It was a long wait – 6 years since we have last played at the grandest stage of all. It did longer than it should have (study Newcastle), and it did take a lot of money but that’s not a concern for today. We are finally back in the mix and the least we can do is, enjoy the evening with some Guinness and football.
We are playing PSV today at Emirates. We have a healthy team and apart from Martinelli who stretched his hamstring on Sunday, everyone else is available. Since the lads played on Sunday, we could probably see some rotation but without disturbing the team’s chemistry. Ramsdale might make a comeback in the #1 role, back line would probably be the same and Arteta’s infatuation towards Havertz might earn him his spot back in place of Vieira. Trossard will start in place of the injured Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus will most likely be starting ahead of Eddie. Having options that do not cause any drop in performance is going to help Mikel while picking the team. Personally, I would not rotate much from this, even if their a NLD on sunday. It’s a home game, less travel and next few games can have all the rotations and rests for the players.
source:Arsenal.com
PSV Eindhoven, is currently sitting on top in the Dutch league with 4 wins out of 4, and will be equally high in confidence. What’s concerning is that, they have only conceded once in these 4 games and it will prove to be a challenge to score against them. I haven’t watched them personally, so I’m not sure what kind of football they play but they have scored 13 in this process and that would only indicate an attacking game with a solid defence.
Fun fact : In the first season at Emirates, it was PSV who beat us with a 2-1 aggregate in the round of 16 in year 2006-07.
It’s not going to be easy but then none of the games in Champions League are. There is a benefit in topping the group stage that you get to play the 2nd ranked from any other group. We must also keep that in mind.
A win will be brilliant today. Starts our CL run on a positive note, and keeps the confidence high for the upcoming NLD on the weekend.
A busy week for me, so I will keep it short. See you during the game.
#COYG
With that kind of atmosphere in a stadium nothing can’t go wrong as history is being made.
Killroy
From the reports the game was all and more it was expected to be. First blood to Ireland on their way to the last 4 at least. Wales Australia will also be a great game for all including the neutrals.
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I’m salivating at our real first home test to see just how far we’ve come from last season. Let’s not kid ourselves, games don’t get more fierce and oft niggly-ugly than a NLD. I’m going to challenge ‘poster’s curse’ and say this is not a game for Havertz. If I were Ange P, and Havertz was in the line up, he’d be my first priority to unravel and get the crowd on his back. Next would be Zinchenko and his absenteeism from the LB position, where big Gabs covers most of the time using excellent positional space defending, but can’t win when facing 2 v 1 unless human error intervenes.
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Watching the PSV game one can’t help think that White is fallible at RB. Positionally, it’s not all his fault because of his need to link up with Saka to afford our wing wizard more room to maneuver in.
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I’d throw Ange a curved ball and rest Saka. Let Nelson loose on a mission to impress.
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I’d also start ESR at 8 with Trossard LW with both pivoting to interchange with Jesus, Ode and Nelson. Both are gutsy in the tackle and know how to defend in Mikel’s multi rotational, player positioning tactics. As an example; Zinchenko went from a LB interception to central MF and then vertical to false 9 where he hovered, and then was caught badly out of position with Gabs just getting over to cover in time.
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It all sound brilliantly masterful until opposing managers, such as De Zerbi among others start to counter with their own off the ball movement to vacated spaces by the likes of Zinchenko and White where our high defensive line is a third into our opponents half, all ready to put the afterburners on to cut down er I mean tackle opposing speedsters on their counters. Raya offers a better sweeping role than Ramsdale proving that we should never have got rid of Emi M and saved what will be about £60m loss in the end. The irony Emi is probably worth £60m+ now.
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We are not going to see the same naiveté from PSV where equally we are on a high from our CL opening statement with much more to come if we can keep key players fit and healthy.
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I think we are in for a treat of a game. Pulsating, nerve wracking and emotionally charged in our room, and a cauldron inside the Emirates and pubs globally. Marc, I envy you today, but in a good way, and I hope you witness something special from our £billion squad with only 3 injuries; albeit 3 to key players in Timber, Partey and Martinelli.
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Midfield will be interesting with Bissouma & Sarr interchanging at 6/8 as partey and Rice would have done. The Bissouma v Rice should be a no contest for Rice, but with Sarr chipping in, Rice could find himself outnumbered.
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Who is going to walk off the pitch claiming #10 supremacy: Ode or Maddison?
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Personally, I’ve thought Maddison is over rated and open to unpalatable petulance displayed during games when things aren’t going his way. Ode is just a machine looking to refine angles for slide rule passes at 600hp speed all the time. Negativity doesn’t exist in Ode’s mind on the pitch. That probably comes later when Ode is in introspection mode.
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For me Ode is by far the more visionary player looking to continually improve. One of Edu’s better signings if we can keep him. RM must realise their huge error by now.
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Arteta’s multi tactical positional game of say 30+ different morphed positioning is a thing of beauty with the delicacy of prima ballerinas when it all cliques.
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Unfortunately, this season our tuning has been off as have our hippo lumbered performances with not a ballerina in sight. In very short parts we’ve looked devastating and unplayable, but these parts have been too few and too far between.
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We need consistency to follow the PSV game, which wasn’t as great as some have made out, but an improvement no less. PSV were off the pace and they won’t be in Eindhoven. I’m not looking for another step up to the PSV game, just that level *without* the self made errors. Keeping possession against the Spuds is going to be near impossible unless we move the ball at speed with one and two touch football particularly in and around their box.
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Kulusevski and Johnson are playing well in MF and is why I’d want ESR and Rice keeping possession and being creative with ball transitions behind Ode, Jesus, Trossard and Nelson when they find the space to run into. We do that, and the Spuds midfield will be chasing shadows.
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Now! The biggest niggle that is needing assuaging for me is are we going to have our usual Champion’s League hangover today? You remember the old Wenger days when we’d always be under par after a midweek CL game? Tired legs would show quickly in the game and 2nd halves were often torturous to witness.
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So, the question remains can we beat the Spuds? I say we can with a close game of 3:1 or 3:2 to us.
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Can Arteta beat Ange P? Not sure I can answer that from my brain – only my heart says yes as above.
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What do you 92,000 LIR readers say? Anyone……………………….?
Hi Tony
Just back yesterday from Cardiff.
Some thought provoking angles there. This game doesn’t feel quite as intense as others in the past few years. We’ve reestablished superiority and I think we’ll be too good today if Arteta just lets them play. No need to piss about. Just replicate PSV and Manure performances.
Because Postecoglu has said his Spuds will come out (national innuendo day here today) expect them not to and to try what they’ve usually done in N5 which is to counter attack. That’ll be tougher for them without lisping Harry. The key to beating this team lies in speed of passing and movement and getting beyond their back 4. Saka will absolutely play (until Tets wrecks him sadly) and if you start seeing him, Ode and White combining smoothly on the right, Spurs will have a long afternoon. I’d like to see Jesus start instead of Eddie Unket. Their other glaring weakness is that psycho Argentine centre half. Someone should shit house him towards a red card (which, in itself, would be another sign of this team’s growing maturity and adaptability).
Ireland were terrific last night. They sent a massive message out to the others.
Match day post is live.