So this is it: the biggest game of the season so far. After the previous biggest game of the season so far, and the one before, and the other BGOTS we’ve had up to this point.
Although this one is a bit special. Originally scheduled for September, we would have faced Man City in a period of excellent form, with more or less our full squad available. Now, we’re in a relative slump in form, we don’t have our main striker, and there’s tension due to recent results/performances, and the fact that we’re really in the middle of a title race. That brings a very unique type of pressure.
Although no one said this was going to be easy. Tonight we face a different side than those that have frustrated us in recent weeks. City will not come to sit on a low block, they will come for the ball and play. It seems a bit counterintuitive to say that we should be up against a team of such outstanding quality, but it makes some sense. Where there is ambition from the opposition, there is room to exploit if you can get the men and the ball into it.
Having stuck with the same starting XI through this difficult period, he could make the case for a couple of changes tonight to generate something. Leandro Trossard’s goal against Brentford could well put him in the frame, but when asked about it in his press conference, Mikel Arteta said:
That’s more determined by results, but for us, it’s more about the performances and what the players have given us to get us to the position we’re in today. They deserve opportunities. Obviously we are looking to give players the opportunities they deserve. You talked about Leo, we are talking about anyone who has had minutes in this league. There will be changes, it will happen and very soon.
It sounds to me like he’s eager to give the players who got us to this point a chance to do so in this game. If they helped us win at home against Liverpool and Man Utd, and against Chelsea and Sp*rs away, I might feel they deserve the chance to take on the champions. I can understand that, to be honest, but the vagaries of the form have to play a role too. My guess at the moment is that this will be an unchanged team from the one he picked against Brentford.
He might well see this as the kind of game that could reignite the form of one or two. It’s not that we’re overflowing with options, without Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe, we don’t have a collection of players knocking on the door to give you alternatives. I suppose the player who least resembles himself at the moment is Gabriel Martinelli, but I wonder if the City right-back would be much happier if he were on the bench. We’ll see.
It’s almost redundant to say that atmosphere will be important tonight. The manager’s comments about the chaotic officiating over the weekend were considered and measured, but they leave no doubt about the anger he felt over Lee Mason’s monumental blunder. When you also consider that this game last season was significantly affected by a red card for Gabriel, whose first yellow was for nothing, and a history of two VAR penalties, you can fully understand why Arteta has made his position so clear. . When he uses words like integrity and professionalism, he’s not exactly obfuscating, even if he comes off calmly.
But he also pointed out how support inside the stadium can benefit the team:
Tomorrow we will play with 15 players! They [the fans] they’re so into every ball and giving us energy and support and basically everything they’ve been doing. Enjoy it, a beautiful night on a really special day.
It should be loud. This will be a crowd fueled by injustice after the weekend, not about to put up with any refereeing nonsense, and hopefully none of that. But more importantly, this will be a crowd that will fully support this team as they look to get a result against the opposition that has caused us a lot of pain in recent seasons. Not to mention, the stakes are higher this time around than many expected this season. If you go, make some noise.
As for what would constitute a good result: a win would be amazing, magnificent, exciting and all that. He would pay good money for three points now. The last two games have made this feel like a must-win game, but I don’t think it is. I’d love to, don’t get me wrong, but with a lead at the top and a game in hand, it’s in the must-have category for me.
City would go on top with a win tonight. That is a reality of the game and of the pressure we face. It would also be a psychological blow in this title race. The inevitability of the city once again chasing the contender, blah blah blah. But keeping them at arm’s length, knowing that we can extend our advantage if we win our game in hand is something they’ll have to deal with.
Of course, Mikel Arteta isn’t going to tell his team to play for a draw, it’s basically impossible to do in this context, but if we have to dig deep to get anything out of this, hopefully it will provide the necessary extra motivation. for this to happen. Today is going to be nerves, butterflies and all that, but come tonight let’s hope to see the best version of Arsenal because if we do we show that we have enough to get something out of this.
For more information: the preview podcast is on Patreon now. As always, we will have the live blog and post-game coverage on Arseblog News.
Come on reds!
