MATCH DAY BLOG - WOLVES

FIRING UP THE BOYS

Mikel Arteta needs to show his teeth this afternoon.

His players are emotionally drained, they are tired, and I’ve been telling them they only have 5 games when it’s 6.

Sorry boys.

This is where the manager earns his corn. Beat Wolves this evening, we go back to the top of the table briefly, and City are back to chasing. That is a very nice prize.

Here’s the Wolves update via Football.London.

Neto - linked with a summer move to the Gunners - has been spotted back in training on the grass, marking his first session since picking up a hamstring injury against Newcastle United back in March. Initial concerns suggested he might be sidelined for the remainder of the season, but it appears he could make a comeback in the upcoming weeks.

While Neto won't be match-fit for the clash with the Gunners at Molineux, Rayan Ait-Nouri is potentially eyeing a spot on the bench after recovering from a recent leg injury. Matheus Cunha is ruled out, and Hwang Hee Chan's fitness issues mean he might only manage half the game time, Wolves manager Gary O'Neil has indicated.

The psychology of Wolves is kind of perfect for us. They have a depleted squad, their stars aren’t playing, and they are very much safe in the Premier League. Their players should be thinking about the beaches of the Caribbean.

Arsenal might be nursing a nightmare week, but they have to believe they can take this season to the wire, and they have to do everything in their power to not allow another collapse. We’ve lost two games of note since Dubai. The form we’re in has been amazing. Arsenal needs to find their superpowers to stay in the race.

Additional reasons to believe.

1.Spurs has to fight for their Champions League spot. Mailing it in at Liverpool and City could cost them dearly. They are the best team in the league the top 6 mini-table this season. No reason to think they’ll lose both of those games because they hate Arsenal.

2. City is in another cup game this weekend. They are currently level with Chelsea at halftime and they’re getting hammered for being lacklustre. They haven’t registered a shot on target. They still have Spurs, Brighton, Fulham, and West Ham to play. Not easy!

Premier League titles have been decided in the 93rd minute – Arsenal has the capacity to take the league down to the last game of the season. We just have to win every single game and be perfect. Why? Because that’s the level we’re competing at.

I’ll add starting line-ups when they land! Remember to sign up to Patreon for ON THE WHISTLE and get on the Substack newsletter. I’ll be switching the blog over to their this weekend. The comments section looks really nice there which should keep you happy!