Bournemouth is not a very difficult opponent, as evidenced by the current 13th place in the rankings. However, having to play away still poses many risks for Arsenal if they lose focus. Hitting the opponent early and saving energy is what Mikel Arteta and his students should do.
In recent weeks, Arsenal have begun to feel the heat with injuries to Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Jurrien Timber. Most recently, Bukayo Saka was also added to the list of injured players, making Arteta worried. Returning to an easy match but looking a little further, The Gunners have many challenges.
Pressure to regain the top spot
This weekend, when Man City had to visit Wolves and Liverpool hosted Chelsea at home, the match against Bournemouth was considered a huge advantage for Arsenal. Currently, the "Gunners" are temporarily ranked 3rd, equal in points with Man City (17) and exactly 1 point behind Liverpool. If there is any stumble between the two direct competitors, the Emirates team will seize the opportunity.
Although the opponent is quite easy, having to play away is a big challenge. Arteta and his students need to concentrate to the maximum if they do not want to stumble before Man City and Liverpool suffer that scenario.
Compulsory changes
This is the time for Arsenal's reserve players to prove their ability. Since the beginning of the season, Arteta has tried to build a deep squad, ensuring that each position has 2 people in charge. Not perfect yet, but since the beginning of the season, the "Gunners" have somewhat proven that.
This is the time for Gabriel Jesus to prove his ability and Raheem Sterling to make The Gunners fans see him as worthy of being in the ranks. It is possible that both Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka will not start on Saturday. Arteta has a very good old Man City duo in hand, just need to rekindle the fire in them, everything will be fine.
Only 1 holiday left in 2024
After FIFA Days in October, national team tournaments will only have one more break in November. Arsenal will play 7 matches in all competitions before FIFA Days in November (starting from 10.11). After that break, there will be no more interruptions until March 2025. Arsenal will have four months as a visiting team to maintain their rhythm in the competition, especially the Premier League and Champions League.
This will be a very good start and Arteta needs to complete it as well as possible, before incidents of overload and injuries occur. Every team has to lose strength in the end, but when not confident about their position in each race, Arsenal cannot let themselves fall into a position of having to chase. The results from now until Christmas will completely decide the situation.
It is quite a pity that Arteta's squad is not perfect due to injuries, but if the goal is to compete for the championship, challenges like the current one are something every team must of course face.
