T
Thomas
Guest
With a full week to rest up and prepare for this one, I’m expecting a performance.
You can never dismiss the idea that a top side will just turn up and take you to the cleaners but I’ll be annoyed if that’s the case this time.
Not great but not awful last weekend
Arsenal have had a rough week and expended plenty of energy, which is to our advantage if Gary can extract the right response from the group.
The longer we stay in the game, the more uncomfortable it’s going to become for them so I hope Wolves come out ready to go the distance.
Villa did a number on the Gunners last week. It was a super performance from them and showed why Arsenal still aren’t quite at the Man City level, even if the league table suggests otherwise.
It’s unimaginative to say they need a number 9 but it’s true. In those clutch moments there’s no focal point to their attack. Shut them down out wide (easier said than done admittedly) and you restrict much of their effectiveness.
Two games without a goal at the worst possible time
Arteta was taking some grief for moving Havertz out of that position for the Villa match after his recent good run, but having put him back there against Bayern in the week, the end result was the same – no goals in a crunch game.
Experience probably comes into it too. They’re a young side and however good many of their players are, not many of them have gone the distance in a big competition. That often makes the difference.
None of this is to say they’re not a highly formidable opponent. They exert a lot of control in games, have a couple of top class players in nearly every position and clearly know what they’re trying to do at all times.
They could still easily go on and win the title, but at the same time, it’s clear that a couple of additions would take them to a different level. I expect they’ll do that business in the summer and be right in there against next season.
This season, I think they’re going to finish second.
I haven’t heard Gary’s update on the walking wounded but I assume he’ll be dealing from a similar deck to last weekend.
We could do with getting Ait-Nouri back because without him I think we’re lacking a ball carrier to prevent teams stepping onto us without the fear of being exposed with the space they leave in behind.
If we’ve got Cunha and Ait-Nouri and possibly even Hwang for some of the game, it changes the dynamic. The likes of Sarabia, Doyle and Doherty have done well for us this season but they’re very static players. We’ve been at our best when we’ve had more mobility in the XI.
Well done to shrewdsimon, Aquilador, Marin wolf, Matt Cook, Steady Eddie and Pete Dunbar for all correctly predicting the 2-2 scoreline at the City Ground.
This is a tough one because I think Arsenal are feeling the pinch and it wouldn’t surprise me if Arteta rotated a few players to keep them fresh after a relatively short turnaround from Wednesday night.
They’ve got quality to come into the side but I just wonder if the pressure, recent results and a bit of uncertainty might tip it in our favour. I’ll say a draw, as I’m not quite bold enough to go all out – 1-1.
As always, if you’d like to join in with the Prediction League this season, it’s simple – just leave your prediction in the comment section below using the boxes provided. Then repeat for every preview article throughout the season, making sure you always use the same email address to make your prediction. Your email is what ties you to your overall score.
Up The Wolves!
Continue reading...
You can never dismiss the idea that a top side will just turn up and take you to the cleaners but I’ll be annoyed if that’s the case this time.
Not great but not awful last weekend
Arsenal have had a rough week and expended plenty of energy, which is to our advantage if Gary can extract the right response from the group.
The longer we stay in the game, the more uncomfortable it’s going to become for them so I hope Wolves come out ready to go the distance.
Arsenal
Villa did a number on the Gunners last week. It was a super performance from them and showed why Arsenal still aren’t quite at the Man City level, even if the league table suggests otherwise.
It’s unimaginative to say they need a number 9 but it’s true. In those clutch moments there’s no focal point to their attack. Shut them down out wide (easier said than done admittedly) and you restrict much of their effectiveness.
Two games without a goal at the worst possible time
Arteta was taking some grief for moving Havertz out of that position for the Villa match after his recent good run, but having put him back there against Bayern in the week, the end result was the same – no goals in a crunch game.
Experience probably comes into it too. They’re a young side and however good many of their players are, not many of them have gone the distance in a big competition. That often makes the difference.
None of this is to say they’re not a highly formidable opponent. They exert a lot of control in games, have a couple of top class players in nearly every position and clearly know what they’re trying to do at all times.
They could still easily go on and win the title, but at the same time, it’s clear that a couple of additions would take them to a different level. I expect they’ll do that business in the summer and be right in there against next season.
This season, I think they’re going to finish second.
Wolves
I haven’t heard Gary’s update on the walking wounded but I assume he’ll be dealing from a similar deck to last weekend.
We could do with getting Ait-Nouri back because without him I think we’re lacking a ball carrier to prevent teams stepping onto us without the fear of being exposed with the space they leave in behind.
If we’ve got Cunha and Ait-Nouri and possibly even Hwang for some of the game, it changes the dynamic. The likes of Sarabia, Doyle and Doherty have done well for us this season but they’re very static players. We’ve been at our best when we’ve had more mobility in the XI.
Predictions
Well done to shrewdsimon, Aquilador, Marin wolf, Matt Cook, Steady Eddie and Pete Dunbar for all correctly predicting the 2-2 scoreline at the City Ground.
This is a tough one because I think Arsenal are feeling the pinch and it wouldn’t surprise me if Arteta rotated a few players to keep them fresh after a relatively short turnaround from Wednesday night.
They’ve got quality to come into the side but I just wonder if the pressure, recent results and a bit of uncertainty might tip it in our favour. I’ll say a draw, as I’m not quite bold enough to go all out – 1-1.
As always, if you’d like to join in with the Prediction League this season, it’s simple – just leave your prediction in the comment section below using the boxes provided. Then repeat for every preview article throughout the season, making sure you always use the same email address to make your prediction. Your email is what ties you to your overall score.
Up The Wolves!
Continue reading...