These players stood out more than others Vs Man City

 By Danong

The top-of-the-table clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday ended in a 0-0 draw. With the two dropping points, Liverpool, who in the early kick-off on Sunday beat Brighton 2-1, had the opportunity to seize control of the Premier League title race. The Reds, on top of the Premier League, now lead second-place Arsenal by two points and Manchester City by three points.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Manchester City vs. Arsenal match, but can we discuss which Gunners impressed? Here are my three Gunners who put in a remarkable shift on Sunday afternoon.

Gabrielle Magalhaes and William Saliba:

I know you're wondering, "These are two players, and yes, they are." But we must acknowledge their partnership and avoid overlooking one for the other. Manchester City failed to score at the Etihad Stadium for the first time in two and a half years today, and the reason is Arsenal's brick-wall defense. Haaland had no chance of scoring, and if it wasn't Gabriel, Saliba was on his heels.

The Arsenal CB pairing has become the first to limit Erling Haaland to zero shots on target both at home and away in a single season.

Declan Rice:

Rice has never lost a game against Manchester City while playing for Arsenal. Watching the £105 million 2023 signing halt two potential KDB transitions in a span of six minutes made me understand why Manchester City has struggled against Arsenal this season (failing to beat us three times). The question is, does Declan Rice himself realise how much he has influenced this Arsenal team?

Martin Odegaard

He worked relentlessly and regularly showed quality while on the ball. He helped Arsenal move forward on the counter in the first half and was critical to their growing dominance early in the second half. At the Etihad, he set an example on the pitch by relentlessly pressing, chasing down lost causes and organising the defensive structure from the front in tandem with Havertz. His effort on Sunday was a captain's display in a big game, even if the outcome was disappointing.

 

 

 

 

Is there any team capable of handling this Arsenal team now?

 

By Danong

Despite all of the hype about how important this game was in the title race, Arsenal's match against Manchester City ended 0-0. Gooners may be disappointed that they did not win, but a point is still better than none.

Looking back at that game, it was clear that the Gunners were wasteful up front, but William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were one of the main reasons Man City didn't win. The Arsenal defensive duo expertly marked Haaland out of the game; their performance was exceptional as was the organisation, solidity and defensive robustness of all the players in the team.

Having said that, William Saliba has identified what they did well against the Cityzens. Speaking after the game, the 23-year-old admitted a draw versus Manchester City wasn't satisfactory. However, their goal was to avoid losing, even if they did not win. And that's just what they did.

“We cannot be satisfied when we draw, but it’s OK,” Saliba told Sky Sports.“We learn from some games. When we cannot win, we must not lose. That is what we did well. So, we leave with one point but we are not satisfied….“I think it’s more in our heads because we know they are the best team in the world.”

Arsenal now has nine more games to bring its Premier League title chase to a successful conclusion. These games are:

Luton (H)

Brighton (A)

Aston Villa (H)

Wolves (A)

Chelsea (H)

Tottenham (A)

Bournemouth (H)

Manchester United (A)

Everton (H)

If Arteta and his team maintain the defensive mindset so abundantly shown against Man City and continue supplementing it with their scintillating high scoring football exhibited in their previous eight games, I don't see why this season won't conclude in glory.

Having drawn with the best, as Saliba labels Man City, is there any team capable of handling this Arsenal team now?

 

 

The Arsenal line up to dent City's title hopes

 By Danong and 1970s Gooner

The Gunners will be hoping for a big win this weekend as they travel north to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The psychological boost a win will give us will make the rest of the games remaining look a much easier task than many pundits have been predicting. 

In order to win, Mikel Arteta will obviously aim to get his strongest lineup fit and ready. However, there's a concern that he may miss some of his players due to injury.

Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey have returned from injuries but having played only about half a training game against a QPR team during the international break will not imo render their participation from the start a viable option. Jurrien Timber, on the other hand has to wait a bit longer. The Dutch defender is still not match-fit to be considered for a berth in Arsenal's matchday squad.

We all hope of course that Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes will pass fitness tests for the Etihad trip although Arteta never gives anything away during his pressers and if he does you cannot really trust that he is giving you the whole truth. It will not be a surprise if one of these players is missing from the starting lineup.

Martinelli has been recovering from a cut on his foot he sustained during Arsenal's 6-0 victory over Sheffield Utd in early March.

Saka has been battling with muscle tightness while Gabriel has an irritated achilles tendon—the two did not play for their national teams this international break.

So, with that said, what is the strongest line up Arteta can field on Sunday?

 

Defence

Obviously, David Raya will start in goal. He has demonstrated his usefulness in goal, as his shot-stopping and ball distribution have been crucial to Arteta's game plan.

In defense, Ben White starts and we hope he continues to play the inverted role. William Saliba and Gabriel should continue to shine at central defense and Jakub Kiwior should continue to play as a more orthodox left back. Kiwior has given Arsenal's left wing new life with his current form and benching him would be scandalous imo.

Midfield

Obviously, Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice will start in midfield. Alongside them Jorginho should start. The Italian international has excelled in key games, including a 4-1 win over Newcastle and a 3-1 win over Liverpool. The ex-Blue has started the last four games for Arsenal, instilling serenity in the engine room and helping to break down teams with his impressive passes.

But his inclusion will provide two additional benefits. Firstly releasing Rice to move a bit further up and play the number 8 and we have seen how effective he can be from that position. But secondly he can drop back to form a double pivot with Jorginho when we are without the ball.

Alternatively Arteta can decide to keep Rice as a number 6 shielding the defence and play Jorginho further up instead which is what he may decide to do, at least in the first half to keep things tight.

Attack

Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, and Bukayo Saka should start. Havertz has found his form in front of goal, scoring four in the last six games; he might shine leading the attack but he would also drop back into midfield as a false 9 thus providing a stronger presence in the engine room which will be really needed—Gabriel Jesus could replace him later on. Even if Martinelli is fit for this game, Trossard should start on the left wing (Martinelli could be a super sub as he proved to be in our victory over City in our home game).

The Line up

Raya

White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior

Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard

Saka, Havertz, Trossard

This is the best team that can put a dent in Manchester City's title charge and progress towards winning the title for the first time in 20 years!

Is there anything you would change about that lineup?

How can Arsenal depart Manchester with all three points

By Danong

Last season, in April, Manchester City defeated Arsenal 4-1.That setback, coming after draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, undoubtedly sealed Arsenal's fate extinguishing any hope of winning the title. They ended up losing the league to the Cityzens by 5 points.

Fast forward to another Premier League title race with 10 games remaining. Arsenal face Manchester City this Sunday in what Pep Guardiola calls the 'final'. This game has huge implications for the title race; Arsenal, at the top of the league (with 64 points), can open up a 4-point gap between them and City with a win; City, who are a point behind them but third in the league can open up a 2-point gap between them and Arsenal if they win this game.

That being said, how can the Gunners ensure they depart Manchester with all three points?

Carry on defending well

Arsenal's defence has laid the groundwork for the Gunners' success; the club has conceded the fewest goals in the league (24), enjoys the lowest xGA by far (5.11 better than anyone else) and has allowed 19 fewer shots on target than the next best who is City.

James McNicholas on the Handbrakes Off Podcast calls for Arsenal's defence to be at their best on Sunday, with the hope that Gabriel Magalhaes, who was injured over the winter break, will be fit. According to the pundit, if Arsenal can avoid conceding early, they may still have a chance to win the game, even if it is in the final minutes.

“When we’ve had disappointing trips to Etihad in the past, it’s because we’ve been blown away early. I think that’s what we desperately, desperately have to avoid…I think we’ve got to stay in it; we’ve got to live the game... getting into those final twenty minutes and then it can go either way’.

So, assuming Arsenal can avoid conceding early, what else can they do to win?

Scoring early:

Their strong league form following the winter break, with 33 goals in 8 games, can be summarised by their ability to score early. Only in the 2-1 win over Forest in this dominant run since the winter break did the Gunners fail to strike early. The objective against City should be to score early and establish control of the game.

Pep Guardiola recently claimed Arsenal are more dangerous in the title chase because they 'finish the job' early; we need to see that on Sunday.

“Liverpool need more than 90 minutes to win the game, sometimes more; Arsenal sometimes need just 25 minutes to win the games. That’s why they are there,” said Guardiola via Football London a while back.

That said, do you believe Arsenal will leave the Etihad with three points if they do not concede in the first stages of the game and instead score early themselves?

If this happens Arsenal will surely sail on to win the league by a canter.

Arteta is not likely to start Jorginho today

 By 1970s Gooner 

Arteta is not likely to start Jorginho today as has been mooted in the press. 

This is because if he does then Rice will have to play further on the left which deprives the team of a more creative midfielder that will be needed to break down the most likely tactic to be adopted by Newcastle. That of a mid block just as Porto did.

It also deprives the team of a sitting midfielder adept at negating the counter attacks that Newcastle will deploy as part of their plan to hurt us. And Rice is the one to do that and not Jorginho. 

One of the options that Arteta can try to overcome a more defensive approach from the opponents is to on occasion try to bypass the midfield and play the longer ball to someone like Havertz. He can create promising situations nearer their area just as he did against City or get his head on crosses in the six yard box.

So I would expect that Havertz will start up front if Jesus is unavailable which I expect he will be. 

Which leaves us with a choice to make for the left side midfielder. And imo he will be Emil Smith Row who is fit and will be able to provide creativity and incisive passes in the box much better than Vieira who hasn't played a competitive game for a few months. 

Trossard could play there or indeed in place of Martinelli but his performance against Porto left a lot to be desired which is often the case with him: one good game one not so good.

Raya

White Saliba Gabriel Kiwior 

Odegaard Rice EMR

Saka Havertz Martinelli 

The first 11 for Burnley and is the squad strong?

 By 1970s Gooner 

Arteta never gives anything away during his press conferences. Especially with regard to the availability of players. So you are not sure what kind of team he will produce.

However I doubt if he will give starts to any of the players that have recently been sidelined. This is because even if they are finally ready to contribute he will likely leave them on the bench to make sure that their longer term availability is not jeopardised. 

This is because we are now entering the crucial run in period of the premier league season and of course the Champions League. And the availability of players like Jesus, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Emil Smith Row, Vieira and Partey could prove to be significant in achieving the success we all are craving for. 

Wow. What a fantastic list of missing persons we've got! Who says that Arsenal's squad is thin. But is it really?

No problem about our goalkeepers right? Raya is proving a top signing after his initial wobbles. 

Centre backs ? Yes Saliba and Gabriel are top players and hard to replace but I consider Ben White in particular as a very competent deputy with the now fit Tomiyasu ready to slot in at right back if need be.

Don't forget that Kiwior is a centre back after all now playing at left back. He seems to be unsure of his role there but beginning to get used to it. 

Left back? We have Zinchenko, Tomiyasu and Kiwior. 

Central midfield? With the soon to be added Partey we have Rice and jorghino. Very strong.

Left and right midfielders? Havertz, Emil Smith Row, Trossard and Odergaard.

Forwards? We have four very good forwards in Saka, Martinelli, Jesus and Trossard for three places. But Jesus and Trossard can replace either of Saka and Martinelli and Havertz can play the false 9 as well as Trossard! The stand ins I consider not as strong eg Nketiah and Nelson.

Nevertheless with all the returning players I believe we are ready to go on a run deep into both competitions we are involved and maybe win one.

Let's make it five in a row by not underestimating Burnley today.

Raya 

White Saliba Gabriel Kiwior 

Odegaard Rice Havertz 

Saka Trossard Martinelli 

The major issues Arteta has to correct for the game at Fulham

 By the Coach

The first and most important major issue is the drop off in performance from the front three. 

This has been building up recently but it became very evident against Villa, Liverpool and now the very disappointing defeat at home against West Ham.

All three forwards are below their best especially Martinelli who seems to be shorn of the confidence he has so wonderfully shown last season in particular.

Saka is also below par, nowhere his best. A lot has to do with the two pronged defence that is usually employed by the opposition. 

Saka's effectiveness is also impaired when White's overlaps are nowhere to be seen. But they are very effective because it drags one of the two defenders out of position and gives Saka a fair chance to take his defender on. 

Or White can cross the ball from a dangerous position as he did for the header that Jesus missed. 

Jesus keeps missing very good chances and I wonder how long he can keep his place in the team if he carries on like this.

I consider that Martinelli has to be rested for the Fulham game and either play Trossard there or even give Riece Nelson a chance. Alternatively Arteta might consider playing Trossard as a false 9 and deploy Jesus on the wing.

This might prove to be a more interesting option as Trossard's movement may help drag defenders out of position and create spaces to be exploited. Trossard and Jesus may also swap positions which may create more confusion. 

The second major issue in my mind is the slow built up after we get control of the ball. 

What has been very apparent this season is the unwillingness of our defenders and midfielders to get the ball to the forwards, especially to the wide players, quickly.

We seem to amble along moving the ball forward but slowly. This unwillingness to play a fast paced game gives the opportunity to the opponents to return to their positions in their low block formation and maintain their structure, which includes of course doubling up on our wingers.

Let's change that please.

And the third issue is that we rarely take shots from outside the area. How many did we have against West Ham? Three I can remember.  

But we have to give the opposition something else to worry about other than trying  to create intricate patterns with short passes inside a very congested penalty area.  They might come out of position to prevent that happening. 

Or you never know we might even score!

Raya at fault for the Newcastle goal

By 1970s Gooner 

OK you can say Gabriel should gave cleared the ball but he completely missed it. 

Then you can say that the ball went out and it did but the idiots at the VAR couldn't be sure about it.

And then you can say that when the ball rolled down Joellington's knee the goalscorer was offside...

All decisions unfortunately went against us.

But really how can you excuse Raya for not collecting that ball from Willock. He was once again out of position and just flapped at it.

He has cost us 2 points against Chelsea again with his wrong positioning and now another 3 today.

WHAT THE HELL HAS ARTETA SEEN IN HIM TO MAKE HIM OUR NUMBER 1???? 

Now is the time to introduce the most effective left sided midfielder Arsenal have

 By 1970s Gooner

I hope that Arteta does not repeat, for the game at Newcastle, the same mistake he made against Chelsea by playing Jorghino at the base of Arsenal's midfield as a number 6.

He himself admitted afterwards that when he replaced jorghino with Rice the team had better control of the game and were able to play higher up the pitch.

Jorghino cannot carry out that role effectively especially against teams that play a dynamic and pressing game based on power and strength as Newcastle do.

We must also take into account that Jorginho played against West Ham on Wednesday night in what proved to be a very demanding game.

Now if Rice is to start in the base of midfield for Saturday's game in place of Jorghino then who can play on the left side of midfield. 

I most certainly would not advocate Vieira nor Havertz as neither can play that role efficiently enough as we have all seen in the games they have participated in.

Emil Smith Row could definitely grow into that role but he is ofcourse unavailable. 

In my opinion Arteta should start Tomiyasu as a left back and push the most gifted left sided player Arsenal have, Zinchenko, to the left side of midfield. 

Zinchenko struggles as a defender but he can be very good on the left side of midfield which is his natural position anyway both with and without the ball. I consider him to be a similar player as Xhaka and certainly to be as efficient. 

This adjustment will allow Arteta to play Rice in the base of midfield where, in the absence of Partey, he is most effective and improve the balance of the team considerably.

My team:

Ramsdale

White Saliba Gabriel Tomiyasu 

Odegaard Rice Zinchenko 

Saka Enketiah Martinelli 

The main reason that Arsenal were not at the races vs Chelsea

 By 1970s Gooner 

Arsenal lacked control for 76 or so minutes in the game against Chelsea. The main reason for this was the deployment of Jorginho at the base of midfield. 

This meant that Rice was moved into the Xhaka role on the left. Also Zinchenko's invertion into midfield was not that apparent as he had to content with the threatening runs of Sterling on that side.

Chelsea on the other hand played with a false 9 in Palmer which meant that in their half block they had one if not more players in the middle than Arsenal. 

More importantly Jorginho was not at the races himself as he was not able to provide a decent defensive barrier nor was he able to pass the ball forward that often preferring to pass sideways or backwards.

All this  was corrected when Jorginho was substituted and Rice was moved in the anchor position.

It appears that Arteta had overestimated Jorginho's ability to control the game by repeating his fine performance vs City. He didn't of course. 

Now why Arteta didn't start Partey there is beyond me and many many Arsenal supporters.

If Arteta felt that Partey was too tired from his travels to the USA then he could have started Rice as the number 6 and brought Zinchenko as the left sided midfielder with Tomiyasu at left back.

Now that's an idea...