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| (Credit: Julian Finney - UEFA/ GettyImages) |
Strong Start but Wasteful Finishing
The Gunners started sprightly in the opening minutes. Martinelli had a huge chance to make it 1-0 from a lovely sweeping move and an MLS cross, but he headed—or shouldered—wide in the 3rd minute. He should have done much better.
Arsenal were moving the ball with sleek, quick passing. Olympiakos struggled to keep up with the pace and movement. However, the Arsenal backline hesitated on a back-pass that almost gave the Greek side a chance, but Raya cleared up and immediately sparked a counterattack. This time, it paid off. Martinelli showed great instinct to continue his run and slot home after Gyökeres showed great strength before getting his shot off. The Greek keeper parried, but Martinelli was alert and finished. Raya had to be sharp again to keep Arsenal’s clean sheet intact, making a smart one-handed save in the 20th minute. Olympiakos were proving no mere pushovers.
First-Half Summary: Dominance Without the Knockout Blow
The half eventually petered out with Arsenal 1-0 up. To be fair, the visitors had been fairly comfortable after weathering a period of sustained Arsenal dominance. Raya, again, was the busier keeper after the goal, as the Greeks settled and weren’t too ruffled. Arsenal needed a step up.
Substitutions: Fresh Legs, Fresh Energy
Then came the changes. Timber came on for White, who I must say had a few shaky moments on the right—understandable, considering he’s still on the mend from injury. Gabi had to come off in the 74th minute for Mosquera—hopefully he's fine.
The big guns also came on: Saka for Martinelli, Eze for Trossard, and Rice for Merino. The Gunners picked up the pace with renewed verve and energy. Passes were crisper, and Arsenal duly got their second goal. Saka, now in a free-roaming role, switched to the right, and Ødegaard found him with another gorgeous through-ball. Saka did what Saka does—finished smartly through the keeper’s legs. 2-0 to the Arsenal. At 1-0, the Greeks were still in it. You could tell Arteta’s relief when that second goal went in. All in all, a professional job, if not totally convincing.
Player Thoughts and Standouts
Ødegaard: Shoutout to our captain, he played like he had something to prove—running the show. He was just class. Eddie Howe’s comments after the Newcastle game? Game-changer. Whether it’s pressure from Eze’s recent performances or something else, let’s hope he keeps it up.
MLS: Played with so much composure. It’s gutting to see him benched (rightfully so) because Calafiori has been our best player this season, but Miles isn’t far off. If Calafiori drops his levels, MLS is right there. This bodes well for the team.
Martinelli: Continues his purple patch. He leads the Gunners in G+A with 3G and 1A so far. If the competition is what’s made him more clinical in front of goal—I’m here for it. We need everyone to chip in significantly if we’re going to lift major trophies this season.
Raya: Never gets enough praise. Yeah, he has a solid defence in front of him, but whenever he’s called upon to keep us in a game or hold the line, he’s there. We rightfully questioned his preseason form, but this season he’s been excellent, and we need that to continue.
The Rest: Did okay. Nothing more to be said, considering Bar Arsenal, no other English side currently has 2W in 2 UCL games, you would say glass half full. However, a little but....
The Not-So-Good
Let’s be real—the game hung in the balance for most parts. At 1-0, anything can happen—a magic moment or a calamitous mistake can flip things. So yeah, we understand the frustration. Arsenal needs to kill off these games earlier. I mean, go for the jugular when we are dominant in games.
Momentum Matters
This is a great opportunity to build momentum. We've already tackled the harder games— Man Utd away, City at home, Liverpool away, Newcastle away—and we’ve come out of them with a net +2 point improvement compared to last season:
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Man Utd: +2
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City: -2
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Liverpool: -1
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Geordies: +3
Slight net positive. It closes some gap. If Arsenal are to win the league, the team knows we must do better than last season.
Westham Bounce Watch and Must-Win Territory
They’ve won their last two league visits to the Emirates, which is… annoying. Time to set that record straight. Arsenal need to control this game, kill it early, and not let them hang around like Olympiakos did. They still have a few decent players in Bowman and Paqueta, with Soucek missing in their midfield, that's a plus for Arsenal, me thinks. This is a chance to build momentum. We’ve already faced the big boys — United, City, Liverpool, Newcastle — and came out with a net +2 points compared to last season. That’s progress.
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Man Utd: +2
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City: -2
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Liverpool: -1
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Newcastle: +3
If we want to win the league, we must do better than last year. That starts with handling business against teams like West Ham.
Time for Ruthlessness and Squad Rotation
There’s a clear opportunity here. The next five games on paper are all winnable — no easy games in the Premier League, but Arsenal have to look at this stretch and target maximum points. The football is looking better — more fluid, more chemistry. Gyökeres is blending in nicely, though we still need to do more for him to get on the scoresheet, as we know he can. That means more Ødegaard through balls, better decision-making from the wingers — Saka, Trossard, Martinelli — squaring instead of shooting wastefully over the bar or into the side netting. There's also the numbers game regarding GD, it may boil down to that at the end of the season, so if there is an opportunity to boost the goal difference, I'd say seize it, lads.
I’d like to see us start Saka, Eze, and Ødegaard together. Martinelli and Trossard off the bench — and yes, I know I’m reaching, but I still think Trossard would’ve buried one of those missed chances if he’d come on as a sub. Saka would be starting his 200th Arsenal game, making him the 7th youngest to reach that milestone at 24 years and 29 days. Congrats to the Arsenal Vice captain and Star boy, now go cap it with a goal or two like Henry did on his 200th against Palace in 2005. Here’s hoping we kill the game early and get minutes for MLS, Nwaneri, and Downman. They need pitch time, and this is the kind of match that should allow for it, so we have to be ruthless from the get-go. So, lock in, boys. I want to see the team come out strong, hungry, ready to rip West Ham a new one, if nothing, for the hurt of killing our title charge last season at the Emirates. As alluded, here is my team sheet below, still leaves room for a strong bench of Finishers, let's hope we don't even need them to come change things.
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