Arsenal take on Aston Villa at the Emirates this evening, looking for back to back Premier League wins after last weekend’s victory at Old Trafford.
Here are the official lins-ups.
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Elneny, Saka, Willian, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Subs: Runarsson, Maitland-Niles, Luiz, Xhaka, Ceballos, Pepe, Nketiah
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Luiz, McGinn, Trezeguet, Barkley, Grealish, Watkins.
Subs: Steer, El Mohamady, Taylor, Nakamba, Hourihane, El Ghazi, Davis
Now let’s beat them like we did at Old Trafford.
Few more goals would be nice, for us
Excited to see Partey and Elneny in midfield again. Was so nice to see us dominate and control the midfield after what seemed like ages back at Old Trafford
What’s the point in resting Runarsson in the Europa if we aren’t going to start him at the weekend?
You dont need to rest a goalkeeper.
Whoosh!
Resting eh? top faith/banter you got there…
troll detected 🙂
We’ve got to get the 3 points today and get in touch with the top.
COYG, we can do it.
Yes, we do really – and let’s hope we score more freely than we have done in the PL.
Let’s do it again, guys.
3 points please.
No room for Willock on the bench??
Eddie should have drop for Joe on the bench
Except Eddie is nailed on to come on for Laca around the 70th minute isn’t he
Or xhaka or ceballos.
Willian and Willock should swap roles.
I was anticipating this lineup but at least Willock on the bench to come on in the 60th and get the ball rolling if the narrative wasn’t heading for happiness.
I like the idea of keeping the team together that worked so well, but Aston Villa are a different animal than United: it requires a different approach. Let’s hope we work that out with the same personnel.
Let me update my comment after watching that foul first half — how can you play the same squad, with the same setup as you did against ManU at Old Trafford at home against Villa? How can you not reward Willock for his performances in the EL with a bench spot in this game?
I hope our second half delivers a much-different message than the first as I can’t believe what I’m seeing right now.
You were completely right, and Arteta hashed this terribly. Poor from him tonight.
It’s seems a shame given his performances, but at the same time you can see a reason for all the other bench sitters being there. Maybe Nketiah you drop and when Laca has to be removed you move Auba central.
What has Willian got to do to be dropped to the bench?!
He is here for football reasons.
Pepe and willian both playing crap but pepe is scoring and assisting. Pepe gets called out and willian gets praise for ‘progressing’. Very strange relationship he has with them both
Looking forward to his usual anonymous showing and then trodding off clearly satisfied with a mediocre job.
We can’t think about the 11 players in isolation, it’s all about how they fit in the team…Willian I think is in from the start, for how he combines with Bellerin..parterships are more important than individual quaity.
William does not lose the ball is tidy on the ,like Pepe can on occasion. Which can make a break from other rvteam
Agree about Willian does nothing for us. Not keen on Lacazette at the moment either, should have done better with that header.
I would have thought Willock at least makes the bench… Oh well COYG
Strong line up. We expect El-Partey to boss the middle of the pack. COYG !
I prefer ToMo personally
Why not combine the two
Tomo Elpartey
Sounds like a hell of a guy
William getting another start, he must have Arteta nudes! Being serious though, he hasn’t contributed since Fulham so really needs to step up. I dont get Arteta here, you see Willock play two MotM performances in a row in Europe, granted against minnows, but he isn’t even rewarded a spot on the bench, then Willian who has done nothing for 7 games is rewarded a start. Sends the wrong message imo.
Yup, double standards setting in. Willian and lacazette appear to be allowed to put in sub standard performances as long as they run around. It’s easier to accept being left out when others are performing, less so when they’re not.
If Villa plays a low block, Willian might come in handy with his tight possesion and eye for pass. He hasn’t been great since Fulham, but it was his pass to Bellerin that gave way for the penalty. Let’s support our new signing, he’s only trained with us for a couple months!
Not quite getting the willian hate. Yes hes not setting the world alight. Definitely fulham is best performance. Arteta himself said he played well against united, maybe the instructions he is being given are being executed as intended. Which might blunt him compared to what a fan might want, but might giving the manager what he needs for the team to stabilise. The team as a unit is improving. Against united we looked as stable as i think ive ever seen us. He was in the side. He is consistent and reliable. If not exciting at the moment. Im quite… Read more »
Shame Willock didn’t make the bench and personally not pleased enough with Willian to see his place seemingly guaranteed after multiple weak performances.
Still, 3 points and I’ll be very happy. Last game of the weekend when our rivals do well is HORRIBLE
I’m sorry to jinx it but I feel it’s coming to the time when we give someone a spanking. COYG!
Always think it, never say it 😂
Why is willock not even on the bench? How can willian be ahead of pepe? Not feeling overly confident about this especially as we struggled against this lot recently!!!
I am pretty disappointed not to see Pepe start ahead of Willian, and also would have liked to see Willock on the bench at the very least.
Why are the media talking up Sp*rs’ chances of winning the league? I find it laughable, they don’t win anything and they haven’t exactly had the most challenging start to the season but have still messed up when cruising in games.
Anyway, COYG
Well they were top of the league for 20 mins 😂
Because the media never learn. They want it to happen so badly but fail to understand that they should report what they think will actually happen rather then what they want to happen.
Arteta simply doesn’t rate Pepe. What else can we conclude?
Yes, and there have been several press reports to that effect as well. The problem is I don’t see how we can use him primarily in the EL or cups given he cost a fortune in fees and salary. I don’t think he’s anywhere near justifying either on the evidence so far (and probably never will be as we hugely overpaid on his fee), but he needs more game time if only to confirm things one way or the other.
Very happy that we are moving away from a xhaka- reliant midfield.
Can Willian do something today rather than float around the pitch offering nothing? There we go…hattrick incoming 🙂
No gervinho? I mean Pepe
More like Glen Helder
After three: “There’s only one Glen Helder”.
No Xhaka in the XI makes me happy enough! Hope they can really go and put Villa to the sword now.
Looks a good enough selection. First and foremost, we need to win – pretty obvious, especially as several of the sides above/around us have won. Second though, I think we really need to win “well” if possible. We’re just not scoring enough goals – as most (but not quite all, oddly) of us recognise. Excepting the trip to Fulham, we’ve six in as many games. That’s appalling for any side with PL ambitions, if not this season then fairly soon, unless it has a rock-solid defence (like, say, the Liverpool or Arsenal of old, or Chelsea more recently). We don’t… Read more »
Anything other than a 3 nil win shall make me happy, ok 2 nil might make me happy,,
Effin VAR gets it right for the first time !!!
Do you have a link?
Relieved
What an uninspiring start to the match from an arsenal point of view!!!
Willian is utter shit.
He’s not that good
Why did we sign him? Pepe was showing signs of progress at the end of last season, so “will-i-aint at the races” should never have been brought in, especially as we have Nelson who would be a much better backup option!!!
I genuinely have no idea. Basically killing the progress of a home grown talent for this shit show.
3 year contract!
You have to wonder how long Arteta will keep playing Willian against all evidence of anything useful.
We’re making Barkley look like fucking Ronaldinho ffs.
Absolute bollocks.
The old elneny is back
I had a bad feeling about this game and the first half hasn’t gone anyway to change that opinion – we really need to bench will-i-aint and Laca, awful!!!
One team is up for this. The other is us.
Put Auba central, Saka left and bring on Pepe and xhaka or Ceballos!!!
Actually, we are not too bad. But there is absolutely no movement up front. Villa is very clever defensevly, so someone has to make runs.
Honestly, I don’t really see what Willian brings to the team. He seems so slow and switched off at times.
Yeah, my assessment was not accurate. God, so boring again. Maybe I was tricked because we had some chances.
45 minutes of disgusting, slow, 2nd to ever ball, stupid performance. This is not the same team s last week. Bollocks tactics.
I can’t believe he hasn’t changed it for a home game
This team is as slow and passive as it gets
Auba hasn’t touched the ball in the box yet-a-fucking-gain
It is slow ponderous football without taking any risk.
I never enjoyed watching Spain, I don’t much care for Man City and George Graham is starting to look cavalier. At least we used to win then.
This process ! Hmmmm😐😐😐
Loads of possession, one shot on target, and a goal (albeit an own goal) behind. Not good enough. The attack appears (still) to be toothless. Hope things change pdq in the second half – perhaps a “super-sub”?
Is willian still playing for Chelsea?
Is he still a footballer?
Arteta is a decent midfielder
It gets worse!! Partey off, presumably with an injury as there is no other explicable reason for such a move!!! But why no Pepe?
Willian and Laca for Willock and Pepe.
Saka moves forward and Auba central in a 433.
Neither Willian or Laca should be 1st choice, they offer next to nothing
Nope, he brings on Eddie who doesn’t bring anything to the table. Poor Auba, 3 shots inside the box this season.
Playing three at the back against Aston Villa?
The less said the better🙄
Boooooring
What a relief Eddie and Pepe are coming on, hopefully at the expense of Willian and Laca!!! Probably too little too late but I can’t be doing with more turgid performances from those two!!!
Every time we get a breakaway, the players slow it down and pass backwards while Villa reset.
The question then becomes why are we setup to play on the counter at home?
Ceballos is slowly turning into a very unappealing player.
My eyes hurt from watching
I’m done paying money for this crap
Come to my place and you can watch it for free. But without me.
At least someone can make me laugh 🤣
Absolute fucking shit show.
Zero creativitys, zero energy, zero tactics.
Really fucking Emery.
We need a manager…
Players believing their hype after scraping a win against a 2 bob utd team.
And the humming starts…
Arteta is a bleeding cunt! Wastes Auba at the wings for 70 minutes every match day before suddenly realizing that Lacazette is shit and Willian is useless!!!
They must be doing the ‘non-negotiables’. Keeps picking the same duds in the same formation. A minor step up from Emery at best
That catch by Emi and the quick release for Grealish for the 3rd goal. We were outdone by the better team. Arteta still has miles to learn.
Nah, arteta hasn’t been to school yet. So fucking overrated !
Basic direct football taken us apart. We have made Grielish and Barkley look like world beaters today.
To be fair, Grielish is a darn good player
When our defense gives him a standing ovation.
There was one sequence towards the end where they got down our right side with just basically straight forward passes between their players, and ended up in our box with a blocked shot. Poor from Arteta.
Boooooooooooo!
F*ck this nonsense. Boring as hell football, as passive as we have ever been and still no movement up front nor creativity in the center. Off to bed, can’t be bothered with this sh1t any more.
Maybe I will watch women^s football, the miss kick, like our Auba does it tonight.
Best defence in the league, and then…BANG! Concede 3 goals!