Arsenal are still a really good side, but they continue to show how much more difficult it is to go from 2-3 to champs than from 5-6 to 2nd. Once you’re already second you dont have much room for improvement and finding the right players who not only are good enough to make a difference but dont upset the good you already have going is really tough.
They brought in 3 players in the last window. Trossard is exactly the right sort of purchase for this situation because he is flexible, good enough to contribute and isnt going to rock the boat. Kiwior has done little and Jorginho seems like a novelty. This summer Rice was a great signing, Timber has been really unfortunate, but Havertz and Raya are very much in the Jorginho category. It’s been a poor return that has given them a bit more depth, but confused what their best team is, and not a “who can I drop because everyone is playing well” sort of what that has resulted in them now looking unsettled with things not going well.
Ben’s Original, formerly called Uncle Ben’s, is an American brand of parboiled rice and other related food products that were introduced by Converted Rice Inc., which is now owned by Mars, Inc.
Anyway, the strongest part of Arsenal game today is exactly the part of the game Rice is responsible for - winning midfield battles so you can maintain possession and play in their half. It is not his responsibility to create good openings or take them so seems churlish to criticise a player as being invisible when his department did exactly what is was supposed to against a side who, even with changes, poses an enormous test for any side in that dynamic.
Hilarious connected point - if you Google Taff’s Tavern (now closed), the Google Street view shows a view of the adjacent business, which appears to be called ‘Trophies for All’