I will eat the humble pie after the match if I am wrong, but what in the real world is Mikel doing in team selection? We are playing Fulham away in 30min, team sheet is out and Thomas Partey starts at RB. Gabriel, White, Zinchenko and Calafiori are not even on bench due to injuries but you have Tierney and I am sure he can fill IN as a LB against the likes of Fulham. Thomas is having a great season but putting him at RB puts him at a risk and the midfield is brazen of his skills. Jorginho is filling up in the midfield. Playing Partey at RB also mean we are weaking our right side because Timber is now going to play at LB. I don’t understand this infatuation to have a midfield in defence, I’m sorry. If the idea is to play the game virtually with 3 defenders and allowing Partey to move into the midfield during the play, I don’t understand that as well. You are better off in a 3-4-3 set up if that’s the case.
Martinelli makes way for Leandro Trossard because of his poor form. The games are coming thick and fast and it shouldn’t be a problem, he will get minutes to compete and displace the Belgian. Mikel Merino sits on bench, Jorginho gets to start ahead of him. Gabriel Jesus can’t replace a non-performing Kai Havertz, which tells a lot about him.
We dropped 5 points against Fulham last season, and we certainly would be hoping to do better than that. Manchester City dropped points yesterday, and we could go 4 points ahead of them if we win. We have 3 ex-gooners playing for Fulham, ESR whom we wanted to succeed at Arsenal, Leno – who was also a fan favorite during his time at Arsenal and Alex Iwobi, who is in great form for Fulham this season.
Craven Cottage is a tough place to visit and Fulham is having a good season so far. I don’t see it as an easy game and the likes of Jorgi, Kiwior, Trossard and Havertz would have to show their importance today.
I am expecting a tough game, but hoping we would win 2-0 with Saka and our captain on the scoresheet. I will keep it short today, do let us know if you are happy with the team selection and if it could have been better.
See you in the comments section in 30 min.
TRVL
I’m guessing it’s more Arteta than Rice. Last season, we saw Partey’s rockets for a very extended length and only stopped when it was sure he can’t be Tomi Kroos.
Same is happening with Rice.
Tony
Its a match that can get spicy – should be a good watch.
I’ve got a huge pot of Beef Bourguignon that’s been marinating since yesterday ready to go for dinner and some cold beers in the fridge.
Shame Arteta spoilt part of the weekend.
Marc
It should be a cracker. That is one of my fav French dishes I’m salivating but really happy for you. I know you like your cooking and food.
Maybe you can take solace in Spuds & Chavs kicking lumps out of each other as you feast away.
I cooked some Roti in salted butter yesterday and added thick blueberry jam and fresh cream just to see how it tasted and was pleasantly surprised. It was hardly beurre blanc but different enough to enjoy.
Ambrish that’s nice to know that you are a wiproite too. Amazing coincidence.
Well another game where our strategy was to get a corner. Wonder why not make Nicholas Jover the manager? What we are being sold is a classic headline management of Arsenal are a club on the up. Next few years belong to us bla bla.. in reality there are glaring issues and if we want to be blind then it’s our problem. Its a miracle if we win anything with this manager’s conservative approach. What is the point of sterling, jesus and such players making millions contributing next to nothing. I would rather have academy kids getting ahead of them and a hunger to prove themselves. Get these guys out from my club. It’s a disgrace.
I simply must reiterate my earlier question, why would a team who came in 2nd twice running completely change their tactical approach and not just get the kind of players who could get the job done without discarding the beautiful game altogether??? the answer is quite simple, if he had done so Havertz wouldn’t be guaranteed a starting spot and Rice wouldn’t be allowed to chase his nonsensical dreams
Madu
I’d forgotten Sterling was even on the bench.
We’re picking up about a £100k a week of his wages so £5.2 million a year for what?
Marc, MA doesn’t have the guts to play a midfield 3 with both Ethan and Ode. So he goes the change the whole setup to include Jorgi and Rice. Play partey as RB. simple change of MLS at left his usual place, Timber at RB with a Rice/Partey in the center isn’t for the generational. I am not sure I understand what is the hesitation in playing. Ethan and Ode in the midfield. Till when can be keep playing like this and still pretend that we catch Liverpool. Beats me.
Madhu—your preaching to the choir, as there’s no reason whatsover why we haven’t seen a two-pack of Ode and Ethan in the midfield, except that it would require Rice to play as the sole DM…god forbid he be deployed in the very position that required us to pay 100+M for him
That is what a striker can do.
I did not see that.
Jamie Carragher being an even bigger cunt than normal by having a go at a player who having slipped over twice costing 2 goals comes over to change his boots.
Marc
Boeuf Bourgignon, Dauphinoise potatoes and Ratatouille accompanied with a glass or two of Burgundy – much better than the game El B served up today. Another set piece is all that we can manage as the set up is so disjointed.
Meanwhile over at Shite Hart Lane Chelsea are now in front – they will soon be pulling away from us unless El B starts to employ new tactics – not sure his galaxy brain is able to conjure up anything different.
Just in case there’s anyone who still thinks Arteta is the man, has sauce, is a generational manager etc we bought Palmer for Chelsea and gave them £20 million for the pleasure of doing it.
Marc—don’t forget what we gave City for two of our longstanding benchwarmers or the fact we gave West Ham 100M to convert a DM into a bang average AM…MA is the gift that keeps giving
TRVL
Rice was well worth the money – the fact that he’s not utilised to the detriment of the team is all down to one person.
As for how much we gave City – Arteta has pissed so much money up the wall it gets to a point where its depressing to list them.
he’s only worth the money if he’s played in the right position…no one would paid even half of the fees or wages if they had to agree to his positional demands
would “have”
Morning all
Marc
What a game with Spuds committing football suicide defending in the box. Did it give you indigestion or was the sauce so smooth with flavor? I went to sleep hungry with the vision of my last dining out in Paris 30 years ago.
TRVL
It’s clear that MA sees things differently to us at LIR or we wouldn’t be in our current manager malaise, where as if Wenger’s last decade wasn’t enough, MA is perhaps worse?
Week in and week out we talk about the same selection mistakes, and watch our future stars leave with no progression likely under MA.They will ask themselves if Ethan only gets cameos when we need to score goals badly, then they will think what chance do I have?
They would be correct and will leave.
There are ST names being mentioned we’re in for around the £40m mark who I don’t know, but that is not hard for me, as I don’t follow players and other clubs much. Of course there is Isak & VG on our list along with Nico Williams but that seems to have gone quiet with Pep’s interest.
LIR
Hope the sun is shining for you and family in Spain, KP. Did you see the game?
I’m stuck for words for once unless I want to sound like a broken record player and reiterate what we’ve all been saying all season.
The commentator during the game mentioned that if we lost yesterday, we wouldn’t be able to drop any more points or will will not win the league. We’ve dropped 12 points now from away games where last season we were getting max points from a lot more aways games than this season.
Why is that? We have the same manager, improved set piece goals, and an improved squad with Calafiori & Merino, Sterling is not an upgrade; quite the opposite, so should we be top now with City not being able to buy a win?
I’ll leave you with this:
If we’d played: Timber at RB, Willie at RCB, Rice at LCB and Kiwior or Tierney at LB now he’s fit, would we have shipped 2 goals?
Then in midfield: Ode Party Ethan.
With Tross at LW – Marts in the middle, as we have all asked, and Saka RW – all interchanging, as the Invincible’s did, I am convinced we would have beaten Fulham yesterday from open play.
Instead we dropped 2 more unnecessary points leaving us little margin to drop more points with about 60% of the PL season still to play. That would suggest on away games alone we could drop another 10 points, and then where will we finish?
I say around 8th, and have seen nothing to change my POV, although I’m praying every day Barca or Accrington Stanley come to make an offer for MA in January – MA’s level is the latter who probably wouldn’t want him either.
MA will never change – 5 years have proved that. Same mistakes and pets and galaxy selections that go tits up when we can’t score from open play with a squad worth more than £1b.
Have I missed anything?
The only thing missing at our Arsenal is an elite proven manager, such as Slot or Enzo Maresca both deservedly sitting in 1st & 2nd and in their first seasons.
When will Josh & Daddy wake up and see that MA farts stink worse than previous managers, where he shits the bed with weekly selections & tactics, and then blames everything but himself?
Can we buy him a giant butt plug? He’s a big enough arsehole who lives for lip service with his PR machine who have nothing to crow about.
After 5 years of generational rookie to still acting like a tactical rookie playing the same tactics, where without set piece goals we’d be mid to low table. Teams are slowly finding ways to nullify our dead ball advantage: block runners and move defensive lines up collectively leaving our runners joining late all offside.
One other question, shouldn’t players be offside if they are joining a defensive line from an offside position?
Have a good one LIR…….
Monaco Wednesday night at home. What will we do? We have Everton at home Saturday who are 2nd to us with set piece goals.
How will MA manage our squad over this 2 games?
Morning all. Tony all valid points and what bothers me is that MA has been doing this all along. Instead of making obvious choices he will move around everything to accommodate his fav. Iam not for a moment telling that you should surprise opposition but in his case he seems to surprise his own team. He could have played MLS at left back and Timber at RB. then you could have rested partey and bought him on late. Or you could have had rice and Partey in midfield with ode. Ethan should get more mins and any other manager that would have been possible.
I wonder if MA has Cesc in his teens would he have played him? Would MA the managed played MA the player. Food for thought.
Have a nice one all.