Daniel Levy lambasted as Arsenal face relegation

Oh dear Arsenal
Having had time to reflect on Friday night’s match (ok yes, sat and cried) I came up with a few points that were maybe lost in the mix:

* The Arsenal away support was pretty good, all things considered. Heard singing late into the game, despite the obvious lack of cohesion on the pitch, the fans did their best to lift the team. Credit to them. Unfortunately, the moaners at the Emirates probably won’t follow their example. I’d love to be proved wrong, but I fear the worst – our home ‘fans’ are an embarrasment. Support the team, get behind them, they need the fans now more than ever. At least the away support tried.

* Do Brighton do refunds? If not, we’d better hope that Ben White turns in some better performances than that. I’d prefer to have Skhodran Mustafi back, at least he could head the ball.

* Having said that, Arteta threw White under the bus, or at least the coaching team did. How did they not realise how Brentford were going to play? The commentary team, the fans, all of us at home, everyone else were waiting for the long throws, corners & free kicks and all the big guys in the box. So why weren’t Arsenal ? OK, so Gabriel & Holding (our two best CBs at actually heading the ball) were injured (or mysteriously not fit – more on that later) but Arteta knew that. So why didn’t he do something about it? Surely the answer would have been pick Chambers as an extra CB, pick AMN as right wing back and get extra bodies into the box. And put Martinelli & Balogun on the half way line for corners so we can hit them on the break. Even if they hadn’t spotted it on the game file before them match, why didn’t they see it in the first 15 minutes?

* Why was Rob Holding suddenly ‘not fit’? Was he injured? Or had he thrown his teddy out of the pram due to being dropped for Ben White? Speculation here of course, but if he is sold to make way for White, on Friday’s evidence it suddenly looks like a terrible bit of business. Again.

* This board is ruthless, they showed it with Emery. They clearly like Arteta and have a working relationship with him, but results speak for themselves. He looked clueless on Friday, as did his coaching team. The board have invested and continue to invest considerable money into the playing staff but see no return. The FA Cup win seems a long time ago now – after Friday, with Chelsea and City next, Arteta could well be living on borrowed time. Three losses out of three could see him fighting for his job after the international break.

* Was that the last we have seen of Lacazette and Aubameyang? Probably not. If it was however, it wouldn’t be a terrible thing, if the club turned the money into a decent replacement. Vlahovic from Fiorentia for example might be the perfect fit, if he could be persuaded to join. But who wants to join such a badly run club? A new manager might be the only answer.

* If nothing changes, we are going down. It’s a simple fact. Friday night showed, we are not good enough for the Premier League. 102 years of consecutive top flight football, 13 league titles. Thank you, and good night.
Exiled Gooner (Antonio Conte? yeah right)

On Palace and Grantham…
A 1990s Premier League midfielder puts together a side with several players making a step up to face a team with players used to a higher level, and gets off to a flyer. Radcliffe 1-2 Grantham Town. The Gingerbreads last won away on 26 December 2018, so Sam Scrivens’ coolness through a penalty box scramble to settle the game with the very last kick was brilliant.

* It’s the little things you miss most about football, such as playing spot the difference between different teams’ match reports: Grantham’s report on their website and Radcliffe’s in the Non-League Paper had space to mention the home side’s penalty shouts; it must have been word count that prevented them mentioning two of their players received yellow cards for a reducer tackle and a headbutt that might, on another day, have brought their afternoons to an end early.

* Meanwhile, Patrick Vieira was welcomed to the Premier League by a Chelsea side combining the sort of grace and punishment previously associated with the Frenchman’s time in midfield for the Arsenal. Very few people are panicking about the result – someone on this site said last week the game was a free hit – but there were still some disappointments. Vieira opted against 4-3-3 perhaps because the most important player to a three-man midfield, Conor Gallagher, was ineligible to play against his parent club. Using a 4-4-2 caused problems for attempts to play out from the back as there were fewer passing options against Chelsea’s pressing, and the ensuing long passes did not have the necessary accuracy. Jean-Philippe Mateta, chosen ahead of Christian Benteke up front, was largely anonymous; Wilfried Zaha, lined up alongside him, struggled to get on the ball and create chaos. Then again, he’s had his best showings against the Pensioners when he’s tormented Cesar Azpilicueta – the Spaniard here hidden away at right wing-back instead of in the back line.

* I don’t think the scoreline is catastrophic, because I think Chelsea will win by a bigger margin this year, and Palace will lose by a bigger margin to someone else. There were also some encouraging signs. Most of Chelsea’s attempts (and two of their goals) were from outside the box; some of these were free kicks, but in any event it’s indicative of a defence being difficult to break down.

At different points of the game, Palace used different formations, switching to 3-5-2 when Joachim Andersen came on. Once he is fully match fit, he should start in a back four with Marc Guehi, but his experience of playing in a back three will be useful. As the Athletic write this morning, Vieira likes to match up his formations based on stopping the opposition but keep the same playing style. This is an approach that will have mixed success, but the Eagles did look better in 3-5-2 than they had in 4-4-2, and have played well in 4-3-3 through preseason. Fans will have patience with a work in progress for a while, but it will need to bear fruit at some point.

*Next up Palace host Brentford, coming off a massive confidence-boosting win over the Arsenal. The Bees will fancy their chances of stinging the Eagles, but with key players returning to eligibility and fitness, Palace should put on a good show for their supporters.
Ed Quoththeraven