Arsenal have absolutely smashed their last tough test in the Champions League. 5-1, with goals from 5 different players – we definitely could have used some of those finishes, like Gabriel’s header, during that tough patch in October. This win is massive, both for securing a top-8 spot and for keeping the points coming in thick and fast in December. Just staying humble…
Sporting weren’t actually too bad. They were pushing forward, trying to create chances. But they were stopped by our solid defence, and we were dead efficient in front of goal. It’s no surprise they got the better of Man City a couple of weeks ago.
City downfall
Right, before we dive into the happy Arsenal news, let’s have a quick chat about the current Man City form. I’m very happy to see their downfall, but I didn’t expect it to happen in such a dramatic fashion. Losing a 3-0 lead at home against Feyenoord in the last 15 minutes? Seriously? That looks very fishy. I wouldn’t expect that from any Premier League team playing in the Champions League.
I have only two explanations for this turn of events:
- Pep doesn’t want to be there. He was pushed into signing a contract by their management. In exchange, he could receive full immunity for their 115 charges or something of that sort. If he doesn’t want to be there, players feel this immediately and that explains the silly mistakes they’re making.
- A small part of me still thinks it’s all a big act from City to show how weak they are, how these violations haven’t helped them. And this might somehow help them escape serious consequences.
On Sunday, they face Liverpool at Anfield, and I’m not holding my breath. The best we can hope for is that Pep takes it seriously and rolls the team with the instructions to counter Liverpool strengths rather than use their own.In that case, a low-scoring draw, like 0-0 or 1-1, could be beneficial for us.
Liverpool confident run
Their run reminds me of them last year and maybe even more of us two seasons ago, where everything clicked for a long time. Both teams had their serious blip of form closer to April. And to compete with the team we need to be producing win after win until the end of March. It’s a very hard task at hand. We did this for 4 months last year, but could we do it again?
Liverpool, on the other hand, are just marching through opponent after opponent. They’ve only lost a single game (and drawn a single game against us) in all competitions so far. There are voices saying they’ll have a slip in form. They’ve had favourable fixtures, Salah’s been in great form, and they have tough contract questions ahead. This great run already happened last year, and they had a blip afterwards.
I agree with most of these points, however, the fact that they win so many in a row, against serious opponents like Real, Bayer, and Chelsea, builds confidence in the team. It builds confidence in players like Konate, Gravenberch, Jones, Diaz, and their brilliant second goalkeeper, who aren’t going anywhere. Now even Bradley replaces Trent without a serious loss in quality. And this confident run can go on for a long long time.
Their run reminds me of them last year and maybe even more of us two seasons ago, where everything just clicked for a couple of months. Both teams had a serious blip in form closer to April. So now to compete with them, we need to be producing win after win until the end of March. It’s a very hard task. We did this for four months last year, but can we do it again?
Majestic Timber
The powerful Arsenal goal hurricane was unleashed with a trio of Timber, Saka and Odegaard on the right side. Their combined strength looks powerful enough to cause problems for any team’s left side – whether it’s Liverpool, Barcelona or Inter, who we played against recently.
Jurrien Timber on the right side is just a beast. He’s great at left-back, but at right-back he’s just exceptional. In this form I prefer him to Ben White (not trying to start a rumble here). Ben might be a better passer, but Timber is just so good defensively. He looks like he can deal with any winger there.
I don’t think we should see him at left-back anymore, apart from some specific games against very skilful attackers against the likes of Barcelona, Real or Bayern Munich. But in the Premier League 80% of games we should have a proper left-back – Calafiori, Zinchenko, Kiwior, MLS, the choice is broad here. With the proper left-back we get our left side working much better. I have shared here Martinelli’s stats that are noticeably different when he is paired with Timber (who is not comfortable with staying wide on the left) vs the real left-back.
Above is the Timber stats as left back vs as right back.
The only problem is that for the next few months is our only proper right-back. And because of these circumstances I think we should see more experiments of other players tried there in December. We can’t afford to be without Timber in the important games, like Man United or away vs Brighton and Brentford. Partey is a good option if we need to control the lead, but he’s not the answer if we need to open up the defence. I still think Rice could slide there quite well, and he has a functioning right leg, ready to deliver a cross whenever needed.
Odegaard and Saka
The other two crucial players we have in this squad are Odegaard and Saka, who complete this right-sided triangle with Timber. We’ve seen how important it is to protect them and have them available to change games.
There’s nothing more comforting than seeing Odegaard subbed off for Nwaneri in the 75th minute. I’d prefer this sub was made every time we have a lead. We’ll not only minimise the chance of the captain getting injured, but also prepare Ethan to slide in seamlessly if ever needed.
Watching Gyokeres
The Swedish striker was a hot topic on Tuesday, following Arsenal’s interest in the summer. After the clash against us, the fans are divided into two camps.
The first camp believes that he was the most active on the pitch and tried to penetrate our defence time after time. He just faced the best defensive duo on the pitch, but as soon as Kiwior was on, he immediately got the better of him. Most of the opponents he will face are not Saliba and Gabriel, so he will deliver the expected numbers.
The second camp was not impressed by what they’ve seen and don’t believe he is worth over £80 million. To be honest, I’m in this camp. The striker is already 27 years old, and his price tag is immense after the amount of goals he’s pocketed. We have one shot at a striker next summer, and we need to take it very carefully.
The peculiarity of strikers is that their confidence level highly depends on the number of goals they score. The wingers can dribble 5 times per game. The goalkeeper can do 5 saves. But the striker’s confidence is goals, which come relatively rare, at best one per game. So as soon as they produce decent numbers, they start scoring against anybody. Remember Jamie Vardy’s series in Leicester? He is definitely not the most skilled striker, but the fact that he scored game after game gave him the confidence to disregard any opponent. But it might as well dry out when they move to different environments. Remember Fernando Torres at Chelsea?
If we are looking at 27-year-olds, then Ivan Toney seems to be a safer bet. He is 29, but he’s scored a lot in the Premier League and would definitely cost us twice less. I’d also say that he’s caused us trouble every time we’ve played him. Gabriel and Saliba got a hold of Haaland not the first time they faced him. The first time the striker faces defenders, they can show some unique moves, which defenders are not really prepared for. I’m not sure I’ve seen it from Gyokeres.
The squad for West Ham
We’re up against West Ham on Saturday night, and it’s crucial we bag all three points. The Hammers haven’t been convincing this season. They’re not very solid at the back, and they’re not the most threatening team on the counter. A comfortable profile for us to deal with. So, who should we put out there?
On the one hand, we can stick with the same squad we saw against Sporting (basically the best available). On the other hand, the next two games (Man Utd and Fulham away) will be tougher. In the form we’re in, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing some rotation. I think the general team confidence is so high that the fresh players will feel it.
Maybe Jorginho and Merino again in midfield? A new face at right-back with the option to bring in Timber if it doesn’t work? Maybe even Sterling to start on the right wing? Again, if it doesn’t work, even 45 minutes of Saka could be enough to create a solid goal threat.
We’re coming to the phase where the games are literally every three days. We need to use all the fresh legs and collect loads of points. A tough task at hand, but we finally have the tools, don’t we?
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