Arsenal take on Man City today in the Premier League, knowing it will take a big performance to get anything from this game.
Here are the official line-ups.
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Tierney, Elneny, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Pepe, Aubameyang
Subs: Ryan, Cedric, Luiz, Gabriel, Ceballos, Willian, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Lacazette
Man City: Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Fernandinho (C), Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling
Subs: Steffen, Walker, Jesus, Aguero, Laporte, Rodrigo, Torres, Mendy, Foden
Well, let’s see how this works out.
Not expecting much but hope they put up a good show and you never know but it’s going to be tough.
Six left footers
Clearly going for it! COYG!
Arteta has balls …
I see the opposite.
We are conserving for next week Benfica which is far more important.
This is a write off likely.
Pep and Auba are not strong holding the ball which is a worry.
Tierney is a plus, Mari a question mark bc just returning in from long layoff.
Elneny in midfield equals conservative choice. Odegaard also a bit more of a gamble.
Clearly resting Ceballos and ESR.
Most likely they will beat us. Its a gamble you never know but this is not our best team.
Come on you gooners
Arteta has written off this match but still a strong squad
No he certainly hasn’t. Smith-Rowe is the only player ‘rested’.
Starting Xhaka and Elneny together is as good as giving up the contest,
Particularly a team that moves (and press) the ball at speed like City.
We are starting Saka Tierney Auba and if that isn’t proof, dunno what is!
No, I don’t think that’s right. It’s still a strong team as you say and rightly so. Had MA made sweeping changes that would be writing off the match. We’d then risk a real hammering, which wouldn’t do morale any good across the squad. We may still get beaten, of course, although I think that a draw is possible, albeit not likely, but possible.
Meet him in the elevator did you?
Let’s not get rolled, please.
Tierney should not be risked. Auba needs a break, Laca should have started this one. Good to see ESR getting a break finally.
Auba just had three weeks off to see his ma.
Did you watch the Benfica game? He was huffing and puffing. Why risk him against City when we have Benfica, the only thing left for us on Thursday. I can’t believe I even have to explain this.
Don’t confuse a lack of match fitness with fatigue.
You don’t get it either.
What risk? Tierney played 35 minutes against Benfica, so should comfortably be able to get 70 minutes today.
Auba had a break a few weeks ago when he was taking care of his Mum and missed 2 or 3 games.
Personally, I wouldn’t use the word “comfortably” in respect of Tierney’s chances of getting though any game. The problem is that you really never know with him. His terrible injury record, and it is just that, suggests it’s only a matter of time before something else happens. Anyway, fingers crossed. He is a fine player and we need him on the pitch, not in the treatment room.
You get it.
I must admit I don’t understand why there seem to be so many negative votes against a statement of fact (i.e. Tierney has a terrible injury record for a 23 year old player – and a variety of injuries at that, rather than the same one or kind – and needs to be handled carefully). If anyone doubts it, read the Wikipedia entry for him. I hope he gets over it, and he may, but we shouldn’t pretend there isn’t a problem.
If you don’t get it, you don’t get it. I can’t make you get it.
I doubt Arteta would risk KT if there was a special risk but he makes is decisions with a lot more information. Saka I worry about more. It’s too many minutes and I would feel pretty stupid if he gets a muscle injury from chasing shadows.
Or suffers like Owen, Wilshere, Ramsey etc in a few years time
Tierney back in is massive.
Yes, crazy to think that we might have been missing 2 of our 3 current best players with him and Partey out in the last few weeks – Saka being the last to me.
I would love to see a complete team play for a few games, it might be quite something.
To me, Gabriel is the best defender at the club. In my opinion, his first 10 games were absolute masterpieces. He has it all; strength, speed, positioning, and most importantly, he’s an amazing passer of the ball and is almost unbeatable one on one.
Am I alone in evaluating him this way? If not, why does Arteta choose to sit him out in random games?
Fully agree
You say this like rotating your central defenders on a weekly basis isn’t a thing at all the successful clubs….
I do feel the same. I wonder if Arteta is trying to build 2 partnerships with the Brazilians on one side, and Holding-Mari on the other.
I personally would like to see Holding and Gabriel paired together more often, as I feel they are our 2 best centre-backs at the moment.
fitness issue?
On form they all about the same at this month, so am happy with selection. Because if age and size gaberial has highest ceiling for his talents
From what we saw some games back, Rob and Pablo seems to have a good understanding and a calming presence in that defense, I think it’s more of the partnership than the individuals that led to this decision and I think it’s a good one.
Holding is poor as has just been shown by sterling
Will Saka ever get a rest?
Would have also liked to see Martinelli start, but glad to see Pepe.
Well, it’s the weirdest of seasons for results so let’s hope we can add to that.
Better team than I was expecting. It will be interesting to see how many tactical fouls Saka gets from Citeh rotational playstoppers.
Another chance to go above Spuds but I’m not expecting that today.
Not much movement around us on the league table.
A win here would push us close to the European places; a loss won’t harm our chances that much.
I am pretty relaxed, but I have an inkling an upset is on the cards.
City’s run will end someday. Today might just be it.
COYG!
Look at citeh’s bench…absurd. let’s get a quick 1st goal and take it from there. COYG
When the team news was released the betting odds of Arsenal winning improved, so that’s a great sign!
Very good time. Great.
Was hoping City might go easy on us with Champions League football during the week. Looks like they are resting Foden, Jesus, and Rodri, with Mahrez, De Bruyne, and Fernandinho coming in. Hardly a weakened team. COYG! Let’s see what Saka can do to Zinchenko.
Zinchenko instead of Walker is a bit better for us; Mahrez started their last match and was brilliant. Fernandinho, rested, is not really a downgrade on Rodri. And however good Foden can be, no one in their right mind thinks it is easier to play against De Bruyne.
City will kick Saka by rotation. Something that they are very adept at! I’d have played Martinelli as he likes to chase down as hassle people and that is something that we are going to have to do well today to stand a chance
Bernardo will Kick Saka all over N5, and Jon Moss, will do nowt. Maybe a good 20 minutes then self destruct. Would take a 0-0.
COYG
Oh boy pepe starts.
Well balanced front line, minimal expectation is make them work for it, sell it so high to them that they struggle to field 11 in midweek.
Worried about muscle injuries more than losing
Am I the only one who looks at the likes of Leicester and ManUre wondering how the hell we are so off the pace? I mean there are a few players in each team that’d challenge our first eleven but other than that… BEMUSED
With the latest game in mind I would actually have preferred Cedric over Bellerin. I know Cedric has had bad games as well but I do believe that it primarily owes to the fact he hasn’t played in his natural position.
Yay pepe to down pep !!
Man but I’m worried about this one. Arteta has worked hard to rebuild the team’s confidence. A bad result today and it drops back to square one
We bit this team against all odds in the FA cup semis, could be a repeat. COYG. One nil to the Arsenal!!!!
I don’t like making predictions pre-game but I fully expect VAR to be a big talking point again
VAR as a technology works absolutely fine
Fckity fck
Don’t tell me you are shocked. Lol
Sad thing is, I’m not
A midfield of Xhaka and Elneny 😂
Elneny was our best player at the start.
His best game in months.
They didn’t even need to try. Very poor defending.
Looks like Arteta going for a more conservative midfield with Elneny over Ceballos. A bit 50-50 on this would prefer Ceballos frankly with ESR flanking Xhaka for energy work rate but then attacking intent conversion on the break. Good to see Mari back in. Hopefully he is up to pace. Pepe has been in good form recently so hopefully he can provide us with something. Auba is the right call bc we will likely play mostly on the break but he will need to be far sharper. Otherwise maybe Martinelli could bean alternative to bring a ‘shock’ factor. My only… Read more »
Well that was a crap start
Bad start.
Never been very good at making changes has he?
This is a bit of over rotation with too many players brought in against a high end team from injury – Mari and Tierney.
but also productive members in Ceballos and ESR missing and hold up play types like Laca also not there would suggest we have written this game off.
Looking to Benfica.
That new contract for Holding looks a great, especially as he gets out jumped by a 5ft7 wavey armed twonk.
Holding is average. His passing is terrible
City team must have pissed themselves when they saw our midfield…..
Has Elneny played a forward pass yet?
Bellerin was super poor, especially his passing… he is burning Pepe all the time.
No changes at halftime. Excellent strategy.
ESR for Odegaard and Martinelli for Pépé. That’s what we need
It’s fucking hard enough to beat City, possibly the best team in England at the moment by miles, without the referee being Jon Moss. How many times has he waived off fouls on Arsenal players now? 5? 6?
Auba is too weak in these situations as Stones brushed him off. Martinelli please.
Bring on Laca for fks sake!!!
Who knows why Pepe was played right with Saka right. Their best form has come on the opposite sides
Only a goal in it, but we’re not threatening at all. Laca on now so there’s hope.