Arsenal today: Preston away and a meeting with Per Mertesacker

Good morning, friends. Now it's my turn to welcome you to a new day on the planet Arsenal and give you a few thoughts about what's going on at the club.

I'm looking forward to a proper away day – maybe we'll see some of you on the train to Preston North End this evening for the Carabao Cup game? There are expected to be around 5,000 Arsenal fans in attendance at the game.

The generous allocation of away tickets to a game that isn't one of the most glamorous of the season makes this a fantastic opportunity for people who wouldn't normally be able to get tickets to an away experience. I've heard from friends that they too are taking their kids as a half-time treat, so it will be a next-gen special off the pitch and hopefully on the pitch too. A handful of young talents have another chance to make their case and eyes will once again be on Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, the most progressive starlets who show with every guest appearance that they couldn't be closer to the manager's full trust .

The trick for Mikel Arteta this week is how best to manage his resources. The squad can currently be divided into several categories: the fully fit players, those whose workload requires special attention, the group that needs minutes to build up their fitness and improve their hitting ability, the young players on the fringes, those in the proverbial door occur opportunity and the missing. The pre-match press conference brought great relief when it was confirmed that Gabriel and Jurrien Timber did not appear to have any major problems. Riccardo Calafiori will be out for a bit longer, which is frustrating, but at least it's weeks, not months.

The challenge is to find the right balance for the Preston game after a few sore and tired legs against Liverpool and a series of tough away games in the league and Champions League.

Be strong enough, give playtime to those who need it and give yourself some rest – hopefully the mix is ​​right.

Here are some of the highlights from Arsenal Today.

• Art de Roche had a fascinating conversation with academy director Per Mertesacker. He gave some really interesting insights into the journey that starts incredibly young these days. Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly began their careers with the club almost ten years ago in the pre-academy, before being given the chance to officially sign as under-9s. What Mertesacker said about the competition and the need to get the right kids and not just the right families at this age is really interesting: “Under nine really sets the foundation for the future of your team. I wouldn't call it an under-eights transfer market… (but) it's probably close. There are many opportunities for talented eight-year-olds, you have to get it right in the system. I don't promise them too much. Football talent gets you into the building. It is the person or character who makes it on a consistent basis that sets the ceiling.” The article contains a lot of food for thought on youth development.
• James McNicholas was brave enough to give Jamie Carragher's opinion on the Jose Mourinho-like tendencies he sees in Arteta's Arsenal. Arteta initially dealt with the problem with a straight strike, but James nudged him again, encouraging the manager to speak openly about the time he was coached by Mourinho at Barcelona. However, the bigger picture concerns a debate about Arsenal's style, which James explores in his piece. “Perhaps we just haven’t seen Arsenal’s intended style in action yet,” he writes. It's difficult to get a firm grasp of Arsenal's style this season, as injuries and red cards have created a need for more pragmatism. We are all looking forward to a time when the team will hopefully have a full squad and show more expression of who they are and how they want to play.

All in all, there's a lot to take in before tonight's game. Enjoy it from Preston, London or wherever you watch Arsenal in the world.

See you at the other post,

Amy

(Top photo: Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)