Arsenal take on Everton this evening at Goodison Park, looking for a first Premier League win since the 1-0 victory over Man Utd on November 1st.
Here are the official line-ups.
Everton: Pickford, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey, Mina, Iwobi, Doucoure, Davies, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Olsen, Lossl, Kenny, Tosun, Nkounkou, Bernard, Coleman, Gordon, Branthwaite
Arsenal: Leno, Holding, Luiz, Tierney, Maitland-Niles, Saka, Ceballos, Elneny, Willian, Pepe, Nketiah
Subs: Runarsson, Bellerin, Cedric, Mustati, Kolasinac, Willock, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Lacazette
Auba, oh Auba, wherefore art thou?
We get a hundred articles from one press conference and Arteta forgets to mention that our star player isn’t fit. Noice.
Hey but at least Willian is good to go 🤦♂️
Of what good has he being to the team? Has he scored once for Arsenal?
Don’t tell what you’re not asked. Mikel is a rudeboy who has come with juvenile innocence, I believe we’ll watch him grow to get more sarcastic with the media and only use them as a tool. This guy is the new Sir Alex imo
I hope there’s a good explanation for this? We don’t need more drama.
Calf injury
Hmmm. It may be a calf injury “on paper” – I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he wasn’t “rested”, or dropped to call it what it probably is.
Is Auba injuried?
COYG!
Tight calf apparently
Yes has a calf strain
Just glad we could get willian back in the squad.
FFS!! The sooner Arteta concedes that Willian was a bad mistake, the better it will be for his managerial career. Everyone makes bad signings. Only the good ones recognize them early and move on.
But what can MA or anyone actually do about it? We’re paying a fortune in wages to a player over 30 on a four year contract. He’s got no re-sale value so we must keep paying him whether or not he plays. That’s a nightmare scenario if the player doesn’t live up to expectations – which is, overall, the case with Willian so far at least.
And that is why Chelsea let him leave for free
3 years ffs, why allways exaggerate? Agree on everything else that is written about Willian here though 🙁
At the end of 90mins, the reasons behind this lineup will be revealed. Fingers crossed
I’ve just heard we’ve gone into Tier 4 and I see Willian is back in the starting line up. This is officially the worst part of my year
I sincerely wish we never had him.
Ceballos is equally infuriating these days.
Positive: Martinelli on the bench
Negative: Willian starts again…. Why?
Not many else to choose from in wide positions I reckon. However would have preferred Smith Rowe in an attacking central position and a back four with Saka on the wing instead of as wingback.
Arteta seems to genuinely rate Willard given he starts virtually every PL games.
We love Willard
At this point I’d rather have Captain Willard. At least he was a bada@s.
Yes, it’s a mystery why he plays so much.
Anyone except MA
Bar Willian, I like the line up. Where is Nelson though? Keep wanting to see him instead.
To clarify my comment and in relation to your name: I like that AMN and Nketiah get to keep their places.
Nketia is not good enough full stop.
Who do you want us to play instead? That really awesome guy who just bangs them in? Would you start Balagun in a game like this, or Lacazette?
Balagun will be signing for Dortmund, Leipsig etc come January. Another cock up like Gnabry
Nketia 😩😩😩
Nketiah looked like a statue, as did many of those going forward. I don’t buy the idea that many of the young guys belong on the pitch. Saka refuses to use any part of his body to touch the ball, Maitland Niles looks frightened, Pepe has one leg (and every defender sees that).
I can’t recollect ever seeing such a static attacking line. Hell, the fans watching moved more than our attack.
Sorry re Saka “any part of his body, except his left foot (the same is true of Pepe).”
Richarlison’s been skinning up AMN this half. And AMN has always been half a step behind on his runs.
Willian to score and assist
Good money
the answer to your question is, because willian starting is non negotiable. if you have an question as to why martinelli or rowe isnt starting, refer to answer for negative question.
if you have a similar question in 2 games’ time when we know whose 3-match ban is over, the answer is still the same. fml
#FreeWilly and let him go.
Willian stays and Pepe goes off, why?
He is a f*cking CURSE is what Willian is.
This is the match where everything changes . Arteta in
Love the enthusiasm my friend! Fingers crossed you are right…
Yeah. I believe in Mikel , his methods win. He’s not my ideal manager type; I believe there are two types of people on earth. You might be interested to discover that all crisis is basically from the differences that invariably arise when these two opposites invariably attract and try to bend the other to be like themselves, so while I’d rather a Pep/Klopp than the opposite side of the coin Mikel/Mourinho, this guy is going to be the best at being himself. He’s got the pedigree and knowledge to back the talk up. It’s inside him, one way or… Read more »
I thought the same, but I must say this lineup lost it for me. Are we getting ghost injuries back where no one knows what happened?
Very possible, Mikel is the guy who just won’t tolerate anything outside what he wants. And we have get serious and understand that ‘his wants’ are a little more complicated than a list of non-negotiables .
Willian? Bang goes any hopes of getting anything from this one 😟
Minusing Auba might be a no brainer.
Leaves me wondering if I should watch the match!
I recommend you do …
Depends if you support Arsenal FC or Aubameyang. It is what is, we aren’t a top four team, we are trying to get there over the next few years, this what we have right now after injuries and suspensions so let’s cheer our team on and see what happens.
Oops, this was an attempted reply to Licor’s comment about Willian starting.
Why is Willian starting? Where is Auba? We need answers.
Auba is the noticeable omission of course, but why are we carrying 3 fullback on the bench? Surely we could put in an academy midfielder or winger since Reiss seems to still be out
The tedium is grating.
Arsenal twitter just confirmed he has a calf injury
The club website confirmed he has a calf injury… ITK Twitter claiming any special insights?
Auba has a calf injury apparently.
My money is on Ceballoa getting our traditional red card today. Around 58 min.
A team with title ambitions vs Arsenal. Should be a good match
And the manager we should have gone for with experience vs Arsenal.
No one in that XI has a league goal for Arsenal this season…
Pepe?
Nketiah does, against Westham
Ah right. You’d think with so few going round I’d at least remember and cherish those two…
Saka against Sheffield Utd
Won’tian 🤦🏼♂️
Auba must be injured. Great to see Martinelli on the bench but our starting 11…..don’t see where goals are coming from. Hope I’m wrong.
Not sure I want to watch this tbh
With the line up
Everton 3 Arsenal 0
I made a joke last week that given Auba scored last week he would be benched for this match. Be careful what you put into the universe.
He’s has a calf injury
I thought Bellerin was suspended for 5 yellow cards?
Laca should have started, for me.
Nketiah did next to nothing against Southampton.
Agreed
He has to shuffle the pack – try almost anything. What is there to lose? He may get lucky and produce the “winning” combination on the pitch. If he does, he’ll be called a genius, if he doesn’t I fear he may be history in the not too distant future. Let’s all hope he can get the elusive formula.
Not much shuffling though! Still a non-existent link between midfield and attack, still a useless Willian on the wings.
Yes, but it’s playing with what he has to play with – including trying subs etc. during games. I agree with the Willian point.
It has the air of desperation about it
Despite his defensive liabilities, Pepe at least offers some sort of attacking threat. Willian both has defensive liabilities and could not give a sh*t. And this is why Arteta may not make it beyond the holiday season as manager.
Let Pepe just do his batshit Pepe thing and draw defenders and maybe create and unleash curlers that Pickford parries and Eddie poaches, and don’t effing get worked up out his tracking back, given the seven players behind him. Let Mo do that dirty work.
Goddamnit MA.
Starting Willian? Not even the good lord can help you if you refuse to help yourself.
I fear for a drubbing. And if that happens, we are in real trouble.
Probably the weakest Arsenal line up in a league match for about 30 years
But he’s tried the “strong” version and that’s been, well, we all know don’t we.
Honestly, I think we might get relegated, this lot are rubbish. I’ve decided Arteta doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing or indeed trying to do. We bought Cedric last January because he was going to move on AMN, we started with him wanting to play 4 at the back and now we mainly play with a 3. These are not the actions of someone who’s convinced with what he’s doing. These are just 2 examples of him going back on his own plan, there are others. He needs to have the strength of his convictions because quite frankly we… Read more »
Completely off topic, it is a pleasure to see all the creative avie names by commenters. Well done all around.
And though I recall a “Bendtnerschristmastree” or something similar, which is clever, surely missing from the list is “Bendtners Bender” or something similar, no?
Dont have any news so I am guessing its last minute injury like?…if it is then bound to happen eventually, he has been so injury free its unbelievable, true super athlete plus best of lucks tonite, we deserve it, given what we fans been through lately?…in fact in the past several seasons?
Could be, but I suspect Auba has been dropped. A striker who isn’t (for a number of reasons, not all of his own making) getting many shots on target, let alone putting the ball in the net can’t continue to take up a place indefinitely. MA must try anything/everything to get the right formula.
Auba just scored in open play last match to get us a point. Don’t think Arteta is so perverse as to drop him right after that.
People are reporting above that he got a calf injury.
He did – and that was how many goals this season? He may be injured of course but if he isn’t then Arsenal are hardly going to say he’s been dropped, are they.
MA looks to me like he’s shuffling the pack to see what other combinations he can try to get the goals which we’ve missed out on all season, regardless of whether Auba was playing or not.
Auba looks like he is losing enthusiasm. Some do not like Lacqua, but I think that the side lost some fire by sitting him on the bench.
4 defenders on the bench? Willian? ok with the Auba injury I can understand that but …. Lacazette on the bench? I must say, if this goes horribly wrong, Arteta has lost me. I’m atleast feeling that way now. We don’t know all the insights, but it is do or die at the moment. My Lord. With a red card, this could get ugly.
Bench is allowed 9 players now.
Wil. Fuxing. Lian. a-fuxing-gain. why why why?????
Even Auba’s calf gave up on us.
Anyway, Go Gunners!
Defend with 10 men and hope Pickford throws the ball into his own net.
Auba is missing… Where did he go??
If Reiss is injured why can’t we get a damn Injury update on him? Why do we as Arsenal fans have to sit and guess and theorize everything. Nketiah.. Not good enough for premier league yet sadly. What harm is there to have Balogun on the bench… can’t we accelerate him when Nketiah has proven not to be good enough? I’m also saying this because I tend to be wrong and be proven wrong.. Except when I’m not. Nketiah to score a hattrick, or miss a hattrick of chances. Ugh.. I used to be so positive but everything just makes… Read more »
For fuck’s sake mikel! Willian??? ESR please. Since there is no X and Bellerin he thoughr he could slip him in without us noticing… He will really lose his job playing that guy in the end.
What is with our bench? Bellerin, Cedric and Kola? But only Mustafi as cover for CB. And all these places and Balagun can’t even make the bench? I’d have Bellerin, Mustafi and Chambers/Mari as defensive cover, and put Balagun in. Also, is Nelson still injured?
No Auba, but Martinelli and Smith Rowe on bench excites me! Just need to make sure no one gets sent off, so they have a chance of coming on.
Artea shld play lacazette instead of nketiah,,,,,
Each time Arteta picks Willian my trust in him drop – it’s like he try to justify the transfer by picking him again and again and hope for a miracle. Hope he suddenly burst into action tonight, but slim chance for that
Arteta either knows something or he doesn’t. Time will tell.
Oh look, Willian is back, what a surprise…Not!
I would have started Laca over Nketiah.. Nketiah struggles to step up against experienced defenders.
In last two matches Auba and Walcott have scored against us. We better watch Iwobi today.
Arsenal management taking a strong stance, refusing to pay more than ￡220K a week for ineffectual and disruptive midfielders.
Joke of a club.
When it rains, it pours!
If we are not committing red card fouls, we are conceding own goals…😕
Sometimes things just dont go your way. Arsenal is in that moment.
But we will get through it together !
Bit longer than a moment, surely. We’ve been in a decline with three managers now. We will get out of it – the important point is just how long it will take and what the club will look like when we do.
I know but going after our players after every game gets boring. I see improvement today, even if we lost.
The expectations (fan perspective) are just too high for the current crop of players. That said we should not be where we are in the league either. This current team should be able to push for a top 6/7 at most at 4 , if everything goes their way all the time !
I’ve followed William close this match,he is our Big Pretender. He does just enough to not look like a total ass on the pitch,but bring absolutely no value to the team. He could easily closed down the cross which led to 1-0, but didn’t bother. This attitude goes directly back to Arteta who doesn’t take action
We need a out of context Willian video, his performance in the first half itself can be the full video.
It’s impacting others as well – Saka who is easily our best player can’t get forward enough because Willian is playing.
Can we have first half ratings for players, wanna give willian big fat zero.
Who the fuck signed him. Please someone out there make a first half willian highlight video, he has to far far away from the first team. And what fcking player analysis team we have got, how can Arteta be this blind to Willian.
On a different day, Ceballos could easy have gotten a red for that stomp on Mina. Stupid.
Also, it’s not that William is ineffective, he is invisible. He has done nothing, tried nothing, and is jogging on the pitch.
Willian*
Willian is shit….let’s just say as it is….his crosses can’t be deemed shit coz he is Shit…a massive poo on the pitch..