Arsenal: Concerns about Sutton encounter; quarter-final draw outcome; Guardiola discusses Wenger

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Arsenal face a potential embarrassment as they travel to face non-league Sutton United this evening. It is a tie that the Gunners can gain nothing from. If they win, it is expected, while if they draw or lose, it will be one of the worst nights in Arsenal’s recent history. The pressure on Arsene Wenger is at an all-time high after the team’s 5-1 loss during the week against Bayern Munich. There is a general feeling that the Frenchman needs to leave at the end of the season and a poor result today will only increase the anger within the fan-base. Wenger has been discussing the match and he is worried about Sutton’s artificial pitch, as it differs from the 3G pitch at their London Colney training ground.

“It’s not the same because it’s a dry pitch and I’ve heard that Sutton have a wet pitch, they water it before the game so it’ll be much quicker.”

It is a concern for Arsenal, but supporters will see this as Wenger getting his excuses in early. Every comment that is made by the Frenchman at the moment comes under great scrutiny and he has no room for error. Regardless of the pitch, Arsenal should be comfortably winning this evening and Wenger will know that. It won’t be a pleasant evening for the Arsenal manager, but if they win by a clear margin and avoid injuries, it will fractionally improve the mood at the club.

The FA Cup quarter-final draw was completed yesterday and Arsenal will have a home tie against Lincoln City if they beat Sutton United tonight. The Gunners need to beat two non-league sides to reach the semi-final stage and considering the unease surrounding the club, they will fear both ties. Although they face a potential embarrassment again if they win this evening, they now have what looks like an easy route to Wembley and they have to be considered as one of the favourites to win the FA Cup in May.

Arsene Wenger will have been targeting bigger things this season, but lifting the FA Cup will be a good way for the Frenchman to bow out. It is important that Arsenal continue to win trophies on a regular basis, both to appease the fan-base and build a winning culture at the club. Supporters may be disappointed that they haven’t seriously challenged for a major trophy this season, but they can still win the FA Cup and that would provide some happiness at the end of the season.

The future of Arsenal’s manager has been the main talking point in English football over the last seven days. Everybody has an opinion and the media have been asking his fellow managers about the situation. There has been a lot of sympathetic views across the country and Pep Guardiola is the latest to come out in support of Wenger.

“What I hear in the last 10 days, about how people, ex-players, journalists treat Arsene Wenger is unacceptable.

“Our job, in that moment, doesn’t have any respect for any position, so it is unrespectable, what happened. That is why we take the decisions and you can say whatever you want.”

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The coverage has been particularly poisonous and underlines the age of instant gratification that we live in. He has done an excellent job at Arsenal and a lot of people have short memories. It is approaching the end of his time at the club and he will realise that more than anybody. The next few months should be a celebration of Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal, but it looks unlikely that that will happen.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane