An Interlull To Actually Look Forward To?

Just for once, Arsenal fans can appreciate the arrival of an Interlull. A couple of weeks without competitive football, during which Bukayo Saka closes in on a return to the pitch at what could be a crucial time. Compare that to the 11 games in 37 days between Christmas and early February that the squad were obliged to cram in - madness, when you think about it; especially when it cost them the services of both Starboy and Havertz for months.

In this piece I'll cover the Chelsea game - which contained literally 'very little to write home about', Liverpool's bad week and what it might mean, Spurs 😂 and talking points on the Interlull. Let's start with Sunday's 'thrilling' encounter at home to the team that everybody loves to hate.

Sometimes it slips my mind how much I dislike Chelsea. For which I can only apologise. Then their fans turn up. As the game kicked off, I pondered how long it might take before the buffoons started their 'Champions of Europe; you'll never sing that' nonsense. 7 minutes, I conjectured; but not a bit of it - it took them all of 58 seconds...

Let's face it, they've not got much to sing about at the moment. And long may that continue. They're a study in how not to do things in the Premier League, in my opinion. They've bought literally dozens of young players - with potential, granted - at inflated prices, with little or no thought as how to meld them into an actual team. And to be frank not many of them are indicating that they're that good at the moment; they have no reliable goalkeeper, their defence are all over the place, their midfield lacks ingenuity and they - like Arsenal - have no focal point in attack in the continued absence of the (less than prolific) Nicolas Jackson.

And so Arsenal dominated them early on, with Sanchez's kicking truly abysmal, Trossard missing one decent opportunity and then a penalty area scramble eventually saw Sanchez scramble the ball off the line, only for Rice to hammer the return way over the top. 

Within that second incident, we saw a superb run from Timber that exposed the unbelievably irritating Cucurella (he of the most idiotic hairstyle in football) - leading to a reasonable shout for a penalty as he leaned into the ball. Could easily have been given; and probably would have been down the other end when one considers that the referee was the incompetent Kavanagh.

And it was Kavanagh who singularly failed in his duty to discipline Wesley Fofana correctly. The Frenchman (once William Saliba’s centre back partner at St Etienne - amusingly, whilst Arsenal snapped up Big Bill for a mere £25m, Chelsea paid no less than £70m for Fofana!) - could have received a straight red for a stamp on Rice or a high tackle on Trossard, or a yellow card for a tug back on the Belgian, before being finally booked for throwing a second ball onto the pitch in order to hurry the match along. That was unfortunate, but we know Mr Kavanagh, don’t we? A stickler for the unimportant rules, whilst letting serious foul play go unpunished. 

Cucurella, by the way, is high on my list of Premier League Most Punchable Faces: Right alongside Bruno Fernandes, and just ahead of Newcastle Assistant Manager Jason Tindall. He has that sort of face. And aura. Grrrrr.

Back to the meaningful action (won't take long). Merino scored the crucial winning goal from a new corner kick routine, making the 'Gabriel run' from the penalty spot, but to the near post, and his deft flick eluded a crowd of players in the 6 yard box and looped over the stranded Sanchez.

And bar a volley from Cucurella that almost squirmed into the net off of Raya's misfield, and a decent volley from Merino that Sanchez saved, that was pretty much it as regards action. Chelsea had 61% possession, apparently, but it was possession for possession's sake as Arsenal held them at bay comfortably, and they failed to muster any meaningful effort at goal in the entire second half. As we suspected, Arsenal games are likely to be difficult viewing for the rest of the season (with the notable exception of Real Madrid, of course). And this petered into boredom, frankly, in an arena more closely resembling a library at times. The only sounds to be heard were the perpetual whinges and moans from the likes of Enzo and Neto, who seemed more intent on gamesmanship than playing any actual football.

Anyway, that's another three points ticked off. And with Liverpool having got themselves knocked out of two cup competitions in the space of 5 days one wonders what that might do for their state of mind. Of course, that leaves them with just the Premier League to play for, and they are 12 points clear, but they are looking fatigued as a group and Arsenal just need to keep going. Just in case - 1% chance of catching them that we have...

Whilst they were thoroughly outplayed by Newcastle - and I certainly don't begrudge their supporters winning a trophy after a 70 year wait, for all that I don't think that we ever want to see Eddie Howe or especially his thoroughly unpleasant sidekick (the aforementioned Tindall) looking happy - I thought that the Liverpool/PSG game was of the highest quality, with both teams excelling themselves with their skill, mentality, quality and fitness levels. I found myself thinking 'Arsenal can't play like this' at times. Of course, it had to be Darwin Nunez who missed the crucial penalty... but Liverpool can count themselves unlucky to have gone out. It could have gone either way at any time. All we can hope for is that their week affects them so badly mentally that they fail to recover. It would be the collapse of all collapses, of course.

At the other end of the quality and mentality spectrum come Tottenham Hotspur, who have now lost no fewer than 15 Premier League games this season. They are rapidly closing in on their own record of 19 Premier League losses, achieved in 1993/4 and equalled in 2003/4 (what a season that must have been for their supporters as at the same time they watched Arsenal go Invincible). Arsenal fans are so very lucky to - well - not be Spurs fans. And it probably means just one more round of matches before we arrive at a very early St Totteringham's Day. #AngeIn, as far as I'm concerned.

And now onto talking points regarding the current Interlull. 14 first teamers off on international duty - and as I type the news of an injury to Riccardo Calafiori has come through - and the first thing that strikes me is the bizarre absence of Jurrien Timber from the Dutch squad against Spain. Not that we should be complaining about that. Elsewhere, David Raya was an unused substitute for Spain, for whom Mikel Merino came on as an 84th minute substitute and proceeded to fire in a late equaliser. So far, everyone else seems to have come through unscathed.

But now we come on to England, and a possible first cap for MLS. How exciting would that be for a young man, barely 18, who made his first team debut for Arsenal fewer than 6 months ago. With injuries and a general shortage of English left backs, it appears to be between him and - to give him his full name - Big Dan Burn At The Back - for the left back role against Albania. I am looking forward to the announcement of Tuchel's first starting XI.

Elsewhere, Ethan Nwaneri failed to make the senior squad. But competition - even in the continued absence of Starboy - for attacking roles in this England squad - is high. It is only a matter of time, but he will need to be patient. Today, by the way, is Ethan's 18th birthday; which means that he can finally get changed in the same changing room as his colleagues. Remarkable that somebody that young can be that promising. And he's ours...

Right. I'm done. Time to get this out. I'll be back in a couple of weeks; unless there's anything dramatic to report. Like the results of the Manchester City tribunal, for example...

COYG!

The Week That Told The Story

On a day when the hiring of former Athletico Madrid Sporting Director Andrea Berta has finally been confirmed (although as I type not yet on the club website), the past week has shown the scale of the task facing him and his future colleagues; and also where he needs to concentrate his efforts to fill gaps in the squad. I’ll go through this later in this piece - as promised last time - but let’s first take a quick look back at the last two matches - from the euphoria and disbelief engendered by the romp over PSV, to the intense frustrations suffered as a result of a disjointed (in some ways very typical, and in others completely atypical) performance at Old Trafford.

Let’s start with the trip to Holland. We’d gone into the game wondering if Arsenal were ever going to score another goal this season. But PSV are in diabolical form, and their manager Bosz committed professional suicide by choosing to play an open game against the Gunners. If there’s one thing one can learn from watching literally any video of Arsenal over the past several years, it’s that they struggle against a ‘low block’; yet he chose to do exactly the opposite, and paid a hefty price. I recall Arsenal thrashing PSV 4-0 at Emirates Stadium two seasons ago in this competition, when he attempted the same thing. Goodness knows how he remains in the job, frankly, having made the same mistake again.

Sure, there may have been a ‘sliding doors’ moment early on when a superb piece of work by Gabriel helped prevent a decent opportunity for the Dutch side, but Arsenal were already on top and once they’d taken the lead it really was a question of 'how many'. Excellent performances all round, including a return to form for Martin Odegaard and outstanding shows from Rice, Trossard and Nwaneri, and Arsenal strolled through the game with a swagger.

The only real blot on the horizon was yet another MLS ‘moment’, when the referee showed him leniency following a badly misjudged challenge - following an earlier booking - that would have seen him sent off for certain in the Premier League. Arteta wisely whipped him off before half time. This is clearly an issue for the boy, who has the football world at his feet but for this well-publicised issue. He risks getting a reputation, and needs to have this coached out of him.

The proviso against the 7-1 score line is quite obvious. No coach in their right mind is going to play like that against Arsenal ever again. The tie is clearly dead, and hopefully Arteta will take the opportunity to rest those with yellow card jeopardy for the next round. If there’s any hope about progressing to take out of the past few performances, it’s that the likes of Real Madrid will not be afraid to let Arsenal play. But the level goes through the roof from here on in.

And so to Old Trafford, and a match-up against a Manchester United side in dreadful form. Bruno United, really; with the exception of Fernandes and Garnacho they posed little or no threat. And yet Arsenal firstly found it impossible to break down yet another low block, and then - having equalised - contrived not to go on and win the match but to almost throw it away.

A game very much of two halves. I was actually bored in the first half, as Arsenal attempted to batter down the United door in a very slow and regimented manner. That old side-to-side, umbrella football that we know and hate. The only new tactic now appears to be the 'scoop pass'; a ball lifted over the top of the defenders for an attacker to run onto. The problem, of course, is that Arsenal currently have no attackers; not in the strict sense of the word. So nobody can really read what his team-mate is going to do; which run he is going to make. With Odegaard often dropping too deep for my liking, it was like West Ham all over again. 

Until injury time, when Trossard gave away a free kick near the edge of the penalty box and Anthony Taylor marched the wall back. And back. Sky measured it during half time at 11.2 yards; that extra 12% being more than enough for a skilled free kick taker such as Bruno Fernandes to get the ball over the wall and past Raya. Some are blaming the goalkeeper, but I don't see it. The wall failed to do its job; firstly by failing to question the referee (boy, does he have form with Arsenal this season!) and secondly by failing to get a head to the shot. 

And then, of course, Arsenal fans were back to 'where are we going to conjure a goal from?' mode. Things got a little more open in the second half; and whilst it played into United hands a little Arsenal still dominated possession. United were more than prepared to sit and wait and take their chances - and more came as Arsenal became more and more frantic - but at least that element of jeopardy opened up the occasional bit of space for the away team. Nonetheless it took an element of trickery down the right from Timber and a threaded pass into space for Rice to bury a gorgeous equaliser off of Onana's far post.

And then it all went a bit mad, as Arsenal seemed to forget how the manager wants them to play. The desperate search for a winner led to mistake after mistake, and by the end we had to be grateful to Rice himself for an excellent challenge to prevent the dithering Hojland from getting a shot off, and David Raya for three absolutely world class saves, to hang on to a point. But that's just two points from the last 9 now, and the Premier League is long gone.

A sad byline in this match for Raheem Sterling. Left on the bench - with left back Kieran Tierney on ahead of him on the left wing - with Arsenal chasing a goal. He is clearly finished. Just by and by, Kierney did well, laying on a decent chance for Trossard at one point. And it was good to see the return of Gabriel Martinelli; he was his usual busy self - forcing one decent save from Onana and then missing from 5 yards out (from an offside position). He will surely start on Wednesday evening.

Arteta himself was understandably tetchy when interviewed after the game. I don't like that, to be honest. He needs to play it straight at all times and, as Rudyard Kipling wrote all those years ago, 'If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same'... a lesson for the Manager.

We had hoped, following the midweek massacre, that the West Ham game was the outlier and that Arsenal could find some way to negotiate the rest of the season in a positive manner. Following this, however, it is clear that PSV were the outlier and, as we suspected, the rest of the season is going to be hard, hard going for Arsenal fans.

And so now seems a good time to look at the task ahead of Andrea Berta; who, for me, needs to start work immediately! Let's look at likely departures, and examine the gaps that need to be filled:

Goalkeeper

David Raya remains a firm Number One number one. I can't see Arsenal showing any interest in keeping the on loan Neto, so Berta needs to find a replacement for him who'd be happy to train every day and play the occasional Cup game. There really ought to be some of those around. The two teenagers coming up behind almost certainly need more time, or a loan in order to play regular football.

Defence

I'd be expecting Tierney (already common knowledge), Zinchenko and Kivior to leave. There isn't neccessarily a need to add anyone else, however, as Arteta will be left with Saliba, Gabriel, White, Timber, Calafiori and MLS. Maybe one more, but there is plenty of flexibility amongst that group. And who knows, maybe we'll even see Tomiyasu again at some point...

Midfield

Rumour has it that Martin Zubimendi is already lined up. In that case, Arsenal should be able to let Partey go along with Jorginho (who is heading home to Brazil in the summer). That would leave Rice, Odegaard, Merino and Zubimendi, plus the likes of Havertz and Nwaneri, to populate this part of the field. 

If you look at Liverpool or Manchester City's squads, this looks light on numbers. So more business needs to be done. There's enough experience in there, so a younger, promising player would be a sensible addition. But the waters are muddy when it comes to selecting the ideal midfield group for the first game of next season. 

Attack

Hmmm... well, Sterling will obviously be gone. And Jesus will be out up until around Christmas time, by all accounts. Which would leave Saka, Martinelli, Trossard, and Havertz and Nwaneri to mix and match. But that's nowhere near enough. Not even close. We're hearing talk of Sesko, and with Newcastle pricing Isak out of reach that looks like the way to go. There is a huge need for a focal point up front, and Sesko is big, strong, fast, with an eye for goal and plenty of upside. 

On top of that, another winger is needed. With Trossard and Martinelli both devastating on their day, but both also inconsistent, perhaps one of them will go. There's been chat for a year about Nico Williams - and I really like the look of him - but we all know that he'd prefer Barcelona. Let's see - it's not as if there's a shortage of exciting wingers in Europe. 

What is for sure, however, is that Arsenal have neglected this area for too long. There can be no excuse not to strengthen boldly over the summer. What is also very clear is that Arteta needs to put some trophies into the cabinet - and soon - otherwise there will be questions about the direction of the 'project'; about how long the Board will 'trust the process'. 

Personally, I remain fully behind Mikel - and three successive second places (on the assumption that Arsenal secure that spot again in May) is not to be sniffed at, for all the mockery of jealous supporters of other clubs. It's unfortunate that Arsenal were not there to take advantage of Manchester City's collapse, but progress is rarely linear. 

Bear the following in mind; for all the narrative that exists about a huge Guardiola/Klopp rivalry over the years - and there's no denying that it existed - Liverpool's finishing positions over those years are worth a look (and you may be surprised). In 2016-17 and 2017-18 fourth, 2018-19 second, then FIRST, second, third, FIFTH, third. Excellent, but not second, second, second, second, second; and that fifth place two seasons ago was a massive drop-off - fully 22 points behind City (even 17 behind Arsenal). 

Yes, they had a number of key injuries, but that's what Arsenal have had this season - alongside all the refereeing nonsense - and yet the Gunners remain in second place). It all goes to show how small the margins can be; but there is literally NO excuse now not to mitigate against them over this summer. It is absolutely critical that this is done.

I also wonder if Arteta may consider a tweak in formation. I know that I might. Using a 'double pivot' and a Number 10 ahead of them might suit his personnel better than trying to shoehorn somebody into the Left 8 role; and also force the Number 10 - assuming that it is Odegaard - to stay further upfield. It can also give licence to the full backs to kick on upfield (although ideally not at the same time!), with the twin 6s tasked to cover them; thus maintaining relationships on either side. What do you think?

One other thing that Berta is going to need to keep an eye on is contract renewals. A number of key ones are about to appear on the horizon. Saliba, Gabriel, Saka and Martinelli's contacts run until June 2027, so they are going to need to be renegotiated by this Christmas at the very latest. By all accounts, Real Madrid are already sniffing around Saliba; and Saka could go literally anywhere he wanted. Plus in order to keep these guys, Arsenal need to ensure that they have got some medals to show for their time at the club.

It doesn't stop there. The following season the contacts of Raya, White, Timber, Rice, Odegaard and Havertz will need to be dealt with. The fact is that a squad only has a short time span, and forever needs renewal. Those named in this paragraph and the one above are the backbone of this Arsenal side. It is clear that they need to deliver, and that those with the money and power have to deliver for them.

Anyway, back to this week. Two home games; the return leg with PSV, and then it's Chelsea (who are hardly in scintillating form themselves). Let's see some life from the squad, please. And let's get behind them. COYG!

 

Second Is The New First - New Perspective/Targets

With Liverpool having a 13 point lead, I don't think that I'd be out of place saying that the league is all but gone as a realistic target for an Arsenal squad bereft of a single fit striker. So it is now time to re-evaluate; to set new targets and to think about what is needed between now and the start of next season. There are two clear areas to work on - quite simply firstly on the field, and secondly off of it. It's not exactly rocket science. 

This would be a very long piece if I dealt with both today, so I'll look at off-field issues next time. But there's still plenty to consider on the first topic. So let's get into those.

The targets for Arteta and the team seem pretty clear to me:

1.    Work out how they are ever going to score another goal!

2.    Ensure a Top 2 - or should things go horribly wrong a Top 4/Top 5 finish at the very worst. Yes, it could easily get that bad in a 'worst case scenario'. And get past PSV

3.    Play to the team's current strengths

4.    And then re-evaluate when firstly Martinelli, and then Saka return

We've seen over the past two Premier League matches firstly the very worst of Arsenal, and then the unlucky side of the coin. There are no words to describe the performance at home to West Ham with any other than synonyms of dreadful (a thesaurus will give you such as appalling, atrocious, shameful and several others of a similar ilk). I have no desire to revisit it, except to say that the staff must have surely learned from it.

Against Forest, the performance was considerably better, with the team going into a ground that has become a fortress and controlling proceedings almost throughout - against, lest we forget, the team right behind Arsenal in the table -  and coming out with what, on paper, was a perfectly satisfactory point that we'd have all settled for beforehand. But it also illustrated a number of the issues with which the team have been struggling recently (since the 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City which was, would you believe, just a month ago!). 

As we know, Arteta loves his teams to have 'control'; to hog the ball and work the opposition over. But this tactic needs development; he needs to find new ways to do this - opposition managers are wise to his tactics and, in the absence of some key 'difference makers', he needs to throw in some curve balls. Certainly over the next 10 weeks. Otherwise the season is going to fizzle out in a sea of mediocrity and apathy.

Nuno's post-match interview revealed a lot about how teams are going to deal with the threat - such as it is - between now and the end of May. When asked why he didn't play his usual three centre-backs, he responded that they didn't need to as 'Arsenal don't have any strikers'. Well;.... derrrr! 

But despite that Arsenal still dominated. Because they still have a very solid defence and a pretty decent midfield - in whichever formation and player selection Arteta chooses. The manager did try a few new things against Forest; Jorginho for Partey was fair enough, he pushed Rice on to join Merino when he could, he even tried Zinchenko in midfield late on (something that he'd been loath to do for the past three years!) and he gave LOADS of freedom to Calafiori to get as far forward as he wanted. Indeed, had the Italian had a little bit more luck with what turned out to be Arsenal's best chance of the game (the ball cannoned back off of a post) it's entirely possible that a very satisfactory 1-0 win would have come Arsenal's way, and we'd have been evaluating things quite differently.

Arsenal had a lot of corners and free kicks against Forest, but unfortunately their good fortune from such situations has somewhat deserted them. Clearly some of their tactics have been well studied by opposing coaches, and so the results from them have somewhat reverted to the mean; fewer good chances, and fewer goals. Perhaps Nicolas Jover needs to switch things up like Richmond FC did in the brilliant series Ted Lasso. A Sandman, a Lasso Special, a Beckham's Todger or an Upside Down Taxi perhaps? I jest...

And so Arteta must surely lean into solidity; for all that - as I and others have warned you - is going to make for a very difficult 'watch' between now and the end of the season. Boring, boring Arsenal? Well... needs must; and I'll take a series of 1-0 wins at this point. Surely you will too?

But perhaps - just perhaps - Arteta might (in an alternative universe) go maverick. He can rely on a solid defence and midfield; but has he got it in him to try something wild? To be honest, I doubt it, but I'd love to see it.

So how can Arteta deploy his troops until the cavalry return at (hopefully) the beginning of April? There are several areas where decisions need to be made. So let's have a look.

• Full backs - MLS or Calafiori? Timber or the returning Ben White? Or Timber at left back? 

If it were me... I'd be tempted to use the returning White on the right; as I can see that helping a somewhat forlorn Martin Odegaard - at least get two points of the successful right hand side triangle back together. And Timber needs a rest. On the left, it'll be MLS for solidity, or Calafiori for that little bit of chaos going forward

• Midfield - Partey or Jorginho? Where to best use Declan Rice? How to solve the 'left 8' conundrum? What instructions need to be relayed to the skipper? 

And this is difficult, as there are many ways of skinning this cat. A lot revolves around what Arteta may choose to do ahead of the midfield, but I'll come to that. 

For me, Odegaard is trying to do too much. He has clearly not come back to anywhere near his best since returning from injury, and for me there are a couple of reasons. Firstly - and obviously - he is missing the presence of Bukayo Saka alongside him. Secondly, in order to compensate for perceived weaknesses elsewhere he is going searching for the ball in areas into which he doesn't need to go; dropping too deep and times and therefore becoming less effective. In short, he is trying to do too much. A lack of confidence also means that he is often playing safe as and when he does receive the ball in more dangerous areas; passing when he could shoot, or looking to play a safe pass when a more risky one might be on (this is of course not helped by having to deal with penalty areas packed with opposing defenders, and at the same time lacking the sort of movement he needs from his team-mates).

Alongside/behind Odegard, Rice's role is something of an enigma. Arteta is - in the absence of a better alternative - trying to turn one of the world's best '6s' into an '8'. With Partey available, it is easy to see why the manager would want to play them both, but at some point a decision needs to be made. This guy is a 'beast' at his best - an eater of space, interceptor supreme, and a duel monster - so I'd really look to play him in his best role. How tactics may develop next season remains to be seen, but perhaps a double pivot - and Arteta could easily revert to this now - and give Odegaard the '10' role instead of the 'right 8' might solve some issues?

• Forward line - with all it's (lack of) personnel issues. 

Merino's two goals at Leicester were clearly a flash in the pan, but Arsenal do need some sort of focal point at the point of their attack if they are going to continue to play in the same way. This is as much about pressing the opponoent when they are in possession as availability and movement when Arsenal have the ball. Merino is a novice at this (although I think he did quite well at Forest), but the alternatives aren't obvious. Trossard and Sterling lack the height and general build to do the job of a 9 or 'false 9' that is required - and that's without any discussion on Sterling's form and confidence - but are there any alternatives? 

Nwaneri may be one, but he has his own issues; which I'll cover in the next paragraph. But if Arteta is genuinely looking for somebody or something to give opponents something different to contend with, then why not try the 'chaos theory' that Calafiori or even the Master Sh*thouser Ben White might be able to bring to that role? Desperate times, but with the solidity afforded behind by a solid if unexciting midfield, and the best central defensive partnership in the world, then why the hell not?!? I'd personally love to see Ben White at centre forward!

As for Ethan Nwaneri, there are concerns. For all his great promise and technical ability, he is clearly suffering being asked to play 90 minutes in match after match after match. There aren't many 17-year-olds who can do that. Messi did it in a fabulous Barcelona side, and the only other player of the same age who I believe was capable of it was Wayne Rooney - and Ferguson looked after him. If Arteta isn't careful, he'll lose Nwaneri to injury too. The boy's been cramping up in the second half of matches recently. It almost feels like he'll have to start Sterling, and bring on the cavalry in the shape of Ethan later in games; at least the kid is able to change a game in ways that Sterling unfortunately cannot.

Look, I don't know what I'd do if I were the manager. He has no choice but to give Sterling minutes, and it's not like Raheem isn't trying. I'm DESPERATE to see him contribute meaningfully, but perhaps he's lost his mojo forever... This is a player who was once feared by opponents - and only three years ago. And he's only 29. If we could just see a spark...

The only thing for certain is that Trossard will start. But he can also be a bit 'in and out'. We need the best version of Leo for the rest of the season, as Arteta has to rely on him as the 'senior' forward until Martinelli and Saka return. How Arsenal got into this position is for my next post...

All will be revealed over the next 8 days, which are the crux of Arsenal's season. It's Manchester United away on Sunday - and they're terrible, obviously, but Old Trafford is traditionally a difficult place to go. Either side of that is the Champions League last 16 tie with PSV - with the 'prize' a likely tie with Real Madrid. Mouth-watering, and just as equally terrifying, but it's what the Champions League is all about.

PSV may have surprised themselves by getting as far as they have. Although they did beat a depleted Liverpool in qualifying, and they score plenty of goals. They'll be open and attacking, and will therefore leave their own back door open; the question is whether Arsenal's forward line - whatever it may consist of - can take advantage. But for all their pressing and desire to take the game to the opponent in open play they - like Arsenal - will be extremely dangerous from set pieces. Arsenal need to have a plan to deal with the highly experienced - and powerful - Luuk De Jong from corners.

I'm pretty sure that Arteta will be happy to take a 0-0 scoreline home with him. Easier said than done. It will certainly be less easy to 'control' or 'dominate' the game than it is in a Premier League match, but that may actually help - a bit of space for Arsenal players to run into would be a pleasurable sight. Anyway, we shall see.

Meanwhile, Liverpool go marching on. As if they've not avoided the type of misfortune that the likes of Arsenal, City and even Tottenham have suffered all season, in the past week they've played a City side without Haaland in it, followed three days later by a Newcastle side shorn of Isak. It's written in the stars for them, I guess. And it's bloody annoying!

COYG!