Stage is set for a six pointer, can we deliver when it matters?

We are three points ahead of Man City with a game in hand. A win today would restore our point difference to six, could have been better but a person sitting in VAR room FORGOT to draw a line. Yep, you read that right. If we lose today, we would lose the top spot for the first time this season, but having played a game less.

We had problems in our last 2 games. We lost against a poor, relegation fighting Everton and then shared points with Brentford. There was a common theme in both the games, we were slow on the ball, lost duels and some of the players weren’t up to the speed. This includes Zinchenko, White and Martinelli, who had been prolific otherwise and playing some of the best football in first half of the season. Everton game showed a glimpse of our last season, when we didn’t know what to do when the opposite team decides to let you keep the ball and setting up a deep defending block. We had 71% possession to Everton’s 29% but we couldn’t make it work. Same was with Brentford, though it was the VAR which fu*ked us up AGAIN.

Right, back to the City game.

I’m guessing Trossard will start in place of Martinelli, though I would stick with the later personally. Martinelli is lethal, he can out-run City defenders, he can create chaos on the left wing. I haven’t seen much of Trossard but in a game when you need your best players, implementing your best strategies, stick to the players who had been doing it right. The only change I can get away with, would be Tomiyasu replacing White.

City, on the other hand, would be hungry to get back to the top. However, we will have to see how much effect the recent controversies have on the players and their morale. Fu*k them. Haaland is back, which isn’t a good news for us, but hey, we have the big Gabby and Saliba in the defence.

In the pre match conference, one of the reporters touched a very important point.

on what he thinks when people say they have figured out Arsenal

I don’t know. Every team is trying to work out what we do, the same that we do with every opponent (we face). When I look at the games, and what we produce in the games, I’m usually very satisfied with what happens. Sometimes we can do better because there are many factors that can determine that, but for sure we are always looking to evolve to be better, with the players we have, and put them in the best positions to win the games.

source: arsenal.com

After the loss against Everton and a draw against Brentford, most of the publications ran articles saying Everton showed a way to beat us, to the rest of the Premier League teams.

BOLLOCKS!

We are sitting on top of the table, with 51 points in 21 games, only lost twice and playing some scintillating football. Do you really expect me to believe that a relegation fighting team with a new manager in Sean Dyche figured us out, but not the Man United, Spu*s, Liverpool? Come on. It was a bad day at office, we will bounce back and get back on winning tracks.

Lets hope today’s is the day. A win and we will be flying. A loss, and we still would be in the mix. There is a lot on stake but I’m sure the Emirates would be a difficult battle for Pep.

I’m wearing the Arsenal Jersey today. It’s a late for us Indians, 1.30 in the night but I’m all up for it. That’s all for today, see you in the comments.

#COYG.