London. Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel … and William Saliba.
What was supposed to be a full-on brass show contained a promising French element.
The pressure on director Mikel Arteta’s shoulders was temporarily relieved.
Not pouring too much salt into wounds that are almost healing, but that’s how the Spring Meeting at Selhurst Park was supposed to end.
Talking about the past does not change anything, but it is clear that Arsenal had to take the place of the Champions League, which has long been in front of the club. There should have been a better 0-3 effort against Crystal Palace.
Now the owners have invested so much money in the team that it is no longer a matter of “must” but of “must”.
Of course, Mikel Arteta is well aware of this, and he is used to feeling a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
During Friday evening, he lightened up a bit.
Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel
London was basking in the sun as the players ran on grass for the first time this season.
July was so dry that the city’s parks looked like they were in the desert rather than the British Isles, but Selhurst Park’s lawn carpet unsurprisingly resembled a golf green.
Gabriel (Martinelli) patted Gabriel (Magalhaes) on the back of the head while Arsenal’s starting eleven were all on the grass and laying out. Soon, Gabriel (Jesus) joined the game.
The latter represents a big and important difference for Arsenal compared to the April meeting.
majestic cross
Patrick Vieira admitted to putting his old club on the line last season twice again. But on this opening day, Crystal Palace was completely outperformed in the first half.
Was it because of the absence of Conor Gallagher who returned to his home west of the capital? Probably. In any case, Palace did not rule centrally on the field, as Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka ruled.
William Saliba was another player in a misty pink that caught one’s attention. Partly because the central defender is 193 cm tall, but also because Arsenal seemed for a long time to have bought the “wrong” talent from Saint-Etienne.
While Wesley Fofana has become a regular at Leicester – and a world record fee for Chelsea is now rumored – Saliba has been shipped back to France on loan.
Judging by his impressive performance alongside Gabriel (Magalhaes), the 21-year-old is more than ready. Premier League. The question is what happens to Ben White when right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu returns.
Gopher’s success continues
The graceful and intelligent Gabriel (Jesus) gave Bukayo Saka all the glory, but it was nice to see Arsenal get a hole in the palace through an old, tried-and-true method.
When Nicholas Joffre left City and took over the opposing team in the league last year, the results were clearly visible. It was many who chose to praise the coach for surprising efficiency in standing positions.
Oleksandr Zentenko, another City player, hid on the edge of the penalty area before meeting Saka’s corner single-handedly. The rest of his teammates stood ready in frenzy in front of Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, at which point Gabriel (Martinelli) met his front.
The Brazilian TV reporter next to me in the stands held his headphones to my ears to show how his compatriot in the comment booth couldn’t stop screaming. “Martineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee community!”.
After the late goal, the palace gradually evolved into the match. The second half was mainly marked by the home team’s massive attempts to equalize through Wilfried Zaha, Ibrici Izzi or someone else.
Arsenal must have been pushed back by then and the 2-0 goal was an unfortunate mistake from Marc Guehy. But when the final whistle blew – or yes, should – Martin Odegaard was also on the score sheet.
no secret
The transfer window certainly hasn’t closed yet, as Mikel Arteta points out. That the wider seat significantly increases the chances of a CL is no big secret.
It remains to be seen if there are more new additions, whether half-billionaire Ben White retains his place in the starting line-up, and whether Gabriel (Jesus)’s target is tempered.
Arteta is feeling much better this Friday night compared to his recent visit to Selhurst Park and the opening match away to Brentford last season. Now the flow must be maintained.
