Kevin Whitcher's Arsenal Blog

  Arsenal 5 Crystal Palace 0     Premier League    Saturday 20th January 2024  12.30pm     After dropping eleven points from their previous five matches, Arsenal simply needed to take three points after their mid-winter break and Crystal Palace at home proved the perfect game to get things back on track. The form of Roy Hodgson’s team had been even worse than their hosts, so an element of confidence was justified.   Arsenal had not played badly in the two of the three league defeats recently (Fulham the exception), but putting the ball in the net had become a problem area. They worked on their set pieces whilst away on their training camp in Dubai and it paid off handsomely. Their corners all proved dangerous and both first half goals came from two of the four they were awarded. It was good to see Declan Rice take a decent corner for the opener, as with Trossard starting in place of Martinelli, we’ve seen a lot o...

Crystal Palace 0 Arsenal 1  Premier League Monday 21st August 2023 8pm     Last season, Manchester City visited Selhurst Park and won 1-0 with a late penalty. Yesterday evening, Arsenal also won with a spot kick, although having taken the lead, ended up with a backs to the wall performance with ten men. To credibly challenge for the title, this was the kind of match – away against a mid-table team – that Arsenal had to win. What really felt significant, alongside the three points, was the spirit shown by Arteta’s players. Before the match it felt like a must win game – for the simple reason that to have any chance of winning the title, the club really can’t afford to drop many points to teams outside of the top six. After the nature of the match, the way that victory was achieved was highly encouraging for another title challenge.    The manager picked the same team as against Forest with the exception of the injured Timber being replaced by Tomiyasu. Gabri...

Arsenal 4 Crystal Palace 1     Premier League    Sunday 19th March 2023 2pm    A win was certainly crucial yesterday to keep the belief high as football enters an international break and Mikel Arteta’s players delivered the three points on a far less stressful afternoon than many had feared. Palace, having dismissed Patrick Vieira only two days before the game, did not play significantly better under a caretaker coach, although they did provide a couple of scares over the course of the game. At the conclusion though, the scoreline was a fair reflection of the homes side’s domination and thankfully the opening goal came before half an hour had been played, and with the next one converted before the interval, it would have taken a remarkable turnaround for the Eagles to take anything from this game.    One highly valid fear was that the two hours of football played three days previously by the Gunners would impact on their performance, but...

Crystal Palace 0 Arsenal 2   Premier League   Friday 5 th August 2022 8pm     What a contrast to the opening match last season. Another Friday evening away trip for a London derby, but unlike at Brentford, Arsenal were not decimated by absences for various reasons, with only Tomiyasu, Smith Rowe and new signing Vieira unavailable. And only the Japanese defender would have been a likely starter from that trio. So a stronger, more settled Arsenal – aided by a pre-season far less disjointed than that afforded to Patrick Vieira’s Palace squad – performed significantly better than their previous trip to Selhurst Park in April and secured a very welcome away win. It was a deserved three points – but that’s not to say Palace could not have enjoyed more than they got, and two missed opportunities that saw Ramsdale get his side out of trouble with good saves reminded us that this is still a work very much in progress, and Arteta’s delaying of his subs is something I will get...

Crystal Palace 3 Arsenal 0   Premier League   Monday 4th April 2022 8pm     There will be some who saw a future Arsenal’ future manager last night at Selhurst Park. A man able to get his team to play spirited, organized football and achieve a convincing result against the bookies’ odds. Unfortunately for the Gunners’ Champions League aspirations, that wasn’t Mikel Arteta.   No doubt that Spurs’ recent good run under Antonio Conte has upped the pressure, and made a result last night feel very necessary. Even so, Arsenal have won their last five league away matches since the debacle at Everton, so credit to them for taking 15 points from 18. The concern is that the lack of squad depth might now tell. Tierney did not start last night, the word being he is probably out for the season. Tomiyasu doesn’t look like coming back any time soon, although in fairness, Cedric, aside from one poor moment he got himself out of, was possibly the best defender for the away s...

  Arsenal 2 Crystal Palace 2     Premier League     Monday 18th October 2021   8pm     There were wild celebrations when Alex Lacazette (Arsenal’s most spirited performer on the night) struck the ball home at the death of this game, but, like any draw salvaged from a match that needed to be won, it felt like a pyrrhic victory.   Arsenal have been outplayed by Brentford and Brighton already this season, and at home against Palace, Patrick Vieira’s side were allowed long spells of domination, and controlled far too much of the game. The players available to the managers of the three sides mentioned are not as good as Arsenal’s by a long way. But they have coaches that are getting the best out of them. We are a couple of months short of two years since Mikel Arteta took over at London Colney after the Unai Emery era ended badly. That was allowed to drag on too long, as it became clear the more experienced Spaniard was not able to get a tune out ...

Crystal Palace 1 Arsenal 3   Premier League   Wednesday 19th May 2021 7pm   Doctor, the patient is not yet dead. And if Everton and Spurs both fail to win on Sunday in what, on paper, are difficult away fixtures, Arsenal can still squeak into European football next season, and celebrate St. Totteringham’s Day for the first time since 2016? And that season an absolute collapse by the noisy neighbours was required to give Arsenal their best placed Premier League finish since the stadium move. But hang on there, to make seventh place even with Spurs and Everton doing their bit, Mikel Arteta’s side would have to beat Brighton at home. You know the rest. This is a team that can achieve remarkable results in difficult circumstances. But give them a home banker? I will be taking a good look at laying a Gunners’ home win on my betting exchange of preference (which handsomely rewarded me in the FA Cup Final as the odds on a Leicester win looked just a bit too genero...

Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0  (aet)  FA Cup 3rd Round Saturday 9th January 2021 – 5.30pm    Arsenal 0 Crystal Palace 0   Premier League    Thursday 14th January 2021 - 8pm    Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0   Premier League    Monday 18th January 2021 - 8pm    So, firstly thanks to those that have emailed to express concern that I have come down with the virus, due to the lack of activity on the blog. I am healthy and well, but as I will explain very busy on the work front. Most people know that I have passed on the baton of Gooner editor to Layth Yousif, but less are aware that my new gig is holistic therapy. I do a lot of work on the connection between emotions and physical illness, although I am spending two weeks in South Africa to work with a fellow therapist exchanging ideas and developing programs for a home use microcurrent frequency device called a Healy . It was launched in the summer of 2017, but i...