In classic Chris style, yesterday I predicted that we wouldn’t get Arteta’s press conference until today, so of course Arteta went in front of the press yesterday to talk about the upcoming showdown against Brentford tomorrow in the early evening. If you ever see me at the races, bet on the horses I’m not picking!

The good news came in the form of team news, which is that Arteta said that Martinelli and Saka appear to be ok. Arteta admitting that the medical team are “pretty positive” with regards to Saka and Martinelli is tantamount to admitting that they’re fine and should be ready for tomorrow. The rest of the noises don’t appear to be different and so I suspect that means Zinchenko is still out, but with the way the team has been playing and as good as Kiwior has been so far, it doesn’t feel like as much of a miss right now. So whilst I’ll not predict our starting line up just yet, I suspect it’s going to look very similar to the side that destroyed Sheffield United on Monday night.

One change there will be is Aaron Ramsdale, who will play because Raya cannot and Arteta was complimentary to him saying that Saturday will be a good day for him because he will play, as well as how good his attitude has been given his lack of game time. It isn’t unfeasible to think that tomorrow will probably be his last game for the club barring injury to Raya towards the tail end of this season. It will be a sad day to see such a well-liked player leave the club in the summer, but at least this weekend he’ll get to hear his name chanted and he’ll get some appreciation from the home fans – let’s just hope that appreciation can be maintained by us getting a win!

He was also asked about Dubai and talked up the importance of the bonding that went on and I think we’ve all been mightily impressed at what Arteta and his coaching staff have been able to do with that time. But we shouldn’t be surprised, because he’s shown before that when he has time with players, he can deliver impressive results. Remember during lockdown and just after when we were getting those water breaks in games? Arteta was always coaching, instructing, able to impart knowledge and thoughts on the players and maybe I’m rose-tinting it in my mind, but I always felt that straight after he’d given some tips and thoughts we would have a five or ten minute spell in which we’d be really impressive. In Dubai he used the time out there to it’s maximum and we are all benefiting from the fruits of his labour now with some very impressive performances.

That has to continue this weekend if we want any hope of glory, you’d think, and Arteta spoke about how every point lost from last season is one that they want to use as motivation for winning. We all know Arteta likes to use psychology with his players and we have heard Odegaard talking about Newcastle just the other week, so I think both Arteta and his players will be talking about the injustice of last season’s draw at home to Brentford as an opportunity for us to get some form of revenge. Hey, if it works, then happy days, although Brentford are no mugs and I do think they’ll give us much more of a game than our last three or four opponents.

The press tried to push him for a preference or ‘hot take’ on the Liverpool v City game but he stayed steely-eyed on it and tight-lipped. As he said the focus has to be on us; there’s no point even looking at that game until Arsenal can prove that they can do their bit and we have a very difficult task ahead of us this weekend, regardless of the form that Brentford are in. One thing he did talk about that I certainly liked was how the team has a little more experience now and perhaps that is playing a part in our good form. The season before last we’d not been in a Champions League qualification race for many years, last season we’d never been in a title race, and this season we find ourselves again in a position for which the players have gone through the pain. If that pain is being used as the psychological carrot to motivate them, then that’s a-ok with me.

Finally I thought the discussion about players who are not playing was interesting. He was asked about Aaron as I already mentioned, but also about the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe. His response was positive about the players, as you’d expect, but he also talked about how the five subs rule has now enabled some players top be a little happier because they are able to get on the pitch. I’m minded of the All or Nothing documentary when Eddie told Sambi “you’re not the only one not playing mate” and I wonder if the five subs rule does mean that those conversations don’t happen as much. With those four players I’ve mentioned there I suspect it does, but getting on the pitch in such a competitive Arsenal side can be such a motivator, so I wonder if Arteta has to do as much expectation management compared to a couple of year’s ago when there was only three subs? But the way he talks about the care that his coaching staff put on those players I just found interesting; perhaps those players get even more time with the coaching staff than those playing regularly, because of the disappointment of not being able to get on the pitch as much?

Whether any start or get minutes tomorrow will be interesting and certainly I hope we see a bit more of Emile Smith Rowe. Arteta has used him sparingly recently but you do feel like a moment is coming when he’s going to need to give him a shot that isn’t dead minutes.

Right, that’s me done for today. Back tomorrow with a bit of a look at Brentford and what they’ll give us as an opponent this weekend. Have a good’un.