Arsenal take on Sheffield United in the Premier League this afternoon, looking for three points before we go into the Interlull.
Here are today’s official line-ups.
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney, Ceballos, Elneny, Saka, Willian, Aubameyang, Nketiah
Subs: Runarsson, Holding, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Xhaka, Pepe, Lacazette
Sheffield United: Ramsdale, Basham, Egan, Robinson, Baldock, Lundstram, Berge, Osborn, Stevens, McGoldrick, Burke
Subs: Foderingham, Fleck, McBurnie, Sharp, Lowe, Ampadu, Norwood
Interesting. Elneny ahead of Xhaka.
Mikel trying to send a message to the board I guess
from Liverpool game, that mid was produced more.
More like Ceballos ahead of Xhaka in this one. Xhaka is clearly favouring more energy/mobility in the midfield.
Xhaka is probably being rested/rotated, and will be called upon if required.
Been hoping to see this combo in these mid to lower table team games. Should give us a better chance to keep pace in the middle
Luiz is slow, Saka more offensively minded than AMN. Need some extra speed in midfield — plus, if no one else comes in, rotation.
Wish he’d started with this pairing on Monday night
4-2-3-1? Gotta give it a try at some stage. Nows seems as good a time as any given our run of games coming up.
Unlikely. Tierney LCB, Saka LWB.
Or is it a 4-3-3 with Saka as a lcm?
Willian in the number 10 and Saka on the right then?
I’ve got a feeling MA has plans for Saka in the number 10 this season. But could be William there as well, or the two of them switching positions during the game. Quite a few options when you think about it.
Would you look at that, Saka at 10.
I agree, but still could be 3 at the back with Saka at wing back.
5-2-3 again, saka is at lwb, as per google.
I’m sorry, as per Google? What does that mean?
That seems unnecessary … 😉
I thought good ole 4-2-3-1 when I looked at it too. Wengerball baby!!!
I think it’s fairly obvious by now that Arteta doesn’t limit his teams to a specific formation, the formation changes depending on who has the ball, where it is, and the play they are trying to execute. He chooses players he feels can best execute that depending on availability, form and opponent. My 2 cents anyway.
Xhaka out of the starting 11!
Nketiah is useless. Can’t control or pass a ball. Lacazette on is way out? He is my favourite player
Kroenke’s are useless
Lacazette isn’t going anywhere. I’d have preferred to see his marksmanship in the first half at least as Sheffield don’t give up too many chances, but I imagine Arteta is thinking that, like his midfield, he wants a higher press and more energy up front — Eddie’s proven himself to be surprisingly quick in this regard.
Nketiah – 9 goals 1507 minutes
Lacazette – 12 goals 2581 minutes
I’ll take Eddie
Assist? Dispossessed? Dribble? He is poor technically.
This bare stat does not tell the whole story.
Even I dont see anything that tell s me he would become a top class striker. He may score goals because of his positioning and movement. But he isn’t an exciting prospect in my opinion. Not the type who could turn a losing game into a winning one by a moment of brilliance.
Do you remember a lad called pippo inzaghi, he even don’t have anything as footballer..
But he still regarded as one of legendary forward because he always able to pop up and score the goal
Great if he turns out like that. Think we will get a clear picture in a couple of years.
Paolo Rossi
Oil and Guendozi on the bench!!
Just joking.
We’re not Man City
As expected, I think. We need to get back not only to winning ways in the PL but also winning well. The admittedly good win against Fulham seems quite a while ago now – and has not been repeated in terms of “quality” since. Of course it’s preferable to win, well or not, but overall we’re not playing that well in the PL and we need to turn in some more impressive performances. Sheffield Utd would be a good start.
That scrappy West Ham win is looking better and better TBF every time the hammers play
With hindsight perhaps but we need more of the performances of the type that West Ham are turning in now – that’s my point.
Pretty much cements the Saliba loan theory then
Looks like a back four, and looks like the kind of game to try it indeed!
If we don’t sign Aouar or Partey. It will only take one lose for that toxicity to crept back in our club.
I know this Fan Base ??♂️
I feel for Arteta
Lets win this boys!
#COYG
Doesn’t look very likely we’ll sign either before the window closes on Monday night. It’s still possible we may get someone I guess – but our inability to sell any of the usual suspects has hampered our room for manoeuvre as we clearly don’t have the money available.
We should be tearing the Blades into bits. Nice line-up.
We need to start playing Pepe into form pls
Quite looking forward to seeing how this works. Looks like Auba through the middle
Auba wide, Eddie in middle I think
Eddie will play through the middle. Looks like a 4-3-3 but with Arteta there are two formations, in and out of possession.
I always say Xhaka is an over rated player since he came into our midfield we are not able to make top 4. I always rate eleny better than him. Just to show you how poor Our midfield is, Eleny can’t make any of the top 6 teams including Everton , Leicester, Westham , Brighton andLeeds .
“since he came into our midfield we are not able to make top 4.”
indeed!
4-3-3!!!!! Hopefully ?
Anyone else wondering how we are going to go a whole season, especially with the frequency of fixtures close together, with literally three midfielders?
I have been giving this some thought as well. Could play Ozil and Guen in the cups but not likely. Could bring up some of the talented youngsters we have competing for midfield roles at U23. Could use ESR who I like very much if he can stay injury free. AFC should have been working on Plan B while the Auour shitshow continued. Let’s see who their next tier signing is or whether AFC had all their eggs in one basket.
Frankly, I can’t see Ozil playing for us again, except perhaps in an extreme situation – lots of injuries and/or suspensions etc.
We don’t know there isn’t a Plan B, post Aouar – if it is post Aouar. The problem is, I think, our failure to offload any of the usual suspects so far. Not that surprising considering the average quality of many of them. Clearly we don’t have the money for an “acceptable” bid for Aouar or Party and there’s nothing coming in now from sales.
Mikel plans on donning a jersey… 🙂
Not sure how you bench your striker who’s 3/3 unless Auba is going through the middle which he’s not because Nketiah can’t play wide left. Happy with the rest of the lineup but I think that’s a poor decision re. Laca
Sick of watching auba on the left. It’s a waste.
Looks like 4-4-2 to me
Not even close. Get with the program, you twit.
Luiz is a liability
The pace is so bloody slow!!! COYG!!!
Painful
You can guarantee if one of our players did that they’d be sent off.
That’s a definite red.
Oh mighty Arsenal, what a pleasure to watch this mix of average players and Chelsea leftovers to horseshoe-passing-it-around for 45 endless hours. I wonder why they are wearing your colors.
Pepe enjoys playing against Sheffield united. Instant impact
Typical we’d let this shit team in at some point.
Overall, it just doesn’t look convincing. It’s 2:1 at time of posting this. Pretty flat before the two goals then we switched off and they pulled one back. Unless we go mad in the last few minutes, the (opening) Fulham game is easily our best so far. Good to get the points – if we do – but …
Well, good morning…