PSV preview: Defensive strength and a goal from … anywhere, please?

After a weekend off, we’re back in action this evening as we take on PSV in the first leg of our Round of 16 tie.

Given our current issues with goalscoring, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Mikel Arteta leaned into the defensive strength which has been evident throughout our European campaign. Reflecting on that in his press conference yesterday evening, he said:

We have conceded hardly anything, I think we have conceded three goals and the lowest expected goals [against] in the group stage which is great. So that’s a big platform, so we have those resources at the disposal of the team, it’s something the team has already done and now we have to continue to do it.

In the absence of all those attacking players, that is where we’re strong, and we’ll need that to be strong again tonight. But obviously after drawing a blank in two consecutive games, there will be focus on what we can do further forward. Perhaps a few more days on the training ground, and the team getting used to Mikel Merino as the centre-forward will be beneficial, because I can’t really see any other team selection this evening.

He could start Raheem Sterling, and I do see some logic to the argument that doing so allows you to bring on a sub who can impact the game later. Whether that’s Merino, or even Ethan Nwaneri who – according to the manager – is finding this current schedule physically taxing, your guess is as good as mine. However, while I have little faith in Sterling providing an impact from the bench, I have just as little in him as a starter and I don’t think we’ve seen anything from him this season to suggest he’s pushing for selection in a hugely important game like this.

I think we need more from the two players immediately behind whichever front three he picks, because as I’ve said recently, I think Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice are both capable of more than we’ve been getting from them in terms of goals and assists. They’re big players, experienced leaders, and tonight would be a very timely return to some kind of goalscoring or creative form.

As for PSV, I’m sure they’ll fancy their chances in the home leg. They have a good record against us down the years, and having beaten Juventus and Liverpool during this Champions League campaign, they’ll be happier playing an Arsenal without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. How much that informs their approach remains to be seen, but I’m sure they’ll feel like they can have a go – and whether that’s something that works for us is an interesting aspect to this evenings proceedings.

West Ham and Nottingham Forest both sat very deep/or were forced to sit very deep depending on how you view it, and perhaps a bit more space might be useful for us if PSV play the way they normally do. Which brings us back to being defensively strong, and then making the most of the opportunities we have to hurt them.

Arteta says:

Regardless of what situation you are in the league, when you start to come to this stage of the Champions League, it’s something else. You feel it in the atmosphere, in the energy of the place, it’s something else because it’s a competition you don’t play in weekly and you play in the moment where you’re in or out, and that gives you urgency and it gets the best out of you for sure.

This is a big, big game – especially after what has happened in the Premier League over the last couple of weeks. Football is very strange, and you can never say never, but even as the last hope for this season, I think we’re missing far too much in attack to go all the way in the Champions League. That said, I hope we can do ourselves justice to some extent. If you go out to a side like Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, that’s one thing. Even with these injuries, going out to PSV – with all due respect to them – is something else entirely, so let’s hope the players are up for this one, and can produce the kind of performance to give us a good platform for the second leg next week.

For more on the game, we made our Patreon preview podcast available to everyone. You can listen below or in all the usual podcast places. Join us later for live blog coverage, plus you’ll get the match report, goal clips, reaction, player ratings and much more over on Arseblog News.

Come on you black shirts and white shorts (doesn’t have a great ring to it, but hey!).