Gunners do enough v Wolves to remain top of the pile

Arsenal 2 Wolves 1    
Premier League
Saturday 2nd December 2023 3pm  

Thoughts on yesterday’s home win v Wolves…

 

Oh to be in England in the wintertime? Yes, it was bloody cold at the Emirates yesterday. Not as cold as certain games I remember, but certainly the temperatures were flirting with freezing. I had thermals, thick socks, workman boots and more layers than an onion. Gloves too, unlike two players who dispensed with an undershirt – Declan Rice and Jesus Gabriel. The latter decided this wasn’t such a good move at half-time, so it was Rice only that decided he was immune from the cold. What a player, what a man. Still, you run around enough, you keep warm, right? Rice certainly covers plenty of ground and his performances have played a huge part in Arsenal being top of the league. 

 

Trossard in Havertz out. Trossard started at Brentford last weekend, and the only switch from that game was Raya in goal instead of Ramsdale. Havertz of course, displaced Trossard in midweek v Lens, but you know that if one of these guys are on the bench, they’ll get on, and so it has proved. All the same, it was a minor surprise after Havertz scoring twice in the last two games. Rotation? Whatever the reason, the selection proved a good one in the first half.

 

A Flying Start. A very nice goal before a few of the latecomers had got in, as Saka combined with Jesus and Tomiyasu to score an opener after five minutes. The touches of all three players were sublime, especially Jesus’ involvement. It was a surprise to see the Wolves’ defence played through so easily – they had plenty of numbers but couldn’t handle the speed of the Gunners’ build-up. 

 

Game over so soon? Not even a quarter of an hour played. Before the 15-minute mark, we saw Arteta-ball at its best. Zinchenko, out wide, played a 1-2 with Jesus and then cut the ball back for Odegaard to find the net. It was a thing of beauty and you wondered if the Gunners might go on to net a hatful as they did against Lens on Wednesday night. 

 

Jesus the man. Gabriel Jesus may not be a high scoring centre forward, but this game was a demonstration of what he brings to the team, his play creating chances for his colleagues, and there is no question that Arsenal spread their goals around the team. Yes, there is talk of buying a forward in January, but that is coming from outside of the club. Would Arteta drop one of Saka, Martinelli or Jesus? It’s a trio that have taken the club to first place. There is an argument for a better backup than Eddie Nketiah, but buying a top striker in January isn’t always easy.

 

Failure to kill the game. Arsenal were dominant in the first half, and hit the post with Martinelli. They allowed Wolves to come back after the interval and they had a couple of presentable chances before they did finally half the Gunners lead with a decent strike from Cunha. Trossard had failed to finish a one-on-one opportunity before that and Nketiah hit the post at 2-1. It was one of those games where two points might have been blown – think Fulham at home. However, to guard against that…

 

Shutting up shop with five at the back. Kiwior came on for Saka and to re-enforce things, Jorginho replaced Odegaard. Arsenal saw the game out. But there are legitimate questions about that Wolves goal.

 

Is Zinchenko a 90-minute man? It was put to me after the game that our Ukrainian full back tends to make more errors the longer the game goes on, and perhaps a loss of focus was the reason he was dispossessed in the build-up to Wolves’ goal. Might Kiwior have replaced him with the score at 2-0 after 75 minutes, ten minutes before the Wolves goal? Obviously defensively there is a trade-in for Zinchenko’s contribution when Arsenal have the ball, but he’s hardly Kenny Sansom when it comes to defending. Maybe one for Arteta to consider going forward. He will start matches against teams when the Gunners are going to dominate possession, that looks beyond question. But once a decent advantage is established, maybe a ‘we hold what we have’ policy might not be the worst idea.

 

Results, points. Ultimately it doesn’t matter how you get them as long as you do. I write this just as the Manchester City v Spurs match has concluded in a draw. Liverpool scored twice very late to overcome Fulham. It’s a lot tighter at the top this season with the sixth-place side only six points behind Arsenal. So, there is a feeling that every point is going to be vital and even if this game should have been more comfortable after the first 15 minutes, Arteta’s team had the three points at the end of it. And that’s all that counts. A win at Luton on Tuesday is a must and then the prospect of the visit to Villa Park and a certain Unai Emery. Is six points from those two too much to hope for? The Gunners might just need them come the season’s end.

 

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