Arsenal takes on Fulham VERY soon. This feels like our sort of game. A team that has leaked a lot of goals lately, they’re kind of out of form, they don’t have Mitrovic, and we’re red hot performance-wise and...
Arsenal takes on Fulham VERY soon. This feels like our sort of game. A team that has leaked a lot of goals lately, they’re kind of out of form, they don’t have Mitrovic, and we’re red hot performance-wise and need a livener to kickstart our forward line.
Fulham away won’t be easy, but it’s hardly Anfield.
These are the sorts of games that showcase your title credentials. West Ham at home was an aberration only if we rectify the problem with a solid win. To be honest, any sort of win. If you lose, we show that we have a soft underbelly. Two losses on the bounce against mid-table teams is top 4 fight behavior. You’re slumming it with Villa, Newcastle, United, and Chelsea.
Arsenal needs to show they have Manchester City mettle.
The most important element this season for me is that we haven’t had a really bad performance. We’ve controlled most teams this season. The games we’ve lost have either been down to bad luck or shocking refereeing. I feel like that is important when you’re watching some of the other clubs around us ride the luck train.
Luck eventually turns. Top performances are eventually rewarded. Form in front of goal should turn. Errors should reduce.
The main point of worry is that a lot of our hopes for the title depend on our youngest players continuing their blistering ascension.
Martinelli hasn’t moved up a level this season. Martin Odegaard hasn’t hit the form we know he’s capable of. Bukayo Saka doesn’t feel like he’s competing with Mo Salah yet. All of these progress goals we’re putting on these players are outrageous. It’s really hard to be anywhere near the level of the best winger in the world who is 10 years Saka’s senior. But that’s what needs to happen for us to have a chance.
At the moment, this side feels all system, no sparkle. That is a really harsh thing to say, but the magic we saw at the start of last season hasn’t been there. There’s a freedom missing. An art. A bit of rocket fuel.
City and Liverpool has seasoned difference-makers who show up and bury Zinchenko in a blink of an eye. We have the talent in our ranks, but none of the players have hit the heights needed yet.
But I’m not worried yet. Blistering starts will lead to heartache for a number of clubs. Don’t buy into early-season hype. Also, where did our blistering start get us last year? To Fatigue FC and a whole bunch of injuries. I like that we’re sitting here unconvinced as we heard into January, very likely top of the league. Being underestimated and getting shoved back down to the underdog probably suits young players. World-class levels can be found in our forward line in a flash. Football teams just find their way sometimes. I have to remind myself that at the start of the season I wrote that we’d feel some pain and the road to a title wouldn’t be paved with ease.
I didn’t think we’d be suffering and complaining about life 2 points off the top of the table in December, but here we are. When you wonder why the atmosphere at the stadium is shit, you have to say, the online mood we put around the club is pretty diabolical at times.
A big performance today might add a little bit of happiness into the system.
Here’s the starting 11:
Heard rumblings Tomi might make the squad. What I didn’t expect is Kiwior to start. Zinchenko has played a lot of games, we know that impacts his calf muscles, and it is absolutely vital we can rest him before the mid-season break and keep him fresh when Tomi is out (I don’t think he’s out for anything major). Huge afternoon for Kiwior; hopefully he can do some damage.
Eddie gets the chance to break his shoddy away day rut… it’s 20-odd games without a goal.
Kai returns.
Let’s see where this goes. Regardless of the result, come join the party AFTER the game with a LIVE on the whistle. Last of the year!
