Arsenal take on West Ham this afternoon looking to get our first Premier League victory of 2019 under our belts.
Here are today’s official line-ups.
West Ham: Fabianski, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Diop, Cresswell, Noble, Rice, Antonio, Nasri, Anderson, Arnautovic.
Subs: To follow
Arsenal: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Koscielny, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Subs: Cech, Bellerin, Monreal, Lichtsteiner, Ramsey, Torreira, Nkeitah
Don’t like the look of that, bellerin and torreira on the bench??
Maybe bring them on at half time?
We don’t want would overplay Torreira or to risk Hector by playing him too much too early. But I’m always a bit scared when Torreira is out of the team!
Really hope Kos has a good game, we need him back on form.
Chelsea and man u… so if he’s not 100% now… wr need him for that game
bellerin is coming from a injury isint he?? Besides torreira needs rests once in a while
Here’s me hoping we don’t go full Arsenal and allow a late Andy Caroll hattrick following crosses from Nasri.
Now let’s get the job done ahead of Chelsea!
Wasn’t Ozil supposed to be fit again?
I’m really curious when people will start to realize that the fact he isn’t playing under Emery has nothing to do with fitness. Emery doesn’t rate him. Especially in away games. Like it or not but it couldn’t be more obvious.
Totally agree. If your manager leaves your star player due to “tactical reasons” or that “the game is too physical,” then it’s so obvious your star player doesn’t have the backing of the manager. This Ozil saga is only going to get even more sour as the season goes on. I’m 100% sure we will be selling Ozil either in this window or in the summer. Ether that, or the club will be forced to fire Emery. And even though I’m a huge huuuuge fan of Ozil and his exceptional talent, I’m with Emery on this one.
and why being for UE on that one? Does Özil bring nothing to the club and the way of playing? Check what Torreira said instead of what Merson says and you’ll know.
I never said that “Ozil brings nothing to the team.” Far from it, I’m a huge fan of Ozil. But I can see that we have a new manager with a new plan and new personnel to instill that new plan, so I’m backing the manager. At least for the sake of this club.
We’ve got to back Emery for a few seasons, for sure, and I think he is doing a remarkable job under the circumstances, but it is his responsibility to get the best out of his players. Ozil is one of the best, and Emery must find a way to get his best players in the lineup producing results — that’s a coach’s job.
Ozil is the most overrated player in football history.
Most of the time he played worse than championship league bench warmers.
$350k pounds for jogging around the pitch.
Alex, Is there ever a time when your comments don’t consist of standing up for Mesut??
What I’m about to write is ALL speculation, but I can’t help but wonder what is going on behind the scenes regarding management and ownership: Emery arrives saying how essential Ramsey is to his plans, only for the contract team to withdraw its offer to him, and Emery then proceeds to bench the owner’s most expensive player-asset. Part of me keeps thinking that Ramsey and Özil are just pieces in an incredibly stupid pissing contest.
I agree it looks like some kind of a pissing contest, I just really hope it’s not over Ramsey. At this point it is so far past Ramsey ever staying we’ve got to move on.
While we’re having finishes with speculation, I think there’s a bit of shadow pain left on Emery from PSG and he’s showing the players who’s boss.
and the fact that he’s never on the bench seems to suggest that there’s a problem with him everytime he get’s told he’s not starting. Emery normally likes to have options on the bench and isn’t hesitant to make changes at halftime, so although I think he’s not starting him for a reason in certain games, I’m pretty sure he woulnd’t be against the idea of having Özil on the bench to bring him on if needed (as he did with Laca, Auba , Ramsey and all our other top Players several times this Season). But being available when your… Read more »
And you arrived at this conclusion that he downs tools whenever he isn’t starting how?
ozil doesnt defend well enough simple as that. We’ve known this for years, bbut still people will point to ozil’s running stats, argue that player like ozil should’t defend. But now he has been found out, nobody can argue with the fact that ozil is one of the best attacking midfielder. But if you cant defend particularly in a team that has a weak backline as arsenals you should wont play under emery
The club need to do something decisive with Ozil. We cannot afford the outlay on someone not bringing anything to the team.
Play him or move the player on. A big club would sort this out.
I think the fact that Ozil doesn’t “defend” is an excuse. The main issue for me towards the club and emery is his system.
Do we look remotely better defensively or even look to have control in midfield with his choice of fielding 3 6s midfielders? We also can’t drfend well with 3 defenders.
If that were the case, fielding Ozil wouldn’t make any difference to our lack of control nor defensively frailties imo, while he would provide that final ball passing that no one else can see and execute.
Lost 1-0 today. Was defending really the problem here?
berlingooner it is all well and good when we went on our long unbeaten run as Emery has the high ground.
That run has been and long gone and now his stance is looking more than questionable. That is as bad as I’ve seen in the last five years. No control, no creativity, slow apart from a spell between 60-70 mins and a serious lack of direction.
Aside from Hector and Lucas being given a break, that’s pretty much our full strength side. If we can make sure those two are fit, and maybe nurse them a bit, we should put a good run of results together.
did anyone noticed that, apart from ramsey nketiah is the only attacking player on the bench we have. Either we really are that desperate to put trust is ramsey and an academy player or emery really like him
3 points to start my weekend off right, please!
Emery is a brave man. He hasn’t given us any solidity in defence, we now have no fluidity in attack and we have no idea what his best team is, and if his best team is better than an Arsenal team with our best players playing. Brave man indeed. I wish him luck because he is not going to get his players. Maybe one or two players but the club is not gonna give him the overhaul people think he will get. Let’s go Emery. I hope he succeeds in what he is doing because success for him, is success… Read more »
Yes but what if he develops Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Torreira, Nkeitah Holding Chambers etc?
I like project youth.
If Sven lands another Torreira Guendouzi next summer and we get rid of some of the dead wood, we are super good
Xhaka and Guendouzi is far too open. Our CBs are in for a tough shift.
Emery plays Guendouzi way too often. He plays in every game of every competition
Too eager to put Özil aside.
because he’s fucking awesome.
Seriously!!! After hearing all the talk from Ozil agent… where is he?????
Think we have enough today to get the result but there isn’t much on the bench from an attacking point of view
First win of 2019? Fulham?
It is truly ridiculous now from UE about Özil. What will be his excuse now? Tactical, physical? Özil has performed (no matter what some say) for 5 seasons at Arsenal being the most successful creator of the PL. Özil has always had a very professional behaviour, cheering for his teammates and working. UE behaves like an as**** and now claiming we can’t buy to put fans on his side to support his decision to fire Özil in january…
Dignity and respect have left us with Wenger, it seems.
He hasn’t performed for 5 seasons. His main (or only) job is to create and in 3 out of these 5 seasons he wasn’t even in the top 10 in terms of assists. Would you call a striker a top striker if in 3 out of 5 seasons he wouldn’t be among the top 10 scorers? I don’t think so. He had this one season where he nearly broke the PL assist record with 19 (funny side note, that was the season when Rambo had his best season, too because everybody now seem to know for sure that they can’t… Read more »
It’s not his fault when he creates the chances and our strikers can’t finish. Not to put anyone down but our striking force before Laca’s arrival was the handskme one, Theo and Alexis. We didn’t have the lethal duo we now have now.
Re: Ramsey and Ozil not complimenting each other anymore, Ramsey was a totally different player when he had that monster season. He was playing as a genuine box to box midfielder who was also important to our defence. His ball winning stats were up there with highest in the league that year too. He got so many goals that year because the timing of his runs from deep were perfection. Now he’s this free role/shadow striker/false no. 10 nonsense player, and it doesn’t play to his strengths at all. He doesn’t have the consistency in first touch or the speed… Read more »
Come on, don’t call Emery an arsehole. Completely unnecessary and unjustified, he’s been perfectly dignified and respectful. And whatever is going on with the finances and not buying players, it’s not Emery”s decision. If the club has decided we can only loan players this window, Emery has to go along with it. What’s the big deal with him mentioning that to fans? I prefer it when the manager keeps the fans in the loop. As fans, we’ve got so used to division and taking sides recently, and also looking to the negatives. Even now Wenger has left, it’s carrying on… Read more »
Whether or not Emery lacks the dignity and respect of an Arsene Wenger he is most definitely lacking in man management skills.
Ozil is fit again yet not in the squad. This is beyond ridiculous. It’s not like he has downed tools or something? Is Emery feezing him out? We need the wins and we have more chance of that with him on it than off it. This just does my head in. This is a game we could struggle to create chances. Fuck this.The coach is making a bollocks of this.
This is a Ramsey game. Please let him play a part
This will not be an easy game, coyg
The more and more I think about Ramsey Neón allowed to leave is so stupid. I don’t know why he doesn’t play him instead of douzi. He has huge potential but Ramsey is so much better than him just now. Otherwise, not bad.
Completely different players. There are still pundits who assume the deeper CM is Ramsey’s natural position but he’s played there only a handful of times and never well.
His attributes are different – and I’ve come to think they’re not really suited to any position we have going currently. He can still produce from anywhere, but it’s erratic.
oh wow look at that, all the fuss about Ozil again. again the fanboys know best who is ready and fit to play.
like Emery said, ‘I have to do my work’.
Even outgoing Ramsey, made it to the bench. Poor Mesut.
More time to spend his well earned money on V-bucks!
This is getting out of hand. One thing I like about Emery is his transparancy, I wish he would just come out and say Özil needs to work harder and bitch less! Enough of the ‘tactical’ and ‘physical’ bs, I mean again the guy is not even in the squad, for 350k a week!
Özil not playing….dont feel like watching the match now.
This situation with Emery not wanting to play Özil, not even putting him on the bench. It is just too much!!
Seriously I dont think we can be successful anymore with him in-charge.
Don’t watch then. Far too early to write off Emery.
Ozil is not the club, and the club is bigger than Ozil. I understand that you like him as a player and maybe even as a role model, but that doesn’t mean that he should be starting.
In Emery world:
Guendouzi > Ramsey
Iwobi > Ozil
COYG. Just 3 points please
Has Ozil had a strop, is he not quite ready to return, is it tactical, the physicality or does Emery just not trust him.
Who knows?
It’s clear to me that if Ozil doesn’t start a game that there is no point having him on the bench.
So we go with what we have – the starting IX, chosen subs and the result is the priority now, all the rest is a distraction.
We are paying Ozil 300,00 per week to not even dress for the matches. We had better sell him this window, more likely it will be give him away to anyone that will take on his salary or loan him and pay part of his salary.
On that kind of money nobody will take him. At this stage of his career I’d be doing a Winston Bogarde if I were in his position.
Leaving Özil out makes us less creative and weaker.
Guess, they would say it is not his team. Why play AMN when you have Bellerin. Why play Guedozi when you have Torreira??? This coach likes taking too much risk even with the simplest decision. Soon the brigade would start.