We are playing away to Bodo/Glimt in few minutes from now, and Mikel has decided to shuffle the playing XI to maximum. There are 7 changes in the line up from our last game.
Turner will most likely be our GK for the rest of Europa league. Tierney gets back to his LB position, and Holding gets a start after some time. Gabriel Megalhaes has been playing a lot and needed some rest. Saliba and White keeps their places.
Midfield is an interesting one. Partey and Xhaka are on bench, and Vieira and Sambi takes up their places. I’m guessing Sambi will play a DM role similar to Partey and Vieira will be allowed to move forward like Xhaka has been doing more recently. Odegaard and Saka keeps their places in the right side.
Jesus got a much needed break, Eddie starts and I’m rooting for him; always liked him and I am hoping he will score a few today. Reiss Nelson gets back in the team at LW.
I’m short on time today, and will be back tomorrow. Hope we see a good game, no injuries, score few and keep a clean sheet.
#COYG
Test check
Local lad Odegard is playing.
Except Sambi looks a full strength squad. Tierney too
It’s kind of frustrating Europa is streaming on a different platform now. It was much easier when everything was on Tele. Pay a fix amount and you get all channels (movies, sports, etc).
Streaming sites are banned here, so I’m gonna go and pay for it anyway, but this subscription models is becoming a problem they wanted to solve initially.
Hoopah
Yep, Sambi looks similar to AMN. Flashes of brilliance but never really convincing. Hope he turns it around with regular game time in Europa.
It still makes me laugh people debated in favor of our absenteeism from Europe last season.
Bi do seem to be playing very randomly. So Arsenal can’t figure how to react.
A quite boring match so nothing list is anyone not watching
And Saka scores 😅
Both Champions as well as Europa are there on Sony Liv. Reasonable subscription and good resolution.
Took EPL on Hotsstar which has Premium giving 4k resolution
Goal by Saka. 1-2 usual
1-2 meaning passing for goal
Champions League streams are easy to find :))
Bought the Sony one anyway, ain’t much for CL / Europa games.
Europa League is of teams who could not qualify for Champions League and it shows. Reviewed all the matches going on and only Fiorentina match was watchable. Mourinho and Roma are losing. Villareal playing kicking the ball. Even the team I run ( in local Professional League) play a more watchable passing game.
Barcelona will surely make it a bit more interesting haha
But yeah, it’s a stale game. Martinelli / Jesus would have eaten them alive in that first half.
Though they should have scored in that 1v1 situation and a good team would have scored on the ball Lokonga gave away near the box.
Agree with you Ambarish. Expected at least some sparks from Eddie.
We missing our 2 cannon, but can’t play them in a game of this type with chance of injury
Hi Lads
We’re doing OK here. We’ll get stronger in the second half as they tire. Bodo have an outstanding home record in Europe.
I don’t agree about Sambi – I think he’s looking neat in the middle. Good to see that through ball for the assist too. It’s Turner that concerns me – too runnarson-esque. Matt Ryan was a better option in my view but that ship has sailed.
Hope you’re both well and not working too hard.
Couple of near goals from Bodo, they are making the second half interesting for sure. We need to calm things down as soon as possible
Mikel acknowledging it by bringing in Xhaka and Martinelli to get control of the game. Nelson did not do any justice to his start.
Fuckin’ hell, Is Tierney playing as a #10 today? What is he doing so high up in the middle of the pitch!
Oh, and Turner is doing OKAY in my opinion.
Job done – if we’d beaten them easily, I think we might be worrying that we’d shot out bolt before Leeds on Sunday. Not as assured as we’d have liked but that game will be forgotten about by tomorrow.
It probably won’t happen ut if Zurich can get something out of the game in Eindhoven tonight, we’ll be just about there already (with 2 home games to come).
This week has been absolutely fantastic for me Arsenal won, Napoli in the CL knockout stages and Barca virtually in the EL in two weeks to be confirmed. What could make it better?
Another AFC win to stay top of the table, Everton beating Spuds, Villa beating Chelsea, Newcastle victorious, Pool beating City. That would be perfect but I take a combination of those.
Finally take 12 to 15 points from the 5 games before the WC and be top of the table come Nov 13th.
A brilliant peace of Journalism in the Athletic (Behind a paywall) I paid $20 for a year’s subscription. You can get a 30day free trial.
theathletic . com / 3685330/2022/10/13/barcelona-transfers-levels-finances/
Just some highlights from the article showing how truly Barca is f**d when it comes to finances:
“The accounts published last week also show that Barelonca still owe transfer fees dating back years, including for players who are no longer at the club such as Philippe Coutinho, Miralem Pjanic and Neto Moura. More than €100million of this total is due to be paid for these players in the next seven months.
Player salaries that were deferred in past seasons are now due. The focus last week was again on Frenkie de Jong, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and the three “captains” — Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba — who each cost the club more than €40million a year.”
Joy of joys, max Schadenfreude, over that absolutely dreadful run club may they rot in bankruptcy hell. Excellent YouTube clip about Barca’s bewildering finances.
youtu . be/j0mPELisN-U
Can’t wait for Raphina being asked for a salary cut next season only to realize he is at the end of the line of those money being owed to. Hope Leeds got their cash up front. You can’t make this shit up if you wanted to.
Killroy
Hiya mate. It’s bitter-sweet isn’t it from a Gooner’s point of view.
Petit, Song, Fabregas, Henry and Van Bronckhorst to name but 5 players we undersold to that den of waste and corporate corruption. There must be some more that I’m missing (any other names lads?) . You wonder just how much dodginess was behind those deals in which we shortsold our players.
I’m no fan either (as you can possibly tell!) . Nowhere near as shitty a club as Real Madrid imho, but nevertheless a really underwhelming figurehead for the catalan people and for sporting behaviour. Someone needs to drain the swamp.
We should reverse the paradigm by making derisory but tempting offers for their stars that might fill gaps in our squad.
You watching the women’s rugby WC? Should be better once the games get more
competitve. And the men’s rugby league WC about to start.
Top of the evening to you Almunia and K’Phobe when you wake up that is. It’s a fine 29*C as we head to our winter late next month.
https://privateiptvaccess.com
A pass on from a mate who said it cover’s every TV channel in the world, so thought of you K’phobe and Almunia and the Irish channels in Wales. Not sure which dialect it would be in>
Can’t claim to have used it, as we have HD Prime here which is a pirate similar streamer, but you buy cards from 7/11 shops all over Thailand. Sounds like it’s run by True Visions our version of Sky, but who knows?
Almunia, Laziitus, is a real condition my friend often followed by extreme Guinness episodes or exposure to THC virulent (20 to 28+%) strains or forgotten how many dabs you had of grannie’s CBD oil.
Almunia, a true genius/artist cannot be rushed or the results will be tainted. The words will flow when you feel them erupting in your mind.Then you will be compelled to your canvas (PC screen) and trusty keyboard (brush). It will be long in writing and tedious rewrites, but then your labour of love will come to the fore and the words will flow and I estimate 1000s globally will be better for reading them.
Your many admirers will quickly tap out the words to your waiting audience worldwide, which is very true. I do not jest in such matters. They will pass on to their sporting friends and so on.
Never a truer word said in jest, Almunia; you do have a global audience. Deservedly so. When you’re ready, we will be, too. Your satire humoring words can make any person’s day and feel cathartic, as they do me. Hard to be anything, but happy when you’re pissing yourself when one’s imagination runs riot from the images your words procure of people so familiar.
Only read the reports of last night’s game and sounds like we made hard work of it, so I’m hoping it’s a blip. Saka saved our bacon in a scrappy game on a plastic pitch. Game and points won, so time to get back to prepare for Leeds who are decent on the ball, at pace; just not for 90 minutes.
A good away test for us where I see us rolling them over 1:3 after wanting to make good on last night’s under-par performance.
Sorry Hoopah if it seems I’ve ignored you, it’s not the case. Are you from AK’s (MB’s) part of the world? Do you have any thoughts about the Jan TW? Where we will finish? Where Mikel is at now in your thinking.
K’phobe, Almunia, Marc are all of the same thinking as is MD Gunner and Kilroy and myself.
The jury is still out but the sings are promising, but we’ve been here before, such as last season. Mikel has a nasty habit of being a repeat offender of his own mistakes.
I’m guessing Mikel will pick up fastest speaking PL manager, but nowhere near the most unintelligible Kenny Dalglish back on the Div 1 days. Kane sounds eloquent compared to old Glasweigin Kenny.
Shankly was the most intimating in the tunnels where he would tell each opposing player what his player was going to do him in some detail before they ran out onto the pitch with Liverpool firmly entrenched in their heads before kicking a ball.
Funny old game Football.
Hi Kilroy speaking of rugby the southern Hemisphere 4 country tourney ins Aug/Sept was a cracker. Best rugby in patches I’ve ever seen. All Blacks back to their masterful selves, but can get a bit complacent at times. They’r beatable in a one off, but over 3 games? Maybe only France could at this time.
Really disinterested in the Qatar WC, which is a shame as we look like we could actually compete if ultra conservative Southgate gets it together. Most is too late for me anyway 6 hours difference. So maybe the final if it’s interesting enough.
Next year’s rugby WC I’ll be glued to as many games, as I can get here. Outside the ABs France would be a good bet. A France Vs AB final should be a blast of dynamic rugby, if France can keep the ref’s red card in his pocket.
I never took to rugby league.
Tony
Yep, from Ambarish part of the world, but a better place where the whole world rushes in for holidays and a good time
Haha, certainly its one of the best places you live in. Beaches, cheap beers, and moderate weather.
Killroy
Barcelona are in a mess but I don’t see it as a Messi effect personally. He has done more good than bad for them.
You can’t call them a well run club anymore.
Hi Tony
I wouldn’t rule Ireland out of the rugby WC. If they can keep their core 22 players fit, they’ll be a challenge for anyone. I think SA and at a push England might also be in the reckoning in addition to your predictions although neither are favourites certainly.
Another injection of championship football in my veins tomorrow. A home game for the Bluebirds against the once mighty Coventry. Looking forward to hearing their wonderful version of the Eton boating song again. And who can forget the immortal, ‘one cov, two cov, three cov, FOUR COV!’
I say home game… A mere 200 mile round trip this time!
I think we’ll have too much for Leeds. Three unanswered goals. One of the unexpected and barely remembered pleasures this year has been the absence of worrying about upcoming games. You’re all going to call me a bedwetting drama queen but I’ve had two spells in the past three seasons where I thought relegation was a possibility. Once during Emery’s reign and the other in the period leading up to that ESR inspired defeat of Chelsea 2 years ago. This year has, at least, been calmer. The perils of supporting Arsenal for 50 years. Shit – we only need another 16 points to be sure of avoiding the drop this season.
The city v pool game is huge in terms of their and our interests. Would love to see City drop 3 or even 2 points.
@Ambarish
Messi got Barca many times out of the hole but he is sentimentally attached to that club. Now that he is at PSG no such help from him.
Both Barca & Real are corrupt with Real taking the lead by putting on pressures on corrupt politicians.
Spain: Our economy is in trouble and tanking please assist us with a loan.
EU: How much do you need to get the economy back on track?
Spain: A few Billion Euros will do.
EU: No problem here is your loan.
Spain: Perez here is your money to keep your club afloat.
EU citizens bail out those two mafioso run clubs.