Premier League Match 13 - Arsenal 1 Southampton 1

 

Theo Triggers the Anti-Celebration Mob 

One of the big six in an away game so of course, we don’t have much chance, or do we? Traditionally, The Emirates and before it, Highbury have been an absolute fucking graveyard regarding Saints getting anything out of the game but without fear of contradiction, we will never have a better chance than today to get something out of an away game against Arsenal.

Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, despite having won the FA Cup at the tail end of last season, have been absolutely shite this season, struggling to find a balance between defensive solidity and being a threat in attack. They still have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang so they should be pretty good in attack though he’s been less mobile this season because of being weighed down by all the money in his pocket from the new contract he got.  Joking aside, he can’t do it without the service and that’s been the problem. Nicholas Pepe has been a £72 million flop so far and Mesut Özil has not even been included in the 25 man squad, partly for football reasons and no doubt partly because of his public support for a certain world leader. 

The transfer policy has been slightly strange with too much influence seemingly held by Kia Joorabchian - I mean, they sign Cedric Soares for fuck‘s sake, who joined Willian as new signings who are greatly overpaid for what they bring to the table these days. That’s a bit harsh on Willian because at least he was good once upon a time. Cedric has of course never been a good defender, never been good at crossing the ball and never been good at anything really, apart from Instagram. It looks like he may have a chance to prove me wrong on that front because with Hector Bellerin being injured, he might even get a game to actually earn some of the ridiculous money has now been paid as part of his four-year deal.

Arsenal lost at home to Burnley at the weekend and currently sit 15^th in the league so Arteta is under enormous pressure and it’ll be interesting to see whether the board continue to back them out or whether they pull the trigger. Sol Campbell is clearly a standout candidate should they do so.

Saints have a clean bill of health in the Sheffield United game so there is no reason to assume that much different will happen regarding our team selection. There has been some chatter about possibly rotating with this game tonight and Manchester City at home on Saturday but football is littered with examples of teams losing the game that’s in front of them because they’ve been planning for the one afterwards. One game at a time has never been more relevant.

And so it comes to pass as Ralph names the same 18 as the Sheffield United game which of course means Theo Walcott playing against Arsenal where he spent 12 years of his career.  Considering that he always got stick from the ‘special’ element of the Arsenal fanbase, it will be interesting to see how he goes.  Arteta has rung the changes and the Arsenal starting XI looks better than of late with Willian, Lacazette and Xhaka all missing.  In the event, there are not enough injured players for Cedric to make the team so his status as 3^rd choice right back is confirmed with Maitland-Niles deputising for Bellerin.  Cedric is therefore 3^rd choice behind two younger players.

Away we go and ridiculously for a big club playing at home, Arsenal are very passive from the kick-off and let us have the ball and we knock it about and get into the game straight away. It’s really weird as they look absolutely terrified to commit anybody forward to try and put us under any pressure.

We’ve just gone past quarter hour mark and Vestergaard slides the ball into midfield and Adams holds off two players, Gabriel and Elneny who both over commit, before turning and putting the ball in front of Walcott who is clean through on goal with just Leno to beat. You wouldn’t necessarily have the most confidence in Theo from here but he never looks like missing and he does absolutely brilliantly, chipping it directly over Leno and into the net. What a fucking beauty as he wheels away and celebrates like you fucking should do whenever you score a goal for your boyhood club.  I can imagine the Arsenal Fan TV Gooners yelling “YOU CELEBRATING… WE FUCKIN’ MADE YOU A BALLER BLUD”… or something.

Arsenal seem to have woken up a bit and there is a minor scare as Saka is given too much space on the left hand side and he cuts in and drills it across and Bednarek has a go at scoring an own goal but luckily it hits McCarthy and goes for a corner.

As said before, Pepe cost £72 million. Pepe is shite. I mean there isn’t even a debate. He is shite. I mean, for £72 million quid I expect a player to be able to chip a ball 10 yards and not over hit it by 50 yards over the far side. Arsenal recycle the ball and when it comes to Pepe, he swings his left foot at it and drills it straight to McCarthy again.

The rest of the first half is strange.  We are out-passing them and look by far the better side but we’re not creating any chances, usually because there’s a misplaced pass in the final third.  Walcott is terrorising Tierney and Saka on our right but we’re not asking enough questions.  Half time arrives and you know that Arsenal are going to be better in the 2^nd half but also that another goal probably kills this with Arsenal’s current state of mind.

The second-half starts and we’re slow out of the blocks and it only takes 5 minutes for it to all go a bit pear shaped with a ball being drilled out to Saka on the left hand side. Walcott is first to him but he bounces off and Saka goes away from KWP and Romeu knows he has a choice of absolutely wiping him out or letting him go so he lets him go.  The ball goes to Nketiah who knocks it to Aubameyang who finds himself clean through in front of goal and he’s really not gonna miss from there.  Bollocks.

The goal seems to have woken us up and suddenly we’ve started to get on the ball again. When we do this with intent, Arsenal can’t really live with us and we build up to the edge of the box before Adams catches the shot beautifully but it flies straight to Leno.

From our next attack, Gabriel trashes through the back of Adams and then kicks the ball away and gets booked so you do wonder about a players mental capability when from McCarthy’s next kick, Walcott brings it down and turns and Gabriel drags him down to pick up the most obvious second yellow and off you go mate.  Moron.

More Celebrations

There is half an hour to go and whilst we’re waiting for everything to be sorted with the red card, both Armstrong and Walcott go off to be replaced by Redmond and Djenepo. Arteta’s response is taking off Nketiah and bringing on David Luiz so they are now playing 5-2-2 and sitting back. Saints now have 10 Arsenal players in front of them all times and all working the ball left and right but it all seems a little bit slow.  Out of nowhere, Romeu gets his head up and picks out exceptional run from Redmond from the left wing and he meets it on the volley, scoops over Leno and it hits the bar and stays out. It’s a good effort but he will feel he should’ve scored.

I’m beginning to think it isn’t going to happen but then Djenepo finds himself in the penalty area and Holding just runs straight into him.  Tierney doesn’t give it and I’m waiting for VAR to stop the game for the next minute or so but nothing.  I begin to think I must have imagined it. You can tell Arteta is not thinking straight with the pressure because he thinks it’s a good idea to send Cedric on for the last 10 minutes which is a sacking offence in itself. Redmond immediately lines him up and goes past him as if he wasn’t there and then smashes a shot at the near post which unfortunately is the wrong side of the post and into the side netting.

In the 93^rd minute, Kieran Tierney goes in for a challenge with Djenepo and goes down like a sack of shit and his dad Paul Tierney gives him a free-kick. Over it comes and Holding meets it and loops a header onto the bar whilst everyone watches.  That would have been fucking ridiculous if that had gone in.  Full time.

It’s an indication of how far we have come that I am mildly pissed off because we didn’t win against Arsenal at the Emirates. I always say that a point against any of the big clubs is a very good point but there is still part of me that cannot fail but we disappointed with only get a point today. We were brilliant for half an hour at the start of the game but then it all got a bit pedestrian until Arsenal equalised but then we woke up and were the better side again and getting back on top when the red card happened. Once the red card happened, Arsenal just defended the shit out of it and settle for a point and we didn’t have the invention or pace in our play to break them down. We still could have won of course but it seems like we were hoping for it rather than going out all guns blazing trying to make it happen. When the red card happened, Ralph immediately made a double substitution. Redmond was going to come on for Armstrong anyway but he also took the opportunity to throw Djenepo on for Walcott. At the time I thought it was a really attacking move and we were really going to go for it but it didn’t really materialise. Both of the substitutes had their moments, Redmond hit the bar of course but more often than not, the pair of them were let down by taking on one player too many, in Djenepo’s case or by crossing the ball about 4 foot off the ground at the first man in Redmond’s case.

Of course, we should’ve had a penalty with 10 minutes to go when Holding just ran straight into Djenepo and bodychecked him to the floor. It was clumsy more than deliberate and it but it’s definitely a penalty in my book. He has literally just ran into him, nowhere near the ball. I could always accept that it won’t get given if there are 60,000 Arsenal fans in the crowd and no VAR but for fuck’s sake. How can that be looked at and not given us a penalty.

Arsenal were shit, I mean in real shit. They had one bright player and that was Saka who of course, set up their goal. He beat three players to set up that goal and someone should’ve taken him out. I firmly believe that if the game had stayed 11 versus 11 that we would’ve had a better chance of winning it that it was 11 against 10. They even brought on fucking Cedric to try and close the game out – that’s how shit they are at the moment. They won’t be shit for very long and that’s the point, this was the perfect time and I can’t help but feel that we wasted the opportunity a little bit.

Knobhead Celebrates Playing 5 minutes #BellEnd

Theo Walcott had a really good game and was at the heart of most of Saints better attacking moments. He finished the goal brilliantly, in a manner that makes you wonder why he’s finishing is so erratic at times. He was calm, totally in control and knew exactly what he was going to do as he went through on goal. He also drew the foul which meant Arsenal were down to 10 men. Che Adams had another marvellous game up front, holding up the ball superbly, being a handful throughout and of course setting up the goal. Again, no one played badly throughout the team.

Next up is another of the big boys who are struggling a little bit at the moment, in Manchester City. As I write, the City of Southampton has dodged the bullet and are still in Tier 2 so 2000 will be in attendance for that game. I won’t be one of them having already received my hard-luck email so more armchair supporting for me.  Bring it on.