Arsenal had a horrendous January as our squad was decimated by AFCON, injuries and Covid, but we finally broke our run when we managed to steal the three points from Wolves last Thursday.
So, after results from our went our way in the last week, we now have to find a consistent run of results to keep us in the driving seat for a place in the Top Four, starting this weekend against Brentford.
The Bees gave us a shock at the start of the season when they beat us in their first ever appearance in the Premier League, but they will be facing a very different Arsenal from the one they faced that day.
Bernd Leno, who is only just coming back from a bout of Covid, is likely to be on the bench but definitely won’t be starting. Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers are no longer with us, and Balogun has gone out on loan. Gabriel Martinelli will be serving his suspension and Lokonga and Pepe are likely to be on the bench.
So there could only be Ben White, Kieran Tierney, Granit Xhaka and maybe Smith-Rowe facing the Bees this time around and we should be much better prepared after having had a long rest before the Wolves game.
It’s a big boost for Arsenal that Tomiyasu has returned to training, but we will have to wait until the team sheet to find out if Arteta thinks he is fit enough to start.
So, other than Martinelli, I am expecting to see Arteta’s favourite Starting XI on Saturday, and I am certainly expecting a completely different result from the last time we met….
COYG!