Arsenal probably had their worst January in living memory, not only failing to bring in any players during the transfer window despite the need for urgent reinforcements, but also failing to win one of their five games and only scoring one goal on New Years Day.
Arteta may feel that we are back in the race for the Top Four now he has most of his squad fit and ready, but the top pundit Mark Lawrenson still doesn’t think they have enough firepower to get all three points at Molineaux. He wrote in his weekly column on BBC Sport: “Wolves went out of the FA Cup last weekend, to Norwich, but their Premier League form has been very impressive since the turn of the year.
“Bruno Lage’s side are very good defensively and that means they can put in a pretty average performance going forward but still have a chance of winning games because they are so solid.”
He goes on to point out that Wolves are better defensively than Arsenal as well, having only conceded 16 goals this season compared to Arsenal’s 25, and doesn’t give the Gunners much hope in predicting a 2-0 defeat for Arteta’s men.
That seems a bit harsh to me, as not only should Arsenal be back to full strength on Thursday, but Wolves themselves have had a few injuries and Covid affecting their strike force against Norwich last week, and are unlikely to have them all back on Thursday.
I personally am expecting a tight low-scoring affair, with hopefully ESR popping up with a late goal as usual!
What is your score prediction at Wolves this Thursday?
Are you Pro-Arteta or Anti-Arteta (or neutral) – VOTE HERE
Since our main CFs are likely thinking about their departures and avoiding injuries, I predict a draw or a loss
If we compare Arsenal’s passing creativity in the final third with Man City’s and Liverpool’s, our passes are too monotonous. Liverpool usually don’t play with a no 10 or a creative CAM, yet their attackers and brute midfielders can make various passes
Our unstable system needs a strong pivot in the front and Arsenal have wasted the last chance to fix the most important attacking element. I think Arteta will be forced to re-assign Smith-Rowe in the CF position for some games
Laca better perform if he wants to be playing for a good club next season.
He should be motivated I reckon.
If he’s got an agreement with another club, he’ll need to avoid injuries when playing. Once our key players start to avoid 50/50 challenges as some of our ex-playmakers did, we’ll be doomed
Yes if he’s got an agreement with another club already he will no longer be motivated.
English clubs can’t make any offer to him until the season’s finished though.
Would make sense for Laca to wait until then and assess all available options before making a decision. That could be his last big contract.
Hopefully he’ll go down that path and perform well for Arsenal till May.
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This game will be down to tactics. If Arteta employ the right fromation, the game is winnable. I think the team would be fired up for this one. We are lucky all our midfield pivot at the back are back, fit and ready to go. I see a draw or a win for Arsenal. We still have players who can get the goals if they play and are clinical on Thursday. ESR, Bukayo Saka, Matinelli, & Pepe.
We’d most likely use the same 4-2-3-1 formation
Depends which Arsenal shows up; the energetic mobile version, or the static positioning, side and back pass version.
I think tactics will play a big role, and I hope Arteta has a Plan B if we are struggling to create chances in the game.
I think Martinelli and Pepe could make a difference if they are allowed to take on defenders, but we will see what Arteta comes up with tactically.
I fear it’s the later we always play static after internationals or longtime out
Defensively, we are weaker than Wolves. Then there is the goal scoring which is a major problem issue. Games are won by scoring & at the moment you wonder who is going to score. Don’t count Lacazette & Nketiah for they are not natural goal scorers. I foresee a draw or a loss.
We are so unpredictable, so inconsistent and always up and down.
Can understand why Lawson and others are also not that convinced.
Lawro’s arsenal predictions in recent games have been 40% right. I have outscored him in many games away. Though not the arsenal ones. With arsenal I predict with my heart, others with my head.
2-1 . Arsenal win.
Arsenal still better than Wolves.
Lawrenson could well be proven right but I don’t fully follow his logic that Wolves will win by scoring 2 goals
The goals against numbers are mentioned as a comparison but not the goals for, Wolves only have Burnley and Norwich below them in a least scored goal Premier League table so far this season, they have scored 19 to our 33
I don’t believe that either Laca or Eddie won’t be fully focussed because they may or may not move in the summer but whether they will be good enough for the rest of the season to get us 4th could be up for debate
I guess Arteta thinks not in Eddie’s case as he hasn’t picked him as a starter at all in the League this season
He and Laca are different players anyway and I would imagine Arteta will start with Laca again on Thursday
On paper the game has nil nil all over it which I’d take at this stage but maybe Eddie can come on and nick us a lucky one nil win
Come on you Gunners
Let’s be real, we had a bad Jan form wise. We lost to City, Liverpool and Forest with a more or less 2nd string team. We drew with Burnley who should have had a player sent off and we should have scored a few. Those games are in the locker due to inconsistencies having a young squad brings with it. Goal scoring, we score 14 goals all but 2 from midfield players in a very similar way to City at the moment.
I think it will be a cagey Arsenal win. But to say they have a better defence based on goals conceded when we had “those” infamous 3 games at the start of the season is just silly.
2nd string team? James please stop spreading lies.
Please post our 2nd string starting line up against Liverpool as an example?
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Let me help you out James
Ramsdale
Tomi White Gabriel Tierney
Lokonga
Saka Ode ESR Martinelli
Laca
And Partey off the bench. Some wnd string team hey James?
Last season game was the first time I saw what we old do as a team
The first 45 minutes we played some great football and until we conceded on the stroke of half time and got a man sent off we bossed the game.
Even down too 10 men we done ok. Leno had a heads gone moment and the game was completely lost
Stronger back line this time so I predict a 3-1 win and move on to the next game
Onwards and upwards
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As long as we don’t end up with 9 men like last season.
What a disaster that night was.
Arsenal’s fixture list for the run is daunting, and Tomiyasu being out is a big loss. They can beat Wolves, but a lot will depend on how the team reacted to the winter window and how they feel about the manager and each other.
Wolves are tough to break down, but do not score much. 1-0 either way is likely. 1-1 is also likely, but almost as damaging to top 4 as a loss.
Arsenal shipped off a bunch of players. Remaining players will have opinion about whether these were good decisions. A loss of faith in the club or manager right now could be devastating. If, however, the players see the moves as positive, they might be energized. It is impossible to know which until the game is over.
Arsenal play away to; Wolves (D), Chelsea (L), Watford (W), Aston Villa (D), Crystal Palace (W), Southampton (W), West Ham (L), and Newcastle (W) – 14 points.
The Gunners play at home to: Brentford (W), Wolves (D), Liverpool (L), Leicester City (W), Brighton (D), Manchester United (L), Leeds (W), and Everton (W) 14 points, 28 total.
Assume away wins against Watford, Palace, and Southampton. Aston Villa has improved under Gerard and they added quality with Digne, Coutinho, and Chambers. Newcastle should be a win, but the new manager and vastly improved Toon could be dangerous. Chelsea away has to be penciled in as a loss, but Chelsea have been as inconsistent as Arsenal.
Assume home wins against Leeds and Brentford. Liverpool has to be penciled in as a loss. Every other game has a bit of uncertainty to it. Wolves are hard to beat anywhere, Leicester looks like a top 4 side one minute and relegation fodder the next. Man U can score any time against anyone. They can also concede similarly. Brighton always seem to give Arsenal trouble, and specialize in draws. Everton on the last day might hold the key and this is a much better team than the blues were earlier. The manager change helps, but Van Der Beek, Alli, Mykolenko all add quality, and Calvert-Lewin is back.
Arsenal probably need to score a minimum of 66 points to make top four. That is 30 points from the remaining 17 games. The Gunners are averaging 1.7 points per game and the math says they will score 29 points from the next 17 games, 1 short of the minimum number scored by a 4th place team in the last decade.
Arsenal will likely finish with 64 points (3 better than last year) in 6th, with Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man U, and Tottenham above them, and West Ham and Wolves close on their heels.
The question is, if that is the result, is that good enough for Arteta to remain in the job? Based on the owner’s actions, he seems likely to survive a 5th or 6th. Has he performed well enough with a 7th or 8th?
Cynical, world weary, predictably down beat Laurenson, WAS at one long ago time a TOP player, which is IMO the only reason he ever got a pundits job.
He is rarely used these days as his hangdog face probably frightens the infants watching!
As for his views, he is always and predictably anti Arsenal and I WOULD ONLY EVER BE CONCERNED IF he ever thought we would win.
2-2
apologies to herr admin for being completeuy off topic here, but i did not know where i could put my comment. so here goes. and this is directed at admin, i am always looking at the little cartoon picture that i was allocated some years ago,there is, however, one problem with regard to the cartoon. the chap in the cartoon drawing has the most fantastic head of teeth on him, unlike me, who has only half a head of teeth, at best. so i am wondering sir admin, could you knock out a few of the cartoon charecters teeth to be more authentic.thank you kindly, and if you can do this then i will be a very happy little gummy.
finally something of substance…thanks for the moment of Zen Gerry!
I’D HAVE THOUGHT “SUBSTANCE”, AT LEAST IN THE TEETH DEPARTMENT, WAS DISTINCTLY LACKING!
😅😭🤣
Predictions mean little but what shocked me is the wolves defensive record compared to ours and we have an expensively assembled back 5 and wolves dont really. And we all thought Arteta was a defensive coach because we cant score. Looks like we aren’t getting out whats being put in!!!!!!!
It will be an interesting game against Wolves.
They defend well and score a lot of late goals.
I think we will need to score at least two goals early on, then defend well for the rest of the match.
This requires us to be at our very best early on
So lets see how the match unfolds.
Again, fingers crossed for a return to our attacking best
Whenever we play after any “break” we play so bad!!!
I wish MA can put the team together for the next games, we can’t sacrifice our “seat” in CL as it’s the only thing remaining to save him his job!!
Lawro is so wrong, he fails to realise that we were defensively very poor with Leno in the goal, we did concede 9 something in the first 3 games and just 16 with the world class Ramsdale? We are definitely poor is scoring goals, just 33 as our forwards let us down, but I foresee a resurgence in scoring goals with Marts, Saka and maybe Pepe. Laca was never a 15 goal season wonder and the lesser written about Eddie the better. Mikel has identified the gaps and has done well by hiring the US international GK and letting Auba so we get stronger next season at both ends of the pitch.
If we can’t score against a very poor Burnley side due to the inept tactics of our Manager, I cannot see us winning this game due to how defensively well drilled Wolves play.
The game plan will be to pass the ball backwards and sideways, with no real penetration, Wolves will hit us on the break and score and not give us a sniff on goal.
I am pretty sure we will disappoint after such a long layoff and without our best starting 11.
Are we not without Partey and Xhaka and likely without Tomiyasu?
Hard to predict without team picked.