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It has been a forgettable season for Mikel Arteta and his side. However, the Gunners can still end on a positive note by qualifying for the UEFA Europa League for the subsequent season. They are up against Crystal Palace next, who will be looking to send off their manager – Roy Hodgson – with a win.
An official announcement on Tuesday morning confirmed that Hodson would be stepping down as the manager of the Eagles. While the Englishman did not indicate that he was planning his retirement, it is presumed that he will back away from football for good due to his increasing age. The club will start their search for his successor in due course, with Frank Lampard one of those in talks to take over next season.
While one manager has potentially announced his departure from the sport, another is taking his first steps into the cruel world of football management. Mikel Arteta’s first full season at Arsenal hasn’t gone according to plan, but the club retains their faith in him. Arteta still has the chance to guide his team to a Europa League spot before the season ends. However, the Gunners will have to win both of their remaining matches and hope that those ahead of them drop points in both.
Crystal Palace are thirteenth in the league table and have sealed top-flight football for another season. The Eagles have a massive rebuilding job ahead of them, with several of the players expected to follow Hodson out of Selhurst Park. Conversely, that provides them with the chance to start fresh and take strides in a new direction. Before that, though, they will hope to send off their long-serving manager in the best possible way – by winning both their remaining matches.
Key Players
Many were surprised when Eberechi Eze – one of the best performers of the Championship in 2019/20 – decided to join Crystal Palace. The Eagles aren’t known for their expansive playing style under Hodson. Rather, they’ve become synonymous with defensive solidity while the attackers wreak havoc on their own at the other end. Nonetheless, Eze has certainly added spark to the Palace line-up, and his recent form has allowed fans to take notice finally. The former Arsenal youth player will be looking to add to his 10 goal contributions when his boyhood team comes to Selhurst Park.
Christian Benteke’s career trajectory has flatlined since leaving Aston Villa. Benteke first suffered through a miserable spell with Liverpool before being sold off to Crystal Palace. The forward does not score much, albeit one will currently find him in the middle of his most prolific spell in months. The Belgian has scored nine times in the league this season and provided one assist. Three of those nine goals have come in Palace’s last three matches.
The youngster Emile Smith-Rowe scored his first Premier League goal against West Bromwich Albion ten days ago – a reward for his consistent performances since the turn of the year. He then doubled his tally just days later, netting the only goal in a win over Chelsea. Smith-Rowe has been a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale Arsenal season. He will be looking to continue his good run of late when the Gunners visit Selhurst Park.
Despite a difficult season – both at a club level and individually – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has managed to score 15 goals. The Gabonese cost a pretty penny when Arsenal signed him from Borussia Dortmund two-and-a-half seasons ago. However, few can claim that he hasn’t been worth every single dime that the club spent on him. Arteta has previously used him out wide but returned him to his favoured position through the centre recently. It is a position from where he can do the most damage.
Prediction
Arsenal are inconsistent, which renders them unpredictable. The Gunners won their last two matches in the league – against West Brom and Chelsea – but endured another terrible run before that that included elimination from the Europa League. What they do next is entirely dependent upon which Arsenal turns up at Selhurst Park.
It is surprising how poor the Gunners have been given their astronomical wage bill and relative squad strength. Despite possessing players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney, Mikel Arteta’s side has failed to deliver on any of its early promises. Question marks over the role of the manager have been raised as well although, he is expected to continue in his role for now.
Despite all of their troubles, though, Arsenal have won their last three matches. Crystal Palace have won only two of their last five. Even though the Eagles recorded an impressive 3-2 win over Aston Villa last weekend, they are expected to lose their next match, if only due to the relative strength of their rivals.
