If the trip to Wolves barely a fortnight ago was tough, we can expect Thursday night’s return fixture to be every bit as gruelling.
Our narrow win at Molineux earlier this month was a significant result – not least amid a renaissance that has seen Bruno Lage’s side muscle their way into the top four discussion – so repeating that feat would be doubly-impressive.
But there will be an added edge to this latest encounter that, at least in my estimation, assures it will be no cakewalk for Mikel Arteta’s side, regardless of their current good form.
Wolves have found a new sense of purpose since Lage’s arrival and look much more the sort of outfit that caused countless upsets in their first seasons in the Premier League, after a period of stagnation under the now-departed Nuno.
There were moments of good fortune in our win at Molineux and, owing to Gabriel Martinelli’s bizarre red card, the team was once again required to dig deep to grind out a result. That’s a measure both of Wolves’ quality and our own.
One would hope home advantage might make things a little easier on Arteta’s side but it feels in many ways like that anomalous results we saw in the behind-closed-doors football of the pandemic might not become so anomalous in future. Playing away from home holds fewer of the fears it once did.
Maybe that sort of advantage will return again in time but, for now, we have to get used to teams being bolder on the road and that very much includes this Wolves side, who strolled into the Tottenham Stadium and claimed three points at a canter.
Confidence at Arsenal is high, however, and there is a steely resilience to this side that means we can go into games without the sort of fear that has pervaded our football for so long. We shouldn’t take anything for granted, of course.
The race for the top four is a tight one and every match from now until the end of the season is going to take on a sort of hyper-importance as teams vie for the all-important fourth spot. Fortunes will favour some while others will undoubtedly fall away but, the longer we stay involved, the better our chances. Getting past Wolves will keep us in a strong position.
Although a defeat at this stage is no disaster, the fact that our games in hand are against Chelsea and Liverpool mean we can’t count on that quirk of the league table as an advantage. We have to push for three points.
In terms of personnel, I see no particular reason to stray too far from the team that picked up three points against Bretnford. The return of Martinelli from suspension may raise a question in the manager’s mind but, after a protracted period on the sideline, Emile Smith Rowe will still be in good shape.
Having Martinelli and Pepe on the bench might also serve as a useful ‘Plan B’ should events not pan out entirely as we’d wish either.
Most important of all, however, is not taking this Wolves side too lightly. They were far from amused at the vivacity of our celebrations in the west midlands and it doesn’t take much to get a team fired up to settle scores. Maximum focus will be needed because another tough night awaits.
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