My take on the season so far:

1. The main point is this: as we can all see, we are much more solid defensively, and less fluid offensively compared to last season. This is down to a number of factors that have additioned themselves to create this situation imo:

   1. Unlike the start of last season, most teams play a very low block against us and have specific tactics and organisations to counter our best players.
   2. Injuries and/or form… Barely could align our best front 3 because each of them have been out (Jesus in particular), Partey has been out, Zinchenko has been out, Odegaard has been out, etc.
   3. Odegaard seems to thrive on transitions first and foremost. He is a great player no matter what and will find solutions in almost every situation, but he is particularly exceptional when he can launch runners, which has been difficult due to the low blocks we’re facing.
   4. Our midfield is not the same. There is the obvious Havertz for Xhaka theme, but our tactical shift is also down to the arrival of Rice, effectively replacing Partey as our 6. Rice has been a huge addition to the squad, he is amazing and we are a better team with him. But it has to be said that he hasnt got the passing range that Partey has, to break through the lines and progress the ball quicker. I actually think this is one of the major reasons why we lack speed in our transitions. Just to be clear, Rice’s addition off the ball far outweigh what it costs us on the ball, but we need to find a tactical solution and organize differently, with Rice on the team, to address this.

2. Saliba is a f*****g beast. Best CB in the world this season?

3. Havertz has been a talking point obviously. He has not been good enough. It’s really weird because I thought Havertz would bring a lot offensively and I was kind of worried about the defensive balance of our midfield, but the opposite has happened. Havertz leads our team in aerial duels won and he has done his best work defensively. If he can find a cutting edge offensively, he will be quite the complete midfielder we actually need him to be. Looked better the last 2 games, but he still hasnt reached the level we expect of him. All in all though, he hasnt been as bad as you can read on a lot of social media posts.

4. Raya/Ramsdale. The topic has gotten really boring but it has to be on the list of talking points. A lot has been said. I think what’s relevant is that Arteta wants his GK to behave almost like a LCB in possession. Gabriel goes wide left, White and Saliba occupy their space and our LB goes into midfield. Our GK then has to step up and participate in the build up to beat the press. Arteta doesnt seem to trust Ramsdale for this, at leats clearly not as much as he trusts Raya. I’m personally not sure either of them is comfortable enough on the ball for this. The real superpower of Raya compared to Ramsdale is his long range passing, but we dont play like that. Ramsdale will have offers (Chelsea, Bayern…) and will probably leave in the Summer if it stays like this. No way Arsenal let him go in January without a proper replacement.

5. Saka is great but we absolutely need a winger in January. Saka needs to breathe. It’s november and we need him to stay fit and ready for our big games in the Spring.

6. About a potential striker signing. I dont think that’s what we need right now. Ivan Toney for 100M is hell to the no for me, no way we take such a gamble on a 27-year old. If we’re spending big money on a striker it has to be one of the really top tier in the world, one that would clearly put Jesus on the bench or on the wing even when he’s fit. We’re talking the caliber of Lewandowski, Kane, etc. None of those are available right now, apart from Osimhen potentially, which would cost around 150M. How deep are our pockets? I think a winger would suit our needs more. I also think the real conversation to have is whether we want to sign a real goal-scoring CF (aka Haaland-ManCity model) or do we want a CF that can make our goalscoring wingers and midfielders shine (aka the Firmino-Liverpool model).

7. I also think our cutting edge problem is much more down to a tactical evolution due to our midfield, than a players’ problem up front. We have a lot of players that can score good chances, we need to creat more chances and have quicker transitions.

All in all, we are right where we want to be. Up there in the league, top of the group in the CL. Carabao Cup exit is a disappointment because I think this young and ambitious team needs a trophy sooner rather than later. But overall, we’re on the right track. This season is a marathon and we are in the leading group right now, ready to pounce if we adress some of our problems, mainly our attacking cutting edge.