Well, the Unai Emery era at Arsenal FC was short and not so sweet. #EmeryOut transpired this week, and honestly, one could have seen it coming since the Granit Xhaka/team captaincy debacle. The draw which should have been a loss to Southampton last weekend was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Now it’s up to interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg to try and reach the Gunners goals, get back in the top four this season, and not get resigned to Europa League yet again. Up next is an away clash at relegation fodder Norwich City, and Ljungberg will have some fitness concerns for this road trip.
Central defender David Luiz is a doubt due to bruised ribs and fellow back Shkodran Mustafi is nursing an ankle problem. ribs and foot respectively against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hector Bellerin is a doubt with a tight hamstring but Sead Kolasinac could go, having overcome his thigh problem. Dani Ceballos is out.
For Norwich, midfielder Todd Cantwell (ankle) should be back in action while Jamal Lewis (knee) could feature in this one as well.
Alex Tettey is out of this one due to family concerns.
Norwich City vs Arsenal FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday Dec. 1, 2PM, Carrow Road
Arsenal FC starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Odds: Arsenal 5-6, Draw 3-1, Norwich City 3-1
Google Result Probability: Arsenal FC 56%, Draw 22%, Norwich City 22%
Form Guide: Norwich City- WLLLD Arsenal- DLDDL
Prediction: Arsenal 3, Norwich City 0
Look for an #EmeryOut bump tomorrow.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.