After what seemed an eternally long interlull, Arsenal are back in action v the Chavs today. Yippee! It is seldom easy playing an away game after an international break, especially not when the team has to play an opponent that recently started to find some form and confidence again. Arsenal’s visit to the Bridge will be a challenge for the boys, of that I am sure.
As usual, the club remain vague about injuries to some of our key players: Bukayo, Leandro and William did not play for their nations and it is unclear whether they will play today. Good wing play makes all the difference in attack, and I guess that if Bukayo and Leandro do not start, which I am anticipating, it is likely to be Martinelli and Jesus instead of them, with Eddie central. Two of the Brazilian Gabriels played a full game v Uruguay on Wednesday (a 2-0 loss), so I am hoping that they will not be too tired to star tonight.
Not starting with Saliba would probably be the worst scenario of the three injury-doubts. We can usually nick a goal or two, so being solid at the back is vital once again. The really good news is that we can play both Rice and Partey in midfield today, which should give us the edge, especially if the Ode is able to continue his fine form pre-break. At left back we will probably see Zinchenko, although I would prefer Tomiyasu there.
Although selecting the right players is important, much more important is to play with energy, passion and focus throughout the 90+ minutes. Will we have those three critical qualities on the pitch today? If so, Arsenal will win; if not, we will struggle.
Predicted Line-up:
Raya
Tomi-White-Big Gab-Zinch
Wall of DecThom
Jesus-Ode-Martinelli
Eddie
Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!
By TotalArsenal
Bergkampesque 
Actual team at bottom of post.
William and Bukayo start!
Aaron not even on the bench. Hope he is OK.
I expected a start for Jorginho and agree Havertz cannot be risked to start at his old stomping ground. He may not be able to handle the jibes of his former fans.
I did think GJ9 may start on the bench seeing as he has returned late from international duty, but it is all good.
COYG!
I also worried about Ramsdale. It is bad enough to be deposed by a loanee; last thing he’d want is an injury, that will do his England changes more harm.
Jesus needs a goal so he can settle a bit.
Afternoon Eris, hope all, is, well with you and your family. 🙂
Poor start all round. Arteta has his job cut out here. Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!!!
Bring on Kanu!! 😁
at 18:49
Ramsdale’s just gave birth, to explain his absence.
We were uncharacteristically poor today. Improvements made late in the first half and a good start in the second undone by a freakish Mudryk goal at the start of the second.
Now, we have our work cut out for us. You always thought Chelsea would want to change the trajectory of things and maybe, today is the day we prove our championship credentials by bouncing back or get our first L in the season, having conceded our first and second away goals of the season.
The ref has been having a mare with decisions going against us
I had erroneously gone and posted in the previous thread.
We just look out of sorts individually and collectively.
It was a pulsating finish and it looked like both sides resorted to long balls, settling for the draw. Chelsea deserved something from the game. We picked up our game in the second half but that freakish goal undid that momentum.
Maybe, a draw is a fair result, all considered. A win won’t have flattered Chelsea either. Poch got his tactics spot on.
For me the Chavs were the better team until our B team came on. Our A team were out of sorts, probably too good to play against a B team. And don’t get me started on the ref and his linesman
Anyway, overall not a good game, but satisfied with a point.
Watched two games back to back this morning. Ours v Chelsea and the England v South Africa Rugby semi final. Both the Chelsea coach and the England coach got their tactics right but neither came away with a win. England blew a winning position and will be feeling very sorry for themselves after such a dominant first 65 minutes.
Chelsea gave up a winning position too, but Arsenal were good for the draw with two very well taken goals. I’ve said it before, is not Leandro our best finisher?
Congrats to Daddy Ramsdale.
And, rest in peace Bobby Charlton who will be reunited with some of those mates he lost at Munich.
RIP, Bobby Charlton. One of the true greats of the game in UK, nay Europe.
I had a bad feeling about this one. Chelsea playing to save their season, buoyed by a couple wins… Arsenal over confident after beating Man City and recent success against Chelsea. Bad formula.. add in handball and fluke goal.. we were lucky to get the draw probably. We wasted the whole first half letting them out hustle us.
Hey Jnyc,
You are right about the handball and fluke goal which reminded me of the fluke goal that Saka scored against them a few seasons ago.
When I watched the match on TV I was like giving up already when the scores were at 2-0.. we were playing so badly and it seemed like Gabby nor Nketiah can get past Thiago, but somehow we did score 2 by fluke means.
ESR worked the midfield well, and if Jesus stayed on the pitch he would have scored, from the way we managed to open them up at the end.
However, we managed to get a point, but I felt that we dropped 2.
JK
Here are last weekends results:
1st Total with 4/6 plus 1 correct score and share of most correct predictions = 8 points
2nd PB with 4/6 plus share of most correct predictions = 6 points
3rd Kev & Stuart with 3/6 plus 1 correct score = 5 points
5th Eris with 2/6 plus 1 correct score = 4 points
6th GN5 with 2/6 = 2 points
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Season to date:-
1st Total with 56.00
2nd Stuart with 52.00
3rd PB with 47.33
4th Eris with 44.33
5th GN5 with 44.00
6th Kev with 37.33
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Next weekends selections:-
Chelsea v Brentford *
Arsenal v Sheffield United *
Wolverhampton v Newcastle United *
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest *
Manchester United v Manchester City *
Lille v Monaco *
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Great comments, guys. Good to read your thoughts again, 84.
Thanks GN5. I am loving this new aftershave.🤩
Those long train trips, Total. Giving you time to read all the form guides…
Chelsea v Brentford 3-1
Arsenal v Sheffield United 3-0
Wolverhampton v Newcastle United 1-2
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest 4-0
Manchester United v Manchester City 1-2
Lille v Monaco 1-1
Chelsea v Brentford H* 2-1
Arsenal v Sheffield United H* 5-0
Wolverhampton v Newcastle United A* 0-2
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest H* 3-0
Manchester United v Manchester City A* 0-2
Lille v Monaco A* 2-3
That’s it, Stu. Total with time to think goes a long way. 🙂
Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!
22 Raya
4 White
2 Saliba
6 Gabriel
18 Tomiyasu
20 Jorginho
41 Rice
8 Odegaard (c)
7 Saka
11 Martinelli
9 Jesus
Substitutes
1 Ramsdale
31 Hein
35 Zinchenko
17 Cedric
1 Kiwi
25 Elneny
29 Havertz
21 Vieira
10 Smith Rowe
1 Trossard
24 Nelson
14 Nketiah
Three massive points, two beautiful goals, one continous journey to finding our Mojo. Proud of the boys.
Chelsea vs Brentford…….. 2-2
Arsenal vs Sheff Utd…….. 3-0
Wolves vs Newcastle…….. 1-2
Liverpool vs Nottm F……….3-0
Man Utd vs Man City……….2-3
Lille vs AS Monaco………….1-2 (Balogun 2)
Rest Jesus and save him for the Newcastle game, play Eddie this weekend and at West Ham.
Hopefully Partey will recover in time for Newcastle as well?
I’m delighted for the win.
And – at the same time – disappointed for (in?) the inability to rotate.
TA, can you rescue my predictions?
Done, PB.
Chelsea v Brentford * 3-1
Arsenal v Sheffield United * 2-0
Wolverhampton v Newcastle United * 1-1
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest * 3-1
Manchester United v Manchester City * 2-2
Lille v Monaco * 1-2
I didn’t think we could afford to rotate much because of where we are in the group. No problem with the lineup.. and I usually complain for more rotation. Most of our players really wanted to play.. Chelsea away before CL away makes it a tough week. Tomi put himself in the frame for more starts I’d say. That could mean Zinchenko can play a bit of midfield since Partey is a crock.
Ben White needs some rest but Arteta doesn’t have confidence in his options it seems.
Chelsea v Brentford * H (2-1)
Arsenal v Sheffield United * H( 3-0)
Wolverhampton v Newcastle United * A (1-3)
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest * H (3-1)
Manchester United v Manchester City * D (2-2)
Lille v Monaco * D (2-2)
Indeed, it was a fine win for our boys in Europe. Looking forward to more of the same this weekend and beyond.
My predictions for Next weekends selections follow:
Chelsea v Brentford * 3-1
Arsenal v Sheffield United * 4-1
Wolverhampton v Newcastle United *. 2-2
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest * 3-1
Manchester United v Manchester City * 2-3
Lille v Monaco * 1-1
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Smith Rowe, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Subs: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Jorginho, Elneny, Vieira, Odegaard, Nelson, Trossard
Injuries: Timber, Jesus, Partey
Sheff Utd XI: Foderingham; Bogle, Trusty, Robinson, Thomas; McAtee, Norwood, Souza, Hamer; Slimane, Brewster
Subs: Davies, Baldock, Larouci, Fleck, Osborn, Brooks, Archer, Traore, One
I do hope we aren’t taking Sheffield Utd for granted, with the heavy rotation seen, necessary as it may be.
The lads need to play as if it means something to them and not make it hard till the more regular players are brought on to replace the not-so-regulars.
Brentford are leading 0-1 against Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge, against the general predictions. Complacency played a role in that…
First hat-trick for Eddie Nketiah. Instructive, he has done so before Marcus Rashford. That 3rd goal was some cracker too. What a hit from outside the area.
Cruising now. Time to ring the changes and give some of the lads a rest.
A slow start but ultimately a very enjoyable afternoon, a clean sheet, with no injuries, also positive substitutions, whilst key players were rested and 5 goals, what’s not to like about that – and yet people still moan, it’s quite odd really how some people choose to consume their football, I just enjoy every game with the minimum of stress because I know that I’m watching quality…
How do I know that?
Well in over 50 years I’ve also watched a whole lot of garbage – so I do know the difference.
Happy Days
stuangus806fd4e0e4
You Stand Accused
I thought you were the rock The Arsenal was built on, but a few minutes from now, as you wake up, I suspect even Eddie’s screamer won’t be enough to take your mind off the 9pm (up here in Hawkins, France)/8am (or so I think – down there in your Upside Down partition of this still-wonderful planet, for now anyway) kick-off.
No, no, no … your mind will be focused on that strange oval ball which your boy Jordan seems to have put a spell on: when he kicks it forward, it keeps rolling along the straightest of lines and just bounces back into his open arms at the exact split-second he expects it to, so he doesn’t have to break stride. Please don’t tell me he doesn’t have a joystick hidden somewhere.
I suspect even your baby granddaughter was lulled to falling into Morpheus’s arms last night, all dressed up into a black, feathered sleepsuit … and woken up in a fright five minutes later, as the whole family was rehearsing a late haka, the poor lamb.
Anyway, the truth is up here we’ll all be rooting for your boys. Your opponents are respected, and feared, but the rugby they play is not exactly “such stuff as French rugby fans’ dreams are made on”.
I just can’t see how you could lose that one, and am looking forward to the show you’re about to treat us to.
COYAB
LGsta, you don’t yet know me, mate. Watched the game this morning live and kicking, in my bed and rolled over at full time to snooze and spare some energy for the second masterclass of the morning…
Haven’t missed an Arsenal game since they have been broadcast live. We love you Eddie, we do…
A rainy day in Paris will hopefully not blunt our beloved A.B.’s flair game. A slippery ball and surface can lead to dreaded penalties. Last time we played the Boks in a final, I was laying on my bed in Znojmo, Moravia, listening to the broadcast on my shortwave radio. We went as favourites with Lomu monstering everyone in his tracks. Mertens missed a drop goal, Stransky kicked a drop goal and I didn’t get off my bed for days…
I fancy us to “smash ’em bro'” this morning. Deep breath…
Oh, mate … I grieve with you
How Barrett’s “bunker” buddies could turn the yellow he just gave into a red just beggars belief – the crime of the century against this game
Your boys were immense, though, but I doubt Jordie B. will sleep soundly any time soon, poor lad
That’s about all they’ve done tonight, but they sure can tackle, these Boks, can’t they?
Thanks LG. I appreciate your understanding and your shoulder to shed a tear upon. Nothing seemed to go right for us, bounce of the ball, missed kicks, harsh judgements, fumbles… we never got our mojo going.
The Boks are a ferocious force of nature and now supersede us as histories greatest rugby playing nation. God bless ’em. Our boys will come home to love and respect. And, at least they will come home. We’ve lost on a much bigger scale on French battlefields before.
Well a nice warm up game for Newcastle. Sheffield maybe the worst promoted team I’ve seen a while.
That third goal for Eddie was all confidence. He hasn’t attempted a shot like that in long time.
Hope he’ll carry the confidence forward. As on field captain he could’ve gone for 4 to get into a more special group. He is a perfect example of the Arteta culture that works incredibly hard, yet stays selfless for the team. The poster boy along with the obvious Saka and Ødegaard. What a group we have.
Tomiyasu posted that his goal was for his mom who passed last year. Beautiful stuff.
Have to tell the lads not to get carried away, and keep on snapping at the heels of the spuddies until they fall off.
Sheff Utd was beating us easily a few years back, and it is sad to see a team like that play a match that wasn’t getting many balls into our final third.
A good match nonetheless, and really good for the lads to maintain winning ways.
Last weekends results:-
1st Eris with 4/6 plus 1 correct score and most correct predictions =10 points
2nd PB with 3/6 plus 2 correct scores = 7 points
3rd Kev with 3/6 plus 1 correct score = 5 points
4th Stuart & Total with 3/6 = 3 points
6th GN5 with 2/6 = 2 points
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Season to date:-
1st Total with 59.00
2nd Stuart with 55.00
3rd PB & Eris with 54.33
5th GN5 with 46.00
6th Kev with 42.33
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Next weekends selections:-
Fulham v Manchester United *
Brentford v West Ham United *
Everton v Brighton & Hove Albion *
Newcastle United v Arsenal *
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa *
Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich *
Thanks for the update, GN5!
Well done, Eris. You are this week’s deserved champion. Well done to PB for predicting the 5-0 Arsenal win.
Another tough set of gsmes, GN5 ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
Fulham vs Man United……… 2-1
Brentford vs West Ham..….. 2-0
Everton vs Brighton…….…… 1-3
Newcastle vs Arsenal…..…. 0-3
Nottm F vs Aston Villa…….. 0-2
Dortmund vs Bayern………. 1-3
Thanks, GN5. Looks like I am on an upward trajectory. Long may it continue till I am seated atop the pile.🏅💪🏾😄
New Post 🙂
My predictions for next weekend’s selections follow:
Fulham v Manchester United * 1-1
Brentford v West Ham United * 2-1
Everton v Brighton & Hove Albion * 2-3
Newcastle United v Arsenal * 0-2
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa * 1-3
Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich * 2-3