Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud
Subs: Ospina, Arteta, Debuchy, Flamini, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Gomez, Milner, Can, Lucas, Firmino, Coutinho, Benteke
Subs: Bogdan, Sakho, Moreno, Origi, Ings, Ibe, Rossiter
Koscielny has a back problem, Mertesacker is ill.
—
Chambers and Gabriel? OK, that’s interesting, but also a little bit terrifying.
On the plus side, they would have trained as a partnership plenty.
Could have been worse. We could have had Squilachi and Sylvestre mkII’s
Reason behind the mixing axis? anyone? Three points please
Mertesacker is ill, Koscielny has a minor back injury, per the club’s Twitter.
Oh dear
Wtf! XC
*sweating in algerian*
Little bit bricking it
Kos back injury and Mert sick. We’re fucked.
It’s Benteke man, I wouldn’t worry too much.
Fair to say, you were right 😀
Where the flying fuck are the cbs on the bench at? I have a stoic look in the train. Ef this shit.
Apologies for the text speak. I’ve pulled myself together, COYG!
I saw this on a thread and thought it was a joke.
I now realise it’s not a joke.
And it’s not funny.
did they both get injured or something?terrifying indeed….
Arsenal report Mertesacker misses tonight’s game through illness while Koscielny is absent with a mild back injury.
Scary, makes me a bit nervous but I’ll be interested to see how we cope. Not the time to be neagtive now. Good luck, guys, COYG!!
Seriously, I know we’re all pretty damn positive on here but this just makes me nervous as hell!
All I can say is I hope we’ve got our shooting boots on!
Awful defense…
I’d be terrified if I was a liverpool fan with Dejan Lovren lining up at the back.
Boy! Didn’t see that coming. Scary to be honest. The attack must click and put them on the back foot. I still think we will get the points. This is not SAS they are facing afterall.
what d fuck…I am terrified at chambers and Gabriel playing together for d first time in a big match. fingers crossed
Hey cheer up people. It could be worse. I mean one of Gabriel, or Chambers, or both, can get injured with 0 CB on the bench! Wonderful times…
Debuchy and Monreal can both play CB at a pinch, in fact Nacho did reallly well when he had to fill in last season. No great disaster beckoning here.
Come on boys lets just outscore them then!!! No Offense to the CB’s, but let’s put 8 passed them.
this feels like a bad dream. ….
Feel bad for cech the most
Hope we manage to keep a clean sheet today for his sake!!!
I hope HE keeps us a clean sheet and wins those 12 points for Arsenal that John Butthole-Terry was talking about after the move was complete…
Oh how times have changed.
I think people are being hasty in their judgement of Chambers/Gabriel, very harsh. Let’s give them a chance first.
Not judging the pair
But its not under right circumstances. It takes time for defenders to build a pairing and understanding!
Emergency summoning mustn’t reflect much on them, just pure bad luck.
Fuck me we’re fucked!
Gabriel will smash them, but little bit worried about Chambers. Hope he does well and we stuff them
I would have expected the boss to start the more experienced and defensively solid Debuchy to play alongside Chambers. Quote a Côte oft confidence for Bellerin
are we fucked up?? that is the question…
Liverpool are set up to counterattack…we have been vulnerable to counter attacks in recent years….we should be careful when we over load
Have they ever played together? Oh shit! I have faith. They will surprise us….
Everyone cried in their beers last year when we started the season without a CB backup. Now we’ve got two excellent CB backups in Gabriel and Chambers, and everyone is STILL crying like there’s no tomorrow. There’s just no pleasing some people. My only regret is that we’re going to have to hope Gabriel’s back pocket is as big as Koscielny’s, so he can fit Benteke in there.
I have no issues with this line-up. It’ll score loads of goals. 5-0 to the Gunners. The Mugsmashers’ defence is absolutely awful and they won’t know what hit them.
And people say there are no wise people left.
Not an ideal defence, but I’m confident in them. They did well in pre-season together, complemented each other really well.
COYG!
On second thoughts, this is a real test of our title credentials. Over a season, these things happen and the team has to rise to the occasion. The team that does it better than others wins the league. Bring it on!
I’m not too worried, one of the concerns with a mert chambers pairing was their similarities in playing style, and gabriel can deputise for kos, slightly under experienced perhaps and will have to watch the set pieces, but in the flow of the match i don’t fear them when we have the coq guard, I’m sure the manager has had a chat with monreal about keeping an eye open, expecting a narrow win with goals for both sides, 2/1 to us
OK I’ve said it before this season, but I’ll say it again – what use is 4 defensive subs and only 2 attacking ones? In what situation would we end up using Flamini? I’d rather see a youth attacker that might actually be of some use. Bring out The Jeff.
Gibbs can play CAM.
To me, WIth Theo and Ox on the bench there’s no need for another attacker. They’re both the type that will change the dynamic of the match.
With 2nd string CB’s the more middle-of-park and defensive configurations we have the better.
Against West ham we tired badly but had no options from the bench. With ox playing midfield from time to time there is no need for Flamini but a possible use of another attacker.
Why does it seem that these kinds of things only happen at Arsenal ?
Agreed. Why is our luck so bad. fuckers at Chelski manage to get Cahill and that c$%t Terry out there every week. Well until he got his red anyway.
Oh, and I’d just like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my very understanding boss who always lets me take a two and a half hour lunch when Arsenal have a weekday match. It’s my twentieth anniversary with the company today, and this is one of the reasons I love working here.
Chambers and Gabriel weren’t bought because they are shit. Have some faith people.
Coq is going to have to be huge tonight.
At least we’ve got some flexibility still if either Gabriel or Chambers picks up an injury with Debuchy and Monreal having experience there. Will be interesting to see how they are with their distribution and ball control early as Liverpool play at a very high tempo and press high which gave us a lot of trouble last year with teams that did that. Would like to have seen Chamberlin in the lineup.
And worrying still only Walcott looks like he can score a goal, in case you are chasing the game, on that bench.
Would still hold the same opinion even if Welbeck was seated next to him and Ox.
Get us this win and a real striker to play or sit on that bench with Theo
Gabriel and Callum is going to play so well together in this match, neither Per nor Kos will be starter again after.
Are*
It could be worse. In training matches Mert and Kos prob play as a partnership. Therefore Gabriel and Chambers will have been the other partnership. Might be better than one from each having to play.
Yeah because your assistant manager to wenger and know how they pair on training, my thinking is exactly opposing because per and kos are starters wenger is playing per with gabriel or kos with gabriel and rotating with chambers not both of them what would be the purpose pairing kos and per together on training when they know each other really well and playing 4 years together, in training it would be to find out who can replace one of those when they cant’ play like today, unfortunately both are out so I give all my support to Chambers and… Read more »
No that will be Steve Bould you are thinking of!
For the first time in a while I’m not worried without them. Chambers is more than competent and they both want to prove their ability actually looking forward to it abit more now. Something slightly different to watch. Don’t forget we have the Coq blokker as well to give a bit of assurance.
Forgot to knock on wood? Thanks for the jinx – Calum Cambers
Wait 8 days for an Arsenal match and then THIS happens. What the heck man. 🙁
This feels set up. Like something that Wenger has been training for specifically to try a different back line. Both players out with ‘minor’ injuries, I remember a few seasons ago kos playing and playing through injury when we had tv5 out and no options. Or maybe I just hope so …
Comment:I hp Wenger hs a plan
Yup. 3-6-1 with Gabriel at the back.
He’s got it covered. 😉
COYG!
A year ago we’d have had to play Chambers and Monreal at CB…how far we have come! COYG lets remind Liverpool of the pecking order.
Definitely feeling optimismic might be what they both need and pull it out of the bag and take there 1st team spot I’m sure there more than qualified to play the position other wise Mr Wenger would not have entered there names would he?
Don’t panic, immutable laws of universe…..Liverpool are still managed by Brandon Rodgers right…..don’t sweat it. Holy trinity of ozil, Sanchez and Welsh Jesus will deliver us from evil plus Rambo is in debt to us gooners, cilla must be worth a hat trick let alone bat girl and the man from uncle…..get it sorted Aaron!
I’m pretty certain his name is Brenda, not Brandon.
Kick it long you ducking dicks
Bull! Le coq is injured!!!
Is it me or does Alexis look out of sorts?
Put Montreal cb and bring on gibbs lb as chambers is having a mare.
When was the last time a Gooner keeper got motm?
about 8 minutes ago.