Before Bournemouth. Tricky start of a very tricky sequence

Arsenal is entering the very tricky stretch of game before the next international break, where to be in the title race Arsenal is expected to win every of them. On the other hand each game can bring significant problems and easily end up in the point loss

Arsenal is entering the very tricky stretch of game before the next international break, where to be in the title race Arsenal is expected to win every of them. At the same time each game can bring significant problems and easily end up in the point loss.

Man City, of course, have this stretch quite easy, and can easily exit it with extra 12 points. So it is crucially important to not lose more than two and keep City relatively close, in one game distance. To be fair, City is the only one from the top four with the very easy calendar. The other three all play each other, with Chelsea and Liverpool meeting already on Sunday and the heavy defeat from either sides can kick-start the loss of confidence, affecting the upcoming calendar.

But let's come back to the Bournemouth game. I think it is quite a dangerous one, since it might be overlooked in the overall tough period. The rest of games team will definitely take very seriously, knowing that they should keep concentration until the last minute to exit with three points. But this one could be naturally the one where the players will look forward to spare the fuel in the tank. Actually, if Arsenal takes the first half with the 100% of concentration, we will most probably be able to save energy in the second.

The only thing that soothes me is that we play away from home. At home mid-table teams don't have the audacity to put a deep block in front of their own crowd, hence, leaving the spaces for Arsenal to exploit. And Arteta's team as well, is being more pragmatic and rely on the dark defensive arts in order to secure the victory.

So when is the time to rest?

I think we should see our best available eleven tomorrow: Saka, Trossard, Havertz, Rice and probably Partey. Merino looked a bit of tempo against Southampton and he needs time to get adjusted to the speed of decision making in Premier League. I believe that's the most important quality to have in this tournament and there were many pretty good players who didn't click, because the decision making was a bit slow.

The so important rotation we can do against Shakhtar. Shakhtar is no longer the team that could attack dangerously. Years of war had a strong detrimental effect on the Ukrainian football, as on many industries in the country. So that would be the games where Sterling and Jesus can dribble past opponent after opponent. Where Merino and Nwaneri can further build connection with the regular starters. Where we can give gaming time for Zinchenko or Kiwior.

Actually, Champions League is now the place for Arsenal team to chill a bit. I would burst into laughter if somebody told me that three years ago. But with all seriousness in Champions League group stage to qualify directly we need a spot in TOP-8. This effectively means we should secure 17 points out of 24, which translates to loss of roughly 29% of points. In Premier League to win a title we probably need to aim to 99 points. Since the maximum is 114 points, it's only around 13% of points that we can afford to lose. Quite hard, right?

The only interesting topic about the squad is who will be our wing backs (in case everyone's available). I am pretty sure we will see Timber/White pairing against Liverpool to minimise the danger coming from Salah+Trent side. But against Bournemouth it will probably be Calafiori on the left and on the right I am expecting Timber tomorrow and White in Champions League. Again if everyone's available, that I very much hope is the case.

Off we go!

Who do you think will be on the score sheet? I feel like a goal involvement from the Big Bill!