Mikel Arteta’s first team sheet as Arsenal head coach has seen him make three changes from the side Freddie Ljungberg sent out against Everton last week. The big guns are back.
Here are today’s official line-ups.
Bournemouth: Ramsdale, Stacey, S.Cook, Mepham, Simpson, L.Cook, Lerma, Gosling, Fraser, C. Wilson, King
Subs: Boruc, Surman, Kilkenny, Billing, Stanislas, H. Wilson, Solanke
Arsenal: Leno, Maitland-Niles, David Luiz, Sokratis, Saka, Torreira, Xhaka, Nelson, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Subs: Martinez, Mustafi, Mavropanos, Guendouzi, Willock, Smith Rowe, Pepe
4-3-3 with Ozil in the number 10? Or 4-4-2 with Ozil out wide? Will be very interesting to see
Isn’t it a 4231?
Hopefully the team’s performance will be better than mine today
Sweet Lou your a legend mate
Wonder if this is meant to send a message to Pepe in off the ball work as a Nelson really didn’t show anything in the Everton game. We’re pretty limited in terms of players right now but suspect in a years time only Leno & Torreira will still be starting in current positions (Lacazette depends on new contract)
I think what Freddie and maybe Arteta bother the most is not his work off the ball but that he is too selfish. When he gets the ball he always wants to do everything by himself. He needs to release the ball more often.
It’s his ability to get out of the pressure and move the ball forward. His Wengerball is on-point too..
Nelson better than Pepe? Or we just need have firepower on the bench? Either way, I’m positive. #COYG!
Pépé has a confidence problem but I don’t think Nelson has been too confident either. Pépé probabably did not show enough in training. That’s my guess.
I think it’s all about balance. Play PE AND Pepe leaves two attackers who don’t track back that well. Nelson will cover Saka better. Expect Pepe’ll come on later though, especially if we need a goal.
Or just resting him for Chelsea game, seeing that we have a game every 3 days. Pepe will get his chances. In the meantime lets just support whichever team Arteta put out there. They’re all Arsenal players afterall.
Pepe is a good player who might become great for us. Nelson will never ever be a good player. Not a chance. Thats the diffrence between them.
Three points would be a good way for Arteta to start his Arsenal career.
COYG!
At the moment Pepe cannot get a game, I do hope we start to see why that big money was spent on him. This line up with Ozil being picked for Arteta’s first game is always going to devide opinion, however I am sure everyone woud like to see Ozil having that great impact we saw when he first joined the club. Nothing is sweeter that seeing him perform at his best.It would be magic IF this was to happen. Hoope all gooners had a happy christmas.
I guess China won’t be seeing Arteta’s first game in charge then.
Probably our best team let’s win this and play well hopefully.
Very disappointing line up. Like Ozil suddenly gonna show aggression and passion or Auba be able to make a pass or dribble. Well let’s wait and see but not hopeful
Where are the fans who say Laca and Auba can’t play together, like they know anything?
I seem to remember them being pretty good together
You have to wait until we win 6-0 with both scoring hat tricks before you rub it in our faces. Until then, sit down, be humble.
Here it starts. The customary arsenal fan meltdown based on a starting line up.
If Arteta doesn’t win this game then he should be sacked.
Yawn
Im up for that. Honestly.
Where’s Chambers?
Suspended for 5 yellows
Suspended
Looks like Arteta has been more influenced by Wenger than Guardiola…
I’m worried by that lineup. It shows the same problem we’ve had all season – Ozil, xhaka and Luiz in a line down the centre, all short of pace and leaving us exposed to direct attacks through the middle
You know that Torreira is slower than Xhaka. Why you didn’t mention him?
Honestly, focus on Özil today and come back saying he lacks pace.
Ozil isn’t fast. What he does well is find space between the lines
God love Emery was f he’d picked that lineup…….he’d be pilloried!
But Mikel?…….. well that’s different.
Come on lads!!!!
With injuries and suspensions I’m not sure he’s got a huge range of options. Guendouzi probably needs a bit of time out and who knows what the position is with Pepe.
It’s not the line up. It’s how we play that interests me.
Can we get behind the team for fucks sakes!
Do they deserve it??
Is it only me or Auba looks very much down in the tunnel? Doesn’t look like he wants to be here at all.
wouldnt blame him
Lacazette!!!!!
Auba is on the wing again, not Laca, like the prematch formations showed on TV.
Good play but what happened to our strikers? We need goals COYG!!!
1down.Its the same styles pass and pass.
Why not run at defenders and shoot when the box is not so crowded.
One nil down.
This team fills me with dread not confidence.
Arteta does not have a battle on for European qualification – its more like a battle for premiership survival.
For all their play not one shot on target.
Where’s Martinelli?
Nelson has been terrible
Mate. He IS terrible. Dont know what hes doing in the lineup.
Nelson has made fantastic runs, but his final ball has been terrible. Same could be said for Saka
First 20 minutes I was impressed. After that it just went flat. Dunno if they have lost energy or just reverting back to type but it’s clear to see this will take time to a) change their mentality and bad habits and b) clear out some of this deadwood.
Don’t wanna beat on him but Nelson has been very poor as has Laca. Come on let’s do this 2nd half!
On this display how to score? When ths gunners get to the box they will always encounter a wall of defenders.
We need to go direct like Martinelli. If not forget about europa league let alone cl. A few seasons outof Europe will hopefully force the owners to look at the decline especially with plunging profits s and lack of sponsors.
I would be crazy frustated playing with the likes of nelson and saka…super, they are young…but you can see if they are quality or not…
Nelson is not worth the hype
Thats what you get when Freddie is still around influencing the head coach. Just like what he did with UE. Pushing for all his U23…thinking they are ready and convincing the man in charge. Its gd that MA doesnt listen.to him for next few matches….then.the lile of Saka and Nelson wont even be on the bench!!
Fabregas was younger and already 10 times the player. These…Nelson, Saka etc will never ever be good players. Guaranteed.
What the fuck is wrong with Saka? His final balls are always hopelessly atrocious! Even in previous game whether he played as a winger or LB, it’s the same purposeless wasteful cross!
Awful…yep and whats wrong with laca man….he is hungry as fuck but where is the luck today?
It’s not luck he is just not pulling the trigger. He always wants it on his good foot. But this isn’t the French league and he should have realized by home he won’t get that kinda time.
I actually think Saka is a good crosser of the ball but the players in the box are never on the same page.
Saka did mess up a few but he had at least 2 good crosses and he does well to get free to make a cross.
Nelson and AMN are not EPL quality players
We looked good until they scored. And then the lack of confidence was all too evident.
Got to say, I’m one of Ozil’s biggest critics but he had a very good first half. He kept finding pockets of space and using the ball well. Auba and Xhaka look a bit like they’ve checked out to me. Laca’s touch is off, but he’s out of match practice.
I’m guessing Mikel has just seen how big a job he’s taken on. Big halftime talk coming up. Let’s see its effect.
Agree that Ozil has been lively and serving up some balls, most of them wasted by Nelson and Laca. Agree with the comments that Nelson is a significant weak link in this lineup. I hope we see Pepe at 57.
We seriously had the run of play. On that goal…why sag off the dribbler until he’s into the box? That was Xhaka, right? Bought time for the clean overlap. Hated that.
Torreira looks sharp.
Oh man, hope we somehow win today – a miracle needed.
We got a new manager and started to throw stones at him already, even after one half. Get a life haters!
I don’t think it is sniping at Arteta – how can you snipe at him after 60 minutes of football?
More like a lack of confidence in this team – lets be honest there isn’t one Arsenal fan whose confidence hasn’t been shaken by this squad of players…
Just see some of the comments its not that I am making things up. Some already jumped on him. Even the players will need time to readapt. The situation is hard already and we shouldnt make it even harder.
Arteta looks older already
Maybe after 5 games in charge he will look like Fabrizio Ravanelli in his mid twenties.
We have hit rock bottom.
The only way is up surely….
Positives from today’s game?
We looked a little better defensively, all over the pitch. Still much room for improvement, but we did look like we had a bit of steel about us. Ozil played quite well until he ran out of steam, Xhaka was average first half, but improved a lot in the second half. Auba had a decent second half (not just the goal, he chased a few list causes and even made a few fouls).
Negatives? It’s Christmas time so I’m trying not to go there today 🙂