Back to league duty this weekend with a short trip across London to take on the league leaders at the Emirates.
This week, we have had a chat with SPORTbible editor and Arsenal fan, Tom Marshall-Bailey, to find out how the season has been so far for the Gunners, thoughts on the match, and much more…
TEB – Overall, how would you rate last season for Arsenal?
TMB – In Champions League terms, last season was impressive and I think we’re guilty as a fanbase of losing sight of our record in that competition down the years. Sadly, we’ve not achieved as much as we could and maybe should have against Europe’s elite but we held our own last season and ultimately we met a PSG team who were firing on all cylinders who we were overpowered by.
But the Premier League felt like a slog all season long due to the injury crisis and the number of draws we had. We couldn’t get momentum at any stage of the season and it the focus became all about Europe too early. My big disappointment was not being able to add one of the domestic cups along the way. Our FA Cup record down the years is excellent and we went out early to a woeful Manchester United team at the time while we never turned up in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup against Newcastle.
TEB – The summer transfer window turned out to be busy for the club. What are your thoughts on the business done?
TMB – It’s our best transfer window in my lifetime as a supporter. And not just because of the number of signings – there is no guarantee that signing that many players means all of them will be a success but when you boil it all down and assess each signing individually, it makes complete sense.
Kepa, a proven Premier League goalkeeper who impressed last season but knows he is rivalling one of the best in the league. He’s been a back-up keeper elsewhere previously, is a fellow Spain international to Raya and the drop-off from No.1 to No.2 is nowhere near as big for us this year.
Mosquera was a bit of a punt but looks like an incredible talent and will appreciate the pecking order with Saliba and Gabriel ahead of him. Piero Hincapie is the unknown quantity currently and seems like a luxury signing in all honesty but offers incredible strength in depth defensively. Zubimendi (more on him below) is the perfect partner for Declan Rice and Christian Norgaard is a more than capable back-up option having captained a top-half Premier League club last season.
The jury was out on Noni Madueke but he has started brilliantly and offers us a directness that has been lacking out wide so his injury was really ill-timed. I firmly believe, Alexander Isak aside, Viktor Gyokeres was the best option on the market for us over the summer and while the goals have not been free-flowing, his contribution to this team cannot be overlooked. His runs into channels open up space for other players, his ability to win fouls to relieve pressure and physicality in duels with defenders all offer us something different.
I don’t need to tell you too much about Eberechi Eze for obvious reasons – but his worth has been proven with Martin Odegaard’s injury and we’ve barely even flinched because of how capable the deputy in that role is.
TEB – It’s been a very strong start to this campaign, what are your thoughts so far?
TMB – It’s still very early. We have started well but I’m sadly old enough to know that doesn’t count for anything if you can’t sustain it. This mini period is a big opportunity for Arsenal though with Liverpool and Manchester City facing each other before the next international break and we need to go on a run given they have some other tricky fixtures in the build-up to that meeting. With respect to Palace, Burnley and Sunderland, any team with designs on winning a league title should be picking up nine points from nine here.
I think Sunday will be a big test and I know many fans were already thinking about the Palace game before Atletico because the Champions League league phase still feels a bit of an unknown in terms of what the results actually mean. There’s less jeopardy and while it was a brilliant win in midweek, if you’d have said you can drop points in one of these two games, most (if not all) fans would choose the Atletico game to slip up in over Sunday.
TEB – Mikel Arteta has been in charge for over five years with one FA Cup and two community shield trophies to show for it. If the title isn’t won this season, is a change needed?
TMB – I find this debate pretty fascinating. I think context matters here – if we lose out on the final day of the season despite getting over 90 points, it would seem harsh in the extreme to offload a manager who has taken us from hopeless also-rans with the team he inherited from Unai Emery into a true force both domestically and in Europe. If we change manager, we risk undoing all of that hard work as it would require a reset.
I also look at the managerial market and wonder who on earth we would go for. Oliver Glasner is probably one of the more coveted managers in European football right now alongside Andoni Iraola but I don’t think we can assume we’d get them or that they would definitely be a success. It’s such an interesting situation because it really does feel like we’re on the cusp of our biggest success in over 20 years but you have to get over the line at some stage.
TEB – Can Arsenal win the title this season?
TMB – We absolutely can. Whether we will is another matter – I think a lot of Arsenal fans are reluctant to truly commit to saying we will do it because of being burned before. In truth, in 2022/23 we surprised everyone (ourselves included) with being in a title race.
The narrative around that season annoys me a bit because it was framed as a choke but equally, no-one before a ball was kicked had us finishing in the top four, let alone top two! The season after (2023/24) is the one that still hurts because we were so good in that second half of the season and one game at home to Aston Villa killed us because of Manchester City’s consistency. I do think this is our best chance yet to do it because of the squad we have assembled. If we keep the majoity of our key players fit, City or Liverpool will do very well to finish above us.
TEB – What are your thoughts on Palace and how do you feel we will fare this campaign?
TMB – I’ve been very, very impressed. I was happy for Palace last season finally lifting some silverware and I thought it was thoroughly deserved too – there are a lot of likeable players in that group and what I think is probably most commendable is how you’ve started the season – there has been no sign whatsoever of a hangover from winning that trophy and having to now go again this year.
I think you have a very real shot at winning the Conference League, even if European football (as the Larnaca defeat showed) is a slightly different beast to domestic matches and that might take some initial adaptation. I do think it might cost you a bit in terms of improving your league position from last year given the Thursday to Sunday dynamic but I think Palace will be comfortably above any danger down the bottom. 12th again maybe?
TEB – Ambitions for the season including the cups competitions and Europe?
TMB – I want us to win the Champions League. Badly. It feels like the only black mark on our status as a club – I know you shouldn’t always treat the opinions of rival fans on social media who are only out to rage-bait seriously these days but the way we are spoken about by some, you wouldn’t think we’ve won 13 league titles and 14 FA Cups in our history.
But it’s not up for debate that we have not delivered enough in Europe for a club of our size. Order of priority is probably Champions League, then Premier League, then FA Cup and then Carabao Cup. But we’ve not won the latter competition enough either and we can’t afford to turn our nose up at any of the four so as many as possible please!
TEB – Arsenal player to keep an eye out for in this game?
TMB – Martin Zubimendi. He’s been our best signing so far and has really stepped up in recent games. He was absolutely integral in the home win over West Ham and followed that up in midweek against Atletico Madrid. He looks really settled now and his partnership with Declan Rice has allowed players further forward to really flourish.
On the face of it, he doesn’t seem the most physically imposing but he has a great reading of the game and starts counter attacks by nipping in to win challenges and is deceptively physical. I was at St James’ Park for our win over Newcastle and witnessed him beat Dan Burn for a header in the air which I’m still in disbelief about. He’s an excellent player who will be expected to dictate the tempo of the game again on Sunday.
TEB – Score prediction for the game this weekend?
TMB – Arsenal to win 2-0.
