Arsenal: 3 reasons why Wolves postponement is beneficial

These are uncertain times. Covid cases are rising among the general public just as they are within football clubs and Arsenal have had their first fixture postponement of the season announced.

Arsenal put Norwich to the sword 5-0 on Sunday as a brace from Bukayo Saka was added to by goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith Rowe.

Recording five straight wins in all competitions, including four in the Premier League, momentum was firmly in the Gunners’ favour.

As for Wolves, they would have been presented with nine days’ rest between their last fixture ahead of Tuesday’s game, as opposed to the 45 hours and 30 minutes that Arsenal had. It was due to be a turnover time that heavily favoured one team.

Arsenal: 3 reasons why Wolves postponement is beneficial to Mikel Arteta’s side in busy Premier League fixture schedule

"A statement from Wolves read: “Wolves’ trip to Arsenal on Tuesday 28th December has been postponed, with Bruno Lage having an insufficient number of players available to fulfil the fixture. “A combination of positive Covid-19 test results and injuries led to Wolves requesting for the fixture to be postponed, which was accepted early to give supporters a two-day notice period.”"

Injuries are now factored into any potential postponements and that coupled with positive Covid cases has prompted the decision.

Seeing the incredible form Arsenal are in, with or without the short turnover time, actually made this come across as something of a disappointment. Even with the visitors having more time to prepare, they have only scored two goals in their previous eight Premier League outings, winning only two of those matches.

Nonetheless, this is definitely beneficial to Arsenal, for three reasons.

It goes without saying we wish everyone affected by Covid the best of wishes in their recoveries.

1. Takehiro Tomiyasu Misses Fewer Matches

As the teams were announced for the Boxing Day clash, fans were hit with the news that Takehiro Tomiyasu, Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitand-Niles had all tested positive for Covid.

With Calum Chambers having already contracted the virus, that brought the Gunners’ total absentees due to Covid to four. All of them are right-backs.

Against Norwich this didn’t prove to be an issue. Benjamin White is not unfamiliar to playing in that position and with a specific role for first choice Tomiyasu, White is actually the most suitable replacement in the side from a profile perspective.

If he’s fit though, Tomiyasu has to play.

He would certainly have missed the Wolves match with isolation laws in the UK stating that people require a week of quarantining before, in the case of footballers, they can return to their jobs so long as they produce two negative tests before that date.

The Manchester City game looks set to come too soon for Tomiyasu, but even if it means one fewer match he’s unavailable it is still a bonus to Arsenal.

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2. Manchester City Have Less Resting Time Than Arsenal

Subject to another postponement, that is.

It was set to be Arsenal who would be negatively impacted by the fixture schedule against Wolves, but now the shoe is on the other foot. Manchester City played on Boxing Day as well, in a mad-cap 6-3 home win over Leicester, and are due back in action on December 29.

Pep Guardiola’s side, barring any developments, travel to the capital for an evening kick off against newly promoted Brentford.

They will then have only two full days of rest before they make the journey back to London to take on Arsenal on an afternoon kick-off on New Years’ Day.

Having been in a position of weakness in regards to the schedule, Arsenal are now in a position of greater strength. Of course, Man City have a talent-laden squad where they can make multiple changes and still put out a team capable of winning most matches in the division, but it’s nevertheless a helping hand ahead of the annual 3-0 home defeat the tend to inflict.

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3. Arsenal Rather Obviously Get Extra Rest

With only three substitutes allowed in the Premier League, Arteta had to choose his changes wisely in the win over Norwich.

Believing at this stage that the Wolves game would go ahead – so we think – he opted to take off Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in the second half. Working on the basis that he wasn’t to know the game would be postponed, it strongly hinted that the trio were also set to start less than 48 hours later.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Lacazette played the full match. As someone who has struggled to maintain fitness over long periods, it suggested that Eddie Nketiah would be in from the start on the Tuesday, with Nicolas Pepe coming on instead of him for the first time in a number of weeks.

Then there was the likes of Benjamin White, Gabriel, Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka who were all due to keep their place in the team and were left on the field. Quite simply, purely from a fitness perspective, this helps Arsenal hugely.

With the midfield looking thin as it is the chances of sustaining injuries in key areas was greater if the Wolves game had come along, as someone in such dazzling form like Odegaard needs to be wrapped in cotton wool.

When most other sides in the division are seeing games called off, if this decision levels out the playing field a touch more then it has to be seen as beneficial.