Arsenal are set to open their account at the Emirates on Saturday as they host Leicester City.
After an excellent start to the campaign at Selhurst Park last Friday, Mikel Arteta’s men should be looking to make it two wins from two amid what is set to be a blistering afternoon in north London.
Though Leicester aren’t quite the side they were two or three years ago, they remain a tidy, technical team under Brendan Rogers capable of causing an upset on their day. Complacency is ever the enemy when a team is in good form and the Gunners must guard against it.
Tempo and intensity were very much the order of the day in last week’s season-opener at Palace and that will need to be the case again from the outset on Saturday. Temperatures are set to peak at about 35 degrees in Islington and that will make for an utterly exhausting afternoon for those on the pitch.
If the Gunners can get their noses in front early and decisively, they can allow the conditions to work in their favour as the afternoon wears on. The last thing anyone would want to be doing is chasing a game in stifling heat.
A fast start is also vital against a side that is in something of a state of flux, as Leicester currently are. Far from the settled side of recent years, there remains a lot of speculation around possible player departures from the Foxes, with Youri Tielemans and James Maddison both the subject of much speculation and talismanic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel already having departed.
Rogers’ side have made just one signing so far this summer and they launched their campaign with an ultimately disappointing 2-2 draw with Brentford, a game which they led 2-0 at one stage.
Football can sometimes be about timing and now would seem like a good time to be welcoming Leicester to our patch. We must take advantage.
In terms of personnel, I wouldn’t expect any changes to be made from the line up that worked so well last Friday. Barring any undisclosed injuries, I would expect us to make the most of being able to name an unchanged side. Substitutions could be key, however, particularly as the impact of the heat is felt and the manager’s use of his changes will be important to the outcome.
It will also be hugely important for those getting on the pitch as they look to build fitness and get some competitive minutes under their belts in the early part of the season. I would expect to see Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Eddie Nketiah at various points and there may even be opportunities for Nicolas Pepe and Sambi Lokonga too, depending on how the match plays out.
It is crucial we don’t get complacent and we don’t get ahead of ourselves, though. A good start only remains a good start while the level of concentration and performance stays high. For all their issues, Leicester remain a good side and well capable of causing an upset at this stage of the season. If we can get in gear early, we can really put a marker down.
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