Arteta has a ‘good headache’ ahead of Bournemouth clash

Morning.

We’re in action early today, taking on Bournemouth at home at 12.30. Mikel Arteta revealed in his press conference yesterday that the squad has a clean bill of health, giving him a ‘good headache’ as he makes his selection for this game.

The big question is whether or not Jurrien Timber is ready to come back into the fold. Having spent most of the season sidelined after his ACL injury on the opening day, he has a couple of appearance for the U21s under his belt, and when asked if – with just three games to go – he’d be able to find the rhythm required for high stakes fixtures, the manager replied:

We’re not going to know that until we throw him in there. It’s tricky because there’s only three games to go. It means eight months of football, he’s played only 150 minutes of football with the under-21s.

It’s a question that has to be resolved only by throwing him on the pitch and see what happens, and we have to try to nail that decision as to when.

Is there a less Mikel Arteta phrase than ‘throwing him on the pitch and see what happens’? He is meticulous in his preparation, so that doesn’t sound like the way he would do it. It is a fair question though – Timber’s quality and fresh legs might well be useful, but it also wouldn’t be unusual for a player who is out that long to need time to get up to speed. With no margin for error at all, even from the bench, it’s one Arteta will have to give serious consideration to.

Last weekend’s subs for the derby were: Ramsdale, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Smith Rowe, Vieira, Martinelli, Jesus, Nketiah.

Which one would you drop out? On our preview podcast, Lewis suggested Eddie is the likeliest candidate, and with players like Jesus, Trossard, Havertz, and Martinelli all capable of doing a job in the front three, that would make sense. Maybe one of Vieira or Smith Rowe, but you might need midfield cover so it’s harder to make the case for them. Let’s see.

As for the team today,…

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Author : arseblog

Publish date : 2024-05-04 05:50:39

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