ARSENAL DEAL DECISIVELY WITH CONTE’S BLAND SPURS SIDE

Arsenal took three points in the first North London Derby of the season. The performances was there. The style was clear for all to see. In the battle of good vs evil, good won the day.

For once, everything went the right way for Arsenal. Spurs couldn’t even make a penalty work for them.

All the players we thought might be missing for the game were in the squad.

Thomas Partey, our difference maker, was in the starting 11.

Royale was given a red card for a horrible ankle breaker of a challenge.

There were no lucky breaks for Spurs, bar getting a penalty from a dopey Gabriel challenge.

Arsenal imposed themselves on Spurs from minute one. Our passing was crisp, our football was fast, and all the players looked really up for it.

Did Arteta tell the players the Brazil coach would be watching the game and our Gabi’s needed to send a message? It looked like it for 2 of the 3.

Gabriel Jesus was exceptional. He worked his arse off all game. He offers our frontline so much composure and threat. His ability to drop deep, go wide, and stretch defences makes him a nightmare to play against. Even his goal, a simple tap-in, needed him to be sharp in the box and to use his balance and power to shield the chance.

Gabriel Martinelli looked world-class all game. The coaching has transformed his game. There’s so much sharpness to his movement these days. He uses his pace and power really well, I loved how he ran the ball out of a high-pressure moment to take the heat off the team. The only thing missing was a goal, but those will come, he really is on track to be one of the best players in the world. I love him.

Bill Saliba put in another monster shift. The Frenchman adding sauce to his game now, he’s ice cold in all situations, and some of his line-breaking ball carries were immense against Spurs. He matched Harry Kane physically, he still hasn’t let someone run past him, and he looks every inch the best young defender in the world at the moment.

The two biggest stars on the pitch were Granit and Thomas Partey.

The Swiss scored a beautiful goal, taking the ball out of Martinelli’s run and burying it across goal like a striker. He’s just got so much spice in-game at the moment. His runs are hard to track, his passing is ambitious and crisp, and he is totally dominating as a number 8. He’s arguably our best player this season.

Thomas Partey started and there was no sign of an injury. He is one of the best midfielders in the league and no doubt he’s our most important player. People talk of his athleticism, but he barely runs. He just potters around and controls the ball with elite movement and clever passes. He sits at the heart of all we do. The 4/10 performances are dead, he’s a 9/10 guy in every game now.

The only negative of the day was Big Gabriel dropping another Lord of Chaos moment when he gave away a very clear penalty. He’s a good player, but the errors are painful and regular. Hopefully, he can get out of the rut… my worry is that it’s not a rut, you just have to price it into his game.

To finish on a positive, Benny Blanco dropped another top, top right back performance. He’s not going to move from that position. He landed an assist, but more importantly, he received a standing ovation from the home fans when he was taken off. He deserves the credit, he’s a top player, worth every penny we paid for him.

So, 8 games into the Premier League season, and we’re still top of the league and cannot be moved this weekend.

Mikel Arteta vs Antonio Conte… if you still think you’d have preferred the Italian, I can’t help you, we have bought into a better vision of the game, and in the long term, it’ll reap jucier dividends.

Spurs will probably be in the race for top 4 this season, but after that performance, I’m kind of hoping Arsenal are in the conversation for top 3. We have a title contending starting 11. The big challenge Arteta needs to manage is how he keeps Thomas Partey fit for most of the games. The job the club needs to do is get to January in the mixer, then do some business with an eye on a huge push when football returns in December.

Before that, Arsenal have to deal with Liverpool and a Europa League game. The Merseysiders have stumbled to a draw against Brighton likely works for us. The litmus test for how good we are is going to be against them and City. We have them at home next week, the objective is ‘don’t lose’ and drop a proper performance. We’ve lacked bravery against the big boys, it’s time to show what we’re made of. This is a HUGE week for us, but a little less pressure after smashing a drossy Spurs side.

SAY IT QUIETLY, we have a title contending starting 14. Keep everyone fit, beat Liverpool, and get a bit of luck… who knows what might happen?

Right, go do some bragging on your GCs, but before… jump on the podcast: