Arsenal are set to face-off against Ronald Koeman’s Southampton during this week’s Barclays Premier League midweek fixtures. The Gunners are without a win in the league since they beat Sunderland 3-1 in early January and so will be looking to get their title challenge back on track. However, in the same time, the Saints have won all three of their games to see them climb to eighth in the league table. As such, it will not be easy for Arsene Wenger’s men to pull off a win.
Charlie Austin got his Southampton career off to a flying start with the winner against Manchester United and so he will be looking to score his second goal for the Saints this week. The powerful Englishman was devastating for QPR a couple of seasons ago when they played in the top flight and will no doubt be looking to remain the spearhead of the Southampton attack. The six-foot-two striker has an impressive goalscoring record for every club that he has played at and so will no doubt prove a handful for the Gunners. Austin’s main asset is his power and willingness to throw himself at any and all loose balls. He is the typical English goal poacher; capable of scoring the odd beauty but massively effective when working his way into space to get shots off. The best way to deal with Austin is to mark him tightly. If the Englishman isn’t allowed to wander freely, then he will likely become frustrated and thus the overall quality of his play will dip.
The main thing that the Gunners need to focus on this game is not losing their heads. As was seen after Burnley equalised at the weekend, the Gunners’ game seemed to suffer somewhat which was worrying given their domination of the game beforehand. Therefore, if Arsene Wenger’s men concede a goal against the Saints, they must make sure that their heads don’t drop. Far too often in the last few years, we have seen the Gunners concede a goal and as a result, they lose their mentality. This can’t be allowed to happen if they want to win the league title.
Going forward, the north London club need to focus on working the ball into the wide areas. With Olivier Giroud in fine form and Alexis Sanchez back in the side, the Gunners have the players in the positions to make the wide areas a real danger. Playing their usual passing game may not be the best approach against the Saints who utilise a similar tactic and so by cutting inside and whipping crosses. Giroud is an expert at popping up in the box and making use of any and all balls in the box.
Overall, this game is another must-win for the title hopefuls. Obviously, having gone three games without a win in the league, the Gunners will be more focused than ever to dismiss their poor form. The Saints won’t be pushovers but realistically, with the squad that they have, Arsenal should earn a solid win this week.
