After Palace. Focus elsewhere

The players' minds were all over the place, and so was the final result.

The starting line-up was more or less predictable - I expected the main eleven to play the first half given that there are 6 days before PSG. The only figure that startled me was Sterling. Why do we play this guy? We're halfway through April, and the bloke hasn't shown enough to frighten your nan's cat, let alone Premier League defenders. He couldn't even put the fear of God into a team battling relegation! And why is Nwaneri instead on the bench… I’ll cover this later.

More concerning were the names missing: Merino and White. To be fair, without Merino I am really worried about the PSG result. That’s how good he became in the recent weeks. Basically he is now one of the first names on the teamsheet. I sincerely hope that he has played a lot of football since February and absence is just a precaution.

Benjamin White is less critical to our squad. However, with the absence of Thomas Partey on Tuesday, he’s our only tested RB option. White’s case is actually quite weird. After the last international break he appears in a very suspicious cycle - he completely misses one game and then starts in the next one and then the cycle repeats. It certainly looks like he is again playing on some painkiller injections and participates only when Timber needs a breather. If that’s the case I am pretty sure the same approach will be taken for both semifinals and he will be on the bench just in case.

Kiwior the King (for now)

Jakub Kiwior has taken another step in his impressive spell after Gabriel’s injury by scoring a header from the set piece. He's shown enough that he simply has to be in the plans for next season. While Gabriel's the better all-rounder and more suited to a proper battering ram of a centre-forward (cheers for proving that again, Mateta), Kiwior deserves proper game time next season. Not in the cups against the likes of Little Puddleton Rovers - in Premier League or Champions League games. Every time we are up for a quick attack, like Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Brentford or even Chelsea - Arteta should start with a Saliba-Kiwior pairing. Same with Gabriel - White/Timber pairing to prepare for quality defensive performances in Saliba’s absence.

While it all started quite positive, the next 20 minutes showed that the team came to play with half a usual concentration level - misplaced passes, lost duels, not stopping Palace player runs preemptively. And the consequences materialized pretty soon. After a series of Palace attacks, one of the corners was converted by a decent Eze strike.

The only hope at this point was either that we heavily rotate at half time and unleash players with very limited gaming time and higher motivation level (which didn’t take place) or that we have two moments of great individual skill that will help bury the result. One of such moments did take place when Trossard showed a lovely bit of footwork in the box. Timely that his scoring boots seem to be back on just before the semi-finals. We all know that while Leo can be dull for a few games, he’s capable of producing a nasty finish in a very important moment.

The second half with the appearance of Saka was more of the same. Crystal Palace equalized after another blunder finish from Saliba and a cheeky finish from massive Mateta who came in to muscled his way into the goal. At this point, it was very hard for the team to get back into the dominating rhythm after slacking the majority of the game. And that’s why it is a dangerous pattern and avoiding it is part of Arteta’s important principles.

Semi-final Focus or a Sign of Trouble Brewing?

On one hand it’s hard to control player’s minds in a situation when all they think of is a semifinal, the stage most of them have never actually been in. And while this is understandable, there are two problems.

First - the home crowd didn’t come to see the victory simply being given away. I know that such games in midweek are a chance for real fans who don’t own the season ticket and don’t have the opportunity to come every week-end, but hunt for these irregular scheduled matches.

Second - if you see and expect that the concentration of your team is not going to be there, why not rotate more? If the result is not a first priority, shouldn't we prioritise using these exact games to develop players, who, we know, have potential, but lack experience and consistency? Why is Nwaneri given mere 10 minutes and Sterling starts at the same time? The youngster was really trying to influence the result against Ipswich and in the end delivered a goal and 10 minutes was his reward? The only explanation I had that he will be tried at #10, but again why then wait until the 85th minute?

Martinelli also looked gassed by the end of the match. In the 91st minute he couldn’t control the simple ball in the opponent box and it’s understandable. He played 5 almost full matches in the space of 15 days with tons of defensive work. Couldn’t Ethan start and Sterling come in at the 80th for Martinelli?

Recent Martinelli stats in all competitions

Couldn't we have at least seen another academy lad get a taste of Premier League action? The crowd would have lapped that up, I think!

Should we be worried about the CL spot?

After this draw our second place is under threat, mainly because of the upcoming calendar. We have first Bournemouth sandwiched in-between the PSG games followed by Liverpool away (don't want to leave all our energy there, do we?). And then Newcastle home - not only are they comfortable playing and winning against, they are desperate for a Champions League spot themselves. 

Then it's Southampton to finish, but we all know any team needing points on the final day will usually get them. Except for Chelsea and Nottingham Forest who are facing each other.

And while it is extremely unlikely that we get out of TOP-5 (as brilliantly demonstrated by the Cannon Stats) - the race for CL spot is never as vicious as the title race with Man City, I can theoretically see us dropping to fourth. From a team morale point of view, as long as we reach the Champions League final, maybe it doesn't matter. But financially, we're talking about a potential £25 million difference in prize money – that's a decent player for the squad!

That’s it for now folks and I’ll drop another one before PSG. COYG!