Good morning, everyone!

This weekend in the Premier League has certainly provided its share of excitement and drama. I tuned into the Manchester derby during the second half, and while the initial moments felt a bit dull, that quickly changed. Manchester City was leading 1-0 and appeared to be on track for a straightforward victory. However, a reckless challenge from Matheus Nunes on Amad Diallo changed everything, resulting in a penalty for United.

Bruno Fernandes calmly converted the penalty, leveling the score at 1-1. Just a minute later, Diallo showcased his skill by deftly chipping the ball over goalkeeper Ederson, securing a stunning second goal despite the defenders’ desperate attempts on the line. While many fans may not relish Manchester United’s success, there’s a certain satisfaction in witnessing yet another challenging outcome for Pep Guardiola’s team, which has raised eyebrows throughout the league.

Manchester City’s current struggles are remarkable by any standard, especially given their long-standing dominance in the league. Although I believe they will eventually find their footing and start winning again, this recent run of poor results has certainly chipped away at the formidable reputation they have built over the years. Their past success has often instilled a sense of inevitability in their opponents; however, I sense that this aura is now fading, making matches against them less predictable.

Despite this, I must say that the more pressing concern for us when analyzing the league table isn’t merely the distance between us and the leaders. What troubles me more is the realization that, despite City’s current form, we only have a narrow three-point lead over them, which ideally should be greater. The recent matches against Fulham and Everton were missed opportunities—not only to close the gap with Liverpool but also to create a buffer between us and City.

Focusing back on our team, I can’t help but wonder if Mikel Arteta has taken note of our recent struggles to penetrate teams that adopt a defensive approach. This might lead him to consider strategies that go beyond simply adding another attacking player to our squad. While it’s clear that enhancing our frontline with additional talent could be beneficial, the reality is that finding a quality striker in the January transfer window remains a challenging task. However, I believe we have a greater chance of acquiring a versatile forward who can operate effectively across various positions in the attack.

Beyond the obvious advantage of adding another goalscoring threat to our bench, such a player could also introduce valuable tactical flexibility. I recall that at the beginning of last season, Arteta emphasized the need for his team to be unpredictable—not just in terms of which players start, but also in how the team approaches each match. This adaptability could prove crucial in overcoming defenses that sit deep.

Currently, I do see some predictability in our play, despite the fact that we are still capable of delivering impressive performances and securing positive results. However, on occasions when opponents successfully frustrate our attacking efforts, I question whether we possess sufficient tactical variety to break them down. This is why I suggested in a previous blog post that we might benefit from deploying both Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri simultaneously, rather than opting for one over the other. Our left flank remains a significant concern, and I’m uncertain what solutions we can implement with our current roster, especially given the struggles that Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli have faced recently.

I genuinely believe that both Trossard and Martinelli have the potential to perform at a much higher level than we have witnessed this season. Trossard is not particularly a long-term investment due to his age, and Martinelli seems to have reached a plateau in his development. However, the question remains—what can Arteta do differently to extract more from these players? While a new signing could certainly spark improvement, I suspect that the patterns of play that have served us well in recent seasons have become too familiar to our opponents, which may have contributed to our recent difficulties, particularly in the final third.

Shifting gears back to the Premier League, we’ve witnessed a couple of managerial changes recently. Neither of these decisions came as a surprise. Gary O’Neil’s time with Wolves has been underwhelming for an extended period, and Russell Martin’s dismissal from Southampton following a dismal 5-0 defeat seemed almost inevitable. While a manager may have a particular philosophy or style of play, there comes a point when the inability of the players to execute that vision leads to poor results, necessitating a change in approach.

I want to acknowledge Andrew Allen for sharing an insightful article with me this week, which delves into some of Southampton’s challenges and the broader trend of teams attempting to play out from the back. Unfortunately for Russell Martin, this philosophy cost him his job this weekend. If you’re keen to hear more about the Premier League, be sure to join us on Patreon later for an episode of The 30, where we have plenty to discuss!

Additionally, we will also have an Arsecast Extra episode available shortly. We’ve put out a call for questions on BlueSky @gunnerblog.bsky.social and @arseblog.com using the hashtag #arsecastextra. If you’re an Arseblog Member on Patreon, feel free to leave your questions in the #arsecast-extra-questions channel on our Discord server.

The podcast should be released around noon. Wishing you all a wonderful day ahead!