Whether you enjoyed the full-time scenes at the Emirates on Saturday or think that a group of fans celebrating their team coming from behind to claim a victory is second only to half-and-half scarves on the list of football deadly sins. It is impossible to deny that something is building at Arsenal right now.
Mikel Arteta's side has harnessed the bond between the supporters and players as an intangible boost that has helped them through the difficult moments they have faced this season, such as William Saliba's own goal against Leicester or Gabriel's mistake against Fulham. "I don't know any top teams or winning teams that don't have that connection with the club and with the supporters," Arteta mused in his post-match press conference. The Spaniard is not wrong.
As his Gunners side continues their ascent to compete with the big boys, that connection is an indisputably critical driver. On Wednesday night, though, it faces an altogether different test.
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Thus far, the fixture list has been kind to Arsenal. On paper, a home game against an out-of-form Aston Villa side does not appear to buck that trend, but with three games in a week for the first time this season, the Gunners will now face up to the relentless reality of fixture congestion in this bizarre World Cup-affected campaign.
Having struck such a delicate balance, Arteta now has decisions to make, with Sunday's upcoming trip to Manchester United the game he will want his best players fully fit for. So does he now make changes to the only 100% winning side left in the country, or does he stick with what has got him this far?
One place where he won't make any alterations is in goal, where Aaron Ramsdale's two crucial second-half saves were essential in gaining the win against Fulham. After conceding at his near post against Leicester, the England goalkeeper came under scrutiny, but his focused displays in subsequent matches have largely silenced those critics.
In defence, William Saliba will look to continue his excellent form alongside Gabriel, who will be buoyed yet again by the lengths his teammates were willing to go to in order to help him atone for his error in the build-up to Aleksandar Mitrovic's goal. Ben White, meanwhile, should continue at right back after another impressive display.
Over on the left, a series of injuries could well impact the way Arsenal line up. Oleksandr Zinchenko could be in contention to play after undergoing a fitness test post-Fulham, a game that he only missed as a precautionary measure in the first place. However, the Ukrainian's versatility may be called upon at this point.
Rather than slotting back into the left-back position in place of Kieran Tierney, there is a possibility that he could move into the number six role. football.london understands that Thomas Partey will be out for a couple of weeks with a thigh injury, while Mohamed Elneny is undergoing assessment on a hamstring problem he sustained against Fulham. Although this would be harsh on Albert Sambi Lokonga, Zinchenko's superior passing capabilities might just see him get the nod.
The Gunners' two leaders, both with and without the armband, Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka, will be looking to replicate their talismanic displays against Fulham once more further ahead of him.
The front line, though, is where things do start to get interesting. Bukayo Saka is keen to kick on from what he described as his best game of the season from a personal perspective against Fulham, and having more or less confirmed his desire to stay at the club, now seems like a strange time to drop him. Then again, though, with United coming up so soon, risking him against the same team who seemed so intent on booting him off the pitch just a few months ago feels like a risk.
Eddie Nketiah proved with his cameo on Saturday that he is more than ready to come in after waiting in the wings for so long this season, and perhaps he'll be rewarded with a start. This could see Gabriel Jesus move out to the right wing as he did on many occasions for Manchester City in order to pin back the attacking threat of Lucas Digne, while Gabriel Martinelli would continue on the left.
Arsenal predicted XI vs Aston Villa - Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Zinchenko, Xhaka, Odegaard; Jesus, Nketiah, Martinelli.
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