It wouldn’t be unfair to say victory at Fulham on Sunday came at a canter and, alongside three welcome Premier League points, it brought Mikel Arteta’s squad a rare bonus: rest.
It’s not often you are handed the opportunity to throttle down in a league match these days, with almost every side in the competition capable of giving you 90 uncomfortable minutes, particularly on the road.
What a gift it was, therefore, that our trip to Craven Cottage afforded us not only the win but the opportunity to withdraw players like Bukayo Saka, Ben White, and Oleksandr Zinchenko a good deal earlier than we might have expected. That rest could be invaluable.
Winning the league remains a fiendishly difficult task and, in order to do it, we are going to need everyone to stay fit. A run of injuries at this stage, given the squad depth enjoyed by Manchester City, could see our wheels fall off, particularly as we still have to travel to the Etihad (and Anfield for that matter).
A few early baths, therefore, are not to be sniffed at – especially for players like Saka who, by any estimation, has played more minutes than he should have.
And, while important, this Thursday’s visit of Sporting Club de Portugal to the Emirates should offer us another opportunity to keep some energy in reserve for those we deem will be most important to our run-in.
Of course we should go into the fixture looking to win and progress. The Europa League is a valuable piece of silverware and, with no guarantees that our campaign to win the league will be successful, it will pay to keep competing.
That said, we learned enough from our trip to Lisbon to know that we have more than enough quality in this squad to get the job done, and done well. That’s where our squad comes in.
The likes of Kieran Tierney, Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Reiss Nelson, Matt Turner and others should have the opportunity to claim some minutes and keep themselves engaged and match fit, while the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe can take their chance to build confidence and sharpness after lengthy lay-offs.
To be clear, this fixture is more than a simple fitness exercise and I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to dismiss Sporting as some sort of training ground fodder. They will come to London with a plan and with hopes of causing an upset. It will fall to our squad players to ensure that doesn’t happen and that means maintaining the levels we have seen in recent weeks.
Since going down 3-1 to Manchester City, the Gunners have reeled off five straight wins in the league, bouncing back back in impressive fashion, and it’s important they keep that momentum going and the belief among the squad, even those not in the starting XI every week, simmering.
I am confident they can get the job done and get it done well. It would be a shame if the manager found himself in a position which required risking three or four of those slated to start against Crystal Palace on Sunday in order to salvage the tie and a bigger shame still if one of those picked up an injury.
So the onus, therefore, is on our squad stars to get out there and maintain the sorts of standards we are seeing set by the first team. A successful conclusion to this campaign will be a whole-squad effort and that means picking up where we left off last Sunday.
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