LFC - MATCH DAY BLOG

ROUGH DAY OF WHO WANTS TO BE THERE THE LEAST

This is another one of those "no one wants to be there" games, and honestly, I have no idea what to expect.

We can bang the table for a peak-something performance played like a cup final, but the reality for Arsenal players is they are battered and broken from the PSG game. And for the Liverpool players? They can already feel the sand between their clawed toes and the taste of a tropical mocktail on their tongue.

The season is basically over for both teams—even though technically, it’s not for Arsenal, given the clog in the race for top 5.

I could be spectacularly wrong here, but the first goal feels massive today. If Arsenal land it early, kill the crowd… could they also kill Liverpool’s desire to fight for 90? I hope so.

If Liverpool score first, will our boys have the motivation to fight back and produce something spectacular at a stadium that hasn’t exactly been kind to us?

This feels like it’s going to be a grind of a game this afternoon, and I’m not really sure what Arteta can do to freshen things up. The team that put it all on the line against Paris is still the best group to get the job done. If that side shows up against a Liverpool team that’s checked out, they could do some damage. But let’s not pretend the emotional and physical toll of Paris isn’t real—we had players crying on the touchline just a few days ago.

One minute you’re dreaming of lifting the biggest prize in football, the next you’re doing a guard of honour for a team you should have beaten to the Premier League title this season.

Honestly, I think 2024-25 has been the most brutal season for Arsenal. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. And just to sprinkle salt on it all, Spurs or United winning a trophy seems like it’s been put into the universe just to make it worse.

I just want to tidy up the loose ends, secure Champions League football for next season, and then dive head-first into the juicy prospect of a more aggressive summer under Andrea Berta’s leadership.

TEAM SHEET:

No Declan Rice on the team sheet—not even on the bench. Timber getting a much-needed rest. And, once again, no depth on our bench.

I genuinely worry about what’s going to happen this afternoon, but let’s see what sort of Liverpool shows up.

Praying for Arteta that it’s a good performance, because the knives will be out online if it’s flat and lacklustre—and that’d be a shame. I really don’t want the season to end with even more negativity… but it very well could.

Also worth noting—Chelsea lost to Newcastle, which now makes the game against them next week really big in the context of securing second place. Beat them at home, and we’re safe.

I also took some small comfort in Southampton somehow snatching a point against Man City. City have Bournemouth and Fulham left—not easy, my friends, not easy. And if Forest win their last two games, they’ll sneak into the Champions League. Mad, mad times.

Ok, this is your game day blog.
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