JOB DONE
What did you make of the lineup and the game, then my fellow Gooners?
Our guess at the lineup wasn't too shabby. We were only two off, and one of them, Saka, starting was, ahem, a bit of a surprise. The other being Eze.
Normally, when a Carabo Cup lineup comes out, you think, okay, these guys aren't playing the following weekend. It's normally fringe and youth getting a run out. Last night was a bit different. Would we have rather seen the lineup full of youth with no first team starters (cough Saka cough), there, yes, we said as much in our preview.
We do, however, understand the thinking behind the lineup. It was a starting eleven dictated by fitness and rhythm requirements.
We don't think for one second Arteta went with such a strong lineup because he was scared of losing to Port Vale. He started players who needed to get their legs back. Saka, Eze, Martinelli, and Saliba have all missed games, and the medical department said it would be beneficial for these guys to get some game time, and I'll bow to their better judgment. We took the opportunity to use the game as an effective, low-risk conditioning exercise, and here at Arsenal Legion, we were fine with it.
Out of the rest of the starting lineup, Kepa is obviously not starting. From the defence MLS, Mosquera (who, apart from one scary sideways pass, was excellent again) and White won't start. Midfield-wise, Norgaard and Nwaneri won't start. Up front, Merino won't start.
So we kind of get a feel for the St James Park starting eleven from last night's outing. At least we think we do.
There was criticism again about the performance. Having four shots on target and only winning by a couple against League One opposition was not the answer to the weekend's critics, Arteta was looking for. We have a few thoughts on this.
Firstly, we are not going to shout from the rooftops about performance/result. Why? Well, we won the game for starters. Ask Man Utd how their Carabao Cup journey is going?
Secondly, we cannot demand squad rotation and then cry when the team doesn't run like a well-oiled machine. There were NINE changes to Sunday's lineup. NINE. Expecting a cohesive, free-flowing performance is unrealistic. Of course the team isn't going to function as smoothly. It's the trade-off for making wholesale changes. The primary goal was to win, get minutes into the right legs, and avoid injury. Mission accomplished.
You look at this round of results. Man City, Chelsea, Fulham, Palace, Liverpool, all played lesser opposition, and none of them won by more than two goals. Forest got knocked out by Swansea. It's not like our performance/score was an outlier. These games are always awkward. It's the opposition's match of a lifetime, and we secured a drama-free win.
To be fair, we think last night was more a case of we got the early goal and never got out of first gear. It felt at times like a training session with ticket sales. Kepa only seemed to be there for the vibes and to make sure his gloves still fit. If Port Vale managed to somehow nab one, it always felt that we would grab another. Why waste valuable energy going for a 5-0 when you can conserve it and coast to a 2-0?
So who shone the brightest last night? As previously mentioned, we thought Mosquera was excellent, as was Saliba, whose pass for the second goal was terrific. That's a few goals already this season that we have gone a bit more direct, and it's paid dividends. Norgaard was tidy but played a little safe, it being his first start and all. Nwaneri was lively in the first half.
Dowman and Trossard both had statement moments in their brief cameos. The young teenager with one sublime first-time curling pass over the top of the defence for Gyokeres basically said, "This is how you feed the big guy. It's not that complicated".
Playing on the defender's shoulder, running onto a through ball looks like the kind of service Viktor would thrive on. He's the kind of guy who would have rattled 25+ goals in a Wenger team with DB10 supplying him. With this team, he has to wait until all the other 10 players have touched the ball before it gets to him.
Trossard took his goal brilliantly to seal the win, and maybe another start on Sunday? We have a chuckle when he comes on. Sometimes it's like he's saying, " Fellas, it's okay to shoot and score, you know."
We ended up giving the man of the match to the player below.
It was hard to pick a man of the match if we're being honest. It was a case of Mosquera being excellent but having a scary wayward pass, Nwaneri was lively in the first half but faded, and Eze was the same but opened the scoring, so BINGO. It's the ultimate cup tie logic: "No real standouts? Fine. The guy who did the actual job required gets the prize." Bullet point FTW!
So job done thankfully, as far as we know, injury-free. There was one scary moment for Saka with a nasty challenge on the top of his foot, but he looked fine to fight another day.
The draw for the next round saw us get Brighton at home. It could have been easier, or it could have been harder. They will rock up to The Carpet with a pretty much full-strength squad, you would imagine.
We'll see you as usual tomorrow after the pressers for our Magpies preview. We have acquired a sour taste for that lot, and the feeling seems to be mutual. Bring the salt.