Home sweet home, sweet home… sweeeeeet, home! We’re back at our impregnable domain… our fortress, our familiar battleground… where we’ve slain many a so called “Hero”… the Emirates Stadium.
We host the OTHER reds… Liverpool. We lost to them at Anfield, to a brilliant free-kick, when the game should’ve been a draw. The players will remember that, they’ll harness that pain, and convert it into positive energy, that they’ll unleash on The Reds.
Liverpool are the current champions, and regardless of their indifferent form, they’ll do EVERYTHING within their power, to try and derail our title train.
We’re different THIS season though, and we’ll choo-choo them, and spit them out!! No derail in sight.
The Arsenal need to ensure that The Reds, see red… and NOT just our shirts!! They need to leave the Emirates red-eyed, due to their tears of despair.
Liverpool are on the back of a 2-2 draw away to Fulham, and The Arsenal are on the back of a
3-2 win, away to Bournemouth.
Historically though… When Arsenal, and Liverpool play each other, form goes out the window.
This game will come down to who wants it more on the day, and as I stated earlier… the current champions Liverpool, are playing the potential champions, Arsenal… so, Liverpool will no doubt, raise their game.
The lineup was David Raya in goal, Timber at right-back, Saliba, and Gabriel, central… and Hencapie continued at left-back, in Calafiori’s absence.
The midfield was once again Odegaard, Zubimendi, and Rice.
Up front, it was Trossard on the left, Gyokeres through the middle, and Saka on the right.
The Emirates was loud, the pitch looked perfect, but the weather was terrible. The wind, and the rain, threatened to settle this game on unfortunate mistakes.
A slip at the wrong time, the ball slipping out of the keeper’s hands, a mistimed tackle. The elements seemed to want all of these things.
The Arsenal started the game well, and at pace. We had a look of a team, who wanted to put the game to bed early, like you would an unruly toddler. (I use this analogy A LOT, because I like it! It’s one of my best ones! Hahaa!)
We were getting in behind the Liverpool defence at will, in the opening 20-25 minutes, but when the ball was cut back across the box, there was nobody there to put the ball in the net.
Blaming Gyokeres for not being there is the easy thing to do, it’s low hanging fruit, at this point. The reality is, we have many attacking midfielders, and marauding defenders even… who can get on the end of things.
I’m sooooooooo TIRED of the Gyokeres scrutiny now, because other strikers in the league, aren’t held to the same standard.
We score from everywhere on the pitch, so this eases the pressure on Gyokeres, and allows him to ease himself into this Arsenal team, and adjust to a new system, a new league, a new country, and of course… his new teammates.
I’m a broken record at this point.
Writing a new player off, half way through the season, is ludicrous to me.
Aaaaaaaanywhoooooo…
Liverpool sat back, and kept a solid defensive shape… and Arsenal not offering anything going forward, made The Reds’ job, THAT much easier.
We were either making the wrong pass in the final third, or making the right pass, but to nobody.
The first half was uneventful, and incredibly frustrating, as we were playing within ourselves… and I started to wonder if the demanding schedule during the Christmas period, was catching up with us.
There were far too many nearly moments, and not enough noteworthy moments.
The Arsenal were uncharacteristically nonchalant, and the first half finished 0-0. (Sobbing uncontrollably.)
The second half started with an air of uncertainty, and this made it’s way through the crowd, found its way onto the pitch, and was born out in our play.
It was like crippling anxiety had replaced Arteta on the touchline, and was shouting instructions to the Arsenal players.
Liverpool capitalised on this, and were seeing A LOT more of the ball. They now looked like the better team, but not because they had our goal under siege… it was because they were first to every ball, and were on the right-side of every tackle.
In the 57th minute, Piero Hincapie went off injured, and was replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly. YES… we had yet ANOTHER injury. I’ve given up on trying to ascertain why we’ve sustained so many injuries. At this point, it’s an exercise riddled with futility.
I was happy to see Lewis-Skelly, but it was for the wrong reasons.
Lewis-Skelly looked understandably rusty, and definitely needs a run of games, to get back to his best… which I’m sure he will do. He’s still only 19 years old, and will only get better. He’s still learning his trade, so please be patient.
The clock displayed the 64th minute, and Arteta decided it was time for more changes, and I concurred wholeheartedly.
Martinelli replaced Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus replaced Gyokeres.
We were still unable to persuade Liverpool’s stubborn defence, to open up… and we were unable to persuade ourselves, TO START PLAYING FOOTBAAAAAALL!!!
In the 78th minute, Madueke came on for Saka, and Eze replaced Odegaard… and still, nothing changed. It became abundantly clear that we couldn’t win… but also imperative, that we must not lose.
That’s how we played out the game, and the match finished 0-0… and punditry dripping in pomposity, IMMEDIATELY took centre stage.
A draw against the champions, suddenly meant the world was ending. It was time to hold your loved ones tight, make peace with your God, and prepare for your final resting place.
The mainstream media, the journalists, the pundits, and the malleable folk, incapable of an independent thought… were all conveniently forgetting, that The Arsenal are STILL 6 points clear at the top of the Premier League, we’re top of the Champions League, and we’re in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
We’ve had, and are CONTINUING to have, a fantastic season… and I’m more than happy to remind rival fans, the bias media, AND… some of our own fans, who are even worse than the outside noise, because they SHOULD know better!!
Here’s another gentle reminder to my Arsenal brethren, we’re NOT going to win EVERY game! We’ll draw some, and we’ll lose some… THAT’S FOOTBALL!!
Even when we won the league unbeaten, we drew 12 games. It’s OK people! Breeeaaathe.
Drawing a game at home isn’t ideal, but it’s also not the end of the world. Let’s stay balanced, let’s keep the faith with Arteta, and this brilliant Arsenal team, and stay united as a fanbase, because our team need us… ESPECIALLY, in this second half of the season!!
We turn our attentions to the FA Cup next, as we have a potential banana skin tie, against Portsmouth.
Yes, on paper, it should be a routine win for The Arsenal, but games aren’t played on paper.
I call it a potential banana skin, because that’s the beauty of the FA Cup. The minnows can play the bigger teams, and win. This is why my love for the oldest cup competition in the world, is undying.
Do you agree with my match analysis?
Is the tedium of bias, agenda stacked narratives, impacting our own fans?
Who do you think should play in the FA Cup? Should Arteta make wholesale changes, and rest the “Heavy-Hitters” ??
Let me know in the comments, as usual. COYG!!
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