'I Shed A Small Tear When Eze Scored!' (Melissa) | Arsenal 3-0 LOSC Lille

Hi everyone and welcome back to AFTV. I'm here with Melissa Zad and Melissa has just come back from the game. As you can see, she's beaming, she's happy and we're about to get her thoughts. Right, so let's get into it. Arsenal 3-0. Let's talk about the first half though because you were at the ground, we was in the studio. We were saying that that was a pretty flat and ultimately disappointing first half. Would you agree with that? Yeah, I mean, really, really shaky first half. I wouldn't say it was quite as shaky as our first half on Saturday which was just like what are we watching here but it was like it lacked cohesion it lacked that fluidity that we're looking for and i often wonder like do they really need to just get a telling off by Arteta in order to just like wake up because like you could just see him racing down the tunnel yeah we saw that we had a we had a good laugh about that in the studio because no sooner had the whistle gone for the end of the first half Arteta literally sprints down towards the tunnel and you think yeah I know what's coming now yeah and like obviously it made a difference because that second half was just like you know it was night and day really yeah it was night and day and it was interesting we were saying in the studio and I'm sure you observed it as well that the pattern was very similar to the Leeds game in so far as the substitutes were just getting ready to come on and Arsenal score and it was round about the same time of the game as it was on Saturday I think it was the 62nd or 63rd minute something like that yeah I mean it was it was quite interesting and I'm really pleased I'm actually I have to say I have to admit this but um when Eze scored like a little tear actually came to my eye I was so so chuffed with him like I was absolutely chuffed yeah and you saw the way the players um celebrated with him as well but let's rewind to that first goal because for me out of the three goals I think that one was the best one because of who scored it and I'll tell you why because the pass it's Madueke actually who got the assist but what Timber does next is almost reminiscent of a striker the way wrong-footed defender through on goal and then the little chip sits the keeper down that was an amazing goal really for a fullback amazing goal amazing finish like really impressive and actually given everything he's been through recently like you can just imagine how meaningful that would have been to him and really pleased it was a nonny assist as well because like let's be honest if we're being absolutely and don't get it twisted like on saturday i was like nonny had a great game you know like you give him his flowers when he deserves them but let's be honest in that first half how many clangers like how many clangers did he have so for him to get to be able to assist timber in that goal i was like yeah okay cool no i'm with you on that i thought nonny was quite poor to be honest um and you could see the manager was getting frustrated with him there was one moment i'm not sure if you would have seen it because obviously you're at the game nonny mishits a pass or a quarter something like that and saka no sorry the manager runs over and he's saying to saka he's like you know i mean gesticulated and i'm thinking to myself he's probably saying this guy wants me to start him and look what he's doing it was kind of it kind of gave you that vibe so yeah you're right i'm glad he got the assist great finish by timber i don't know how you felt but i kind of got the impression once that first goal goes in that's it i actually said on the stream that if we get one we get three and the reason why i said that is because we had so much of the ball and i've got to be honest melissa and I'll be interested to hear your thoughts, I was disappointed in Leo man, I thought they were bang average, they were just none, where were they were they there? Like there was a complete, I mean the first half we actually we should be grateful that they played the way that they did because we we were poor, they were poor, we were all poor, it was poor but in the second half I was like, what have they done? Like they didn't have a single shot on goal, no, and and I just felt like we dominated all of the possession I mean I'm sure I'm sure looking at the stats it wasn't all but most of the possession really terrible and to think that they're second in the French league well, and like we're second in the English league but it's like, well yeah, I don't want to sound like I don't want to sound awful here but it just I think is reflective of like the level and the quality I said the same thing I think if they're second that is a damning indictment because I'll tell you this much, we play Forest on Sunday and I'm, listen, I can guarantee it from now, the Forest game will be way more difficult for Arsenal than it was tonight, yeah, I hope the boys are awake in that first half is all I have to say on that, um, but can we talk about the second goal? Yeah, let's talk about that second goal because, um, I was really pleased for Saka because I think he's been taking a lot of stick recently, disproportionate amount of stick when you consider the amount of credit that he should have in the bank I think people coming after him saying drop him and saying other really derogatory, using pejorative terms, I think it's disappointing because I think I mean I don't know if you know but he's our top scorer this season now so okay, he's not been at the levels we would expect but he's not been that bad and some people have been crucifying, yeah, listen I don't think that the Saka, um, the Saka hate is justified I think it's quite interesting because we have certain players where if they do if they have a decent game we're giving them all the flowers because their level is typically not that high and i'm talking about you know not not their level is not that high but they can be quite inconsistent in their game so it's like okay like Nani for example like last last the Leeds game i was there like Nani's the man of the match just because he you know he didn't have a shocker but then like you'll have a player like Saka and if he has a bad game because his level is his consistent output is something we can rely on we put a lot of pressure on him so uh yeah I was really pleased for him getting the goal but he got an assist as well he got an assist as well the Eze assist came on for Saka um but for me the the goal for me that really just like it was so meaningful was Eze's goal I've been rooting for him so much this season and to see him spring to life the way that he did today and do what he did because the thing with that goal as well is that after he scored he just kept trying to create more chances and make impact and I love that I love that ethic from him so yeah I was I was thrilled do you think um he was man of the match I mean there's three contenders we've had people shout out Timber um for his overall performance and that great goal which was the first goal we've got people like myself saying that they were probably giving it to Saka because of the goal and assist that he got and then there's people like yourself who were calling out Eze so of those three potential man of the match players who would you give it to yeah i think that i i was saying to you off camera i'm so heart led with these things so it's like oh i give it to the person who i just feel like oh they they've done something like good for them uh not always obviously but i think tonight for me the man of the match was Eze yeah and that kind of leads nicely into the last question i've got for you tonight so tonight we saw a few players start that would have been rotated from the previous game, namely Victor Yocaris, Miguel Marino and Eze Of those three, are there any of those three that you would start against Forrest on Sunday? Yeah, I would start Eze against Forrest on Sunday and I think, yeah, absolutely do that. Which means you'd have to leave Nani out then Yeah, which is, you know, I think he did well on the left against Leeds I think he did really well. But I think that Eze's done enough tonight and now he's got a bit of momentum let's give him that opportunity to do some more I've got to say as well I the first thing I said when I sat down tonight in my seats to the two gentlemen next to me was really hope Jokers scores tonight really hope Jokers has a good game I really felt like mate come on this is your chance this is your moment he had a clanger like you think so listen he didn't affect the game let's be honest he didn't but I'll be honest with you did he get any chances was he one-on-one with the keeper did he create did he anyone create any chances for him as such yeah i think a couple of times people did try to give him some service but it was more like his overall game as well you know like he just was just just it just had no cohesion to his game whatsoever like i know that you have a soft spot for Havertz and like you want him to do well and you're very remiss to call him out when he's had a bad game but i'm telling you No, I'll call him out when he's had a bad game. But tonight, I don't think he had a bad game. I just don't think there was any opportunities for him. So, for example, OK, and I said this before, and I'm going to say it again. Shout out to Havertz. He came on and he assisted Saka's goal. But if you look at the overall play, he didn't really affect the game too much. In fact, he could have got sent off in that game, actually, for the foul on the keeper. So, take away the one moment. And don't get me wrong, he did well for the assist. It was a good assist. did he really affect the game materially any different than Victor did maybe not maybe the effects were kind of somewhere somewhere in the same region but i think there's a few things here to think about number one there's a lot more pressure on your pros right now like you've got to do something you've got to do something Havertz less for obvious reasons but also there was a few times when your press just like passed the ball to the wrong person or in the wrong direction or like you know it just nothing was gelling and I don't know what it is about maybe our side of play as a team or his confidence levels within our squad I don't know what it is but I felt really really bad for him tonight because I just want him to do better yeah I guess I'm maybe I'm allowing um my um feelings for Havertz to cloud my judgment a little bit but yeah he didn't have a good game but i don't think it was i i still don't think the team is playing to his best attributes and um until that starts to happen until we're able to accommodate how he plays we're always going to be having these conversations but anyway um the important thing is that we won tonight three nil second Champions League game, second win, one game away from home against Napoli, one game at home against Lille, next week we've got a small matter of Bayern Munich, how are you feeling about that now? I'm feeling positive, I actually just genuinely believe this is the year that we're going to win the Champions League and you can all quote me on it once we, once we do. I'm sure we will but anyway thanks Melissa, thank you so much and thank you guys for watching.