Nuno Tavares, Mikel Arteta and Tijjani Reijnders (Images by Marco Rosi, Justin Setterfield, Angel Martinez/Getty Pictures)
With about 25 minutes to go at Southampton on Sunday, it was wanting like turning right into a close to excellent weekend for Arsenal within the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s aspect produced their finest efficiency of the season to date on Saturday as they brushed Nottingham Forest apart 3-0 after which they sat again and watched Manchester Metropolis get taken aside by a scientific Spurs on the Etihad.
Southampton’s fightback in opposition to Liverpool at St Mary’s, which noticed them main 2-1 after falling behind early on, appeared like placing the gloss on what had been a superb 24 hours, however then that man Mo Salah carried out his rescue act for Liverpool, albeit with loads of assist from the Saints keeper and defence.
So issues didn’t fairly prove in addition to they might have finished for Arsenal, with Liverpool sustaining their 9 level benefit over them, however to be sincere that was anticipated firstly of the weekend. Any dropped factors from Liverpool on the south coast would have been a bonus.
For Arsenal the important thing factor now could be to simply construct on the end result and efficiency in opposition to Forest, as a result of it was excellent. For the primary time in a very long time there was an actual sense of stability within the group. They appeared far more just like the Arsenal aspect we’ve grow to be accustomed to over the past couple of years and they should construct on that now.
You possibly can see the distinction that Martin Odegaard has made, it’s been large. However having Riccardo Calafiori again on the left was essential, as was having Jurrien Timber again taking part in on his extra pure proper hand aspect. Each side of the pitch appeared balanced and that’s one thing that has been lacking.
If Mikel Arteta can proceed to have his huge gamers obtainable to him over the approaching weeks then there isn’t a cause why they will’t string a robust profitable run collectively. There are six winnable video games within the league between now and New 12 months’s Day, if Arsenal win all six then I’m satisfied they are going to be inside touching distance of Liverpool after they enter 2025 after which it will likely be all to play for.
Liverpool are on a hell of a run, however it doesn’t really feel like they’re unbeatable. Issues are going their means a bit and Sunday’s sport at Southampton was a transparent instance of that.
On one hand you have a look at it and say they gained whereas taking part in fairly poorly, which is the signal of an excellent group, however on the opposite you may say they’re having fun with a good bit of luck proper now that has to expire sooner or later.
This weekend will clearly be enormous. Arsenal have to verify they get the job finished at West Ham after which see what occurs at Anfield when Liverpool host Manchester Metropolis.
Metropolis look a little bit of a large number in the intervening time. They’re really easy to play via and you’ll anticipate Liverpool to benefit from that. However Pep Guardiola’s aspect will know they will’t actually afford to lose and that may very well be harmful for Liverpool.
So I don’t assume the title race is over. It’s too early for that. Liverpool are in an unbelievable place. However I don’t assume any of their rivals will likely be waving the white flag simply but.
It’s nice to see Nuno Tavares doing properly at Lazio and hopefully the harm he picked up throughout worldwide obligation doesn’t maintain him out for too lengthy.
However there’s no means you’ll be able to have a look at how he’s performing in Italy and the query whether or not issues might have gone in another way for him at Arsenal.
It’s not like he didn’t get alternatives. He obtained lots. He was simply very uncooked and didn’t actually benefit from these alternatives.
You could possibly see he had expertise and that he had the attributes to be a good participant, however he was – and nonetheless is to be sincere – a bit too chaotic a participant for a Mikel Arteta group.
He does at all times have a tendency to begin brightly at new golf equipment as properly after which tail off a bit. He did it at Arsenal and at Marseille, so it will likely be fascinating to see whether or not he can preserve this way with Lazio.
Offering a couple of clauses are met, his mortgage will likely be made everlasting in the summertime and he’ll keep in Italy. Arsenal will get their a reimbursement on him and have a really huge sell-on clause included within the cope with Lazio.
I believe that’s fairly good enterprise to be truthful. I definitely don’t have a look at what he’s doing and remorse that he was allowed to depart and I can’t think about there will likely be many individuals at Arsenal who really feel any totally different.
Tijjani Reijnders is a participant who continuously appears to be within the headlines in the intervening time, with golf equipment throughout Europe being linked with him.
Manchester Metropolis, Spurs, Barcelona, Actual Madrid are all mentioned to be wanting on the AC Milan star, and I’ve seen Arsenal being linked now as properly.
It’s not one thing that I’ve heard of myself and the hypothesis doesn’t actually appear to be coming from shops of a lot substance relating to Arsenal issues, so I’m a bit sceptical about it.
However he’s clearly doing excellent issues for Milan and is a top quality participant, so you’ll anticipate a few of Europe’s prime golf equipment will likely be maintaining a tally of him forward of the January window.
I’m nonetheless not anticipating a lot from Arsenal relating to January although, the message we’re getting is that the main target stays on the summer season relating to any important enterprise.
Clearly that may change ought to a possibility current itself in January that’s deemed too good to show down, however we’ll have to attend and see if that occurs.
If Ruben Amorim didn’t already know the scale of the duty going through him at Manchester United earlier than Sunday’s sport at Ipswich, then he definitely does now.
It’s clear that there’s loads of work to do to show issues round at Outdated Trafford and you’ll assume that Amorim is beneath no illusions when it comes to the work that he must do to get them competing once more.
I don’t know him overly properly because the coach, however he’s clearly a really proficient operator and he put collectively a fantastic group at Sporting, one which knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League in fact simply a few years in the past with that penalty shootout success on the Emirates.
I believe he’s an thrilling appointment for United. He’s a younger coach who has a transparent philosophy and the proof suggests that gamers like taking part in beneath him and he can get loads out of them.
Gamers have thrived beneath him in Portugal and United will hope that he can do one thing related within the Premier League. He does have loads of expertise in that squad, however I can’t see him turning issues round shortly.
Possibly they might win a cup this season, they definitely ought to have an excellent probability within the Europa League, however within the Premier League it ought to simply be about steadying the ship a bit and constructing in the direction of subsequent season.
If Amorim can actually begin to get his concepts throughout and so they can enhance forward of the summer season, then a couple of good signings within the window might put them in an excellent place to have an excellent crack in 2025/26.
