Arsenal are in Premier League action tonight, playing Bournemouth away from home, and with the opportunity to extend our lead at the top of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta was vague about Declan Rice’s availability, saying the swelling on his knee has not gone down yet. With Liverpool looming next week, I think it’s unlikely we’ll take any chances with him today. I have seen that he has traveled with the team, but he was also with the team for the game against Villa. If it were me, I would exercise maximum caution when it comes to Rice’s involvement. I don’t want to say we have bigger fish to fry than Bournemouth, that’s not the case at all, but we still have half a season to play and we need him for that more than today.
With little opportunity to change much at the back, I wonder if the midfield configuration might be influenced by who starts up front. After a goal against Villa on Tuesday, Gabriel Jesus has to force his way to the front of the line, and against a team that has a serious long throw (more on that anon), we lose a bit of height and physical presence if Viktor Gyokeres doesn’t start. That probably means that while the idea of starting Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze is tempting, Mikel Merino will likely get the nod alongside the captain, with Martin Zubimendi behind them.
We normally ask our centre-forward to defend the near post from corners and set pieces, which makes sense if it’s a big boy like Gyokeres or Kai Havertz (or even Merino if he plays there), but it’s not entirely within Jesus’ wheelhouse. Perhaps that even plays a role in the manager’s decision on today’s striker. Against a side like Bournemouth, who press hard and leave space if you can get around it, you could make a reasonable argument that this might suit Gyokeres, but in terms of who is most likely to score lately, the Brazilian is ahead for me.
It looks like Antoine Semenyo will be available for the home side today, which I think makes sense for both Bournemouth and Man City. I suspect that if they were playing another opponent today, his impending move to the Etihad would earn him this defeat, but it suits City well that Bournemouth’s best player is coming up against a team they are challenging for the title. Not to mention, he’s the man with the long throw who is so effective – ask Chelsea about the two goals they conceded at Stamford Bridge recently.
They have been in indifferent form lately, without a win in 10, but they are a very difficult team at home and there is a big difference between their form at the Vitality and on their travels. As Lewis pointed out in our preview podcast, they concede far fewer shots at home than away, and the way they press means their opponents’ possession statistics are generally lower than any other side in the league apart from Liverpool. So this could be a game where technical quality can really make a difference, which also adds to my feelings about Jesus (and Eze), but let’s see.
So this becomes more difficult than people would expect when they look at the form table. Mikel Arteta says:
We know how tough it will be tomorrow, and everyone will have to work on it. great respect for them. I know Andoni very well and I think what he does is incredible. I look at all the games they have played this season and against the top teams. It’s hard to understand how hard they made it and how they didn’t get results against them.
Three points today would put us seven clear of Man City before they face managerless Chelsea tomorrow afternoon. These are the moments in the title race where you can put pressure on your rivals, or perhaps give them some encouragement in their next match. I’m sure the manager and the players are well aware of that, and if this is to be the year we finally finish on top, days like today feel very important. Let’s hope we can get things done.
Okay, I’ll leave it at that for now. We have one preview podcast on Patreon if you need something to listen to, and as always we will live blog coverage and all the post-game stuff Arseblog news later.
Come on Arsenal!
#Bournemouth #preview #Days #these..