MATCH DAY BLOG - MANCHESTER UNITED (A)
The season is here, Arsenal head to Manchester United, we are whole again. Yes, it’s time to say goodbye to the family. Cut them loose. They understand the importance of the next 9 months, and if they loved you, they’d leave with grace.
So what did we learn from the past few days?
Liverpool had a big win on paper, but I don’t think the performance was electrifying. They’ve spent all the pennies this summer, but you sense there’s going to be a decline this season. VVD isn’t getting any younger, they let Semenyo power through them twice, and they will have a whole different set of questions to answer this season. Also… the sheen of last season was well and truly soiled by the guy in the wheelchair racially abusing Semenyo in full view of the cameras. Who gets that angry about Semenyo? A racist. That’s who.
Man City, as always, landed a stunning softball for their first game. They played Wolves and totally battered them. Their team is new-look because they can just spend £300m and no one even pays attention. James Trafford is their new number 1, Reijnders looked very exciting in midfield, and Cherki scored on his debut. Let’s be honest, City always look good, because they just spend a shit-tonne of money every year. No shock there.
I watched the Spurs game for a little bit and it was painfully drab, but they did look solid, and Thomas Frank appears to have gotten a turn out of Richarlison, which is a shame.
Sunderland beating West Ham was also fun. Granit Xhaka off to a big start. Isidor scoring like Thierry, then resting on the corner flag with the Thierry celebration. Quite a shame that Graham Potter ball seems to be under fire for the second time. His football just doesn’t work without intelligent players prepared to go all-in on his approach. Do I really care? No. I do not.
I care about this United game for Arsenal. I did my preview yesterday, covering off all my hopes for the season. My hopes for United are a bit miserable… I think the most un-Arsenal thing to do is go there and win. You know, start the season with a bang, against a team we absolutely should be beating away from home.
You could say a draw is fine. But is it? From a sporting perspective, sure. Jose Mourinho would take a draw against a newly invigorated United side. But this season, with so much riding on it, do we really think that’s the mood we want to kick the season off with? We need something explosive. A page-turn, palate cleanser, some battery acid to zap all the sad things I wrote on my laptop last season.
I don’t want sporting principles this season… I want fan principles. Fun football, last-minute winners, BIG wins, MOMENTUM FROM GAME DAY ONE. I don’t want to finish the game tomorrow and point to high turnover, adaptation to the league, or… heaven forbid… the bad luck excuse.
Three seasons in a row finishing second. Time for luck to turn. Luck turns when you believe. We need to believe from the start tomorrow.
If you want a little members pod for the journey up, me and Matt recorded this just a minute ago. The On The Whistle post will go up a little later. Sign up for the season opener offer RIGHT NOW so you can get all the live content, well, live. Plus the bonus content for audio AND writing.
Ok, that’s me done. COME ON ARSENAL!