2 years ago
The business end of Arsenal's Premier League season has arrived, and with sixteen games remaining, every single match, whether involving the Gunners or their opponents, will be crucial in the story's conclusion.
After Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United all dropped points last weekend, Arsenal is in pole position to finish in the top four, with FiveThirtyEight predicting that the Gunners have a 54 percent chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
However, with things looking so promising, there is even more reason to be optimistic about the club's future.
The first is Takehiro Tomiyasu's return.
The 22-year-old has returned to training after missing the League Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool due to an injury.
Arsenal released a video of the Japanese international working on his rehabilitation away from the Gunners squad, doing fitness and ball work.
The next step will be to integrate Tomiyasu into full training, with the goal of having him available for the home game against Brentford.
Tomiyasu was still a Bologna player before joining Arsenal on transfer deadline day, so he was unavailable for the first meeting between the two clubs.
The summer signing has quickly become a fan favorite due to his disciplined performances and consistency.
Mikel Arteta benefits from increased defensive security, and he works well with right winger Bukayo Saka.
Second, Arsenal's misfortune has a silver lining. Gabriel Martinelli was sent off against Wolves in controversial circumstances and will miss the match against Brentford. However, Emile Smith-Rowe is likely to return to the starting lineup and play on the left wing as a result of this.
While playing on the left wing, Smith-Rowe became the team's leading scorer, a position that allowed the 21-year-old to add much-needed goals to his game.
Yes, Martinelli's absence will be felt, but Smith-return Rowe's impact on the team as a whole may be even greater.
Finally, European competition has returned. No, this isn’t some cruel reminder that the Gunners aren’t involved. Instead, it is to highlight the fact that, with the exception of Tottenham Hotspur, all of Arsenal’s rivals will be in action in the coming weeks.
Tottenham will continue with their FA Cup commitments, but Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City, and West Ham all have their next European opponents to contend with, adding to their match schedule.
Meanwhile, only the rescheduled Wolves game is scheduled for midweek on February 24th. Rescheduled games against Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Liverpool are on the horizon.
There’s a lot to be optimistic about at Arsenal right now, and the prospect of gaining even more momentum with back-to-back victories should only add to that.
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