It’s Premier League action at the Emirates as Arsenal take on Bournemouth this afternoon.
Here are today’s official line-ups.
Arsenal: Leno, Chambers, Sokratis, Luiz, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ceballos, Saka, Pepe, Aubameyang
Subs: Martinez, Holding, Tierney, Maitland-Niles Torreira, Willock, Martinelli,
Bournemouth: Ramsdale, Cook, Ake, King, Lerma, Solanke, Wilson, Stacey, Rico, Wilson, Billing
Subs: Boruc, Francis, Surman, Danjuma, Cook, Fraser, Kelly
Good enough.
Hope drive forward from minute 1.
Press press press.
Let’s hope so
Torreira not on the starting again…sigh
nelson bypassed
Willock too
I feel Saka deserves the place in all honesty.
Has Ozil been dropped then?
Xhaka starts. What a surprise
Emery is determined to make life harder for himself isn’t he. Like my dad using a knife for a screwdriver.
Emery needs his fix man…
Teachers pet
He’s on 4 yellow cards. Surely it’ll be his 5th today and then we all can enjoy one Xhakaless game
We better perform well and win this match convincingly, if not Emery is doomed!
Ok Dr. Doom, let’s not stop there! Let’s also tar and feather him on his way out. #DOOMED!!!
We can win at home and I think we probably will today. It doesn’t take away that emery is completely out of his depth. We have got worse than Wengers worse years. And we have a much better squad. Can’t wait for this clown to leave.
UE doesn’t take into account the welfare of the team but his own childish ego. If he never plays Özil, Özil will never get the apparently too high for him honour to play for him. Think of PSG, guys. This coach is toxic.
Yeah, think of PSG & how Neymar has been a model professional since Emery left?
I think you forgot to mention the 15m Ceballos lie Alex this time though, your standards are slipping.
Away to Bournemouth last year is when all this started. About a year later and the situation has only gotten worse. Both deserve blame. Emery stating definitively that Özil needs to train better can be viewed as the first real step forward. Would be excellent if Mesut responded and earned his way back into the lineup. The team could use his abilities.
If you watch his press conference, he doesn’t really say Ozil needs to play better to get into the team. He makes it pretty clear that he’s not interested in the question and he does Not make it seem like Ozil will be able to get back into the team if he just trains harder.
It’s clear to virtually everyone but the most die hard ozil fans that his arsenal career is over. The constant outrage when he isn’t selected is getting old
No Ozil again.
Free Ozil
#releaseozil
He is freed from the squad. Thanks to u
Ozil has been free to leave for a long time now!
I see how “No ozil in the squad” isnt a headline anymore.
They are obviously trying to get shot of him
Saka, Auba & Pepe. Lovely stuff. I hope they really fire today.
I hope Chambers is doing enough to play himself into the starting XI once everyone’s fit. I want a starting back four of Tierney-Holding-Chambers-Bellerin while Sokratis watches from the bench and Luiz watches on his tv at home!
All the guys you wanna see start are fairly young. I think these lads would be the future of Arsenal defense for years to come!! As far as attack is concerned, we have loads of options and talent coming through. We need a clean sheet and loads of confidence. COYG, lets get a win and a clean sheet please.
I like Sokratis & Luiz, the problem is their similarities. Similar situation to Vermaelen/Kos. Two good players who were a poor partnership. I wouldn’t just presume Holding & Chambers will work either. I think ultimately our best centre half pairing will be one of Sok/Luiz with one of Chambers/Holding.
True point and I certainly think Sokratis has more to offer the club as variety but I think Chambers is hungrier for it and I want to see the two English lads given a real run in the team to see if they can form an effective partnership. I think they have some complimentary skills and could form a real pairing with some practice
None of the defensive set ups gonna work till arsenal fix their defective midfield set up which is either disjointed at the attacking or the defending end.
This.
Until we have a midfield structure and plan, we could play Adams and Van Dyk at centre half and still concede a bucket load.
To be fair, Sokratis was pretty solid last season. I think Luiz has somehow brought out the worst in him.
That back line… Why? Every week I’m saying why. Another Emery special coming up folks
Yawn
No Nelson? He did not light the world on fire but still… should be on the bench at least.
Another stressful day, can’t watch, the midfield full of slow guys! Game will be lost by half time
Bench looks a tad weak attacking wise and overstacked defensively. Would have had Nelson or Ozil on the bench instead of one of the three defenders.
True but I’m happy that Martinelli will be used if we need to bolster the attack.
That seems to be the way we do things these days
Is AMN really a defender?
We know what Amn thinks about that question. And we also know of he’s trying his best there
More versatile than Nelson
Yes, AMN is there today as cover for Chambers.
Willock is not a defender
Nobody here said Willock is a defender….
A good opportunity to get into third, Pepe+Ceballos both came back late, and are going through an adjustment period, but they’ll only be given leeway for so long, today would be a good day for both to step up and deliver.
Martinelli given the nod ahead of Nelson, Nelson was good in the week, but Martinelli was better, this is the right call from Emery
UE isn’t fair to Ozil. You don’t forever
Free ozil. He also deserves a chance.
I always bet my piss on Xhaka. Lo and behold, I am the winner!
I’ll root, root, root for the home team. If they don’t win, it’s a shame. But, boy, would I like to see a different midfield. This one could give static a bad name!
Gutted torreira isn’t starting. A cm of guendozi ceballos and torreira would be quality. Xhaka just isn’t smart enough or mobile enough
Tbh even Mustafi is more deserving than Luiz and Sokratis.
And wtf is the thing about Xhaka? Throw Torreira in his spot and we have a solid midfield.
… and even Martinelli instead of Pepe.
In a team which plays heavily on the counter with runners like King callum and solanke, its best to outscore rather than trying a new set up hoping it would work
There is nothing new in trying Torreira as a defensive midfielder.
And Sokratis and Luiz. We’ve tried them quite a lot, and it’s not working. It’s a kamikaze defence with Leno saving their arses time after time.
As for Pepe he’s still not delivered. Neither has Xhaka. Going for a disfunctional formation week in week out is insanity defined.
I’d go with Martinelli over Pepe. He’s earned it. And maybe a benching would give Pepe a kick up the arse.
People often forget that Auba was once benched by Emery and kept on scoring from the bench till even Emery took notice. He has since made himself indispensable. I’m an Ozil fan but it’s safe to say Ozil isn’t quite doing his best to play…
His E-fans will write and thumb you down for this factual comment. I’m waiting for my own thumb downs for this follow up comment lols.
Emery won’t even give Ozil the bench these days. It’s all rotten to the core, and a real shame.
We have no quickness in our midfield. This is a problem. We cannot control games without controlling the midfield.
Hopefully our front-line goalscorers can create enough of something out of nothing again to win us this one. We desperately need a win – only 1 win in our last 5 PL matches. Not good enough.
It’s not like Ozil is known for his quickness lol. That’s not one of his known and established assets.
Match today was a case in point. Our midfield looked dreadful and our talented attack was starved. How many shots on target this entire game? At home? Ugh.
1. You need the opportunities to be able to do that
2. Xhaka has made himself indispensable despite largely playing like shit
No one gets the Xhaka thing. It’s infuriating. Xhaka makes us so dysfunctional. The scary thing is that if it wasn’t for Emery’s fondness of him, he probably won’t make some match day squads.
Big game for Ceballos, surprised he’s been on the fringes lately, we’ve missed his guile. Hoping he can cement his first team place today.
Or maybe he just isn’t that great. His brilliance comes in flashes and they becoming far and between. He will couple of great moments and that’s it. Even since Burnley game he hasn’t contributed much in the final third.
What does Joe need to do to get a start? I can’t wrap my head around it…
Change his name to ‘Granit Xhaka’?
Even though we are just missing Laca, Bellerin, Ozil from our regular first team, the current bench concerns me. I don’t see reliably and proven good players in the entire outfield except Auba..I am sorry but Xhaka is not reliable whereas Pepe, Saka, Guendouzi still haven’t been long enough to be seen as reliably good performers. :s
You still aren’t convinced about Guendouzi?
I’m not
You’re a hard man to please, my friend.
No Ozil in the squad. Huuuummm!!!
Watching Brighton defeat spurs made me realize how slowly we play with xhaka in the team. The ball and players never stopped moving for Brighton. We sometimes move at a snail’s pace. And rarely make triangles.
Also, ceballos seems to be so good at moving the ball from defense to offense. Is his talent wasted as a 10???
Would be funny if ozil joined Ramsey at juve and the two won the champions league, although neither of them were good enough for Emery.
People are never happy. Cabbelos starts which is what was called for last week, or at least not 3 defensive midfielders. He starts and now the midfield is too slow, he doesn’t need pace! And every week we have the Ozil saga, move on, get behind the players picked. We should be beating Bournemouth all week long anyway.
Just sack him now. He is not changing. Simple mind. #EmeryOut
Let’s move to third
If you didn’t know any better you’d swear this is a championship game. There’s no quality at all. We are a real sleep aid these days under Emery
I think I would much rather be watching a championship game
Yeah, that was dross. Chambers the only shining light in an otherwise flat as a pancake performance. If not for that corner we never looked like scoring in a month of Sunday’s.
I think Xhaka is supposed to be/trying to be Roy Keane type of player, thus resulting in all those unnecessary fouls. Not that I like it, just trying to understand Emery’s thinking(and Xhaka’s thinking behind what at first look seems like his stupidity)
It’s torture watching this Arsenal team
Emery – Özil…..its PERSONAL!! PERIOD.