Morning all.
Here we go again then, Newcastle Utd are in the city and Mikel Arteta’s players need to send them back up north with nothing, nada, zilch!
The task for Arsenal is simple with five league games left, we need to win them all and hope Man City drop points. Alternatively, win every game by hefty score lines so that our goal difference is superior to City’s. Simple on paper, tough in reality. Especially for a team which has hardly set the footballing world alight over the last few months.
Arsenal’s performance against City last weekend was better but we still lost. We had plenty of opportunities to score but our finishing, well, it left a lot to be desired.
Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori are likely to be back in the squad if Mikel Arteta is to be believed but no sign of Jurrien Timber or Mikel Merino just yet.
During his Press Conference, Mikel Arteta was asked on Zubimendi’s relationship with his teammates and if he’s gone through highs and lows:
He’s very good. I mean, to play 50 games for Arsenal in your first season at the level that he’s done and the amount of games that we’ve won, you have to do things in an exceptional way. He’s very much liked by everybody. You can sense that if you go back to clips in September, October, November, I can show you when he scored goals or assists or whatever. The reaction and how he feels with his teammates is so good. We are blessed to have him.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry over the above reply. We know Martin Zubimendi was brilliant during the first half of the season and to be honest, Arsenal as a whole were pretty darn good but it’s post Christmas when we start to struggle, when players are clearly feeling the pain of having played so much football. Roughly an average of six games a month in our Spanish midfielders case. That’s not including international fixtures of course.
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme:
Newcastle’s stock formation is a 4-3-3, built around a trio of hardworking midfielders and wingers with blistering pace, but Howe has also dabbled with a back three on occasion, as well as a 4-2-3-1 by using Nick Woltemade as a No. 10.
Counter-attacks will be a major weapon with the pace of wide men Anthony Elanga, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy, as well as forward William Osula, and the speed of their attacks ranks joint-third fastest in the division, while no one has produced more open-play crosses. Newcastle are also a strong side on set-pieces, netting 14 goals from dead balls, a tally only ourselves and Manchester United can better. Centre-back Malick Thiaw, with four goals, is to be shackled closely at corners.
However the Magpies have kept just one clean sheet since mid-January, and have shipped at least two goals in eight of their last 11 top-flight outings, so keeping things tight at the back has not been easy. Their away form has also been problematic, claiming just four victories on their travels.
A lot of our players should know Aaron Ramsdale’s strengths and weaknesses so I hope they focus on the latter. Up the other end, I hope David Raya has a more convincing performance between the sticks. No faffing around with the ball at his feet or passing out to someone who has an opponent breathing down his neck. Let’s see a bit of fast forward football for a change, you know, the kind of football which goes from back to front with pace, precision and purpose.
Kai Havertz or Viktor Gyokeres up front? Thankfully not a call you or I have to make and whilst the general consensus across the internet seems to be that the German was very good against City, his miss at the end was a bad one. Had that gone in, City would have been deflated whereas we on the other hand would be going into tonight’s game with a little bit more confidence.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s not the only player guilty of spurning opportunities in front of goal but when the big chances come in big moments, big game players take them. Arsenal have five league games left, five massive games. We need five massive performances from everyone. Including Mikel Arteta.
Catch up later..
Good morning Rico.
Thanks for the pre-match as relevant as ever.
We need to not only win all five matches but we need to up our scoring rate drastically. If that means starting both Havertz and Gyokeres then so be it, but I don’t think Arteta sees them as joint strikers ,so I won’t hold my breath.
Beautiful morning here in Norfolk, clear blue sky, brilliant sunshine with a hint of chill in the light breeze.
Morning Cicero.
Agree re the goals, it would be refreshing to see us score a few goals, we certainly need them..
Aaron Ramsey would have been forgiven for putting his feet up after announcing his retirement earlier this month. His was a long and distinguished career, and one which was scarred by injury too.
But the former Wales captain and Arsenal midfielder has taken a different path. On Sunday, he will be running the London Marathon.
“I’m excited,” Ramsey tells BBC Sport Wales. “Training’s been difficult, when the rain’s coming down and it’s wet and windy, and it can be quite a lonely place sometimes.
“But actually, I’ve enjoyed it in a weird way, being in the trenches a little bit.”
There is a reason why Ramsey is putting his body through this ordeal so soon after stepping away from his life as a professional footballer.
The 35-year-old is running the marathon to support It’s Never You, a charity founded by his friends, Ceri and Frances Menai-Davis, after their six-year-old son, Hugh, died from a rare cancer.
Ceri is also taking part on Sunday. He will be carrying Hugh’s shoes around his neck, while wearing the names of more than 500 children affected by serious illness on his back.
“As a charity, it’s really close to my heart,” says Ramsey. “I know Ceri and Fran and their family. I knew Hugh very well. My eldest boy, Sonny, is a similar age and they used to play with each other.
“I can’t imagine what they went through and what they are going through, but they’ve been an absolute inspiration to me, my family and many others.”
💪👏
Nice preview thanks. The Aaron Ramsey story does him a lot of credit.
The performance last week was a lot better,without a doubt we need more,clinical finishing would be nice. A big decision will be if Saka starts or comes off the bench. We’ve missed his directness,at least he will take a shot on goal
The last 5 league games are all must win,how awful would it be if City drop points and we don’t take advantage.
Assuming Saka is on the bench (it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts though) does Arteta start with Madueke or shake things up with Max Dowman? I would go with Dowman to give the Geordies something to worry about.
I’m looking forward to the game,it’s last chance saloon time. Not a good kick off time for our Australian and New Zealand fans,I’m sure no one will mind if we win.
COYG