SAME OLD ARSENAL?

Arsenal vs Villarreal.

Not that good if we’re honest.

We lost another game and there were some familiar patterns.

Our attacking play was stodgy and slow. We were ripped apart quite easily by counterattacking opportunities. The new players aren’t integrated enough to give us a new flavor.

Nico Pepe was the best player on the pitch for a moment as well…

I won’t run agendas at this stage of the season (pre), but there weren’t a lot of head-turning moments anywhere to avoid having a negative view of a game against the team that finished 5th in La Liga last season.

The left still looks very unsatisfying because it’s the same players as we rolled with in the last campaign. We did see Madueke pop up there for a little bit, but he’s painfully early in his Arsenal journey. Martinelli didn’t have his best game. In fact, I’d say he had his standard Arsenal game. Lots of promise. Some half chances. Meek output.

Gyokeres looked kind of how I’d imagined he would… not very involved in much. Made loads of runs. Tried to link the play. Desperate to score a goal. Didn’t happen for him. It’s early days, he’s not fit, and it’ll take a while for him to impose himself fully on Arsenal.

Creatively, we didn’t give him much. Martin Odegaard wasn’t particularly helpful, nor were our wide players who struggled to find his runs. We don’t move the ball fast enough, we horseshoe a lot, and a large chunk of our chances don’t feel like they’re high quality.

You get the impression we’ve totally dominated the game… because we have. But it’s not deadly dominance. It’s getting spanked with a ping pong bat, not a medieval mace.

The only players who have really shown up so far this preseason are Zubimendi who definitely added something to the second half, and a 15-year-old called Max Dowman.

Norgaard is defensively sound, Mosquera looks bright, but we couldn’t handle those fast transitions against a team that’d finish 12th in the Premier League. Put Mbuemo, Sesko, or Cunha on those counterattacks and we might be in trouble for that United away game.

But… let’s get back to the rules. It’s only fitness that matters if you lose.

My only issue here is that I haven’t seen a good performance all preseason. I haven’t felt more directness in our play. This feels like same script, different actors… but the actors aren’t as experienced in the way we make films.

Things have to get better, the first game of the season needs to work for the Academy Award we’re trying to win next season.

Ok, short post, because I am not wasting energy on writing about that bland showing.

We are in a no excuses season. I’m sure Arteta will get it right for United, but damn… that has me feeling a little bit queasy and my instincts are that I need to start writing content that couches for a slow start.

Do NOT make me write ‘we just need to be within spitting distance by December’ because I want us leading this season. Strong start, strong middle, strong finish.

Ok, we haven’t been able to get to an On The Whistle, but we’ll have a pod out later, or it’ll be Therapy tomorrow. x