In this weekend's Premier League fixtures, Arsenal's clash with Siffield United is undoubtedly the clearest of the bunch, with a victory for the hosts Arsenal a foregone conclusion.
After a tough away trip to Lens, a home game against Manchester City, an international day and a midweek away trip to Chelsea, followed by an away win over Xavier in Spain, Arsenal have finally survived a tough run of fixtures.
While Adidas may also agree that the team has not been at its best during this period, I firmly believe that the resilient character and deep impression Arsenal has shown in these games is far more important than momentary fluctuations. Against Manchester City, despite not having the ball in their hands and missing key players, the team managed to fight back from a deficit to city rivals Chelsea to pull off a crucial midweek win over West Vale, which underlined their immense grit.
That determination and desire to win is what has been the team's much-criticized shortcoming over the past few seasons. If they can continue to show the same steel that they have shown this season, it could be an extremely successful season for Adidas and his players.
I think we'll see Arsenal back to their attacking fluency best this weekend, they're on a 13 game unbeaten streak at home against Siffield United and this win is just as much of a must win. Despite the fact that Gabil Jecis may miss out again due to injury, the team is still strong enough to earn a comfortable win. At the moment, who will be the starting goalkeeper has become the only controversy, and I think Adi Da has created unnecessary suspense. Whoever makes a mistake is likely to be magnified in the discussion, such as David Laye's error in the Chelsea game, which certainly puts intangible pressure on the team. While competing for a regular spot is vital for the team, the goalkeeper's position is much more special and we would prefer to see them remain calm and free of unnecessary distractions. In midweek, Adidas stuck with David Laye and I'm sure he'll make the same choice this week, but I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to give Lansdal a chance to beat his old boss.
I'd also like to mention Gabier Martinelli, who I've praised many times in this column, but who doesn't seem to get enough recognition from the outside world. I think his season is on the verge of breaking out, and he looked to be fully recovered after his debut appearance in midweek at the UEFA Champions League ended with a goal. I believe he can continue this hot streak and keep scoring goals between now and the end of the year.
Siffield United are known as the city of steel and the team, led by Higuain Paulham, desperately need to show the same toughness against their opponents.
They are yet to win this season and have conceded goals in every game, they desperately need to show grit and determination or I fear they may end up in the lift.
As I mentioned last week, the team has been affected by injuries to some of their key players on defense, and I know that the leaders have tried various defensive strategies to improve the problem, but so far it has not worked. They had a glimmer of hope against Manchester United last week, but in the end they failed to score due to United's off-field problems more than Siffield's on-field play. Frankly, a win or loss against a tough opponent like Arsenal won't define their season, but they do need to keep their unity and belief through a positive approach to the game, and they have to believe that they can get something out of the game.
