Morning.
We’re in action early today, taking on Bournemouth at home at 12.30. Mikel Arteta revealed in his press conference yesterday that the squad has a clean bill of health, giving him a ‘good headache’ as he makes his selection for this game.
The big question is whether or not Jurrien Timber is ready to come back into the fold. Having spent most of the season sidelined after his ACL injury on the opening day, he has a couple of appearance for the U21s under his belt, and when asked if – with just three games to go – he’d be able to find the rhythm required for high stakes fixtures, the manager replied:
We’re not going to know that until we throw him in there. It’s tricky because there’s only three games to go. It means eight months of football, he’s played only 150 minutes of football with the under-21s.
It’s a question that has to be resolved only by throwing him on the pitch and see what happens, and we have to try to nail that decision as to when.
Is there a less Mikel Arteta phrase than ‘throwing him on the pitch and see what happens’? He is meticulous in his preparation, so that doesn’t sound like the way he would do it. It is a fair question though – Timber’s quality and fresh legs might well be useful, but it also wouldn’t be unusual for a player who is out that long to need time to get up to speed. With no margin for error at all, even from the bench, it’s one Arteta will have to give serious consideration to.
Last weekend’s subs for the derby were: Ramsdale, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Smith Rowe, Vieira, Martinelli, Jesus, Nketiah.
Which one would you drop out? On our preview podcast, Lewis suggested Eddie is the likeliest candidate, and with players like Jesus, Trossard, Havertz, and Martinelli all capable of doing a job in the front three, that would make sense. Maybe one of Vieira or Smith Rowe, but you might need midfield cover so it’s harder to make the case for them. Let’s see.
As for the team today, we might see a change or two. Bournemouth at home feels a bit Zinchenko, but he could easily stick with Tomiyasu. Jorginho or Partey? Trossard or Martinelli? The rest basically picks itself. One thing I think Arteta does need to pay a bit of attention to is how, in the first half of the games against Chelsea and Spurs, we were far more vulnerable than we have been normally. It could be simply down to the dynamics of derby games, which have their own chaotic energy, but I’m sure he’ll be keen for his team to stifle the opposition as we’ve seen multiple times throughout this season.
Nor is there any chance of taking today’s game lightly. Even if Arsenal are favourites on paper, we have to do it on the pitch first. Asked about today’s opposition at his press conference, and last season’s crazy/epic win, Arteta said:
I have a different game in my head for tomorrow but we are going to have to perform really well tomorrow and be our best. If we do that, we have a really good chance of winning the game. They [the players] know what is at stake.
Bournemouth’s form in the last few months isn’t something to take lightly either. Since October, only Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Villa have taken more Premier League points, and they have really settled into life under Andoni Iraola – like Xabi Alonso, another Basque compatriot of Arteta. They have good players who can cause you problems, and there’s no question that we’re going to have to pay close attention to how they can do that. They’re safe in mid-table, there’s zero pressure on them today, so they can come and have a go – which is what I think they will do.
So, it’s up to us to master that, to get on top, and to produce what we need to take the three points. With Man City playing later, we have to put the pressure on them and see what happens. It’s unlikely that they’ll drop points at home to a Wolves side whose manager is conveniently serving a touchline ban for them today, but all we can do is win our game and see what happens.
As ever, you can join us later for live blog coverage, and you’ll find all the post-game stuff on Arseblog News too.
Right, that’s it for now. Fingers crossed for later, come on you reds!