Bad news first, City has been catching up lately and are only 3 points behind us in the table. Though they have played a game more, you don’t want them breathing on your neck.
With years of experience of winning ‘titles’, Pep and his team knows how to handle themselves under pressure. We, on the other hand, have folded 3 seasons in a row and are trying not to repeat it one more time.
Now, the good news – it’s in OUR hand. We win against Brentford today and we will go back to a 6 points lead with only 12 games to play.
We have few injuries but we have enough bench strength to not to worry about it. Both Saka and Odegaard will be assessed before the game. Mikel Merino will be out for some time after his foot injury. Kai Havertz has picked up another injury I’ve heard and is a doubt for next 2 weeks (rumoured).
Back 4 is sorted, but the midfield is going to be a mess for Mikel. Rice and Zubimendi are starters, and he is left with only Eze to fill the spot. His favorites, Merino and Havertz are not available for selection while Odegaard is both out of form and half-fit for the games. Eze – it’s your time to shine man.
If you ask me, I would stick with the usual back 4 with a midfield of Rice + Zubimendi and Eze in an advance role. Madueke and Martinelli on either side with Gyokeres in the middle would be the front 3. You can pick Trossard over Madueke, I wouldn’t complain.
Every game from now onwards is a final. Carabao Cup is a literal one, but with City closing the gap, we have to make sure we don’t drop points in Premier League. We have a game in April against them at their home ground, and we surely won’t want to leave it to beating them at their home to win.
We are in the knockout stage of Champions League after winning all our group stage games. Every game would be a one to win to move forward.
But hey, if you can’t keep your head down for 2 months and beat the likes of City and PSG, you don’t expect to win a trophy.
Right, that’s me done. See you during the game.
Also, it’s sad to see Thomas Frank getting sacked. His Tottenham Legacy lives with us in the form of the cup.
KP
‘”Gyok’s hold up play tonight has been top notch. Reminiscent of Alan Smith.”
I must have been watching a different game to you, yes Gyokeres did a couple of decent things but all I saw was a player with a poor first touch which was confirmed to me when I checked his stats for the game and it showed 8(eight) unsure touches which I think you’ll find is the most for any striker in the prem this season…
Gyokeres is a willing worker and will get his fair share of goals but he is technically inferior to the likes of Alan Smith or Giroud who had more subtlety in their play , take your mind back to the last minute at anfield 1989 when Alan Smith’s first touch and lay off for Michael Thomas to win the league or Giroud’s back heel for Aaron Ramsey to score the winner v hull in the cup final , I’m not sure gyokeres has the technique to replicate those assists.
With only 1 match (although there is an international break) between the League Cup final and the away leg at the Etihad its looking like the League Cup Final could have a huge impact on the title run in.
Can Arteta get past his bottle job history.
TRVL
Crouch is right, city and Liverpool are not as strong this season , but as the champions league has shown , the Premier league is a formidable league.
As all the top sides have found out and will continue to find out this season travelling to the likes of Brentford, Sunderland, Everton. Leeds , Bournemouth, palace , Fulham, Brighton, forest can be tough, and that doesn’t take into account the teams in european competition villa, Newcastle, United , Spurs , and Chelsea.
The depth of the league has never been stronger and that is part of the reason why our champions league sides have struggled to compete with Arsenal at the top of the league, so although Crouch was correct there are more variables that have to be considered when analysing how England can have 5 teams in the top 8 of Europe whilst struggling to make an impact in the Premier league.
Wicksy
The PL is the richest league in the world – it should have teams putting on a strong show when you bear in mind the sheer amount spent by PL teams. If the Dog and Duck pub team suddenly got promoted to the PL they’d instantly be in the top 25 or so richest clubs in the world.
Having 5 teams in the top 8 of Europe doesn’t mean shit unless one of them wins it.
Football levels are way down everywhere, this year even more than last…so the PL is simply the least shitty league of the bunch…PSG was the outlier last year, that’s why they dogwalked the likes of Pool and then Inter in the final…even their impressive run was only about 5 months long…the team we faced early on was a far lesser version of the one we encountered in the spring
btw if PSG find a way to rediscover their form of late last season it will be another cakewalk for them…what they showed in the CL run-up was vastly better than anything we’ve shown thus far this season…of course, there’s no guarantees that PSG will ever reach those heights again, but they did just thrash Marseille, which ultimately led to DeZerbi’s resignation…speaking of which, that whole Ethan loan experiment isn’t aging too well presently
Pricksy your amateur hour takes are so apropos considering your thirsty disposition when it comes to our manager…of course you would blame the player even though he’s clearly a periphery option when it comes to MA’s tactical scheming…as such, it comes as no surprise you would rather shoehorn him into a deeper-lying position so that other far less talented offensive players could take up more advanced positions…fucking Hip, Zubi, Rice and Gabs saw more of the ball in and around the 18 yard box than Eze, and not by fucking accident…you and MA are like two fucked-up peas in a pod
TRVL
PSG had a pretty decent sized rebuild summer before last so when we faced them early in the season they were still adapting etc.
As for the PL only 2 types of people think the quality this season is up or even above average – morons or Arteta apologists (who are either prepping excuses for another collapse or want to be able to claim Arteta won the toughest PL ever). Of course there is an argument that there’s a third type – someone’s who’s both.
Between 17/18 & 23/24 City have averaged 91 point a season, if you add last season into that where they were poor its still 89 points a season. If you pro rata out their current points over the course of a season they’re on target to get 77 this season – that’s a huge drop off.
Liverpool have gone from walking the league last season to looking like they’re going to struggle to get a European place.
ManU and Chelsea who have sacked managers because of poor performance are after a few wins looking favourites for 4th and 5th.
Newcastle who finished 5th last season on 66 points are on course to get 53 points this season.
The most positive statement you can make about the PL this season is its been inconsistent – a more reasonable is its been pretty poor.
With the sheer number of international players in every PL team now next season could see more of the same with fatigue etc after a World Cup summer.
On top of the above we’re also seeing the return of some pretty industrial football traits – long throws etc.
Where’s the dynamic beautiful football?
TRVL
So you are basically confirming what I was saying about the strength in depth of the league and also that the quality at the very top is not as strong.
Liverpool and city have both spent close to half a billion on players in the last 12 months and as you admit their points total is a ” huge drop off ” despite having the same managers, so either their managers have lost their ability to get a performance out their very expensive squads or it’s the strength in depth of the league which is the reason..
Marc
“Where’s the dynamic beautiful football”
As you were a member of the wenger out brigade I’m surprised you would ask such a question, also klopp leaving the Premier league has had a negative effect on the game.
Wenger had a positive effect on the game , even when we failed to win trophies he never failed to produce teams that played the beautiful game, unfortunately to play the beautiful game and be successful the skilful players need protection from the officials and that didn’t happen especially in away games….hence the 3 broken legs all away from home.
Do I think Arteta plays dynamic beautiful football , not at all .
Do I care at the moment , not at all if it gets us over the line .
Do I think Arteta has a positive effect on the game , not at all and neither has pep, their football is all about possession and control of the game to minimise the risk of transition which is fine for the team at the top of the league but as a spectacle the game has become too slow and methodical.
Corners, throw inside, goal kicks and throwing take too long and Arsenal are as culpable as any team, maybe it’s time to put a 15 second limit on dead balls to speed the game up, similar to the 8 second rule for keepers this season.
I would also put an exclusion zone around the keeper at corners as its like picadilly circus in the 6 yard box , or maybe only allow 2 players from each side ( other than the keeper ) before the corner is taken as it’s becoming a joke , again Arsenal are as culpable as any.
As I said , if Arsenal win a trophy or 2 this season the means justifies the end , the way I see it is that football styles change every 10 years or so, I can’t see the league allowing the 6 yard box to be so crowded as it is becoming impossible for the keeper, also once pep leaves there will be a manager like wenger who will come in and play the beautiful game and be successful like wenger and transform the game ….like wenger.
.
Wicksy
I was part of the “Wenger out” brigade after it became clear he just wasn’t cutting edge anymore.
I love him for what he did for the club and the great times he gave us and its horrible he tarnished his legacy but that doesn’t override the positives he did for the club. One of Wenger’s effects on the PL was to force Fergie to become a better manager!
He made the fatal mistake of not knowing when to call it a day.
We are in a situation where we are playing away from home for 3 league games on the bounce and that may not be such a bad thing as the 2 remaining opposition are wolves and Tottenham, these are exactly the games that we have to win and if/when we do it will put us in an enviable position of being 7 points clear at a minimum with 10 games left …6 at home and 4 away..
Wigan tomorrow is an ideal game to relax , enjoy the day , play the back up players and score a few goals before we face wolves on Wednesday….
Pricksy—I will say that your 1:13 post was your most sensible to date…that certainly doesn’t mean I agree with everything you had on offer or that I even believe that you actually believe some of your above assertions, as it’s not the first time you’ve taken a more commonsensical position only to contradict it shortly thereafter…now if that’s not the case here, maybe just maybe you’re not a lost cause after all
as for your response to my earlier post, I’m certainly not surprised that what I was driving at would be lost on you…that’s why I said maybe just maybe
TRVL
Not every change of position for a player can be considered as “shoehorning”…
I’m certainly not surprised that what I was driving at when suggesting that Eze could at times come deeper to pick up the ball would be lost on you.
The problem Eze has is that his team mates rarely pass to him higher up the pitch as the area he’s in is usually congested , they need to trust him in those situations as he is very comfortable receiving the ball under pressure.
As a comparison I would go back to the 80’s when we signed Charlie Nicholas who was a quality player but never really fulfilled his potential at Arsenal mainly because he had the same problem that Eze is experiencing now, the reluctance by his team mates to give him the ball when marked.
Eze and Nicholas are/were both very comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and unless things change then Eze will go the same way as Charlie Nicholas, hence why I suggested Eze should come deeper for the ball as he can be very effective, in fact if memory serves me right Charlie Nicholas dropped back into midfield for a short spell and was a better player for it as he could get on the ball more and dictate the play , I may be wrong but I think the arrival of George graham may have put a stop to that , Nicholas was never going to be a George Graham favourite.
Today should be pretty straightforward so a good opportunity for a bit of rotation.
It will be interesting to see who Arteta selects.
Lewis Skelly starts in a midfield, gonna be an interesting one and to watch out for…
Kepa
White, Saliba, Mosquera, Calafiori
Eze, Norgaard, MLS
Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli
Brilliant pass from Eze, nice goal from Madueke. Should be an easy one.
Eze-Madueke-Boom!
Many teams would not have defended that, let alone Wigan.
Another Eze pass and this time Martinelli scores.. a similar goal but this is what you get when you allow your wingers some freedom to go in middle.
Both goal assists by Eze from central midfield position.