Yahoo Movies Alan Smith: It’s time for Arsenal senior stars to take the baton from young guns
We have to thank the youngsters for leading the charge. Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and more recently Martin Odegaard have injected fresh legs and ideas into Arsenal’s game. Without them, especially Saka, the team may have kept on sinking towards murky waters.
But now some senior players need to take the strain, to give the kids a rest from providing the impetus. Inexperience leads to dips. It’s a natural part of development. Sooner or later form will suffer a bit, as seen for a short spell with Smith Rowe.
Because of that, Mikel Arteta must have been delighted to see Willian perk up at Leicester last week. A long time coming, perhaps, but this was more like it from the former Chelsea man. He looked sharp and invigorated as if he’d had enough of being labelled a flop.
I was beginning to give up on the Brazilian. I thought he’d come for the ride rather than the responsibility of helping hoist this side onto a higher plane. And that might still be the case. One lively display doesn’t answer many questions.
You never know, Willian might slip back into the lethargy that won him few friends.
Let’s hope not, though, because a motivated and vibrant Willian offers so much. His contrasting style to other players in that position gives Arteta a very handy option when it comes to rotating his team from here on in.
You could say the same for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — in and out of the team of late, but slowly beginning, perhaps, to reach the standards that persuaded the club to hand him a humongous contract.
Recent signs have been promising — the hat-trick against Leeds, his brace against Benfica in the Europa League that featured a late goal as important as any he’s scored in a while. Those strikes should pep him up no end following some difficult times.
It is probably true that, at 31, the forward’s best years have passed. The energy and pace enjoyed in his mid-to-late 20s won’t be there now to the same degree. But that’s not to say Aubameyang can’t use his nous and nose for a chance to good effect over the next couple of seasons.
More immediately, the onus still lies with the Gabonese. Wearing the captain’s armband, he can set an example to those around in the way young Saka has so often done.
Willian, too, when he gets a chance. If both of these older heads can finish the season strongly, Arsenal clearly stand a much better chance of achieving their goals. Kids can take you so far. Seasoned maturity helps finish the job.
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace
Well, a win is a win I suppose, even if Spurs's second-half display at Fulham last night left much to be desired.
Jose Mourinho will now be demanding a return to the standards that swatted Burnley aside last Sunday. As part of that, I wonder how the manager will deploy Dele Alli, who seems to be waking from a slumber that has lasted far too long.
You can now start to recognise the player of old who kept making dangerous runs beyond the strikers. He might not have been given the winning goal at Craven Cottage, but reward will soon come with performances like this.
Just like Gareth Bale, Alli's form looks to be on the verge of forcing Mourinho's hand, making it difficult to leave out a player capable of affecting a game so skilfully. As a result, an outfit that had lost its spark could now become something far more exciting in the weeks ahead.
Mind you, I can't see Palace proving quite so accommodating as Burnley. Roy Hodgson did a number on Manchester United and he'll hope for something similar here. The thrill of upsetting the odds never wears thin.
Liverpool vs Fulham
Fulham can’t afford to let last night’s laughable VAR decision affect their focus.
The time for ‘if onlys’ belongs at the end. No, Scott Parker will concentrate on that compelling second-half shift against Spurs which maintains momentum going into this one.
Could his side possibly get something here against a wounded Liverpool team reeling from losing five on the trot at home for the first time in their history? It’s not out of the question.
With Manchester City up next, they’ve just got to find a way of staying in the hunt.
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