Mikel Arteta’s willingness to change-up his front line on Saturday definitely paid dividends and helped the Gunners get their second league win in-a-row.
Moving Leandro Trossard to center forward, and having Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka spaced out wide on the wings seemed to provide the Gunners with more scoring opportunities. Martinelli got the winner after Trossard’s was called off following another questionable VAR decision.
This team is learning how to win the “ugly” games, which at the end of the day will be very important to realizing any title dreams they might have. The games that require grit and guts are the ones that build team character, and Arteta is doing just that. This is a club that fails to give up until the final whistle is blown. Sure, winning games with “beautiful football” is amazing, but it’s those nail biters that really build a team’s motivation to win every game.
Going forward, every point is important. With Manchester City trailing by only a few points, you know Pep Guardiola will have his team focussed. Remember, City is a group that knows how to win trophies. They have been around the block many times, and they know how to deal with this typer of pressure. For the young Gunners, this is a new experience, but one they seem eager to face, and willing to conquer.
With that said, Wednesday is now a chance to get revenge following one of the Gunners worse displays of the season v Everton at Goodison Park on February 4th. Everton won that match 1-0 on Sam Dyche’s debut. This cannot happen again. These are three points that cannot slip through the Gunners fingers.
As far as squad rotation is concerned, the boss might give a few of his regulars a little rest on Wednesday. We have one of the best benches in the Premier League, and at some point this season, Arteta will have to rely on that bench to win matches, especially as matches come thick and fast over the final three months of the season. They need playing time as well.
Saturday’s win was indeed ugly, but at the end of the day, football is really a math project, not an art contest. Do you know what I mean?
Cheers.
Gunner1953
Mikel Arteta said on Friday Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are all in contention to be in the squad for Saturday’s match.
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