Jesus on schedule for an April (Anfield?) resurrection...

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday,  a vital Christian holiday that marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and self-abnegation that culminates with the Easter resurrection of Jesus. This year, that would fall on 9 April, and that's not too far off from the possible resurrection of our own personal Jesus. He's posted some teasers to his Instagram regarding his progress, and it's looking more and more likely that he'll be back in action after the international break runs from 19 March to 1 April, and I swear on everything that's holy that I won't be posting any April Fool's style articles regarding Jesus's return. Honest.

Arsenal suffer MASSIVE Brazilian setback. Who will step up?

consarn it.

Ok, so, normally, that's me using a click-bait title to lure readers into (what I hope is) a more in-depth article. Well, now that you're here, dear reader, rest assured that you won't see any more sensationalism or exaggeration from me. In fact, there's literally nothing I hate more than hyperbole. I was just sitting down to put pen to paper on Gabriel Jesus with the news that he had been feeling some pain in his knee prior to the World Cup and to then interpret this to mean that his withdrawal from the match with Cameroon was simply a precaution due to something like tendinitis or some other nagging but not-serious niggle. News now from Renato, essentially a Tier One Brazilian journalist, has spilled the tea, and it's going to leave a mark.

Saka, Ramsdale, and White make the Three Lions squad for the World Cup!

After much hand-wringing and rumour-mongering and teeth-gnashing and chest-beating, the actual 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup has finally been released. It's almost as if every report we've heard to this point has been based solely on what the particular "ITK" journo thinks will drive the most traffic to his (and it's almost exclusively "his") social media account or what have you. Gareth Southgate released the official squad today, laying to rest all of those rumours and allaying most of it all of our fears. 

The good news—depending on your perspective on such matters—is that our very own Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, and Ben White have made the squad. I add "depending on your perpective" because squad selection is a double-edged sword. On one hand, of course, it's a tremendous honour to a player to have the chance to represent his country at the World Cup. On the other, it presents a risk that the player could get injured, rendering him unavailable for his club after the Cup ends.

Leeds 1-4 Arsenal: Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

Well, we cruised to a comfortable away win over depLEEDed (haha, see what I did there. Cough. Yes, so...) courtesy of goals from Martinelli, Saka, and Smith-Rowe, with only a consolation penalty denying us a clean sheet. It was 0-3 by the 42nd minute, and from there it was really only

complacency that posed any real threat. One has to admire Bielsa's dedication; despite missing an estimated 37 first-team players, he stuck to his tactics. We really put them to the knife, and one shouldn't underestimate the value of an away win even against such an overmatched opponent. With this being the only match to take place today, we rise a little further above our rivals for the fourth spot and dare to dream the ridiculous dream of shouldering our way into third, given Chelsea's inconsistencies of late. Rather than actually doing that, though, let's focus on reality, and the reality is that we have a young, exciting squad that is still just beginning to plumb the depths of its collective potential. Let's give 'em what they deserve after today's showing!

Man U 3-2 Arsenal: Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

Auba putting that golden chance straight at de Gea...

It looked like an early goal from Emile Smith-Rowe might pave the way for a famous victory at Old Trafford, but those devils equalised just before halftime through Fernandes. An equaliser from Ødegaard was then cancelled out by Ronaldo's 800th career goal, a total to which he added after Ødegaard's rash challenge brought Fred down in the box, and Ronaldo put the pen straight up the middle. It was topsy-turvy as both sides sensed the other's weaknesses. Aubameyang squandered a golden but tricky chance to half-volley home from six yards out, but de Gea smothered it. This will hardly resolve nagging questions about Aubameyang, to put it mildly. It was a bit of back and forth, and, aside from those few moments when we switched off, one might say we were even the better side—but that doesn't mean that we deserved better. As encouraging as it was to see us give as good as we got, if not better, the result shows us who we are: a squad still very much making its way. Well, let's get to the poll to rate the lads!

Arsenal 1-0 Watford: Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

Tony Pulis's Stoke were up to their old tricks on Sunday, kicking out at, maiming, and gouging Arsenal left and right...oh, wait. It was Watford. Kevin Friend was awfully generous to the visitors, calling 19 fouls while issuing just three yellow cards before finally sending Kucka off in the 89th minute. By contrast, Arsenal committed just six fouls but had four players booked. It's a good thing that Emile Smith-Rowe found the back of the net, pouncing on a ball after Lionel Messi--er, Ben White, actually--was dispossessed after a slaloming run through the heart of the Watford defense. We should have had more, what with Aubameyang fluffing a pen straight at Foster and then, from an offside position, tapping in an Ødegaard cross/shot that looked to be going in anyway. Whatevs. It's another three points, a fourth straight win, and tenth undefeated. We now sit fifth in the Prem. Not bad. With that, lets' get to the player-ratings poll!

Leicester 0-2 Arsenal: Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

Gabriel headed a dart past Smeichel from a Saka corner early on, and Emile Smith-Rowe pounced on a ball in the box to make it 0-2 before the 20th minute. From there, Arsenal had to defend tenaciously with Ramsdale coming up with save after vital save. Leicester had 65% possession but nothing to show for it. After several wins against overmatched opponents, we can point to this result and clean sheet as a more-encouraging sign of our mettle and ambition.

Click the link below to open a Google Form to cast your ballot. For a bit of calibration, consider a six to mean "put in a decent shift without really impressing or damaging either way", ten to mean "did every single thing right and possibly shortened the Insulate Britain protests", and zero to mean "scored several own-goals after which he tore off his shirt to reveal a 'Tot 'num 4 EVA' halter top".

Once we have a chance to process the results, I'll post a graphic to show how our lads fared. Remember: this is a deeply and thoroughly scientific and sociological process that far exceeds most peer-reviewed journals, so, for the love of all that is holy, don't throw a spanner in the works by voting all 10s across the board. At a bare minimum, thrown in the occasional six or seven to create the appearance of objectivity.

Here is the link to the poll!

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: A Semblance of Order Restored.

There. Just like that, all questions regarding Mikel Arteta, all of those tranfers, and the season itself have well and truly been settle. What other conclusion is there to draw other than to say that we have our old Arsenal back? Three goals in just over 30 minutes in a pulsing North London Derby sure do go a long way towards re-establishing our dominance of the color of North London and also towards establishing our bona fides as title contenders. 

Erm. Well, let's maybe press the pause button here. For as thrilling and as convincing as this victory was, a bit of a reality check is in order. To put it mildly, this result revealed our own potential of while also exposing our opponent's frailties. Suffice it to say that we owe Nuno Espírito Santo a bit of a thank you for some of his decisions. Then again, this result does seem to be a bit of a bellwether signaling the resurrection of one club and the potential downfall of another.

A Leviathan Rises From the Deep...

Three wins from three. Five goals scored from five different scorers. At a risk of sounding melodramatic, there is absolutely no other conclusion to draw other than the Arsenal, the mighty, mighty Arsenal, are back. Okay, so that was a touch more than melodramatic, but, still, it's hard to resist letting just a touch of optimism creep in after such a dire start to this campaign and after such gloomy campaigns prior. Consecutive 8th-place finishes are nothing to write home about, and it's perhaps little surprise that yours truly had stopped writing. This, my friends, is my first post since April 2019—approaching 30 months, give or take. I wonder if I'm as bad as this now as I was back then. Time will tell. Enough about me. It's my least-favorite subject. Back to the action on the pitch and, well, adjacent to it.