Tuesday’s loss raises both concerns and questions

Obviously, no one should be happy with the result the Gunners brought back to London from RC Lens on Tuesday.

In truth, it’s sounding like a broken record when the manager and the players claim they “just missed too many chances.”

Okay, okay, it’s not the end of the world losing a group stage game in the Champions League. In all honesty, I would rather have lost on Tuesday, and win this coming Sunday.

But at the end of the day Tuesday’s loss does raises both concerns and questions.

Concern #1:

Regarding the status of the injury to Bukayo Saka, it looks like it will be a wait and see situation on whether he can play on Sunday v Man City. Mikel Arteta told Norway’s TV2 Sport following Tuesday’s match, “It doesn’t look good, and is a worry ahead of Sunday’s game.” During his press conference this morning, the Arsenal manager spent most of his time defending his decision to play Saka at RC Lens, but he did say they really don’t know anything more concerning their star’s heal injury.

My guess is that Saka will not play on Sunday, and in all honesty, he probably should miss the international action as well which begins next week. In my opinion, Saka needs rest, and time to recover from the leg issues that have been a problem for him the last few matches.

Concern #2:

If Saka doesn’t play, who starts in his position on the pitch? It should be Reiss Nelson. Personally, I believe the 23-year-old Englishman has earned this opportunity to fill Saka’s big shoes and have a go against Pep Guardiola’s Man City. Nelson is a slick player who can move the ball, run with pace, and has proven his ability to score goals. He deserves the chance, so let him get out there and play.

Question #1:

Is David Raya to remain the Gunners’ #1 goalkeeper? Until Tuesday, I would have said the answer was a definitive yes. However, we saw some lapses v RC Lends which might raise some questions in the mind of Mikel Arteta. Yes, no, maybe? Ramsdale is a terrific goalkeeper, so maybe the boss can find a rotation that works for both Raya and Ramsdale. In my humble opinion, I think we have two #1 goalkeepers.

Question #2:

After ten matches, is it too early to say Arsenal has become inconsistent? The lads are making poor decisions that end up costing the team three points. They are missing goals in front of the net, and we are giving up goals on counter attacks because the defense isn’t responding quick enough, thus putting too much pressure on the goalkeeper.

Yes, the club is only 10 matches into the season, and yes, they have only lost one match of those 10 played. Maybe the final question should be, are we expecting  too much, too soon?

So, after reviewing my concerns and questions, my head is spinning trying to figure out the profile of this year’s Arsenal team.  We play Manchester City this Sunday. The match will be in Emirates Stadium, and the supporters will be at full volume. A win will put the Gunners on top of City, so Arteta needs to field his best team available. We need to see the REAL Arsenal  on Sunday.

Let’s go and beat City!

COYG!

Gunner1953