Posted: Mar 8, 2023 | Updated: 4 months ago
Gabriel Jesus trained with the first team today in the build-up to their clash with Sporting Lisbon on Thursday in the Europa League round of 16. While it is unclear if he will play in the game, it is an immensely positive bit of news for both the Arsenal team and fans.
With both Nketiah and now Trossard out, Gabriel Jesus returns to continue Arsenal’s pursuit of a first league title in almost 20 years.
Despite Gabriel Jesus being criticised by opposition fans for a lack of goals for the club, it is clear that his role is far broader than that of a pure goalscorer like Haaland is for Man City.
Gabriel Jesus interacts with the midfield behind him and Arsenal’s wingers particularly well to create opportunities for them. This has resulted in both Saka and Martinelli being on 10 and 11 goals respectively as well as Odegaard sitting on 9.
Arsenal has struggled without Gabriel Jesus despite the surprisingly impactful contribution from January-signing Leandro Trossard from Brighton which in both Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus’ absence has pushed Martinelli central.
It is clear to see that Arsenal can and likely will revert back to a similar style to the one they used before the world cup and Jesus’ injury with Martinelli going back out on the left and Saka remaining on the right with Gabriel Jesus playing the link-up role and creating space for the three attackers behind him to be creative and frighten defences.
Arsenal faces Fulham who sits in 7th at Craven Cottage this weekend. While on the surface, this appears a comfortable win for Arsenal, their game against Bournemouth last weekend also did. In their game against bottom-of-the-table Bournemouth, Arsenal struggled to break down Bournemouth’s low block. This was made increasingly difficult combined with their time-wasting and goal within the first 9 seconds by Philip Billing. Although Arsenal played their beautiful intricate football and dominated the ball, it took a Reiss Nelson volley with the last kick of the game in 90+7 to take home the three points.
I see this as a great opportunity for Arsenal to continue their great form and really push on to the title with their rivals looking like they aren’t going to put a foot wrong any time soon.
With 12 Premier League games to go, will Jesus’ return be a defining moment in the run-in to crowning the domestic league champion? We will find out on 28 May.
Sports betting has seemingly permeated every aspect of life at this point. We see ads all the time for sports betting, but it really has been a natural part of sports for a long time. Now, it is just more widely accepted with soccer picks. If you haven’t quite joined…
Continue Reading...
Gary Neville is a former professional footballer, football coach, and television pundit. He is best known for his successful career with Manchester United and the England national team. Following his retirement from playing, Neville ventured into football punditry and coaching, adding to his wealth over the years.
Continue Reading...
With the end of season run-in ramping up, the footballing world has hit the speed bump that is the March international break. The March international always draw intense debate upon their necessity, with many fans asking: is it necessary to halt domestic and european action for meaningless friendlies? There is…
Continue Reading...
19 years of hurt, never stopped them dreaming. Next month marks the 20-year anniversary of San Marino’s last victory. Andy Selva curled home a stunning free kick to seal a 1-0 win against Liechtenstein in Serravalle in front of a delirious Sammarinese crowd of 200 on 28th April 2004. FIFA…
Continue Reading...
Following a cinematic weekend of FA Cup action, the country is as gripped as it has ever recently been on the historic competition. But how long will that last with the upcoming TV deal that looks set to change everything?
Continue Reading...
Manchester City have approached Guimaraes representatives over a potential move. The 26-year-old has made a name for himself at St James Park since arriving from Lyon in January 2022. Guimaraes has made 96 appearances for Newcastle United where he has found the back of the net 13 times and has…
Continue Reading...
There were times at Manchester United when supporting the club was a bed of roses. These days it is agony and despair every other week. The mentality of players which existed during the time of Sir Alex Ferguson has taken a nosedive since his departure. Not only the players, but…
Continue Reading...