The Times - UK (2022-05-02)

Gregor Robertson

visits ?????????????????

son

??? ???

be

?

Greg Ro

s

GGregor Robertson

???????????

TONY

CASCARINO

Weekend talking points

Eddie Nketiah has come into

the Arsenal side for the games

against Chelsea, Manchester United

and against West Ham United

yesterday, and he has really taken

his chance as Mikel Arteta’s team

reeled off three vital victories.

He has battled, led the line,

proved how quick he can be and

shown a bit of everything. He did

not score yesterday but he was up

against Kurt Zouma and did

everything Arteta could have asked

of him with another fighting

performance, even getting involved

in a bit of fisticuffs at one stage.

All this from a kid who hasn’t

signed a contract and about whom

there is a lot of uncertainty

concerning what will happen when

his current deal ends this summer.

He has certainly made it tough for

Arteta, who says he wants to keep

him.

So should he be Arsenal’s starting

centre forward? Probably not. But

he is only 22 and is clearly getting

better. If Arsenal want to join the

clubs above them in the league,

they need to give themselves

options like those clubs do.

What Arsenal don’t want to do is

allow him to leave and then watch

him make those improvements at

another club. He might not be ready

to start every game just yet but he

has manned up in those three

victories, shown that he is good

enough to be part of a group of

Arsenal strikers and when called

upon will make a difference — both

as a scorer and an all-round leader

of the line.

Arteta will be delighted. But now

he has the difficult task of

convincing him to stay.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

3-4-3 J Pickford

(Everton)

J Cancelo

(Man City)

M Cucurella

(Brighton)

N Keita

(Liverpool)

J Cork

(Burnley)

R Holding

(Arsenal)

C Romero

(Tottenham)

Son

(Tottenham)

E Nketiah

(Arsenal)

L Dunk

(Brighton)

P Foden

(Man City)

Saint-Maximin has found

his level – he’s not elite

Nketiah has taken chance

and deserves new contract

Allan Saint-Maximin is

frequently linked with a move

away from Newcastle United but for

me his numbers are not good

enough to warrant him joining an

elite club.

He has scored five times in the

Premier League — his last goal

coming in January — and has

assisted another four, although

three of those were before the end

of September.

He also gives the ball away far too

often. Saint-Maximin has lost

possession 502 times in the league

this season, comfortably the most of

any Newcastle player, and he does

so in dangerous positions.

Saint-Maximin reminds me of

Ismaïla Sarr and Adama Traoré,

who are also exciting wide players

capable of moments of brilliance

but who are not as productive as

they should be either.

Tuchel’s nowhere near

solving issues up front

It was a huge win for Everton

and one that few people would

have predicted given their form

going into the game, but the thing

that struck me most while watching

it was nothing to do with the

fighting qualities of Frank

Lampard’s side but how poor

Chelsea’s front three of Timo

Werner, Kai Havertz and Mason

Mount were as a combination.

Between them they have just 21

Premier League goals this season

and looking on it was easy to see

why. Werner played on the left at

RB Leipzig and hasn’t really fitted

in at Chelsea since he arrived.

Meanwhile Havertz was running all

over the place at Goodison but

without achieving very much.

There seems very little telepathy

between the three of them and that

certainly helped Everton. They

didn’t link up at all.

Ward-Prowse would fit

bill at Ten Hag’s United

It was interesting to see James

Ward-Prowse linked with a

move to Manchester United. At 27,

the Southampton midfielder is

entering the peak years of his career

and if he is not content with being a

one-club man, now may be the time

for a big move. Ward-Prowse is so

much more than simply a dead-ball

expert (though there are few better

than him from corners and free

kicks). He is brilliant at keeping the

ball and helping his team dictate

play. I can see why Erik ten Hag

may fancy him.

Jackson gambles where

Dyche would play it safe

Many people — myself

included — questioned

Burnley’s decision to sack Sean

Dyche but it has so far proven to be

a masterstroke. The key difference

under the caretaker Mike Jackson is

that the team are now prepared to

take risks. Under Dyche, I could

have seen Burnley settling for a

point at Watford on Saturday.

Instead they threw caution to the

wind, loaded bodies into the box

and went for the jugular. Things

clearly needed shaking up at Turf

Moor and the gamble is paying off.

well, they have got it wrong a lot of
times.”
The official checked the incident
but deemed that it was not a handball
offence as the action did not directly
lead to Arsenal’s second goal and was
not deemed deliberate.
Jarrod Bowen had equalised for
West Ham on the stroke of half-time
and Moyes believes the forward was
involved in what could have been a
turning point in the game. Bowen was
booked by the referee, Mike Dean, for
simulation when tumbling under a
challenge from the on-rushing
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale,

but Moyes felt the decision should

have gone the other way.

“The goalkeeper is reckless and

Jarrod gets there first,” he said.

“Jarrod rides the challenge in what is

a reckless, clumsy challenge. The only

thing that went for him was it was

classed as no-contact.”

Arteta praised his top-four chasing

team for “winning ugly” at London

Stadium, as they retained their two-

point advantage over Tottenham

Hotspur, who beat Leicester City, and

host Arsenal in what is likely to be a

decisive meeting on Thursday week.

“In England you say ‘win ugly’, I

the times | Monday May 2 2022 1GG 5

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND

to spot ‘handball’ before goal angers Moyes

think from my point of view today we

won ugly, and I’m extremely happy to

see a team that has this capacity to

find a way to win and show the

character that they showed today,”

Arteta said.

“It’s a massive win, under very

difficult circumstances, because we

put ourselves in real problems,

especially with our decision-making

and in ball possessions, and the

spaces we were attacking, and the

timing of it and the efficiency of it.

But the team showed huge character,

not to give up, to continue trying to

do the right things.”

Stadium before his centre-back partner Gabriel, above left, headed home a vital winner in the battle for a top-four place

West Ham’s Bowen

was booked for

simulation in trying

to avoid contact

after a rash

challenge from the

Arsenal goalkeeper

Ramsdale, left, while

Holding’s hand

appears to come

into contact with the

ball in the build-up

to the away side’s

winner, right

TOP FOUR RUN-INS

ARSENAL

Played 34; points 63; goal diff +13

Sunday Leeds Utd (h)

May 12 Tottenham (a)

May 16 Newcastle (a)

May 22 Everton (h)

TOTTENHAM

Played 34; points 61; goal diff +20

Saturday Liverpool (a)

May 12 Arsenal (h)

May 15 Burnley (h)

May 22 Norwich (a)

2,290

Days since Rob Holding’s last

league goal, which came for Bolton

Wanderers against MK Dons in the

Championship in January 2016