Brighton - on the bus. An artist named David
Another narrow win for Arsenal keeps us at the top of the table.
The starting XI (shuffled at the last minute after Calafiori picked up an injury) featured just three natural defenders and not a single right-back in sight. A quick look at the team sheet suggested no wing-backs on the pitch, which pointed to only one conclusion: Declan Rice starting at right-back. We all know Dec is the kind of man you’d trust with your car keys, your credit card PIN, and the delivery of an anniversary gift to your partner, so there were no reservations about trusting him to fill in at full-back.
Right from the off, Trossard picked out Gyokeres with a 30-yard volley; the Swede showed some lovely body movement to sell the defender, but then… completely fluffed his lines. Later in the half, Gyokeres wasn’t alert enough to gamble on Declan’s cross at the back stick after Saliba missed his header. There’s a lively debate among the fans as to whether Gyokeres lacks the quality or if he’s simply not being serviced properly, but in this match, it didn’t really matter. Sorry, Viktor, but you’ve got to bury those. Clinical finishing and being alert at all times are supposed to be your calling cards, and you failed on both counts today. If you’re missing chances like those, you start to lose the faith of even your most loyal backers.
At the same time, there’s some truth to the idea that only Trossard in our current front line actually tries to find Gyokeres with those inventive balls. And he’s not far off making it work, either. The home fans were desperate to get under Leo’s skin today, booing his every touch in the first half. I suppose if one of our lot left Arsenal on such poor terms as he left Brighton, we’d probably give him the same treatment (looking at you, Adebayor). How did Leo respond? He sent the defender for a hot dog three times with fake crosses topping it up with a cheeky nutmeg. The attacks came to nothing, but Trossard looked fully satisfied, and the home crowd greeted every bit of skill with a roar. That’s exactly the response you want when a player is being wound up, not the ironic grin we saw from Madueke at the Bridge.
The one player who looked completely back to his best was our skipper, Martin. He was popping up on the left, drifting through the middle, and knitting the play together—though he does still seem to have a preference for Saka when looking for a pass. After so much lopsidedness on the right this season, we finally looked like a balanced side.
The average positions also looked a lot healthier in this one. The only missing piece was that glaring lack of a connection between Merino and Trossard.
It was no shock to see Odegaard bag the opener with a clever, disguised strike from a Saka pass. Saka, who remains our most consistent creative outlet, carving out openings every game, but is still not quite that world-class, pre-injury version of himself. Back then, he was the definition of efficiency. While some bloggers keep churning out the same old narrative without a second thought, the reality has changed. This season, including several times against Brighton, Saka has looked desperate to finish attacks himself, even when it’s not the most probable chance to score. I’m not sure if he’s trying to prove a point to himself or if there’s a lack of trust in his teammates (like Gyokeres), but it just doesn’t feel right.
His shooting wasn’t finding the corners—half the time it wasn’t even hitting the target. Seven shots totalling just 0.7 xG isn’t exactly a healthy piece of stats. On the flip side, he’s still top of the pile for key passes and expected assists, which shows he’s still the best in our team when it comes to laying it on a plate for others.
On the whole, the first half was bright and full of invention. Brighton were kept to a literal 0.0 xG as we completely dominated the park. The second half started much the same, and after one of Rice’s trademark corners, Rutter turned it into his own net. I won’t bore you with the “own goal” jokes that’s plastered all over social media. For a moment, it felt like we might actually start chipping away at City’s goal difference... until it didn’t.
Brighton suddenly grew in confidence, took the initiative, and started causing us real problems. It didn’t take long for that pressure to tell. A strike from the edge of the area flew through a forest of legs, rattled the post, and rebounded kindly for another Brighton player to tap home. That really got their tails up, and Brighton pinned us to the ropes. It’s becoming a worrying, familiar pattern: we have a one-goal lead and surrender control in the second half. Eight of Brighton’s nine shots came in that frantic spell between our second goal and the 80th minute.
The pressure peaked when Minteh unleashed a curling effort that looked destined for the back of the net. It was one of those shots where, as soon as you see the flight of the ball, you’re already muttering something unrepeatable and wondering how we can come back from a blown two-goal lead. Then, a Spanish Santa made his way down to provide a Christmas Miracle. David Raya pulled off the kind of save that leaves you pinching yourself to make sure it actually happened. I couldn’t believe my eyes; I had to watch the replay just to understand how the ball managed to get over the bar. Absolute world class and composure when we needed it most.
The final ten minutes were basically one long counter-attack for us. Martinelli, on for Trossard, looked sharp and aggressive, fueled by that confidence from the Palace game. He whipped in a couple of peach crosses before missing an absolute sitter served up by Saka. The recurring theme for this side is our sheer inefficiency when it comes to finishing off counter-attacks.
If the strategy employed at the end of the game is to sit deep in our own half and protect a result, then the essential second part of this strategy is being ruthless on the break to punish teams for leaving space in behind. We’re failing at that. How many clinical counters can you actually remember lately? Not nearly enough for my liking. Liverpool used to be a frighteningly well-oiled machine on the break, and that was the bedrock of their title charges.
The competitors’ watch
Some might call it a “champions’ performance,” but let’s be honest—not when it’s the fifth time we’ve seen it this month. If you want a real “champions’ performance” from the weekend, look at City. After a couple of comfortable 3-0 wins, they looked a bit leggy away at Forest, but they still dug in and found a late winner through Cherki. What a steal that looks at just 35 million, by the way.
That’s the thing with City and Guardiola. He has his system, much like Arteta, but he’s a master at squeezing every drop of form out of his squad. Aside from Haaland, who’s a permanent nightmare for defenders, the rest of their attackers take turns carrying the goalscoring burden. It was Doku in October, then Foden after the internationals, and now it’s Cherki’s turn to pull the strings. Pep has mastered the art of timing these purple patches for the title run-in. Back in 23/24, when they topped us by two points, De Bruyne was largely on the periphery for half the season until Pep unleashed him in the final months to steamroll everyone in sight. Liverpool in 24/25 were a different beast entirely, built around the strong suits of their best player Sala, as well as lightning-quick transitions—something Arteta doesn’t really go for.
Arteta struggles to get his creative players onto those scoring streaks because he’s more concentrated on the system. He doesn’t really rotate to ride a player’s hot hand; his changes are usually forced by injuries or fatigue. If it were up to him, he’d probably field his “control” XI— think Saka, Odegaard, and Zubimendi—for every single minute of the campaign.
Take Eze, for example: another ninety minutes spent warming the bench. It’s clear he’s still being punished for that defensive mistake against Villa. Hooked at half-time, 57 minutes against Wolves, 67 in the League Cup, and now two full league games missed—that’s not exactly the treatment you give a player you trust. You could argue he had his moment back in October when Odegaard was sidelined.
But it wasn’t just Eze; we had Nwaneri and Madueke sitting there as well. All three of them, Ethan included, have that spark to carry an attack on their own for a few games. Madueke looked like he could be ready to kick on after his brace against Brugge, but he’s barely featured since the Palace game. As for Nwaneri, he’s been virtually frozen out this season. Instead, we saw Martinelli (the defensive workhorse) and Jesus (another classic “everywhere but the box” showing) against Brighton.
Arteta has set the non-negotiable standards to turn us into consistent title challengers, but that’s just the foundation. To actually land the big trophies, you need artists to build on that foundation—players who can conjure magic out of nothing and play out of their skins when it matters. Against Brighton, we only had one artist on the pitch: David Raya. The save he made was mouthwatering—not just for the ridiculous reflex but for the sheer importance of the moment.
That one action likely secured all three points against Brighton and kept us from spiralling down in the upcoming tough run of fixtures. It’s the kind of world-class contribution you need from someone every week to stay top, yet we haven’t seen enough of it from our outfielders this December. We’re creating plenty of half-chances, so it’s no shock that “Own Goal” is pushing for the top of Arsenal’s scoring charts. The sheer volume of pressure we apply forces mistakes from opponents, but none of our forwards are currently stepping up to win a game on their own.
When you have a squad of 25 quality players, you have to accept that everyone has different strengths. You need a tailored approach to each individual to maximize the output from your team. You can’t expect every attacker to defend like a Trojan, just as you can’t expect them all to create at the same rate. After all, not everyone can be Declan Rice.
Preparing for the biggest game of the winter
Declan Rice put in another massive shift, covering an incredible amount of ground in his new role. I haven’t tracked down a site that shows the exact distance covered, but you can bet your house he topped the charts for our lot. That 70-metre lung-buster in the 92nd minute, where he was a whisker away from creating a lethal chance, was nothing short of impressive. He probably should’ve gone for a “fake cross” to send the defender sliding before the cutback, but you can’t really ask for more from our old workhorse Dec.
I think starting Rice at right-back was a bit of a dry run for the Aston Villa clash. They don’t really look to the wings to build their play; instead, they try to find one of their players in that pocket between the lines—where Morgan Rogers loves to hang out—to transition into the box in a heartbeat. Villa didn’t manage a single sniff at goal in the first half at the Bridge (0.0 xG), but once Emery unleashed Watkins in the second, they looked a different beast, creating a hatful of chances through that same central route which eventually led to two goals and all three points. Having an extra defensive midfielder ready to tuck in and congest that area with Arsenal bodies would be a massive help.
Another bit of prep for the Villa game was the return of “Big Gabi.” On one hand, you don’t want to see him rushed back into the fold, but on the other, Hincapie looked a bit shaky against Watkins a fortnight ago, and I’d be a nervous wreck watching that duel again. So, with Calafiori potentially sidelined, Gabriel’s return can’t come at a better time.
This is arguably the biggest fixture of the winter and one that could well define our entire campaign. The result on Tuesday night will be absolutely massive.
If we can pull off a win, we’ll finally put those old demons to bed, snap their 11-game winning streak, and likely send them into a bit of a tailspin and out of the title conversation. A victory would be a huge shot in the arm for the players’ confidence, providing a rock-solid foundation for the next two tricky fixtures and sending a real statement to the rest of the league.
A draw, however, would likely see City leapfrog us at the summit, and given our upcoming schedule, we’d probably end up dropping more points in January and shift back to the back seat.
A defeat would mean Arteta being outfoxed by Emery once again, dredging up those painful memories of the 23/24 title race when that home loss to Villa proved fatal. It would shatter our belief, leave City as the runaway favourites, and might just inspire them to go on one of those unstoppable winning runs they usually seem to find in the spring. To sum up, it would be nothing short of total disaster.
We’ll need to find the net at least twice on the night, because Villa never leaves our place without getting on the scoresheet. But maybe our new favorite lad Own Goal can make one final appearance on stage?