Rohan Jivan

Something worth mentioning:

Outside of the plethora of skills Saka possesses, a huge quality he brings is the ability to produce consistent G+A in non winning game scenarios. We need someone to take responsibility in his absence.

So far that has primarily been Gabriel Jesus.

Merino has been ‘fine’ so far imo.

Some good games, some poor ones. Feel he’s still off the pace in the press vs settled build up + want him to release the ball quicker.

But we’ve seen glimpses of his quality/what he adds (key to our LHS). Just want him to get regular minutes.

Jurrien Timber defensively keeps impressing week in week out. The list of wingers he’s kept out is mightily impressive. His awareness OOP, intensity and commitment in duels, etc , just superb. The level he is playing at post ACL is ridiculous.

Mikel Merino every single time manages to have at least one big goal scoring moment.

Just wanted to leave you with that. Will give more thoughts on him later.

Can we learn from Liverpool in how great they are in turning transition moments into shots? Yes!

Does Liverpool’s form mean Arteta talent ID is poor? No!

Ultimately my point is that I feel there has been lack of objective analysis around Arsenal this season.

Liverpool doing great = ‘Arteta isn’t good enough, recruitment is poor, etc.’

This is how it’s felt reading Arsenal discourse. I totally get certain annoyances but assessing us through the Liverpool lens is disingenuous in many ways. We are still one of the best sides in Europe.

‘We cannot isolate him (Martinelli) the way that we do for Bukayo.’

This is what Mikel said post Ipswich. What he’s referring to here is that natural ability to cut inside. Nwaneri however can and you saw that for the third goal, with the half space cross to the back post.

Something worth mentioning:

Arsenal winning after going a goal down. This is an area of weakness and something we don’t do great at. Obviously we don’t want to go a goal down, but this will happen and it’s vital that you are able to react positively to adverse conditions.

David Raya second half response btw was sensational. Cross collection superb and two great moments where he quickly kickstarted transition moments for Martinelli. Love his proactiveness.

Saliba/Gabriel is the best CB partnership I’ve ever seen at Arsenal, especially in terms of completeness.

We take it for granted in how we concede absolutely nothing in games. OOP performances like today are just deemed as the norm but it should always be recognised. The defensive structure implemented by Mikel, whether it’s in the high press or low block is incredible.

In Saka’s absence, this is what we need

- RHS in-swinging crosses (big Ode reliance)
- RHS set piece threat
- Enhanced LHS dynamics (Calafiori key)
- Hold up play vs high press
- Ability to create in isolation
- Game state influencing G/A
- RHS thrust on the inside (Timber key)

Generally speaking the season has been tough to endure so far because we’ve not been able to establish any sort of rhythm within certain units due to player unavailability. We need some better luck here, particularly with Calafiori who hopefully can stay injury free.

Calafiori’s importance was always high but with Saka’s injury, it’s increased by ten fold as it’s imperative our LHS is functioning. Martinelli RW should be the ploy imo, and with all of our other LW options, they need someone who can push them inside, which Calafiori can do.

MLS robustness under contact >>. Shields the ball so well when pressed and rolls contact like it’s nothing. Special talent who has not provided a single poor performance when given the opportunity. The Moussa Dembele comparisons stylistically btw are spot on. Only 18!

Gabriel Jesus has hit hot form at a time where we absolutely need it, especially with the Saka injury. We need a ROI this season from our most experienced attackers, so it’s great to see him beginning to seriously contribute. Hopefully more to come.

Btw that Declan Rice cameo. Insane.

He’s been excellent since Chelsea (A). When the opposition is willing to concede spaces, that’s when Rice is effective in possession @ 8, as we saw today. It’s not where he’s maximised, but idm him in the role when the game state is like this.

Martinelli RW should be our second choice behind Saka. Been saying it for a while; he always performs in this role when given chances. Suits his head down running style, underrated crossing when going down the outside as we saw for Kai’s goal + attacks the box well. Top display.

Big win to stop our winless league run from increasing. Score line doesn’t offer complete clarity into the performance however in our last two PL games, we’ve been the antithesis of efficiency in box situations. Today we were far from that. Great to see ruthless finishing!

Key to our success in the second half was using Odegaard in the post November 2023 to end of last season. Allowing him to drop deep, roam, loads of touches and facilitating. You get the best version of Odegaard by utilising him in this role. Skippers best display of the season.

Fantastic second half following what was an insipid opening 45. Second half tweaks made the difference, with balance being restored through our RHS. Odegaard the linchpin, J20 with an extremely underrated display and Jesus shining.

What’s great about MLS and Nwaneri is that the pair possess a specific quality the squad lacks in; the ability to withstand pressure inside the block, turn and break lines through carrying/passing. Aids central progression + play through pressure vs M2M set ups.

Merino’s movement vs Monaco was top in the final third with the underlaps and notice the difference a leftie has in these situations. Immediately releases as opposed to checking back. Did think he was inconsistent in possession but the more he plays, the better it will be.

Rice @ 6
- Facing play, more touches, better usage of passing
- Greater transition control influence
- Better use of ball striking
- Slipped final third RHS passes

Rice @ 8
- Box crashing
- Better usage of forcing turnovers high
- Greater ball carrying influence

Bukayo Saka 24/25

Games: 21
Goals: 9
Assists: 12

Context

- 5 games with Partey @ RB, 3 of which came with Kai @ RCM

- 6 games with an injured White @ RB, 2 of which came with Kai @ RCM

- Additional game with Tross @ RCM

He’s producing this in suboptimal conditions. Mental.

That Kai Havertz cameo btw 🤌🏾

Rice had a solid game @ 6 nominally. It’s where he’s at his best; facing play and not playing predominantly high BTLs. Was switching play effortlessly in possession and his awareness OOP/anticipation is always top. The latter is guaranteed.

Bukayo Saka the inevitable source of productivity.

Fantastic win. Easily left four 3/4 goals on the pitch in the first half. Our CL form has been top notch, especially when considering the calibre of opposition. Six fixtures played, two goals conceded and sitting in 3rd place with two games to go. Not bad at all.

As per @fbref, Arsenal rank 6th for number switches in the PL, executing 36 in 14 games (2.57 per game)

For context, last season we ranked 18th, with just 65 switches (1.71 per game).

Big improvement, with far more emphasis on isolating our wingers 1v1/weak side principle.