Before the third round of the FA Cup at home against Manchester United, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta declared his goal of winning the title, which was not problematic in itself. The reigning champions, Manchester United, had an even stronger desire to win the title, as it would mean securing qualification for the Europa League next season.
Apart from the forward Marcus Rashford, who has been largely sidelined and is rumored to be leaving during the winter transfer window, Bruno Amorim brought all his best players, clearly intent on facing Arsenal head-on and striving to advance to the next round.
Arteta's resources are actually quite limited; he lacks a player like Erling Haaland, a formidable force up front. Gabriel Jesus, though a natural center forward, has been out too often due to injuries and does not have a high goal tally. Kai Havertz has been playing as a makeshift center forward, but he is not a natural striker. The winger Bukayo Saka, capable of both scoring and assisting, has been out for some time due to injury, greatly affecting the team.
Arsenal's goal is to win the Premier League title, so why bother fighting for an FA Cup that carries much less weight than the Premier League? Unlike Manchester United, Arsenal does not need to win the FA Cup to secure Europa League qualification; it is almost certain that they will qualify for the Champions League next season.
At this point, there is really no need to engage in a fierce battle with Manchester United. In the previous Premier League match, Arsenal was held to a 1-1 draw away by Brighton, failing to capitalize on the opportunity to close the gap when Liverpool drew 2-2 at home with Manchester United. With tough upcoming matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in the Premier League, it is definitely not advisable to expend too much energy in the FA Cup.
The result was truly a case of losing both the battle and the war! Arsenal fought Manchester United all the way to a penalty shootout at the Emirates Stadium before ultimately being eliminated, and their previously in-form center forward Gabriel Jesus got injured again.
Media reports suggest that Jesus may have suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for a long time, at least for the rest of the season.
Currently, Arsenal's league goalscoring chart stands as follows: Kai Havertz with 7 goals, Gabriel Martinelli with 5 goals, Bukayo Saka with 5 goals, Gabriel Jesus with 3 goals, Gabriel with 3 goals, and Leandro Trossard with 3 goals. Among these six, Gabriel is a defender. Both Saka and Jesus, two key strikers, are injured.
There are rumors in the transfer market that Arsenal will bring in a forward during the winter window, such as Dusan Vlahovic, but even if these rumors become official news, it will still be a case of "distant water cannot quench near thirst."
In this round of the Premier League's "North London Derby," who will Arteta rely on to score goals?
Arsenal vs Tottenham
Competition: Premier League Matchday 21
Match Time: January 16th, 4:00 AM
After the 20th round of the 2024-25 Premier League season, Arsenal stands second with 11 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses, accumulating 40 points. They trail the leaders, Liverpool, who have played one fewer match, by 6 points and are level on points with the dark horse, fourth-placed Nottingham Forest, having 4 more points than fourth-placed Chelsea.
Trailing by 6 points at the halfway mark, if Liverpool were to win their postponed away match against Everton, Arsenal would be 9 points behind, but it is not impossible for them to make a comeback and win the title. Arsenal has a record of making a comeback after trailing by 13 points at the halfway point. In the 1997-98 season, under Arsène Wenger's coaching, Arsenal trailed the leaders, managed by Alex Ferguson, by 13 points at the halfway point but eventually made a remarkable comeback to win the title.
Liverpool's current form is also unstable, with key players Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk experiencing delays in contract renewals during their contract years, causing morale issues within the team. Moreover, this group of veterans from Klopp's era, who won the Champions League and the Premier League, have not been consistent in their performance over the past few seasons and have faced controversies. Now, many people hope they stay, forgetting the times when they wanted them to leave.
However, for Arsenal to make a comeback, they must be steadier than Liverpool, but their recent results have been anything but stable!
Tottenham Hotspur, with 7 wins, 3 draws, and 10 losses in 20 matches, accumulating 24 points, ranks twelfth in the Premier League table, trailing fourth-placed Chelsea by 12 points. This BIG6 team, which invested nearly 150 million euros in the summer transfer window, seems unlikely to return to the Champions League stage.
In the last 10 matches across all competitions, Arsenal has 5 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss, with 2 draws and 1 loss in their last 3 matches.
In the last 10 matches across all competitions, Tottenham Hotspur has 3 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses.
In the last 10 encounters between the two sides, Arsenal has the upper hand with 6 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses.
Arsenal is plagued by injuries and reduced personnel, while Tottenham has an even longer injury list. Among their two center forwards, Werner is out with a hamstring injury, and the sick Richarlison is expected to recover, but neither of them has a high goal tally.
In this match, Arsenal is still the more promising team.