By Tony Attwood
And so, having meandered around the numerous issues relating to Arsenal at the moment, and pondering just how the match will turn out, what of the team?
The news on Saka is that he is, of course, unavailable, but hopefully not for too long. But there is a concern that he has had two hamstring issues so close to one another, although this second hamstring is not as bad as the first. And it is clear from all that is being said that the club’s medical team are way beyond the “get him fit and put him out there” approach that some clubs still seem to have.
So here we are just two games in, and Kai Havertz is also out, for we don’t know how long. There seem to be no updates on Gabriel Jesus. Christian Norgaard is rated as 50%, as is Ben White, but Martin Odegaard looks to be definitely out.
But the journalists who claim to have inside information are announcing that both Noni Madueke and Max Dowman are absolutely ready to take up their places in the team. And this could be the real difference between this season and last – we really do have alternatives all over the pitch.
My guess is that Arteta went to the board and said, “I’ve delivered three runners’ up places for you. If you want top spot, it is not just one player that we need, but replacements for all the injured players. You’ve seen how some teams have decided the only way to beat us is to kick us, and you have seen have the referees have responded by giving Arsenal more red cards than any other club. There is no good reason to expect anything to change, so the title needs players to replace those who are kicked to bits.”
This doesn’t mean that Saka was kicked – because actual genuine non-contact injuries can happen – but the kicking, in addition to the normal injuries, is what makes Arsenal’s situation so much worse than other clubs.
There is, of course, the issue also of ensuring that the club is not 100% reliant on one or two players always being there, because as long as that is the perception among other clubs those players will be kicked to bits. And the one thing we do know is that no club is going to risk kicking every single Arsenal player off the park.
There is also the fact that this is the moment being injured means that international managers cannot take our players, and make matters even worse. The chance to stay at home and be treated by the Arsenal staff is in itself an advantage.
And there is curiously a bonus that comes from injuries – as those players who are clearly not first choice, do get a chance to play – and that helps keep them happy at the club, rather than moving somewhere else as soon as another team offers them a “guaranteed place” every week.
Another factor in Arsenal’s favour is that a number of the players are adept at moving from one position to another in order to help cover for injuries, and there seems to have been an emphasis in Arsenal’s purchasing on finding just such players – clearly another good precaution.
Of course Viktor Gyokeres is fit because he is always fit. Although if he is chopped down today by Liverpool, I’m not sure how we then rearrange the team.
The predicted line up from Google’s AI (now there’s a thing I didn’t think I’d write) is
Raya;
Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori;
Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke,
Eze, Martinelli;
Gyøkeres
The Metro however offer
Raya;
Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori
Rice, Zubimendi, Merino
Maduke, Gyokeres, Eze
Fingers crossed.
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- .And to read while you are waiting….
