Eventually, it was an Arsenal performance that had everything: Dominance, goals, a little rotation to keep players fresh for the weekend. But it wasn’t the kind of free-flowing performance that had many around me in the ground last night saying that we were purring like a well-oiled machine.
I guess that’s only natural. Arteta rang the changes – as many of us (including me) asked – and when you get that, you’re always going to get a performance that isn’t exactly slick. The players haven’t built up those fabled ‘automatisms’; they’re a little rustier, plus they’re also in the squad rather than regulars for a reason – the others are better. But nevertheless, this was an Arsenal team that, on paper, was more than capable of beating a functional, but not particularly spectacular, Lille side. And the first half pretty much played out as, in hindsight, a lot of us would have probably predicted. Arsenal had the lion’s share of the football, created nearly all of the chances, whilst Lille sat back in a compact formation designed to frustrate the home side and its supporters. In some ways, this is a standard game at the Emirates when a smaller team comes to us and has the prize of playing for a point. We huff and puff, they frustrate; the outcome is that at halftime we’re in the concourse and sat at home all wondering if this is going to be ‘one of those days’. It felt like that at times against Leeds at the weekend.
The difference last night compared to Saturday was that Leeds came with an ambition to press us higher up the pitch, kind of trying the Brighton model, whereas Lille went back to more Dycheian tactics of just trying to be compact and not venture forward too much. In that first half, they had two shots and one disallowed goal that was offside, but those were speculative shots that never really troubled Raya. We had a couple of big chances: one with Bruno who quick-fired a shot wide after a good move in the build-up, then one that took a slight nick off a defender from a Bruno shot, only for the ‘keeper to scramble away from Gyokeres, but that was pretty much the total of it in the first half from us.
Huffed. Puffed. Looked a little stodgy. I just don’t think there was enough guile in there. Madueke had one of those nights where he twisted and turned, and when he did get the ball released, it was overhit as a cross, whilst on the other side Eze was hardly blowing us away in the first half. Big Vik was anonymous, as he was for pretty much the entirety of his time on the match, to be fair.
And the second half served much the same, although much like the weekend, the introduction of the subs did make a change – even though the goal was scored before any of them came on. So there’s a temptation to say they changed the game, and I definitely think we played better and with more swagger with Saka, Odegaard and Havertz on the pitch, but game state in these situations needs to be factored in as well. Arsenal were a goal up just a minute before they came on. That meant that the Lille game plan was essentially ripped up when those players were getting into their stride. That means more space; it means an opposition who have to commit bodies forward more; it means you’re going to look better, and those who came before you may well have had more joy if there was more space when they were on the pitch. But that narrative aside, I just don’t think Gyokeres makes the run and pass for Saka’s goal, and Noni wasn’t making the kind of pass and run that Saka made for the second goal from Eze, either. Noni picked up an assist for the first, but all of the heavy lifting on that one was 100% done by the goalscorer Timber, who lifted the ball over the onrushing ‘keeper like he was our 25-goal-a-season bagman. It was a deft finish that we were used to seeing back in the Aubameyang days, not from our right backs.
So to some individual displays, for which we had mixed results. I’ve mentioned I didn’t think Noni was great, although he got the assist, so that’s positive. Gyokeres was anonymous, did nothing, had 13 touches all match and at this point I’m left thinking that the number of ‘Gyokeres games’, i.e. when he would be a perfect fit, feel like it’s dwindling by the second. I really hope he can find something, anything, to get on the scoresheet, because what we’re getting from him isn’t good enough, although there was one run he made centrally in the first half where Raya could have tried to put him in behind and just didn’t even look that far up the pitch. I just don’t think his teammates think he’s getting in behind, and that’s a worry.
I wouldn’t say Eze’s first half was a ‘worry’ too, because he showed flashes, but he didn’t take control of the game to suggest that Tzolis is going to sit down for too long when he arrived. However, the second half was a different story, and I thought he was superb and a real threat. His goal was a classic Eze finish; he made it look so easy, but he was running at his man and getting on the ball so much easier after Lille opened up, and I thought he was going to get a second on the night on a couple of occasions. He had 53 touches in total, had the most touches in the opposition box, took the most shots, and completed the most dribbles. If it wasn’t for Timber’s goal and all-round impressive play, I suspect UEFA would have given it to Eze on the night. It certainly was close.
And I wonder if that will give Arteta food for thought for the weekend against Forest now. Noni was alright against Leeds, if not sparkling, but not as good last night, despite the assist. Eze was better in the second half against Lille last night and showed his ability with end product. So what do you go with on Sunday? We’ll wait and see with bated breath.
But for now, it is two out of two for The Arsenal, and onwards we march in the Champions League.
Back tomorrow for more of the usual thoughts. See you then.