Managing momentum can be a tricky thing, but in this season of all seasons, it's going to be essential. Arsenal are one game through their exhausting nine-game schedule in October and find themselves on top of the Premier League and on top of the world in terms of confidence. In the footballing world, though, it's impossible to forget that even the most solid seeming of foundations are only truly ever built on sand. A couple of bad results and suddenly a club is in crisis all over again.
That's why it's essential for Mikel Arteta to keep his side winning in this bizarre condensed campaign. "That's what we have to do, and obviously the best way of doing that is how we prepare every day," he said when asked about the importance of maintaining the upward trajectory in the red half of north London in his pre-match press conference ahead of this Thursday's Europa League clash with Bodo/Glimt. "Keep focused on the task and everything we're doing well, and keep being humble because there are a lot of things we have to improve still."
On paper, at least a visit from the team in second place in Norway's Elitserien doesn't feel like too big a threat to that delicate balance Arsenal have built up in the early part of the season. However, keeping the squad of players who aren't necessarily playing all the time happy certainly does. So how far does Arteta bend in order to keep his reserve players on the boat this Thursday?
