Good morning, everybody! It’s an early tee time for Andrew this morning, so I’m filling in for the day. Effectively, I’m making an attempt to – my daughter’s making an attempt to assist and, to be utterly sincere with you, it’s not that useful.
Anyway, she’s off to nursery now so I’ll be capable to sink my enamel into one thing.
Per week with out an Arsenal sport feels unusual now, doesn’t it? We’re 55 video games into this season, and 23 of these have been performed on a weekday, and that’s with out us being chosen for Monday Night time Soccer as soon as.
In any case that, every week with out a fixture appears like an actual luxurious in addition to a very, actually very long time. The cycle of getting a fallout from a sport, then the lead into the following one, means we’re consistently judging issues on the fly, earlier than altering these judgements on the fly as conditions change and new bits of proof current themselves.
Irrespective of the way you felt at full-time on Sunday, one factor is obvious virtually one week on: Arsenal must win their video games.
However you may’t win them . So actually, proper now, Arsenal simply should beat Newcastle tomorrow.
But as a lot as I actually want to take that large image view, I can’t assist however take into consideration the smaller issues. The smaller issues that would change into big issues. Like aim distinction.
Metropolis might have crushed Burnley to go high on Wednesday however it felt like a let-off. With the groups stage on factors, I feared the extra blow of Metropolis racking up the targets and all however taking the prospect of Arsenal pipping them on aim distinction off the desk. Due to some missed possibilities, they solely received 1-0, and it means with 5 video games to go, the desk seems like this:
Manchester Metropolis – 33 performed, 21 wins, 70 PTS, +63 GD
Arsenal – 33 performed, 21 wins, 70 PTS, +37 GD
The groups are at the moment separated by targets scored.
After Sunday’s sport, Mikel Arteta referred to a “new league”, and that’s even more true now than it was when he stated it. We begin from scratch. It’s a race to the end line and Metropolis handed up the chance to present themselves a headstart.
With aim distinction even and an actual risk that it finally ends up deciding the title – bear in mind, it doesn’t require each groups to win all their video games, simply to drop the identical variety of factors from right here on in – I’ve seen some chat exterior of Arsenal circles about whether or not Arsenal want to alter their type to essentially maximise their aim distinction.
Right here’s your reminder that, 33 video games in, Arsenal and Metropolis do have the identical aim distinction.
And that isn’t due to Arsenal’s defensive solidity earlier within the season both. Throughout the final 10 performed within the league solely, Arsenal’s aim distinction is definitely one higher than Metropolis’s.
Since Christmas, Metropolis have received by a couple of aim thrice within the league (Arsenal have completed so 5 occasions) and simply as soon as since Valentine’s Day.
The concept that they hold blowing groups away and that Arsenal must crank up the attacking effort to maintain up with them doesn’t actually stand as much as scrutiny.
Not that I don’t assume we might see a unique Arsenal over the following few weeks. As Tim’s column this week identified, Arsenal have performed the way in which they’ve with what they’ve. And what they’ve now could be totally different. Martin Odegaard is again, Kai Havertz is again, Bukayo Saka might return earlier than lengthy. The three haven’t began a sport collectively since 2024. They’ve by no means began a sport along with Eberechi Eze additionally within the staff.
Final weekend supplied some glimpses of what we might see with three of these gamers on the pitch collectively and I’m hoping for extra over the approaching weeks, particularly with three residence video games to play and never a single sport in opposition to a staff within the high half remaining.
With an assault that gels higher, Arsenal ought to spend extra time within the opposition half. Meaning extra possibilities, extra set items, but additionally much less time defending our personal field. Win-win.
Arsenal must win, sure, however we’re at a degree now the place profitable by a superb margin could possibly be actually important. It’d assist the league desk, it’d assist Arteta rotate a bit extra simply within the latter phases of video games, and it’d supply a platform for Viktor Gyokeres to contribute in additional beneficial circumstances.
To date this season, Arsenal have scored simply six targets within the opening quarter-hour of Premier League video games. It’s a fairly common return: 5 groups have extra, 5 groups have the identical. Final season was comparable however the two seasons earlier than that noticed Arsenal lead the league with 12 (2023-24) and 13 (2022-23) strikes within the opening quarter of an hour of video games.
I’d like to see a ‘begin quick, relaxation later’ method from right here.
I doubt whether or not the likes of Havertz and Odegaard can constantly play 90 minutes in video games after the seasons they’ve had, particularly with Champions League fixtures squeezed into upcoming midweeks, and Arteta has usually referred to a profitable sport state being one that’s extra suited to Gyokeres. The Swede has one open-play aim within the first half of a league sport all season. In 2026, he has scored 5 targets as a sub (a aim each 38.4 minutes) in comparison with 5 (one each 269.6 minutes) as a starter.
His penalty in opposition to Bournemouth two weeks in the past is his solely aim in eight Arsenal begins for the reason that brace in opposition to Tottenham in February. We’d all hoped that efficiency and people targets would kickstart one thing, however that hasn’t materialised.
It might not have been with Eze, however we’ve additionally seen Arteta use large gamers tucking in to supply a kind of ‘two tens’ form earlier this season and that’s the proper solution to get him and Odegaard on the pitch collectively.
New combos, new choices, and hopefully some new vitality for this new league. Beginning tomorrow, let’s have at it.
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It appears Newcastle might be with out Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon. There might be protection of as we speak’s press convention over on arseblog.information later as we speak and Andrew might be again on these pages tomorrow morning forward of the sport.
I’ll be becoming a member of Andrew on Patreon for a Newcastle preview podcast later this afternoon as nicely. Till then, you’ve nonetheless obtained loads of time to hearken to yesterday’s arsecast with Stadio’s Ryan Hunn for those who haven’t already.
Have a superb Friday!
