XHAKA: LET US ENTERTAIN YOU
UNAI EMERY wants every Arsenal game to be a spectacle.
But midfielder Granit Xhaka has warned that sometimes the Gunners have to be more cautious than cavalier.
Arsenal have racked up eight goals in their last two matches and provided reminders of the stunning football they became famous for under Arsene Wenger.
Only Manchester City have scored more league goals than their 22 under new boss Emery.
And the manager said: “The individual goalscoring statistics for the players are very important as we want the supporters to be excited with many things on the pitch. Scoring goals is important for this spectacle.
“We want to score a lot and through different players. I want our strikers to have a lot of chances to score but also to find the balance defensively.”
Arsenal are aiming to make it 11 wins in a row at Sporting Lisbon tonight. And their free-scoring form has ensured they have not paid the price when their defence has wobbled during that impressive run.
But midfielder Xhaka (above) has warned it is not easy for the Gunners to be great entertainers in every game.
He said: “It is true we score two or three goals in each game but it is not always too easy to score two or three goals. But we know we have good players up front.”
Arsenal’s attackers have extra freedom this season, knowing they are wellprotected when they fly forward because disciplined anchorman Lucas Torreira is behind them.
The Uruguayan has also eased some of the defensive burden on Xhaka. The Swiss star said: “Lucas gives us good balance between offence and defence.
“You can see that he’s important for us because he’s strong in defence and in duels.
“He lets me play my game with the ball and go forward a bit more. I am happy with him and the other guys playing in the midfield.”
Emery has taken a strong squad to Portugal for tonight’s Europa League tie but has no natural left-back with Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac injured.
Though he trialled a back three in the first half of their previous Europa League game at Qarabag, Emery says tonight’s clash against the other side in Group E with a 100 per cent record is not the time to experiment.
He said: “Now is not the best time for us (to play a back three) because of our composition with the players.
“We are going to continue with our usual tactics. Sporting is a club with very young players who start their career here like Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo and we have a lot of respect for the coach, the club and the players. “Every year they are doing well in Europe and for us and them it is the same objective, to be first in the group.” The Gunners have won both their Europa League matches so far this season, winning 3-0 at Qarabag three weeks ago and beating Vorskla Poltava 4-2 at the Emirates last month. ■This will be the first meeting between Sporting and Arsenal since 1969-70, when they met in the second round of the Fairs Cup. It was 0-0 in Lisbon, the Gunners won 3-0 at Highbury.
■Arsenal have never beaten a Portuguese side away (D3 L3), losing each of their last three. ■Sporting have won each of their last three games in the Europa League, their best run in the competition since October 2011. ■Unai Emery has lost only one of his 20 group-stage games in the Europa League (W11 D8), those games coming while in charge of Valencia, Sevilla and now Arsenal. SPORTING: Salin, Ristovski, Coates, Andre Pinto, Jefferson, Battaglia, Gudelj, Bruno Fernandes, Nani, Montero, Acuna ARSENAL: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Lichsteiner, Elneny, Guendouzi, Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Welbeck, Aubameyang