Arsenal are at Fleetwood Town tonight in the Carabao Cup, and the story is not really the opponent. It is the striker. Viktor Gyökeres is still waiting for his first goal of the season, and Mikel Arteta has used the build-up to say, publicly and firmly, that he is not worried.
Arteta's case for Gyökeres
The Swede started Saturday's 2-0 win over Everton and did not score, though by Arteta's account it was not for want of trying. "He was unlucky two or three moments," the manager said. "He's in front of goal, he's won the position to both centre-backs and the ball doesn't get there." Arteta added that Gyökeres had done plenty of good things and that Arsenal need to keep insisting, and he pointed to the substitute appearance in Munich, when the striker helped change the game.
It is a loyal answer and not an unreasonable one. A forward who wins the position against two centre-backs is getting into the right areas. The missing piece is the finish, and a lower-league trip is exactly the sort of night when it tends to arrive.
A chance for the younger players
Arteta also spent time praising the younger players who have stepped in lately. Cristhian Mosquera, he said, has done really well whenever he has played, and Arsenal have won some big games with him in the side. Myles Lewis-Skelly was singled out too, and so was Max Dowman, who Arteta said looks very comfortable when he is brought into the first-team environment.
Goal expects several fringe players and rising names to get a chance in the knockout tie. Arteta has a balancing act to manage: he needs to rest key starters without putting progress to the quarter-finals at risk, and he has Anfield on the calendar once the cup ties are done. "Let's see where everybody is," he said, "because individually as well we have put so much demand in so many players."
No room for complacency
Fleetwood play in a lower division, and Arteta's message to his squad was plain. "Show them the Arsenal shirt and what we represent and that's it," he said. "We need to go there and win the game. It's very simple. Our reputation, our pride, everything is in play." He also stressed that every opponent deserves respect, especially one from a different division.
That is the kind of line managers use to head off a cup upset, and it is worth taking seriously. Cup nights against sides with nothing to lose are rarely comfortable for a rotated team, and the early minutes will tell Arsenal a lot about whether the message landed.
Our prediction
Arsenal have far too much quality, even with changes, and I expect them to win by two or three goals. Gyökeres to get his first of the season would suit everyone, Arteta most of all, and a night like this is a fair place for it to happen.
Match facts: Fleetwood Town v Arsenal, Carabao Cup, Tuesday night. Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday. Gyökeres has not scored this season. Next up for Arsenal: a Premier League trip to Anfield. Source: Goal.
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