Photo from Freepik
Morning all.
When Mikel Arteta was asked if he is now armed with the most complete squad of his near seven-year tenure, he replied:
In terms of numbers and quality, yes for sure. When you shake the tree and bring in more players, there are always things that can happen. The spirit of that is to be more competitive, to be better and learn from the past, and with the squad we had last year we made life very, very difficult for ourselves if you look at the size and depth of other squads and the resources they had. So, we all have big smiles on our faces with the understanding that we have done really well, but the market is not closed and we have to stay very alert because there are a lot of things that can happen still. But so far, so good.
I’m assuming Eberechi Eze was in his thoughts when he answered that question because I’d sure be surprised if there is an eighth signing planned.
Leeds Utd pipped Burnley to the Championship title just over three months ago, the deciding factor being goals. Leeds scored a whopping 95 goals, Burnley just 69. Leeds conceded more but it didn’t matter.
I read about tonight’s opponents and their style of football, wondering what to expect and it appears that under Daniel Farke, they play high pressing and possession based football. The best in the Championship say the stats.
They are good at breaking opponents down and counterattacking with speed. Defensively, they are excellent at defending set-pieces, again, boasting the best figures last season. A Declan Rice corner or free kick might cause them a few problems though…
I found this little nugget on LeedsAllOver website:
Daniel Farke’s system has transformed Leeds into a possession powerhouse while maintaining defensive solidity:
Goals Scored: 66 (2.06 per game)
Goals Conceded: 19 (0.59 per game)
Key Strength: Balance between attacking fluidity (via overlapping full-backs and creative midfielders) and defensive discipline.
Leeds marked their return to Premier League football with a 1-0 home defeat of Everton thanks to a very late penalty awarded against James Tarkowski who was adjudged to have used his left arm to block an Anton Stach shot in the box. Controversial? Probably.
Mikel Arteta is without Kai Havertz for today’s fixture and quite possibly for a few more too. The extent of his injury is yet to be confirmed by Arsenal but I’m not sure no news is going to be good news in this case. Christian Norgaard misses out too with a knee injury and Ben White is a doubt having missed training this week. Gabriel Jesus is still recovering after undergoing surgery last season.
Leeds are without captain Ethan Ampadu who suffered knee ligament damage on the opening day of the season. Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin could make their debuts in this game, while Jaka Bijol is back from a suspension which he apparently picked up whilst playing for Udinese. I never knew…
Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke, writing inthe official matchday programme:
Leeds played in a 4-2-3-1 with a roving No. 10 in the Championship but switched to 4-3-3 on Monday, with a trio of strong, all-action midfielders who can cover lots of ground in a key part of the pitch. They are an attack-minded side who want to have plenty of possession, averaging 54% against Everton. With a back four which is not especially quick, we could see Leeds holding a lowish block at times in this contest. Pressing with intensity is part of their armoury, and Farke will want to upset our rhythm and flow by showing hostility and abrasiveness out of possession.
The Yorkshire side also loves to build down the flanks, with sharp one and two-touch football. Wingers Willy Gnonto and Dan James are always willing to run at opposition defenders. They both enjoyed wonderful campaigns in 2024/25 and are also supported well by two excellent full-backs. However six of Everton’s seven chances against them came from dead-ball situations. As this is a core strength of ours, Leeds will be nervous whenever we stand over a corner or wide free-kick.
I’m still of the opinion that the opening game or two of the season is perhaps the toughest for players and fans. Emotions are high, excitement and expectation levels are high, especially for the fans of the club playing at home.
This fixture today is Arsenal’s first at The Emirates, 50,000 fans will be right behind their team. North London Forever will kick the early evening game off and then it’s over to the players to do their thing and Mikel Arteta to help them in every which way he can.
Last weekend’s performance against Utd was far from Arsenal’s best. The midfield wasn’t quite right and our attacking unit looked all at sea. Gyokeres was feeding off scraps. But that was a week ago, today is a different day, a different opposition and definitely a different environment.
Catch up in the comments.