We begin our Champions League conquest today in Italy. It’s a new season, new format and new hope to win something, or at least make it to the end. All of Arsenal are ready to make an impact and players, who have dreamt of playing in Champions League, are going to start today in an attempt to prove they are one of the best football players on the planet.
We, as a club, has come a long way. Last 10-15 years haven’t been good, but we are fighting on two fronts and I’m excited than ever. Martin Odegaard’s unavailability makes me a bit nervous but someone from that playing XI will take up the opportunity to let us not miss our captain.
Let’s go through the new format, whom we are going to play in Champions League this year in League Phase and what’s my expectation against Atlanta today.
Champions League new format explained
We have a change to the Champions League format from this year. There are 36 teams participating, and each club will play against 8 others club (4 away, 4 home games). Top 8 teams out of the 36 will qualify automatically for the round of 16 knockout stage, while the teams finishing between 9th and 24th place will have to compete in a play off in a home and away game.
Rest 12 teams will be eliminated.
So, we have 4 extra teams this year. There is no home and away in the first round called League Phase, you get to play 8 different teams with half of those games at home and other half away. Every other team does the same and the top 8 of this League Phase table qualifies for the round of 16. The other 8 teams are selected between the next 16 spots, where they play a home and away game against another team and the best 8 of these qualifies as well.
Right, so we have been left with 16 teams now after League Phase. From round of 16, the format remains same as last year, a home and away game till finals with whoever losing gets eliminated. Final remains a single game at a neutral venue.
So, which 8 teams are playing?
Arsenal Champions League fixtures
We get to play Atlanta, Inter, Sporting, Girona away from home and games against PSG, Shakhtar, Monaco and Dinamo at home.
Atlanta v Arsenal – Sep 19th
Arsenal v PSG – Oct 01
Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk – Oct 22
Inter Milan v Arsenal – Nov 06
Sporting v Arsenal – Nov 26
Arsenal v Monaco – Dec 11
Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb – Jan 22
Girona v Arsenal – Jan 29
If you ask me, we have a rather easier Champions League draw but you can’t take a CL game lightly. Only last night, City dropped points against Inter at home in a goalless draw.
With the new format, there’s a challenge to finish in the top 8 to avoid 2 extra knockoff games and to qualify directly to the round of 16. To do that, you indirectly compete with the likes of Man City, Liverpool, Bayern, PSG, Juventus, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Leverkusen, AC Milan and Dortmund. That’s 12 top teams in Europe and there are few others which can beat any team on their best days. We are playing one of these today – Atlanta.
Atlanta v Arsenal
We are opening our Champions League campaign today against Atlanta. They are the current Europa League winners who beat the likes of Liverpool and Leverkusen last year to win the trophy. They will make sure we don’t have an easy game.
In team news, we have a good news regarding Bukayo. He has travelled with the team to Italy and Calafiori is back with the team as well. Declan Rice will be present after his suspesion in Premier League. We needed him at this stage. Zinchenko is out injured but Timber has done a good job and we most likely won’t miss him. Mikel Merino is out for some time. The only concern for us is the Odegaard’s injury. There’s no proper back up and unless someone (Ethan) steps up, we are going to struggle both in EPL and CL. Hopefully, it’s only a slight drop in performance which we can manage.
I expect us to play the same backline of White, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber with Raya in goal. Jorginho will make way for Declan Rice and Partey and Trossard will fill the other 2 places. Saka, Havertz, and Martinelli will pick themselves up. Trossard did a good job, but he is a winger, not a mid. I so wish, ESR was still with us today. Anyways, go grab that opportunity Nwaneri.
Expectations?
Lets have some high expectation from a club fighting for the domestic league and the CL, having spent more than half a billion dollar, shall we? Champions League games can be unexpected but we should be winning today and with couple of goals. With about 15 top teams fighting for that 8 position to avoid getting into an extra play-off game, every goal will matter. Goal difference can be the decider between a 8th place finish or the 9th.
Lets go out there, score couple of goals and get back home to face Man City. Martinelli to score today, that’s my bet.
Right, that’s all for today. See you during the game.
Slot’s*
I would gladly take Nicolas Jackson over Havertz…he’s got energy to burn, goals in him, albeit he’s still got work to do with his finishing, and he’s on 65,000/wk…imagine him as a cover piece for a bona fide starter…based on Kai’s 280,000+/wk salary, we would have 215,000/wk left to put towards a true number 9…what a fucking joke show
Chelsea still have plenty of work to do, but they have bags of potential…if only we could muster a bit of that directness in attack…no wonder they paid Sterling to leave, as he would be a 3rd stringer at all 3 of their forward positions, which speaks to our mediocre depth
Tony—Slot’s ears must have been burning when you were suggesting that they give their heads a good shake
not to mention Nunez has potted two strikes that Havertz could only dream of scoring…I’m not sure he could have scored them if he was by himself on the training pitch
Good stuff TRVL. Everson and a couple of other B’mouth players are real speedsters. Fun to watch.
Salah quiet and not much going through him, so maybe the players having a quiet word on the pitch. Salah is over or under hitting his passes too regularly.
Smith Rowe scores again today with assist from Iwobi. Could be the winner.
that’s why he was shown the door…MA can’t be having those with a real eye for goal in his starting 11
clearly Pool haven’t solved their Salah issues, as how else could you explain him still being on the pitch with a 3 goal lead, considering how poor he’s been…of course he’s a top-notch player, when at his best, but that’s bound to cause some problems moving forward
Let’s hope Palace can keep Manure from improving on their current form trajectory….
Bad enough L’Pool making it look easy after an early scare.
Good morning from a very rainy rain season here. An interesting fact for me from yesterday’s games was that Newcastle had 61% of possession v Fulham but Fulham resisted 11 shots on target vs the Bar Codes 4. Fulham had 6 corners to the Beheader’s big fat zero.
At the heart of the Fulham action is ESR crafting a goal and no doubt gluing things together but at 88% pass completion rate with 22 successful passes in 84 minutes, there is much room for improvement that clearly El B don’t see or want to see.
Palace blunted Ten Hag’s possession based game with 67% and 6 shots on target while gaining 11 corners to Palaces 4 shots on target and 4 corners.
Manure dropping 2 points is the best stat for us, but sadly Spuds manage to beat Brentford making the win today even more important.
The league table is very close with Manure and Spuds just 3 points behind on 7 points; to lose today keeps us on 10 points at 5th where I think we’ll finish this season.
Conversely, a win today puts us top on 13 points looking down on Pool and Shitty. How long for is down to El B?
A draw has us swap places with the Chavs, in 4th, who even if a tad disjointed and over exuberant with their play, the are playing attractive football but still loose at the back.
You can never assume results this season, but if BHA at home beat Forest and we lose to Shitty, Brighton moves to 4th dropping us to 6th.
There are only 5 points difference between Manure at 11th and Liverpool at the top on 12 points. It’s looking like we could have a top 10 taking points off each other, which Marc, yours truly and TRVL and KP predicted and expected.
The league table points to our being correct.
So, how are we going to gat anything out of this game?
Over to you TRVL, I got no fcuking idea other than cashing in Karma chips and on a wing and a prayer to whatever your deity is?
For me it has to be 3 at the back and 2 wingbacks with Timber RB and Calafiori at LB.
Partey and Rice playing 6s and hope for fast counters from balls over the top, and through the channels if they are open at any point because City’s off the ball work is as good as their playing with the ball – leaving few spaces needing slide ruler passes from Ode – next time…
Then, there is the El B law of averages tactics that a win has to come some time……
In sum, El B will be parking his bus once again because if he doesn’t, he will face a Pep humiliation……. Same as Wenger did so many times by at least 3 goals each time………
What you got, TRVL, can you inspire us with a fragment of hope?
Fulham registered*
Tony—simply put, this is a totally winnable match, regardless of the typically reductive tactics…we’ll undoubtedly feign interest in the first 15, just to keep them honest, then whenever they get on the front foot we’ll go full Jose on them…if we can hold them off and take whatever 1/2 chances that come our way, we could finish the week in the catbird seat…of course, this is a bit of a long shot, but certainly not beyond the realm of possibility…I do worry about our ability to mount any sort of comeback, should we concede the first goal, but this City side can be had on the counter…I think the most telling factor might be how this City side reacts to their mid-week blanking versus Inter…if they come out flat, we should go for their throats, but if they come out flying, this could be a difficult watch…as for our tactical approach, we shouldn’t expect anything even remotely innovative, as that’s not in MA’s wheelhouse…as such, even discussing the possibility of wingbacks seems like a total waste of time…too bad because without Ode this would be the perfect time to finally flex our largely atrophied tactical muscles
on a side note, I can’t stand the 11:30 start time here, as I’m heavily invested in a handful of NFL Fantasy Football Leagues and all the heavy lifting happens between noon and 1…needless to say I usually don’t fare well on weeks when we face an opponent of consequence in that particular time slot…Cheers
TRVL
Agreed quick counters from Maya launched over the top to run onto – Graham Turnip-head Taylor tactics.
You can get at City and nick a goal – but keeping it is another thing. Best to get the goal at the 89 minute mark and then throw on every defensive minded player we have to fill the gaps in midfield.
We are both longing for 3 at the back where I go back to LG days when I first started banging that drum. It just seems the simplest answer to our deficiencies and allows us to play players where they should be deployed: in their natural positions. White will have to fight for his place, but he’s aerially challenged for a CB, and has mistakes in him in every game now, especially when El B pushes White into Pep’s Stone’s role of stepping up from the back line.
Saliba with Gabs and Calafiori as our back three.
With wingbacks it allows for Ethan to be in the mix with Partey and Rice bing our main defensive minder:
Therefore, Rice, Nwaneri and Party as our midfield
Up top Saka with Havertz and Martinelli – for his pace and defending, as Saka does, but Trossard is not as effective at.
Jorginho will get eaten alive with his lack of pace, and be mauled every time he’s on the ball, so I think that is the best way we can get at City, and keep a good defensive shape in midfield with our wingbacks dropping back creating 5 across the back, as and when needed – mostly the latter would be my best guess.
I just don’t see a win for us, but we might grab another point tonight if we park the bus well enough.
Could be different if we had an experienced manager who has won major trophies; not one who copies Pep and now Jose.
Bet Pedro loves El B copying Mourinho’s aging tactics.
TRVL
Watching B’mouth’s speedsters yesterday made me think they will tear White a new one with their agility and speed, especially as White watches the ball too much and not the player. He gets turned inside out too often, and left facing the opposite direction to the forward he’s closely marking is going with the ball.
Timber has pace to burn and is a natural wide defender with the prerequisite FB skill sets.
sorry, meant watches the player too much and not her ball
Forest are a very tough side to break down – really disciplined at the back.
As I say that Brighton equalised
Our old boys are having fun this weekend with a brilliant free kick from Welbeck to put Brighton 2:1 up just before the break.
Tony
I was highly critical of the White signing but season before last he was a decent FB and last season he was very good the problem is too many of our players look off the pace this season or are regressing. We didn’t see anything of Timber last season to form a reasonable judgement – he has qualities but to me he doesn’t look the right player for LB and just doubles down on our lopsided attacking when the left sided forward receives little support.
Add to that having no cutting edge up front and its not a good look.
White has been dropped with Calafiori coming in – it will be interesting to see Timber at RB.
Marc
True too many are not at the races which is a big concern.
Good to see Timber at RB if he h keeps calm he’s a good RB. He looked good at Ajax before we bought him what little I’d seen of him.
No KDB but City full strength otherwise.
433 for us with Havertz at 8 and Trossard at 9. So Havertz is our creator as Rice and Partey are not.
Can’t see where the supply is going to come from and Timber and Calafiori will have a baptism by fire for their natural positions.
A draw at best for me.
Arse-squeaking neutraliser? ✅
Kaolin and Morphine? ✅
Amazing³ voodoo doll with swivelling head and green vomit? ✅
Crucifix? ✅
LSD? ✅
OK, I’m ready.
Tony
If it’s not too late, can someone consult pumpkin for some feline intervention?
Tony & Marc—it’s not so much that White hasn’t done a decent enough job, it’s just that he’s not special at either end of the pitch…why would you want to waste Saka’s best years by relying too heavily upon the contributions of a player who just doesn’t have the toolbox that’s clearly required…that said, if it weren’t for the initial price tag he would be a stellar depth piece in anyone’s lineup, but as an everyday starter he just lacks the requisite cutting edge in and around the box…he, like Havertz, faced ample criticism upon signing and as such they became the darlings for all those who placed Arteta above all else…so whenever they did anything of any merit whatsoever, the exaggerations were always quick to follow…I guess when the bar is so low, it’s easy to grasp onto straws
I will be very interested in seeing Timber back in his rightful position and Calafiori out on the left…funnily enough, that still won’t solve MA’s crack-like addiction to shoehorning, as the latter was only known abroad due to his efforts while playing as a LCB not a LB, in fact his numbers out wide are nothing to write home about…of course, that doesn’t mean it won’t work here
after watching our former fucking Bambi on skates pot a decisive free kick, it reminded me that with the right coaching you can change the clinical fortunes of your players…unfortunately we don’t have that kind of manager/coach, as our MIT would rather spend much more time fitting round pegs into square holes
Already done talked to my daughter today. Pumpkin looked worried if that helps.
Kaolin and Morphine lol mine is Biscotti and White Truffle hybrids top of the baking class….
Surprisingly the pundits are divided on a draw or loss.
KP—at first I didn’t know if you were preparing for the match or heading off to church
Kroenke
Is that you or Starmer looking at his polling figures!
Sakakakakakakaptain today. Good to see.
Hi Vieira
Good point. And my prayer mat is at the dry cleaners. Long and messy story.
Let’s dare to dream until Shitty score.
COYG
Havertz is getting a little taste of his own medicine…I wonder what side that will inspire
Big fucking baby.
no DeBruyne should give us the necessary impetus to pursue a much more positive course
Going to get spicy
KP—if it was anyone else, I would agree, but Havertz is a flopping clown
Good chance we’ll see a red in this if the first 5 minutes are anything to go by.
Marc—I can see why you would think so but it would have to be something incredibly reckless, as no ref wants to be the reason why this turned into a 10 man borefest
we’re incredibly lucky not to be 1 down already
And there we go straight through our soft belly middle
WTF are we doing…maybe Havertz shouldn’t have woken up the sleeping giant