Arsenal have been extremely fortunate on the injury front this season, and there are many fringe players that are struggling to get any minutes on the pitch at all.
But Saturday’s opponents Leeds are suffering from an incredible list of absentees ahead of the home game against the Gunners.
Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Rodrigo, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk were all missing from the team that was destroyed 7-0 by Man City on Tuesday, and during the game midfielder Jamie Shackleton had to be withdrawn, and it is now being reported that he will miss Saturday’s meeting with Arsenal with an Achilles injury. Bielsa also revealed that Dan James also won’t make it due to an abductor muscle problem.
To add insult to injury (geddit!) Junior Firpo picked up his fifth booking of the season, which means an automatic one-match suspension for this game.
Leeds are in a bad enough state as it is, as they are dropping down the table and are now just five points ahead of relegation, and their confidence must be shot after their 7-0 drubbing on Tuesday.
Surely there couldn’t be a better time to go to Elland Road, but a note of caution is that Everton were having similar problems last week but they still managed to overturn Mikel Arteta’s young side.
It is also a fact that Leeds are a better team at home and are unbeaten in their last five games (W2D3) in front of their own fans.
Hopefully, Arteta can get a fully fit team up to Yorkshire and we can watch Arsenal consolidate their position in the Top Four for another week….
Let’s hope we do not continue the trend of providing a helping hand to clubs in need of a lift, like we did with United and Everton. Hopefully we learn to kick an ‘EPL dog when it is down’ like we did with Newcastle.
A wounded animal should be approached with caution and ,in this case, respect.Complacency is the danger when faced by a side decimated by injuries, but as long as our mentality switch is on, we will win.
Only worry as per usual is the ref.Another dodgy,useless Arsenal hating one in Andre Marriner.Therefore their(Leeds) always in with a shout.Need to set about them Sharpish to make any stupid ref/ var decisions void.
Uwot, Yes its “FACT” that every ref we ever have hates us and is biased against us. Unless that is you are not a biased one eyed fool . You decide if thats true about you!
Arsenal must be ruthless and needs to replicate their performance against West ham United in this encounter with Leeds United. Three points is there for the taking, but, Arsenal must be relentless in attack with no slacking up. Leeds may be missing a few first team players , but, they are playing at home and arsenal should not be complacent. Maintaining quality performances and consistency is needed to strengthen top four finish. Arsenal must prove that they have learned from their mistakes and beat a deflated Leeds United team , no excuses.
The only injury that Everton had was to Calvert-Lewin.
They were not decimated.
To “decimate” means to reduce by ten per cent . So losing one player ,DCL, from eleven is very close to decimation.
decimate
verb
1.
kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of.
“the inhabitants of the country had been decimated”
2.
HISTORICAL
kill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as a punishment for the whole group.
“the man who is to determine whether it be necessary to decimate a large body of mutineers”
VERB = COLLOQUIAL. “HISTORICAL” = ACCURATE!
If you are attempting to teach ME the accurate and correct meaning of my own language, then you need to know far more than you obviously know now , Pat.
You have a reputation for using incorrect language in your headlines, of which you are well aware.
You may think that Jon, but in this particular instance I am completely right.
Yes in Roman times, decimate meant exactly that, but modern usage is obviously different as proved by the Oxford official dictionary.
I do know the difference, having done Latin in school, and as a conseqence I now speak fluent French and Spanish by my own studies. So I am sure I can teach you many things, but you know what they say about “Old Dogs….”
I am also a language scholar PAT and know very well that our English language changes meaning and evolves over time and moves on . It does so in order that it does not become a “dead” language, such as Latin!
Having checked a more recent OED, than the one in my study, I will concede that in this case you are correct.
Id make th importanr caveat though that in th mofdern world change is sometimes far TOO quick and changes not so much mnaturally but rathw rby massively incorrect use in thfirt place mostly be youngsters on modern technologhy.
“Wicked” and “bad” are two words(among very many) whose modern meanings are completely at odds with thetraditional and correct meaning.
Language ought to change meanings at a natural and not at a forced pace.
On a related though separate point , your own headlines are so often completely inaccurate and misleading – often deliberately so – and misrepresent what the articles are saying.
You care more for hype and enticing comments than you do for being accurate.
Discuss, if you will, and come back at me on THAT point, with your own explanation as to WHY you so often do this!
The key is that the correct use of words facilitates good communication. This includes taking into account the context. In this case the writer has clearly used the word decimate in it’s modern usage. We can easily understand his meaning and therefore he or she has communicated well.