Kevin Whitcher's Arsenal Blog

Southampton 1 Arsenal 3 Premier League Tuesday 26th January 2021 8.15pm Three days after the miserable cup exit at St Mary’s, Arsenal returned to the scene of their disgrace in miserable weather, but with a performance that re-ignited belief in what Mikel Arteta is trying to do, and moving up to the lofty heights of 8th place in the table, with a 3-1 victory. There were five changes from the team that started on Saturday, as Luiz, Partey, Saka, Smith Rowe and Lacazette replaced Gabriel, Elneny, Martinelli, Willian and Nketiah. Things didn’t start well as Lacazette failed to convert a one-on-one with the keeper and Southampton took the lead from a corner kick. Pepe simply didn't pay any attention to the player he was marking, allowing Armstrong to fire the ball past Bernd Leno in the third minute. No matter, things got seriously better after that, as Arsenal’s front players worked hard to press Southampton deep, forcing them to play it long. Five minutes after his aberration, Pepe r...

Southampton 1 Arsenal 0 FA Cup 4th  Round Saturday 23rd  January 2021 12.15pm Southampton fielded a strong team that looked like they cared about progressing into the last 16 of the FA Cup a little more than Mikel Arteta, who mixed things up to give gametime to some second stringers. Away against a team above them in the league, one that they have struggled to beat in recent encounters, it indicated Arteta’s priorities. Tuesday evening’s Premier League visit to the same opposition is more important.   Consequently, the mix and match side that took on the Saints produced an impotent, disjointed performance. We’ve actually seen the first eleven play like this a good number of times this season, and one has to ask what is actually happening on the training ground to produce such unwatchable fare. Some of the players simply aren’t of the required standard, and there’s little point hoping that either Eddie Nketiah or Pepe will come good, or that Willian will ever consistently ...

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...

  West Bromwich Albion 0 Arsenal 4    Premier League    Saturday 2nd January 2021 - 8pm    Arsenal have been surrounding themselves, quality-wise, with clubs of less lofty ambitions lately, in terms of their position in the league table. This was symbolized by the shirts sponsors of the two clubs that faced each other in wintry conditions at the Hawthons yesterday, with the visitors sporting ‘Fly Emirates’ across their chests – not that anyone is flying much anywhere these days. Sam Allardyce’s men were sponsored by Ideal Boilers. I am not certain how much the latter had to do with the undersoil heating at the Baggies’ stadium, but whoever did install it can be pleased with the results of their work last night, as the game was able to go ahead and complete, in spite of more snow falling during the 90 minutes. There were many good performances in Arsenal’s side over the course of a standout performance, the quality of which we haven't seen for a lo...

Brighton 0 Arsenal 1 Premier League Tuesday 29th December 2020 6pm   So a classic game of two halves, as Arsenal’s no-show in the opening 45 minutes at Brighton went unpunished thanks to the inability of the home side’s forwards. The Seagulls have apparently only won a solitary Premier League home match during the year of 2020, and Gooners, Bernd Leno and Matteo Guendouzi will remember that particular occasion all too well. The Gunners were so poor in the opening half last night, you could easily have had an unfortunate and possibly unique double happening at the Amex. Fair play to Mike Arteta for retaining the side, specifically the youngsters, that had served him so well on Boxing Day, with the exception of Alex Lacazette, perhaps a little unfortunate to make way for the fit again Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, his players didn’t initially deliver. Brighton offered a different style to Chelsea, more conservative. They are known as draw specialists and you could see why. Orga...

  Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1 Premier League Saturday 26th December 2020 5.30pm   Well, well, well. Laca, Xhaka and Saka – I think you’d have got long odds on those three all scoring in the same game, and probably long odds on Granit Xhaka scoring in any game, but after a horrid sequence during November and December, with only a sprinkling of Europa League wins against relative no-marks, Arsenal won their first Premier League match since Old Trafford back on the 1st November. Seven winless fixtures later, and hopes were not exactly high amongst Gooners who probably thought that the festive period might be just the right time for a two week winter break (an idea I am guessing has been shelved this season?) But football can surprise, and perhaps the most significant news of the day was that Willian and David Luiz both felt unwell, although neither had tested positive for COVID. Gabriel was a less welcome absentee, after having been in contact with somebody who had tested positive, even ...

Arsenal 1 Manchester City 4 Carabao Cup 5th Round Tuesday 22nd December 2020  8pm Another game, another disappointing performance. The bookies had Arsenal at over 5-1 for a home win in a cup tie, which shows how far they have fallen. Remember the days of Fortress Emirates anybody? We can’t know what the owners of the club are privately thinking, but to this observer, my belief is that Mikel Arteta has another six matches to keep his job. One of those is less important in the greater scheme of things – the home FA Cup tie against Newcastle. Another is pretty much written off – the visit of Chelsea on Boxing Day. Anything there would be a bonus. But the four matches that will determine Mikel Arteta’s future is the quartet of Premier League games that follow Chelsea. Brighton and West Brom away, followed by Palace and Newcastle at home. My thought is that anything less than eight points from these matches will mean the manager is given his P45. Inexperienced as the team runn...