Good morning Gooners! How are we all doing today? Nervous?! I must admit, I don’t remember feeling this level of anxiety for an Arsenal game in a long, long time. Let’s face it, the stakes couldn’t be higher. With every win, we take a giant step closer to the title and with only three Premier League games remaining, we’re unbearably close to the finish line. Today’s trip to East London, on paper at least, looks like one of our trickiest games left with the Hammers desperate for points to try and avoid relegation. Therefore leaving the London Stadium with three points this afternoon would be absolutely massive and really turn up the pressure on Manchester City.
It feels like everyone is waiting for us to slip up now that the Title is back in our hands so today is the test of all tests. It feels like we turned a corner with our last few results. We ground it out against Newcastle and played well in Madrid for the first leg of the Champions League Semi Final, but it was the two games at home to Fulham and Ateltico Madrid that Arsenal really started to look the part. If we see that kind of performance this afternoon, and in the final two games of the season, we have a great chance of lifting that famous trophy for the first time since 2004.
The big changes in those last two games have coincided with a change in personnel. Most notably the introduction of Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield, although the introduction of the apparently revitalised Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori on the left hand side, should not be ignored. Will these three players keep their places today? With only Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino currently on the sidelines, Mikel Arteta is not short of options, if he wishes to change it up a bit. Martin Odegaard back into midfield, with Eberchi Eze moving to the left hand side? Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie seem very unfortunate to lose their places in the starting eleven, could one, or even both, of them return to the team? We haven’t seen Kai Havertz for a while, could the big German make a return? We know how much Arteta favours having him in the team whenever he’s fit, so will he take this opportunity to freshen things up and squeeze him in somewhere? Some tough decisions for the boss, but these are fantastic problems to have at this stage of the season.
Personally, I think he’ll go with an unchanged team, if fitness allows it. I wouldn’t have any problem with that at all, given how the last two games have gone. Gives so much flexibility from the bench as well.
The one area where I’m still really concerned is at right back. Ben White was fantastic against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. Truly superb. That said, he still feels like the weak link in the team and capable of dropping a clanger. I hope to be eating these words come full time…come on Benjamin White – prove me wrong!!!
So here we go!! Into the breach. Let’s make our position count and get ourselves over the line. Time for the likes of William Saliba, Gabriel, David Raya, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres to write themselves into history and make this a chapter to truly remember. Come on Arsenal, get the job done today. COME ON ARSENAL!!!