
Tomorrow we'll be between 4 and 5 points clear.
If you'd said to me that would be the case after the City game or when we were losing 1-0 to NUFC, I'd have bitten your hand off. And if you said we do it with Odin, Kai, Noni, Gabby and Vik {as well as Jeez} out and playing MnM up top, I'd have been shocked.
We dropped 2 points away from home to a last-minute equalizer after a midweek game with no real options from the bench in either game so everyone was tired.
If we can have no injuries during the interlull and we get everyone back in the squad for the NLD {or even all bar one} then hopefully we can power on from here.
I just do wish he trust Ethan more. He could've come on and given us fresh legs, he also has the ability to dribble past players and would link up really well with B and JT down the right.
He could've replaced Easy, or MnM with a 4-2-4-0 formation where any of those 4 could be temporarily up top and the other 3 shift to make the 3 behind the striker, given Leo can play there, B could and both Easy and Ethan can play wide.
Can MA really no remember what Ethan did in both positions last year? When he was forced to turn to him, he performed.
As I say, not ideal. But if everyone stays fit then we can add Odin and Gabby who were both playing something like their best {as Leo has been - the 3 haven't been playing this well since '22-'23}, Kai {who we know is class}, Vik {who'd been looking better and better with every game}, Noni who was pretty much our best player at the start of the season, then that's 2 extra wingers, an extra 10, an extra striker and an extra striker who's also a ten and could play as a 2nd striker with Vik if we're chasing a goal.
Kai has the confidence so could play inside left with Dec dropping deep. And Easy and Odin would also work as twin tens. We can rotate.
If today's draw had meant that we lost the lead at the top of the table tomorrow, or even if it had bought someone within a point or two of us, or f we'd had more injuries or news of injury recovery setbacks, then I'd be more stressed.
We knew we were pushing it with the squad state. A late equaliser and that's all during this injury crisis.
To be fair, he only brought the extra defender on in the 87th minute and the idea was reasonable- strengthen our physical presence in the box.
It would have been better to stop the balls getting there but the injury situation has left us with **** all in other areas. And it has left the vast majority of the first eleven exhausted.
We are due a bit of luck on the injury front.
"Plenty of strikers can score goals," he said, gesturing to the famous old stands casting shadows around us.
"But a lot have found it difficult wearing the number 9 shirt for The Arsenal."