FA CUP: PORTSMOUTH VS ARSENAL PREVIEW

You do have to wonder as a fan of Arsenal whether the popularity of the club has made it more difficult for us to win a title.

I hear you, is this Pedro fluffing the pillows for a crash landing? Absolutely not. But watching how the media went into overdrive last week to nail Arsenal on so many things was absolutely painful to watch, and I’ve come to the conclusion it’s not because they hate us; it’s because they love our fanbase and how easy we are to trigger. Millions of angry Gooners is good for clicks, hits, and engagement.

Let’s be blunt here. Man City will never be part of an outrage storm because: 1) People don’t really care about them in the same way 2) They are extremely aggressive when they feel like they’ve been crossed.

Arsenal? Not so much. This week was a prime example of it. Liverpool come to Arsenal, 14 points behind, in January, after being crowned champions, and they don’t register a shot on target. Crickets. Arsenal, top of the league, the best team over the Christmas period, get a draw, and we have two players known for violence and shithousery talking about Martinelli owing an apology to Conor Bradley. That nonsense hasn’t stopped. Is it because they hate us? Or because Sky understand that popping off at Arsenal is good for business?

My question: could we be more City here? It doesn’t happen to them and if it does, there’s a response. City restrict access, they don’t let certain journalists in, there’s a response, and as a result, the coverage of them is never extreme. Look at the Forest reaction to Neville when he went too far. How many segments do you see where they’re going after him since that incident? Why do Arsenal let these things ride? The constant negativity around the club feeds into the fan base online, it leads to tetchy atmospheres at games, and I suspect it gets into the dressing room as well. If we’re good for ratings, shouldn’t that be a point of leverage? We’re probably one of the most important clubs in the Premier League at the moment. We have exciting young players, a dynamic young manager who is fun to watch, and we’re top of the league. Why are we letting Sky foment all these negative headlines against us?

Arsenal have made a big move in the coaching market. They’ve signed set-piece coach of throw-ins, Thomas Gronnemark. Arteta is crazy when it comes to hunting down marginal gains; this is another great example. But beyond Arteta, can we just take a moment to celebrate that this guy woke up one morning, perhaps after spending a night watching really good throw-in comps on YouTube (do they exist?), and decided to become the greatest throw-in specialist on the planet.

Imagine telling your friends that was the plan. They’d laugh. Call you Throw-in Boy. Graffiti Rory Delap on your van. Say you’d never make it. Tell you to get a paper round. Well… who is laughing now? Thomas Gronnemark. That’s who. Never give up on your dreams. Do what you love. Someday, there might be a way to make a career out of it.

Also… Arsenal throw-ins aren’t the best, are they?

A few of the Gyok Heads asked me to sheathe my sword now we have other options. I’ll relent. No more talk of the Swedish one for a few weeks. People saying I enjoy seeing a player struggle. Please. That is absolute nonsense. I want all Arsenal players to be good. But if you thought I’d go back on my word to be sterner this season on players and coaches not hitting your mark, you were wrong. We’re calling spades spades this season and I don’t care if it impacts sensibilities. These guys are top athletes, at a club that wants to win things, and we’re not handing out participation trophies in a must-win season, especially to folk that are here to hit the ground running.

But, we don’t need to talk about negatives when there is a big positive heading the way of the Portsmouth squad.

Kai Havertz is in the squad according to the Hand of Arsenal, and I suspect he’ll be good for 20-30 minutes. I’m not sure who starts centrally, but one would imagine Jesus will continue where he left off against Palace and he’ll get a start and the chance to prove himself again.

We have to be very, very patient with Kai. It’s taken Jesus a long time to get close to up and running and he’s still not deemed fit enough to start Premier League games in front of someone on their knees when it comes to form. The big German is going to be rusty, he’s going to clunk around the pitch, and it might take 6 or 7 appearances to start looking like the old Kai. But my word, am I excited to have this classy German beast back in the team.

How is he coming back? The same as before. Has he been watching Ian Wright videos? Is there a different mission? What is the plan? We don’t know. All we want to know is can he make it through a chunk of the game tomorrow and prove that he can be the 9 who takes the club to the end of the season and delivers a world-class kind of impact we need to see.

I always gas myself up that we’ll play these lowly Championship clubs and maul them, but it rarely turns out that way. Man City put out a lot of first-team players and walloped Exeter. Classless stuff, but it did point to a manager who knows his extortionately paid players are off balance in front of goal. There was a monster upset when Wayne Rooney’s brother, at Macclesfield as manager, managed to inspire a dirty cup upset against the holders Palace. Gotta sting Glasner. We saw Wrexham beat Forest on penalties. Spurs lost AGAIN, this time to a strong Villa side. There are upsets out there. We have to be very focused and not take this game lightly.

My hope is the second 11 we have is pretty good. I reckon we’ll probably make 6 or so changes and go with a strong bench in case. I really don’t want to see Declan or Zubi, because they’ve been clocking mad minutes. I’m not too concerned about the defence because I can’t imagine it’ll be a game of too much defensive intensity.

One player we’ve mostly forgotten is Ethan Nwaneri - will he get minutes? If so, where will he play? There are rumours he’s turned down Bournemouth this window, which seems crazy to me, but I guess he’s betting on himself which is a good thing. If he doesn’t start tomorrow… maybe I’ll change my mind on that. He’s a big talent, he needs to play if he’s going to reach that high ceiling we know he has.

These cup games always worry me. They’re emotional, it feels like an easy way to win a cup, but they come with dangers. Losing can knock confidence. Injuries can derail league pushes. Extra time puts fatigue on already tired legs.

So, a call, once again, for no drama. Let’s see what the boys have got. See you in the comments. x

P.S. Arsenal definitely the throw-in coach by typing ‘best throws-ins’ into Youtube like I did. Excellent stuff. This is his philosophy.