SOUTHAMPTON CLIFF NOTES

ROUGH NOTES AND THOUGHTS PLUS THE OTW AUDIO

My stream of thoughts if you missed the match:

Wondering if playing three number 6s on the pitch was the plan at home against Southampton… but it is what it is.

An early corner to the back post sees the ball pinging around the box—chaos. In the second wave of attack, Sterling bursts through on goal after muscling his way forward, but no shot is released.

Good news—Southampton aren’t abandoning their principles. They’re playing out from the back, and they’re not very good at it early on. Usually bodes well. Arsenal are pressing aggressively.

Sterling surges forward after a poor pass from Ramsdale out from the back. He looks to round the keeper but stumbles over his own feet. It looked like a penalty at first, but it was a good call by a ref we know little about.

Partey passes to Jorginho on the edge of Southampton's box. A first-time clipped pass finds Kai, but the cross doesn’t come off.

Ramsdale flaps at a corner, gets up, and looks oddly proud of the mess that led to another corner. The second corner comes to the front post, and Ramsdale gets caught under a player. His punch misses, and Kai flicks the ball over. The keeper is rattled.

Southampton manage a shot on target after a weak header from Partey. It’s straight at Raya for an easy catch.

Arsenal are struggling to break through the wall of bodies camped deep in the Southampton box. It’s like a body soup out there.

Jesus is finding it hard to make an impact in the first half—errant handballs and not much else. One of his misplaced passes rebounds to Jorginho, who strikes it first time, just wide.

Arsenal are struggling to unlock Southampton. No shots on target after 40 minutes when you-know-who is in goal—really not great. Are Southampton going to be our bogey team in 2024?