Arsenal take top place after eventually breaking down Brentford

Brentford 0 Arsenal 1   
Premier League  
Saturday 25th November 2023 5.30pm  

So first up, just to explain that I spent the first half of this game watching on a feed on a smartphone in a bar in central Milan. I saw nothing of the second half as I was traveling on the metro to the San Siro to watch Milan play Fiorentina. This all in aid of a very belated 2022 Christmas present for my son, who I promised to take to a game abroad and he said he wanted to see a match in the San Siro before it was decommissioned, which is scheduled to happen at some point around 2026, although I’ve a feeling it might be a bit longer than that. 

Whilst in Italy, we also caught Empoli v Sassuolo (3-4, cracking game) on Sunday at 3pm, and Bologna v Torino on Monday evening, where it rained a fair bit, but all the same it is a unique stadium and another due for the history books as there are plans to move and in fairness, the existing ground does seem to be crumbling a bit in places. So with that explanation as to why this is so late being posted (little time in between, traveling, seeing the places we were staying (Florence on Sunday evening) better late than never, and for the sake of completion, I’m loathe to miss a competitive game. I watched the extended highlights to get a flavour of the second half and had plenty of messages telling me what was going on. So… let’s get on with it…

 

It was a struggle to beat Brentford on Saturday evening, but thanks to Kai Havertz, Arsenal secured the three points that took them above Manchester City. Here are my thoughts on the game…

 

1 – An attacking line-up? I received more than one message in the hour before kick off stating that Arteta had picked an attacking line-up, presumably based upon the idea that Declan Rice was going to play in front of the defence instead of Jorginho. It meant Trossard starting in the left sided attacking midfield role, but given Brentford’s gameplan of letting Arsenal have most of the possession and not challenging them too frequently outside their own half  –– it wasn’t much of a gamble and anyway, Rice is as good as a defensive midfielder as anybody at the club. So it was hardly a case of throwing caution to the wind.

 

2 – Stubborn Opposition. The massed ranks of defence that Brentford used to attempt to deny Arsenal were a sign that they would have been content with a point from this match, although they did get forward and create danger, and could have won this game but for a couple of goal-line clearances. One of those - their best chance - came after a Ramsdale balls-up, more of which soon enough. For almost the entire match though, the home side’s sheer weight of numbers in and around their own box made clear-cut chances few and far between, and almost jeopardized the Gunners’ chances of overtaking Manchester City and topping the table.

 

3 – Direct approach – In the first half, the two best chances were headers – from Trossard and Jesus. The first went over and the other was saved (and the rebound converted by Trossard, although a VAR-determined offside denied the goal). The attempts to play the ball through the thicket of Brentford defenders came to nought, and you couldn’t help but wonder what might have been with a more traditional target man forward in the attack…

 

4 – Havertz scores again (eventually) – After his converted penalty at Bournemouth, the German – on for Martinelli - chipped in with a more orthodox goal as he connected with Saka’s cross on the back post with the end of normal time in the second half imminent. No question he’s a bit of a beanpole, and we really need to be seeing him score more of this kind of goal. 

 

5 – An opportunity for Ramsdale to make his case… spurned. Unfortunately for Aaron Ramsdale, playing due to David Raya being on loan from the opposition, he did not cover himself in glory in the first half, once getting dispossessed just outside his six-yard box, and once throwing the ball into the ground rather than in the air as he tried to find a colleague, only for Brentford to be given possession. It’s not as if Raya doesn’t make similar errors, but Arteta hasn’t dropped him as a consequence. So it required a near perfect performance by the current second choice keeper to give the manager more to think about, and this wasn’t it. He was saved by Declan Rice in the first half and after the interval might have been beaten by a low effort the Zinchenko managed to block. 

 

6 – The kind of result that… yes, can be decisive come the season’s end. Struggling to win matches and finding something at the death is the kind of thing that can prove critical, and psychologically, it’s a biggie for a team’s belief. Manchester United used to benefit from this back in the day, and Arsenal seem to be doing it a little more often these days. I am not saying they are going to win the title, but if by some chance they do, I suspect it might only be by a point or two, and results like Saturday’s will be reflected upon as key moments in the campaign. Let’s hope that’s the case and that this does prove a significant three points.

 

7 – A good weekend with regards to the ‘big six’. Much as the likes of Newcastle, Villa and Brighton are on the up, there is a tendency to look at the traditional challengers for Champions League spots and compare. On this front, Manchester City drawing at home to Liverpool felt like the best possible result, and certainly allowed Arsenal the chance to go top. Spurs and Chelsea both lost – and there is serious delight in the way their respective seasons seem to be panning out. Talk about false dawns. You can’t have everything though, and Manchester United defeated Everton, and despite looking out of sorts, are quietly amassing points. Garnacho has closed the book on the goal of the season.

 

8 – How was Italy? I hear you ask… Or rather I don’t but I am going to tell you anyway. Much as I (and indeed my son) enjoyed the novelty of watching matches in stadiums we normally wouldn’t, it’s just not quite the same when you aren’t too fussed about who wins. I have a soft spot historically for Milan, but have found it hard to identify with most of the players in the last decade (Giroud was suspended last weekend). The seven goal game in Empoli was a cracker all the same. And of course, Milan, Florence and Bologna where we stayed were all worth a wander around in their historical centres. 

Mind you, getting up at 4.15am to drive from Bologna to Milan to catch our return flight this morning was no fun, but this is the price you pay for trying to do these things on the cheap. And talking of saving money, we had hoped to be at Juventus v Inter on Sunday, rather than Empoli, but the cheapest I could find any resale tickets for was 280 euros a pop. Sorry, but that isn’t going to happen. Oh, and it was pretty chilly in Italy once the sun went down too. Next time we do this, we’ll go for September or May methinks. Now back to the bread and butter with Arsenal tomorrow evening and the visit of Lens. 

 

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