Arsenal_AM_Episode_18_Fulham come to the Emirates lets go get them

Build up to the Arsenal Fulham game 4 games to go and a chance to push the gap out to 6 points over City

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:19

Good morning. It's matching Arsenal Lee Fulham. 530 kickoff. Not too much annoy of news that we probably weren't expecting. The Kai and Timber both out. Marino still on the sidelines. Yeah, nothing probably unexpected there. The boss says Martin Odegaard should be fine. So we'll see how he's he's he's uh how the team lines out, and we'll probably be looking at managing minutes ahead of Tuesday. On the Villa side, no Sassing Young, no Iwobi, and they hope that Kenny Tate will be in contention, but again we'll see. And Kevin misses out from the Fulham side. So in the game earlier on the season, Arsenal beat beat Fulham 1-0, uh 58th minute, Leandro Trossard goal. The lineup back then was Raya Califuri, Gabriel, Sliba Timber, Ezazu Mendy Rice, Saka, Jacres, and Trossard. Not sure we'll see that again tomorrow, um, but I'll pass over to my dad and see what he thinks the starting lineup might be.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

Yeah, well I think it'll be a similar starting lineup to that which was on Tuesday. The only thing is probably who's gonna play it right back. And whether that's Muscara or White, and probably uh Saka might start instead of um Nanny Malawake.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

Yeah, probably similar thoughts about the right back. I probably might go Muscara, and I may even switch Calafiori in to start on the left hand side for the dynamism that he he can show from back there. Um I might consider Trossard up front, but if he's not gonna last, and we know Saka's not gonna last, it kind of means that you've already got two substitutes in the in the offing, and you probably have an as a Martin Odegaard substitution as well. So that's probably four players on the pitch starting that you're probably gonna substitute, and maybe that's a bit much.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Yeah, there could be I mean I think if they can get a good lead early, then it'll change change the dynamics totally.

SPEAKER_03 3:05

Oh, I think the entire armor would love that, but um I I'd it's it's you go with hope rather than belief, I think.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Yeah, um again, it's likely to be a low-scoring match. Um, ideally you'd like to see Arsenal win by at least three or from three-nil. Um we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_03 3:26

You know, I suppose Fulham are coming into the game in tenth position with lost draw win, lost draw win record in their last six. We've got win-win-win, loss, loss, win. So I think even by letter of the law with us having played really, really poorly at times, we're still the second best team, or maybe third best team, over the last six games, just looking at the current form record. Yeah. Um maybe City and Brighton just seem to be a couple of points ahead of us over the course of the period. You know, so while performances have been poor, the actual form is still fairly good. And of course, we're now in May, which means we play better statistically than uh than we do in April under Arteta.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Yeah, I mean, I think we've we've had the blip, City have caught up. We've now got no options but to settle down and start winning again. And I think winning at this stage is probably more important than scoring until we see what happens with City on Monday evening.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

Yeah, and I'm hoping that everything will will do a job there, although their form is two wins, three losses, and a draw. But again, that that's kind of standard for mid mid-table team. Yeah. Um, you know, tomorrow I would love a fast start, and off the back of the fast start to actually commit to it again, but I'm not sure the mentality is there for that at the moment.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

No, I mean if they if they get um two goals up and maybe go for the third, I'd I'd I'd like to see him actually try switching to a back three. That would be an interesting attacking move.

SPEAKER_03 5:31

Yeah, I I could see it, I don't see it happening. I think with the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, it's our last couple of games where we don't have a six to seven day break in between games. So it's the last of the I suppose managing players through games and through minutes. So with that, I I think what we've seen from Arteta has been function over form, uh and I don't expect anything to change there. Um you know I think it's get the job done and be very functional at the moment.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

Yeah. I mean he's he's pragmatic if nothing else. And he doesn't just seem he he likes forward to back anyway. And like if you if you look at the match last Wednesday when he pushed Zubimende forward and brought rice back, there was a little bit more cohesion in the side at that stage, but that was to protect what they had.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

Yeah. Um I'd probably be again if uh if everyone's fit, I'd I'd go with the rice as a odegaard midfield, with rice being obviously the deep line, and have and have a Zubermendi come in and replace Rice to manage minutes. Now because people are not fit and we're kind of managing minutes, I imagine it's it is gonna be Zubermendi and Rice. It would be amazing if we pushed on to get a good strong lead, and you could bring on Norgaard if he happened to be in the team or in the on the bench. I don't think he even will be. I think you're probably likely to see Miles Lewis Skelly again. So, you know, maybe Miles Lewis Skelly to come off the bench would be a useful option to mine minutes.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

Yeah, I mean Skelly is a midfielder anyway, and he can he likes taking the ball with his back to players. Um and then he falls over or tends to buy a reasonably free easy free kick. Hopefully, yeah. Which can relieve pressure.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Yeah, no, and again, I think he's he's one of those guys that is willing to take take the ball, which is brilliant. I think that comes with a risk that the boss doesn't like because it just means he's gonna if he falls over and gets a free, it's great. If he falls over and we don't get the free, we're definitely exposed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

Um but do Fulham have the players that can expose, you know, sort of take that exposure and make us suffer.

SPEAKER_03 8:41

If we're playing 15 yards from our goal, yeah. You know, I I I think that's a big thing that we need to that was different in the Champions League is we we played further forward than we than we have done in the league recently. And you know, so I think you know, I think if we can sh start the game and control and put the game away from our own goal and pressure full of them, I think that would help the crowd in the Emirates to feel a bit more comfortable.

SPEAKER_02 9:26

Yeah. I mean I again what you don't want is a crowd starting off well being very vociferous and then being silenced by not producing.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Yeah, and I don't even think it's not producing, I think it's putting the ball in our defensive third, and again, if I you you trust Gabriel, Rea and Saliba massively, but if they're playing the ball back there, it is a mistake, and a mistake back there leads to at worst a shot on goal, or at best a shot on goal, and at worst a goal. And we've seen over the last number of seasons, Arsenal concede early goals during the run-in, and it's caused chaos.

unknown 10:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

I mean it it some quite a few of Arsenal goals have been through silly mistakes at the back. You know, not by pressure being applied by the other team, but pressure being avoided on us by ourselves.

SPEAKER_03 10:31

Yeah, absolutely. And I think the more we are away from our goal with possession, the better it is. But I do think tactically they're trying to draw teams out onto them for control. But it does make it more nervy.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Again, you s you never know which way Silva is going to play his team. Uh whether he goes back and tries to hit us on the break or whether he actually well he won't go man to man, but they'll probably do four four four one one. Which could be an interesting situation, but I think if they do that, the Nars will have to play the ball to the to the wings very quickly to get and to get crosses in.

SPEAKER_03 11:28

Yeah, and I think that's one one thing we haven't done well with Yakras or for Yakras is to cross the ball for him. I think he's been we we've tried to he's tried to play our game, we haven't really tried to play his game. Again, I don't think that's gonna change much, but I think having an an an occasional cross that goes in for him to chase would be useful for to keep Fulham and other defences uh off guard.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:03

I mean he he he's he's a good runner, he's not necessarily the best on the ball, but if he gets the ball in behind, yeah, he can take it and he's got a good shot and a good eye. But um there's I think Arsenal need to change the play up a bit so that he can effectively do a bit of bullying on the centre halves.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

Yeah, and defin definitely would like to see us be more aggressive in in the game, but again, with the miles on the clock and the limitations, there's the yeah, but options.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

I mean, ideally, if they can tie it up in the first half, that would be the ideal situation. Yeah. Um is that wishing too much or willing too much?

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Uh I don't know. I'm I'm look just looking at Fulham's goal difference here, they're minus two, so they do give up goals. Um, you know, they've kind of fourteen fourteen losses, fourteen wins, and six draws. It's the definition of uh what you'd expect a mid-table team to be. Yeah, you know, so again, there's there's options there for for us to to get at them.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

How far are they off the um European places?

SPEAKER_03 13:20

They are two points off Brighton and sixth. So with Chelsea and City playing in the cup, you may see another place go come into the seventh place, which puts them at one point off that.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

So they are in they're in the fight for Europe, so that that could be a deciding factor on how they're going to play.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

You know, the I suppose the other aspect is it's four games left in Silva's term. If they do go down early, maybe there's not a willingness to to fight for the manager who's on the way out the door anyway.

SPEAKER_02 14:02

Well, I think he he's brought in a lot of those players himself, and I think he has a lot of respect from them. So I think they'll you know, if they if they might want to give him a good send-off, and what better send-off can they uh give him than pulling one over Arsenal?

SPEAKER_03 14:21

Well, I I I can think of of winning uh game game 36, 7, and 8, and that doesn't affect us at all.

SPEAKER_02 14:27

Well that's true as well, but um No, I I I think it all depends on how how we we attack the first 20 minutes.

SPEAKER_03 14:38

Yeah, um I think over the last couple of years Fulham have been a lot closer to us than the previous, you know, the it's been kind of one-nil, two ones, and you know, they've we've drawn with them in at their place a couple of times. So, you know, they're they're not the softer of touch.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

Yeah, they're not a roll over roll over team. They're actually even when they do go down, they'll still intend to fight back.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

Yeah, you know, so I think and I hope that we start start well, and it would be great to have options at half time to change it and rest players up. I can live in hope, can't I?

SPEAKER_02 15:22

Well, you never know. I mean, you know, a goal in the first minute would be very nice.

SPEAKER_03 15:28

Yeah, well, we'll we'll f we'll find find out uh in a few hours' time.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Any predictions on score lines? Um what I'd like to see is at least three nil. Um what we'll probably see is probably two one or three one.

SPEAKER_03 15:46

Yeah, I I don't feel I can't I kind of think it might be a a two-nil. I don't think we'll concede. I I think that the back four is gonna be fairly focused. Um, you know, David Ray has got got a a golden glove to collect, to add the c add to the collection. So, you know, let's keep keep that going.

SPEAKER_02 16:09

Um Yeah. I mean when you think about it, um against like against Athleti, they Atleti have a better forward line and we didn't really weren't really under any pressure than the time they hit the the bar.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

Yeah, you know, there's couple couple of shots that didn't hit the target and and what have you, but I do think we I think if we start with a bit of attacking verve, it'll it'll help. And we just need to get get those goals and yeah, I think 2-0 for for me. Um but hopefully the goals come already and as they're attacking boarding 2-0. With that, we'll talk to you later. If you want to get into a couple, you can get me on Instagram and underscore am underscore pod. And you can get me on beatgully and free.beatcally.