Morning all.
Arsenal face Wolves this afternoon so unless Matheus Cunha is in the naughty corner for some reason, he’ll be up against a club which is apparently trying to sign him. When asked about the threat the Brazilian poses, Mikel Arteta refused to talk about individuals. Wolves sit one place off the relegation zone but take them lightly at are peril. Not that I can imagine Mikel Arteta allowing that to happen.
Manager Vitor Pereira has only been in place since the 19th December when he replaced Gary O’Neill. His/their best result was a 3-0 win against Leicester away from home. Their last home game, which was earlier this month ended in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest. Their last home victory came on Boxing Day when they defeated Man Utd 2-0, the previous home win was on the 9th November against Southampton.
We’ve already played Wolves this season of course, a game we won 2-0 thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. It was far from being a walkover though and at 1-0, David Raya sprung into action, making a wonder save to deny Wolves. I know you’ll find this hard to believe but we squandered opportunities to seal the three points long before Saka scored in the second half but Mikel Arteta says we’re better these days:
I think we are a much better side than since the start of the season, in every sense because we have evolved a lot as a team. We’ve had some very important experiences and the way we have competed throughout the last six or seven months with everything that has happened, it’s outstanding.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget what we as a club have been up against. Kicking the season off with a small squad is the club/managers fault but I don’t think the same can be said about the decisions which the officials have made or indeed the many injuries we’ve suffered. It’s amazing really that we’re still second in the league, albeit clinging on a bit. Thankfully, our walking wounded are soon to return but we still need a player who can put the ball in the back of the net. Something Arteta was again asked about during his pre match press conference:
My opinion is clear – we lost two very important players in Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, so we lack goals, people and options in the front line, it’s clear. If we can get the right player, that’s what we are actively looking at, but any player – no, we need someone that makes us better and makes an impact on the team, it’s clear that for the period that we have lost them ideally, we need some help because we were short already and we’re even shorter. The team has still coped with that but we have to do what is right for the club.
What’s right in my opinion is to make sure that by the time this transfer window closes, we’re equipped to push long and hard to win the league as well as going a long way in the Champions League. Adding a quality player or two to the squad would certainly help both and possibly help overturn our two goal deficit at St James Park.
But back to today and injuries. Myles Lewis-Skelly and William Saliba are close to returning just probably not today. Ben White is recovering well but Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain out for the foreseeable.
For Wolves, apparently Mario Lemina has been throwing his toys out the pram in attempt to get a move away so he was dropped for their last game and is likely to miss today’s game too. Edson Medina, Yerson Mosquera, Sasa Kalajdzic and Enso Gonzalez are out and both Boubacar Traore and Toti Gomez are doubts. New signing Emmanuel Agbadou could make his home debut.
Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke on Wolves:
Pereira likes to use a 3-4-2-1 formation and will frequently settle back into a defensive 5-4-1 out of possession against a side of our quality. Averaging less than 40% of the ball in recent matches against Chelsea and Newcastle United, the pattern is likely to see us trying to break down a low block. When Wolves do have possession and their wing-backs push on high and wide, we must be wary of those pockets of space they create on the inside. These are the areas where they want to get key man Matheus Cunha onto the ball. Only four top-flight players have attempted more shots than him (63) with 29 of those attempts from outside the box, scoring with four of those which makes him the division’s leading scorer from 18+ yards alongside Cole Palmer. Closing him down anywhere inside the final third will be imperative.
Two other dangermen we must contain are left wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and striker Jorgen Strand Larsen. Ait-Nouri is skilful and able to produce moments of great imagination, while their centre forward is energetic and keen not to give his markers a moment’s peace. Wolves have been slow to get going this season, letting in nine goals in the opening 15 minutes – the most of any Premier League side. Losing 11 of the 15 matches where they conceded the opening goal, there is plenty of incentive for us to test their defensive capabilities early on.
So it looks like we’ll be up against another defensive setup but we should be used to it by now and we should be able to break through or around it. Speed is of the essence I think but then I always write that. Get at them early as it sounds like that’s when they can be vulnerable but we need to aware of them hitting us on the break. Martin Odegaard’s international teammate Strand Larsen is a big unit up front, one to watch on set-pieces and of course Cunha. Still, if we keep hold of the ball, they can’t hurt us.
Michael Oliver is the referee for this one, now he could hurt us. If we let him..
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico a beautiful day here in Norfolk, clear blue sky and bright sunshine but very cold.
3 pm kick off so no chance of seeing the game live.
Kiwior had a good game in the week so he can certainly fill in for the absent Saliba. MLS or Calafiori at left back gives us decent back four.
I’d happily take a one nil win but I reckon we can do better than that.
We shall see
Morning Cicero, same here. Going to try and watch it on Live Stream app on Apple.
The only apple(s) I have are wrinkly ones in the garage which we keep as bird food in the really cold weather. 😉
I’ll just have to wait for the extended highlights programme on Sky later this evening. 😕
Afternoon Rico and gang, I see that the U21’s beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 yesterday, their first win in quite some time. A few of the guys playing for coach Mehmet Ali might find themselves on loan in a few days of weeks time?
Notably there was no Max Dowman in the squad so I wonder if he’s travelled to Wolverhampton with the seniors???
Ha ha Cicero, I meant app. 😜
Afternoon Kev, shame he’s not old enough to play. 😜
Rio Ferdinand has been blown away by how good Dowman is.
I wonder if Arsenal have consider Jhon Duran?
Team to play Wolves: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Rice, Nwaneri; Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard
Subs: Neto, Porter, Kiwior, Calafiori, Tierney, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji
That’s odd Rico, no Odegaard in the squad. Rested? Illness? Injury?
Good afternoon Rico and all
That’s a good line up. but what happened to Odegaard?? is he injured or what??
Michael Oliver has been appointed referee for Arsenal’s trip to face Wolves with Darren England on VAR.
off to read the post
Saliba is fit?
I’ll watch at TV – 3 pm
Both Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard miss out completely, so Gabriel will take the captain’s armband
Rested hopefully Cicero..
Afternoon Devil.
We cannot afford to give Oliver a decision to make imo..
Havertz should have scored twice with headers…
Cunha has had a quiet game
Ridiculous from Oliver!!
MLS gave Oliver the chance and he grabbed it with both hands. Red card! The consensus on Sky was no penalty.
Another bullshit decision by Oliver.
I’m listening on 5live and both commentators say that was never a red card.
Bloody Oliver, I detest the cheat, and those weaklings on VAR!
Arsenal will surely win an appeal.
Violent conduct?? My backside.
Hope we can go on and win to ruin Oliver’s day!
A hilariously outrageous decision by the ref
Oliver has reffed us 55 times he has given us 97 yellows and now 8 reds . That 20 grand is still working .
No one will convince me he’s not receiving a few brown envelopes….
Oliver trying to make amends?
COYG’s
Calafiori 1-0 brilliant
Forest taking a 5-0 thumping…
That was never a red card. MLS merited a yellow but never a red card.
Michael Oliver has realized that he made a gaff…..and evened it out with Gomez red…. which was deserved
Wow, well done boys!
Calafiori rubbed salt into Oliver’s wound….by scoring. If Oliver didn’t MLS off Calafiori might not have played. So MLS gets sent off, nwaneri gets subbed, Calafiori comes on and scores. Perfect script
One goal, a clean sheet, one bullshit decision and three points. Still second in the League. Well done the Gunners. That’s one in the eye for PGMOL!
The Gomes second yellow was more Red than Mls one . He misses one game mls 3
I’m sure we’ll appeal and it’ll be rescinded.
I think that the MLS card will be overturned
I doubt it , they will find a way to get out of it
I think the red card is well shown. He could have made a foul but he made a gross foul. It seems to me that wolves would also receive a direct red card, but it was yellow (?).
However, once again it seems strange to me that the opposing team always makes many more fouls than Arsenal, and Arsenal always wins with yellow and red cards.
There is one aspect of the game, which Arsenal repeat and naively get wrong. There have already been 2 or 3 frontal free kicks at the entrance to the area and the barrier is never within proper distance. And nobody complains, nobody says anything. Then they marvel that the ball doesn’t go over the barrier. Under the referee’s complacency, the opposing players make the barrier wherever they want. Difficult to understand. naivety
JM it may be that the players are eager to get the ball back in play and are willing to sacrifice a yard or two in order to save a minute or two.
Terrible mistake by the Chelsea ‘keeper, again, gifts a second goal to City, now leading 2 – 1 87th minute. Now it’s 3 – 1. Game over!
I thought Chelsea would win that one quite easily. Looks like they’ve gone downhill after their new manager excitement.
Alan Shearer on Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card: “How on earth Darren England, the VAR, thinks that the referee has got that right…”
“One of the WORST decisions that I’ve seen in a long time!”
If Shearer said that, and he does hate ARsenal, then the PGMOL should take a long hard look at MO and demote him
Mark Chapman (BBC) on Lewis-Skelly: “That is one of the most baffling red cards I’ve ever seen & supposedly from our best referee. I know they will spin their rules whichever way they want to, to make sure they protect themselves.”
Mikel Arteta on Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card: “It is that clear that I leave it to you guys. I am absolutely fuming but I leave it with you. Because it is that obvious. I don’t think my words are going to help.”
I’m just writing about that for tomorrow. Lol
I will keep whatever powder that I have left dry then . At least until after MOTD.
The longer this Var nonsense goes on the more the PGMOL look totally incompetent or corrupt. The organisation is not fit for purpose and the Football Association needs to quickly grow a pair and take the necessary action to restore some semblance of probity to the whole field of refereeing. There needs to be some sort of independent oversight to hold failing referees and their decision making to account. They cannot continue to be allowed to police their own actions.
You fill your boots Potter. 😂
A bit of both I’d say re the refs.
To think, I once used to think that Michael Oliver was our best referee and that he gave Arsenal a fair shake!
I don’t think that anymore, he’s just as bent as the rest of them.
Howard Webb has made absolutely no difference to the quality or reliability of our officials and his position should be seriously considered by those responsible.
I always thought the same Kev but like you, I’m convinced he’s one of the worst now.
Webb has just carried on where Riley left off. Something just isn’t right in that department.
Morning guys
New post up.