The big games keep coming …

Each sport within the Premier League is an enormous sport, however this season that’s extra true than it has been for a very long time.

Tonight’s encounter with Newcastle is a primary versus third match, and the stakes transcend extending a lead over an in depth challenger. If Arsenal take three factors in a while, we might transfer 12 factors past tonight’s opposition, and 10 past Man Metropolis who don’t play once more till Thursday once they face Chelsea.

That’s alternative writ massive. With that comes some strain, however to this point this season this facet has responded nicely to those sorts of eventualities. When Metropolis have dropped factors, there’s additional strain due to what it means, and we’ve handled it. When Metropolis have closed the hole, there’s additional strain due to the actual fact everybody considers them the favourites, and we’ve handled it. This can be a bit totally different, however make no mistake, the supervisor and the gamers will understand how a lot there’s to play for.

When it comes to our personal workforce, I don’t count on something totally different from the beginning XI that Mikel Arteta picked towards Brighton. The complete-back subs he made on 60 minutes in that sport brought about us just a little instability, however I feel they have been made with tonight in thoughts. Equally, Thomas Partey being withdrawn as quickly because it went to 4-1 informed you this was about managing minutes for vital gamers.

The sight of Emile Smith Rowe in full coaching is a really welcome one, and hopefully he’s prepared sufficient to make the bench. It’s clear we nonetheless lack some depth, however including final season’s second highest scorer to the squad will give us a bit extra of that. It simply stays to be seen how rapidly he can stand up to hurry after taking part in simply 47 minutes of first workforce soccer to this point this season.

As for Newcastle, they arrive tonight with the perfect defensive document within the Premier League, and we all know they’ll be a troublesome nut to crack. I feel it’s honest to say Eddie Howe has finished an excellent job since he took over, and like each supervisor he has spent cash to enhance his squad. It’s simply that the provenance of that cash is totally different, and never one thing we should always ignore. I feel we’re about to embark on an period when a membership like Newcastle begin to morph into one thing else. Take into consideration the enmity you might have for Chelsea and even Man Metropolis whose facade of smooth, ultra-professionalism is all a entrance for one thing else.

We haven’t received there but with Newcastle, nevertheless it’s coming. There’s an inevitability about it. It will probably’t be every other manner. They’ll dig deep into the Saudi Public Funding Fund to spend huge, and they’re going to skew and warp the marketplace for everybody else whereas doing so. Most of their followers received’t care, however it is a membership that may attempt to turn out to be the PSG of England. These are not any plucky underdogs with an harmless, fresh-faced English supervisor. The earlier attitudes change in direction of them, the higher.

I don’t assume that can be any a part of Mikel Arteta’s team-talk this night, but when it could feed into the environment at our place, all the higher. I hope throughout the facet there’s a way that we have to put proper the sport at St James’ Park final season. That one harm, and whereas it was largely right down to us working out of gas and match gamers on the finish of the season, Arteta’s fury afterwards was evident in All Or Nothing. It it stung then, it is going to be one thing he received’t have forgotten.

The Brighton sport noticed us wobble a bit within the second half. Hopefully it’s that good state of affairs the place the issues you might have don’t value you factors, since you’ve finished different stuff nicely. I believe tonight’s sport can be fairly a good one. I doubt we’ll have 4 objectives to offset any defensive lapses, so it’s vital we tighten up. Newcastle can be energetic and press excessive; now we have to be exact with how we cope with that. If we do, because the final two video games have proven, it is a workforce that may exploit area with actual ruthlessness, and now we have a entrance 4 which can be within the temper for objectives.

Fingers crossed.

For extra on this one, and a few wider dialogue about Premier League Norwegians, take a look at the preview podcast over on Patreon.

As ever, we’ll have live blog coverage of the sport for you, and all of the post-game stuff on Arseblog News. Till then.

Come on you reds!