Kevin Whitcher's Arsenal Blog

  Sheffield United 0 Arsenal 6     Premier League  Monday 5th March 2024  8pm     The gulf in the level of quality between the Premier League and the Championship has been confirmed this season by the struggles faced by both Sheffield United and Burnley. Luton are making more of a fist of it having qualified from the play-offs, although they are currently filling the third relegation spot. The point is that pretty much everyone is beating these teams home and away and anything but three points last night would have been unthinkable for Arsenal’s challenge.   Unfortunately for them, Liverpool won their match late on Saturday, as they often do, and Manchester City were almost held in their derby game the following day. One thing is certain, one or both of these sides have to drop points next weekend when they face each other, so Arsenal can certainly take advantage if they beat Brentford at home.   Arteta might have had...

Arsenal 5 Sheffield United 0     Premier League   Saturday 28th October 2023 3pm   I am going to progress with the format I tried for my blog when writing up the Sevilla away match  – basically numbered bullet points. For some reason it makes producing the blog a little quicker and time is the eternal enemy over here.       1 - Rotation The name of the game for Arteta as he made five changes from the midweek starting eleven. He rightly felt that Sheffield United at home was a game in which he did not have to play his first-choice line up, although injuries made that impossible anyway, with Partey and Jesus unavailable. On that note, I imagine Odegaard was rested partly due to an idea floating around that he is not fully recovered from the nasty challenge he received from Kovacic, one that really should have been a red card. So Arteta started with Havertz and Smith Rowe as his attacking midfielders and moved Declan Rice back to the s...

  Sheffield United 0 Arsenal 3 Premier League Sunday 11th April 2021 7pm Given Sheffield United anchored the bottom of the league table with 14 points from 30 matches, this was pretty much the ideal match for Mikel Arteta to get some confidence back in his team after a woeful run of four games in all competitions that failed to see any wins as Arsenal approach the business end of the season. They were in the bottom half of the table at kick off, although the resultant win saw them leapfrog Villa and Leeds to put them four points behind Spurs in seventh.   Arteta will be trying to make up that gap and hoping neither of Southampton or Spurs win the domestic cups, as then at least Europa League football is on the table next season, albeit via qualifying rounds. Of course, the priority is winning said competition in the current campaign and at least Thursday’s match looks marginally less daunting after the Gunners found their shooting boots at Bramall Lane. It was an interest...

Arsenal 2 Sheffield United 1 Premier League Sunday 4th October 2020  2pm We’ve seen a lot of matches like yesterday afternoon’s at the Emirates over the years, although usually with a crowd present. On that point, it is interesting that there do seem to be more away wins since the behind closed doors matches came in during the lockdown. It can only point to the influence of the crowd on both players and officials. Whilst discussing spectators, and the reality that currently mascot Gunnersaurus does not have a raison d’etre, does anyone actually believe the mascot will not return once crowds are allowed back? There is a separate debate to be had over whether those not being required to work should remain on the payroll, but I refuse to believe the retirement is permanent, at least for the mascot itself. Whether or not Jerry Quy, the employee behind the costume finds alternative work and decides against wearing it again himself only time will tell, and it is of course sad that a...