After Brentford. All eyes on Wednesday!
Arsenal drew on Saturday evening with Brentford, which felt like a thirtieth 1-1 result in the league this season. The result itself was never going to matter - it was always going to be about Madrid!
The starting line-up was close to my expectations bar three changes.
Partey came at right back, since Ben White was pulled out of the squad just before the game. To be honest, it is quite concerning because we need real fighters in Madrid. And even if not fully fit, he could put in a shift of solid 15-20 minutes.
Rice has put in another shift again. After a solid display on Tuesday he was again running all around the pitch, topping it with a 70-meter sprint for the only Arsenal assist in the game.
Martinelli has also started and put in a 90-minute active shift. Again, after a full ninety on Tuesday, another ninety today is a bit worrying. Martinelli does a lot of running on the pitch. Even today he was sprinting back to form a 5-player defence, just as he did in the Champions League. His game is all about intensity and I believe intensity would be critical against Real. They have speed, they have brilliant technical skills, but our intensity - that is not something they are ready to compete with.
Except Martinelli, Arteta did a pretty good rotation and gave some form of rest to anyone who is supposed to start in Madrid. And everyone has put in a pretty good shift. I would say that the first half was actually more dangerous and inspiring than the second one, when Saka and Odegaard were introduced.
The “positives”
While it’s been only a draw, there have been few definite positives:
No injuries to the first team players. We need to play our best eleven in Madrid. Especially the likes of Timber, Saliba, MLS, Rice and Partey to close all the critical spaces. Arteta said that Partey has some injury, but I don’t believe for now it’s serious.
We have conceded only one goal. Now our stretch of games with 2 or less conceded is almost 1.5 years, which is pretty impressive by itself and important coming onto the Bernabeu.
We didn’t lose, therefore didn’t give Madrid extra inspiration that we are shaky.
Jakub Kiwior looks more and more integrated into the team.
The “negatives”
Things weren't all rosy though. Jorginho's injury, coupled with Ben White's absence, leaves us a bit short at right-back and CDM. We have Merino who can slot into midfield, but that consequently weakens our options up front.
To be fair, I'm not a big fan of Tierney and Zinchenko being used solely as "rest givers" for the first team. Both have performed well and deserve more game time. Their roles have been reduced to "just give the main guy some rest". It might be understandable for Kieran, who's leaving in June, but Zinchenko's still an important squad member. Remember, Kiwior was treated similarly before Gabriel's injury. To keep our reserves match-ready, they need to be rewarded for strong performances. Zinchenko could've stayed on longer against Brentford, at least until Merino got on, and Rice could've been subbed earlier. The key to competing across four competitions is having 20 players ready to deliver a performance, not just provide rest for others.
It was another not so pleasant day for our front line, who failed to find the back of the net. Martinelli looked lively and created a number of chances, but he still lacked that feeling of putting the ball into the nest. We all know there’s a good finisher in him, but we just need to bring that instinct back on the surface.
Saka had a massive chance when he took the ball away from Brentford goalkeeper, but he didn’t shoot right away, missed the opportunity and was later on covered by defenders. Fully fit Saka wouldn’t think much and just have buried that without a second thought, but for some reason the instinct wasn’t there on Saturday.
Martin Odegaard also didn’t show any signs of progress. All he does recently is - waiting for our runners (namely Saka) to get behind their defence so that he can find them with a precise cutting pass. Don’t get me wrong, he’s quite good at that, his passing is the best in the team, but it is very one-dimensional play. It makes it easy for defenders to play against him. I expect a title winning #10 to have a couple of tools in his locker. He can give a great pass, but also dribble himself into the box and shoot from the edge of the box. At times, Madrid defenders were not really man marking him and he still didn't shoot.
*Odegaard’s stats in the last three seasons. 6 G+A in 24 is noticeably worse than 19 in 35 or 22 in 37.
At the very least, we need to have an alternative option there. Somebody who can come in and bring a new style of creativity, maybe with a bit more pace and power. I understand that most of the time we face deep blocks in the Premier League and Odegaard’s elegant style might be quite effective against them. However, either when we are in front and need to run fast into counter attack or it’s a strong opponent and a back-and-forth game, just like the one that was against Madrid, we might need someone else to deliver there.
I don’t know what is the club’s stance on #10 position. I’ve seen highlights of Max Dowman and he moves very similar to Martin, maybe with a bit more pace. But he’s going to be only 16 in 2025 and we need another option for at least two more years. In our squad the closest player to have similar qualities is Bukayo Saka. He is excellent with the ball, it’s hard to take it away from him without a foul. Maybe his passing is not at Odegaard’s level of elegance, but he can also bang it in from 20 meters. If Nwaneri gets a bit more consistent on the right side, I would totally get behind this option in various games.
Gigantic game on Wednesday
Finally, we can move on to the most important topic of the month. The clash at Bernabeu! My heart starts racing even during writing about it! I can’t imagine how I will survive through Wednesday!
Real Madrid seem to be pulling out all the stops for this one: closed roof, display from the ultras, motivational video, Mbappe’s lucky panties, Vinicius is practicing the most convincing tears in his career. I won’t be surprised if they bring actual witches in the dressing room. I don't like the build-up to this game one bit. It feels like they're crafting this fairytale comeback story, and you know how much the marketing folks love those stories, including the ones on UEFA salary! And the help they need for this story to happen is a few dodgy calls from the ref. Even if those calls happen, the public will lap it up because the story's already been planted in their minds. There are rumours this independent Mexican referee is preferred by UEFA for the game:
My general view on our approach is that it should pretty much replicate the setup we had in London. I was very much worried about their attacking power, but after we have kept a clean sheet and they scored only 1 goal in La Liga in their last two games, it’s no longer a major concern.
We should continue engaging in physical duels and attempt to hold the ball when possible. We have probably the best playing goalkeeper in the world who can help us beat their press. We shouldn’t shy away from the attacks. Maybe not so much through the middle. But constant pressure through our wingers Saka and Martinelli. The more we put pressure on their defence - the less confidence they will have in their abilities.
And we need to push the game into the middle third. If we sit in the deep block, however good we are, there will be constant attempts to fall down in the box and beg for the penalty. And given the history of favourable decisions in Madrid's favour, we all know that sooner or later they will get one. So we need to not let them reach our box.
If we end the first half in a draw, I think their belief would really be not on a level to shorten a three goal gap. I know that for Real Madrid even 15 minutes is enough, but our defence is also one of the most solid units. We kept the more dangerous and organized Man City team goalless for 180 minutes last season. I don’t see a reason why we should be afraid of a set of (although gifted) arrogant and self-absorbed players.
I believe in our success! What about you?
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