game report – Player Rating – Arteta reaction – video
Also, how great it is to write about three points in the Premier League. Yes, there were a few breaks, but they had to go back to October 5 for their previous win, a 3-1 win over Southampton.
Mikel Arteta’s side have had some surprises. It was a rare start for Jorginho with Declan Rice and Thomas Partey on the bench, and the forward line of Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossar and Gabriel Jesus was far from our usual/strongest. We started well though and looked to have scored an early goal through Jurrien Timber, but it was ruled out for offside.
I can’t say for sure if it was or wasn’t. VAR took some time and it was eventually decided that way, but who really knows? The boots and body parts were blurry and very difficult to distinguish. I also have no idea how the linesman decided to hoist his flag in such a tight situation, but it showed Arsenal’s initial intentions.
Still, it didn’t take long to actually get going. Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka combine well on the right, so it is no surprise to see the pair involved. With a good give and go, Saka received the ball, found an angle to shoot, and despite appearing to go too far, fired a shot past Mats Sels and into the back of the net. An outstanding finish from a player we know well.
I thought we played well in the first half. A complex one-touch combination that speaks to a confidence that hasn’t always been present this season. Odegaard had his chance but couldn’t make good enough contact with his right foot. Saka forced Sels into a fine save with a first-time shot from Jesus’ layoff. The goalkeeper again made a good save to deny Trossard. By the end of the first 45 we had 11 shots on target to Forest’s second and dominated possession and territory.
There were changes in the first half, with Partey replacing Jorginho, who had been booked in the first half. It’s a bit unfortunate because I thought he was playing pretty well, but considering how soft all the yellow cards were in the first half, I understand why Arteta didn’t take his chances. We’ve already done enough with 10 people this season. It was also a replacement that paid off. Partey doubled their lead with an excellent whipped finish from outside the box, which gave us some breathing room.
There has been a lot of discussion about Martin Odegaard over the past few weeks and it is clear what he brings to the team in terms of creativity, but yesterday we seemed to have seen another reason as to why he is so important. His game intelligence, ability to control and dictate the tempo of the game is second to none. He can hurt the opposition in the final third, moving them around and pushing them back when he drops deep to win possession in our own half. His heatmap is instructive.
Forest attempted to push forward a few times in the second half but were rarely threatened and were unable to build attacking momentum. This was mainly due to the way we paced the game. The argument was key, with Arteta saying:
You can definitely feel that something is different when he is in the team. It’s hard to put your finger on it, but it’s different.
He gives the team and those around him a sense of security when we are in possession, and unsettles the opposition with a sense of possibility when he probes for weaknesses in the opposition’s defensive line. Yesterday I thought he was great. Although the young man who replaced him late caught the eye.
Cameos that leave you wanting more have been a hallmark of Ethan Nwaneri’s season so far. He came on in place of Odegaard and immediately threatened Forrest, firing in from not far away. Soon after, he scored his first Premier League goal, combining with fellow sub Raheem Sterling before finishing smartly inside the near post to make it 3-0. It may have been his first league goal, but it was his fourth senior goal of the season, following three in the EFL Cup, and considering he has only played 230 minutes in total, it is a remarkable comeback.
Naturally, Arteta was asked about him afterwards and there were clamoring to see more of such an exciting young player. I thought his answer was really interesting.
I have a responsibility to build a career for him. You have to stack the bricks one by one. Today he put in another brick. Now we need to add another cement. Don’t let it dry out so when you add another cement it will stick.
Then add one more layer. Add one more layer. If you want to put five in a row, take my word for it. It won’t work. We have to manage his expectations as well as his subordinates, which is really important.
Like everyone who read this this morning, I would like to see more of Nwaneri’s writing. But if you read the content, I think there are good reasons to be a little cautious. To me, it’s not about his talent, potential, ability or mentality. We’ve already seen it all. He already checked all those boxes. I think what Arteta is referring to is the physicality, the information available to him that is not available to us, influencing his decision-making.
How many times have we seen a young player achieve success at a very young age and suffer the consequences later in his career? Are there any growing pains that a young person who won’t turn 18 by March will have to deal with? I think he could have played more games in Odegaard’s absence, but I have to accept that my external view lacks details about the manager and his coaching staff.
What I think is clear is that he’s someone we’ll be seeing more and more of as the season goes on, and that’s an exciting prospect. Across all competitions he is our third highest scorer so far and his ability to pose a threat even when on the pitch for only a short period of time could see him find a key role as a game-changing sub throughout this campaign. . I don’t think there will be any looking back until he becomes a starter.
Overall, the manager was delighted and explained why he felt his team had achieved more yesterday.
There was something else different. What happened was that instead of 12 or 13 players, we were training with 19 players for the first time in six weeks. Suddenly you go wow, the competitiveness, the level, the quality, the understanding, the competition, everything rises and that’s why we have to train at that level every day.
This depends on the availability of many players who are unable to do so. If that happens, your level will definitely rise.
You could see in some of the substitutions that he was making sure he wasn’t overloading the players who were out and even leaving Havertz and Martinelli on the bench felt like a luxury considering what we had to deal with. . In the end, it was just what the doctor ordered. Three points, three goals, clean sheets, a controlled and convincing performance. Confidence has grown ahead of two away games this week and the next game away to Portugal.
Okay, I’ll leave it there for now. Arsecast Extra was originally scheduled for this evening, but will be released tomorrow as usual, so please participate. In the meantime, have a happy Sunday.
