Morning.
We play our final league stage game of the Champions League this evening, taking on FC Kairat at home. We already know there’s no way we can finish outside the top 2, the benefits of that are already in the bag, so I think this is one where we’ll see some changes from Mikel Arteta.
Declan Rice and Mikel Merino are both suspended, and in his press conference yesterday he confirmed that both William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are both going to miss this one as they look after ‘some niggles’, ideally meaning they’re back for Saturday’s trip to Leeds. I don’t know how much he can then rotate at the back, but it’s possible we could see a back four of Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie and Myles Lewis-Skelly, but I think I expect Gabriel to play a part, let’s see. We might also have Riccardo Calafiori available for some useful minutes, whether he’s ready to from the start remains to be seen.
In midfield, I’d take this chance to give Martin Zubimendi a rest, no outfield player has played more minutes than him this season, and without trying to make any kind of excuse for his mistake against Man Utd, it felt at least fatigue adjacent. He has Christian Norgaard available, and ahead of that, if we can’t see Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard start together tonight, then when can we? I’ve been surprised to see how little we’ve seen of the two of them in tandem, and this evening gives us a chance to at least see how they gel, albeit against opposition you’d hope they can thrive against.
Up front, I think it’ll be Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke on the wings, and Viktor Gyokeres up front. Kai Havertz was in training yesterday, and I hope we see him get some minutes. Mikel Arteta spoke last week about managing his load and having him fully fit for the last few months of the season, so surely that means some involvement tonight. He also said we might see him in different positions, which might mean it’s not a straight swap between him and Gyokeres, but perhaps one of the midfielders.
After Sunday’s disappointment, this is a chance to get going again. FC Kairat prop up the Champions League table, there is a vast gulf in quality, and while there’s got be respect for every opponent, this is a game you’d fully expect Arsenal to win reasonably comfortably. And if it helps restore some confidence, as well as getting some form and fluency into a couple of players who really need it, then all the better.
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I thought the manager’s press conference was interesting yesterday. Sometimes you know when his message is directed towards his own team and players; sometimes it’s a bit more introspective; sometimes you know it’s one for the fans, and the latter was very much the case yesterday. Asked to reflect on Sunday, he’d obviously had a chance to think about what he wanted to say:
The reaction has been excellent. We took a moment to bring the temperature down, to pause, to reflect and ask two questions. One is how do we feel, and how do I feel myself, and then how we want to live the next four months. It was so encouraging and beautiful, because what came out of there is very simple.
We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions, and in the next four months we’re going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we’re going to win it. This is going to be the mindset and where we’re going to put the energy. I’m just hoping that everybody that is related to this club, especially our supporters, jump on that boat because this is the way that we’re going to live the next four months because we deserve to live like this.
It’s going to be fun, because the excitement, that conviction, that energy, that will, is the way you have to live when you want to achieve a dream, when you want to achieve something that you play for 10 months, because out of that, a lot of incredible things are going to emerge. Some of the things that we cannot even imagine, and, for me, that’s the only way to live it, because we’re going to give absolutely everything, we’re going to prepare in the best possible way and the best chance to deliver what we want is putting all the energy and channeling the energy into that direction.
There’s been so much discussion of the fans in the last week, which I don’t want to rehash, and as I said yesterday, everyone is entitled to feel how they feel when the stakes are this high. What I will say though is that Sunday felt like a short, sharp, shock, and if that’s a moment for the team and the manager to take stock and make it a line in the sand, hopefully a direct consequence of that is reflected in the stands and beyond.
For me, there’s no lack of support for this team, but the reality of top level sport is that the crowd reacts to what the team delivers. This idea that there’s a symbiotic relationship which is equal on both sides is lovely, but utopian. I think we have experienced plenty of moments where the support can galvanise the team, and I’m sure we’ll have more of those, but the only sure-fire way to have everyone backing the team 100% is for them, the professionals, to win games, play well, and demonstrate their commitment and motivation with performance.
Fans have a role to play during those 90 minutes, but for me it’s always been outweighed by the job the team has. I know people’s mileage varies on this, but I just think focusing on fans when we play poorly misses the main point. Arteta has done a brilliant job of galvanising the team and the fans, and I know how much he feels it’s important for the players. I also think, for the most part, that relationship has been consistently excellent. So, if Sunday’s defeat is a moment to step back and reflect, then go forward again together, then bring it on.
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Right, I’ll leave it there for now. As ever we’ll have live blog coverage and all the post-game stuff on Arseblog News later.
Until then, have a good one.
