By Bulldog Drummond
As I have mentioned before, we have the fifth best attack in the league and the seventh best defence. But it looks like we are losing Nketiah, Aubameyang and Lacazette at some time or another, so buying another striker seems a good idea.
But, again as noted before, in the meanwhile we should also recognise that we have devised a system in which we are seeing other strikers arise, most notably, Saka, Smith Rowe and Martinelli, all three of whom can only get better. It is even just possible that some way or another Pepe could recover his goalscoring form – and maybe he’ll start knocking them in, in Africa.
However a new centre forward is going to come at some time and the word doing the rounds is that Arteta fancies getting Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina.
Of course signing players for Arsenal is always difficult because of the rampant negativity that is at the heart of so much of the reporting of Arsenal. Indeed we were dealing with this in depth just a few articles ago in How one journalist is utterly incapable of letting go of his anti-Arsenal agenda
Arteta does give straight answers to the media, as when said to the Guardian’s reporter, “we know exactly what we need to do. Whether we can accomplish that in January or the summer is a different question as it is related to other stuff.”
Meanwhile considering today’s game, we will of course be continuing with the present squad, and for this game Arsenal will play in an all-white strip rather like Real Madrid as part of the “No More Red” campaign which aims to highlight the root causes of youth violence, and provide safe spaces and more opportunities for our young people.
It has already been established that there would be no replays in the third and fourth rounds of this season’s FA Cup, because of problems caused by the way League rules are being bent by certain clubs with the league’s compliance.
Thus today’s game against Nottingham Forest, if ending in a draw after 90 minutes, will then move to extra time and then to penalties.
The substitution rules have changed as well, as clubs can now name up to nine substitutes in the FA Cup and use up to five of those during a match including in extra-time if played. A sixth substitute can be allowed to replace a player who has suffered a suspected concussion.
Each team is only permitted a maximum of three opportunities to make substitutions during normal time in the match (excluding half time).
If the game goes to extra time, each club will be permitted to carry over any unused substitution opportunities into extra time and will be permitted an additional (fourth) opportunity to make a substitution (as well as in the changeover from normal time to extra time and the half time switch around in extra time). Simple isn’t it.
So there we are. Up next, suggestions for our team.
