Having already looked back on Manchester City’s surprise defeat in Norway, we now reflect on better nights for the two north London clubs.
RESULT
| TEAM | OPPOSITION | RESULT | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Inter Milan (a) | 3-1 win | Jesus x2, Gyokeres | Timber, Trossard, Saka |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Borussia Dortmund (h) | 2-0 win | Romero, Solanke | Odobert x2 |
SELECTION / ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GAMEWEEK 22 | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | OTHER PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 7 | Raya (90), Saliba (90), Zubimendi (90), Timber (64) | Lewis-Skelly (90), Merino (90), Saka (90), Trossard (79), Jesus (75), Mosquera (75), Eze (64), White (26), Rice (26), Gabriel (15), Gyokeres (15), Martinelli (11) |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | Vicario (90), Romero (90), Porro (90), Odobert (90), Xavi (90), Gray (90) | Danso (90), Udogie (90), Spence (90), Solanke (70), Bergvall (62), Byfield (28), Kolo Muani (20) |
BREATHERS FOR GABRIEL + RICE… BUT NOT SAKA
After four successive starts in 10 days, Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.8m) got a welcome breather in Milan.
The Brazilian stopper was one of seven players to make way from the Gameweek 22 line-up as Mikel Arteta shuffled his pack for a match that meant little by kick-off. Manchester City’s defeat earlier in the evening had ensured the Gunners’ progression to the last 16.
Declan Rice (£7.4m) was also limited to substitute duty, while Jurrien Timber (£6.3m) was spared after an hour or so.
All looks rosy for those players, then, ahead of Gameweek 23. In a further boost to Rice, he was booked last night, so he definitely sits out Matchday 8 of the Champions League.
But what about Bukayo Saka (£10.1m)? Benched in two of the last three Gameweeks, he was handed the full 90 minutes in the San Siro.
The good thing is that it’s a Tuesday-Sunday turnaround this week, not the Wednesday-Saturday schedule that resulted in Saka’s benching at the City Ground.
Surely Arteta starts Saka at home to a newly buoyant Manchester United, especially with a now confirmed dead rubber against Kairat Almaty beyond it? Over to you, Mikel…
“We played the fourth consecutive game away from home in four different competitions in 12 days, I think it was. So it’s crazy, in the manner that we’ve done it. We’ve been able to do that because we have rotated, because players feel important, players are fit to play when it’s needed.” – Mikel Arteta
SAKA IMPRESSES AS JESUS STAKES A CLAIM
Saka certainly impressed in Milan.
He was a livewire down the Inter left, having a team-best five shots. A couple of breakaway efforts represented his best chances, one blocked by a last-ditch tackle and the other parried away.
And he bagged the kind of jammy assist that his owners would kill for in FPL. After Saka trod on the ball on a counter-attack, substitute Viktor Gyokeres (£8.7m) pounced to curl in a decisive third goal for the Gunners.
Just about stealing the limelight, and the Man of the Match award, from Saka was Gabriel Jesus (£6.4m).
The Brazilian notched two opportunistic strikes, reacting quickest to a mishit Timber shot and a Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) header that hit the bar. Could he even challenge Gyokeres for a start in Gameweek 23?
“I think he deserves the Man of the Match award, not only for the goals [but] for all the work that he’s done.” – Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Jesus
It wasn’t totally comfortable at the back, but then it wasn’t expected to be. Inter have a strong home record, while five of the Gunners’ XI were not what you would call first choices.
Cristhian Mosquera (£5.3m) performed admirably at centre-half. His availability should ensure a rest next Wednesday for at least one of Gabriel or William Saliba (£6.0m).
“Mosquera is supposed to be another two weeks before coming back, but the medical staff and the sports scientists, they’ve done incredibly well with him to work every single hour to give him the chance to play. Today he had to play against top strikers, I think he’s done an incredible job.” – Mikel Arteta
BUYING TIME?
A job-saving win or merely delaying the inevitable?
A surprisingly excellent performance from Spurs saw them boss Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. The Lilywhites were well on top, and 1-0 up, even before Daniel Svensson’s first-half red card.
A slightly different set-up from Thomas Frank saw Spurs line up in a 4-2-3-1 on paper but function more like a 3-4-3 at times, with Destiny Udogie (£4.3m) operating as a third centre-half. Djed Spence (£4.3m), on the teamsheet as a left-winger, and Pedro Porro (£5.2m) were therefore effectively wing-backs.
Tactics aside, it was a display full of the energy and attacking ambition that has been lacking of late.
Like Udogie, we also saw a first post-injury start for Dominic Solanke (£7.2m). It was a promising, defence-occupying display from the striker, too, although his goal was of the lucky variety.
“Destiny, he was definitely one of the ones I was talking about yesterday. We were constantly talking about, ‘Should we swap him in or not?’ But he was sometimes bombarding forward. I was thinking, ‘Oh no, Dest, please, come on, calm now. Be a little bit clever.’ But very nice. Dom is the one that is normally a physical beast, but he’s been out for so long. It means something. He gave everything, and I think he gave so much to the team.” – Thomas Frank
After registering three shots against both Bournemouth and West Ham United, Cristian Romero (£5.0m) did exactly the same against Dortmund. And like Saturday, he scored, too, this time turning home the lively Wilson Odobert‘s (£5.3m) low cross.
But do we trust the Lilywhites to go and do it again this weekend? Do we heck. Promising displays against PSG and Slavia Praha in the last two European fixtures were followed by dismal league defeats.
Even if Spurs go and produce something at Turf Moor, they’ve got the following awful run beyond it:
On the fitness front, Lucas Bergvall (£5.2m) was forced off with a contact injury. Xavi Simons (£6.5m) also played 90 minutes with a swollen ankle; it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him rested on Saturday.
Spurs at least get Conor Gallagher (£5.5m) and Micky van de Ven (£4.6m), amongst others, back from ineligibility and suspension this weekend.
