Time For Another Response, Gunners
Dec 12th, 2017 by 'holic
It’s the first of two meetings in a week with West Ham which could give a serious pointer to our prospects in 2018. Ten days ago this looked a routine three points but then The Irons went to the Emptihad and were denied a hard-earned point by a late David Silva strike. Better came this weekend just past when they beat Chelsea at the free council house in which they currently reside.
Over the same weekends we have taken one point out of six against Manchester United and Southampton, bringing an abrupt end to the sort of mini-revival we have become accustomed to in recent seasons. It may be a weekday match but don’t expect the team to be fully rotated for a Premier League fixture. However a couple of changes could happen. Aaron Ramsey surrenders his place as a result of a hamstring strain and Jack Wilshere will be hoping to get the nod over Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny.
With Skhodran Mustafi still absent the manager faces a decision on whether to stick with Per Mertesacker, who looked decidedly not match-fit at Southampton, or promote one of his younger defenders, Rob Holding or Calum Chambers. The availability of Andy Carroll for the hosts may persuade him to stick rather than twist, despite a return after injury by Javier Hernandez.
There is another admittedly unlikely option. Go with a flat back four and select an extra attacker. Olivier Giroud and Alexandre Lacazette are a criminally underused partnership but there is also the option of Danny Welbeck to consider. That would certainly not be expected by David Moyes who you would think would defend in numbers and play on the break. An extra attacker could just keep their defence fully occupied and prevent a number of opportunities to counter.
Whatever way the boss goes we will need to see a return to form of a few who had earned a place in the ‘first eleven’, but who now must be under threat from the relative success of the ‘cup team’.
The ‘holic pound
There’s no reason for anyone not to give it everything on Wednesday night. It’s forecast to be just four or five degrees with blustery showers. Players will want to work hard to avoid the extra risk of strains and pulls of cold muscles. The Hammers will be buoyed not only by the win over Chelsea, but also that incredible come from behind win against the marshdwellers that set up our Carabao Cup quarter-final next Tuesday.
I’ve been backing on the safe side of late but only a couple of bets have come in so it is time for something fanciful. Defensively we lack consistently, but we have a midfield and attack with the capacity for the spectacular. I’m having a rather hopeful dabble on a 2-3 away win (obviously!) at a tempting 22/1 which was then boosted to nearly 24/1.
A Few Are Off To Sweden
Were it Copenhagen in summer I might even attempt the impossible and beg for one of the few hundred tickets we will get for the first leg in Ostersund. Instead it will be a long drive away to a far flung outpost of Swedish football where we will play on an artificial surface in temperatures of between ten and twenty degrees below.
It will be a test for probably our cup team in the first-leg, with the team suitably adjusted should it be necessary at the Grove a week later. It’s been good to see our friend Lars back in the drinks although his time will be largely taken fielding calls about ticket availability from his friends in Sweden and further afield. Good luck with that.
Have a safe Wednesday, ‘holics.
78 Responses to “Time For Another Response, Gunners”
Get in. First of many.
3-2 eh Holic!?I will be there tomorrow and am at this stage not looking forward much to it. We must start well defend and tackle with aggression and stop fanning around on the edge of the box as we did last Sunday. Looks like a draw to me- 1-1?
Fannying- can’t even spell one of my favourite words
Nice preview Guvna and wise prediction based on deep understanding of where we stand with a liberal splash of heart.
I do reckon it’s time for a return to a back 4 from the start with an extra midfielder to re-inforce both the cover for the central defence and the forward drive of LJW. Coquelin gets my vote to end the isolation of our sole defensively minded midfielder. The return of OG as a starter will shore up our defence of set pieces against Carroll and Harding wins the vote for his gutsy performance against Costa last season. It’s time to restrict Alexis’s turnovers to a 20 minute cameo if the risk is necessary to win the game.
I suggest:
Cech
Bellerin, Koscielny, Harding, Kalaschnikov
Coquelin, Xhaka
Wilshere
Ozil Lacazette
Giroud
Excellent selection bath, but the manager will go with Alexis.
Magnificent tweet from West Stand Tone re the Jack/Alexis fallout on Sunday.
“Stop giving the fucking ball away, it’s not your fucking dogs and they’re not going to fucking bring it back.”
?
Nice one ‘h! ?
Just don’t concede in the first ten minutes, and then you’ve actually got a chance of picking up all three points! ?
Second place’s well and truly there for the taking this term! So go and get it at the very least! The title chase’s also not over! Be within 9 points of Cit$h by the end of January and it’s “game on”!
Time to go on a 15+ league winning run to take back our record from Guardiola’$ Oily Ca$h Cow Guardian$! ?
UTAAD&AN!
AFCOF!
Dapper Dan
Second I could contemplate at a stretch but don’t let yourself be damaged by the hope of a title. There is no way we or anybody else will catch Citeh ( even though I don’t think they are as good as many say )
Still you strike an optimistic note and Bath has found us a new Centre back ?
I reckon the team ought to be
Cech
Bellerin Koscielny ( if capable) Mertesacker Monreal Kolasinac
Wilshere Xhaka
Ozil Lacazette Sanchez.
I don’t think we’ll play a four against a team who might use Carroll upfront. But it might be a better bet away when Mustafi returns.
Sanchez killed them last year and we need to turn it int9 the same sort of game . We might be outnumbered in midfield but with Jack there I’m hopeful we will be more creative .
2 – 3
has a nice ring to it
has a nice ring to it
has a nice ring to it
Great preview, thanks Guvnor.
Lots of good comments too and
the selection seems more up in
the air than for a while.
According to AW in the press one
of the things he’s considering
is a switch to a back 4 and
another comment is he felt Alexis
was coming too deep and needed
to stay further forward to score
more.
Regardless of which way we go we
need to avoid stupid mistakes and
going a goal down early.
I’d play
Cech
Rob, Kos, Nacho
Hector, Le Coq, Jack, Kola
Ozil, Laca, OG
Let Jack and Ozil create for Laca
and OG.
Of course I don’t think AW will
pick that team – I expect Alexis,
Xhaka and Mert will play.
Oh and 1-0 to The Arsenal
Fannying- can’t even spell one of my favourite words
We should all be doing a bit of Fannying this Christmas.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p05jv04g
Cech
Debuchy, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal
Wilshere, Kolasinac
Ozil
Alexis, Lacazette
Giroud
And let’s not concede more than one in the first ten minutes…
Totally irrelevant to everything else, but does anyone else fancy the idea of Arteta as our next manager in 18 months time. Another 18 months working and learning from Pep and given his character, apparent integrity and respect for our club, I’d have thought he would slot right in. He would lack experience of managing, but I would rather see him here than the usual list of old has-beens.
Fit or not, Kos has been awful this last month and should be rested.
Alexis should be benched and I’d like to see Laca and Giroud together.
Wilshere deserves a game and this should be it.
2-1 to the good guys.
UTA.
@14
Arteta would a gamble taking his
first management job but I think
we were Bertie Mee’s first manager
job too.
A younger British coach, that’s who should be given a chance after Wenger. Developing young British talent too should be our re-focus. ?
I really can’t see us giving Arteta his first managerial challenge at the Arsenal as a rational move. It’s a mahooosive leap from assistant to the main man even at a small club which is why most who attempt that leap fail spectacularly. If he can show he has the smarts to develop a club and take it and its squad forward, winning some trophies along the way or at least seriously competing then I would welcome him with open arms but it’s not enough to simply be a smartly turned out ex-Arsenal captain basking in the reflected glory of an oil-money doped club run by a clever coach.
Nor can I see a single younger British coach around at the moment who could meet the challenge of taking the Arsenal forward after AW skips out the door in the next year or two. Even with the extra bodies that have been brought in to help with the acquisition of new talent on the field. Not a single one qualifies fully and i’d hate us to appoint the nearest to qualification, the slime ball that is Brendan Rogers.
Give me a transition led by Carlo Anchelotti or his equivalent over either option there.
Matt @16, different era, different culture, different club, very different challenge.
A younger British coach, that’s who should be given a chance after Wenger.
Even if there was one, a British coach is not sexy enough for a big club, there’s this belief that you need a foreign coach because British coaches aren’t good enough, have no profile overseas, can;t attract players blah blah blah..
No Lakashinatz.
Sexy line up
Arrived at ground and as am doing poncy corporate hospitality was handing a team sheet. I want to go home
4 at the back and no Lacazette or Tank. Just like Liverpool. May want to go home soon ?
So Cynic is Fat Sam after all!
I think we would look seriously at a British manager with the right credentials. Sadly there are none at present.
You said Andy Carroll? we give up a goal already then, i will go for a 1-3 win for us.
Seriously the team selection is poor, Maitland Niles starting? Iwobi again? Why Giroud? Do we want to win this game or please the bench warmers? I am not sure what are we trying to make out of this game for sure it is not making sense.Why would you drop your best striker? Why no Welbeck/ come on Arsene, this may come off and we may win but honestly this was not a game to experiment. COYG for we need to win this and saturday at all cost.
come ooooooon!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlDV5Zsf6lw
Terrible team selection. Nonsensical. It’s not fucking April.
My 50p is on Xhaka and Zabaleta to both get a card.
Got luck there come on!
Terrifying defence selection and so far, terrifying defending.
Thank God Xhaka was not marking Arnautovic ? for the offside goal
Mexican announcer says AM Niles is playing with personalidad, whatever that means.
As ever too many flicks and tricks on the edge of the box and minimal penetration. I could think of an analogy. Meanwhile Spammers very direct.
Great tackle Jack!
Niles and Monreal accident waiting to happen!
Moss really is a terrible referee.
Can’t disagree Arthur @34
Time for a nice cup of tea and a mince pie.
Just pray they don’t score first .Opening goal is vital here. We look shaky defensively and generally lack power.
Sleepwalking to a defeat here. Carroll with a late winner for them. UNLESS we get our shit together.
All too slow, games nothing to write home about but at least Jack is back.
Buck up you Reds
Lots of huffing, Lots of puffing, but far too few blow your house down moments. Jack trying to be creative but again we are too narrow, and there is a distinct lack of movement. We need to make their keeper work more.
The defence is a car crash.
Utter Dross, Luckily West Ham are a level below that so we may just win – We are sleep walking through a season.
@35
Absolutely, Moss is always a
disaster waiting to happen.
Just hope he happens to them.
Need to get Lacazette on.
Playing AMN out of position at
LB shows a lack of faith in Rob
or Calum
Iwobi si exhausted
Or he just doesnt track back
Sub Iwobi please he hasn’t got any energy left in him
Alexis is wasteful but Wenger will NEVER sub him
Blimey Jack, could of done with
that. OG’s head looking the
likeliest way to goal
flickety, flick, flick
We’re poor but will probably still somehow win it.
too slllooooowwww
I wish Welbeck would bugger off.
Come on make some subs for god sake it aint working change it….
REACT!!!
took Alexis off, so Laca wide left?
Jesus what are they doing
Koscielny you massive twat. Got away with that, big time
I’ll take that point
Ball watching!
Fuck me. Kos AGAIN.
Has he not learnt anything??????
suicidal
score
this FK I mean
WTF is Ozil doing taking that?
Rubbish game.
Point a fair result….
We are shooting blanks…
Is it me or our players are so shit?
Drifting further and further away, biiig changes needed starting from the bloody manager who won’t spend
Is Nacho now our most realiable centre half?
Same old same old same old same old.
I dread to think how many Arsenal performances like that over the years?
Nice to see Jack back.
Dross was to kind, we are abject, No pace no width no players willing to beat a man, Players not giving a fuck, Absolutley no hunger bar Jack absolute end of the road shite.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
We are now actually closer to the bottom of the table than we are to the top.
I completely understand his philosophy but it aint working and we need something fresh!
@69
He could spend another 100/200 million and nothing would change he’s done.
Chicharito miss a monumental stroke of fortune for Arsenal. Two points gained out of Southampton and West Ham were quite fortunate indeed. Performances certainly not up to the standard we require. Lack of goal scoring chances is very disappointing but they defended with 10 men all game at home and we hardly ever looked like scoring except for a 10 minute stretch half way through the second half. Jack’s right footed effort was very poor when he had to get it on target.
Down to 7th now – 2 points out
of the last 9.