Chapter 1: What are the initial thoughts on Arsenal's performance?
Hello Sounders, it's Mick here. I have quite a few Arsenal friends. Hank Wangford, country and western singer, is one of them. He calls his team the arse. I'm happy to do the same. It's an affectionate term.
Anyway, all these friends, they were all patronising me about my team, our team, after Sunday's game. Pompey gave them a wake-up call was the phrase I heard most used. There's not much you can come back with. The fact is the gulf between Championship and Premiership is huge and exaggerated by us playing the side most likely to win that Premiership. But
Like I reckon most of you, after smiling weakly through the patronising praise, I was pleased and relieved at the way we took a 4-1 beating. First because we scored, and we scored at a good time. And not only did we score, but it was a well-pressed, well-worked goal of quality. And to score early on like that lifted everybody, you could tell.
Second, we played with a recognisable plan and style, which has been lacking for much of the season. Third, our crowd lived up to their reputation as we knew they would, I suppose, but they were wonderful. And the Arsenal reaction to them wasn't patronising, it was genuinely complimentary.
We did quite obviously receive the clearest message yet that our defence of free kicks and corners is woeful. Quite why this hasn't been addressed earlier is worrying, but it surely will be now.
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Chapter 2: How did injuries impact the team's performance?
If we can't identify a better system to protect our goal, we'll have to find better defenders. At the moment we've been found out and every team we're about to play will be planning to score against us in dead ball situations. This should be clear in spite of the fact that we were playing masters of the free kick.
The skill of young Noni Maduweke in finding Martinelli at the near post was much to be admired. But the best meeting the worst resulted in three goals and can't be allowed, please, to happen again. The only other thing I really bemoan about Sunday was losing our two young wingers to injury. Young lads are still growing into their adult bodies.
Those coached and trained to have the skills and speed required to play out on the touchline are going to take time to learn how to cope and stay out of trouble and ride the tackle. Harvey Blair is going to be a decent player. I firmly believe that. Many don't. The stick the lad gets on social media is unfair and ignorant, but he improves with almost every outing. Franco Ume, we don't know about.
He's looked the worst injury, didn't it? And as we watched him desperately strain, to keep his feet in those moments as he tried to defend a touchline ball. I felt how unfortunate it was that he was pressed into action at that level so early in his recovery from previous hamstring problems.
I may be being unfair on Pompey's backroom staff, and I am well aware of the length of an injury list we have and the numbers we needed to come off the bench to help the whole squad survive a game in which Arsenal never stopped pressing, coming at us. But for Franco Ume, that may be another huge career step. And I will feel sorry for the lad. But we'll see.
I don't know any detail yet about his injury. Overall, in spite of the scoreline, Pompey came out of Sunday with some pride and hope for the future. Colby Bishop scored. So important that. And we must hope the knock he was suffering from at the very end of the game wasn't too serious. Terry Devlin had a wonderful game.
And not far behind him was Zach Swanson against his old club and Andrei Segachich, for whom The experience must have been beneficial. Regan Poole's defensive work was typically heartening, and it was great to see Connor Ogilvie back on the part, wasn't it? We have more important games to come, Sounders, starting on Saturday. But we should take some heart from our 4-1 thumping.
And I've never said that before. Play up, Pompey.
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