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A new era, a clean sheet and AFTV backlash

It has been quite a week for Arsenal. Although I'd actually go so far as to say that the least interesting part of it was the Everton game - a bore draw that was absolutely excruciating to watch. Just one shot on target the entire game (perhaps Aubameyang could have done better with it?), but there were nonetheless a few positives that can be taken from it.

December 23, 2019 15:52
4 min read

Firstly, a first clean sheet in 15 games; entirely unexpected. And secondly, and with perhaps a glimpse into how Arsenal's first team may develop over the next few years, a quite surprising number of teenagers selected from the start. There was nothing startling in the perfomances of Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli and Nelson (not to mention Maitland-Niles, who had a much better game than last week), but as a message to the more senior players and perhaps to the fans it was interesting.

Mikel Arteta - to nobody's surprise - had been appointed Head Coach the day before; so I'm sure that it would have been almost impossible for him to have had much of an impact on proceedings. I'm also of the opinion that if he didn't know it from sitting on the opposition bench the previous week his view from the stands would have impressed on him the size of the job in hand (here he is speaking with Edu prior to kick-off).

Nonetheless I, for one, throw my support behind him (what choice do we have, frankly?), and hope that his reputation as a man who improves players both tactically and mentally, and as a disciplinarian, bears fruit over the coming months and years. There is certainly work to do with rumours of attitude issues amongst many of the most key players. Perhaps this time we will see the famed 'new manager bounce' that Freddie couldn't give the team, and with Chelsea (twice) and Manchester United up very soon I think that we're going to need it.

As for the game; well Everton, on the back of a win against Chelsea and a draw with United, were extremely disappointing. But I'm prepared to give Arsenal some credit for that, as they kept them comfortably at bay for the entire game and for a change Leno had almost nothing to do. But I suppose that the cost of the clean sheet was that very little happened at the other end of the pitch either. We did see the players at least start to try to move the ball more quickly, but the lack of confidence was there for all to see. But it's a start and I'd hope to see Arteta's influence come through pretty quickly as he has already said two things that really interest me: