Our position in the group couldn’t be better…
Well obviously it could because we lost in Lens, but hear me out.
The way the group is poised at the moment we might be in a position to take it easy in the last two games and even ensure qualification to the knock-out phase by the time the whistle blows against Seville in the return fixture at the Emirates.
A win for both us and Lens on matchday four would do the trick. History tells us that winning the group will be important, and we have kind fixtures either side of the game where we host Lens on matchday five. A win there means matchday six could see a heavily rotated squad, falling between two tough league fixtures at Aston Villa then hosting Emirates bogey team Brighton a few days later.
It’s not quite job-done yet, but it’s admirable to have it all in our own hands in Mikel Arteta’s first foray into the continent’s top competition as a manager. The scare in Lens didn’t lead to a more cautious display in Seville, but the sense of importance and the desire to not give up more easy points saw us claim a vital victory.
Versatile Tomiyasu could be vital…
It’s great to have a player with the attitude of Takehiro Tomiyasu.
You do get the feeling if Mikel Arteta asked him to go in goal (and let’s not go there with a debate on that position which has been done to death everywhere)… you get the feeling Tomy would be starting to put on his gloves right as the boss finished asking him.There was an incident by the corner flag when he was defending in the second-half last night where he just threw his body in front of the ball to prevent an easy cross.
It reminded me of the kind of spirit the old back-four defended with in the late 80s and early 90s. In the very next phase of play he was up with the midfield trying to feed an attack.
That inverted role is difficult to play and we saw Oleksandr Zinchenko’s shortcomings against anything approaching decent opposition at the weekend, but Tomy looks the part regardless and is a hero that shouldn’t be unsung as the season gets into the tough Xmas period and home straight.
We still need a new striker…
At half-time, the host on TNT Sport did try to imply that Arsenal fans aren’t happy with Gabriel Jesus’s goal contributions – this was straight after his wonder assist set up our first goal. Of course within seven minutes of the restart he moved from the assist sheet to the score sheet. His third goal in his first three Champions League matches at the club. His league contribution is found slightly wanting, with just one goal and no assists in nearly 400 minutes of Premier League action this campaign. He was of course disrupted by injuries last year but scored just once every 192 minutes, which isn’t a stellar return, but then by no means awful.
The problem lies with the back up for Jesus, and Eddie Nketiah will probably reach his 100th league appearance for the club within the next few weeks, scoring just 16 times and assisting just three times. It’s not a good enough return – even though most of those appearances came as a sub.
I’m all for keeping Eddie, because I believe he’s a great option in tough games working hard in front of the midfield if we go ahead. But he needs to be switched on and impactful and last night he just didn’t seem to meet the pace or importance of the game.
We need someone in the second choice striker position to alleviate the pressure on Eddie who will be a great third choice and cup striker for the club when assigned properly.
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