Leeds - on the bus. Difference boosters
A confident win over Leeds puts Arsenal back into the driver seat.
The team news dropped and it was largely the XI we all expected, bar one intriguing tweak. The Flying German was back in the thick of it following the Kairat match, slotting into that second striker/attacking midfield role. Given Havertz’s patchy injury record, I didn’t reckon he’d be risked for a second start in a week. But Arteta threw him in and this is a massive boost of hope for supporters like you and me.
It’s a bit of a breath of fresh air seeing Ødegaard dropped to the bench, especially as he was usually one of the “untouchables”. The message from Arteta is loud and clear: “Your recent form simply hasn’t been good enough”, Now, let’s be honest—I’ve never been convinced Havertz could truly replicate Ødegaard’s ball retention or his ability to wriggle out of tight spaces under pressure. But in our current state, maybe that’s not what’s required. We needed to simply offer something different, and Kai provided exactly that. Just look at Havertz’s touch map from the first 45 minutes compared to Ødegaard’s against United.
Havertz was everywhere, popping up on the left, right, and through the middle to act as that extra man the defense never quite accounted for. It begs the question: what’s stopping the rest of them from moving like that? It’s a role Eze could play, or Ødegaard (who was doing exactly this during the 22/23 season). Even Jesus drifts into these patterns when he’s leading the line. So why aren’t they making a difference? Is it a pure lack of physicality to win duels in the tight spaces packed by angry opponents? I’m not so sure, because Foden in his prime, he was exactly that type of player and the lack of physicality never stopped him.
Our first real opening came when Havertz made a clever looping run from the left wing into the center, teeing up Zubimendi for a cracking chance on the edge of the area—one the Spaniard absolutely fluffed. I’ll admit I was a skeptic when Zubimendi first arrived, but he’s won me over with his drive and his willingness to step up his game in the tough moments. That said, there are still moments where he looks a level below, like that botched shot or his defensive failure against United. Our second chance followed a similar pattern: two vertical passes finding Havertz goal-side of the back four, eventually resulting in a corner.
A couple of corners later, Madueke—who was a late inclusion after Saka pulled up in the warm-up—pounced on his own cleared cross and whipped a second ball in. Zubimendi was right there to nod it home. It was another reminder of how clinical Martin can be; that’s not his first opener, nor his first header in an Arsenal shirt. Considering his role, he’s certainly justifying the price tag when it comes to the attacking side of things.
The very next corner from Madueke sailed straight into the back of the net. I doubt Noni actually meant it, but a well-executed cross never goes to waste. It was a proper laugh watching Calvert-Lewin getting in his own keeper’s way. A goal and an assist in the first half is more than anyone could have asked for from the former Chelsea man, and I’m genuinely stoked for him.
At the same time it hasn’t shifted my perspective on him. A cross into a dangerous area and a cross that ends up in the net don’t exactly scream “elite decision-making” to me—which has always been Madueke’s main issue. Much like that worldie against Brugge, it’s a spectacular moment that doesn’t necessarily align with a structured team attack. We’ll need to see a bit more consistency from him while Saka will supposedly be sidelined.
The worry at Leeds is always whether we can break the deadlock early. Going into the break level might have dented the morale, but thankfully we were already in the clear. After the interval, Ødegaard came on for Havertz but again remained something of a passenger rather than a proper number 10. Martinelli replaced Madueke, likely because Noni isn’t tracking back enough for Arteta’s liking as we looked to see the game out. Plus, it suggests Madueke is being saved for the Chelsea clash, and having some fresh legs in the tank won’t do any harm.
A few attacks later, Martinelli whipped a ball into the mixer which looked a bit aimless at first, but it found Gyökeres’ leg to divert it into the back of the net. There’s nobody happier or more relieved in this side after bagging a goal than Viktor. What really caught my eye, though, was the way Gyökeres was wrestling with the defender; it was pure determination that forced that one over the line.
It’s dawned on me that I’m always seeing Gyökeres in a physical scrap, whether he’s chasing a cross or a ball played into the space behind the backline. Perhaps Viktor’s issue isn’t a lack of strength to win a duel, but rather his positioning—he’s simply not giving himself a fair shout. I caught a YouTube video recently featuring Merino and Timber, where Mikel discusses the importance of positioning to get on the end of a cross. He mentioned: “I constantly check where the centre-backs are and try to reposition myself in-between them to maximise the chance of scoring.” It’s a perpetual game of cat-and-mouse between forwards and defenders, and it’s possible Gyökeres hasn’t quite mastered it at the Premier League level. I have a faint hope that his movement can be coached, and we might see him putting up better numbers as the season progresses.
With the score at 3-0, Gyökeres made way for Jesus, who, predictably enough, spurned his first opening. He got on the end of a Timber cross but the keeper managed to tip it out of play. Even though Jesus missed, it immediately highlighted the gulf in positioning between him and Gyökeres. Jesus was sat perfectly between the two centre-backs and had a clear run at the keeper. Just imagine if you could combine that movement with Gyökeres’ finishing!
A few forays later, two vertical passes (again!)—the first into Ødegaard, the second from him—found Jesus in the box. He tucked it away with the composure of R9 himself. As we’ve seen plenty of times before, when the pressure is off and the result is in the bag, Jesus transforms into the finest sort of Brazilian footballer—virtually unplayable.
While we might lack players who consistently pop up with crucial goals, there’s a benefit to having someone who can boost our goal difference, which could be vital come May. Two fixtures against Leeds have accounted for nearly a third of our total goal difference in the league. When are Burnley back in town? :)
The result this evening was spot on. We can’t get too carried away, of course, as we still relied on set pieces and own goals to get the job done. However, there was a different feel to the team today. Unlike those gruelling December matches, the side didn’t just sit back to protect a two-goal lead. Arteta rang the changes, injecting some fresh legs, and the lads continued to press Leeds and dominate proceedings right until the final whistle. Leeds didn’t manage a single clear-cut chance, and we could easily have bagged five or six. That’s exactly what I want to see us doing against the likes of Everton, Brighton, or Brentford. I believe this will do wonders for the squad’s confidence for the rest of the title charge.
First final in 5 years?
Our next outing is Tuesday at the Emirates, and it’s a big one. It’s the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea, and we’ve got a massive chance to reach our first final since that behind-closed-doors FA Cup win during COVID. It’s mad to think how much time has passed and how much this squad has evolved since then. The only two constants left from that day are Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, and even they were only watching from the sidelines back then. Manchester City will almost certainly be the other finalist, but that’s a whole different conversation for another day.
Chelsea have been flying since Rosenior took the reins. They’ve won every single game under him, bar that first semi-final leg against us—which happened to be his first match in charge.
I’m not sure how Rosenior will fare as a long-term appointment; they’re clearly in that initial honeymoon period after moving on from Maresca. One thing’s for sure, though: while he definitely fits all the description of a recently fashionable “hipster”, he does talk differently to your average manager. I must admit it’s actually somewhat refreshing to listen to him, especially when so many managers just churn out the same tired clichés about “needing to improve in certain areas”, “analysing mistakes” and “looking for a reaction in the next game”.
Whether he’ll actually click with this Chelsea squad long-term is another matter. They still look like a collection of talented, but spoiled individuals rather than a proper team, and it’ll take a huge shift to really unite them. One of the common ways to do that is to assert undeniable authority and discipline—the way Arteta, Guardiola and many others have done—and I’m not entirely convinced Rosenior has that streak in him. That said, right now, Chelsea look like a right handful.
Even with a one-goal lead from the away leg—which looks solid enough on paper—a single Chelsea goal would make it quite nervy. We saw against United that when you’re up against players with that level of individual quality, even the most tactically sound side can see a lead evaporate in a moment of top notch quality.
Neto always seems up for it against us; Estêvão is electric with his feet (although he might be injured); Garnacho already bagged two in the first leg; and while we usually keep Palmer quiet, he’s always capable of sticking a free-kick in the top bins. Then there’s João Pedro, who used to cause us all sorts of grief at Brighton and is their top scorer now. It’s a long and somewhat worrying list of threats.
I could pitch you the strategy of sitting in a compact mid-block and trying to catch them on the break, especially since they’re the ones who have to come to our place and score. I could sell you starting Martinelli and Gyökeres to alternate runs behind their high line, stretching the play and creating the pockets that Saka Madueke and Rice would love to exploit. I could make a case for starting White, Eze, and maybe Nørgaard—our most proficient vertical passers—to really make that counter-attacking plan click.
But by now I already know well enough that is not how Arteta rolls. He’ll want us to play the way you and I are most used to seeing: dominated possession, safe build-up, and an aggressive counter-press the second we lose it (or the “defensive transition” if you’re feeling fancy like Mr Balagué). For the big games, he always picks the players most suited to that system. That means Ødegaard, Zubimendi, and Timber are looking for a start.
Personally, I think the point of having such a deep squad is to utilize different players and their unique qualities considering the next opponent. Martinelli and Gyökeres thrive when there’s space to run into and struggle against a low block. Eze is arguably the best counter-attacking threat in the league from his Palace days, so why not leverage that? So far this season, though, Arteta’s approach has been clear: his “Favorite XI” for the big occasions, with the fringe players getting the cup rounds and the odd European games. It’s more about giving a break for the favorites rather than tactical “mix and match.”
It’s hard to moan too much given where we are in all competition. But will it be enough when crunch time kicks in? Or will we eventually need that new level of “unpredictability” Arteta was raving about a lot in the summer?
I think saying we had to ‘rely on set pieces to get us over the line’ is a little uncharitable but deffo agree this is the kind of game for Eze to start. Let’s see what happens eh? Very pleased with that Leeds performance and result and with Arteta (whisper it quietly). Also interesting that Eze came on late in that game and also played really well so maybe he is over the sulking?