I was thinking about ways to contextualise the impending defeat as the clock rapidly ran down against Manchester City on Sunday.
A restored sense of calm in defence, some incisive attacking play, excellent energy and intensity throughout – there was plenty to be pleased with even as we looked to be standing on the edge of another loss to Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering cyborgs.
But then, when it looked as if the result was beyond us, in-form Leandro Trossard struck to turn the tie on its head and, well, you know the rest.
Instead of a sad lament and talk of an opportunity narrowly missed, I could suddenly revel in the boon of a victory snatched from the jaws of the defeat and one that, by most measures, was well deserved.
In fairness, the substance of what I was mulling over then and what I can say now isn’t terribly different. Whether it had ultimately been defeat or victory, the performance was encouraging and some of the lingering doubts from pre-season were assuaged. The sense of occasion and the extra edge of serious competition made us sharper, hungrier and more like the side that produced such excellent football through the majority of last season.
What the victory added was a layer of that intangible gloss; the psychological boost, the bonus of finally ending a losing streak against a big rival. No amount of pre-season preparation can add that and it’s certainly something we wouldn’t have gained in defeat.
By the end of this coming season, that may all have counted for absolutely nothing but, in this final week of preparation before we welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates, it feels important. The squad has a trophy under its belt, it has a little more belief, it has a little more momentum, and it has the bonus of having beaten a team that swept all before it in 2022/23.
All things considered, it was an excellent afternoon on all fronts.
The performance itself was good and, if we had ultimately lost out to Cole Palmer’s excellent finish, we could have taken solace in that but, in victory, we have all that and more.
Special mention must go to Jurrien Timber who made an outstanding start to his Arsenal career at left back. The Dutchman looks every inch a Mikel Arteta player; relentless, energetic, and hungry for duels. Whether he retains his place in the starting line-up when Oleksandr Zinchenko returns is a question for another day but, for the moment, he looks a serious contender for a starting berth on either end of the defence. Though the man of the match award was nominally given to Palmer (in something absurd like the 80th minute), it should really have gone to Timber.
It’s also worth a few words for our match-saver, Trossard. The Belgian has developed a knack for making a timely and telling impact on games that has been much in evidence in pre-season. You have to wonder what more he needs to do to win a place in the starting XI. Like prime Aaron Ramsey, he shows incredible insight with his runs and positioning in the box, with a great engine to boot. It feels like it’s going to be a big season for him and his success I think will be closely linked to the squad’s success.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Arteta opted to hold a behind-closed-doors friendly this week to give his charges a few more competitive minutes ahead of the weekend but, taking account purely of what we’ve seen over the last month, it feels like we’ve built to a nice simmer.
We’re not boiling yet, of course, because there’s still some issues to address but it feels like we’ll have the chance to ramp up the heat over the opening weeks of the season with what looks on paper at least like a favourable start.
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