Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal vs Wolverhampton: 5 key players with nowhere to hide

By Josh Sippie

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: Bernd Leno of Arsenal looks on during his warm up prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on January 1, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: Bernd Leno of Arsenal looks on during his warm up prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on January 1, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

Arsenal dropped a freebie against Crystal Palace, and with nowhere to hide, they travel to Molineux. Here are five key players to get back on track.

Arsenal, Bernd Leno
Arsenal, Bernd Leno (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

In some ways, I’m relieved. Arsenal are always, always game for a major letdown. Usually after a big performance. So to see the club travel to Napoli and win, then have Wolverhampton midweek, the Crystal Palace match sandwiched in between was always a prime candidate.

Although I’ll not sit here and say I predicted a loss. Far from it. Still, it was clear that Unai Emery took his foot off the gas a bit, as he gave the same midfield that failed so horribly against Everton a chance, when we all knew how ineffective it was going to be.

Regardless, the letdown is now passed, isn’t it? Crystal Palace was the breech in the armor. And it has to be said, after that breech, Arsenal usually find it in them to bear down and get serious. The question that remains is if there is still room for another letdown in the remaining schedule.

3 Obvious Players Who Need To Be Sold. light. Related Story

My thing is, I don’t think it will come against Wolverhampton. Not with Palace having just happened. Will the club really soil their britches twice in less than a week? I don’t think so. Not with all the improvements that Unai Emery is making.

Still, it’s a difficult match, and Wolves have been sputtering lately, which means they may be due a rebound as well. So we’re going to need some players to step up in a big way, and these are the five players that will be most needed.

We start with No. 5.

5. Bernd Leno

Bernd Leno used to be stranded on Leno Island for crucial matches where his defense let him down, and he found himself back there against Crystal Palace. For his part, he played the game well, and made some crucial saves to keep his team in it.

I have to imagine that this will be quite similar against Wolverhampton. If Watford and Everton are any sort of harbinger of what’s to come, then Leno is going to be tested, and we need him to do his part and maybe even more.

On to No. 4.