Before I begin, I want to thank you all for sticking to the blog. This is the 300th article on LONDON IS RED. I started this in March 2021 out of frustration; fans saw Arteta as the next Arsenal God without anything to back up those claims and I wanted a place where people can be critical of the team they support without being told off. We have celebrated the wins, we have criticized the losses and we will keep doing it. There’s no agenda here and we don’t worship any manager or player but the club.
The beauty of Champions League is that there’s a better wanker out there than you. Arteta loves to control the game and sometimes, it comes at the cost of boring, uninspiring football where you see your striker defending in your own box. Well, he gets to play someone who does it better and been doing it for much longer. If the rules permit, Simeone will jump on the pitch himself to add an extra defender. We are going to see two of the most defensively drilled teams play together in the Champions League today and you shouldn’t expect an exciting, goal laden match.
However, it’s a home game and with 2 wins in first 2 games, you have the advantage of going for a win. Atletico are one of the worst teams to play against. They crushed Frankfurt earlier with 5 different goal scorers and almost made a comeback against Liverpool at Anfield after going down 2-0 in first 10 minutes which they lost ultimately, thanks to an extra time goal from Van Dijk.
Team News
Both our midfielders in Zubimendi and Rice has earned 2 yellow cards in first two matches, and if they happen to receive another one, they will get a one match suspension. Playing them together will have the risk of missing out on both in the next game, and hopefully Mikel is not that foolish.
Without Odegaard, we would have to rely on a midfield of Eze, Rice/Zubimendi and Merino. Yes, Nwaneri is not going to get his starts anytime sooner and both Rice and Zubimendi shouldn’t be on the pitch, which leaves us with Merino. Against Atletico, I would be tempted to start Martinelli, he is in goal scoring form and can run through their defence.
Saka-Gyokeres-Martinelli up top does the job for me. Defence will pick itself, with Timber and Calafiori on either side and the best CB partnership will start.
Wrapping Up
You can’t relax against them. You can’t think 2-0 is enough. You can’t try to dictate the game because they will be tough to break and you simply can’t park the bus hoping for a set piece goal because that’s what they have been doing since 2011. What’s the way then? Attack.
We should go into the game with a positive, fearless mindset. We have a solid defence and with an attacking midfield, we could create them some problems. The game will not be played in the middle, so the onus lies on Saka, Gyokeres and Martinelli/Trossard to convert whatever they get in the opposition penalty box.
Also, we will get to know who the master of dark arts is. See you during the game.
Arsenal Goal scorers list is out for this season and I am updating it regularly. We don’t have the desired results from the front 3 so far, with Timber an Zubimendi in top 3 in Premier League; Champions League stats looks okay though. Take a look –
Ambarish
Hope El B is reading your post – ‘attack’ doesn’t normally feature and ‘flowing attack’ not at all.
NORG
Not today haha. If Mikel sends me a text claiming set pieces counts as free flowing attack, I will send an apology to him on a card that will have Mourinho’s picture on the back.
Fucking hell Ambarish. Time has flown. 300 Pulitzer Prize level articles later! As you know, I’m eternally grateful to you for offering a far superior forum than the horseshit and putrefaction offered by that appalling racist wanker Pedro and the scum that probably still inhabits Le Grove. To manage a site about a team several thousand miles from where you’re based so expertly and with such good humour and insight is to your huge credit. Thanks my friend. I’m very impressed.
Pleasure is all mine, this would have died in 3 months without you guys.
Ambarish
God that’s gone quickly – that you for all the hard work and effort you put into the blog.
No idea on tonight.
Forest’s self destruction as a premier league team is now certain. Dyche is their third manager of the season.
Imagine how irredeemably shit Nuno and Ange must be feeling to know that they have been replaced by a twat as big as Dyche. And to think Forest have won the European Cup twice.
I think we’ll win tonight but it’ll be tighter than the other 2 games.
Ambarish—big ups to you for providing us with a space in which we can openly express our well-intentioned thoughts and feelings without having to bend the knee to some agendized groupthink fucks…btw that’s far more common than you might think, as I’ve been excommunicated from 4 prominent sites due to the Artetite pox…it’s much-appreciated!!! take care
Kroenke
Can you imagine what the Forest fans are going to do if they go down and Nuno keeps West Ham up?
It’ll be a real “get the beers and popcorn” moment. Obviously I tend to skip the popcorn!
Thank you guys, as always this place would be nothing without the readership.
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Did we sent Edu as an undercover agent for Forest demise?
🚨 Arsenal XI vs. Atletico Madrid: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Rice, Eze; Saka, Martinelli, Gyökeres.
Arsenal subs: Kepa, Setford, White, Calafiori, Mosquera, Hincapie, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Trossard.
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Good to see MLS back in starting XI, no complaints there. But why on earth are we playing both Zubimendi and Rice together? Atletico will play dirty and if both of them received a yellow, we will be starting with Norgaard in the next game.
Is there an argument that Rice and Zubi getting a yellow tonight is a good thing – they’d miss against Slavia Prague but would both be available against Munich?
Marc
Agreed. It’s pure idiocy what Forest has done to itself.
Marc
If it’s Slavia Prague, then yes we can take that risk. I doubt Mikel will ask them to get yellows, both of them today though.
Ambarish—frankly I’m shocked that MA didn’t start a midfield of Rice, Zubi and Merino, especially considering that the latter two have lots of experience against AM…just not too sure who provides service from the middle of the pitch, as that’s not really the best aspect of Eze’s game…I would have preferred to have Eze tucked inside, like Tross, then have Skelly create some width, instead of doing the whole inverted gig, so that Ethan could have played along side of Rice and Zubi…still think we should secure at least a draw against a side that has struggled to get all 3 points this year
With the brand of football Mikel and Simeone prefers, a draw is all you could guess. I am more excited about the touchline antics – who is crossing the line first and getting the yellow? Any guesses?
The 2 clowns on the Irish feed I’m watching have predicted an Arsenal win by 3-1 and 3 nil.
We’re either going to get 50 corners or they’ve haven’t seen us play to season.
the commentator suggests that we’re equal parts grift and guile…clearly he’s not been watching us over the last season and a bit, when bully-ball has been all the rage around these parts…maybe he only saw us in the CL versus Real, when we threw caution to the wind due to our injury issues
Ambarish—I would predict Diego, as he’s the away side
Rice simply can’t miss those unmarked chances
looks like Atleti have come here with only countering in mind, at least early on, which means we have to take our chances while they’re being gifted to us