After Lewis started yesterday’s blog with a ode to Berlin’s crisp fall weather, I feel obligated to point out that the weather in London today is going to be terrible. Today, there is a thunderstorm forecast for heavy rain in the capital from noon to morning. If you’re heading to the match, you’ll want to grab whatever waterproof Adidas gear you’ve been dying to buy in recent years. And an umbrella. And maybe galoshes. Look, guys.
Weather aside, a showdown with Everton is always nice, especially at home. I was looking at the record books yesterday and the Toffees have won just four of their last 50 trips to Highbury and the Emirates in all competitions. Arsenal won 38 of them, winning 109-36. Plus, their only win in north London this millennium came during the pandemic, so it doesn’t really matter. We have met 226 times in competitive games. There is a lot of history to go through, most of it quite pleasant from our point of view.
My own fond memories go back to the early nineties, listening to Jonathan Pearce commentate on Capital Gold Sportstime. I experienced Anders Limpar’s four assists for Wrighty in 1991, Wrighty’s lob over Neville Southall the following year and even Tony Adams’ title-winning goal in 1997/98. We’ve beaten Everton a few times since then, including a 7-0 win at Highbury in 2005 and a couple of 5-1 wins at our new home in the last decade.
Even though the Premier League rarely gets such wins these days, the same would be great. Having conceded just seven league goals, a disciplined David Moyes side will not be inclined to hand out gifts. The Toffees also spent a full week recovering from a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, while we suffered a nasty injury to our star player en route to Germany and back.
As you might expect, Bukayo Saka was the most talked about topic at yesterday’s press conference. Arteta sounded rather pessimistic, though the winger needs another MRI scan and further specialist opinions. I know we’re not supposed to speculate on such matters (unless we have English Literature degrees), but I’d be surprised if we see him again this year.
This raises troubling questions about how we manage it. When asked if Saka was less resilient than before, Arteta pointed to the demanding schedule.
“It’s certainly been different over the last year, but the demands on players are huge in club and international competitions and the times between games are getting shorter and shorter. There’s less than 66 or 67 hours between games and every hour counts. The support will be really appreciated and it’s the same for every team.”
He has a valid point. But isn’t it our duty to manage it through that schedule? Should he have started nine of our 12 games this season?
Remember, he went all the way to the final weekend of the World Cup, then played the last half hour of the Community Shield less than a month later. I know schools of thought differ on these issues. Players want to maintain their rhythm, managers want to have their best players on the pitch, etc. But he missed games in April with an Achilles problem and still managed England matches Stateside, where he had to sit out.
Saka remains a phenomenal player. It looks like the minutes he played between his fracture at 17 and the injury that required surgery in December 2024 may have caught up with him. This is just my feeling. Obviously, Arteta sees it differently.
The manager answered the question of whether Saka was on fire: “I don’t have that feeling at all. But of course we have to be very careful to create the right ecosystem around the player to maximize his qualities. We have to understand what he can continue to do when he comes back.”
Ever the pragmatist, Arteta has already told Saka that no matter what he does, the team still needs his energy.
“I already told him to go into that building and be there first with good spirit and energy, because the team needs that. If everyone is saying, ‘Bukayo, how are you?’ are you sad Are you okay?” That’s exactly what we don’t need.
“It is what it is. It’s part of our job to own it, to have some good and bad results, to lose, to have problems; we have to deal with it. We can’t change it now. Of course, what we can dominate is the story from here to the Everton game, with the best energy and spirit to win the game again.”
When it comes to who could fill in for Saka, the options are thin on the ground. It seems Noni Madueke’s brief flirtation with the left wing ended as quickly as it began, or Max Douman. You’d expect the former to start today and the latter to get minutes against Fleetwood Town in the League Cup on Tuesday. Given Max’s dramatic contribution against the Toffees earlier this year, you can’t rule out an appearance this afternoon. Passing the ball from the halfway line into an empty net is a decent listen.
Elsewhere, Arteta confirmed Piero Hincapie’s availability after his recent ankle problem, giving him a breather with Riccardo Calafiori. Ben White could cover Jurrien Timber, while Myles Lewis-Skelly, Mikel Merino and Victor Gyokerez will start after coming off the bench in Munich. There’s a balance between letting people like Rice and Bruno rest and giving them time to bed in a new partnership. I expect some rotation, but not much.
Martin Zubimendi, who has spent most of this season warming the bench, must be wondering how he will fit back into the side. He was our second most used outfielder last season, so there has been quite a change in circumstances. Arteta addressed his situation yesterday:
“He had quite a few [opportunities]then he was [ankle] injury, and it’s true, he had one game where he was almost ready to play minutes, but not to start. And after that he should be eligible to play. I have to find the right plays to give him an opportunity, and when I do, I know what his response will be. But whatever role he had to take on, he was exceptional. I expect this from every player. And he is a player who deserves more minutes right now.”
Take care, Fleetwood, is all I can say.
As far as I can tell, Everton come with a clean bill of health, which is quite remarkable considering their squad is so small. Christian Norgaard, who arrived from Arsenal through injury, was fit enough to make his long-awaited debut last weekend. I was watching it at home and I’d be lying if I said it looked off the pace. He was comically slow, like he was wearing tree trunks for boots.
Speaking about the cameo yesterday, David Moyes said: “When we brought him in, we realized he was a bit further away than we expected… Christian was the first person to come to me and say he was sorry.”
Let’s hope he gets all the speed he needs after he’s out on the track today, because he looks like a nice guy. The Dane isn’t the only meeting on the cards, we’ll also be welcoming Ainsley ‘The Bird Catcher’ Maitland-Niles. To be honest (and I know this is uncalled for), but if we’re up by a couple of goals in the dying seconds, I’m willing to concede a cheeky penalty to see what he does.
At this stage of the season, it’s all about putting points on the board, even if the usual tension has eased a bit with Manchester City going down to Hackney Marshes. The league ‘leaders’ face Aston Villa in the early going, but despite winning 10-0 and losing by the same scoreline, they currently exist as a stick that cannot be cleared.
To be fair, given the weather and the state of the UK’s ungodly water companies, washing them would probably ruin some poor swimmer’s day. So maybe we can wait a little longer.
I hate to depart from such grotesque visions of the recently deceased Mr. Friar, but I believe the club will pay a special tribute to our life president this afternoon. There are plenty of warm words and anecdotes about his incredible service to Arsenal, and N5-goers would do well to pay their respects together.
About this from me. As you know by now, Andrew M has been out for a few days, so the rest of the team will do their best to bring you as much regular match day news as possible. I don’t know yet if this will include Live Blog or Player Ratings, but keep in mind that the new Arseblog app on iOS and Android has tons of new features, including live match updates. There is less swearing…
Right, I’m off to find my swimsuit. Come on gunners!