Saka At No 10 To Accommodate Madueke?
It was something of a surprise that Bukayo Saka was the first substitution made by Mikel Arteta when Arsenal found themselves trailing against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night.
The England forward had an unusually quiet game as he struggled to make an impact against an organised defence and the introduction of Noni Madueke on the hour-mark made an immediate impression, even if he was later accused of taking a dive for the penalty that earned Arsenal a 1-1 draw.
“I thought that we needed something else,” admitted Arteta afterwards. “Noni has been contributing and being a real threat.”
Saka will surely be given another chance in tomorrow’s meeting with Everton at the Emirates but Madueke is pushing him very close.
One option could be to move Saka to No 10 and give Eberechi Eze a rest after a lacklustre display in Germany.
*Arsenal v Everton, Saturday.
Haaland Needs Lift At Happy Hunting Ground
Erling Haaland’s first competitive outing in English football came at the London Stadium. He ran riot that day, scoring twice as Manchester City opened the 2022-23 season with victory over West Ham, and this venue has been a happy hunting ground for Haaland ever since.
He found the net in another win in September 2023 and bagged a hat-trick there last season, but he is in patchy form before City visit West Ham for a must-win game on Saturday night. Three points are a must if Pep Guardiola’s side are to keep Arsenal in their sights.
City will look to Haaland, who is enduring a remarkable slump by his standards. After all the Norwegian, whose latest blank came in the midweek defeat to Real Madrid, started the season so well.
He had 38 goals for club and country after scoring twice when City thumped West Ham 3-0 on 20 December.
Since then, though, it is four in 17 games for Haaland. He has struggled with injuries and has often looked isolated in City’s attack. It helps that Antoine Semenyo has accepted some of the load since joining from Bournemouth but Guardiola needs Haaland to fire during the run-in.
Haaland will hope that facing one of his favourite opponents gets him going again.
*West Ham v Manchester City, Saturday
Chelsea’s Rosenior Faces Goalkeeper Dilemma
The talk before the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) game was that Filip Jörgensen is Chelsea’s new No 1. Liam Rosenior had made his mind up.
Jörgensen was in, partly because of his passing ability, and Robert Sánchez had fallen down the pecking order after a few wobbly outings. It was a gamble, though.
Sánchez is not an elite goalkeeper but he has not had a disastrous season. Jörgensen, meanwhile, has not convinced since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2024, with the Dane struggling to take previous opportunities to dislodge Sánchez. He was all over the place during a Carabao Cup tie against Lincoln City in September and thus, it was not a surprise when he blundered against PSG.
The pressure not to make a mistake was intense. The poor pass that led to Vitinha making it 3-2 felt inevitable.
Rosenior’s biggest selection call since becoming Chelsea’s head coach backfired.
What now? Does he stick with Jörgensen, who was berated by Enzo Fernández as Chelsea unravelled, or go back to Sánchez for Saturday’s home fixture against Newcastle?
Either way such uncertainty is hardly a healthy situation when it comes to who should play in goal. Sánchez is a confidence player. Whoever starts will be under intense scrutiny.
*Chelsea v Newcastle, Saturday.
Carrick Can Be Confident Vs Villa
Third v fourth with Manchester United above Aston Villa solely due to a superior goal difference of six sets this up as a cracker, particularly as only nine games remain in the quest for Champions League qualification.
Michael Carrick will have had 11 days to stew over United’s first defeat under him – the last-gasp 2-1 loss at Newcastle on 4 March – by kick-off against Unai Emery’s visitors.
This is a long time, too, to plot how to outwit the usually tactically astute Spaniard. But Villa have won only one of their past six league games so United, at home too, should be confident.
*Manchester United v Aston Villa, Sunday
Liverpool Aim To Exploit Abject Spurs
With the worst team in the Premier League, having lost their past five games and not won in 11, coming to town, Liverpool need to lay down a marker for the run-in.
Tottenham are abjectly terrible in every department and Liverpool can take advantage as they seek to build momentum for a crucial period of the season.
One issue for Arne Slot has been his wingers, who have underperformed and struggled to create in open play. The Dutchman has spoken highly of Rio Ngumoha in recent weeks and gave him a start in the FA Cup win over Wolves last week.
It would be bold to select the 17-year-old in a vital Premier League game but, with Spurs forlorn, it would be a fine opportunity for a confident teenager to put them under pressure on the flanks and give Anfield a lift, because they have missed a fearless winger in recent times.
*Liverpool v Tottenham, Sunday.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Mikel Arteta may shift Bukayo Saka centrally to accommodate the in-form Noni Madueke (l).
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