Kevin Whitcher
The usual five talking points ahead of today’s Europa League match at home to BATE Borisov
A Familiar Face Returns
It was like going back in time last week to see Alex Hleb’s spindly legs and distinctive frame moving around the cabbage patch of a pitch in Belarus. One assumes he will be starting for BATE this evening. Hleb, in fairness, had a minimal impact on the game last week, and was withdrawn, presumably for fitness reasons, before an hour had been played. He played at Arsenal for three seasons from 2005-2008. He is now 37 years old. It’s highly likely he will be subbed again this evening and I imagine the Emirates crowd will give him a decent send-off as he exits the pitch.
No excuses for Arsenal
The fact that BATE are fielding a player of Hleb’s vintage in midfield tells you plenty about their quality. Before the first leg last week, bookies such as BetAmerica had them as the least likely team to win the Europa League in May. The fact that they had not played since mid-December before the first leg against the Gunners was one reason for this, but watching the game last week, no one could really see any reason to put money down on BATE progressing much further in this competition. Given the playing surface this evening will be far superior, winning by two clear goals should really be a formality for Arsenal. Granted, Lacazette is suspended, but the quality of the players Emery has at his disposal should be good enough to see them through.
What time is the kick off???
It’s going to be a strange feeling this evening kicking off at five to six. I reckon that a small percentage of fans won’t even be aware of the unusual kick off time and you’ll see some people arriving at the ground as the game is winding down in the second half. I wonder if the club will keep more turnstiles open than is normal so that latecomers can get in. It should be noted that the game has sold out – of course this is principally because it’s on everyone’s season ticket as one of the first seven home FA Cup or Europa League matches. However, it should be noted that silver and red members have taken up their full allocation, and in this light, I am sure the reduced prices have helped. When the kick off time was first announced, I predicted a crowd around the 20,000 mark. As the match is now anything but a dead rubber, I think more will come now. My revised forecast is that we’ll see a half full stadium.
Will 5.55pm be Ozil Time?
Given the real lack of creativity we have seen in too many recent Arsenal matches, not least the first leg against Bate, it would seem a no brainer to try and see if a few matches out of the frame has given Mesut Ozil the motivation to put in the kind of performance we know he is capable of, but see far too infrequently these days. If he does not start, it’s genuinely difficult to see Unai Emery ever actually giving him another chance. I have a belief that Arsene Wenger’s cossetting of the player has led to the current situation, although that’s an article for another day.
Defensive options – one in, one out
The good news on this front is that Sokratis could be fit to start, and against Chelsea in January, before he became injured, the partnership he had with Laurent Koscielny was encouraging. However, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is ill, so Unai Emery has some decisions to make on the right flank. I know people perceive playing five at the back as cautious and unjustified against lower level opposition, but it really is dependent on the personnel that play wide. The problem this evening is that if he does play a five, he has no defender who is good at going forward (Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner and Mustafi are the options) and no midfield player who is any good at defending. Given this, I reckon we’ll see a back four, with the full backs under orders to get forward as much as possible until a two goal lead has been established. That would certainly make more room for Ozil to start the game, although there is a belief that the number 10 and Mkhitaryan cannot both be accommodated in the same eleven. We’ll see when the teams are announced at 5pm.
Conclusion
BATE will do what they did for much of the second half in the first leg and camp in their own half, hoping to get a precious away goal on the counter attack. It would make life a lot easier if Arsenal could get at least one goal before the interval. There is no question they are good enough to win this tie, and the pitch will be far more suited to their style. However, what I don’t want to see is too many touches, too much crab football. I want to see potshots and rebounds. Think the pinball principle. Get bodies in the box and stop trying to thread the ball through the eye of a needle. Arsenal to win 4-0.
