Sunday 22 October 2017

Magical Mesut: Everton vs Arsenal


Sunday 22 October 2017
Everton 2 Arsenal 5
Rooney 12', Niasse 90+3', Monreal 40', Ozil 53', Lacazette 74', Ramsey 90', Sanchez 90+5'

Arsenal finally recorded their first away win of the season with a comprehensive display at Goodison Park against an Everton team battling their own demons. Ronald Koeman's side have not enjoyed the greatest of starts and now find themselves in the relegation zone. When people give Arsenal grief about their start to the season, looking at a club like Everton helps put things in perspective.

Despite going 1-0 down to a Wayne Rooney wonder goal, Arsenal dominated the first half and deservedly drew level just before half time thanks to an opportunistic Nacho Monreal finish. In the second half Arsenal made no mistake of putting Everton to the sword, when Mesut Ozil headed home from a fine Alexis Sanchez cross to make it 2-1 after 53 minutes. Things got worse for the home side when they were reduced to ten men after Idrissa Gueye picked up his second yellow card. Arsenal took advantage of the extra space and proceeded to tear Everton apart, with Alexandre Lazazette and Aaron Ramsey finding the back of the net. However Petr Cech made a stupid mistake in injury time, gifting Oumar Niasse the easiest goal he'll ever score. It wouldn't be an Arsenal game without at least one comical error! There was still time for Arsenal to add one more, when Sanchez willed the ball into the back of the net, with a fine strike across goal to put Arsenal ahead 5-2. Overall the boss with be pleased with such a fantastic result, especially on his 68th birthday.

Here are my player ratings for the game:

Petr Cech (GK) - 6/10

The veteran was rarely troubled by Everton. He could do nothing about Rooney's superb strike but will be disappointed with how cheaply he gave away Everton's second to Niasse. To be fair to the Czech keeper, Monreal's back pass wasn't the best but Cech had time to deal with it and failed to do so. A poor effort and a blemish on an otherwise solid performance.

Per Mertesacker (CB) - 7/10

A fine display from the captain and he brought real confidence to the back line. As a unit they were rarely troubled by the experienced Rooney and youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Mertesacker's pass to Xhaka that led to Everton's opening goal could have been avoided but the Swiss midfielder did have the option to knock it back to Per or Koscielny; I find it hard to blame the BFG for that one.

Laurent Koscielny (CB) - 7/10

Found himself in a forward position more often than he might be used to, and put one or two dangerous crosses in. Combined well with Mertesacker and Bellerin to snuff out Everton's attacks.

Nacho Monreal (CB) - 9/10


Two goals now in his last three Premier League games and his strike today was an important one. Arsenal should have been two or three goals to the good before Rooney put the Toffees ahead so it was vital Arsenal replied before half time. After a long range effort by Granit Xhaka troubled Everton keeper Jordan Pickford, it was Monreal who pounced on the rebound first and struck the ball cleanly to draw Arsenal level. A vital goal at a vital time. Defensively he was nearly perfect, although his pass to Cech for Everton's late consolation could have been better.

Hector Bellerin (RWB) - 7/10

Bellerin's movement down the right wing is always dangerous and he regularly gets into good positions but stills struggles with his delivery from time to time. He did pick out Sanchez with a great cross that the Chilean could only head wide. Otherwise he was his dependable self and Arsenal are lucky to have him in their toolbox.

Sead Kolasinac (LWB) - 7/10

Nothing too noteworthy for the beast from Bosnia today but still a quality, albeit quiet performance. Combined well with Sanchez on the left flank and never looked rattled.

Granit Xhaka (CM) - 6/10

It only takes one mistake to spoil an afternoon and fortunately for Xhaka, his blunder did not end up costing Arsenal the points. He felt he was fouled in the build-up to Rooney's opening goal but replays show that he was dispossessed by Gueye cleanly. He had the option to pass the ball away with his first touch but can only blame himself for what followed. In his defence he didn't make another mistake the rest of the game and recovered well to set up Monreal's equaliser, and then stung the crossbar late in the game. It's probably still rattling even now.

Aaron Ramsey (CM) - 8/10


Constantly finds himself in fantastic positions thanks to his brilliant movement and awareness off the ball. Sadly he doesn't regularly capitalise on this but justly earned his reward today with a well taken goal. His first touch to open up his body to lift the ball past Pickford reminded me of the Ramsey from 2013/14. Hopefully there are more goals to come from the Welshman.

Alexis Sanchez (AM) - 9/10

Arsene Wenger opted to deploy all three of his top men in attack and it was Sanchez who really benefited from having the mobile Lacazette and Ozil to link up with. The Chilean was instrumental in every attack and was rewarded for his industriousness. His assist for Ozil's goal that broke the deadlock was a carbon copy of a goal against Watford last season. For 90 minutes Sanchez did everything but find the net and when he received the ball with seconds left, you knew he was never going to pass up the opportunity to have one final attempt. He had the chance to offload the ball two or three times and as Everton pushed him wider and wider you thought, surely he's missed his chance to get a shot away. Sanchez delights in surprising us though and flashed an effort back across goal that Pickford was helpless to reach. It was a deserved goal for Alexis, the cherry on top of a great day's work and his best performance of the season so far.

Mesut Ozil (AM) - 9/10 (Man of the Match)

It was evident from the first minute that Ozil took his A-game to Merseyside. He had magic in his boots from the first whistle, and every pass he played was so deft and precise. The German playmaker combined with his teammates constantly and was the driving force behind everything positive with Arsenal's display. When he headed the Gunners into the lead early in the second half, his celebration told the full story; this was Ozil with a point to prove. Many of us, myself included, wrote him off after the Watford game last week. When he missed that chance to put the result beyond Watford's reach, he disappeared for the rest of the game. Today he stood up and put in one of his finest performances in an Arsenal shirt. He expertly picked out Lacazette to make it 3-1 and when he was substituted after 82 minutes, he was absolutely spent. Today he deserved the man of the match award and was the best player on the park.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST) - 8/10


With Everton down to ten men, Arsenal had to make sure the game was put to bed and Lacazette was on hand to do just that. On a swift break down the right flank, Ozil pulled it back to the Frenchman who made no mistake and buried it past Pickford to seal the result, and pick up his 5th Premier League goal. After having a superb chance blocked within the first ten minutes to put Arsenal ahead, Lacazette bided his time and never looked like missing when his next chance came.

Substitutes:

Jack Wilshere - 7/10

After his seriously good outings in the Europa League, Wilshere was rewarded today with some Premier League gametime and took his opportunity. With Everton a man down and reeling, Wilshere came on in the 77th minute and pulled the strings instantly. He collected an assist after picking out Ramsey for his late goal, and it begs the question; after all these years, could a Wilshere-Ramsey midfield partnership be successful after all?

Francis Coquelin - N/A

Not enough time to impose himself on the game.

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Despite going 1-0 down, this was the first time in a while I had so much fun watching Arsenal. The Gunners had 30 shots on goal, 14 of them on target and 67% possession in a dominant win. Everton were dreadful and looked totally absent tactics-wise but it was still so satisfying to put 5 goals past them, and it could have been a lot more if Pickford didn't have such a great first half. Arsenal must take confidence from this result and Wenger must continue to put faith in Ozil, Sanchez and Lacazette. Even if Ozil and Sanchez leave the club, be it in January or the summer, we must milk every goal and assist out of them whilst they're still on Arsenal's books.

Thanks for reading.

Monday 9 October 2017

Something Different: Tranmere v Chester


Saturday the 7th of October was Non League Day on the British football calendar, a day to celebrate community clubs and the English game at the local level. Every year it coincides with the international break and provides fans with elements of football that are sorely lacking in the glamorous world of the Premier League.

I traveled to the Wirral on the Friday night to stay with my friend Matt, a lifelong Tranmere Rovers fan. We went to Wembley together in mid May to see Tranmere take on Forest Green in the National League Playoff Final, which Tranmere sadly lost 3-1. Despite the result it was a fantastic day out in the Wembley sunshine and I was really struck by the passionate Tranmere fanbase. I was an honorary Rover that day but the experience really registered with me and when Matt suggested I come to another game, this time at Tranmere's home, I jumped at the chance.

And so Saturday came and we had a short stroll through Birkenhead to Prenton Park, an impressive stadium that has all the facilities of a club that should be in the Football League. Outside the ground I picked up a programme (as I always do), as well as an issue of Tranmere's fanzine Give Us An R. I had a quick browse of the club shop as well, buying a small pin badge for my jacket (I already had a Tranmere scarf from my Wembley trip). I'm really material when it comes to football fandom and was amazed that I had the willpower to resist buying a home shirt! We then joined the rest of the Super White Army, or SWA as they're affectionately known, for a pre-match pint before making our way to our seats.

As we got close to the turnstiles a group of young lads pulled us over for a quick chat on behalf of TranmereFanTV, a YouTube channel that records fan's reactions, player interviews and pre-match predictions and discussions. I quickly bowed out of being filmed as this was just my second Tranmere game but Matt had a good conversation with the guys, which you can watch below:




Once we got into the John King stand I couldn't believe the great seats we had, almost dead-on the halfway line, and that's why it pays going with a regular like Matt who knows the best vantage points of his home ground. I had leg room for days, just look at the photo below for proof!


Tranmere's opposition for the day were Chester FC, their local rivals, so the match had a bit more added spice than usual, it being a derby day and all. The Kop was to my left for the entire game, home to the loudest of the SWA and they came complete with a drum and trumpet too. It made for an incredible atmosphere, and was nothing like I'd experienced watching the Arsenal. The Chester fans at the opposite end were doing their best to sing and shout back but were drowned out almost entirely by the enthusiastic support in the Kop.

The game itself was an entertaining affair and Tranmere should have won convincingly but the resolute Chester defence held out for a 0-0 draw. The home side dominated every facet of the game and Chester rarely threatened, never seriously testing Tranmere keeper Scott Davies if memory serves me right. Tranmere on the other hand put Chester goalkeeper Alex Lynch to work, forcing him into a number of fine saves. The driving rain made conditions difficult but ultimately Tranmere couldn't take advantage and the points were shared. Chester, struggling this season in 21st position, will be very pleased with the result but Tranmere will have felt disappointed not to have secured all three points. However, despite lying in 15th place, the Rovers can take solace in their fine performance and their recent results indicate they are on the up at least, with 7 points in their last three games.


I'm not going to be go full-blown football hipster and say that watching a non league contest is better than going to a Premier League game. It's just different... and that's a good thing. You need variety in life and sometimes you need variety in football too. Arsenal obviously fill and satisfy my football needs but then I also love what a non league or lower league game can offer as well. I'm a bit of an old fashioned soul so going up to Tranmere and watching their modestly paid players give 100% in the pouring Liverpool rain, there's just something more honest about it all.

I'll definitely go again and now I always keep an eye out for the Tranmere score on a Saturday.