Arsenal is back this week! After the late night of college football Saturday, wake up with Arsenal as they travel the treacherous four miles to face North London Rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. Coffee, espresso, tea, all of the above. Get some caffeine in hand and get ready for this historically gritty rival.

“I’m so nervous. I’ve always been nervous ever since I was a kid.”- Elvis but I relate.

In regards to the game, Arsenal are limping into this one and will be without Declan Rice (red card suspension) and Captain Martin Odegaard (ankle injury) for this important matchup. I’m not sure of the status of the Spurs team health wise, but I can tell you this puts Arsenal (us) at a disadvantage. Declan has been our stable center-mid since he joined the club in August 2023. Odegaard, of course is our captain, creator, and facilitator in the attack. These absences will leave the Gunners weak in the midfield. Well, not weak necessarily, but much slower and less threatening offensively. There are other injuries, Striker Gabriel Jesus and Center-Mid Mikel Merino to name a couple. This is far from the fully fit squad we boasted just 3 weeks ago, and being on the road at Spurs certainly is never easy, but…I will not let this team have an excuse. Why?

Because we all have trouble in life. We have all have our own versions of suspensions and injuries and difficulties that we have to overcome whether we like it or not. Life deals bad hands sometimes, but guess what? You have to play it regardless. I guess you could just fold, but why not play the hand and see what happens. Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have been dealt a bad hand going into this game, so do they fold or do the best with what they have? If I know Mikel, and every Arsenal fan does, he doesn’t lay down for anything. He sticks with his gameplan, his system, his process as he calls it, no matter what outside voices say or pressure he feels. Mikel cannot, and I believe, will not fold this Sunday at Tottenham. But things aren’t all bad.

Let’s take a look at who is healthy…For starters, the best defensive 5 in the premier league! Raya in goal has been sublime so far, and Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, and Timber complete the back 4. Thomas Partey, the best passer in all of Ghana is still hanging out in the midfield and he will be joined by Jorginho who is no stranger to big moments. In the attack, Trossard is healthy on the left, Havertz will be up top, Saka on the right, and Martinelli off the bench. This is not some lame duck team. Yes, we are limping. Yes, we have been dealt a bad hand. Yes, Declan’s Red card was soft, but it happened. Move on.

With the steady, stalwart defense it is not out of the realm of possibility to keep a clean sheet even without our two missing starters. One thing that Arsenal is arguably the best in the world at is attacking set pieces, specifically corner kicks. I don’t know the numbers off hand, but this team finds a way to score from these more than any other team that I watch. Based on these things, a 1-0 to the Arsenal score line wouldn’t surprise me.  

So, Sunday at 9am/est on USA Network, tune in to see a group of Gunners beat the Spurs and cement themselves as title contenders, even without two crucial players. Hey, Declan is healthy and resting for the Man City game the following week. He will be full of juice for that one. Life happens. Bad things happen. With sports or otherwise. I could write a ‘Woe is Arsenal’ piece, but that’s not me. That’s not SingleHighSports. There are plenty of internet pundits doing that very thing and I’m ashamed to be a fan of the same team as them sometimes. Constantly whining and complaining about your problems to every listening ear does not fix them. Identify the problem, find a way through it, and win regardless. That is winning mentality. Arsenal hasn’t won the PL since 2004 when they were “Invincibles.” That team had a winning mentality that team knew what “North London Forever” meant.

North London is Red.

Find the Humor and keep on Movin’

Whit W.