After spending most of the season in second place, the last thing the Gunners want is to get pulled down into the scramble for Champions' League positions. So it's important to beat the teams we should beat in the run-in to maintain the (depending on who plays first each week) approximately six to nine point cushion over the third through sixth place teams. Ipswich Town is one of those teams we should beat, and boy did we on Sunday. Arsenal had over 90% possession in the first ten minutes. The Tractor Boys tried to press at first but quickly dropped that tactic and defended deep. It didn't help. constant pressure told, and we were cruising at 2-0 in the first half when Leif Davis made a very nasty challenge on Saka, and earned a red card for his naughtiness. After that we stayed in second gear and scored just two more. Saka is OK, but it could have been a season-ending tackle.
Next up is Crystal Palace tomorrow, who will be focused on their FA Cup semifinal against Villa at Wembley this weekend. I hope they rest their stars. This game is meaningless for them in the league; they're in 12th (they always seem to be in 12th by the end of the season) and can't be relegated or qualify for Europe unless they win the Cup. Arteta has already indicated he will play a strong team to keep them sharp for their showdown in the ECL semis against PSG at the Emirates next Tuesday.
yes, we do seem to stuck around 12th. We've done even worse in the past.
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