The big game this weekend features the high-flying Gunners and a determined Aston Villa side at the Emirates. Villa are equal in points with Tottenham and 11 better than Manchester United. Coach Unai Emery believes Champions League football is possible next season but I think it will be the Europa League.
He has been focused on training this week after surrendering points to Brentford in last weekend's 3-3 draw. He said it was not good enough after giving away a two-goal lead. Away to the Gunners, Villa cannot relax since that’s how they conceded points to Brentford.
Emery admitted in his press conference; “Two-nil is always a dangerous scoreline. We came out in the second half and scored then we seemed to relax as a team, thinking we had won the game. It’s poor. These are games we need to be winning. That’s what top teams do. Arsenal will kill off an opposing team and finish the game. We just don’t have that maturity yet or game intelligence.”
Douglas Luiz received his tenth yellow card. He will be missed at the Emirates. And since he was given those cards during Villa’s first 32 games of the season, he is penalised with an automatic two-match suspension and will also miss the Bournemouth game.
Mikel Arteta has his team tweaked to perfection for the Premier League run-in. They are probably the best at the moment and the title is much in their grasp. One of the Gunners’ assistants said a computer has revealed Arsenal have a 75.3 per cent chance of winning this game with Villa at only 9.1 per cent.
Both managers believe this game hinges on Arsenal’s William Saliba stopping Villa’s Ollie Watkins. The England star has 18 goals this season and 10 assists.
Apart from his striking ability, he has spent the week working with Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby, focusing on creating space upfront for them to counterattack on the wings. This match is vital to both team’s ambitions.
Newcastle v Tottenham
After a promising start to the season, Newcastle have fallen to eighth, 14 points outside the top four. Champions League football will not happen but a place in the Europa League is still possible.
Not many teams have suffered devastating injuries as the Magpies but coach Eddie Howe is pleased after developing many of his younger stars. 21-year-old Elliot Anderson was man-of-the-match against Everton and impressed again in last weekend’s 1-0 win at Fulham.
Joe Willock went off injured and Anderson came onto the pitch and almost immediately, Newcastle gained greater control higher up the pitch.
Howe said he intends to give Anderson more game time at home to Tottenham but another budding youngster, Lewis Miley, has a back injury and, probably, won’t start for two weeks.
Tottenham leap-frogged Aston Villa to fourth on goal difference after beating Nottingham Forest last weekend. With seven games remaining, Spurs could make the Champions League due to an extra two places being granted for next season.
Whatever happens, the north London club will have a say on the outcome at the top of the table in the most exciting end of season for years. Goalscorers Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro are available and Timo Werner seems to have found a home in the Premier League, where his European talents are finally showing through.
Werner has slotted nicely into Tottenham’s entertaining attacking football and will give Newcastle’s Emil Krafth and Sean Longstaff plenty of work to contain his crosses into the box.
Training has been difficult this week for Howe as he does not know if Bruno Guimaraes will face Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr or Rodrigo Bentacur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield.
Howe’s other main training focus has been containing Spurs’ front four of Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Werner and captain Son Heung-Min, who have contributed largely to the club’s 64 goals this season.
Bournemouth v Manchester United
Harry Maguire has heaped praise on his young defensive partner Willy Kambwala.
The 19-year-old was given his big chance with a second start on Sunday and impressed against Liverpool’s Mo Salah and co.
He held firm in a poor team organisation and faced 15 shots during the first half. “This man was magnificent today,” said Maguire.
Kambwala responded: “Proud to have made my first Premier League start at home. Disappointed not to have taken three points but what a fight. Thank you for your incredible support. With God, everything is possible.”
Kambwala was also praised by under-siege Erik Ten Hag, who is good at discovering and coaching young talent. The United boss said the youngster has a good chance of starting several matches with several defensive players out injured.
His next start could be against Bournemouth. The south coast team are expected to react to a disappointing loss at Luton last weekend.
Bournemouth are a team capable of taking advantage of United’s lack of strategy, coherence and stability.
Dominic Solanke is in great form and his commanding presence will undoubtedly be a test for Maguire. Behind him, Justin Kluivert, Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo are in good form and they will test the United defence.
Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook will battle out the midfield against out-of-form Casemiro and teen sensation Kobbie Mainoo.