It feels odd writing a quick blog before heading out to a Saturday 3pm game.
Today’s game against Brighton is our 3rd home one of the season.
Those that do not go games often wonder why we bang on so much about Saturday 3pm kick offs.
We love Saturday 3pm’s because they are great for our football / life balance.
3pm means we are not having to get up early doors to head to a lunchtime kick off. Head still fuzzy from the Friday post-office drinks.
It means we can get up in a leisurely manner, do a few chores, have a full English before heading out around lunch time. Usually for a 1pm meet in a pub.
2 or 3 pints before the game is enough to keep the cold off, but not too much that you do not remember the game.
Post game, 3pm kick offs what it is all about too.
Head straight to the pub after the game, 4 or 5 pints takes you to around 7pm. Home by 8pm which is still early enough to take the misses out for diner (or in my case order a takeaway).
A 5:30pm kick off means that you either have to sacrifice those post match beers or, more likely, you still have that 4 or 5 pints, stroll in at 10.30pm and get sent to the spare room!
With the game on Saturday it also leaves you for family time on Sunday. Bit of gardening and a Sunday roast. It keeps everyone happy.
When we play on a Sunday you lose that family time, and then wake up on Monday morning for work still fuzzy.
Saturday 3pm is just perfect.
You can have a good pre and post game drink up and still go out for dinner after the game.
Those who sit at home watching the game on a dodgy laptop stream will never understand the importance of a 3pm Saturday kick off.
I jest, this is our 3rd Saturday 3pm game in Islington this season. Tottenham have not won a trophy in 14 years. We have played at home on a Saturday 3pm at least 40 times in that period!
It is another big weekend of football and I am already buzzing – mainly because WE HAVE A SATURDAY 3PM HOME GAME!
Tottenham are away to Aston Villa.
Villa are in awful form so I do not expect Spurs to drop anything in Birmingham. But in what has been a crazy season anything could happen!
Likewise Arsenal should wipe the floor with Brighton. But it feels like they have been a bit of a bogey team for us in recent seasons.
The race for top 4 will continually to swing widely as the season comes to a close there will be ups and downs for all involved.
West Ham’s European journey could help us out.
They are still on the coat tails of us and that lot up the road. Having drawn last night and with the second leg next week, surely they will test and rotate for their weekend game? They do not test have the squad depth to do that with success.
We should all be backing West Ham to get through.
The semi-final tie’s are the Thursday before and after when we are due to play them. If they are still in the competition surely they will be sacrificing Premier League position for a shot at their first ever European trophy?
If West Ham rest and rotate against us, what is a tricky away day could become a formality.
Top 4 is in our hands. Ultimately we need 72 points to finish 4th.
Ignore the negative talk from Sky and others after our defeat to Crystal Palace. It was literally our first away in 6 games.
One game does not dictate form. I would rather look at our 15 points from 18 away games to fully understand where we are.
Back the team tomorrow. Let’s get another 3 point win the big. And have a good drink up after.
The Portuguese left back has been highly criticised following his performance against Crystal Palace.
Palace’s first goal was his fault as he failed to challenge Joachim Anderson in the air. Their second came from a Gabriel mistake that he could have covered but was slow to react to.
Mikel Arteta pulled him at half time.
His previous start was the defeat against Nottingham Forest where he looked like a deer in headlights. After 35 minutes, he was taken off.
Tavares looked good in League Cup games against WBA and Wimbledon. But both were big victories where he was able to show his attacking prowess – he did very little defensively.
He then had a run in the Premier League team at the end of October and throughout November to mixed results.
Clean sheets against Leicester City, Watford and Newcastle were offset with conceding 4 against Liverpool and 3 against Manchester United.
The concern is Tavares has played well in games Arsenal dominate, but struggled when asked to defend.
Opponents will recognise he is vulnerable defensively and will begin to overload our left hand side in an attempt to expose him.
Would it be a risk starting him? Yes. But he is the reserve left-back and if he isn’t ready to step up at the age of 22-years-old, he should not be at Arsenal.
Re-shuffled back 4
If Arteta does not trust Tavares, he might opt to re-shuffle the back 4.
Ben White slotted into right back during the international break for England. It is a role he has played for Arsenal previously. We could then shift Cedric Soares to left back – a position he has also played for Arsenal. Rob Holding would then come into centre back.
That would leave us with: White Holding Gabriel Cedric.
It is a defence that might work, but would also be making 3 changes to cover 1 player out.
Had Takehiro Tomiyasu been fit, I would have been comfortable with Tomiyasu White Gabriel Cedric. But the Japanese full back is out until at least the Southampton game.
Re-shuffling the back 4 is an option, but it is perhaps too many changes.
Granit Xhaka at full back
A few have proposed Xhaka moving to left back from midfield. In 2020/21 he played there 6 times for Arsenal.
Moving Xhaka to left back is something we should avoid.
With Thomas Partey picking up an injury against Crystal Palace, Albert Sambi Lokonga will have to step up for a few games.
We need Xhaka’s experience in midfield alongside the Belgium 22-year-old.
Pushing Xhaka into left back and going with a midfield of Mo Elneny and Lokonga would fill me with dread.
This is a non option
Bukayo Saka at full back
12 months ago, this would have been the go to choice.
Saka was still making his was in the Arsenal team and was not as influential going forward as he currently is.
These days, Saka is our most important attacking threat.
Whilst he might shore up the defence, we would lose too much going forward.
Nicolas Pepe might be able to fill in on the right hand side, but I am not sure I would want to sacrifice what Saka brings.
3-4-3
We saw Arteta drop to a 3-4-3 formation in the run in to the FA Cup.
This could be an option if Arteta wants to shore up the defence whilst still giving Saka an attacking role.
Ben White, Rob Holding Gabriel would be the back 3, with Cedric Soares, Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey (or Lokonga if Partey is out) alongside Saka in midfield.
This would give us more defensive stability whilst also keeping Saka in a more attacking position.
The front 3 would then be Alexandre Lacazette and one of Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odergaard, Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel.
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 