Arsenal face a daunting set of fixtures starting with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, with influential midfielders sidelined this weekend, but Mikel Arteta’s side can take heart from their recent record in north London derbies.

Having been held to a draw by Brighton & Hove Albion in their last outing, Arsenal are two points off the pace after champions Manchester City and Liverpool had perfect starts.

Letting points slip in the past two campaigns has punished Arsenal in the title race. With City and Liverpool playing on Saturday, Arsenal could potentially be staring at a five-point gap ahead of Sunday’s short trip to face their neighbours.

Arsenal will wear their away kit in the derby for the first time in 38 years due to a colour clash but two men who will not be wearing their black strip are skipper Martin Odegaard and midfield partner Declan Rice.

While Odegaard is out for several weeks nursing an ankle injury sustained in Norway’s Nations League victory against Austria in midweek, Rice is suspended following a controversial red card against Brighton for kicking the ball away.

Form usually goes out of the window in north London derbies, which often produce spicy encounters, but Arsenal have had the upper hand in the last two seasons, winning three and drawing one of the last four league matches against Spurs.

The hosts also have injury worries with forwards Richarlison and Dominic Solanke plus defender Micky van de Ven missing their 2-1 loss at Newcastle United, though the latter two are expected to return.

FORCED ROTATION

With Arsenal’s midweek Champions League game at Atalanta and a trip to City the following weekend, Arteta will be forced to rotate his squad or even change his formation.

Since new signing Mikel Merino is also injured, he may have to play the versatile Kai Havertz in a deeper role. Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus has also been sidelined, while striker Eddie Nketiah moved to Crystal Palace on deadline day.

“He could play Leandro Trossard or even Raheem Sterling, but that’s a big ask for a winger to play up front at a new club,” Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal forward Paul Merson said, adding the club should have signed another striker.

“You might get away with it for two or three games playing a false nine, but you wouldn’t want to go seven, eight, nine games with one,” he added.

The weekend kicks off with 14th-placed Manchester United looking to put their early season troubles behind them as they travel to promoted Southampton, who are without a point so far.

Erik ten Hag is in his third season as United boss but a 3-0 humbling by Liverpool — whose manager Arne Slot was taking charge of just his third game — rang alarm bells among the Old Trafford faithful although the Dutchman has the club’s backing.

Leaders City host sixth-placed Brentford, while second-placed Liverpool, the only Premier League team yet to concede a goal this season, welcome Nottingham Forest.

Ipswich Town travel to third-placed Brighton seeking a first win following their return to the top flight, while bottom side Everton, with three straight losses, travel to Aston Villa.

-Reuters

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has signed a new long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium, the Premier League title chasers announced on Sept 12.

The Gunners said in a statement that the 42-year-old Spaniard, who has reportedly agreed a three-year deal, “has been a key figure in re-establishing us as a force back at the top of English and European football”.

Arteta, who became Arsenal boss in late 2019, said he felt “extremely proud”.

“I feel extremely lucky to work every single day with good people and the ambition we have here,” he said.

“I feel very inspired, I feel challenged, I feel supported and I want to do much more than what we’ve already done together.”

Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke said he was delighted with the new deal.

“Mikel is a dynamic and passionate manager, who is relentless in the pursuit of excellence,” he said.

“He has a deep understanding of Arsenal’s values, and since joining us as head coach, he has taken the team to another level in an Arsenal way.”

Arteta, who had been working as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, replaced compatriot Unai Emery as Arsenal boss in December 2019.

He won the FA Cup in his first season in charge – his first silverware as a manager.

Arsenal have finished as runners-up to City in the Premier League for the past two seasons.

Last term, they went agonisingly close to lifting the trophy for the first time since 2004 before being pipped by City on the last day of the season.

Arteta’s men, who face north London rivals Tottenham on Sept 15, are currently fourth in the table after two wins and a draw.

They begin their Champions League campaign next week against Atalanta.

‘Wonderful values’

Arteta, who played 150 times for Arsenal and captained the side, called for calm in August regarding his contract situation, insisting his focus had been on the transfer window.

“We are on it and we will take care of that in the right moment,” said Arteta, who had previously been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

“I don’t think anybody has to panic. I am in the place where I want to be and am really happy.

“Hopefully, the club thinks the same thing and the players I work with, who in my opinion are the most important ones.”

Arsenal strengthened in the summer transfer window, bringing in a clutch of players including Raheem Sterling, Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori.

There are still questions over whether they have enough firepower to overhaul champions City after their failure to sign a striker to compete with inconsistent Germany forward Kai Havertz.

But Arsenal sporting director Edu has no doubts about Arteta’s ability to keep the club on course for sustained success.

“It’s a very positive and proud moment for everyone at the club and an important part of what we’re all working towards,” Edu said.

“Mikel has shown his qualities since the very first day he joined us, not only as a football manager, but as a person with wonderful values.

“We have a strong belief in what we are doing and what we want to achieve together. Mikel’s new contract gives us stability and clear direction as we aim for new heights.”

–AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo said his former club Manchester United must rebuild everything from the bottom up if they are to compete for the top titles again.

The 39-year-old Portugal forward won three Premier League titles, the Champions League and a Club World Cup crown during his first stint at United from 2003-2009 and said he still loves the club, who finished eighth in the league last season.

Speaking on the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast set to air on Thursday, Ronaldo said he was happy with the way the club’s administrators, led by INEOS boss Jim Ratcliffe, were investing in infrastructure.

“They need to rebuild everything, in my opinion … the club needs time to rebuild because it’s still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change. They understand that this is the only way,” British media quoted him as saying.

“I believe that the future will be bright. I believe, but they don’t depend only on the talents. They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible.”

United manager Erik Ten Hag has come under pressure already after two defeats in their opening three games and Ronaldo said he should lean on his former United teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was hired as an assistant coach.

“You cannot rebuild a club without knowledge,” he said. “I believe that Ruud is going to help because he was inside the club. He knows the club, he knows the fans. If the coach listens to him, I think they can improve a little bit the club.”