Some Palace fans will find this hard to believe, but we are actually ahead of Arsenal – in the form table! So what is actually going on, and are the Gunners as downbeat as us at the moment, if that is even possible.
To get the inside view from an Arsenal fan perspective I caught up with lifelong Gunner, Sulayman Desai.
TEB – So Sulayman, how are Arsenal fans feeling at the moment?
SD – A bit mixed to be honest. The strategy has definitely been to be more solid, conceding less goals. You can see this most evidently in the signing of Declan Rice, who has been very good, but there have been compromises in attack. Early in the season it felt like this might be down to individual form but to me it seems a bit more structural, and the loss of Granit Xhaka in particular. The axis of him, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard gave a real platform and consistency. This year with Kai Havertz added, although he has played well as an individual (TEB – really?), it hasn’t felt so dynamic, particularly in wide areas.
Having said that Mikel Arteta has been hard done by, Jurrien Timber suffered injury in the first game of the season, Partey has been injured for most of the season, and Gabriel Jesus has only played a small number of key games.
TEB – Are fans still fully behind Arteta?
SD – There are probably two groups of fans. The first would say Arteta has been unlucky with injuries. There is though a small but growing camp that would suggest Arteta needs to be a bit more flexible to get more from this squad. Most fans aren’t talking about replacing him as a manager, but we do want him to be able to change approaches, and the David Raya / Aaron Ramsdale situation does feel unnecessarily messy.
TEB – What is the ambition for the season?
SD – We came into the season wanting a trophy, now that looks hard, so it’s probably to maintain the challenge in the league. We don’t have the level of ruthlessness in attack or defence that you need to really look like winning it. Obviously, we’d like to get to at least the quarter finals of the Champions League but I’m not necessarily expecting to get that much further.
TEB – Who is your unsung hero so far this campaign?
SD – Takehiro Tomiyasu. He has had a quietly effective season, coming back from injury. He does not get the plaudits, but he is really intelligent on and off the ball.
TEB – For any Palace fans who have not seen much of Arsenal this season, how do you think you will set up?
SD – Probably 4-3-3, I’d imagine something like: Raya – Tomi Gabriel/Saliba, Zinchenko – Rice, Havertz, Ode – Martinelli, Jesus, Saka. We’ll seek to hit wide and get our wide attackers 1 on 1.
TEB – Who is the current pantomime villain for Arsenal fans?
SD – No one comes to mind. Manchester City are too nice, Spurs are still working themselves out, Chelsea are too much of a joke.
TEB – If you had a magic wand, which Palace player would you have in the Arsenal squad?
SD – Michael Olise.
TEB – What are your views on Palace this season?
SD – You guys are a bit meh to be honest, not doing anything that exciting, not going to get relegated. Few exciting attacking players but hard to see what you’re trying to do.
TEB – Prediction for the game?
SD – Arsenal to win 3-1 (you’ll score a set piece) with Saka, Ode and Nketiah on the score sheet.
TEB – Cheers Sulayman. Here’s to a Palace victory on Saturday, but an Arsenal title charge after that!
