It’s Swansea v Arsenal in the Premier League tonight with three very important points up for grabs.
Here are the official line-ups and Arsene Wenger has left new boy Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the bench for this one.
Swansea: Fabianski, Naughton, van der Hoorn, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson, Clucas, Ki, Fer, Dyer, Ayew
Subs: Nordfeldt, Bartley, Carroll, Routledge, Narsingh, Bony, Abraham
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Xhaka, Elneny, Ramsey, Ozil, Iwobi, Lacazette
Subs: Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Chambers, Kolasinac, Mkhitaryan, Nketiah, Giroud
COYG!
Why is Mkhitaryan on the bench, drop Iwobi and give the guy a chance
Frankie – Mkhi has not played much football recently and hardly any Premier league. Wenger will sensibly ease him in (for Iwobi) over the next 2-3 games as he gains match fitness and gets used to the Arsenal way in training. Nothing to blow your top over, it’s actually a sensible decision. For a creative midfielder (particularly) it will take a couple of weeks to get used to playing in a team that try to play actual football not Mourinho’s anti-football dross.
Iwobi is one of the best performers.
He provokes things for us. Just has to be a bit sharper with some of the passing but if you even bother to watch any of the games again carefully, Jack also misplaces a lot of passes.
If anything, Mhkitaryan comes in for Ramsey or Granit or Elneny.
In any case, Mhkitaryan is also just getting used to surroundings and isn’t exactly in full confidence.
You must be mental to put him. Maybe a sub later.
Where’s Wilshere? Not even on the bench?
Arsenal Twitter confirmed illness
Arsenal Twitter knows all
i thik he got a deserved rest.And with his injury record is a good thing and i think wenger decided to completly rest him because reamsy is back and now we have miki to come from.the bench.
Jack’s ill, breathe easy
Illness
With all the transfer BS, I wouldn’t doubt being used as trade bait for Jonny fucking Evans….
Evens is rubbish.
GULLIBLE fans pick up of the trade any morsel of info and they think just about anyone will do including a used up 30yr old average defender rejected by United who cost 30m and is injured BTW.
NA NA NA NANANANA…
Do it for us one more time Ollie…
Wilshire injured?
Oh wow he’s on the bench. Thanks for treating the fans Wenger, especially those who travelled.
Where’s Wilshere? Hope Mkhi gets in the game at 3-0 up.
Cech is past it. Give Martinez a run.
Please I need to know that Jack is okay
Just illness! Thank God for that!
Hes just ill, as reported on arsenal.com
Midfield is an issue we did not address.
Mhkitaryan hopefully can bring some experience but in truth, we should have spent on upgrade.
When I heard Wrighty talking that he’s not afraid anymore when Wilshere goes down after the challenge I was like “oh please ffs don’t jinx it”…
Hope he’s just sick. Any news?
Nketia on the bench… a sign of things to come post Giroud… I hope Oli gets a few minutes tonight to sign off on his Arsenal career. A good servant to the club. He’ll be missed.
Not to undermine the Giroud love, but barring injuries (I know, I know) Nketia on the bench is hardly ‘a sign of things to come’. Pretty sure any of Laca/Aubameyang/Mkhi/Rambo on the bench with Welbeck and Iwobi as third choices depending on how we decide to line-up on the day is actually how things will be post-Giroud.
If Giroud, goes to Chelsea, I would be p!ssed rather than miss him. Yes, he has his reasons, however that doesn’t help our club. If he goes to Dortmund on loan, we still would go to World Cup, we would get PEA and Chelsea would get Crouch…ouch for them and perfect for us.
After the World Cup, I suppose Giroud wouldn’t mind playing Plan B on a regular basis for us and we sell Welbeck.
Nice to see Giroud on the bench. Hope the ‘Demba Ba’ email is drafted.
With Elneny, Chelsea wouldn’t know if we are playing 4 at the back or 3. Nice one.
One last ovation for Ollie please!
Fans need to sing for Oli the whole game, let the club and him know that nobody wants him to leave.
Dont like this team.
No width in the midfield at all. No pace. And with wilshere not in the team there is an acute lack of ability to dribble past anyone.
Unless Mkhi has some injury cant see why he is not starting.
Feel almost sorry for the 15 delusional people who couldn’t see the obvious problems.
A delusional club, with a delusional manager and delusional fans. That’s what we have become.
WTF? No Wilshere and Mikhtaryan?
If rumors are true then it might be last match for Giroud. Arsenal fans should give him best possible ovation. Good Luck Scorpion King!!!!
I was curious about the hybrid 3-4-3 / 4-3-3 when I saw it during pre season (Elneny being able to slot in the back three or pushing up into midfield). Looked good against Chelsea when they got it right.
Ramsey straight back into the side while better players sit on the bench. Nothing changes, does it?!
you must mean all those better centre midfields players like, er, Maitland-Niles
Is it Giroud really on the bench? I thought he went back to london to finish the deal
Why is Arsenal always “baby-ing” these guys??? Mkhi is a better option than Iwobi, let him start ffs!!!! No killer instincts
Oh great, more Iwobi. Why not mikhi debut? Hope ramsey can prove me wrong and fire up against swans.
Coz Iwobi is expert in sideway passes. The new Guy coming from the bench is a customary thing.
I thought he was an expert at bad passes in the offensive third?
Fuck the football. Where’s the transfer news?
Here’s hoping Giroud comes on 2nd half, bags a brace and decides to stay… Whatever his weaknesses are, some of his goals are works of art (almost)!
What an absolute joke. Feck off Cech.
Good to see Oliver on the bench. Hope this means we hold on to him even at risk to Aubameyang deal. Its absolutely ridiculous to sign a player for 60m who is cup tied for Europa and then sell one of our more influential players to strengthen a direct rival to top 4. You have Mslintat to thank for that. Could have got Mahrez but late interest from City will now make him unavailable. OTOH how ludicrous is it for City to now have to pay over the odds for Mahrez when they could have got Alexis for half the… Read more »
…hehehehe
who needs Alexis, we have Nacho man!
well well…same problems with concentration and effort immediately after a goal.
Good to see some things haven’t changed.
Back to square one. Typical.
Wonder why Alexis left?
1-1 is frustrating when you go one up and conceed the following minute!!!
Geez, this Arsenal team can’t pass for shit. Never seen it so bad.
Doesn’t sound like they have bothered to turn up … bizarre
I don’t think I can watch Bellerin pass it back 40 yards one more time
It happens so often it seems bizarre to call it bizarre?
Sold our only defensive mid. Nothing spent in midfield. Click
Sold Alexis to United, Possibly OG to Chelsea, minimise top 4 chance there. Click
Buy a striker for 60m who is cup tied for europa our other route into CL. Click
Midfield and defensive issues should be papered over by the impressive statistics of Aubameyang because the fans are so easily fooled by these ‘world class’ signings…like Lacazette. Click
Iwobi has to be the least dangerous player I have ever seen…all he does is move aimlessly around the pitch
Dump Xhaka, dump him in the bin. As useless as they come.
What a load of arsenal, we are now getting beaten!!!
Look for that escrow tunnel out of London Colney now Aubameyang, it’s not too late!
What a load of tripe!!!
Pathetic
Auba: “Hi, is that Arsene?”
Arsene: “Yes, eet eez”
Auba: “I’ve changed my fucking mind. You’re shit”
The club need to refund the travelling fans for that shower of shit performance.
What a shambles. What a shower of shite. Awful. Go Wenger GO!!!!!!
Fcking awful
Seriously!!!! Three goals slapped past us from the bottom team!!!
For any idiot that has ever Said i was a fool. You are the fool for beliving in wenger.
Its quite simple Arsene…….against teams which park the bus, START WITH GIROUD.
Except we now we think its a good idea to sell him, so expect a big fat zero wins against teams in the bottom third from now on.
It’s games like this that really test my patience.