INJURY SHOCKER – EMOTIONS RUN HIGH WITH FANS, THEY CAN’T AT ARSENAL

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Sometimes in life, your hand is forced by unforeseen circumstances. A broken boiler in September can push you into a £5,000 investment because cold showers are bad in autumn, but a lot worse in winter. Changing those thin tyres you’ve been riding on for 6 months too long can suddenly seem like a sharper move after a near miss. No one who lives in New York wants to buy snow boots until you slip into a pothole and ruin your ankle on Canal Street. These are all sad purchases no one wants to make, but sometimes, life insists. Well, if there is a sad purchase at Arsenal it’s the number 6 position. Mikel Arteta and Edu are like a couple of 25-year-olds that have a broken boiler, but they’d prefer to drop money on booze (strikers), women (creative midfielders), and holidays to Ibiza (wingers). Winter has come for those two and they have to make a decision now

Thomas Partey is already out with a minor injury, but the bigger picture is he’s 29 years old, he’s missed 40% of the last two seasons, so now we have a pattern. It’s easy to doss around in La Liga, playing a max of 6 hard games a year, focusing mostly on the Champions League. When you come to the Premier League, there aren’t really pub teams in 2022, so you need to be ready to exert yourself to the highest levels every week. Don’t believe me on the physical stuff? Look at Madrid’s central midfield packed with old boys. Look at Barcelona stocking up with Lewa and Auba and it mostly working. Look at Suarez smashing it at Atleti.

The big one is that Big Mo now has a long-term injury. He has a serious issue that sees him out for the longterm. I feel for the player, he gets unfair grief because of where he’s been as a player, not based on who he is NOW. But, I also don’t think we can risk having another 40% season from Thomas Partey. Xhaka, Mo, and Partey are all about 29 years old. We need some young blood.

There are internal solutions, but I’m just not sure that’s going to cut it.

Zinchenko can play midfield, he was electric against Scotland in that role, but then you’re stealing from the left-back role.

Ben White can play central midfield, he did it occasionally for Brighton and Leeds, but are you taking a big risk here, because he might not be at the same level in midfield… but at least you have an awesome right back in Tomi to step in.

Sambi Lokonga was groomed for the #6 role, but it’s become apparent he’s not very good there, and he’s being moved a bit further up the pitch. The Belgian came in for Partey last time and we lost three easy-ish games on the bounce. Do we really want to go there again?

We could drop Granit to the deeper role and have Sambi more advanced, he’s done it before, but we know that isn’t where he thrives because he can be isolated.

The window closes on Thursday, so we’re now in a position where we have to make some hard decisions:

Do you sign a future-forward player – 23 years old, 2-3 years of experience, high amounts of specificity – but accept they won’t hit the ground running.

Do you sign a stop-gap players – a bit older, ready to role – but accept they aren’t going to be useful when everyone is fit.

Do you go BIG on someone like Neves – then deal with potential squad issues when the other midfielders come back.

Do you try and find a loan signing last minute?

This is a moment the club is going to have to be very disciplined. Every penny we’ve spent this window has been spent VERY well. The pressure in the fan base will be to sign any old body, but like United fans, they’ll be relieved at a panic buy until they’re calling the club dim in a few months if it doesn’t work out.

It’s better to wait sometimes than do something rash.

The same folk that were clamouring for us to spend at all costs in January are out there demanding the same right now.

Football is a game of high emotion, the clubs that are the best in the business do not react to emotion, they stick to the vision, and they find workarounds or solutions that fit the plan.

So we’ll see what Arsenal are made of, we’ll see who they believe in, and we’ll see how resilient this squad can be OR how creative our recruitment team can be.

Ok, I’m off now, Matt, Johnny and ME will be doing a Before the Whistle on Patreon later, then again on Thursday. Matt K is also dropping some long-form into the mixer. Get on it, the pod is hot like that new boiler Edu and Arteta just installed.

PATREON BEFORE THE WHISTLE BUY NOW

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jwl

Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Sambi, Xhaka; Saka, Ødegaard, Martinelli; Jesus.

Arsenal subs: Turner, Cedric, Tomiyasu, Holding, Smith, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Marquinhos, Nketiah

raptora

Big game for Sambi. Hopefully he makes his chance count.

Rich

Prayers for GD4

Xhaka likely at the base of our midfield:

…….….Ramsdale
…….Saliba Gabriel
White Xhaka Tierney
Odegaard Sambi
….Saka……….Martinelli
…………Jesus

Matt Smith + Marquinhos make the bench, which shows why we certainly need to strengthen.

Tierney risked twice in 4 days 😱

Ben D

Why doesn’t Arteta rotate? It’s Man U in a few days… Anyway, come on boys…. 3 points tonight!!!

raptora

The way Zinchenko was jumping on the touch line vs Fulham I certainly expected him to at least make the bench. Maybe we are taking it super safe which should be right thing to do.

GD4

Villa is having a crisis of confidence, if we score early then we can really put a dent in them but if we keep them in the game then they might start believing that they are the group to knock us off of our pedestal

Spanishdave

All summer to do business and now this. We will never get fourth or better with this terrible management.
Preening themselves too early by beating poor sides except Fulham.
We always have these injury problems every year but after four games with a weeks gap between?
Terrible

raptora

There was a point to be made for Nketiah to start tonight but it’s not meant to be. He’ll still be involved in a goal I feel like.

Karsa

No point in rotating when we’re rejigging the personel anyway.

Plenty of time for subs when the games in the bag.

As ever 4-0 to the Arsenal.

Danny S

Could have played Eddie and ESR on the wings today.

Arteta is so risk averse with his team set up and subs yet he will risk running the players into the ground.

curse

now is not the time for the villains to be picking up form, we got too much for them. If Sambi and Rambo can refrain from brainfarts we should be ok.

I’ll go 4 zero to us too,
up the arse.

Karsa

6 games in 5 weeks really shouldn’t be running anyone into the ground.

Later in the season maybe.

TheLegendaryDB10

I hope Arsenal win again tonight!!!

Big game for Sambi indeed. Let’s see if he has improved since his last time out.

As for Nketiah, either he will be an impact sub like for the Fulham game or (and?) he is being kept for the Manure game.

Either way, I just hope that we manage to get the 3 points. Wouldn’t be surprised if Villa come and play for a draw and make it hard for us.

Clinton Macsherry

Question is whether Sambi replaces Xhaka, who then slides back to cover Partey’s typical space. Or if shape shifts to double pivot. We’ll see soon.

TheLegendaryDB10

I agree that Arteta should have rotated today. Hopefully he will do this circa the 60th minute.

dSidstathopoulos

Who are the jokers that thought Coutinho would be a good signing

Luteo Guenreira

Can’t believe we didn’t score there.

Villa averaging about a foul a minute so far.

Luteo Guenreira

Haaland again for City. Gotta say he’s hit the ground running, scoring a shitload of goals

Samesong

Every time Halaand scores izzo must be regretting his statement lol

FB

Wonderful football. A joy to watch. Good times

Left Testicle

Chris Sutton really is a knob.

georgia boy

Emi wtf was that

GD4

We need another goal.
This is a dangerous lead

Spanishdave

Struggling to score again we seem to dry up so easily.

GD4

Xhaka is such a technically deficient tug boat.
Ughhhh

Samesong

Spurs are so Jammy winning by an own goal.

GD4

He is doing his best but just not good enough.
And Bukayo please wake up we need you laddie

GD4

If that was Xhaka he would’ve been sent off.
Horror tackle by McGinn.
That could’ve been an ankle breaker

Samesong

Villa are dirty can see some injuries after this game.

Samesong

Sambi played well so far

GD4

And there it is … if that clown Xhaka could have cleared out the first one this wouldn’t have happened …

GD4

Fcuk

GD4

Thank you Martinelli.
Saved by the kids …

Why I Gunna

Emi wtf was that flop?

Spanner

Anyone else think that Saliba has what it takes to move up into defensive midfield. ? Or do a Vieira, ?
Pat, not Fab.

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