Morning all, and comfortable new yr.
We start 2025 with a difficult away journey to Brentford. Regardless of a current 2-0 defeat to high-flying Nottingham Forest, they’ve the joint finest house report within the Premier League, garnering 22 factors from their video games up to now – stage with Liverpool (and simply 1 level greater than us).
A characteristic of their performances at house this season has been quick begins and early targets, one thing we’d like to concentrate on, and it would inform our beginning XI to an extent. When he picks his group at this time, will Mikel Arteta convey Riccardo Calafiori again into the fold at left-back, or persist with Myles Lewis-Skelly? They will share the video games in January, that’s a no brainer given how hectic the schedule is, however maybe sticking with the participant who has a little bit of kind and rhythm is likely to be the proper name when going through Bryan Mbeumo on Brentford’s proper.
I believe we’ll see a change in midfield, with both Thomas Partey or Mikel Merino most well-liked to Kai Havertz in there, however I count on the German to maneuver up entrance with Gabriel Jesus dropping to the bench. The harm scenario means now we have virtually nothing in reserve. Ethan Nwaneri was the one nominally attacking sub we had in opposition to Ipswich, and whereas that’s in all probability a danger you possibly can take for a house recreation in opposition to a group within the backside three, you’ll want to have some solution to change the sport in fixtures like this, so beginning Havertz and Jesus collectively doesn’t make sense to me until the Brazilian is chosen in one of many large positions.
That mentioned, I count on Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli to play on the flanks, and Arteta was fairly fascinating on the Belgian who he referred to as a ‘little bit of a moaner‘ … however in a great way! These two are those on whom a heavy burden falls within the absence of Bukayo Saka. In fact goalscoring is a collective duty, however their output this season hasn’t fairly been the place we’d need it, so upping that throughout the Zero Saka weeks goes to be essential.
I feel we are able to count on Brentford to press excessive, so which may present alternative if we are able to bypass it and use the house that leaves behind. They’re good at it although, they do in an lively and coordinated method, and even for those who do beat it, they’ve such good organisation they drop again rapidly and make it arduous to interrupt them down. This recreation final yr was a battle, it took a really late aim from substitute Kai Havertz to take all three factors, and I don’t count on it to be any simpler at this time.
Let’s hope we are able to kick off the brand new yr in the proper method, with an excellent efficiency, however most significantly all three factors. This recreation feels a bit bizarre, out on an island of kinds when it comes to timing, with everybody else having performed two or three days in the past. I don’t know if that makes it any tougher or pressurised, however it’s a bit odd. Anyway, it’s what it’s, now we have a job to do, so let’s hope we are able to do it effectively.
Proper, I’m gonna go away it there for now. Now we have a preview podcast out there proper now on Patreon. Be part of us later for reside weblog protection, plus you’ll get the match report, aim clips, response, participant rankings and far more over on Arseblog Information.
Till then!
