After back-to-back draws in which they squandered two-goals leads, it’s fair to say Arsenal’s grip on to the Premier League’s top spot is hanging by a thread.
There may well be additional twists and turns to come in what remains of this season but, with their points cushion now squandered, it’s going to take something remarkable for Mikel Arteta’s men to hold off the challenge of Manchester City – pretty much as it has done so far in this campaign.
In order for them to do that, they’re going to need to get a result of some description at the Etihad Stadium but, before then, the Gunners will need to get past relegation-threatened Southampton, a side fighting to hold on to their top-flight status.
Three weeks ago, this game would have been a 4-0 formality but, as the pressure continues to ramp up and our pursuers get ever closer, things become less clear cut. I’m still confident but I rule nothing out.
With victories over Liverpool and West Ham under our belts, Arteta would have had the luxury of resting a few of his first-choice for tonight’s match but I don’t feel like he has that option now. We need to get this match won and won well and there is no margin for error.
We can’t stop competing at our maximum until we are four or five goals ahead and that is presuming we are able to get into that position in the first place. The new Southampton manager is a canny operator and certainly won’t be offering up any favours.
Expect, therefore, to see the likes of Alex Zinchenko, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. If things were different, you could probably have made the case for resting them all.
And, who knows, the manager may yet decided to gamble on one or two changes in the hope his team can get the job done but I wouldn’t be surprised if he errs on the side of caution instead. An injury at this stage of the season could be ruinous but anything other than a win tonight would be worse.
I hope above all else that the fans can hold their nerve, even if the players aren’t quite at it. Nothing generates fear quite like fear and a tense atmosphere at the Emirates will feed through the players in a heartbeat – we’ve all seen it happen. Even if we find ourselves a goal down tonight, the fans have to stay alive and alert because the 12th man will have a big role to play if we’re to get over the line this campaign.
When we travelled to St Mary’s earlier in the season, we were held to a surprise draw in a game we had dominated and threatened to win quite comfortably after a blistering start. The parallels with the last few weeks won’t be lost on any of us. We can afford no repeats because three successive matches without a win is not worth contemplating.
Let’s win and let’s win well. Oh, and if Bukayo Saka could smash home a penalty too, that would be great!
See you on the other sie, Gunners.
Blog on You Gunners 