Premier League action today for The Arsenal and, for me, there are just three requirements today:

  • Win
  • Don’t lose
  • Don’t draw

The latter particularly. I’m getting pretty fed up with draws this season and whilst I know the context of some of the early ones, as well as some of the ones latterly, we really do need to pick up a couple of more wins to secure second spot. It’s a bit ‘meh’, I know, but it is a place we’ve been all season and it would just be a little annoying if we ended up third or fourth come the final day.

And if we’re out of the Champions League by next weekend – something that let’s be honest, is a higher probability than not at this stage in time – then it’s going to have a real Debbie downer by the time we have to go up to Anfield for the nothing game that is our third from last in the season (I absolutely will NOT be watching that game, I tell you that much!).

Arteta faced the press yesterday, plus he did some interviews with the likes of Sky and I love what has come out of them. There was of course the standard questions about team news, but we’ve seen things emerge from some social media sources that aren’t quite in the official club recording of his presser, so I’m guessing they were additional interviews, etc.

For example, him referencing all of the players who were in their civvies on the sideline against PSG I am pleased that he spoke about. There will be some idiots in the media and idiot rival fans that will say it’s him moaning, but you only have to watch the Sky Sports interview ahead of this evening’s game to see it isn’t moaning at all, it’s stating facts. Lots of people have lots of issues with Arteta outside the fanbase, but if they were honest they would admit that he never throws excuses around. But in the video clip I’ve watched he rolls out those names of Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Partey, Havertz and Gabriel all in the dressing room ahead of the PSG game, then speaking about how proud he is that the team has got this far. And they have. No team gets anywhere with the volume of injuries and crazy red cards we’ve had and is where we are at; there will be no medals hung around necks for the performance of the squad, the history books will show another season without that end product success, but at least us Arsenal fans know the context. I have a Spurs supporting mate who will be around my house over the summer as I bring all the lads together from my old school days. He will absolutely be crowing if they win the Europa League, but deep down, he will know that it’s far better to be in the position that we are in, than where they are, because you can see a positive trajectory for Arteta’s Arsenal. You can’t with the Scum.

We still just need to get over the line though and that really needs to happen today. Two wins. That’s the requirement. Beat Bournemouth today – and get some revenge for the joke of a game earlier in the season with that Saliba red card – and then we need just one more to get us over the line.

I think Arteta will stay relatively strong too; there’ll be Raya, White, Saliba, Kiwior, possibly Zinchenko at the back. In midfield I think he then goes for Partey and Rice, maybe with the brief that one or both need to come off after 60 minutes or so. But what to do with Odegaard? His performance in midweek was roundly – and rightly – chastised for ineffectiveness, but do you try to play him back in to form and hope he has a good game today? Or do you try something else? Maybe give Nwaneri a shot at playing there? After all, this game is one we need to win, but if there’s another draw or defeat, what does it really matter?

I think he’ll go with the former option and Odegaard will be given a chance to rekindle some semblence of form ahead of the game in Paris, then I think we’ll also see Merino back up top with a bit of rotation out wide. Maybe Sterling will eat up some minutes and it really does show what a waste of a loan deal it was that I’m using that phraseology. The guy is literally there so we don’t use up too much of Saka or Martinelli’s juice. He is the archetypal ‘body’ in a squad. He does nothing else. So maybe he gets 45 and then one of the two proper forwards get another 45. Maybe Trossard is the same too in one of the wide positions, because it means that both Saka and Martinelli can be rested for what will be a hella intense game on Wednesday.

Bournemouth will be without Evanilson, as he was sent off against united last weekend, in a game in which by all accounts it looks by the stats like United absolutely battered the Cherries. They sit 10th in the league, they can’t really get near the Conference League positions, so their season feels very much “end of season on the beach” stuff. But then again, so did Palace’s, and look at what happened to us there, eh? So there’s a need for Arsenal to be professional and do the job, but not risk players and their fitness ahead of another season definer for The Arsenal.

Just go out there and win lads. I don’t care how ugly it is.

Right I’m done for the day. It’s the mother’s 70th birthday weekend so I’m gonna go enjoy it with her.

Catch you all tomorrow.