As this is our situation at the moment, you are feeling, as I no doubt do, a very nervous feeling in your stomach. To tell the truth, we have been living like this for months. While that feeling of dread before every Arsenal game isn’t new, it doesn’t get any easier.
I’ve read comments like ‘Fulham have never won at the Emirates’, and that only makes things worse. Because you know there’s a first time for everything. And unlike our situation at City, in which we NEVER win up there, today could very easily end with Arsenal losing points and opening the door to City having a clear path to the Premier League title.
Arsenal, Arteta and all these Arsenal players simply MUST be ready for today. Fulham had a week off, we were in Madrid on Wednesday, then we have a huge game on Tuesday night, but if only one eye is on that midweek game against Atleti you fear it will be enough for Fulham to get something out of today.
They are unfortunately not in what I call “Charlton territory”. In the 90s, I think there were about four or five seasons where Charlton, under the management of Alan Curbishley, would score a certain number of points, then the foot would take its foot off the accelerator, and they would claw their way to the end of the season, losing pretty much most of the games they played. This is not the case this season for a team which occupies 10th place with four matches remaining. The concerted nature of this division means Fulham really have everything to play for and, after beating Villa last weekend to give them a taste of Europe, they have some confidence heading into this game. They will be up for it. They will be looking for a scalp.
And as I said yesterday on the blog, Marco Silva will look to use every tactical and emotional advantage he has. He said as much in his pre-match preview, hinting at the home crowd’s potential trepidation and how he hopes he can capitalize on it tonight. I think that means his approach today is to keep things tight for the top 45. He’s done it in other games, but Silva isn’t against a tight five-man defense with his central midfielders tucking into a lower block and then relying on the diagonal franchise to advance. His ‘utopia’ football game today is Arsenal dominating possession and territory, which creates space as we look to penetrate a stubborn back line, only to have their players spring traps when the ball returns.
I hope Arteta has an idea for that. I also hope that this idea will ultimately involve abandoning the Madueke-Gyokeres-Martinelli approach. Don’t do that, Mikel. You need technical security on the ball in attack. This will not be a “green grass and space” game. It will be tight, careful and require players working in small spaces.
So for me, the programming I hope for is the following:
Raya
White – Sweatshirt – Gabriel – Calafiori
Rice
Odegaard – Èze
Saka – Gyokères – Trossard
This team has an attacking lineup of players who are all good with the ball at their feet. They are not runners behind; they are more suited to quick interaction. “We are reconstituting the group » automatism or two between White, Saka and Odegaard. The white overlaps to create space for Bukayo, with Martin gravitating towards him.
I suggested Rice as a six because he was really good there in midweek, so why not lean into it more, while allowing Eze to float in those left-wing spaces, where Trossard and Gyokeres overlap? You have yourself a familiar right-side “pod,” but how about storing one on the left side as well?
And then, for good measure, throw Calafiori in there to cause a little chaos in those left side pockets? Yes, please, ma’am.
I also think this composition helps Gyokeres. He can’t trap the ball. He won’t be able to slip behind a deep defense. But if he has players who have the eye for a pass and the ability to thread the needle with their distribution, maybe he can find pockets to take a few shots. The alternative would be Gabriel Jesus, which would be interesting, but we just don’t hear enough from him these days for me to think he’s anything other than a 20 minute cameo.
Do I think Arteta will go for this? Maybe not really. You could potentially see Mosquera instead of White, as Arteta looks to share minutes between some of his tired players, and he has played Zubimendi virtually every time he is fit. So my instinct tells me he’s going to play the Spaniard again. I also wonder if Trossard is on the wrong side and if Eze could play again on the left. I think it’s more likely that Eze will start and Odegaard will be rested, given he started midweek and Arteta will want to be careful of his captain’s minutes. So the likelihood of my wish being granted today is probably slim.
But it would be an exciting opportunity to see if we can regain a little more technical control, ball dominance and chance creation, whilst trying something a little different, wouldn’t it? And given some of the performances we’ve had at home, perhaps leaning into something different might just be the ‘unlock’ that allows Arsenal to ‘click’ at the perfect time of the season.
G’wan Mikel, try. I dare you.
Let’s see. I’m in Portugal today to visit the parental units, so this will be a couch briefing for me this evening. I just hope I’ll be smiling by the end of the day.
Back tomorrow with a blog and a pod first thing. Let’s hope it’s a happy time.
Until then.
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