Gabriel Jesus needs to accept new Sylvain Wiltord role

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No one would have predicted the scoreline. The Arsenal FIVE, Chelsea NIL.

It was the sixth time in 2024 that we have struck four or more goals against the opponent. And 5 out of 6 of those games had something in common – no Gabriel Jesus up top.

Against West Ham, Sheffield United, Newcastle and Chelsea, Kai Havertz was given the role of the central striker. In the 5-0 win at Burnley, Leandro Trossard played up top with Havertz deeper.

It was only against Crystal Palace back in January that Jesus started – and Havertz once again played deeper.

For those that love a process, we are in the middle of the next stage.

In 2022, Arsenal signed the players needed to make us a top 4 team again – the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Olexsandr Zinchenko. A year on and we were challenging for the title.

The 2023 transfer window was no longer about signing players to help us get into the top 4, it was all about signing players that would make us regular title challengers – in came in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.

The Raya signing (initially on loan) was controversial at the time, and this drew a lot of criticism from fans. But as always Thierry Henry was the voice of reason saying “he [Arteta] sees David Raya as a guy that can make him win the league.

“When Bernd Leno left Arsenal, he saw Ramsdale as a guy that could make him go into the top 4.”

And this is where we are now at in the process.

To compete on a regular basis, and to have a chance of becoming champions, we need to buy better than what we have. In turn, that could lead to some fan favourites being relegated from starters to back up dancers, and potentially leaving the club.

This summer will be a bit like last summer, where we recruit 2 or 3 top players that can start week in week out for us. The result will be that those starting will have to accept being squad players, and those currently on the bench will be sold.

I have made no secret of the 3 players I want – Benjamin Sesko, Nico Williams and Martin Zubimendi. Signing these 3 would put pressure on Gabriel Jesus/Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Jorginho/Thomas Partey. The final result will be the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe leave Arsenal.

No one can make a case that Nketiah, Nelson and Smith Rowe are better options than Sesko, Williams and Zubimendi, and if those aforementioned players are struggling for game time now, they will see even less of it as we continue to strengthen.

The next big step for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal is a new striker. And that man will be in a similar mould to Kai Havertz.

We have seen the advantages of having someone like Havertz up top in all these big wins we have had. The team now needs to transition from a Jesus type striker to a Havertz type. And this is where Arteta always wanted to go.

In the January transfer window before signing Jesus, we were linked with strikers of a completely different profile – Dusan Vlahovic, Dominic Calvert Lewin and Alexander Isak. It was clear Arteta wanted to play with a big, mobile centre forward who was comfortable coming deep and playing wide.

Vlahovic ended up at Juventus, Calvert Lewin got injured and lost form, and we opted for Jesus over Isak.

The links this summer are to players of a similar profile to those previously – Sesko, Viktor Gyökeres, Joshua Zirkzee and the previously linked Vlahhovic and Isak.

I think it is clear the direction Arteta wants the team to go in to take us to the next level again, and that is having a more physical, direct striker who is mobile enough to press and technical enough to drop deep.

That strikers natural cover will then be Kai Havertz. The German will also still provide an option as the left sided 8 when we want to go more attacking, and also cover for Martin Odegaard.

So what would all of this mean for Gabriel Jesus.

In the first half of last season, Jesus was integral in our fast start. He, and Zinchenko, bought a new mentality to the team. But there was a reason why Pep Guardiola was happy to let them both go – neither are that level you need as starters if you want to win the league.

Both are brilliant squad players – I am actually excited to see Zinchenko finally get to play a role more centrally and further forward (replacing Granit Xhaka) next season. Jesus meanwhile is a fantastic option across all 3 forward positions.

Jesus has never really been a striker, he has also never really been a winger. But what he does is provide cover and competition in all the positions. You would not be upset if either Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli were rested and Jesus came in.

The Brazilian would also provide a “Plan B” striking option to the more physical new signing. In some games Arteta might deem it better to go with someone smaller, trickier and less predictable. Jesus would also become a formidable option off the bench.

Jesus transitioning to a squad player would also mean that we do not necessarily need a new winger – we would have Saka, Martinelli, Jesus and Trossard as wide options with a new striker, Havertz and Jesus as the options up top. That would enable us to invest more in a top striker if needed.

Imagine a world where we are bringing on Havertz, Jesus and Trossard to try and win a game rather than Nketiah, Smith Rowe and Nelson being unused and untrusted subs. There is no doubt that the right recruitment at the top end of our squad will dramatically improve it.

Unfortunately for Jesus, he will have to accept a return to the utility role he played at City.

He joined us in the hope of regular first team football playing down the middle, but due to injuries and drop offs in form, Arteta and Arsenal now need to look in a new direction.

The selling point to Jesus will that despite him becoming more a utility player, he will still see plenty of game time. And the example is with his (sort of) replacement at Manchester City.

Julian Alvarez has played more Premier League minutes than any other player for City this season, but he has rarely started in his favoured centre forward position.

Alvarez has played the majority of this campaign either behind Haaland or out wide. the only time he got a run up top was when the Norwegian striker was injured. Jesus would play a very similar role to us.

You could see Jesus still starting 70% of games when fit, allowing Arteta to continually rotate between him, Martinelli and Saka. And as above, there will be times when Arteta might want to go with Jesus down the middle.

This change will certainly not be the end of Jesus’s journey with The Arsenal, and we should not consider selling him under any circumstances. 2024/25 will just be the start of a new journey with Arsenal, not to dissimilar to the role Sylvain Wiltord played in the invincibles.

Jesus being relegated from starter to squad player should be seen as a positive. It shows we are no longer only looking at players to take keep us in the top 4. We are looking for players to make us champions.

And then looking into my crystal ball at 2025, when we need to improve again, you might see a surprise like a new left winger coming in that is better than Martinelli, or a new right back better than Ben White.

Teams need to evolve, and making players or fans unhappy as you recruit better players is part of the process.

UTA

Keenos

MATCH REPORT: Arsenal 5 – 0 Chelsea

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Arsenal (1) 5 Chelsea (0) 0
Premier League
Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park, London N5 1BU
Tuesday, 23rd April 2024. Kick-off time: 8.00pm

(4-3-3) David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Takehiro Tomiyasu; Martin Ødegaard (c), Thomas Partey, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard.
Substitutes: Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith-Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Jakob Kiwior, (Jorge Luiz Frello Filho) Jorginho, Fábio Vieira, Oleksandr Zinchenko

Scorers: Leandro Trossard (4 mins), Ben White (52, 70 mins), Kai Havertz (57, 59 mins)
Yellow Cards: Mikel Arteta, Ben White, Leandro Trossard
Arsenal Possession Percentage: 44%

Referee: Simon Hooper
Assistant Referees: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long
Fourth Official: Graham Scott
VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Peter Bankes; AVAR Simon Bennett

Attendance: 60,238

A major showdown ahead on St. George’s Day with the boys from SW6, as most of our matches are with them, and have been for many years now.

This evening’s game could see the return of Takehiro Tomiyasu after his injury that prevented him from taking part in Saturday’s victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, but aside from him, there appear to be no other issues reported.

Right from the start, there was an immediate penalty shout as Kai Havertz went through but tumbled under pressure from the retreating Benoit Badiashile as soon as he strolled into the penalty area, but in the fourth minute, we had the perfect start when Declan Rice moved forward before feeding in Leandro Trossard who, although the angle may well have been against him, got his head over the ball and smashed it past Chelsea goalie Djordje Petrovic and into the net for our opening goal!

A few minutes later, Takehiro Tomiyasu collapsed on the halfway line after clashing with Nicholas Jackson, whose studs appeared to catch our man just above the ankle, but the VAR team were not interested in informing the referee about it, apparently.

Chelsea came back at us through Conor Gallagher, but William Saliba was on hand to deal with the issue successfully. The visitors certainly felt that they had a chance in scoring, with the best of the chances falling to Axel Disasi but the ball ran post our post, thankfully.

We started to take a hold on the game when Declan Rice received the ball on the half-turn, easily spinning past Enzo Fernandez before firing a strong shot just over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.

Although Nicholas Jackson hit the outside of the post when the visitors broke out of their half, we just shrugged out shoulders and got on with the game. Just before the half hour mark, we had three good chances to score again.

Bukayo Saka ran into the penalty area but his shot went straight at the keeper, and then Chelsea lost the ball and goalie Djordje Petrovic was called into action to deny Leandro Trossard an obvious goalscoring chance, and then the keeper pulled off a sensational save to keep out another Leandro Trossard shot that deflected off a defender at the last moment and looked certain to drop into the bottom corner of the net before fate took a hand.

Just before the break, Chelsea had a couple of good chances to score through Nicholas Jackson and Conor Gallagher, but David Raya played exceptionally well to keep the visitors out to ensure that we were a goal to the good at half time, but not before Mikel Arteta was booked by the referee for complaining!

The second half started rather slowly, with both clubs having chances to score, but it was us that got closest to putting the ball into the net when Declan Rice won the ball off Conor Gallagher high up the pitch and passed it to captain Martin Ødegaard, who moved forward and beautifully laid the ball off to Declan Rice in the penalty area, but he shot it straight at the Chelsea keeper.

Our captain was driving the boys forward, and it was a sublime pass from him that found its way to Kai Havertz, who was through on goal, but Chelsea keeper Djordje Petrovic raced off his line to keep out our man, sadly.

Seven minutes after the restart, we grabbed our second goal of the night when the ball was eventually played in to Declan Rice whose shot was blocked, which fell right into the path of Ben White who merely tapped the ball into the net.

This second goal certainly fired us up, and five minutes later, we scored our third goal when Martin Ødegaard played a stunning pass forward, which was weighted perfectly for Kai Havertz who ran through on a one-on-one with Djordje Petrovic and merely chipped the ball over the hapless Chelsea keeper and into the net.

We were now actively hunting for more goals, with Chelsea looking more and more lost as the game was rolling on.

Kai Havertz scored our fourth of the night when his shot went in off the post, and our tails were up and our confidence was there for all to see.

Ben White scored our fifth of the night (and his second) when he collected Martin Ødegaard’s lobbed through-ball, attempting a first-time cross that stroked elegantly into the top corner of the net!

A few minutes later, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard were replaced by Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli in order to consolidate our situation on the pitch, and there were even more changes when Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko replaced Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu with about a quarter of an hour remaining of the match.

Ben White was booked for a silly, yet minor infringement and a little whilte later, we almost scored our sixth goal when Declan Rice hit the post, and then, with one eye on the weekend, Mikel Arteta replaced Bukayo Saka with Fábio Vieira with just a few minutes left on the clock.

Fábio Vieira then went on a clever run through the Chelsea defence before unleashing a strong shot which hit the side-netting, confusing everyone, as it looked like a goal!

During the seven minutes injury time, Gabriel Martinelli easily beat the offside trap and ran at the Chelsea goal, but Djordje Petrovic somehow saved the one-on-one to spare the visitors yet further embarrassment. There were no more goals, and we ran out worthy winners here tonight.

With this victory tonight, we have gone three points clear of Liverpool and have significantly added to our goal difference situation as well, which is most pleasing to see. Tonight’s win was a triumph for everyone in the team, but none more so than our captain Martin Ødegaard who put in a masterful performance that inspired his men from start to finish.

It was great to see both Kai Havertz and Ben White get two goals, but it is not to be forgotten that Leandro Trossard’s early goal set us on the path to victory against our West London rivals this evening. And yet, we could have scored yet more goals tonight, but it was not to be.

The performance by everyone overall was wonderful, the attitude was first-class, and nobody in the Premiership will surely fancy their chances when they get the opportunity to play us, whenever that is. Well done, chaps!

Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners.

Our next match: Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, 28th April at 2.00pm (Premier League). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Steve

Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon

Jekyll and Hyde Chelsea should not be taken lightly

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And just like that, we wake up and it is another game day.

Facing Chelsea is never an easy task, no matter what form they are in.

As Mikel Arteta said in his pre-game press conference, we need to “keep doing what we’ve been doing, focus on the game, on the task.”

Whilst some of us might already be glancing towards Sunday’s North London Derby, we need to get past this Jekyll and Hyde Chelsea team first.

Chelsea have lost just 2 games from 8 against Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Man U and Tottenham – 2 wins, 4 draws, 2 defeats. They certainly seem to up their game in these bigger matches.

Reports are that Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto are out injured, but my feeling is this is just Mauricio Pochettino being cagey on his team selection. And ultimately they have 3209572057 players to choose from so having a couple out will not make much of a difference.

Arsenal seem to have no new injury issues. It was only Jurrien Timber that Arteta spoke about yesterday, ruling the Dutchman out of Sunday’s game against Tottenham.

Last night, Timber played his first game since August – starting left back for the U21s. If you have been living under a rock, he opened the scoring within 9 minute with an absolute worldie.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has got some criticism this season for his defensive frailties, with many calling for a new left back to be signed this summer. This is wrong.

Arteta recognised last summer that Zinchenko would be better utilised further forward and centrally, and pushed for the signing of Timber.

I am fairly certain that had Timber been fit this season, the Dutchman would have spent much of his time at left back, and we would have seen Zinchenko replace Granit Xhaka in that left hand 8 position, with Declan Rice in behind. Who knows what we might have gone on to achieve?

Considering how long he has been out for, and how little of the season there is left, it is unlikely that Timber will start a first team game this season.

What is more likely is he gets on the bench for Bournemouth and Everton and has a 10-minute run out at the end of both games if we are comfortably winning.

With the focus back on today, we just need to start fast and maintain that intensity. Win and the momentum is back with us.

UTA.

Keenos