MATCH DAY BLOG: ARSENAL GO TO WAR, 'DON'T DIE' THE MISSION

MANCHESTER CITY AWAY DAYS ARE REALLY TOUGH, DON'T KID YOURSELF

Allow me to start this post in hushed tones, and please accept that I might delete the contents next week and sue anyone who defames me by saying the words existed…

Martin Ødegaard has one weakness in his game: big away days.

You’d be hard-pressed to name more than three major away days he’s excelled in. City away last year? He was anonymous. Anfield? The same. Bayern, Porto... the list of bland afternoons Martin has been part of is quite long in those big games that are quite grim to watch.

This isn’t a critique (ok, it is), just a truth I want to share today to make you feel a little better about not having one of the best players in the world in our starting XI this afternoon.

So, where are we finding points of interest?

Jurrien Timber has played a lot of games, and I think everyone was somewhat blown away by Calafiori when he subbed on midweek. A blend of fatigue and a player ready to explode onto the scene could make for a very interesting selection headache.

The next area I’m looking at is the left side. Gabriel Martinelli has been doing everything right, except the final action. His style might suit a game where we’re looking for a ball over the top. But if Arteta is to be believed, we’re going for control, which could mean Trossard gets the nod.

There are other considerations—midfield, for example. Do you opt for Thomas Partey for a third big game in a week, or do you lean on Jorginho, whose lack of athleticism is striking, even compared to Thomas, who is running on fumes these days? My gut says Arteta sticks with Partey and trusts him to be ready for this massive game. Risky business.

The right side, once stable to a fault, now has openings. Does Kai drop into the RCM position? Could we see Raheem Sterling in a more creative role, as we’ve seen him play for City in the past? It probably won’t be Saka dropping inside, and I have serious doubts Arteta would throw Nwaneri into the firing line when he didn’t even get a sniff in a Champions League game lacking creativity.

The mission is clear: don’t lose.

This is going to be a dreadful 90 minutes of football—cagey, and all about the fine margins. Both teams are at the peak of their powers, but you’d have to say City are the favourites, because they have all their best players available.

Our boys have to be warriors. Every duel is life or death. If City show their neck, we need to step on it and slice it open. The mega chances we’ve been missing early in the season need to be taken, and we need to return to the savagery we showed at the back end of last season.

Defensively, all we can ask is for the boys to keep doing what they’ve been doing. In the last three outings, Haaland vs. Saliba and Gabriel has been extremely bland for the Norwegian goal-scoring machine. They’ve had his number. He’s found a new batch of Compound V this summer, and the numbers he’s dropping are astonishing. It’ll be tough to keep him in check, but if there’s any duo capable of that, it’s our two centre-backs.

Parting considerations:

- A win would be historic.

- A draw would be incredible.

- A loss doesn’t end our title run. Don’t be dramatic. Don’t self-immolate. The season is long. There will be plenty of distractions. We’ll be right where we need to be come the last week of the season.

Ok… if you want the *On The Whistle* podcast, the link should be below. If you hate the writing (why are you here?) and just want the audio membership, the link is here.

Enjoy the game. Get blind drunk and numb the pain. See you right after the game for some hardcore knee-jerk Arsenal chatter.