Luton 3 Arsenal 4: maybe it is time to say positive things

 

 

• Knocking and praising Arsenal at the same time: the new journo psychodrama
• The media centric world which just doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a fan

This, for most of us, is why we are here.  Why we watch, why we follow the football team that, often by chance, we associate our lives with.   Not just the helter-skelter of games and results but also the belief that there is something wonderful almost miraculous underneath it all.   As when Declan Rice reportedly said, “I shifted my marker one way and then went off his back shoulder.”  Well of course that’s what you do.  We saw that.   (Although no, I most certainly didn’t).

But now for the media it is time to blame everyone else for their constant negative comments about Kai Havertz and instead praise his instinct and understanding of the game.  Well, at least that is a step in the right direction.

For Luton Town there is a bit of fun still to be had, with the chant, “Conference champions, you’ll never sing that,” (according to the Guardian),  which got a round of appreciative applause.

And now for the media there needs to be a new target to point the finger at – for no matter what happened last night, this is still Arsenal and there MUST be negatives.   “David Raya is far from an upgrade”  is the Telegraph’s take.   It is fortunate therefore that he is just on loan then, and can be handed back, although the Telegraph doesn’t mention that.   Fortunate too, that Aaron Ramsdale is still there.

And still there are things to knock.  “Mikel Arteta’s experiment of playing four centre-backs didn’t work” says the Athletic which also noted that Arsenal “once again looked like they had run out of ideas”.

And that is interesting when one contemplates the league table especially considering how many of them promoted the notion of Tottenham doing well this seeason, Arsenal not being able to score and the defence needing reworking.  Second highest scoring club, best defence, second best goal difference, top of the league…

 

And by way of saying that it is not real, the commentary also notes that “It was the ninth point that Arsenal have salvaged in the final 10 minutes of games this season.”   Well, yes maybe it was, but it is the wretched PGMO that has given us games that last 100 minutes (when you include the added times in both halves).  So maybe that makes Arsenal nasty cheats – playing the whole game as PGMO insists, rather than part of it.

Plus we shouldn’t be too excited – the forthcoming fixtures will be tougher….

Aston Villa at away, Brighton at home, Liverpool away, West Ham at home, Fulham away.  And yes as it happens Aston Villa and Liverpool both have 100% records at home. So the media are making much of the problems to come: “a tough run of fixtures” says the Athletic implying that Arsenal have had it soft thus far.

But remember no club in the Premier League has ever won all its home games.   Five times in the 30 completed seasons has a club won 18 out of 19 home games – Chelsea (2005/06) , Manchester United (2010/11), Manchester City (2011/12 & 2018/19), Liverpool (2019/20).  So yet again we have a journalist picking a highly unlikely (and in fact, incorrect) scenario.

But let’s not just consider the form of teams doing well away from home – for Arsenal have something specific going there way (but this of course is not mentioned).  Or indeed just look at the current form table for the clubs that Arsenal are about to play, plus Tottenham, because, well, the media did say that they would were doing rather well, while failing to mention that mountain of yellow cards.

 

 

Of course I don’t know what will happen, and of course yes, we might slip up.  But as a supporter, I enjoyed last night, and indeed I am rather enjoying this morning.  And not just because I am an Arsenal fan, but also because I am not a journalist, and so am free to say positive things about Arsenal.   Which after last night I think that they deserve.