The first international break has wrapped up and Arsenal are poised to return to play on Saturday morning when they host Nottingham Forest On match day 4 at the Emirates. Nothing screams “the Premier League is back!” quite like a break three matches into the new campaign, but such is the state of modern football.
Arsenal ended the first stretch of matches with a late loss at title-holders Liverpool. It wasn’t the sort of high-flying match fans had hoped for, but it provided a much better glimpse of how
the Gunners look against one of the game’s best sides. They were defensively sound and gave Liverpool little, but were ultimately undone by a well-struck free kick late in the match. It was a close chess match where, unfortunately, Arsenal came out on the wrong side.
There were, of course, the same glaring issues in the attack. With so much riding on the new season following a stunning summer transfer window, Arsenal’s bolstered front line will need to kick on, and quickly. Anfield may have been a big test, but it doesn’t end there. Over the next three weeks, Mikel Arteta’s side will host Manchester City, kick off their Champions League and EFL Cup campaigns, and travel to St. James Park to take on Newcastle. Set piece brilliance can only carry you so far.
Nottingham Forest head to the Emirates with a new manager and raised expectations. Can the Gunners spoil the new manager bounce and get their feet underneath them and the ball in the net as the early season resumes?
Here are three talking points ahead of Saturday’s match:
Know the Enemy
Say what you will about Nottingham Forest, but they rarely fail to entertain. Unfortunately for them, it’s been due to off-field antics lately. From owner Evangelos Marinakis inserting himself into club transfer announcements or publicly arguing with the manager to the falling out between former Arsenal Director of Football Edu and manager Nuno Espírito Santo, it’s been a soap opera at City Ground that would put most daytime TV to shame.
The past week was no exception. After weeks of speculation, Nuno parted ways with the club. His legacy was an unequivocal success after saving them from relegation, establishing an identity, and eventually guiding them to a spot in this season’s European Conference League. As quickly as he left, he was replaced with former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou, who will be on the touchline for Saturday’s clash. On top of that, the exclusion of record signing (and former Arsenal academy product) Omari Hutchinson and Arsenal loanee Alexander Zinchenko from their European roster highlighted the highly-publicized rift between the management and Edu, whose tenure has been volatile since leaving Arsenal.
It’s hard to tell what Forest’s season holds. Their first three matches were a mixed bag. They handily defeated Brentford at home, drew Crystal Palace on the road, and then got battered by a poor West Ham at home before the break. Now, a managerial shakeup means the system that got them back into Europe after a 30 year break will potentially be dashed for a higher-intensity system, if Ange’s past squads are any indicator.
Still, the core of the squad that got them to 7th last season remains intact. Chris Wood is still bagging goals, Golden Gl0ve runner-up Matz Sels is still in between the sticks, and Morgan Gibbs White, after being spared the ignominy of a transfer to Spurs, still marauds the midfield. If Arsenal catch them at an emotionally vulnerable time following Nuno’s exit, that could spell trouble for a side in the middle of an unending series of behind-the-scenes issues.
Injuries and Suspensions
The good news: Arsenal’s players returned from international duty without any new injuries. The bad news: the Gunners are still without the services of some major contributors. Bukayo Saka remains out for at least another two weeks with a hamstring strain, while Kai Havertz is out until November after a minor surgery following a knee injury against Manchester United. William Saliba was the latest starter to find themselves on the physio’s table as he is set to miss a few weeks after being subbed off at Liverpool with an ankle injury.
By the look of things, both Ben White and Christian Nørgaard have returned to training after early injuries kept both out of commission before the break.
Gabriel Jesus, who has been out since December after an ACL surgery, has started running on grass, but is doubtful to be available any time soon.
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Eze, Gyökeres, Madueke
Eberechi Eze’s debut for Arsenal showed promise, with the new Gunner a decent shout to start on Saturday. Veteran winger Gabriel Martinelli has failed to hit the ground running this season, and a little time on the bench may help him get his hunger back and his head on straight. Viktor Gyökeres has had an up-and-down campaign thus far, but will look to continue his acclimation to the PL. Noni Madueke has been the surprise of this summer’s attacking signings and was the main attacking spark at Anfield. He continues to hold down the right wing in Saka’s absence.
Midfield: Rice, Zubimendi, Ødegaard
All three of Arsenal’s starting midfield trio had productive breaks, with a combined five assists and two goals between them. Martin Ødegaard in particular had a promising series of performances and looked back to his best. Hopefully, he will carry that form into the league and unlock the attack with his passing and vision.
Defense: Calafiori, Gabriel, Mosquera, Timber
Arsenal’s defense coped exceptionally well at Anfield in Saliba’s absence, with Cristhian Mosquera stepping up heroically. He didn’t put a foot wrong against the Reds and has set himself up to claim the right CB position while Saliba recovers. Riccardo Calafiori earned Arsenal’s Player of the Month honors for August after some impressive returns from his three starts. Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber continues to be a player you can set your watch too.
Keeper: Raya
David Raya had a quiet break with Spain, as he stayed on the bench for their two matches. A rested keeper isn’t a bad thing, but it would have been nice to see him get some runout to stay sharp.
Arsenal return to the Emirates for their second match of the young Premier League season. Their last performance on their home pitch was an explosive win over Leeds that sent the supporters over the moon. Last season’s campaign saw some exquisite highs in north London, but now they need to raise the bar, and a solid showing against one of last season’s surprise sides could be just the tonic to kick start the restart of the season.
WHO: Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
WHAT: Premier League match day 4
WHEN: Saturday, September 13th, 7:30am EST/4:30am PST/12:30pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on the USA Network. Streaming on NBCSports.com
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