Viktor or Mikel? Time to shine…

Morning guys.

I saw this headline on the BBC yesterday morning:

“How Arteta’s response to Brighton loss may shape Arsenal’s next chapter..”

What a ridiculous statement to make. One off day doesn’t shape a season. Players are human, they have bad days but the problem at Brighton was too many had a bad day on the same day. Freaky really but it happens and Arsenal are no exception. It’s horrid to witness I know but that’s because we care and we want Arsenal to win each and every time they play.

I’m pretty sure the players will not be repeating such a performance any time soon and certainly not this lunchtime at The Emirates Stadium in front of 60,000 home fans.

Unsurprisingly, Mikel Arteta swerved questions about the Manchester City goings on and rightly so. Until the outcome of the clubs appeal is reached, there’s little to say really and speculation sometimes can bite back hard.

So, Leeds Utd. They’ve had a really good start to the season. Their best results have come on the road, beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 and taking at point off Brighton. They also battered Newcastle Utd at Elland Road as well as holding both Crystal Palace and Brentford to a draw. They are yet to lose a game. A bit like ourselves, goals haven’t always been easy to come by.

Mikel Arteta confirmed yesterday that Christos Tzolis will miss today’s game as well as the fixtures over the next few weeks but both Kai Havertz and Ezri Konsa could be available to face Leeds. Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie are good to go, as is Max Dowman if needed. That’s better injury news than I expected.

Talking Tactics with Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke:

Farke’s switch to 3-5-2 last November was a tactical masterstroke, losing just five of their 32 league matches since. The shape is designed primarily to nullify opponents, with at least eight starters known for their defensive resilience. Leeds are a robust, physically dominant outfit. Using a solid 5-3-2 off the ball, they turn the ball over regularly, thanks to a tigerish midfield trio constantly pressuring their opposite numbers, especially Ethan Ampadu and Stach. Statistically, Leeds rank second in press sequences so far this term, so we can expect them to close us down with hostility.

Discipline and concentration mean they’re the only Premier League side yet to make an error leading to a shot. That, plus having so many players comfortable in their off-the-ball work, limits the quality of chances they face, and their average of 0.09xG per shot faced is the second-best tally behind us. However, starting with two or three natural attacking players means creating goalscoring opportunities hasn’t been easy, and only three sides have managed fewer shots on target than their 18. Despite this, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor have struck up a terrific rapport as the front two, and the former is excellent at sniffing out where to be inside the box, has searing pace and is top class in the air.

Oh to have searing pace in our attacking unit eh, but we do, kind of. Noni Madueke has pace but much of the time his final decision making can let him down. Ebe Eze has every trick in the book in his locker but we don’t see enough of it when he plays. One of the two is likely to start on the left in the absence of Tzolis and my money is on Madueke if he’s fit and healthy. Despite Arteta’s positivity over Havertz, I think he’ll be on the bench at best with Mikel Merino or Viktor Gyokeres leading the front line. Both have had a good international break as far as scoring goals goes and Arteta needs them to bring that form into the Arsenal team. Not just today but for the next eight months. Especially Gyokeres because he’s the one who for some reason, has been kind of cast to one side yet if Arteta needs a clinical striker on the end of the chances we create, I think he’s the more likely to hit the back of the net. Havertz and Gyokeres are just different and it seems Arteta prefers the difference our German gives the team.

Daniel Farke said pre match that it’s the worst time his team could be playing Arsenal because the whole stadium will be buzzing after the announcement of Mikel Arteta’s new contract. He also said that last season, Arsenal were the only team Leeds played which his side had no chance of beating either home or away. He did add that Leeds have come a long way since and today presents a chance to show just how much they’ve improved. They will respect us but they will not fear us.

Personally, I think Arsenal need to have the same approach. Respect Leeds but don’t fear them. Don’t play with fear because of what happened at The Amex, play without fear in spite of the performance against Brighton.

Catch up in the comments.