Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will find out later today whether Alex Lacazette is available for tomorrow’s match with Chelsea.
The Frenchman tested positive for Covid-19 last week and missed the 1-0 defeat to Southampton leaving the Gunners very short on numbers in attack.
“With Laca, we have to see him today to see if he’s available with the team,” confirmed the manager in his pre-game press conference.
“Obviously, as you all know, he had Covid so he’s been away for a few days. We try to get his feeling and where he’s at and if he can contribute somehow with the team.”
There was also an update on the lesser spotted Takehiro Tomiyasu. The club pencilled in the Japan international for a return to full training this week and it sounds like he’s making progress in his recovery from a calf injury.
Arteta said: “Tomi is very, very close, whether this game is going to be too early for him or not, we’ll decide today after the training session.”
Off the back of three consecutive defeats, heading to Stamford Bridge makes for a daunting next challenge. The boss has been rallying the troops and is targeting a win.
“We have to be at our best against the best team in Europe that has shown last season what they can do with the ability that they have.
“We’re going to go there, as always, to win the match and that’s going to be our intention tomorrow at Stamford Bridge.”
Rammers
Tomi-White-Gabriel-Tavarez
Elneny-Lokonga
Saka-Odegaard-ESR
Pepe
Actually forgot about Martinelli.
Saka LB, Martinelli LW, ESR RW.
You also forgot Xhaka.
He’s playing at left out back.
No he didn’t.
No. Definitely did not.
Poor Tomi, the rep he built himself pre injury the only solution is plying him at RB, Centre mid and striker. I’m sure he can do it
There’s more chance of Norwich avoiding relegation than there is us getting anything out of Chelsea tomorrow night. Obviously I’ll be incredibly happy and glad to be proven wrong if we do, but, we won’t.
I bet you said that last season when we did the double.
Why not, Brentford won 4-1 there two weeks ago.
Because one of our biggest issues is that we never seem to overperform
this aged well
Would be fine with me if Tomi was held out until the weekend, or even until West Ham, if that’s what it takes to ensure he’s fully ready to return.
At this point, don’t rush Tomi back. I’d rather have him miss one more that we’re not likely to win anyway, than rush back and potentially miss the rest of the season.
As far as Laca goes, I’d still try someone else at striker, but maybe it would be nice to have him on the bench.
Sub on Tomiyasi in the last 10min as centre forward. He’ll do better that Laca and Nketiah
I hope Tomiyasi is the plural and we’re getting two of them back.
Arteta’s soundbites ring hollow to me these days! I don’t like it, but I am having the same feelings I had in the dying days of Arsene and Emery’s reign.
I hope it is not a de ja vu.
2.5 weeks ago we were all chipper and dandy with possibility. We lost a number of absolutely key players at the same time with a thin squad. Let’s not go overboard. It’s not End Times. It happens.
In general the club is on the up. This is a dip, not the precipice.
“We lost a number of absolutely key players at the same time.” Oh dear! What a pity. Somebody reading this would think half of the first team was decimated by injuries. Tomiyasu’s been out since January: so, I know of only Partey and Tierney – two players only – who were out injured. As long as we have such fans who believe that injury to two players is a good enough reason to lose to teams like Crystal Palace, Brighton (at home), and Southampton (a team that was annihilated 6 – 0 a week before then) – teams 18 points… Read more »
Fans can be so fickle.
I wonder how some of them deal with set backs in life.
Even if this team doesn’t make top 4, they’ve played and gathered more points than last season… Beaten more smaller teams than last season (Can’t confirm this, I read it here).
Next season we build on from that. Get a prolific striker, add more bodies, keep improving.
Life isn’t black and white. 🤦🏽♂️
Agree to a certain extent. However my frustration isn’t just with the results but the lack of quality football and goal scoring chances. We are playing with handbrakes on it seems – afraid to make one touch forward passes. When you look at the way Liverpool play you realise we’re light years away from that level. I don’t think their net spend would have been significantly more than us over the last few years – so then does it just come down to poor performances and poor coaching? Fingers crossed we can strengthen over summer – need at least 2… Read more »
Hey, just a minor correction.
It’s Tomiyasu and not Tomiyasi, in the article headline and link. 🙂
Tomi YaSI