Morning all.
Another day, another game, although after today, the players have a bit of a breather as this weekend is FA Cup weekend. No rest though as Champions League football returns for Mikel Arteta’s team next Tuesday with an away fixture against PSV Eindhoven.
After a dismal performance against West Ham on Saturday, Mikel Arteta will no doubt be expecting a lot more from his players tonight. Admittedly, it’s his tactics and pre match preparation but once those players cross the white line, it’s up to them to play at their highest level. As a few of us having been banging on about for the last couple of seasons, do what they’re doing but for goodness sake, do it quicker and with more intensity and purpose. Nottingham Forest will, that’s for sure.
Mikel Arteta held his pre match press conference yesterday during which he was asked about the Premier League title chase.
Whether he thinks we can still win the Premier League title:
If not, I will go home. Mathematically it’s possible. You are there, you have to play every game. Suddenly three days ago we could close the gap and you are one and a half games away, it doesn’t matter, we have to continue to go.
Whether he’s clutching at straws:
No, it’s the difficulty. It’s higher than it was three days ago, but if you want to win the Premier League, you will have to do something special. If you’re going to win the Premier League with the circumstances we have, you’re probably going to have to do something nobody else has done in the history of the Premier League.
He’s right, if Arsenal don’t keep on fighting to win each game until the end of May, what is the point in playing? What would be the point in the fans bothering to pay for tickets and going to the games? The biggest thing to play for each season is not just silverware but Arsenal Football Club and the thousands of football fans who support it.
I don’t expect us to chase down Liverpool and not just because of the points gap but I still hope to see the team put the kind of performance we saw against West Ham in the past and never repeat it. If the team lose but lose fighting, not literally of course, then so be it.
We’re second in the league despite the referees and despite our injuries and with a bit of luck, both Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka will return as good as new. Ethan Nwaneri is fine which is good news after suffering with cramp at the weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him given a breather tonight because the last thing we need is him suffering any kind of injury let alone a serious one.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended for this match but otherwise, those who were fit, still are. I wonder if Arteta might be tempted to bring Kieran Tierney into the starting eleven tonight. He’s a great defender but he also offers something in attack and is no slow coach either. I think Raheem Sterling might start too. Personally, I’d like to see Jorginho and Thomas Partey in the starting eleven too if for no other reason than to make us
Nottingham Forest have been really good this season under Nuno Espirito Santo but after thrashing Brighton 7-0 at the beginning of the month, they’ve stuttered a bit, especially away from home but they did hold Liverpool to a draw back in the middle of January. Their only other home league win that month was a 3-2 defeat of Southampton.
I watched some of the Newcastle v Forest game at the weekend and it was bizarre. Forest went 1-0 up at St James Park before conceding four goals in eleven minutes before halftime. A combination of Forest fighting a comeback and Newcastle taking their foot off the gas, the game ended 4-3.
Forest aren’t a typical Premier League club in the way they play. Whilst many managers/coaches in the game focus on possession, Nuno’s team are more direct. They have good players in Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi and Edwards going forwards but they also have the big fella up top in Wood. They do press from the front but not in a way we do when we’re at our best with Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli applying pressure. They tend to let opponents faff around at the back for a few minutes before applying pressure.
I suspect we’ll see a lot of the ball as is often the case but unless we’re decisive with our passing and progressive, we’re likely to struggle to break down an organised team at the back. Newcastle beat them with pace and swift passing so we have to try and do the same. As said though, Forest’s strength is the speed in which they break and they’re pretty good on set-pieces too, not only because of Wood but Milenkovic too.
Liverpool might be 11 points clear at the top but only 6 points separate us and Forest. So yes, this is a big game as far as league placements go so we could really do with winning this one.
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico and all.
We have to win today, not only to cut the point difference between us and Liverpool, but as you mentioned Rico, Forest is only 6 points behind us and we cant afford to let them think they get closer to us or even over take with a couple of wins.
Good morning Rico, just back from a swim the water was almost a warm bath temperature, lovely.
With M L S banned the full backs are a lottery, pick any two from four, but keep the changes to as few as possible. Calafiori or Tierney on the left, Timber or White on the right.
I think Declan Rice might get a rest tonight, he’s been carrying an injury and his early substitution on Saturday was ominous.
Fingers crossed!
Morning Geoff, Cicero.
We have puddles so big here I could swim in them… lol
Good point re Rice..
I would guess Arteta will go back to our best full backs,Timber left back,White right back.
Merino starting as Striker didn’t work out,maybe he’s more effective from the bench. For that reason maybe Sterling will start.
Whatever the line up we are really up against it,Forest will be a tough test.
It feels horribly familiar to this fixture a couple of seasons back,when Saliba was out.
We still have at least 14 games left,
COYG
Hopefully, the fact that Forest will be a tough game, it might focus the minds..