Arsenal have provided the latest injury news update ahead of our first home game in the Premier League, Saturday’s visit of West Ham to the Emirates.
David Luiz is now back in full training having missed the season opener against Fulham last weekend due to neck spasms. Fellow centre-half Sokratis also missed out because of a calf strain, and he’s expected back in full training next week.
Emile Smith Rowe is also sidelined, recovering from a shoulder strain.
Beyond that, Mikel Arteta has a clean bill of health aside from the long-term absentees, including Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari, Gabriel Martinelli and Shkodran Mustafi.
The Arsenal boss will meet the press later today, he’ll likely be quizzed on any potential changes to the team which beat Fulham 3-0 last weekend.
We’ll have all the info/stories here. In the meantime, check out a brand new Arsecast below.
Hopefully this doesn’t mean that Luiz is taking Gabriel’s place in the starting 11.
I think more likely Holding’ will miss out.
1st home game of the season, against a weaker team, I wonder if we’ll go for a back 4?
I don’t know why the downvotes, it’s a perfectly reasonable statement lol.
I kind of hope we start with the back 3 again, the team looks comfortable with it and it doesn’t have to be a negative system. If it’s not working can always switch to a 4 at half-time.
Think I would also go with the same 11 that started against Fulham.
I don’t particularly care about the Carabao Cup most seasons, but given the fixture congestion this year even less. Play an entirely different 11 in that game
Utter madness to draw the 4th round before playing the 3rd. Perhaps drawing Liverpool away though (in all likelihood) will have Leicester de-prioritising the game as well though
We might play them together in a 3
Yeah Luiz certainly works best in the centre of a back three. Tierney into the LB role and AMN making way?
Otherwise it’s Holding (and Luiz as the right sided CB – not ideal) or Gabriel (Luiz central). Not sure its the best to drop Gabriel after that game.
Tough call, but maybe Luiz needs to stay on the bench.
Then there is also the decision of Mo or Ceballos? Glad Arteta is manager.
I would keep the same defensive line up from last game. You gotta have Tierney there if we play back 3. He just gives you so many options and i would play Saka/AMN as LWB. Tierny interchanges with LWB so superbly and AMN provides more options in the midfield from the wing. Having 3 CBs doesn’t give us much in terms of attack specially against David Moyes team who in more likelyhood need to avoid defeat.
It did work very well. Gabriel looks class. I think the manager will want to use Luiz’s experience though.
I’m not sure Tierney as a CB is really the long term plan either, but who knows what the manager is thinking right now.
If we stick to a 343 long term why wouldn’t you want Tierney as the LCB. His flexibility opens up so many options for this system and causes nightmares for opposition coaches just to work out what is even going on out there. I could even see this persisting into the future: LWB – AMN/Saka LCB – Tierney CB – Gabriel RCM – Saliba RWB – Bellerin/AMN Then if we add out dream midfield: Partey Aouar Forward line LW – Auba ST – Laca RW – Willain/Pepe Now that is an exceptional team. Even with the Xhaka/Ceballos combo using the… Read more »
You forgot to mention that our bench looks also very promising!
Our system is like a crab. Two claws for two different jobs. Very interesting
True. If we’re to be successful over any period we must have a quality squad. Arsenal’s weakness in recent seasons has been the lack of depth. It looks like Arteta/Edu are building up that quality, at last.
I’ll go Google crab claws. ?
Some have one massive claw and one tiny claw
I think the only reason not to persist with this approach is that AMN is a right sided player playing on the left. As good as he has been I think Tierney would be better in that role. Also the new CBs look capable of contributing to the attack too, with Luiz or Mari in the middle of a 3 maybe. Tierney is a great CB, but he’s also our best left sided full back. Expecting we will revert people more to their normal positions in time with AMN as backup / rotation on both sides potentially. I don’t know… Read more »
I don’t mean offense by this in anyway, but I think your trapped a little by traditional concepts and structure of positions (i.e. needing a left-footed LB). I think we’re all trying to play catch up to what Arteta is doing. But the roles he has Tierney and AMN playing are anything but traditional. AMN is almost a left sided central midfield that pushes up to the left wing. Tierney is playing more as a LB in this formation anyway, but he does still come centrally to operate in a back three at times. As has been highlighted in some… Read more »
It’s mostly just watching Ainsley trying to cross from the left I have my doubts. He is getting better at it, he put a good one in using his left in the last game. Mostly he seems to try to switch to his right.
Defensively he’s been solid.
I’m thinking we could continue with a similar system but switch the personnel round a bit.
Saka would probably do that better.
I think holding should play with Luiz and Teirney otherwise all center backs will be left footers.
Also we need to keep in mind the Carling cup in 3 days.
Why do we get such hard draw in Carling cup and fa Cup. Even after defeating liechter there will be Liverpool
I’m quite looking forward to it, I enjoyed our recent games against the top teams
So am I, but doing it on a regular basis isn’t going to be easy. Most of the clubs that have played and who finished above us last season have got off to winning starts – albeit some easier than others. Grinding out results over several competitions, and having the squad with strength and quality in depth, is how to do it. Whether we have remains to be seen of course, but things are certainly looking more hopeful than for some (long) time.
It’s all about squad.
Who is the left footer? Luiz? Holding?
Nope, both certainly are not and one of them will start.
Leicester and Liverpool will be quietly worried about facing this Arsenal actually in the Carabao.
Because the furnace is for gold.
well in answer to your question about the FA cup, its so that we have earnt it when we undoubtedly go ahead and win the thing.
Kind of agree about the cups. But then Mikel has Arsene’s precedence regarding prioritising. Then again Klopp could give the Liverpool Academy players a run too.
Why change anything?
Luiz can play in the Carabao
at the moment I enjoy being intrigued about who is going to make the starting 11
The team has so much depth.
5-0 win incoming….
Can’t wait until martinelli is back. I think he is already an excellent player, but he has absolutely superb potential. Some of his play last season reminded me of a younger Ronaldo (not the fat one), without him being a total prick obviously!
Here are the reasons why I downwoted your comment: 1. Martinelli is not an excellent player yet. 2. Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima is not fat and Martinelli has to grow tremendously to reach his level. 3. I doubt you know Christiano Ronaldo that well – calling him a prick is uncalled for
3.Not uncalled for imo, if you annoy Lauren (a lovely man) to the point where he’s going in on you knee high, he must be a bit of a prick.
Not just Lauren, you know.
And no one has ever had the same opinion about Messi or the real Ronaldo, so there must be something about that “prick” Cristiano to get everyone riled up. I think it’s his whining face, to be honest.
Not just Lauren, you know.
And no one has ever had the same opinion about Messi or the real Ronaldo, so there must be something about that “prick” Cristiano to get everyone riled up. I think it’s his whining face, to be honest.
Definitely a massive prick
Or a small one, I suppose that’s even more insulting
Oh I think he is a prick. I mean fucking incredible footballer, but definitely a prick. I mean let’s just take one example. He’s exceptionally rich and he still does all he can to dodge taxes. Prick.
what about calling him a complete and utter winker?
downvote away, no explanation needed and no harm done! In the immortal words of the Dude “Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man”
I just don’t constantly worry about team selection since Arteta took over.
I’m the same in terms of getting results from games, but I do sometimes worry about giving some players chances. Nelson scored the winner against Liverpool last season for example and then didn’t get a sniff for the rest of the campaign, Saka sort of fell out of favour for a little while too without ever really playing poorly.
I do trust Arteta to get things right, but I hope we don’t lose some young talent over lack of game time
I’m afraid that too to lose some young ones but he (Arteta) needs to have a first 11 to start and make wise substitutions. Wish us all the best in upcoming game keep our scoring.
It’s disappointing as a supporter but when you think of all the promising youngsters we’ve played into the ground that have struggled with injuries it can’t be anything but positive. The fact Saka signed a new contract and came in and smashed it in the community shield suggests he doesn’t have an issue with it, which is the main thing!
He could easily play here in place of AMN and the systems remains basically exactly the same, perhaps slightly stronger in attack (Saka having a much better end product than AMN) and slight downgrade on defense (AMN being a slightly better defender).
In fact, I would say those two are close to the two most exchangeable players in the current setup.
Question; how do you think aouar would line up in that midfield 3? I am here thinking it would be sameway way niles/saka is been deployed when in possession of the ball.
I think if we played the same system he would play as one of the two midfielders.
If no-one else came in I’d expect Xhaka and Aouar to play together with Xhaka being the deeper of the two. But again, ideally, we sign partey and the midfield two would be Partey-Aouar (deadly!!!).
Otherwise we change formation and go with:
Leno
Bellerin – Saliba(Holding) – Gabriel(Luiz/Mari) – Tierney
Ceballos – Aouar – Xhaka(Partey:)
Willian(Pepe) – Laca – Auba
But I imagine Arteta has some pretty nifty tactical nuances up his sleeve even for that formation.
I made the same comment after the Fulham game, no arguments about that. But equally I’m more than happy to concede that Arteta is far more knowledgable on football than I, and sees a lot more of the players. He’s done nothing so far to warrant me questioning his decisions, and the players all seem very happy, so who are we to argue?
Pls arsenal need to sign midfielder
I’m sure that Arteta/Edu are trying, but we also need to sell players to raise money. I think we’ll need to see a player or two leaving first.
hope ozil makes the squad, if not hope he spends his 350,000 pounds well this week and hats off to him for another week of slogging away at the coalface!
if we gonna pay him, use him
if not -lets not begrudge him his wages
ya gooners ya
Good to see ESR back. I honestly want them to back him for the creative midfielder slot, rather than buy someone new. Rather see one of the Hale End boys come through again in a major way.
For the first time in what seems like forever I am going into this weekend expecting we will win which is a great feeling after the last couple of years where it go to the point where we never knew what to expect from this squad.