Ultimately, nobody will remember how we won this game, only that we won it.
There is no additional reward for completed passes, 90 per cent possession or barely breaking a sweat – the Premier League table only records points.
And yet it feels right to acknowledge that we were ultimately pretty lucky to come away with all three points today, even if the scoreline makes it seem like comfortable win.
All the elements that Mikel Arteta has worked so hard on were missing. Our passing was sloppy and insipid, our duels were poor, our tackling was awry, our finishing was wayward and our set pieces were all over the place. These are the foundational stones of our recent success and, today, we seemed simply to forget them.
This was a victory built instead on sand.
Full credit to Southampton. They came to the Emirates looking like cannon fodder but they were nothing of the sort. They had a game plan and, for at least an hour, they executed it superbly. When they took the lead through Cameron Archer it was well deserved and, I must confess, I feared the worst.
The Saints had built slowly into the game but there could be no argument that they were value for their lead because they had earned it through patience, through persistence and through the ruthless exploitation of our own sloppiness on the ball.
You don’t even have to look far to find the last time Arsenal allowed complacency to get the better of them…it happened against Leciester last week. This time around, we didn’t have a two-goal buffer to squander but the issues were the same.
The tempo required just wasn’t there. It almost feels like we need some sort of adversity to get ourselves going in games like this because, against PSG, Manchester City and Spurs, we were simply outstanding. Against struggling sides like Leicester and Southampton, we’ve been lacklustre.
Ultimately, however, we did enough and that’s all the counts. Goals for Havertz, Martinelli and Saka are pretty much a reflection of who is in top form right now.
Credit must, of course, go to Bukayo Saka, who is fast-becoming the Thierry Henry of this current group of players. Whenever we need quality, whenever we need a goal or an assist, he provides. No matter the scenario, no matter the opposition, he finds a way and it is incredible to watch. There can be no doubting his absolute class and it wouldn’t feel outrageous to say he is the best winger on the planet right now.
Credit too to Kai Havertz. If Saka is the first name on the team sheet, the German must now be the second. He is more than just goals, his all round game is second to none. The duels, the work rate, the set pieces, the shit-housery, the assists – he is a player transformed under Mikel Arteta. He has unlocked potential that none of us saw. Seven goals in his last seven appearances at the Emirates is just reward for his efforts.
A little nod also to Gabriel Martinelli, who is at last free of his funk. After a run of months where he couldn’t buy a goal, an assist or, frankly, a shot on target, he now has two goals and two assists in seven games this season and is showing signs of returning to his best, right when we need it. It was a quiet campaign for the Brazilian last time out but he’s made a cracking start to this season and we’re going to need him if we’re going all the way this time.
When the manager and his staff run this game back with the squad, there’ll be plenty to reflect on because it was a bad overall performance. Yes, there were changes across the pitch, but we’d still hope to see much better from the players we fielded. Thankfully, the manager now has two weeks to get a few bodies fit again, rest a few legs and make the tweaks he needs to ensure his side iron out the kinks.
Until then, let’s bask in another three points!
Blog on You Gunners 