An Invincible Performance
Arsenal were Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
What a team.
I haven’t been this confident of winning since the Invincible’s were swashbuckling their way through the Premier League with the chaotic patterns of a biplane dogfight. The invincible’s had an all-out attacking philosophy. Let’s call it full tilt pinball. They just out-played lesser teams. Score 3 and the Invincible's will score 4. And they out fought better teams. Keown and Viera, to name but two, were a blur of snarling never-say die power (and in Viera’s case all-round skill). Even The Ice-Man Bergkamp’s steely elbows reminded upstarts that there was more than just magical skill to his game.
Like a cartoon fight between musketeers and peasant soldiers, the Invincible’s were better trained, fitter, more skilful, and had that One For All And All For One attitude. So, we fans felt a (gently-panicky) confidence, there could be small losses on the battle field, but in the end the superiority of Full-Tilt Pinball played by Musketeers would most likely prevail.
This team, Arteta’s Arsenal, have much of the same DNA, the same Brotherhood, the same ability to create intricate, baffling patterns of play, they are big and powerful, but they are also delicate and nimble and masterful.
But this Arsenal have something else too. While Wenger’s men just tilted that table a little more, created a steeper incline for the opponents to struggle up, pushing harder at the same door, Arteta’s men will casually wander over and open an whole different door. And It’s not just a tactical flexibility. There’s a maturity built through experience, but also built because this team lives in a different world than the Invincible’s. The footballing environment has transformed over the last 20 years. And there’s no better proof of this fact than Arteta’s Arsenal.
In the NLD, with crucial players missing (strange to see a game without our Norwegian playmaker) and a midfield made of an unpredictable Partey (yet to really find his footing this season) and a Jorginho without a single start so far, the team had to make some big choices.
The primary choice was to allow Spurs the ball. Go then, you can have the ball, give us your best shot. As it turned out, Tottenham’s best shot was taken in haste and flew just above the bar. Arsenal could make this choice because (and not to overstretch the comparison here) although the Invincible’s had an unbelievable back 4, Arteta’s Arsenal has a back 11.
The defensive set-up, the off-the-ball pressing, the constant suffocating of opponent, the transition from defence to attack, all of these things are faultless, fluid and second-nature. Playing against the Invincible’s defence was like playing against a wall. Playing against Arteta’s Arsenal is like playing against a swarm of bees, they are everywhere, you can’t get away from them.
The NLD showcased this Arsenal’s tactical flexibility and understanding of the state of game play. They chose to go long, to break with their usual build from the back, and to rely on both breaking Spur’s high-line, or a set-piece goal. Naturally, both happened. And once Big Gabby came swooping out of the heavens to head home, there was no coming back for the befuddled Spurs players. Maddison was neutralised entirely. Son was closed down so effectively he became a non-threat. Arsenal basically laid a blanket over the game, scored a goal, then laid the blanket right back down again.
In today’s Premier League the Light Blue sky seems to go on endlessly toward the horizon. There are coaches with a “philosophy” (like Ange) who imagine a certain playing style can triumph. Wenger had a similar idea, which worked because the Invincible's ramped up everything at a time when new ideas were, just that, new ideas. Wenger raised the level of professionalism immensely. Then everyone caught up. Now everyone is fitter, stronger, faster and better on the ball.
Tactics changed too. Once teams had to perfect their style. Now they need to constantly evolve their styles. False nines, false false nines, shapes that change whether on or off the ball in a perpetual positional to relational shift, diamonds, box midfields, no crossing, long, ball, slow bold up. And all that in one game ;)
The impossible-to-slip-up atmosphere has effected the Premier League. Is there less swashbuckling now? Do we play more like the Roman Army in battle formation? Is it all about domination and power? Has the feeling has changed. Less upstart, more corporate?
On the pitch and off the pitch, football has finally reached Total Football, it’s Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. From the perpetual Tsunami of “content”, to Arsenal being a lifestyle. Where once I was a Arsenal fan, now I’m part of the Arsenal Family. There have been evolutions off the pitch, and evolutions on the pitch. Arteta’s players have to be able to play multiple positions, have footballing brains, play a team formation and be individual change-makers. They need physical brilliance, emotional maturity and mental sharpness. To play for Arteta you need to be a highly tuned athlete with Zen-like mind control and the craftiness of a fox on the hunt. The demands are rising and rising and so far Arteta and the boys have delivered. More than delivered, they’ve changed the game themselves and long may it go on.
Next week, we are heading to the 115 Stadium, The Sky Blue Pummelling Machine, but for the first time in years, I have a feeling, a sneaky feeling…If the referee manages to keep his eyes open and manage the game with a little thought, I wonder if next Sunday’s game might be one step closer to Arteta’s Invincibility?
So there you go, another win and another 3 points. Arsenal cooked up another delicious Coq Au Vin and we all dined out the whole weekend.
Apologies for the slightly late publishing time…maybe I had a glass or two, too many. But as you know, it was worth it. Have a great week Wonderlanders and good luck in Thursday nights Champions League game!