Dave’s Ramblings – Arsenal

Anyway, before my brain fully derails into wondering why it’s called a building if it’s already built, (shouldn’t it just be called a built?), I should clarify something. Ordinarily, the Carabao Cup is the least important of the many competitions we stumble into each year. But, and this is a flashing, neon, siren blaring but, the exact second we got drawn against ArseNIL, it immediately became the most important sporting event in human history.

 

I don’t hate ArseNIL in the same way I hate Rottenham Hotspurts, that’s a deep, spiritual, lifelong commitment, but the sheer entitlement and arrogance from ArseNIL fans winds me up to an almost impressive degree. It’s like they expect applause for simply existing. 

 

So for any ArseNIL fans reading this, or having it read aloud by one of their foot servants, quick quiz: when did you last win the league? A- Over 20 years ago.

 

The Champions League? A-Never. Not a long time ago. Never. Not nearly. Never. Actual, historical, museum grade never.

 

A top club? Sure, if we’re counting the 1930s, a golden era best remembered by people who listened to football results on the wireless read by posh people who had swallowed several plums.

 

But hey, congrats on the vibes, the chants, and the annual ‘this is our year’ tradition. It’s truly world class. 😂 

 

Before kick-off it was genuinely good to see Arsenal fans, along with our own, paying their respects to Eddie McCreadie. Football rivalry paused, while we celebrated his memory.

 

Eddie was a terrific footballer, but for me he will always be the coach. It was during his time that I became a regular at Chelsea games, back when loyalty was rewarded with cold terraces, warm Bovril, and the occasional miracle. The promotion season of 1977 still feels vivid, like it happened last week… even if my knees strongly disagree.

 

I still can’t quite believe we lost him as a coach for reasons so small they’d struggle to clear the crossbar. Chelsea have always had a talent for shooting themselves in the foot!

 

RIP Eddie. Thanks for the memories, the promotion, and reminding us that some things in football actually mattered.

 

It’s a huge understatement to say that Liam’s first home game in charge didn’t quite go down in the history books for the right reasons. The result was a fairly ungallant defeat, and while Arsenal turned up, it wasn’t so much that they were brilliant as it was that we were… not.

 

The first half was particularly painful, like watching a team who’d only just met in the car park. Sadly, hopes of a dramatic turnaround after the break were misplaced, as the second half politely continued in much the same spirit. 

 

From where I was sitting, we appeared to lack energy, enthusiasm, and any recognisable sense of direction. In other words, straight back to square one after the heroics at Charlton with the satnav firmly switched off.

 

Arsenal, at times, seem to be very much a set piece team, and that’s exactly where the rot started. Which makes it all the more baffling that we looked utterly stunned by Rice’s corner, as if corners were a brand new innovation unveiled moments before kick-off.

 

Ultimately the goners edged towards their first League Cup final since 2018 (after narrowly overcoming the champions of the world in the first leg of the semi-final.) Three girls somehow found the net for the LEGO man’s side, but a quite frankly heroic double from Alejandro Garnacho kept our hopes alive. The truth is it could have been an awful lot worse. 

 

I won’t name everyone who failed to turn up, as my fingers would seize up from the sheer volume of typing. However, Cucurella in particular had a game he’ll be keen to forget. As will we.

 

I know I’m clutching at straws here, but winning at the Emirates, and breaking their little hearts in the process, will feel far sweeter than a comfortable home win.

 

Having just typed that sentence out, I can confirm it does absolutely nothing to make it sound more plausible. Still, the optimist in me, a little battered, bruised, and wildly irresponsible, insists it’s perfectly possible.

 

My takeaways…

 

With Moises suspended and Reece, Cole and Malo not match fit, changes were unavoidable. And yes, silverware is always welcome, but this competition sits comfortably in the “I suppose we’ll take it section” of footballing ambition.

 

Remember Sanchez? Once shite, then briefly alright? Well, enjoy this breaking update… he’s completed the trilogy and is now firmly back to shite. Responsible for 2 out of 3 goals conceded, that’s a solid 66% contribution. Consistency is key.

 

Josh Acheampong is a top talent with a big future at Chelsea. I know there were reasons for it last night, but just to be clear, right back isn’t where he should play. Nor right wing. The right side is simply not the vision. I want to see him in the centre of defence which is where we have worked hard to place him.

 

That’s all I have to offer today. In my opinion we were lucky we got two, and further lucky it was only 3. 

 

Onwards and upwards as always. There are five more games before we face that lot again. Let’s hope that Saturday brings us a win, just to settle the nerves. Brentford are never an easy team to play against, they are good at all the things we continue to struggle with. Corners, free kicks, long throws… oh, they also have a striker scoring goals for fun at the moment! 

 

How is it that other clubs can rummage down the back of the footballing sofa and pull out someone like Igor Thiago, while we, armed with unlimited money, a scouting department the size of a small nation, data analysts, performance psychologists, nutritionists, astrologers, and at least one bloke whose job title nobody understands, consistently identify absolute duffers?

 

Other clubs: “We saw him play once in a rainstorm and trusted our instincts.”

Us: “After 18 months of data modelling, drone footage, heat maps, blood samples and three PowerPoint presentations, we are delighted to announce a player who turns like a fridge and panics when the ball arrives.”

 

It’s genuinely impressive. We don’t just miss gems, we actively avoid them, like they’ve triggered an allergy alert in the algorithm.

 

Anyway, Brentford definitely won’t be easy, but this is where we will find out the shape of things to come. I do hope that it doesn’t include lots of playing out from the back!! Fingers, legs and even eyes, very firmly crossed.

 

UTC 💙