Arsenal have confirmed that Emile Smith Rowe suffered a sprained ankle in the draw with Slavia Prague and is a doubt for tomorrow’s trip to Sheffield United.
Given the importance of next week’s Europa League quarter-final second leg in the Czech capital, we’d be surprised if the England under-21 international, who still completed 88 minutes in midweek, is risked at Bramall Lane.
The same goes for Martin Odegaard who is struggling with an ankle problem of his own. Having sat things out on Thursday, he’s fighting an uphill battle to be fit for either of our two upcoming matches.
At the back, Kieran Tierney and David Luiz continue to rehabilitate from their knee injuries – they aren’t expected back for a matter of weeks – but Calum Chambers is available.
Shit, we will watch Willian again
MARTINELLI PLEASE!!!!!
That’s the sensible thing to do tomorrow
Front 4 of Willian Pepe Martinelli Auba/Laca
I still think it’s embarrassing that we have to put all our hopes in a bunch of teenagers to ensure we have a better than average performance.
Auba, Willian, Laca… should be so embarrassed that the hale end lot are carrying this team. Were it not for the inclusion of ESR and the amazing form of Saka and then Odegaard, we could well be in a worse position than we are. Which today is bottom half.
Shape up lads. You’re supposed to be the mentors not the apprentices.
We should have gotten a practical striker who is known as a fighter like Deeney on loan or one from another country who can provide the goals we need.
One like Eduardo, I mean.
Some young guys don’t know about Eduardo. He has been transitioning to retirement in Brazil and playing some non-league football. Even in this situation, he can still score sone goals we missed.
Willian is not the reason we failed to beat Slavia at home nor is he the reason we looked Sunday league against liverpool at home too.
It seems we just have to have one guy to hate ar Arsenal and it never ends. Looking at leeds with a first half red card away to city play better than we’ve done lately with 11 makes you think it’s not just Willian. But we need a scapegoat to mask our dire reality
True, it’s certainly not down to one player – although Willian hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory. As others have said, it’s largely because several senior (and best paid) players in particular have just not performed to the level that we’re entitled to expect. Whether that’s their fault entirely or a combination of their shortcomings and deficiencies in motivation/tactics/team selection (whatever) from the management team is open to debate, as it has been for most of the season. We just have to hope that everyone (on and off the pitch) can pull something together now we’re at the sharp end… Read more »
Could it possibly be that Leeds have a better manager than we have?
Granted, a lot of players have played below par, not just Willian, but you can’t just blame them without looking at the person in charge.
Against Wolves, Arteta had 15′ to think how to set up his team with only 10 players, he decided to replace the one striker on the field with a defensive midfielder, thus not only inviting pressure but severely damaging our attacking chances, his choice was to defend for 45 minutes.
To be fair Leeds have a better manager bar all but a handful of teams in world football, and he’s probably as good as they are too.
Smith Woe
Couldn’t care less really about Sheffield. Everything for this football club’s near future rests on the match Thursday. We need our best players healthy and ready. The players who give a shit—our best players, our hungry players are our young players. Player the senior “experienced” players against Sheffield. Give me the youth when it matters.
Clearly “success” this season rests with the EL now – not just getting past Slavia (a somewhat bigger ask now than before) of course, but winning the competition. Several senior players have been consistently disappointing but whether that will induce MA to go more with youth next Thursday remains to be seen. I suspect he’ll stick to a “tried and tested” selection on the whole, but you never know.
Given the league no longer matters we should rest anyone remotely important for the EL. We absolutely have to go there (EL) and attack after Arteta played the first leg so wildly conservatively (Laca & Willian). With such a crucial summer coming up, I’m really struggling to see any real reason to keep Edu if we get knocked out of the EL. Bring in an experienced football director (Overmars?) and let them implement a style & pick a coach that fits that. If he wants Arteta then fine, but make it his choice
There is a good argument that if we get knocked out in EL next week then Arteta also has to go. We would be starting over again. The ideal scenario is for the owner to invest but that’s not going to happen.
Find a competent director of football & let him decide. Maybe Arteta will be a great coach but bring manager is too much for him. Maybe he’s not going to work – let someone qualified make that decision
Would KSE allow the value of their asset, and their revenues to plummet?
They can borrow £200 million, and the repayments to to service the interest on that debt would be around £3 million p/a
i’d rather they didn’t saddle the club with more debt, but they’d probably see that as a better move than allowing us to drift further into obscurity
I’m not sure they’d be wise to back the Edu + Arteta with that kind of cash though, but they may be pushed into considering it
How does the league no longer matter? We have arguably the easiest remaining schedule in the league, and we are 5 points out of the Europa places (and 9 points out of the top 4 if we win our game in hand).
Europa is clearly the easiest route into the Champions League, but it’s premature to say the league doesn’t matter.
There’s 8 games to go. Do you think this team is capable of running the table as we’re going to need something close to that for the EL places. There’s no chance we’re making the CL via the league. With injuries we also are going to have to choose. We played an injured Odeegard in the league and didn’t have him for the EL as a result.
“Bring in an experienced football director (Overmars?) and let them implement a style & pick a coach that fits that.”
The magic wand. And how long do we give Project Overmars before we call for his sacking and start again, again?
So we are without 3 of our most creative players KT, ESR and Odergaard. He has to start Pepe and Gabi as Saka looks like he needs a rest as well!
Since the league barely matters, it would be a good chance to give minutes to fringe players.
Id go with
Ryan
Chambers – Mari – Gabriel – Soares (play Saka at LB thursday)
Elneny – Ceballos
Pepe* – Willian – Gabi*
Nketiah/Balogun
*Sub both at 45~60 to have them starting thursday
Have some kids at the bench, motivate them. Unfortunately, PL is our EFL Cup now.
That starting 11 would most likely lose to Sheffield United and dent the team’s morale even further.
Who plays no10 now? Pepe? Saka? Ceballos? Willian? Laca? more worried for Thursday if both Ode and ESR are not ready
Of course Willian, the best allrounder we have.
/Sarcasm off
Would this be too much rotation for Sheffield?
Leno
Chambers-Holding-Mari-Lopez
Elneny-Ceballos
Nelson-Laca-Martinelli
Azeez, Nketiah, Balogun and Willian on bench, so we can make changes without putting on any of our first 11 who we’re resting.
I’m torn though. It’s easy to say just play the youngsters in PL now, but it doesn’t help their development or the team’s confidence/form if we get battered in our run in. And (hate to say this) but maybe we can still hope to finish 7th and qualify for the Europa Conference League…
Whoops brainfart … Add Willian at 10 to that line-up
Play Nelson at 10 against the Blades. That’s where he came through the under 21s and he can’t be worse than WIllian
I actually forgot Nelson existed
So did Arteta
The league still matters, I don’t get this attitude, a lot can happen in these last games and if we could put a run together who knows. The Europa league game is very important but that doesn’t mean we should just throw away the league. It’s a problem that our most creative players are out and it’s time for all the players to up their game, we really need to take the three points against Sheffield. Hopefully Odegaard or Emile can be back for the Slavia Praha game.
You’re right that it still matters but the opportunity to get an EL qualifying place (which is the only priority left via the PL now) is dwindling fast. We just haven’t managed to close the PL gap for months and several of the teams around us continue to strengthen their position – Leeds today, for example. There could be a late spurt, I guess but I haven’t seen much in recent performances to suggest that’s very realistic. It’s risky putting everything on the EL – and we’re still only in the QFs (and looking a bit shaky at that) –… Read more »
After 18 months of wild inconsistency what makes people think we can string together a run in the league?
We’ve certainly been up and down like the proverbial fiddler’s elbow this season. There’s been no consistency outside of short spells and with six goals conceded in the last two PL games, it doesn’t really bode well for a “storming” finish to the league season. That said, we have to keep trying – but trying and doing aren’t the same unfortunately.
I trust that the increasing number of our injured players will form an orderly queue outside the treatment room door.
Dang it willian will be playing again. I really want martteneli to play tomorrow but honestly arteta seems to think he’s nothing but a benchwarmer
Whoops brainfart … Add Willian at 10 to that line-up for Sheffield
Creativity at a minimum. Would rather see Azeez or Nelson or a traffic cone than Willian
Joe Montemurro reacts to Willian performance.
Every single comment i ever fucking post on this site – “Awaiting for approval”
The caption says “join the discussion” – I fucking can’t can I, by the time the comment is approved the discussion is over.
Whats the fucking point, I mean its not like i have anything ground breaking to add but fuck me a little interaction would be nice lol
Send an email to the administrator – you may have been incorrectly blacklisted.
We are so underwhelming that it causes heartache
Sheffield United will rightly fancy their chances tomorrow
No Tierney, Odegaard or Smith-Rowe
We should probably rest Saka, and maybe Soares as well
Hopefully we can somehow dig a win out, we really need to get out of this negative spiral, even though Thursday takes precedent
………….Leno
……Holding Mari
Chambers ……Lopez
….Ceballos Elneny
Pepe Willian Martinelli
…..Aubameyang
Not the strongest starting 11, but at least Pepe, Aubameyang and Martinelli can pop up with a goal
Bollocks. We should play the stiffs tomorrow. Not a single player who might be involved in Thursday’s game should be on the pitch against Sheffield United. The match tomorrow is utterly meaningless to us and we can’t afford to pick up an injury to an important player.
I don’t give a damn if we lost 5-0 tomorrow: but we must go through on Thursday,
Sure Fats, and then when we lost you’d be screaming from the rooftops about how Arteta threw the game with a negative team selection.
ESR is our new Jack Wilshere me thinks.
Dani incoming, when it should be Azeez.
I guess we are in for a reminder of our early season misery. When we had no Odergaard or ESR to link our attack. No Luiz to send long balls forward nor Tierney to bomb forward. Sheesh, I’d rather fancy Sheffield United tomorrow. Of course the match that matters is Thursday. Hope ESR is back for that.
I really wish prime Wenger was in charge of all this amazing talent coming up in our academy!
There’s no reason why he couldn’t be back at the club as a director and/or as a middle man between Arteta and Mertesacker.