal time, but more because it provided hope of a chance of another late, late winner. That didn’t come, with Thomas Partey firing over the bar in an attempt to score an injury time Hollywood goal when he had Odegaard in space to his right for a simple pass was a moment that summed up the lack of cool-headed thinking required to negotiate pressure games.   And that is it in a nutshell – these players have sadly made too many poor decisions under pressure. Football is a results game and they were dominating the first two of these three draws, but then allowed the opposition to t

West Ham 2 Arsenal 2     Premier League    Sunday 16th April 2023 2pm     Another Sunday, another two-goal lead away from home. Arsenal looking in control and then shooting themselves in the foot. Ah well, the season is far from over and they remain undefeated in their previous nine League matches. However, when Mikel Arteta talked about ten cup finals before the Leeds game, the reality is that penalty shootouts don’t apply, and draws cost two points. Arsenal have taken five points from a potential nine in the first three ‘finals’ and we may look back on the loss of winning positions at Anfield and the London Stadium with regret come the season’s end. There have been a few notable 2-2s in Arsenal’s title challenges over the years. Sure, Birmingham 2008 is a scar on the memory, although I had more of a Bolton 2003 feel after yesterday’s match. 20 years on West Ham could not play with as much physicality as Bolton, as players are more protected, but in the second half they certainly work

    Liverpool 2 Arsenal 2     Premier League    Sunday 9th April 2023 4.30pm    Oh Granit. Some things never change. Arsenal were so dominant against Liverpool in the first half that the TV pundits were making out that the game was over. How much are these people paid? Not even half time and a home team goal changes everything. Once I heard them say that I knew it was only a matter of time before Mikel Arteta’s side conceded. And the momentum shifted thanks to that familiar phenomenon – a moment of Granit Xhaka hotheadedness. Ok, he didn’t get a foul he might have felt he deserved. He then fouled Trent Alexander Arnold. So far, nothing major. The Liverpool right back (and on occasion in the first half with questionable success inverted midfielder) pushed Xhaka. And Granit decided to go face to face and within millimetres of a headbutt with TTA. The referee booked the pair of them, but more critically it roused Liverpool’s players and crowd. The end result of the free kick that followed

  Arsenal 4 Leeds United 1     Premier League    Saturday 1st April 2023 3pm     There were hopes that Liverpool might have aided Arsenal’s title chances in the lunchtime kick off before the Gunners faced Leeds, but in spite of Mo Salah putting his side ahead at Manchester City, it was not to be. Unfortunately, Jurgen Klopp’s team are a much tougher prospect at home, so next Sunday’s trip to Anfield will surely not be as easy an afternoon as Guardiola’s side ultimately enjoyed. All Arsenal could do was respond and they matched City’s 4-1 scoreline at the end of a match that was anything but a formality for the opening half.    William Saliba remained unavailable, although fears about the fitness of Thomas Partey did not prevent him from starting. Jesus Gabriel was selected, although Trossard’s selection at the expense of Saka was due to what can only have been a mild illness, as the number 7 was able to make an appearance from the bench on a day when fans recalled a legendary former we