Arsenal’s failing to win their last four league games has left the Gooners heading into the November international break with less enthusiasm.
However, after rest, reflection, and recharging, the Gunners hope to return to their best and restart their season.
There’s every indication that things could improve after the break. The return of Martin Odegaard, the team’s creative spark, has been noticeable in recent weeks as the Gunners have struggled to break down their opponents.
Other than Odegaard’s return, one would hope that other injured players, like Takehiro Tomiyasu and Riccardo Calafiori, use this period to recover and return from their injury.
After his team’s failure to secure all three points against Chelsea, settling for a 1-1 draw on Sunday, coach Mikel Arteta acknowledged that they cannot immediately bridge the gap with Liverpool. However, to try to bridge the gap with Liverpool, coach Mikel Arteta revealed after the break that he is praying for a stronger squad, hopefully anticipating injury returns.
Regarding the gap to Liverpool and the expectations after the international break, Arteta said, “There’s nothing we can change today about that.
“What I’m praying is after the international break I have the team fully equipped physically. It has been an absolute nightmare for eight weeks.”
Well, other than the injury returns, Arsenal have a chance to turn things around with an easier fixture lined up for them. After playing almost all the teams in the Premier League top 10, Arsenal has an easier run of fixtures (as you’ll notice below) between now and February, where they can aim for an unbeaten record.
The final three months of the season have traditionally determined the title race. But this time around it could be different. The games following the international break could determine the title race, and Arsenal must overcome their recent poor form like a bad habit.
Hopefully they’ll do so, we can’t bear another PL title race heartbreak.
Daniel O
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TBF I thing you got those fixture difficult ratings round the wrong way concerning spuds and Ipswich.
Would add Villa and Brighton to be the tougher matches
Arsenal has had injuries of course and that hasn’t helped, but I don’t think we should over play it. Other teams have missed/are missing key players – Liverpool’s first choice keep has been out for some time, for example. We know about City’s problems with absent players – and not just Rodri.
Arsenal recent problems have stemmed from their shortcomings on the pitch – a lack of a cutting edge with the strikers for example – which aren’t all (by any means) attributable to absentees or shouldn’t be.
Bertie,
Rodri is the equivalent of Odegaard in relation to both teams. I don’t recall City having a particularly bad injury crisis until recently. It is also true that Guardiola has a small squad by choice so above a certain number of injuries, the situation is magnified. His decision of course and that has come home to roost at this moment in time.
I don’t know how we could have done any differently. 3 red cards were as much of an issue as were the injuries. Being down to 10 men on 3 occasions is self inflicted pain and attributable only to the players themselves losing focus. Being without the same important 3 players for the next game as well was also critical when faced with other injuries to the team. Timber, Jesus, Califiori and Saka with White as well have been injured and yet, that is brushed off by you as nothing too much. Kelleher is still a very good substitute gk for Liverpool and plays at international level for Eire. Their injuries have been far fewer than that faced by Arsenal.
So while I can agree with you on their shortcomings on the pitch, I put indiscipline up there as the main shortcoming. The injuries were bad enough in themselves without having that to contend with as well.
Much will depend on how Arteta can reinvigorate the squad after those disappointments, but why shouldn’t he be able to do so?
I think it’s a mixture of injuries, not having a top striker and MA tactics in my opinion
There is no doubt that injuries and suspensions haven’t helped MA.
If one looks at the defence, with Califiori, Timber, Tomiyasu, White and Zinchenko, along with Saliba all being unavailable at one time or another, we have the answer to why our defence is not as watertight as it was last season.
Playing Partey at RB weakened our midfield, along with the suspension and loss of form for Rice, with Odegaard’s long term injury and Merino’s unfortunate start at the club, seeing another part of MA’s plan being torn apart as well.
It’s all very well saying that clubs like city115 and pool have had their injury problems, but if one actually drills down our own problems, it is easy to see why we are suffering more than those two clubs.
Up until the Bournemouth game, we managed well enough, but since then, the wheels have come off and we have struggled. I have no doubt whatsoever that, with a fully fit and available squad, we can compete and beat anyone in the PL and that’s what, in my opinion, MA also believes, hence his “nightmare eight weeks” message.
Let’s hope we can get everyone fit during the International break and I see no reason why we can’t go on the kind of run that we saw city115 pip us to the title two seasons ago.
All we need is a miracle. We are looking up to Liverpool and past Man City, but they are not dead and buried. I do believe we will go on a run, and Liverpool will have blips, but so will we. We now need some fortune and hope that Liverpool have some of the bad luck and self failings that we have, but I just don’t see it. It may come down to the top teams taking points from them and reeling them back in.