Rambo, Ozil and Xhaka to dominate Chelsea again – First Outing of Alexis And Lacazette? Preview/Line-up

TotalArsenal

I am looking at some fine Alps mountains that separate Austria from Italy. It has been a very hot day here but the moon is full and the balcony I am sitting on is now cool and the Freddies taste extra nice tonight. The season is about to kick off and our boys have the opportunity to start it as we finished the last one, by beating the Chavs.

Will the ROX dominate the Chelsea midfielders once again, that is the big question? Xhaka and Rambo were boss that day and Ozil provided the extra dimension. This game is simply a last opportunity to get match ready for the season, but it is also an opportunity to build confidence and silence the critics. Many millions will watch this one so it is highly likely that we will see the strongest line-ups tomorrow. There is not much more to say; let the boys do the talking on the pitch.

Predicted Line-Up:

Cech

Mustafi BFG Monreal

Bel Xhaka Rambo Kola

Ozil Lacazette Alexis

Enjoy the game. CoyGs!

By TotalArsenal

120 thoughts on “Rambo, Ozil and Xhaka to dominate Chelsea again – First Outing of Alexis And Lacazette? Preview/Line-up”

  • I would think Mustafi can’t be ready for this one, if you ask me. It will be Kos, Mertesacker and Monreal at CB, in a back 3. Alexis may come on as a sub but unlikely to be a starter (won’t bet on that one, though). Also feel the Ox will start over Bellerin.

    Bayern Munich v Dortmund is at penalty shoot out stage, after 90 minutes ended 2-2 in the German version of the shield (German super cup). What are the chances we have the same decider tomorrow?

  • Bayern wins in the “sudden death” stage. Bayern keeper’s technique seems to flout a rule of the game; moves off his line before the kick is taken. Oh well….

  • Sounds like a pretty place to be, T. Thanks for taking the time for us, to get up a pre match.
    I just want to see our guys get in a little higher intensity work before the season begins. With that, hopefully, we can come away with a positive, organized, performance and an idea how we should play in the regular season.

  • Giroud was excellent against Benefica and might be played against the counter attacking Leicester. Wenger might use him tomorrow. Eris, am with you that it is unlikely that Sanchez, Mustafi and Bellerin would be starters. I expect this line up which he might largely repeat against Leicester.

    ———Cech——–
    —Chambers–Kos–Monr—
    Ox– Ramb—Xhaka—Kola
    ——Ozil———Welbz——
    ————Giroud————-

    Subs: Ospina, Musti, Per, Bel, Eln, Sanchez, Lacaaz.

  • Pony, good call on the line up… i would do it exactly that way with one exception, i would start Lacazette because he needs experience with our regular starters, against a quality defense that’s looking to win.. As much as possible before the real battles begin…… Giroud to come on late, as in real matches also.
    My only other personal opinion is that i would sell Welbeck and keep Perez. I know that is not going to happen. I like Danny’s hard work, but is really wasteful in front of goal. I don’t think he’s good enough as 2nd choice striker for us, so we must keep Giroud around, i mention this, even though there aren’t many rumors, but he seems unhappy.

  • Jnyc,
    A rumour just broke today that Everton have made a bid of £30M for Welbeck. If Welbeck is re-tagged an attacking MD he immediately looks fine. I agree with you that he is not a striker

    On Lacaaz and Giroud, am a bit worried about Lacaaz needing time to gel with the team. But maybe against Chelsea where an open game is likely, he might prove the better option. Tough decisions are back.

  • Yeah, Pony, Danny is a hard-working attacking mid, Fergie trained kid. I like him but would sell him in a New York minute. That price is a win.
    I’d start Lacazzette to get him as much practice in game situations as possible, since he will definitely take some time to settle in. I love Giroud as a late sub, and change of pace. He really knows how to Bully tiring defenders.

  • Hi all..
    TA, I will go for Kos for Holding and Ox for Bellerin..
    Kos can play, for FA said it is a friendly game.. Mertesacker can lead our team in the middle of 3 CB.
    Ox or maybe Walcott must play first.. for their great pre-season.. with Kos in the right of 3 CB, Walcott can play more forward.. hehehe..

    Can’t wait to see Sanchez and Lacazette join together hand in hand with ROX to destroy Chelsea..

  • I didn’t see Ramsey and Ozil in the Saturday team training pictures so, it is plausible that neither of them will play/start. In that scenario, the midfield could see Xhaka, Ox and Elneny, which allows start for Bellerin/Nelson; or a role for Joe Willock since Coq is also out injured. Also feel Lacazette should start but knowing Wenger, he may just want to bed him in slowly.

  • I reckon the BFG will play to give him match practice as we will need him to be sharp against the Foxes next weekend. Bellerin is ahead of the Ox who will need to sign first to get a place in the first team, I reckon. I hope we will sell the spoiled prat whom we invested so much in yet paid back so little.

  • In the above scenario, my starting 11 will go thus:

    Cech

    Kos BFG Monreal

    Nelson Elneny Xhaka Kola

    Ox Lacazette Welbeck.

    Subs: Ospina, Theo, Giroud, Willock/Jack, Alexis, Chambers, Holding, Bellerin

  • Six substitutions are allowed in the Community Shield contest. Wenger would be targeting fitness of his 1st eleven players for thr premier league. Our first 3 EPL games are Leic, Stoke and Liv. His target would be to have at least his 1st eleven players fully fit by the 3rd match ie v Liv
    My likely 1st eleven players are:

    KP :Cech
    CD :Kos, Musti, Nacho
    WB : Bel, Kola
    CD : Xhaka, Rambo
    InF : Ozil, Alexis
    STR : Lacaaz

    But Musti, Bel, and Alexis are behind schedule so need today’s game and the first 2 EPL games for building up fitness fully.
    Bel starts but to be subbed after 70 min. He will start Leicester match.
    Musti and Alexis to come as 70min subs. Ditto Leicester match. In the Soke game I expect Alexis to start but subbed after 70min. 3rd EPL match against Liv all players (excepting injured) available for selection. That is, 1st eleven would be ready by the Liv match.

    My revised starting eleven for today :

    ———————-Cech————————–
    ——–Chamb—–Kosh——Nacho——-
    Bel———Xhak————Ramb———Kola
    ———–Ozil———————–Iwobi———-
    ———————-Lacaaz————————

    70 min subs : Musti for Chambers: Ox for Bel: Alexis for Iwobi,
    80 min subs : Eln for Rambo : Theo for Ozil : Giroud for Lacaaz.

    Ospina unused substitute.

  • Because Kosh would not be avail for the Leic, Stoke games, a 60 min sub would be Musti for Kosh. Chambers plays the 90 mins.

  • T,
    That’s an equally valid route. I guess the critical thing is how many minutes he should be given with respect to his state of fitness.

  • I’d start Holding, Wembley and Chelsea have good memories for him, not least ‘nutter’ Costa, I also love his northern English bloody mindedness.
    All the same I think Arsene will start with Kozzer/BFG/Monreal.

    Lacazette to start, Alexis on bench.
    I also think that Nelson is going to get a decent run out.
    If, as seems likely, we don’t get Lemar, then the opportunities for Reiss really open up.

    As mentioned above, a draw and pens.
    Cech hasn’t saved a pen for us has he?

  • Well, the team sheet is out and it shows Ozil and Ramsey are out, like I thought having not seen them in the training pics.
    Cech;
    Holding, Mertesacker, Monreal;
    Bellerin, Elneny, Xhaka, Chamberlain;
    Welbeck, Iwobi;
    Lacazette

  • Here’s the Chelsea’s line-up in full (3-4-3)
    Courtois;
    Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill;
    Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Alonso
    Willian, Batshuayi, Pedro.

    Didn’t think Holding has had a good enough pre-season to be starting and am concerned he is entrusted with repeating the FA cup performance, even though Kos can play; and Chambers has looked better than he in pre-season. Let’s hope he delivers.

    COYG!!

  • Arsenal:

    Substitutes from: Ospina, Kolašinac, Willock, Nelson, Maitland-Niles, Walcott, Giroud

    Chelsea:

    Substitutes from: Caballero, Rüdiger, Christensen, Scott, Boga, Musonda, Morata

  • Hey Fellas… Long time, just checking in before going off-line until after our opener vs Leicester…

    The absence of several first teamers means we shouldn’t be too concerned about the result–but try telling that to the Goonersphere… :Rolly eyes… Full rests for several would-be starters on Friday actually makes quite a bit of sense… Sense, of course, isn’t the normal football fan’s long suit, I fear…

    I’m just hopeful for a cohesive performance and I’m particularly interested in watching my avatar guy (Elneny)… While most were in a panic that Wenger was thinking about him as a CB, I saw it as a master stroke. Improving his defending (positioning, tackling) and longer forward passes could take him from a run-all-day but conservative MF possession guy to a fine two-way player who can make a real difference for us (esp. re: assists…) this season. Of course, many believe he’s “not good enough” and feel we MUST buy in MF… Consider me (oh so slightly…) more sanguine… In general, I’m pretty down about the “situation” at the club (contract hold-outs, the usual hate for the manager/lack of appreciation for the players we’ve got, etc., etc.) but so it goes…

    For today, I was hoping to see a little more Kolasinac but DW whiffing and Laca backing him up to score was fun last weekend so maybe a bit of the same could be on offer. Hopefully we’ll see the whole bench get significant minutes and a front pair of Theo and Ollie–with Nelson and Kola as wingbacks–could be a treat in the 2nd half. Mostly, however, I think we’ll need to keep our defensive shape so that the Chavs can’t run up a tally…

  • Hey ‘Eris… I was able to watch the EmCup games by way of my Spanish Language sports package which only adds about $5 to my satellite bill… I don’t know if such an option exists for you (in Canada, right?…) but it gives me quite a bit more footy than I’d get w/o it… (Plus additional practice in my 2nd language…)

  • I’m watching on a hooky channel, 10 mins gone and we’re looking really sharp.
    Some excellent passing combinations.
    Welbeck should have scored with a header.
    So far so good…

  • Hey, 17ht. Nice to hear (read?) from you. Game’s got off to a nice tempo from both sides. If you ask me, we are looking sharper and playing confidently in forward areas; some missed opportunities too.

    As for the Emirates cup, no such luck here. No Tv channel aired it, so I had to make do with the Arsenal.com live broadcast, for the brief period I was home. In effect, I really didn’t see the games live.

  • Yeah, we’re playing pretty well and (IMO) Hazard/Costa is a big loss for Chavs… Bigger than us missing Alexis, I think…

    Laca hits the post after directing a fine counter…

  • Bellerin fouls Alonso, yellow card.

    Alonso fouls Lacazette, zip.

    Nothing changes eh?

  • Mert out with a cracked head… Kola in and it looks a much shakier back-line… Need to be a bit more careful in possession….

    Diving yellow for Willian….

  • HT… The game’s being played with a bit more intensity than a regular pre-season friendly (heads clashing, etc.) and we’ve come closest with the shot off the bar and some other half chances…

    Is it just me or does the Ox have no taste for the “back” part of wingback? Not to mention attack after attack dying with his final touch… DW into row Z shines a brighter spotlight on our English guys…

    Decent enough overall, I guess…

  • Hey Kev… Commentators mentioned that Chambers could be off on another loan… With BFG out the back line looks awfully thin but Mustafi should be back and Kos also for the Pool match… Might need CC for at least a bench seat until closer to Sept…

  • Pity we don’t have Ozil and Sanchez..
    So let get Walcott to play to replace Welbeck and Nelson for Iwobi..

  • Listening to Arsenal.com too. Sounds like a good display until now but Per’s injury derailed the team a bit. Surprised by the line up but it tells us that certain players are not match fit at start of season.

  • Chelsea only got into any sort of rhythm after Mertesacker came off with that head injury. We seemed more composed in that half and only needed a goal to crown the effort. The Ox prefers play from the right of wing back, clearly but with Bellerin on, he’s having to adjust, methinks.

    Under the new rules, shouldn’t William be up for a suspension and fine for that dive?

  • Henry, I am not sure we should be making such changes, what with Iwobi playing the Ozil role and Welbeck playing as well as he is, bar his shooting. We may see Lacazette off for Giroud and Nelson on for Bellerin. Late on, we could have Theo for Elneny or Iwobi, depending on how the game is panning out.

  • I guess I need to learn those new diving rules… I was under the impression that if it fools the ref the sanctions can kick in afterwards. Since it was called (and punished with a yellow…) I thought that was sufficient. Time to do some research, I fear…

  • I am sure Chelsea will throw on Morata, Musonda and Boga, at some point. The teams’ benches are so thin. But we have Alexis, Ozil and Ramsey to add when the league starts. Feels like we cannot afford another injury now.

  • 17ht, not too sure myself, to be honest. It did sound like the sanction is additional. And as I type that, Holding allows Moses in to put Chelsea one up.

  • 17tino, ok, thanks for that, but with BFG into his last year, Koscielny and his well documented leg issues, I’m not sure letting Chambers go is a wise move, considering the UEFA Cup and all.

    Overall we’ve looked very tight, still a bit of fine tuning to sort out, but it’s positive.

  • 17ht, just checked and it looks like the retrospective sanction is applicable on successful deception of the officials. So, if the official sees it, a cheat gets a yellow. If not, he gets a two game ban. How fair is that? 😦

  • Quick Chavs goal… Looked line Holding was focused on the two Chelsea offside players and keeping his part of the line…

    Is it wrong that I believe the more mistakes that are made in pre-season (or other times when they don’t hurt results…), the better?

    Seems like AW wants us to stabilize a bit after the goal before putting on some new players to try to level things… Maybe?…

  • It’s supposed to act as a deterrent, Eris… If you dive to win the pen and it wins your team the game, it’s one point for each match you sit… Not such a bad return, I fear… IMO, video replay of pens and sending offs (and goals) could take place during the normal “arguing” (or celebrating…) time, hardly wrecking the flow of the game… Eventually, perhaps…

  • Seems that Conte saw a vulnerability in our defence with BFG off, we’re gonna be tested in other games from the high ball especially if we play two full-backs in our three…

  • Hey TA… Sounds like you’re having a good holiday. How goes the work assignment? I’m in the wilds until next weekend then very busy for the rest of the month which (hopefully) makes me worry less about the transfer idiocy… After the squad is settled I should have a bit more time for a post or two… For now it’s probably for the best that I spare folks my bad attitude…

    I do enjoy the actual football, however, and it’s nice to hear the (mostly?) Arsenal crowd as the team gets back on the front foot just a bit… Iwobi and Laca out, Ollie and Theo in…

  • Chelsea still testing us with a few high balls,
    Great shot by Xhaka,
    Pedro off, couldn’t happen to a nicer guy…

  • Red card and a Kolasinac goal from the FK… Good noise from the very pro-Arsenal crowd…

  • kolasnic is going to be a folk hero at the Emirates. Problem we have is Cech and his ability to save penalties

  • Could sub in Ospina, I guess, Retsub… 😀

    Goes straight to pens? No ET, right?… 5 mins to be added… Enough time to prevent the shootout? Not with Theo whiffing like that it isn’t…

  • Pretty good 1st touch from Theo…but a better block… Not such a good first touch on the next ball in from Bellerin, however… 😦

  • Penalties it is. Been a nice and competitive game, to be fair. Cech will have to come good today, surely. We did try to win it in regulation time. It’s going to be the new penalty rule for this one: ABBA rule.

  • Damn… 8 or 9 stitches for the BFG…

    New format for the shootout?… One then two each?… Like a tennis tiebreaker?…

    Cahill puts Chavs ahead…

  • What was that all about from Coutouis?

    Very odd, but welcome…

    Morata 😎

  • The shield is ours, the shield is ours…

    Have a great week fellas, and fingers crossed for the Leicester match… I’ll catch up on the weekend…

  • 17ht, Re the diving rules, you’re spot on. Also read that it is only incidents where a player has won a penalty or has influenced a referee’s decision to book or send off another professional that a review will be done and punished.

  • What is this new type of penalty shootout? For me it looks weird to have 2 consecutive takers from the same team.

    Good comeback win guys. We dug deep for the equaliser and we got it via Kola.

    And yes. Wembley is our second home. Confirmed.

    JK

  • Holding was shaky at times, but I think the game will serve him well as he continues to regain full fitness and coordination. I like it that we continue to dominate Chelsea at Wembley and this result should bode well for the season.

    🎶Alexis Sanchez baby🎵 Sing the fans, as the undressed players join in the celebration.

  • retsub1, just realized he hasn’t actually saved from Morata. Well, at least, he spooked 2 players into missing their kicks, eh. 😃

  • I loved Xhaka.. My Hero.. almost bang a great goal.. MOTM..
    Elneny can fill Ramsey post quite good..
    Mertesacker is very solid in the center of our 3CB..
    Kolasinac.. what a buy.. hope to see him play for our starting line up next week..
    Monreal and Holding did the job well enough..
    Lacazette almost score his first goal.. great shoot..
    The rest is avarage..

  • Cheers for update Seventeenho. Let’s all start the season with positivity.

    Great come back by the team which shows character. Look fwd to highlights later on.

  • It seems like early days and Chelski has yet to wake up from their bad preseason, so it is about digging deep and the need to have the mental strength.

    It might seem that Nacho filling in as CB might be a failure, but he did well against the Chavs.

    Kolasinac.. what a player to have. He injected stability at the back and strong in attack, he is the player that we had always wanted but for so long we are unable to find someone of his traits.

    On to the opener this Friday.

    Cheers on another win at Wembley. It should be our home ground, not the spuds.

    JK

  • Great performance by the team missing so many usual starters (Kos, Must, Rambo, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud).

    For Kos was Nacho in the middle of 3-man CD. He was intelligent and indefatigable.

    For Rambo was Elneny. He is obviously expanding his game. He was everywhere but somehow never out of position. Unbelievable engine and tidiness.

    For Ozil was Iwobi. Nothing sweeter than Iwobi bringing the ball up from deep. Simply electrifying.

    For Alexis was Welbz. Don’t look at him from the prism of a striker. As an attacking forward he is a handful. Tidy, pacy, a 1st class presser, Chelsea found it difficult to live with him.

    For Giroud was Lacaaz. Yesterday he came and promised us that there would be goals, plenty of goals from him.

    For Kola was Kolasinac. A tank. A blitzkrieg. Softens the ground for the infantry. Is he Wenger’s buy?

    For Xhaka was Granit. The master of control. Bestrode the game like a colossus.

    Holden will be a great. Ox out of position will grow him into that huge promise. Have you ever looked at Bel from the angle of graft? Amazing for such a young lad. And thanks to Cech for whatever he might have done to Courtois.

  • PE, Holden?? It’s Holding. And is that a wordplay for the sentence “For Kola was Kolasinac (himself?)”? And don’t get me started on Holden (cars).

    Ox is his own self. At times brilliant, at times not so, like last night.

    And for Cech, I don’t think he could have done anything to Courtouis. Courtouis looked like he was taking a kick upfield from his area, and not something you would see for a penalty. But that miss have had a direct impact on the Chavs, so it affected Morata.

    I am not a fan of ABBA penalty format. If one person misses the next person on the same team will be affected.

  • njk,
    Sorry. Truth is I don’t know where that super Australian car came from? Maybe the “super” is the link. Yes Kola is in a world of himself, a Kolasinac! Remember Cech and Courtois were colleagues at Chelsea, so don’t rule out effective mind games.

    I welcome ABBA. Also Reiss Nelson.

  • It would not feel nice if i was at the losing end of ABBA format. I was thinking like it would not be popular in the end, but we will see.

    Nelson needs more minutes and his last minute run was stopped by the Chelski defender.

    The Holden of the current times is not the holden of the past. Now it is just a rebadged Chevolet.

  • Hi all.. about penalty kick..
    As soon as I know Chelsea will get the first kick, then I’m already 90% believe that we will win.. I saw so many penalty dramas.. And most of the time the first kicker lost.. hehehehe..

    What’s most important is that our (not) first team can still compete with the Giants.. And Will be much stronger after Sanchez, Ozil and Ramsey or Cazorla play..

  • Fine player descriptions PE. Just saw the highlights and I loved the hunger and joy the boys displayed. By the looks of it Xhaka, Iwobi and ElsuperNanny were great and the full backs provided energy and penetration.

    I love it that we fought back fron going one down, that showed character.

  • Just reading yesterdays comments.
    T, as you know I’ve been a fan of Oxlades talent, and didn’t want to lose him, but i liked your comment about him. If he wants to screw us over by leaving on a free to a rival, I would try to freeze him out as much as possible. Why reward him with playing time to showcase himself for England world cup team and future suitors. I would use alternatives like Iwobi, Nelson, Theo, Hector, kola, much more. I know it may seem vindictive, but if our salary offer is fair, he should at least counter with something that can be worked out. I don’t want him playing for a big signing on fee for liverpool, chelsea or united.

    It’s not too counter-productive, as the alternative players I mentioned have plenty of quality, and with Nelson, the sky is the limit.

  • Great to read 17. Good comments regarding El Neny. I’m one advocating a new mf to help Ramsey/replace Cazorla. I’d love to think that El Neny can raise his vision and quality, we love the work rate, but at the moment, he is not good enough. Great to have for cup runs, the dreaded Europa games, 3rd choice overall. With no Santi, we need to give quality relief to Ramsey to keep him fit, otherwise, Arsene will be pressured to run Ramsey into the ground, again.

    On possible Chambers loan, i was wondering also, with Gabriel out… I guess Wenger has big plans for him, and wants him to have lots of minutes, so i would understand, especially if he’s meant to be Per’s replacement in a year. With any long term injuries to our defense, I assume he could be recalled.

  • Yeah J, am all for players trying to get a good deal, but the Ox bloody owes Wenger big time. He let Gervinho and Campbell go and stuck with the none scoring and assisting Englishman. Sign the document and start delivering ffs.

  • Johnnie, for me Elneny can be our Gilberto. I love his positional awareness, his simple but effective interventions, his cool and precise passing under pressure, his physicality, his energy and passion. He gives Wenger an option to play more like a closed unit when required, and Xhaka and Elneny know each other from their Basel days… respect your views though and would not say no to another signing in midfield.

  • Interesting comments on Elneny.
    I was chatting to mate Sunday evening and he compared Elneny to Ray Parlour, in that both lacked the more polished style of their current teammates but they compensated that with a great work ethic and more skill than they are/were given credit.
    Every team needs it water carrier and maybe Mo is that man for this team?

    Also I wonder if the impressive strides taken by Reiss Nelson in pre season have made Arsene have a rethink over Lemar, considering the fee that Monaco may require before releasing him?

  • And i want to add Welbeck to the list of people who can start in place of Oxlade. The hard work he puts in everywhere on the pitch is incredible.

    I would still sell him as a striker if i got half a chance, but i can see why a manager would love his contribution. As a striker, he is less composed than Sanogo, rarely even on target… He took a shot yesterday that still may not have come down. But i guess he is actually a good level as a 3rd choice behind Giroud. But Olivier must stay if/when we sell Lucas.

  • Kev, talking about Lemar, the whole news have sort of died down.
    Nelson is a unpolished Gem, and this season maybe he will be eased into the team slowly.

    If we manage to sell Perez, Debuchy, Gibbs, Chambers, Theo and Ox (I know it will cause an uproar here), we will have space for Lemar.
    But for now we will see how to outgoing transfers turn out.

  • Good Morning, All

    Well it’s morning here and you are probably in the land nod — and I can hear the snores from here. 😀

    Excellent comments from all.

  • njk

    The current rumours in the last couple of days is that Barça, with all the loot from the Neymar deal, are after both Lemar and Seri so our chances with those two guys are rather limited.

  • Thanks for the link, J. Kante is a brilliant player and he had a big part in the last two PL championships, but Xhaka suits us better as long as we can fill the position next to him appropriately. Let’s hope this will be Rambos breakthrough season, with Elneny and Coq adding the necessary defensive discipline when required.

  • Morning HenryB, for the past few days I was thinking about who to go to trim the squad down to 25. It is difficult to find at least 5 players who should go.
    We are bursting in midfield, but we are not having enough on the right side, with Chambers rumoured to go.
    So, who do you guys reckon will go?

  • 84, yes mate, Nelson looks the complete package, totally at ease among his more experienced and esteemed team mates and as mentioned Barcelona are bulging with Qatari cash so I have my doubts about a Lemar coming to Arsenal.
    Who knows how good Reiss will be in 12 months time if he gets enough games, Arsene won’t be afraid to use him if he thinks he is capable enough and can cope, he had no qualms about using Wilshere back in the day so age isn’t an issue to him only the quality of the player.

  • 84, I wouldn’t sell Chambers I’d keep him at the club, at worst I’d loan him out again and then consider our situation in a years time post BFG and reflecting on how Koscielny coped baring in mind the World Cup of 2018 and the wear n tear on Kozzer.

    And I wouldn’t sell Walcott, Theo scores goals and we don’t have enough goals from other players to be able to let him go imo.

  • Hi TA,

    Good to see you around.

    Who was that ‘silver-tongued’ Zee guy you were asking about elsewhere?? 😀

  • njk,

    There are some players, sentiment aside, who look to be candidates for the transfer chopping block.

    Gabriel has been marked as available for just £10m and it appears Valencia want him. To be candid I simply do not understand that. He has always been OK as far as I am concerned, altho the odd injury has hampered him too often. But £10m – that is a rubbish fee, and an insult to the player.

    Another CB being given a showroom shine before departure is Calum Chambers – and again I am surprised and disappointed. He is not the greatest RB but he has not let us down at CB which is where he should play.

    Also walking a fine line is Gibbs – a move has been touted quite a bit in recent weeks, with only his salary causing a problem.

    I am surprised that Ospina is staying. He is an OK GK but nothing more than that, and each of the last two summers he has been on his way out – allegedly – again his transfer to Turkey this summer seemed to collapse because of too high a salary. But it has messed up the career of Emi Martinez who has been shifted out on Loan, as a result – usually the first step on the way to the slaughterhouse transfer bin. That too would be questionable in my opinion.

    Then in midfield: Jack will go or probably not be played – one or the other, sadly. I personally doubt Santi will ever recover from that chronic injury, and should not be included in the squad, until next January, if he regains fitness – hopefully proving me wrong.

    Le Coq has received a bit of stick, not least from AW in an interview last season, and if we do somehow manage to buy Lemar or Seri then he will probably have to go.

    El Neney was supposed to be on his way to Turkey and again the deal broke down (Salary, again?) so he must be waiting with bated breath to see what Le Boss decides to do.

    There have been persistent rumours about Welly leaving, and the latest of which has Everton sniffing around. I like him, and he has regained his pace after injury and I have high hopes for him.
    His transfer would in any event depend on what happens to Giro. If he stays – then Welly might go – if he leaves – Welly might stay. Anyway, Giroud is another on the possible transfer express to Everton.

    And, not that I want to upset my friend, TA, but I think Theo should go, to be replaced by a younger more incisive winger, and that would let Iwobi get more minutes on the pitch — however, (this will put me back in good standing with TA) despite that, Theo will not go — that would be like Wenger agreeing to have a molar extracted without anaesthetic. 🙂

    there is also a whole raft of young and promising players slated to move on, like Toral, Jenkinson, maybe the Jeff, (alleged to have fallen out with Arsene) and others who have already or will shortly reach 21 and will not get a place in the squad.

    Plenty there to chew the fat about! 😀

  • HenryB (had to remind myself it wasn’t HenryC), you have outlined it all very well. However, I think most of what you’ve highlighted are based on the paper/agent rumours, especially where it concerns certain players. The likes of Welbeck, Theo, Ox and even Giroud are not going anywhere, despite what we read. Those guys are zoned in and focused on playing for this club in the 2017/18 season so, the rest is a mere distraction.

    Ospina must have thought Emi Martinez will take his place and once he (must have been) assured he will play in the cups, including Europa, with a chance to step up should Cech be injured or suspended, he has come out to say he was staying. So has Elneny, in a recent interview. If you ask me, Emi is our future No. 1 and is being given necessary preparation because he will be going to the World Cup for Argentina. The likes of Jack and Coquelin will be touch and go. If we get an offer and have a good replacement in, then that deal could happen.

    The group of Debuchy, Jenkinson, Gibbs and Lucas Perez are certainly on the way out with only Debuchy the doubt, as he can’t seem to get any team willing to pay him aclose to what he earns with us. But he has received the memo he is not under consideration in the manager’s mind. Gabriel should stay while Calum, Jeff and Toral need loan moves with Toral probably better off on an outright sale. He stands little chance of breaking into the team like his pal, Bellerin has done. Shame, because he is a good player, just in the ‘wrong’ department. Nelson and Maitland-Niles are confirmed as part of the first team; Jeff looks to have lost his way a bit. Don’t know of any falling out with the boss, just that he hasn’t risen up to the hype, lately.

    Those are my views on the subject.

  • And very good views they are too, Goonereris. 🙂

    You are correct of course, many of my views have been based on rumours and scuttlebutt gleaned from blogs and the media, but without having my own direct line to the Arsenal that is all I have to go on.

    Henrychan and I go back a long time (under a different nom de guerre for me) and a different blog — pre–the Wonderfull Totes and his BK, but you can always tell henrychan and me apart — I never type ‘hehehe’ — oops — apart from that time. 🙂

  • Hi Jnyc, 🙂

    Are you really the main man from New York? The capital ‘J’ is enough to throw a Klutz like me. 😀

    [I know really!] 😀

  • Maureen has somehow been ‘forced’ into declaring that he wanted to buy Bale from Madrid (tapping up by any other name) during an interview — another is a gasp [media style] that he felt forced to say so.

    This is the same man (?) who had a ‘fortuitous’ meeting with Cole before later signing the Arsenal player. Tapping up? No No No — it was just a couple, or three, guys having an innocent coffee — not that the FA bought that story and he got fined £200K.

    Excuse my French, but the man is a total sh*t.

  • By the way — did anyone read that he is the first man in history to open £1 billion on buying players.

    That is how he has bought his reputation – and has been fortunate enough to manage wealthy clubs prepared to meet his ridiculous transfer demands. Unfortunately Manure are going to carry on that ‘custom’. Buying titles? Surely not.

  • Henry B now ? !

    You don’t make things easy. R- Z . I enjoy your excellent posts elsewhere. Especially the recent ones about tight-fisted Arsenal and Indecisiveness.. TA keeps me even keeled.

  • HenryB,
    I think Martinez, whatever his first name, Damian, Emi ?, is being groomed as the long term answer, what Szcz was supposed to be. He needs tons of game experience at any level, and Ospina is a very respectable number 2 to allow him time..

    Also the same for Chambers, i think maybe he is being brought along for taking Mertesackers squad place eventually, if not quite like for like. If he is sold I’m sure it’s because we didnt judge him good enough for Arsenal, because prices for good cbs are also getting ridiculous. If he pans out, it can be a savings of 50 mil.

  • Good to hear from you Zee, RA, HB, etc 🤣 and yes I want Theo out too. But he won’t go anywhere. I reckon we will see some players leave on deadline day.

  • Of course, HenryB. Easy to tell it couldn’t be HenryC. I am now used to the tell tale entries. 😎

  • If we are to sell both Gabby and Chambers, we need to bring in a better defender. I hope Gabby stays and Chambers goes.

    For me i hope that Theo and The Ox leaves and we bring in someone better. It is quite frustrating to see both of them not performing for most of the season or out injured.

  • Hi all.. Somebody looking for me.. hehehe..
    Hi HenryB.. nice comments..

    JK, no right winger is better than Walcott when he is on fire.. hehehe.. Not even the diving Willian.. or the rude Pedro.. hehehehe.. So better to keep him around..

    The problem is we lack of defence in the right.. in the left we have Monreal, Kolasinac, Xhaka and Sanchez.. but in the right we have Bellerin / Ox Ramsey/Elneny and Ozil.. This part Will be our most weakest hole.. So putting Mustafi or Koscielny in our Right CB will..

    If we can be strong in the right then playing Walcott as our RW maybe another solution.. hehehe.. And I love his new hair.. look more handsome and shine.. hehehehe..

  • Oops – sorry, henrychan – lost an ‘h’ there – must have reserved it for one of your ‘hehehe’ signatures! 😀

  • Great comments from all of you – I will have to work out how to be around when the majority of you are blogging. 😀

  • TA,

    You must be well settled in Jocko Land by now — have you started to show your knees in a kilt yet? 😀

    [I got bored with the various monickers – and used them for different blogs – but most peeps seemed to know who I was anyway. Must have been my rubbish writing.] 😀

  • Nobody, well except Seventeenho, writes as smoothly as you Redders. A name cannot hide that! 😀

    Kilt is not for me, doesn’t show my bum well. 😎

  • Hi all..
    TA, do you mean HenryB is RA..??
    Is it you RA..?? Oh how I missed the games.. Hehehe..
    Where have you been..?? And where did VCC gone..??

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s