What to look out for as Arsenal face Wolves this Sunday

What to look out for as Arsenal face Wolves at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League this Sunday

By Adam Le Roux 

After Europa League progress was secured on Thursday night with a 3-0 victory against Molde, Arsenal return to the trials and tribulations of Premier League football this weekend as they face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates. 

Neither side have much league form heading into the weekend, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on a run of just one win in their last four league matches, while the Gunners have just the solitary success in their previous five. 

The midweek win in Norway was the perfect tonic after last weekend’s debacle at Elland Road, where Nicolas Pepe saw red for a petulant headbutt in a stalemate with Leeds United, as Mikel Arteta’s side looked rejuvenated in the victory at the Aker Stadion.

And the Spaniard will be hoping his troops carry that momentum into domestic action this weekend, as they search for a first home win over Wolves since 2011. 

Gunners must take advantage of Wolves’ lack of bite

Since the start of the last Premier League season, Sunday’s opponents have failed to score in the first 45 minutes of a domestic game a whopping 34 times, the most of anyone in the division.

We all know the dynamic and free-flowing football that Wolves can produce at times but it seems that they only start weaving their magic after the interval.

Therefore, it is imperative that Arsenal come flying out the blocks this weekend and make the most of Nuno's side’s profligacy in the first half. 

A goal or two in the opening stanza will really put Gunners’ fans at ease, mainly due to the fact that Arsenal are on a run of almost eight hours of Premier League football without scoring from open play.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty at Old Trafford at the start of the month is the only time Arteta’s side have found the net in their last five league matches, as they continue to draw a blank in front of goal.

You have to go all the way back to Pepe’s winner in the 2-1 victory over Sheffield United for the last time Arsenal scored from open play in the Premier League, and that was at the start of October. 

With Wolves turning on the style later in the game more often than not, the hosts can’t rest on their laurels if they do take the lead on Sunday, with the inevitable introduction of Adama Traore always a game-changer. 

What formation will Arteta fancy?

Mikel Arteta still seems unable to settle on a set-up for this Arsenal side, with the Spaniard continuing to tinker with formations game after game. 

The current flavour of the month seems to be 4-2-3-1 for the Gunners, with the boss deploying that tactic in each of the two matches this week, albeit with mixed results. 

Reiss Nelson

Admittedly, it failed to reap rewards in Yorkshire, but against Molde it came off perfectly, with wingers Reiss Nelson and Pepe suiting the system perfectly.

With Pepe out of action through suspension, we could see academy graduate Nelson feature on Sunday, as he did at Elland Road when coming on for Willian at half-time.

Arteta is open to the idea of continuing with the new formation, with Thursday’s performance an indicator of how well it can work with the right players involved.

“It depends on the players that we have available and a few things that we have to make sure that we can control better than we did here,” the Arsenal manager said.

“There were a lot of positives, we looked a threat all the time but there were some issues there to be resolved. 

“This will take time, and it’s that we changed the team a lot, we played a lot of young players but I was really pleased with the performance and the personality that they showed on the pitch.”

Will flight fiasco affect preparation?

Despite the convincing victory over the Eliteserien champions, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Gunners in Norway in midweek, with their return flight back from to London cancelled due to fog, leaving the squad having to stay an extra day in Scandinavia before heading home.

Arteta had planned for his side to fly back on the same night after the game but the unforeseen circumstances saw them fly back on Friday morning, before returning to training that afternoon.

The delay in returning back to England could have thrown a spanner in the works for preparation for the visit of Wolves, with the situation less than ideal just two days before they return to action.

It isn’t the first time this season that an Arsenal player has had issues at the airport, with Aubameyang being forced to sleep on the floor in Gambia while on international duty with Gabon last week.

Gunners fans will be hoping the peculiar scenario won’t affect their side, with an already hectic fixture schedule being made even tougher by the wacky weather.


Popular posts from this blog

What have we learned from Arsenal's pre-season so far?

Image
  Arsenal – what have we learned from pre-season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It only feels five minutes since Euro 2020, but incredibly we are just one week away from the new Premier League season starting. Arsenal will travel to newly promoted Brentford for a London derby in front of a noisy crowd next Friday night, not the easiest of starts to the new campaign. But what sort of shape are Mikel Arteta’s side in, going into what could be a defining season for the manager? We took a close look at what we have learnt from the pre-season period and what kind of shape the squad are in.   The new signings are ready to go It has been a mixed transfer window so far. Some fans would have expected more both leaving and arriving at the Emirates stadium over the summer. But positives can be taken - Ben White has arrived from Brighton for £50million, and highly-rated full back Nuno Tavares has come in from Benfica. Albert Sambi Lokonga completes the 2021 summer singings so far. Cruc...
Read more

Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves

Image
Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves By Jonny Bray It is hard to believe that Ruben Neves is still only 25-years-old.   It feels as if the Portuguese international has been tipped for big things for nearly a decade now.  With the midfielder out of contract in 2023, it appears his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers could be coming to an end.  Understandably, with a player like Neves on offer for a reduced price, clubs around Europe are queueing up to secure the international's signature.  So, after all this time, should Arsenal move for Ruben Neves now, or is it time for the Gunners to turn their attention to a new target?  What would he bring?  Arsenal do not have enough defensive midfielders.  Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka give Mikel Arteta plenty of midfield options going forward, but the Gunners have been found lacking when out of possession this season. Thomas Partey has been in and out of the side due to injuries, a fact that has not hel...
Read more

Where will Arsenal finish this season?

Image
Where will Arsenal finish this season? By Alec McQuarrie Arsenal have made steady improvement over the last few seasons under Mikel Arteta. After finishing 8th in his debut season, the Spaniard oversaw a five-point improvement in his first full campaign.  And last year an eight-point leap followed, which was unfortunately not enough to pip Tottenham to fourth place.  Cruelly, the 69 points accumulated would have been enough to seal Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons.  Looking at the trajectory over the Arteta era, it would be fair to assume a continued improvement this coming season.  After all, with five signings already secured this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the sole first-team player to depart, surely fourth place should be a bare minimum expectation.  Oleksandr Zinchenko offers much-needed cover at left-back and competition for central midfield.  Gabriel Jesus is a proven goalscorer and brings a tireless work-ethic to fulfil...
Read more