- Football is now effectively run and controlled by gambling companies
- The legal case against Uefa will be decided this week, and football will explode
By Tony Attwood
This, quite frankly, is getting weird. Arsenal dominated this match and were completely in control…. with 38% possession (!) while getting just one corner in the entire game (PSG getting five). But then Luis Enrique did describe Arsenal as the best team in football without the ball.
And certainly, the stats suggested that was so. PSG dominated the shots 10 to 7, but Arsenal when did get possession they made it pay: they had over twice as many shots on target as PSG (5 to 2).
And watching the game I had no doubt at any time that Arsenal were going to win. And neither did those around me have any doubt either. Arsenal just keep marching on as from the first to the last, seemingly the whole contingent of the PSG fans did a song and dance routine that ultimately became rather boring.
At first it (the dance routine) was slightly fascinating, but after 15 minutes it seemed, pointless and by the end was well, just annoying. There was no variation in the music or the jumping up and down in synchronised support, and it had no reference whatsoever to the game. Of course it might have done if PSG had scored, but we will never know since PSG none of their support had anything to do with this game, or any other game. It was just a ceaselessly repetitive terrace show.
Is this what away support is in France: a constantly revolving song and dance-on-the-spot routine? Or is this what happens when one club with all the money keeps winning year after year after year? If so, give it another couple of years and for PSG read ManC.
Dembélé was not playing (the Guardian called this a boost for Arsenal, pretending as ever that Arsenal can’t win anything unless the opposition helps them along). He was out for disrespecting the team. and had he been there he could have made a difference. But then Arsenal would have played a different formation, so who knows if it would have made a difference.
Luis Enrique described Arsenal as the best team in Europe without the ball. And yes, Arsenal are running at 47.6% possession in the Premier League. Last season it was 58.4% – obviously a decline of almost 11%, which is clearly planned for, and not something one often sees. Manchester City last season were on 65.4% possession, and this season are on 64.5% This looks to me like a dramatic and possibly unprecedented change of tactic for Arsenal.
The only other PL team that is trying this is Newcastle on 44.6% – otherwise by and large the higher up the league a club is the more possession it has.
It certainly is an approach that is working however, and this game could easily have gone to 3-0 just in the first half with Martinelli missing one of those which looked like it really ought to be going in.
But although we had no more goals in the second half we did have Mikel Merino on the pitch to a great roar of appreciation from the crowd.
Meanwhile, this looked to me from my seat in the East Stand like another step forward for Martinelli in his recovery of self-belief and form. PSG tried the usual tricks which they would have seen work on English TV such as the ball coming up and hitting Calafiori’s hand and everyone appealing for a penalty or free kick. PGMO men tend to give those. but of course referees in Europe tend to have a little more understanding of the game. And besides in Europe, the referees know they are going to be paid.
So yes, I think we have had it confirmed that playing without possession is part of the new Arsenal game. Arsenal didn’t drop as low as the 23% that they recorded against Manchester City, but that was probably a one-off.
The Champions League table will break the clubs into three groups after eight games, with the top eight qualifying for the round of 16, and the clubs placed from ninth to 24th playing in a two-leg knockout to reach the 16. The teams finishing in 9th to 24th place will compete in a two-legged knock-out to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition.
Arsenal are eighth at the moment after two games, but of course there are many teams that have only played once and a win for Bayern in their second game will knock Arsenal out of the top group for the moment.
However, we might note that after two games Barcelona have only three points, as of course do PSG, and indeed Celtic. AC Milan has played two and lost two.
Further, some of these clubs do look out of their depth, with AC Milan and Red Bull Belgrade both having two defeats so far. I would include Tottenham in the list too, but, it seems, they didn’t even qualify. Here’s the top eight as of this morning.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 6 |
| 2 | Brest | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| 3 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 4 |
| 5 | Inter Milan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 4 |
| 6 | Sparta Prague | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 4 |
| 7 | Sporting Lisbon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
Tony
Regarding last night I felt exactly the same. Despite all their time with the ball it just felt like they wasn’t going to score. Sometimes when you give up possession and territory, as we did last night, especially in the second half, and it can feel like a siege with the inevitable concession of a goal is just around the corner. It never felt like that last night. In fact it felt more like we was going to score on the break, and indeed we should of done. As I said elsewhere, a magnificent defensive performance against a very good team.
As for the conclusion you have drawn regarding the Premier league, I’m not quite so sure:
“Arsenal are running at 47.6% possession in the Premier League. Last season it was 58.4% – obviously a decline of almost 11%, which is clearly planned for, and not something one often sees”.
Firstly you have to look at the level of opponent we have played so far, and where. Plus 6 games is a very small sample to draw any solid conclusions, but as that’s all we’ve got that’s all we can use.
Villa, Spurs, and Man City all away. That will tilt the stats ‘against’ possession straight away. But that being said I thought the best way to compare, was match to match. so, that’s what I’ve done. As Leicester were not in the PL last season I have taken the liberty of using the possession stats from our 4 – 2 home win in 22/23. Fair enough I think.
Also, to make things more balanced, I have used just the first halves of the games against Brighton and Man City because as you are all well aware we played the second halves with 10 men. But just to be absolutely fair I have done the stats for the (full 90 minutes) in every game as well.
Opponent – H/A – (90 Mins)24/25 – 23/24
Wolves – H – 53% – 58%……So, we had a little less possession this year.
Villa – A – 61% – 62%……So, almost identical possession.
Brighton – H – (36%) 48% – 49% …..So, almost identical possession with 11 v 11. Less including 10 v 11.
Spurs – A – 36% – 37%…..So, almost identical possession.
Man C – A – (22%) 34% – 27%…..So, more possession this year with 11 v 11. Less including 10 v 11..
Leic C – H – 75% – 50%….So, quite a bit more possession this year.
Average stats for 11 v 11 (10 v 11)
Season 24/25 = 51% (47%)
Season 23/24 = 47%
The 90 minute stats, which obviously includes 2 halves played with 10 men, are identical. The 11 v 11 stats suggest we have in fact slightly more of the ball this year than last.
In conclusion I think we’ll have to wait a little longer to see if conceding possession is indeed ‘planned’ this season?
It seems L’Equipe haven’t taken PSG’s beating last night too well, especially as it was they who gave them such precise instructions as to how to beat us.
As reported in The Daily Mail yesterday:
“L’Equipe appears to have offered the visitors a look at how and why their hosts have seen so much success from set-pieces – and offered a warning to Arsenal should they try similar moves on the night.”
Well, how did that work out?
They continued:
“The French publication stressed that while Arsenal have been able to get off the hook for utilising this tactic due to ‘permissive’ refereeing in the Premier League, they should not expect such an easy ride in the Champions League.”
So there you have it.
All the advice PSG needed to beat us, and a warning that we shan’t be so leniently treated (yep, that’s what they are inferring) by a proper referee.
Well, either their advice went unheeded or it was crap advice, and the ‘proper’ referee saw absolutely nothing wrong with how Arsenal play.
Either way, L’equipe hasn’t taken it too well. This is what they awarded our obviously sub standard players:
Goal scorers Saka and Havertz were the best Arsenal players, according to the paper, who awarded them marks of 7. But Gabriel, William Saliba and goalkeeper David Raya were only worthy of 6s, despite keeping PSG at bay, while Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori got 5s.
It was a similar story in midfield, where Trossard (6), Gabriel Martinelli (6) Declan Rice (6) and Thomas Partey (5) were given middling scores.
And all this despite Arsenal restricting PSG to an xG of just 0.34 – the lowest in 69 Champions League matches for which statisticians Opta have data, as well as the magnanimous post match comments of PSG manager Luis Enrique who said of Arsenal: “Our rivals tonight were much better in terms of intensity, in terms of pressure. They won every duel. Effectively, after the second goal Arsenal scored, they decided to defend a bit more deeply, take a fewer risks. Arsenal deserved their victory. Really, it’s impossible to come out of a game with a positive result if you don’t manage to win any duel on the pitch.”
Sounds a wee bit like sour grapes to me from L’equipe. Or maybe I was just watching a different match.
We need to bench Martinelli and let the others flourish.