MERINO MANIA: Bayern Battered, Battle at the Bridge & A Professional Job vs Brentford

What a month. Seriously, take a breath, Gooners.

Since my last post (where we absolutely demolished Spurs 4-1—still watching the highlights, by the way), the schedule has been relentless. If you thought the North London Derby was the peak, you were wrong. This team is made of steel.

As we are in crucial period of the season, here is the breakdown of our run from November up to last night's win under the lights.

🇪🇺 The European Night: Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Three days after beating Spurs, we had Bayern at the Carpet. I was worried that there would be some emotional hungover from the Derby, but the team provide me wrong.

• The Result: A commanding 3-1 win. Timber, Madueke and Martinelli scored for us.

• The Vibe: Electric. Beating Bayern is always a benchmark. We didn't just counter them; we controlled them especially in the 2nd half.

Right substitutions made the difference in the 2nd half. Noni Madueke came in and scored his 1st goal for us and Martinelli continued is goal scoring run in the champions league.

Beating a European giant so convincingly proved that this squad is ready to go deep in the UCL this year.

⚔️ The Stamford Bridge Battle: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Then came Sunday. The short trip to West London.

This was a frustrating one. Chelsea going down to 10 men (Moises Caicedo, what were you doing?) should have handed us the win, but we looked leggy. When Chalobah scored that loopy header for them, I feared the worst.

Enter Mikel Merino. The man is becoming a cult hero. He popped up with a massive equaliser to save a point. In the grand scheme of the title race, a point away at Chelsea after playing Spurs and Bayern in the same week? I’ll take it.

🐝 Last Night: Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

That brings us to yesterday. A cold Wednesday night, Saliba out injured (still can't believe that "bizarre" training ground injury), and a stubborn Brentford side.

This was a "professional" performance. It wasn't flashy, but it was dominant.

• Merino Again: He is on fire! Another goal plus an assist for the Spaniard. He has truly found his feet in this team, playing that False 9 (or whatever it is) role perfectly.

• Clean Sheet: Huge credit to the backline. With Saliba out, watching Mosquera step up (before he limped off—fingers crossed it’s minor) and then Timber filling in was reassuring. Raya made an outstanding save in the 1st half to protect our lead.

🚑 The Injury Ward: Highs & Lows

It’s not all sunshine, though. The fixture congestion is biting.

• The Saliba Situation: We need him back ASAP. The defense looks solid, but Saliba is Saliba.

• Dec & Mosquera Scares: Seeing Declan Rice limp off late yesterday gave me a heart attack. Arteta seemed to think it was just a knock in the post-match interview, but we need to wrap that man in cotton wool.

• The Good News: Ben White played full 90 minutes and produced a MOM performance. Jesus is back on the bench, Gyökeres is getting minutes again, and Odegaard looks back to his sharpest self.

🦁 Up Next: Aston Villa (Away)

We are off to Villa Park on Saturday. Villa are flying high, currently 3rd on the table, so this is arguably tougher than the Chelsea game.

If Rice is fit and Merino keeps this goal-scoring form up, I back us to take all three points. But we will need to be clinical.

COYG!

NORTH LONDON IS RED: Eze’s Hattrick, That Tifo, and an impressive 4-1 Victory!

Wake up, Gooners! The morning coffee tastes sweeter today, doesn't it?

If you were at the Emirates yesterday—or even watching from home like me—you felt it. There is winning a football match, and then there is dominating one of your biggest rivals to go six points clear at the top of the league. Yesterday was a STATEMENT. Arsenal 4, Tottenham 1.

With Man City and Liverpool's results from the other day, all eyes were on us to see to if we can capitalize on that.
Let's get straight into my thoughts on a perfect Sunday. 

The Atmosphere & That Tifo

Before a ball was even kicked, we had already won the psychological battle. The Ashburton Army outdid themselves again.

As the players walked out, the North Bank was covered by that colossal tifo: "The Arsenal, These Streets Are Our Own." Seeing the faces of legends like Tony Adams, Thierry Henry, and—most brutally for the Spurs fans—Sol Campbell right front and center alongside Saka and Gabriel? It was magnificent. You could see the Spurs players shrinking before the whistle even blew. The Emirates was a cauldron of noise.

The Eberechi Eze Show

When Ornstein announced that we are going to get Eze, I was excited because I felt that he can bring in something that we were missing. The DIRECTNESS. What a signing he has been so far. To think Spurs thought they had him in the summer, only for him to choose The Arsenal... and then score a hattrick against them? You couldn't script it better.

• Goal #1: The timing was perfect, right before half-time. A moment of magic to settle the nerves going into the break.

• Goal #2: 35 seconds into the second half! He didn't even let them settle. A beautiful strike with his left foot.

• Goal #3: That curled finish for the hattrick was pure class. He has that "pause" in his game that only the best players have.

He is the X-factor we needed.

Trossard & Merino: The Unsung Heroes

While Eze will grab the headlines, we need to appreciate the contributions of Trossard and Merino.

I know many were worried about Merion playing that false-9 striker role in place of Gyokeres, but he was immense. He wasn't just a target man; he was a facilitator. That "delightful" ball he played through for Trossard’s opener was pass-of-the-season material. He battled for every ball, held play up, and allowed the wingers to fly. 

Trossard must be one of the best finishers in the league. As soon as Merino played him through, you knew it was a goal. He loves a big game, and his finish to open the scoring (a deflection though but who cares 😄) broke the deadlock when Spurs were just trying to park the bus.

Even for the fourth goal, Merino and Trossard's contribution is critical. They both combined well before Trossard's pass to Eze to complete his hat-trick.

Declan Rice: Our Engine

As usual, Rice was our Engine and the heartbeat. He controlled the tempo and completely shut down any hope Spurs had of playing through the middle. He also added an assist to his tally by intercepting the ball for Eze’s second goal! It was a dominant display—he made sure their midfield (which cost a fortune, by the way) looked non-existent.

What's Next?

We enjoy this for today, but the big games keep coming.

We are back at the carpet on Wednesday to face Bayern. It’s a battle for the top spot in the group and also a battle between teams at the top in their respective leagues. If we bring this same intensity, I don't see why we can't beat them too.

For now, enjoy the bragging rights, Gooners. North London is, and always will be, Red.

COYG!

The Arsenal: Clean Sheet Run Ends, But Ambitions Remain.

 

A Record Breaking October and Early November

It’s been over a month since we asked, “Do we have everything?” and in that time, we’ve certainly seen what we do have: resilience, exciting youth talent, and a few painful reminders of the Premier League's brutality. Across the men's and women's teams, we’ve witnessed a captivating period of high-stakes football, marked by the shine of a historic clean sheet streak, the pain of injuries, and a draw on the weekend.

A 10-Game Winning Streak Snapped

Competition	Opponent	Date	Result	Key Takeaway
Premier League	Sunderland (A)	Nov 8	Draw (2-2)	Ended a 10-game winning run in all competitions after a last-minute equaliser. Saka and Trossard scored.
Premier League	Burnley (A)	Nov 1	Win (2-0)	Solid away win.
EFL Cup	Brighton (H)	Oct 29	Win (2-0)	Academy stars Nwaneri and Saka scored. Ethan Nwaneri's first senior goal.
Champions League	Slavia Prague (A)	Nov 4	Win (3-0)	Maintained a perfect record in the group stage.
Champions League	Atletico Madrid (H)	Oct 21	Win (4-0)	Dominant performance, showcasing ruthlessness.
Premier League	Crystal Palace (H)	Oct 26	Win (1-0)	Hard-fought victory to stay on top.

The Run and the Blip: The men's team was in sensational form, reaching a remarkable 10-game winning streak across all competitions, built on a phenomenal defensive record that saw us go over 800 minutes without conceding a goal.

The Sunderland Shock: That defensive wall was finally breached (twice) in a frustrating 2-2 draw at Sunderland on November 8th. Despite goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, a stoppage-time equaliser cost us two vital points.

Youth Excitement: A major highlight was the Carabao Cup win against Brighton, which saw academy talent like Ethan Nwaneri score his first senior goal and Max Dowman become the club's youngest ever competitive starter.

Injury Update: The Growing Sick Bay

The biggest concern from the past month is the list of unavailable players, which severely tested the depth of the men's squad.

Star forwards and creative players like Martin Ødegaard (Captain), Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli were all unavailable for the last few games. This highlights the brilliant effort from the rest of the squad to maintain the winning run despite missing key personnel.

The Road Ahead: Crucial November Fixtures

Team	Opponent	Competition	Date
Men	Tottenham Hotspur (H)	Premier League	Sun, Nov 23
Men	Bayern Munich (H)	UEFA Champions League	Wed, Nov 26
Men	Chelsea (A)	Premier League	Sun, Nov 30
Women	Bayern Munich (A)	UWCL	Tue, Nov 12
Women	Tottenham Hotspur (A)	WSL	Sun, Nov 16
Women	Real Madrid (H)	UWCL	Wed, Nov 19

All of our remaining fixtures in November after the international break are against top teams. We really hope to get a few players back from injury for this run.

Let's keep the momentum going and kick start another winning run with a victory in North London Derby(NLD).

#COYG #ARSENAL #GOONERS