Арсенал айлын талбайд Сандерлендийг 2-0 харьцаатай буулган авснаар өөрсдийн хүчирхэг, тэсвэр хатуужилтай байдлаа дахин нотоллоо.
Тоглолтын 96 дахь минутад Букайо Сака торгуулийн цохилтоос гоолдож, Арсенал ялалтаа баталгаажуулсан юм. Үүнээс өмнө шинээр ирсэн Бруно Гимарайнш 25 метрийн зайнаас гайхалтай цохилт гүйцэтгэж, багийнхаа төлөөх анхны гоолоо оруулсан. Арсенал тоглолтын туршид хамгаалалтаа нягт барьж, өрсөлдөгчийнхөө агаарын довтолгоонуудыг амжилттай няцаасан нь тэдний хэрхэн төлөвшсөнийг харууллаа.
Микель Артета сэлгээгээр тоглолтын хэмнэлийг удирдахдаа Юрриен Тимбер, Бруно Гимарайнш, Мартин Зубименди, Эберечи Эзе болон Микель Мерино нарыг талбайд гаргаж, багийн гүнээс бүрдсэн бүрэлдэхүүний давуу талыг ашиглав. Сэлгээний тоглогчид өнгөрсөн улирлаас хойш нийт 12 гоол оруулсан нь Премьер лигт тэргүүлэх үзүүлэлт болж байна. Дасгалжуулагч Артета тоглолтын дараах ярилцлагадаа багийнхан хүнд хэцүү, эмх замбараагүй мөчүүдийг давж гарах эрхийг олж авсныг онцоллоо.
Арсенал энэ улирлын дөрвөн тоглолтод эсрэг багийнхаа илүүтэй тооны боломжийг маш бага түвшинд барьж чадсан нь хамгаалалтын өндөр зохион байгуулалтыг илтгэж байна. Виллиам Салибагүйгээр тоглож буй ч тэдний өрсөлдөгчийн хаалга руу цохилт хийх боломжийг хязгаарлах арга барил нь аваргуудын нэр хүндэд дүйцэхүйц байна. Ийнхүү Арсенал өөрсдийн талбайд болон айлын талбайд аль алинд нь хэцүүхэн сорилтуудыг давж, “ялагдашгүй” гэхээсээ илүү “эвдэршгүй” баг болж чадсанаа харууллаа.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A couple of years ago a member of the Arsenal backroom staff remarked that Mikel Arteta had assembled a squad of ideal son-in-laws. It was meant as a compliment, a nod to their affable characters and the harmonious environment they had created.
It felt like a limiting factor, were they too pleasant? Too obliging of their rivals? Maybe they lacked an edge, a nasty streak, a switch. Last November, when Arsenal conceded in the 94th minute to draw 2-2 away Sunderland, it felt like those doubts had coalesced in the final 20 minutes.
Ten months on, Arsenal were defending another one goal lead at the Stadium of Light. This time they survived the late onslaught, with Bukayo Saka scoring a 96th minute penalty to seal a 2-o win.
The celebrations of the players showed how valuable these three points were. Sunderland lost only four times at home last season, conceding only 20 times in 19 games. It is a stadium that does not afford visitors oxygen. It is a team that does not allow rest with the burly Brian Brobbey able to hold up the ball from the most speculative of service.
At full-time, Gabriel pushed his Brazil team-mate Bruno Guimaraes towards the travelling support stationed up in the heavens. He deserved to have his stunning 25-yard strike — his first goal since joining from Newcastle United in a £75m deal last month — given special recognition. It is more than a suspicion that the duo enjoyed how much it would wind up the remaining home fans. The boos were howling towards Guimaraes, just as they were in the 58th minute when he celebrated by strutting along the side of the pitch, eyeballing the home fans with his hands cupped to his ears.
He was revelling playing the villain, but he was not the only one. In the second half, Gabriel dropped to the floor, rolling around and clutching his face despite Brobbey shoving him in the chest. Ezri Konsa then got involved in the action, squaring up to former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka during a mass scuffle. Jurrien Timber berated Nilson Angulo for going down easily, pointing a finger in his face.
Gabriel, sitting, drew ire from the home fans throughout (WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
There were streetwise moments, too. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s smart tactical fouls escaped a yellow. Christos Tzolis reacted angrily to not being awarded a foul by sprinting back 40 yards, hooking the ball away via a perfect slide tackle and reminding referee John Brooks of his error.
Arsenal have become a team that neutrals love to hate. No one dares accuse them of a soft underbelly nowadays and withstanding Sunderland’s kitchen sink finale, albeit with some fortune and a few slices of David Raya brilliance, was an example of why the champions are so formidable.
They have matured. Arteta, although booked just before half-time for leaving his technical area while giving tactical instructions, appears to be micro-managing far less on the touchline. Every misplaced pass or counterattack is not met with him waving his arms. He seems to trust that he has enough leaders on the pitch to manage the difficult spells.
Sunderland were the latest team to discover Arsenal’s durability and that you have to work hard to get a clear shot on goal. Seriously hard. The ferocity at which the entire team sprints back when they lose possession is a sight to behold. No matter how many times the opposition shifts the ball at the edge of the box to work a sight at goal, there always seems to be a body or three throwing themselves in the way.
Arsenal still lived dangerously, even after Raya saved the softly awarded penalty following Konsa’s grapple with Dan Ballard. They gave away counterattacks and there were too many penalty box scrambles but there was a visible determination not to experience the same late blow as last season.
“We still had something in the tummy, and the manner that it happened as well,” Arteta said.
“And we knew that we were going to have to go through certain difficult moments, and very chaotic moments inside the box, to earn the right to win. And we’ve done it, we’ve done it. We suffered, but we’ve done it.”
They won 15 out of 17 aerial duels in their half against Sunderland, including every single one inside their penalty area. In their four league games they have conceded an open play expected goals of 0.20, 0.33, 0.32 and 0.26. All without William Saliba.
There has been talk in previous seasons about beating Chelsea’s defensive record of just 15 goals conceded in 2004-05. This was not the sort of watertight defensive display that left you convinced Arsenal would never concede again but the sheer desperation to protect their goal is convincing evidence that they could well run that record close.
Mikel Arteta was animated – and booked – at the Stadium of Light (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
The squad depth is another reason. The drop from A to B is not there anymore. It is feasible that their second-choice XI would finish in the European spots.
Ten months ago at the Stadium of Light, when Arsenal were wilting under pressure defending a 2-1 lead, Arteta used his bench once. Cristhian Mosquera came on for Eberechi Eze in the 87th minute.
On this occasion, he was able to refresh his team with a quarter of a billion pounds’ worth of talent. At half-time, Timber came on for the injured Ben White while Guimaraes replaced Lewis-Skelly in central midfield. Later on, Martin Zubimendi saved the legs of Rice, making a remarkable 150th club appearance in three years. Eze was swapped in for Tzolis. Mikel Merino, the Basque duel monster, replaced Martin Odegaard to help Arsenal deal with the balls being launched into their box.
Guimaraes’ goal was the 12th to be scored by an Arsenal substitute since the start of last season, the most of any team in the Premier League in that time. Arteta rebranded them as ‘finishers’ but the squad is so deep and adaptable that no matter the injuries, game state or opposition, Arsenal look ready for anything.
Invincible? There is a chance. Unbreakable? It seems that way.
