Guns outwards for the North London derby

Morning all.

After two cup defeats in a week the next game always takes on a bit more importance, and it just so happens this is already one of the most important in any season – a North London derby. Arsenal’s need to respond and bounce back is obvious, but there’s even more heft to this evening’s fixture by virtue of the fact Liverpool dropped points last night and there’s an opportunity for us to close the gap a little bit.

I can’t see much in the way of rotation for this one. The manager said Jurrien Timber’s problem on Sunday was cramp, so I expect the back four to be the same with Riccardo Calafiori still absent and Oleksandr Zinchenko linked heavily with a move this month to Borussia Dortmund. I think we’ll see a midfield trio of Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, and ahead of them there isn’t much for the manager to choose from.

As I wrote yesterday, delivering in this game would help Kai Havertz put a bad week behind him, and it’s two of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling to play either side of him. We are down to bare bones going forward, for obvious reasons, and I did wonder if Arteta might be inclined to start Sterling in order to keep someone more ‘reliable’ on the bench should we need them. It’s not as if Martinelli and Trossard have been in brilliant form, but we know they are capable of finding the net – we don’t really know that about Sterling yet. It’d be a risk, but maybe one he’s considering to keep some strength on the bench.

Beyond that, what needs to be said about our approach? I think everyone has been frustrated and disappointed by the cup games, and reasonably so, but tonight it’s about turning the guns outwards – as our old friend Goonerholic used to say. A fast start from the team can energise the crowd, get everyone on board with the job at hand, and it’s something Arteta referenced in his pre-game press conference, saying:

Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That’s something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let’s do it.

It is a two-part thing. The team need to deliver, the crowd need to respond, but I have no doubt if the first part is accomplished, the second will follow. And if the team need the crowd, I’m sure they’ll give them that backing. We know how this lot are going to try and play, and hopefully we’re ready and able to make the most of that, because there will be more space and more room than in some other games this season.

Ultimately though, however we make it happen, it’s about taking all three points tonight. There’s more focus on the league after what has happened in the cups, and we can’t let another opportunity to get closer to Liverpool pass us by. I think this team will be absolutely fired up for this one, looking to put right some of what went wrong, and a win this evening would help soothe some of the wounds of the last week.

Fingers crossed!

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Elsewhere, we had official confirmation that Gabriel Jesus has suffered an ACL injury and will now be sidelined for an extended period. It’s a really cruel blow for a player who has struggled with injuries and fitness since picking up that injury at the World Cup in 2022 – a tournament I suspect has played a part in a lot of major injuries for players since. I’d need to dig into that a bit more though. He’d gone through a terrible barren spell, but found some form and goals and happiness in his game again, and now this. Awful.

He’ll undergo surgery, then begin the long and difficult rehabilitation process, and all we can do is wish him a speedy and uncomplicated recovery. It obviously leaves the team and the squad in a more difficult position though, and when asked if the club would respond in the transfer market, the manager sounded a bit more open to that than in previous press conferences, saying:

The fact that I love our players a lot doesn’t mean we’re doing nothing about improving – I am not that stubborn. We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and that’s been the same since day one. It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances. So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let’s see what we are able to do.

The fact is Jesus is now unavailable for the best part of a year, and even then you never quite know how long it takes a player to get back to their best – if they ever do. Arteta also said:

We have very clear ideas of the players that we want.

It’s now a question of if they can make it happen in January. Whether it’s an out and out striker like Benjamin Sesko or someone more versatile, this squad needs an addition in the forward areas, so let’s keep everything crossed they can make it happen sooner rather than later. There are two weeks of the window left, but still plenty of games to play this month, so the quicker we get someone in the better.

After that, there was an interesting story ‘leaked’ (perhaps to dampen down the fires after the Man Utd game), about how we’ve basically agreed a deal for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi. He’s a player we’ve been after for some time, and a player both Liverpool and Man City have tried to sign too. I think he’s excellent and would be a very good addition to a midfield that will probably lose the two out-of-contract veterans in the summer (which is the right thing to do, in my opinion).

Zubimendi would be a great way to offset those departures, and on that basis I’m 100% on board. There will be some who would question buying another ‘defensive’ player, especially after you’ve already spent £100m+ on Declan Rice, and I get that, but if you lose Partey and Jorginho, you have to make a midfield signing so why not get the best one you possibly can, and he’s up there with the best available? What it means for Rice going forward is certainly an interesting topic, and concerns about a midfield signing when we need so much further forward may well be offset in the meantime by an arrival (or two) there, so let’s see how it all plays out. If we can get it done though, he’s a very good player and a solid signing.

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Right, let’s leave it there for now. Join us later for live blog coverage, plus you’ll get the match report, goal clips, reaction, player ratings and much more over on Arseblog News.

Come on you reds!

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