Arsenal seek spark on the home stretch
WILSHERE WON’T PLAY VERSUS WBA BUT IS FIT FOR SUNDERLAND
rsenal’s quivering tightrope walk towards their Premier League top-four objective resumes today when West Bromwich Albion visit the Emirates Stadium in a rearranged fixture, which kicks-off at 10.45pm UAE time.
Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace saw Arsene Wenger’s side slip to fourth place and left them with precious little wriggle room ahead of their final five matches of the season.
Fifth-place Manchester United and sixth-place West Ham United both have opportunities to close the gap on Arsenal on Wednesday and goalkeeper Petr Cech knows that his side cannot afford to keep tossing away points.
Disappointing
“We’ve been talking about the situation where if any of the teams ahead of us slip, we need to get three points, but unfortunately we’ve not been able to do that,” the Czech international said this week. “It’s disappointing. We were ready to push on, we tried to win all our games and we will try to win all the remaining games, too.
Arsenal dominated Sunday’s game against Palace, enjoying 72 per cent of possession, but Yannick Bolasie’s 81st-minute equaliser allowed the visitors to depart with a share of the points.
Usually ruthless against weaker teams at the Emirates, Arsenal have taken just eight points from a possible 18 in their last six home fixtures and it is threatening to derail their season.
Wenger has never failed to steer Arsenal into the Champions League during his 20-year tenure, but the risk of failure has scarcely loomed so large at this stage of the season.
Arsenal were top of the league as recently as mid-January, but their springtime domestic capitulation, coupled with cup disappointments, has placed the manager in the spotlight as never before.
With large sections of Arsenal’s support now calling on Wenger to step down, another slip-up against West Brom could make for a very uncomfortable evening for the 66-yearold Frenchman. “They are great games,” said Pulis, who saw Saido Berahino have two penalties saved in Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Watford, which left West Brom 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
“We get to go to these football grounds and play against great players, great football teams, at great stadiums. You relish it, you shouldn’t be nervous or worried about it.”
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere will not be ready for West Bromwich Albion but will be available for selection against Sunderland on Sunday, manager Arsene Wenger said. The midfielder, who has not featured since fracturing his leg in the close season, scored while playing for the under-21s on Monday night.
“He has had no setbacks and is getting better. He will be available after West Brom,” Wenger told a news conference yesterday.