Of course I can’t miss our season opener. Friday evening against Crystal Palace with Gabriel Jesus at CF and a good pre-season, I’m excited. This is a crucial season not only for Arteta but for the club after throwing away Champions League qualification last season. All our rivals are considerably weak, except may be City and Pool and we have strengthen our team after buying Zinchenko and Jesus. Saliba is back too, meaning we won’t miss Tomiyasu since White can be shifted to RB and Saliba can play centrally.
Team News
We have an almost fully fit team. In the press conference, this is what Arteta had to say
Three out of four of those players [Tomiyasu, Smith Rowe, Tierney, Vieira] are going to be training this afternoon and if everything goes well, they will be available for selection and in the squad. Hopefully, we can start to recover because they’ve been missing a lot of minutes and time in pre-season and they are really important players for us.
source : Arsenal.com
I’m guessing it’s Vieira still doubtful for training but we have enough coverage in that area.
I’m also guessing we will see the playing XI featured in our last pre-season game against Sevilla. A back 4 of White, Saliba, Gabriel and Zinchenko with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in the midfield. We will have then Saka in the RW, Martinelli in his favorite position at LW and Odegaard dictating play in the centre. Gabriel Jesus is expected to lead the line up front.
Get in…
Truth be told, I don’t care about the playing XI, at least not today. I am just excited football is back! I had my phone sending me memories about last year’s pre-season game against Chelsea on August 1st, when I was at Emirates and didn’t know it was last time I will be watching live, kinda made me sad.
Another exciting season where I have dumped last 4-5 years of anger and keeping my hopes high. Arteta will be judged on the results and I hope we have more happy days than frustrating weekends.
We are in good state, we had a few good game last season which we need to see more often. We have covered two of our weaknesses on the field (LB, CF), and I’m sure both of them brings a winning mentality in the dressing room.
Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park is going to be tough. PV4 managed to restrict us on a 2-2 score at Emirates last season and we lost 3-0 to them at their home. On top of that, first day of the season always goes out of the way to prove upset people with results. I’m not taking a loss today though, if we want to be a recognisable team this season, we need to beat teams which we are expected to.. and give a fight against the top 6 whenever we play.
Wrapping Up
Right-o, that’s all I have to say today. I’m excited for the game, can’t wait to see a Premier League Hattrick from Jesus in Red and White.
All or Nothing : Arsenal first three episodes were out. It was fun to watch, though if you are going to watch it for footballing knowledge you will be disappointed. It had more drama, but then Amazon is doing it for commercial purpose in a world where making money is everything.
Hope your weekend starts on a positive note. See you during game.
Oh, and don’t forget to join our Fantasy League – https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/0r2hme
Hi Ambarish
I have us down for a 2-nil win. There’ll be some hairy moments but we’ll match them for energy and have too much skill.
KP
2-0 would be a delight, with Jesus and Martinelli scoring.
Palace away is a tough match and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 1-1 draw.
On other matters that fucking twat Pedro has done a piece on likely finishing positions for the top 6 and describes Ten Haag as being in his first big job – since when were Ajax a nothing club? He’s also predicting 3rd for us, personally I can’t see it.
Just imagine how excited we’d all be if Vieira had just walked out to give an interview as our manager?
Well, atleast I was right about the team selection.
Ramsdale
White – Saliba – Gabriel – Zinchenko
Partey – Xhaka
Saka – Odegaard – Martinelli
Jesus
Ambarish
Where’s ESR? Not even on the bench.
Sky’s pre-game preamble as shite as ever. Zzzzzzzzzz
Ms Kroenkephobe is about as interested in football as I’m interested in house renovation (her hobby). She doesn’t call what footballers wear a ‘kit’. Instead she calls it a costume. To that extent, it looks like we’re wearing the pink costume tonight. I’m sure that’ll add to our preparedness for a battle as Tets reprises his heart/brain/fan diagram in the dressing room in a few minutes’ time. Pink, and a wishy-washy version, at that. Heaven help us.
Ambarish
Ramsdale
White – Saliba – Gabriel – Zinchenko
Partey – Xhaka
Saka – Odegaard – Martinelli
Jesus
Based on what we know (including Tets’s weaknesses) that team probably picked itself. Imagine the uplift and extra confidence we’d be feeling if the list said Milenkovic-Savic instead of GX…
Kroenke
What ever happened to the yellow away kit?
I like the yellow away kit.
That team cost over £300 million with Martinelli being a pittance and Saka home grown, if you take their values as £25 million for Martinelli and £50 for Saka it’s “worth” almost £400 million – no excuses.
Nice of those sarf londoners to welcome gooners with a replica of ally pally. 😀
Palace? Palace? Who the fuck are Palace? Dodgy club with a confected rivalry because they’re too scared to take on Millwall.
Our kit is so pale, we look like sp*ds
I hate this pink one. Couple of over balls to RB… PV4 targetting White tonight?
They have cut out balls to Saka. Martinelli should have scored that one
Boo whenever Partey is touching the ball. Cunts.
Martinelli scored 👌🏻
Yes! My kids hate his barnet but I’m rather fond of Martinelli
I claim the prize for first spotting Xhaka falling forwards onto the ball for a foul.
Zinchenko with a David Platt special.
Hahaha Xhaka was world class in that ‘falling forward’
Marc
Yes it’s worrisome ESR can’t even make the bench. No one wants to see a repeat of what happened with Wilshere.
Looked a bit shaky towards the end of first half. Hope the boys regroup and come back stronger.
I would love 2 more Brazilian goals or a Xhaka boom 💥
Why the fuck are we not using our subs?
Fans in the ground absolutely terrific.
Unlike the soppy cunts online
If you miss Le grove so much why don’t you grovel to Pedro or more sensibly just accept you’re not coming in tonight. Nothing worse than a bitter ex girlfriend always talking about you…
Rampedro
You’re back, you miserable fuck. I thought you’d be talking shite on your podcast with Matt and Johnny. Get back to running LG and fluffing Arteta. Plastic fan that you are.
Solid result and I don’t like making judgements on players until they’ve had a run of matches but can someone please tell me after tonight that we’d have been worse off going into last season with Holding and Saliba as partners for Gabriel and used the £50 million we spent on White plus the £20 odd million we could have gotten for Xhaka on a real CM?
Rambinho
I’ll let you guess which one of either you or Pedro I think is the bigger cunt.
Actually it’s a draw – you like Le Grove and Pedro so much? What the fuck you doing here?
Marc
White was ordinary wasn’t he? That WS got motm represents a serious indictment on Arteta. That he and GJ have made the greatest impact and are both relatively new arrivals makes you wonder whether their form will nosedive as Tets, Round and Stuivenberg get their grips on them.
We made heavy weather of that second half didn’t we. I thought Palace were poor.