Morning.
There was good news and bad news ahead of tonight’s Champions League tie with Inter Milan. The fact Martin Odegaard is back in training and with the squad is obviously a boost, because we have really missed him. Mikel Arteta said of his situation:
He trained with us for the first time, a full session today. He felt good, it’s a bit earlier than we expected, but he wanted to be with the team, so we’ll decide tomorrow whether we use him, but at least it’s a big step that he’s travelled with us and is part of the team.
It’s probably a bit much to hope that even his presence with the travelling party will have a positive impact, it’s much more about what he can do on the pitch, but it’s excellent news and hopefully we’ll see a bit of him later for the first time since August 31st. I think it’s too soon for him to start, but maybe a cameo off the bench could be useful for us. On the flip side though, there’s no Declan Rice due to a foot injury:
Declan unfortunately picked up an injury against Newcastle. He was able to finish the game but he wasn’t feeling good in the last few days so we have to assess him on Thursday to understand whether he will be fit or not for the weekend.
That’s a bit worrying ahead of Sunday too, and certainly gives Arteta some thinking to do. I suppose the obvious answer is a Thomas Partey/Mikel Merino duo, assuming the former isn’t required at right-back this evening (I hope not). He could also play Jorginho in there if he felt like his experience would be useful, and then it’s about what combination he uses ahead of them.
I think Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka are obvious starters, it’ll probably be Gabriel Martinelli on the left, and I wouldn’t be that surprised to see Gabriel Jesus start this one. He’s obviously been a long way from his best, but last season his best and most productive performances came in Europe, so if the manager is minded to make a change after the disappointing defeat to Newcastle, that’s one option open to him. In truth, most of the forward line were poor on Saturday, and I generally like to see a reaction to that in terms of team selection – even if the options aren’t terribly convincing.
It was put to the manager this was a test of character for his team, after a difficult few games, and as you might expect, he sounded a positive note:
We are in an incredible moment and we are blessed to be where we are. We’re going to play this competition, we’re going to play 70 games, we’re going to have injuries, we’re going to have defeats like many other teams and it shows where we are and then how good we’re going to be to react and be ourselves and tomorrow come here to win again.
My blood is pumping. This is the kind of game that we want to play.
There’s no doubt Saturday was a real off-day. We were well below the standards we’ve set in recent seasons, and while it’s hard to fully explain why, it’s important we don’t let that happen again tonight. Inter are current Italian champions, second in Serie A, having lost just once all season, so this is a serious outfit we’re facing. Arteta says of tonight’s opposition:
I think they have a really clear idea and identity and that for me is the biggest strength of Inter and that’s full credit to the manager. He has some very specific ideas, especially in ball possession, the way he moves the position of certain players to occupy different spaces and this makes it tricky and unpredictable.
They play with three at the back, and usually with a strike partnership up front, so there will be challenges for a defence that hasn’t been at its best this season – in part because we’ve had issues with injuries and suspensions, but there’s room for improvement. After the Newcastle game though, we need to see more at the other end from players capable of way better. We didn’t create very much at St James’ Park, and barely gave their goalkeeper anything to do, so let’s hope for a lot better later on.
For more on that game, and the challenges we’ll face, check out our preview podcast over on Patreon right now.
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As you’d expect, Arteta was also asked about the departure of Edu, and paid tribute to someone he’d worked so closely with since his arrival at the club. In typical style though, there was a practical/pragmatic message too for fans who might be a bit worried about the impact of the Sporting Director leaving:
We have a very strong leadership team with an unbelievable know-how, a real passion and great feelings for the football club, that we’re not going to stop where we are at the moment.
We move on, we say thank you, and we have to move on because that’s the reality of our industry.
Can’t argue with that. Whether it’s players, managers, coaches, or even executives these days, football has always been about people moving from one club to another, from one job to another. For Arsenal, what has happened up to now, and the work Edu has done, is part of our history, but it’s what we do next that is the important thing. I suspect it might be something we take our time over, and the internal structures remain solid so it’s not like scrabbling around trying to replace a manager or a head coach.
It was interesting that in press conference they ‘allowed’ just two questions about Edu before moving on, so it’s clearly something the club want to draw a line under. It’s a faint line until such time as they appoint someone else, because the speculation and questions won’t go away until that, but for now, we have more important things to worry about – starting with the game tonight.
Remember, you can join us for live blog coverage, as well as all the post-game stuff over on Arseblog News afterwards. For now, have a good one, and I’ll catch you later for all the action.
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