90Min has an update on Xhaka. Apparently, he was indeed ill, and he wasn't the only one on the squad who was sick. https://www.90min.com/posts/arteta-provides-granit-xhaka-update-substitition
We need an award for Comeback Player, but at the career level. I'm really happy for him about this renaissance, too, because the guy works hard and fights for the team. (Sometimes a little too aggressively!)
So was this like a COVID thing? A bad pregame lunch spread? Are a bunch of these guys heading to their world cup squads? So many questions....
Tremendous win. We didn’t have it today for various reasons: last game before the break, pressure from results around the league, early Xhaka exit, etc. Wolves were up for it in front of their new manager trying to prove they deserve to keep getting picked. It wasn’t beautiful but it was job done in a game we controlled despite the issues. Five points clear at the break is not where any of us thought we’d be…not even close. I’m almost afraid to say it, but @DaPrince84 is right: we need to start thinking about that title.
Circling back to this… It looks like he might be momentarily annoyed in slow-mo, but if you watch it in real time it looks like he’s just trying to figure out what happened and once he realizes he immediately runs toward Øde in celebration.
Want to give some props to Vieira, who definitely grew into this match as it went on. I think he took this opportunity well. Also, grateful that the refereeing wasn’t more of a factor. Overall, it was balanced but OZ getting called for being offsides on a throw-in late in 2T, which the laws of the game state there is no offside on a throw-in was galling for me. I think the ref’s assistant on the opposite side of the pitch thought Jesus touched it. Just a dumb call though.
This is what it looks like when you take advantage of your rivals in crisis/rebuilding/refreshing their sides.
What an epic commentator 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Bfk8sZ1quq— Arsenal Focus (@FocusArsenal) November 13, 2022
It's amazing. I was a critic but I'm beyond excited no one listened to me. What a magical quarter of the season. Happy camper.
i think both is true, though. before their last game, there was a guardiola quote about how someone told him they were off to their best start in the last 4-5 years . . . and they are still behind us. 12-1-1 is a tough number to beat. that said, having both liverpool be in re-tooling mode, tottenham be conte'ing and chelsea be in . . . whatever they're in did/does help us.
This feels right. Not that the Chelsea and Liverpool and Tottenham wins weren't impressive, but if we boss Man City the same way, I mean, I think we'll all be a little more than impressed.
We bossed ManC last season in a performance that you would say showed shades of what we are doing now. I think pundits assuming ManC beat us home and away are doing themselves a disservice.