Arsenal v Chelsea At Wembley – Again!
Aug 5th, 2017 by 'holic
A few days gathering rust completed, it’s good to be back to preview the FA Community Shield against Chelsea at Wembley. Some would try to elevate the status of what is essentially a last chance to work on some things before the season kicks off properly. Victory next Friday is far more important to us than this match.
Yes, it would be great for those at the national stadium if we did secure another morale-boosting success against a team who have had a good record against us in the last decade. Far more important though is that the new boys have one last chance to settle into what could be their roles in the season to come.
There has been some talk of Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil missing training as a precautionary measure against niggles. I would still expect both to start and get an hour or so of interacting with Alexandre Lacazette. The interesting thing about the selection tomorrow is the readiness of the late returnees, namely Rob Holding, Skhodran Mustafi, and Alexis Sanchez. Expect to see a second-half cameo from the latter of that trio.
As the first week of Premier League action starts Petr Cech should keep goal for the Gunners, and as a Chelsea supporting friend pointed out he will be the player with the most appearances for the bus stop in Fulham on display. The back three in front of him should be Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, and Nacho Monreal.
The most obvious wing-back selections would be Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac, although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain impressed towards the end of last season. Between them the favoured pairing of the moment appears to be Granit Xhaka and Ramsey.
Having already said that Ozil should start behind Lacazette that leaves someone to fill the Alexis vacancy in the starting line-up. The Ox, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, and Alex iwobi all have claims but it would be good man-management, perhaps, to reward the young player who made the biggest impression in pre-season. Reiss Nelson has earned an opportunity to play in front of a capacity crowd at the new Spurs stadium. (Good to see they hosted around 20k for the visit of Juve for their first home match!)
We are due to face a different Chelsea to the team we defeated so impressively at the same venue in May. Summer recruits include Bakayoko, Rudiger, and Morata. The latter will be a replacement for the out-of-favour Costa. Also gone are Terry, Matic, and (on loan) Zouma. Of course we faced them in China where aย Batshuayi brace and a Willian goal saw them comfortably beat a makeshift Gunners line-up.
It is fair to assume we will start a little more positively than that day and the two teams should be more equally matched this time around. There will be no ‘holic pound for a pre-season match, and although it would not be a surprise to see the shield decided on penalties there is little value in the 13/5 against the draw.
If you are going then enjoy your day. If you are watching on television then try not to chuck anything at the screen! If you are stream-hunting I wish you good luck.
Have a great one, ‘holics.
62 Responses to “Arsenal v Chelsea At Wembley – Again!”
First pint!
.
don’t worry
i am gonna fuck up
dinner to make
hope ye had a good holiday ‘hol
and here’s to yours and Arsenal’s good health this year
.
slรกinte big man
Fine preview Guvna. Your pre-season has clearly set you up nicely for the new season’s action. Pint of black and dram on the bar for you.
arselicker
windowlicker
fair point well made
Another chelsea era is about to start!!!
I’m meeting West stand to get drunk before the game and I intend to abuse a lot of chavs on the day
but cba, clearly also a connoisseuroffineliquors. ??
Won’t be there in body but will be in spirit . I was at We bleybin May and remember classless Chavs travelling on our train with Double T- shirts on. They became a collectors item.
I’m not very confident of us winning but I wasn’t in May and the last Community Shield we had there was won by the Ox’s goal. I’d like to see Nelson start and rip the place up.
COYG
No more than the varmints deserve, Dizzy. ?
I will be there in body and with spirit. ?
Fine post H
Long season ahead.
Final warm up match should see close to our starting line up for the Leicester game next Friday.
For that reason,cannot see Kos playing tomorrow.
Given he misses first 2 league games,you would think the Boss would want to field the back line that will start the season.
Don’t tell the players it is only a friendly,it will be very competitive tomorrow,but we do like Wembley,so wouldn’t be surprised if we won it.
I just hope it doesn’t go to penalties,as i will be totally confused by the new system of taking penalties.
As for Bath,
6 out of the first 12 posts,??
Absolutely shameless,must be related to the horizontal hooligan.
I suspect you are right about Kos, Clive. I still think Giroud will start, and Lacazette and Alexis will get run outs off the bench.
The best people in tonight. If I had known you were coming Dizzy I would have come myself lad!
TTG, Bath, Clive, cba, it’s a pleasure to see you here already. Got a tingling in my bones about this season, but we need another player or two yet.
?
Ah, Ned. There you are!
Do any of you nutters buy holiday properties and let them? I need some sense knocking into me. I have decided that this could be the way forward until I retire and move into said property.
cba – had a big slab of gammon and duck eggs this morning
i feel fuckin brand new
All I had earlier was two Diet Cokes and a huge bag of chips (how’s that for a balanced diet?) and feel definitely secondhand now.
My weekend is ruined. A day out watching football is cancelled meaning I will have to stay in an watch Arsenal*.
What is the world coming to?
*That’s a joke, precious ones
‘holic
i live in a whitewashed 300 year old cottage
i say cottage it’s fuckin huge
sideways
was expanded
the Scottish people who were planted here
knew a thick wall and the benefit thereof
so when the locals were out
“getting their die on”
( easily ignorable )
they extended
prob without planning
i dunno
guffaw
.
still
RESULT for me
cynic
the ducks are show ducks for tourists
i have four thousand out the back
sewing trainers for nike
sorry
keep it light
like the mighty chris
success and shite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlgQxK-HBGk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmb7TU0OrOI
i don’t exist
mr be arsed is a construct
i’m like totally nearly sure
i have funding to take this
like global
.
.
i miss highbury
i miss london
.
.
.
.
*wipes away tear*
actually that’s true so fuck that
?
Cheer up cba!
Apropos last drinks, keep talking my friend. What you say has meaning for us existensialists. It’s like reading e e cummings poetry while under the influence, puzzling but full of synthetic cubist strategy.
Not sure this is wholly appropriate for your current mooooooood, but anyway … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIYRbbHMesg … at least I know the singer, which is more than I can say about many of the curiously diverse performers you introduce me to.
Now do try and have a nice day. Or night where you are.
๐
Nice one, Holic,
Just awoke from an unintended slumber on the sofa ?
Here’s to our second trophy on the Spuds new home ground ?
I think Arsene will go with Cech, The Ox, Kos, Per, Nacho, Seo, Ramsey, Xhaka, Ozil, Welbeck and Lacazette. Here’s a to a good win to set us up nicely for a trophy-laden season.
On the house thing, I find its always good value to buy a house, so long as its in a location that’s on the up with regards to development. Very safe way to invest money that would otherwise be lying in the bank accruing insignificant interests. Letting it is also a good idea as you get back a little extra something monthly or yearly to save or help offset your bills.
Biggest advantage is that the prices of landed property almost always goes one way; up, which means you can always cash out if you change your mind or have a financial emergency and still get back the original amount you invested or more.
Disadvantages are that a natural or man made disaster could ruin everything, insurance is your friend here. The value could also drop but if you are buying with the intention of retiring there later you dont really have much to lose by a drop in its value.
Robert Madley to officiate and his appointment is supposed to help Chelsea?:
https://www.footballfancast.com/opinion-2/statistics/ref-in-focus-madleys-trigger-happy-style-suits-chelsea-more-than-arsenal
I hope we score first. We have hardly ever won, in recent times, when they scored first.
If we are really interested in Lemar, we should have signed him by now. Both Barca and Pool are, supposedly, interested in Lemar and if Coutinho goes to Barca, Pool will have dollops of cash and Wenger will not compete. Wenger will wait till the last moment and try to get someone from the leftovers at a discount.
Watched Monaco vs Toulouse on Friday. Lemar is good at set pieces, corners etc and plays on both wings. Gives the ball away a lot and will fit into our team right away. With Monreal and Kolasinac in the team we don’t need Lemar this year but Wenger is probably viewing Lemar as Monreal’s successor next season.
Cheers H!
Dizzy!
As we are still in early August the sound of leather on willow will still take the lead. I know next year is a World Cup year and I know we have crap summers, but I do struggle with football in the first week of August.
I hope that we do not use AOC as a wing back. I do think he is far better employed in a more advanced role. If we have hopes of keeping him then I’m not sure those will be enhanced by playing him in at wing back.
For those going, have fun. The Dizzy option would seem the way forward. I will catch up with the recorded game if we win and the highlights if we lose.
Drinks on the bar for everyone.
ksn@29: We have won seven of our nine games Madley reffed, while Chelsea has won three of their six.
Cheers, Guv’nor. No advice on second/prospective retirement homes save to say make sure you find somewhere you know people or know you can be part of the local community, so you are not isolated, and where there are decent medical facilities within reach.
Another Madley data point: he has given 14 yellow cards against us in those nine games, but he has given 13 to Chelsea in their six. No second yellows to either side, and no straight reds. One penalty each. Don’t have him reffing if you are playing Man City, though. He has given them six penalties in eleven games.
Thanks NBN @ 34, that’s reassuring. I hope we play well. It is already getting tense.
Giroud and Nelson on the bench. Lacazette starts and no Alexis.
No Ozil and Ramsey either. Looks bad
I cannot see what Welbeck brings to this team apart from Bambiness
He’ll probably get six now.
No creativity in this team and it is difficult to see where the goals could come from. I hope we will concentrate on defence though I wish Wenger had played Kos.
Lacazette hits the post.
Per elbowed out by Cahill and Willan gets yellow for diving. Chelsea are serial divers.
BT Sports commentators can kick their own heels too!
Come on!!!
Iwobi.. next buyout clause should be 150m at the very least…
Cahill and Luiz.. compete for toughest skull..
๐
Batman got a red….dirty fker!
Kolasinac!!!!
Kolasinac.. buyout clause also.. 150m!
GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lucky we could afford him…
๐ ๐ ๐
I sead he could snatch it. ๐
Snatch it?..He Kolasinatched it!
๐
Cech has never saved a penalty in his life?
Courtouis ….cleared it!!!
HAHAHAHAHA!
Selfies all round, lads.
The first trophy of the year. Take it Chavs!!!!
…Got to find those ABBA records again…HAhahaha!
Love the new format!
Never in doubt!!!! We’ve got our own Frankensacker!!!!
Woohoo! ? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Courtois looks like he’s got the thousand yard stare…
Needs to go for some counseling..!
๐
We were the better team and deserved to win. Take a bow, guys. Well played and congratulations.
Sorry to see Chambers lose out to Holding. One of them needs to take a transfer.
Props to Madley, who had a good game. Other than Oliver, can’t think of any premiership official who’s better. (That’s not saying much.)
Chelsea not that impressive; they miss Costa’s cuntiness.