Time for a pick-me-up after a disappointing draw.

 

• PGMO replaced the appointed ref with “home win specialist” for Arsenal away game
• You build a super new stadium, and then slip towards relegation…

By Tony Attwood

Well, we did issue the public warning when the referee for yesterday’s game was suddenly changed at the last minute, and it seems to have been a valid warning.  Quite why the referee was suddenly dropped and replaced by an alternative operative who just happened to be far, far less able to oversee away wins, we will undoubtedly never know.   But you can read the story through the link above.  It happened, and Arsenal only drew.

Although, of course, as ever, the result could be explained by saying Arsenal were simply a bit off form and a bit unlucky.

Of you might say that if last August anyone had shown me the current league table, I’d have said, “Wow, I’ll take that”.  We are, after all, still top of the league.

One year ago, with Arsenal having played 26 games,  the club 53 points.  Today we have 57 points – not much better but still an improvement.  Yes, it is only four points, but four points at the top of the league are hard to gain, so yes, I’m pleased.

But the biggest difference is that this season there is no equivalent to Liverpool, who after 26 games in the last campaign, had 61 points and were still going strong. 

And so the point I am making is that the League has just played their trump card – substituting the referee at the last minute with a man much more likely to oversee a draw (as he did) and I doubt they will risk playing that trick again. (See the article PGMO replace appointed ref with penalty prone “home win specialist” for Arsenal away game for full details).

Given where we stand in the league, our chances of winning the title are not only dependent on how Arsenal perfoprm but also on whether the League play any more tricks of the “let’s substitute the referee at the last minute for no apparent reason” type as we saw yesterday.  And that’s before we even consider how other teams are doing.

So we need to remember that in the last 18 games in all competitions, Arsenal have drawn three and lost one, which is a good track record by any standard.  Looking more recently Arsenal have two wins and three dtraws, in the last five matches. Manchester City have three wins and two draws – that is not much of a difference.

So we look forward to the next game in the League, which is Wolverhampton away next Wednesday.   Manchester City’s next game is Newcastle at home and all we can do is wait and see.   Although if you want to see just how tight things can be in the league have a look at the home records of Arsenal and Manchester City this season.

 

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Manchester City	13	10	2	1	32	8	24	32
2	Arsenal	13	10	2	1	31	8	23	32

Meanwhile we can of course be grateeful that the owners of Arsenal are not of the Ratcliffe mould; those people who somehow seem, to think that the Norman Conquest was where everything started to go wrong.

Instead we must as ever look forard, and with some relish given that the next game is an FA Cup match against Wigan, which means some of our first teamers can have a bit of a break and let the rest of the squad have a bash.

Of course we have lost Mikel Merino because of an injury, and lost Ethan Nwaneri to the south of France, so we ought to see Myles Lewis-Skell have a go at looking to emulate Declan Rice, as has been suggested in some of the media.   Or maybe some other even more fanciful changes.  But at least it should give the injured and recently returned players a chance to get fully fit before the next big game, which is then followed by a match against Tottenham, also away.

Actually that last mentioned game, could be a blessing, what with being away. (although I did nearly get diverted into the fact that Tottenham are currently offering “Official Tottenham Stadium 20% Sale Ends in 2 days”, which suggest they are even having trouble flogging trips round the staggeringly wonderful new ground big enough to hold American footy matches).   

So let us not tet too downhearted.  We are 28 points above the tiny totts, and have a goal difference that is 33 goals better than them, which is not too bad for this time of year.

On the injury front there could be some better news for the next match in that only Merino, Havertz and Dowman are certainly out, so Saliba could be ok and we could see quite a bit of team shuffling for the matches against Wigan in the FA Cup and then the league game against Wolverhampton.