Arsene Wenger admits he’s thinking of ‘one or two’ changes for tomorrow night’s Champions League game with Bayern Munich, and that Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil could be the players to miss out.
The Chilean has been carrying an injury as we know, and played 79 minutes in the 3-0 win over Watford after two tough international games. Ozil was withdrawn at the same time, having notched up a couple of assists, and with Everton on the Premier League horizon the Arsenal manager is considering whether to use them or not against the Germans.
“I could rest a little bit Ozil and Sanchez,” he said, “and we have of course to put pace into this game and play against a big team, but we know we have proved ourselves in the Champions League.
“We want to make something special against Bayern Munich as it is the only way we can keep in the race.
“I will have to see how we prepare for this game now and decide what we really want to do. The confidence level is there, the required result is there as well – we know exactly what is needed; a 0-0 is not even a good result.
“To score goals, we have to attack.”
And to score goals against Bayern Munich, you’d posit that we need Alexis and Ozil. Anyway, we should find out more from the boss later when he meets the press ahead of the game.
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Arise, Joel Campbell, for your time has come.
I still think, since Wenger does count on Campbell, we should have upgraded on him.
So, we had a genuine under study to Alexis. We currently have only Giroud and Ox on the bench as offensive players or giving a breather to other guys.
welbeck is out, he wasnt planning that.
Well, the rumor has sort of been that he was planning with that in mind…
Score while you still can Joel
Score a hat trick now Joel Campbell, whilst you still can!
Kick Arjen Robben in the fanny and give him genuine reason to go down for a change now Joel Campbell, while you still can.
I find it hard to believe he would sit either of these players for this match. We have to win at least one of these matches against Bayern, and you’d have to figure at home is the more likely of the two.
Agreed, I also don’t think it’s as unlikely for us to qualify as some are suggesting. Assuming the other two beat each other, or draw once, and Bayern beat them both again, then we just need to beat them both and win against Bayern once and we’re on 9 points, which should be enough to finish second. It’s a tall order obviously, but even though I don’t think we’ll progress particularly far I think it’d be worse to go out at the group stage. Not playing Sanchez and Ozil would be madness.
Frankly Wenger is giving up on the Champions League but as a manager he cannot say that. I do not think it is a bad strategy to let go the CL.
If you’re the Arsenal, and you give up on the Champions League before you even come close to losing it, i think you might as well give up on football.
We actually did better against them away last time.
Are you sure the first quote isn’t meant as: “I had the opportunity to rest Özil and Sanchez a little bit”?
Come on Arsene, its at our ground, surely its no worse than Allianze Arena
Wasn’t Wenger referring to the fact he could rest ozil and Sanchez at the end of the Watford game because we had the 3 goal cushion?
Kinda proves he’s given up on the CL this season if he rests them, and that he wants to focus solely on the League
Joel Campbell… The Dark knight rises…. Deshi Basara!!!!!!
“Arsene what are they saying?”
“Rise.”
benching alexis and ozil would be useful if our objective is to avoid the europa league through a third place group finish. i’m not sure we’ve even got a big enough squad to treat that as a league-cup style development tournament, with so many out on loan. so bailing out of the group nice and early might make lots of sense. of course, it does rather increase the pressure when it comes to league results, but fuck it – i’m all for that!
i think it’s naivety to think that Arsneal and Arsene go into a champions league match with a plan to loose! Come on, guys, the team loses two matches, and we’re already giving up!? And, so what we’re not gonna realistically win the CL!? These guys, players like Alexis and Ozil live to play the CL! only one can team can win it! Forget the trophy, can’t we just PLAY!!!!
Europa League it is then, if we lucky
If we are unlucky….
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get in while you can Joel.
Champions League or bust, I say. Premier League is more important than Europa.
This is a joke right? Sure what’s the point turning up without our two key players in a game we MUST win to have any chance of staying in CL.
I actually call that smart! I think we need to have our focus razor like on the league right now. So we lose in the CL. Eh, we’re not going to win it this year anyway. Better preserve our best for the league this year, win it, and tackle CL next year.
We are not ready to win the CL yet.Not because we don’t have a squad capable of winning it but because we lack the confidence to go far. We need to assert ourselves domestically before we challenge for CL. I would rather if Arsenal won the league this year and retain the FA cup before we go into top gear invincible mode next season and compete on all fronts with few more top class additions.
Then again top level football doesn’t work like this.Maybe the squad believes we can beat bayern and try and go far in the CL and aswell win the league.What is good about this is wenger has a decision to make. We will know what he thinks of the squad by looking at his selection for bayern,Zagreb and olympiacos regardless of the results.
I call that a bluff!
If he rests those two that’s a real statement of intent for the league.
I can’t see him resting both though unless forced by injury
Statements of intent won’t win us anything. Momentum and pride are worth far more.
Why is it so many fans are willing to write us off against Bayern? Do they want us to emulate Liverpool v Real Madrid? Are we really that pathetic?
It’s not about Bayern mate. I think we can beat them, yes. Maybe not as easily as we beat United, but still, we can do it. The point is, we will have to play out of our skins, all the remaining matches to qualify for the quarters, after which we will have to play out of skins, again, to reach the semis, and so on and so forth. But lets stick to the group stage for now. Till roughly January, we are playing two fixtures a week. Do we have the squad depth to go full tilt day in day… Read more »
If we don’t continue in the Champions’ League, but instead get into the Europa League round of 32 the effect on our domestic season gets worse – much worse … poorer away facilities, poorer pitches, Thursdays instead of Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and a better chance of progressing thereby continuing the misery …
The only good thing is if we actually win it and what’d be the effect on the league then? Or would you rather we conceded that too?
And this is just one aspect of not giving 100% tomorrow night. Others are even more damaging.
We’ve started CL terribly. We win tomorrow and go through to play a BS EL with injuries, fatigue and other potentials which could cost us our momentum in the PL. Alexis is also carrying a niggle. Get knocked out of the CL and carry on fighting the way we have in the PL and we have a real chance of winning it.
Fuck pride if it’s for the sake of winning a couple of battles only to lose the war. So long CL, hello PL with the chance of winning it. And the FA Cup!
I don’t know why it’s not as obvious as I see it to you guys. Campbell is not starting, Chamberlain and Giroud are, with Walcott on the wing. Ramsey plays ten, the rest stays the same, though I’d like to risk Mertesaker for Gabriel, it might be a season too soon. There’s a world class in that Angel though.
If I’m right I actually won’t be too mad if u don’t post my comment. Wouldn’t want Guardiola in on it, and I know he reads your blog.
He shouldn’t.
I could prefer Arsene Drops Ozil and moves Ramsey or Giroud to the number 10 role. If Ramsey moves to the Center then bring Ox to the right. Ramsey is a natural scorer and better at defense than Ozil. Ox and Alexis comined with Walcott’S Speed will give nightmare Bayern Defenders. Also Ask Bellerin or Debuchy to find right Moments to attack instead of join the attack all the time to provide width. The Bayerich Team will be expecting that. Giroud playing number 10 is also a better Option for us, as we know he can hold the ball, he… Read more »
blogs i think you’ve misinterpreted arsene.Watch the press conference again and you’d see he actually meant he got to rest alexis and Mesut for about 15 minutes during the Watford game,cause he was already thinking about bayern, Tuesday
Mind games..
Probably.
I love when it puts his poker face on!
If playing Ozil and Alexis tomorrow means they have a remote chance of missing the Everton game, then I say REST THEM! The Everton game is more important by my reckoning. We are in the cusp of a three-way battle for the BPL and that has to be the priority.
The best we can do in the CL, if we are being realistic, is third place; europa league is not worth that trouble!
I don’t care about the result tomorrow but I hope we do what United did to Everton when we play them on Saturday.
I really don’t understand the fear of ending up in the Europa League.
Just play the reserves and the kids.
Play THE KIDS, period. I wouldn’t even risk the reserves for the priviledge of rubbing shoulders with the spuds.
I would rather we save players and have a proper crack at the league this year. As nice as the CL is, we are not going to win it this season or for the foreseeable. If we drop into the Europa league we should use it to play our fringe players so that they get a bit of game time and experience. Liverpool narrowly missed out on the title when they did not have the CL to contend with and we are better than they are and indeed were. If we can win the title it will give us more… Read more »
Next weekend is pivotal as the Manchester clubs play themselves. it’s better we have our best unit fresh and all guns blazing against Everton as that’s an opportunity to gain advantage in the league
I think that Arsene’s comments have been misconstrued.
He was referring to the fact that he was able to take both Ozil &
Sanchez off early in the Watford game, when he talked about resting them a bit, rather than the two of them not starting the game
tommorrow.
Arsene should of taken Ozil and Alexis off ten minutes earlier at Watford. As soon as the third goal went in, they should of been walking off clapping the away fans.
I generally consider arsenal fans to be the most intelligent. I also concede that the only person who can make us look stupid is Wenger and that is why he is still our manager.
Looks like most of us here have misinterpreted wenger’s comments and our friend magneto here is spot on in his assessment. Anyways I can’t wait to know what his selection is going to be like.I don’t remember the last time i was this excited about wenger’s selection.
COYG
I don’t pay top dollar to have our two best players on the bench…..I want to see us against the best at our strongest. I want to be entertained by the talent I helped pay for!
Rest Ozil and Alexis, I say, bring O.G. back! COYG!
I definitely think Arsene Wenger was referring to the fact that he was able to rest Alexis and Ozil for 11 min against Watford.
I think we should rest Alexis.
As long as we are solid from keeper to coq the rest of the team is not as worrying. Rest them both, give Campbell and ox a big stage to prove they are as good as we think and maybe even put Ramsey in the middle, God knows he keeps saying he wants it. If it goes tits up then it’s no great surprise and we won’t have to risk our best players in what could turn out to be a good premier league year. Also part of me really wants to see the rare, but not that unlikely, Wenger… Read more »
Usually its 10 points to get out off the group. I think we need the other 2 teams to draw each other at least once. Thats 4 for them , we win 3…next match in Greece, so they win…7, we 4 or 3, we beat zagreb by 2 clear , thats 6, greeks lose,,,thats still 7 , final game by 2 clear at greece?…thats 9.
3 point against bayern we need and Zagreb to do just well enough…we’ll no tommorow how best to avaoid playing on Thursdays.
My Projected lineup for tomorrow-
Cech
Bellerin
Monreal
Mertesacker
Koscielny
Coquelin
Cazorla
Ramsey
Chamberlain
Sanchez
Walcott
We could still qualify even if we lose both to Bayern, as long as Bayern beats both Dinamo and Olympiacos again later on. We would then need Dinamo and Olympiacos to either draw both their head-to-heads or split them one win each, and then us to beat both of them by two or more goals. That would see Bayern end the group on 18 points, with all three remaining teams on 6 points or us on 6 points and Dinamo and Olympiacos both on 5. If all three remaining teams are on 6 points, we’d go through on head-to-head if… Read more »
What he said.
What are the odds of 2 teams playing 2 draws against each other? Add to that, the odds of Bayern playing their star players against Dinamo and Olympiacos after they have qualified on matchday 4?
A much simpler route would be to win one against Bayern and hope for at least one draw between Dinamo and Olympiacos or for Olympiacos to win both games.