It’s Brendan Rogers’ capricious Leicester side making the trip to north London on Sunday, offering another chance for Arsenal to cement their European credentials.
When the two sides met earlier in the season, Arsenal escaped with a near-miraculous win that, if we’re being entirely honest, they probably didn’t deserve but we are a different beast now.
Then, we were still raw, uncertain and prone to error. Now, we have developed a hard-headed cynicism, a battling edge and a sense of identity that saw us turn in a quite fantastic performance at Watford last time out.
Repeating that will be hard against a side of Leicester’s quality but we’re in a healthy position and there’s plenty of momentum behind us. We relied a little on good fortune and individual brilliance at the King Power Stadium to see us through, now we have a stronger collective and better all round game.
There are much harder games ahead in March after a pretty favourable run for Mikel Arteta’s men so if we can give ourselves a little buffer on Sunday, it will release the valve a little as we negotiate some pretty testing encounters.
That’s not to say that Leicester will be easy but we must look to take advantage of their circumstances when they are in our favour, and a home fixture against an inconsistent side like Leicester is something we should be looking to capitalise on.
It’s always worth bearing in mind that Rogers is no fool and the Foxes have a better record than many at the Emirates so the basics will have to be done well but I don’t sense much complacency in this side. It’s not something that will ever disappear, human as we all are, but I feel like Arteta has ironed out many of the wrinkles that used to pervade our psyche as a team.
With Spurs facing Manchester United this weekend, somebody is going to drop points, while Chelsea’s well-deserved sanctioning and imminent administration mean we can look upwards with a sense of purpose and not longing.
Seasons can turn in moments but, more often, they are built on runs and we are in the midst of a good one – one of the best in the league in fact. There’s no underestimating the potential value another three points could have if we can manage eek them out on Sunday.
In terms of personnel, Emile Smith Rowe looks set for a return to the fold but in what capacity remains to be seen. I’d always be loathed to change too much with a winning team but there could be an opportunity to freshen things up or rest some legs if the manager sees fit.
If naught else, Emile will bring some extra quality and guile as a substitute should it be needed. I think this will be a tough and close-fought game so I expect we could need just that heading into the final quarter.
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