Twas The Friday Night Before Christmas…
Dec 21st, 2017 by 'holic
A glance at the Premier League is enough to emphasise how important the festive fixtures are going to be for the Arsenal. There’s little point right now in looking further ahead than Friday night’s visit of Liverpool to The Grove. Avenge our mauling by the Scousers in August and we will climb into fourth place, two points behind Chelsea who will be the first visitors to the Arsenal in the new year.
Our options for the match are a little more limited following Olivier Giroud’s hamstring injury in the win over West Ham. It is thought that Francis Coquelin will recover in time despite also limping out of the Carabao Cup quarter-final. In truth neither was a likely starter on Friday
The biggest question for Arsene Wenger to answer is whether or not to revert to a back three. It’s a system which has seen us at our best, and our worst this season. Our performances with a back four have tended to rob us of our creativity. All will depend on how the boss thinks Skhodran Mustafi is after the nightmare start against Manchester United and his subsequent injury.
Pure guesswork but for me Mustafi starts with Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal. Hector Bellerin is unlikely to be replaced for a game of this magnitude and hopefully he will be more like his old self. Another big decision will be the left wing-back. Sead Kolasinac appears to have lost his first eleven place to Ainsley Maitland-Niles but will youth cede to experience for what could be a busy night up against the lively Salah?
The base of the midfield is a concern. Granit Xhaka is struggling a little bit of late but Mohamed Elneny and Coquelin haven’t made a clear case for displacing him and partnering Jack Wilshere. The front three probably picks itself. Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and Alexandre Lacazette should be given a chance to probe a defence that appears to be the visitors Achilles heel right now.
There is no doubt that Liverpool’s attack is up there with the best in the top flight this season. That isn’t helped by the knowledge that in our previous four meetings with Klopp’s ‘Pool we have always conceded at least three goals. How do you stop Salah, Mane, Firminho, and Coutinho (and perhaps an improving Oxlade-Chamberlain)?
The ‘holic pound
The answer to that last question is we can’t, so score more than them at the other end. Restrict them to two goals this time perhaps, and knock in three. The bookies don’t see it, so I am hoping for an early Christmas present at 22/1.
Tomas Rosicky
I don’t mind admitting feeling a tinge of sadness at the announcement by Little Mozart of his retirement. I can think of no more apt tribute to him than that of Little Jack Wilshere. Talking exclusively to www.arsenal.com he summed up what many will remember about Super Tom.
“He is one of the best I’ve played with in terms of what I wanted to be as a player. He picked the ball up and he drove at the opposition, not many players do that from midfield. You always think of a winger or a striker, but he used to pick the ball up in midfield and just want to create things. He had that yard of pace with the ball that got him away from defenders, that’s what I wanted to do. He was a great lad too, he helped me massively.”
With Santi Cazorla still a long-term absentee Jack is clearly the one player at the club who has that quality. The influence of Rosicky is visible. We have missed you Tomas, but at least you got to see out your career as you started it, at Sparta. You leave us with many, many memories.
Have a great one, ‘holics.
133 Responses to “Twas The Friday Night Before Christmas…”
First.
Fine preview H.
I’d pick a back 4 myself: Bell, Kos, Mustafi, Monreal
and stiffen the MF by adding Coq, or even AMN to Xhaka and Jack.
I’ll take 3-2 with delight!
I hope the back three is something that is dead, buried and gone. For all time.
Since the defeat to Utd,we seem to have lost all our attacking cohesion.
Very underwhelming performances in the 3 league games since.
For all the supposed weaknesses in the Pool defence,they have only lost twice in the league this season.
They will do exactly what Utd did,and press us high up the pitch hoping to feed off any misplaced passes.
Let’s hope we have learned our lessons in that area.
If we come out with the same spirit and desire that we showed against our friends down the road,it should be a good battle,but if we start off slowly,with ” little bit of handbrake ” because of the Utd defeat still playing on their minds,then we will get what we deserve,Nothing.
Whatever the line up is,bring your A game from the first minute until the last and as the Little Maestro was quoted this week,
” The fans knew every time i walked on the pitch i played for the shirt. ”
Do the same on Friday night.
Ditto Cynic. The defence has looked a lot safer (relatively) since reverting to a back 4 and it would just invite confusion to change again now.
I would seriously consider Per alongside Kos for his experience and additional height, and the fact he’s less likely to be dragged out of position.
I quite liked Mesut and Jack working together recently and hope to see that again. And I’d still like to see Kola as a midfield enforcer with AMN at LB.
But I know I’m dreaming … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ9EDUClEyo
I don’t understand the desire to return to a system that gave us so many groundhog years. The back three won us the FA Cup last season. Stoke, Liverpool, and Watford are an argument against, I’ll agree, but Chelsea away? Want me to list the embarrassing humpings with a flat back four down the years?
Just my thoughts, nothing more.
Thanks Bath. I would take a scruffy 1-0 again, but it isn’t happening. We have to fight fire with fire in this one.
…and if you liked Ms Nicks in the above you’ll love her in this extended version of Rhiannon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py3w5fttedA
Time for US to feed off THEM for a change. Then we can wash it down with a fine chianti.
Excellent preview. It should be a great game and the key is how well our midfield play. We need to press them to death as we did the Totts and play Ozil deeper as we did on Saturday. I fancy it may be a scoring draw but it would be a great start to Christmas if we can win .
Sanchez needs to play more effectively as well. If everyone is on their game we can win . But will they?
Point taken, H, but we were a shambles with a three most of the time and he nearly always dumped it and ended up getting his results after shifting to a four.
cba from previous drinks – Yeah there is only one lineup but that four piece, if it was Taylor and not Gill, was almost as good.
Personally the very short lived trio of Lemmy, Taylor and Robertson is one I’ve always liked, for the album they did and for all the stories about Robbo’s ballet shoes and make up 😀
marching off to another perfect day…
(maybe next time)
Thanks for the preview GH.
I’ve a lot of time for Per but I don’t
believe this is the right game for
him. For the rest – what GS54 said @3.
Turn up and play.
My team would be
Cech
Kos, Mus, Nacho
Hector, Jack, Xhaka, Kola
Ozil, Laca, Alexis
In other words, the settled 11 we had
earlier with Jack for Aaron.
I think AW will play AMN though and
also find a place for one of Danny or
Iwobi.
There’s a good argument for leaving
Alexis out as you really don’t want to
be giving the ball away so often against
Liverpoo but OG is out and Danny / Iwobi
are not reliable enough in front of goal so
personally I’d play Alexis.
3-1 to The Arsenal.
3 at the back was something Wenger tried to stimulate the defence and get them through to the end of the season, ‘holic … a season which ended with missing the CL for the first time in Wenger’s reign.
Yes, it worked to an extent, in that the players responded to having something different to motivate them and that proved the difference over the last weeks. But did it solve the inherent weaknesses in our defence? Hardly, because those weaknesses weren’t with the system they were in the heads of the defenders.
The big mistake was to credit 3 at the back with the improvement and elect to continue with it into the new season. And we all know how well that went when we met Pool early on. If Wenger really intended staying with 3 at the back why didn’t he buy a CB in the summer? Frankly I think he fooled himself into believing the new format was the thing rather than the personnel.
In general terms I’ll take 3 at the back seriously when the likes of Barca, RM, Bayern, Juventus, the Chavs, Manure and Man $iteh change from 4.
The players wanted the Back 3
so I read and AW prefers a Back 4.
We won the cup and played well
with a Back 3 but also won it twice
with a Back 4. We’ve also been
bloody awful with both.
I don’t get why anyone gets so
bothered about it – it’s our
fucking attitude that’s the problem!
Hello Chris
Wrote @13 before I saw your @12.
It wasn’t a response – just an
opinion!
Oops, didm’t mean to include the Chavs above. They are the only top team in Europe to use 3 at the back successfully in recent times. Although, less so this season of course.
Cheers Matt, we seem to be a similar wave-length! If we had five or six class CBs in the squad it wouldn’t matter what formation we sent out, imo. I think we may have two.
Kos & Nacho are both over 30.
I haven’t given up on Mus,
Calum or Rob yet but CB is one
of our many needs.
Unlike AW I don’t have a problem with players over 30, IF they’re still contributing. Centre-backs in particular are often playing their best football well into their 30s.
Case by case Chris?
I think you and AW have the same idea
in fact!
3 at the back was the reason why we improved. I was at Palace and we desperately refer to improve. I was at Wembley and three at the back enabled us to beat the champions.
As I said earlier we need to defend better from midfield and upfront with a high press. The performance we managed against the Totts who beat this lot 4-1 would do the trick
So Chris, what you are saying is that the current champions and FA Cup winners used a three, but none of the other top teams? ?
Anfield 89 ring any bells? ☺️
There was a very good analysis of the effect of the change to a back 3 last season by 7amKO on Arseblog at the beginning of this season. It demonstrated that the change produced no reduction in the number of chances and good chances we gave our opposition. The improvement in goals conceded and results was entirely due to an improvement in Cech’s saves-to-goals ratio particularly on good chances. Arsene himself said he changed to distract the players and get them out of their ‘funk’ after the series of poor results at the beginning of the year.
I can’t recall who said it above but I don’t think the system actually matters. It’s the mindset and focus of the defence and the midfield. I personally prefer the extra man in MF and a pair of big, strong, angry CBs.
But, though I have huge respect for the man, not Per tonight, please.
Very good post Bath. I’m completely bemused by Wenger these days. I hope he bemuses other managers as much as he does me. We are looking for a high- quality DM and in AMN we may have one. Kolasinac has lost a bit of form but iscway more reliable than Bellerin who appears untouchable. I’d like to see AMN and Wilshere in midfield and the Tank at LB.. If we play a four I’d prefer Debuchy currently at RB.
If we play a three I would go with Holic’s choices but if we play a 2 centrally at the back I think he will use Monreal and Kos for mobility, which will Be Key tonight. They are a fast team of small ball- players and Mustafi or the BFG might be exposed.
My team would be:
Cech;
Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal;
AMN, Wilshere, Xhaka;
Ozil, Lacazette, Sanchez.
Sanchez just makes the cut, more for his ability last season to pull a rabbit out of the hat and the fact that Danny is our only other forward option (if you exclude Theo who doesn’t really play anymore, even when selected).
If he hadn’t played on Tuesday, I might have replaced a generally unimpressive Hector with Debuchy. However Hector did look more comfortable as a RB in a four than as a WB in a back three which is paradoxical given that he spends so much time out of position so far forward!
looks a draw unless we play with the intensity we did against spurs, else we will have lots of possession, no end result, a break away goal for pool and a scrappy finish by alexis/laca to rescue a point. Again wishful thinking for we havent looked like beating pool even at home since klopp took over there.
I cannot still get over the spurs game because we showed the right attitude from the time the players were in the tunnel, they were focused. If you notice other games even the united one, our guys were laughing, shaking hands with the united guys and it reflected on the pitch, we were good but not good enough. Spurs game although we did not play as well as the united one, we were determined not to lose it at all. We need that attitude tonight else, mane, salah and coutinho will have a merry christmas after all.
Mesut get in your A game buddy for you and Xhaka need to have blinders for us to win tonight, Laca get your shooting boots on and score, you should get 90 minutes hopefully today.
Merry Christmas to all the holics here, been a great year with the lot of you and here is to many more years to come, COYG.
ha ha cynic 9 yeah
isn’t there some yarn about hells angels too ?
quite the character by all accounts
and merry christmas vinay
+
what he said last paragraph 25
Setting off extra early just to get to the rail station, traffic in Kings Lynn grinds to a standstill even on normal Friday afternoons, we are hoping for the best!
Having been at our last two home games and sat through the dross on offer, we will need to be really up for tonight’s match to produce any sort of a winning performance. I expect the crowd to be fuelled with sufficient Christmas Cheer to create a terrific atmosphere. Let’s hope the boys can feed off that as they did against the Spuds.
With two dodgy defences it could be a goal fest but putting the ball in the back of our opponent’s net has not come easy of late and I am half expecting a draw ? 2-2.
COYR
cba – you know you’ve messed up with your guitarist when Hell’s Angels offer to kill him for you.:)
As for tonight, I expect nothing so anything more is a bonus.
Off to the game tonight just boarded the train from Reading meeting my brother in law in one of the pubs in Holloway Road. Should be a blast and I’m really hoping we can start scoring starting tonight and it would be nice to beat them at one after that abysmal display at n they turf.
An early Xmas pressie is in order.
Apologies about those spelling mistakes iPhone ? doing it’s own thing
We need three points. Anyhow. End of.
Let’s be honest, Who knows what will happen? 3 at the back? 4 at the back? It make sure little difference if you make schoolboy errors. If it is a 4 then Nacho for me is not playing in the middle.
3 points any which way possible please.
Good luck to those going.
Cheers ‘h! ?
A must win if you are in any way “still serious” their term Arsene! ??
And in other Soccer news, from Arsenal FC: Alexis Sanchez is #32 of 100 and Mesut Ozil is #67 of 100. ?
https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2017/dec/19/the-100-best-footballers-in-the-world-2017-interactive?CMP=fb_gu
A must win if you are in any way “still serious” *this term Arsene! ??????
Three points in any way allowed or possible please nothing else will do otherwise it will be yet another full of questions and rants Xmas table discussions!
COYG!
Nice preview, Holic,
the Tomas Rosicky tribute is very nicely done – by you and Jack. His effect on games was always so positive, I found it hard to believe he was used so little in his last couple of seasons when he had supposedly recovered a degree of fitness.
It all reinforces the sadness that we still have no Santi.
Chris will be trying to tell us next there’s no Santa either. I hear he’s at least planning to use the reindeer in two banks of four this year – no more of that 2-2-2-2 nonsense ?
How remiss of me not to mention Tommy R. My personal view is that injuries robbed us of a genuinely world class player. On his day I thought he was phenomenal. When he came back after that massively be period out he looked as excited as a kid at Christmas, just to be playing. I’m glad that he has retired with such feelings for the club. I can’t ever imagine a period where he would not be welcomed back.
Top player.
I don’t get Iwobi.
Hope this selection does play as a four but we’ve got a left back playing centre back and a midfielder playing left back yet again. Mustafi on the bench when we’ve got Monreal playing centre back. Even if you don’t like Mustafi all that much he makes more sense than Monreal in that position.
Mental selection IMO.
AAAArsenal
AAAArsenal
AAAArsenal
Sitting too deep….
Attack is inherently slowed down by Wilshere….
Always our fucking mistakes
3 time we’ve been founding wanting at left back.
Awful defending and Xakha for some reason jams the anchors on when the cross comes in. He wasn’t going to get there (probably) but don’t fucking stop! Keep your run going and get something on the player if you can, to make it difficult.
Shocking defending though, with the full back completely drawn up field.
On the plus side.. Lacazette is up for it…!
Iwobi couldn’t pass fucking wind.
Fick’s sake, I thought that was two.
4th time.
Am I the only one that thinks we would be stronger at the back if we actually played a centre half at centre half, and a left back at left back?
It’s controversial I know but I’ll put it out there.
I thought we are the Home team…..
Liverpool 3 shots on target and 3 off.
Arsenal 0 shots on target and 0 off.
Perhaps we need to sharpen up a bit as well??
here we go again, same old shit papering over the crack of a very poor team and I can remember the 1974/75 season
Am I the only one that thinks we would be stronger at the back if we actually played a centre half at centre half, and a left back at left back?
We can see it but the bloke paid £9m a year can’t.
We are terrible, especially on the flanks. Ozil a passenger in a big game yet again and we’re not functioning at all in any area. The right flank is particularly poor though, despite the problems we’ve got on the left.
If we get to half time at 0-1 it will be a bonus.
Thank fuck for that. That all came from Ozil just chucking it away at the other end.
Fuck this.
With 2 passes they get to our box, lucky not to be 3 down
Make it 4
Should have been five down. We are shit against any decent pacy attack.
Need to revamp defence like City if we’re going to ever compete..
So casual at the back. We’ve got our “Can’t be fucked to try” heads on tonight
Ozil loses it and wanders about like a drunk looking for a dog end.
Sanchez not bothering his arse either.
Booing all round and fully deserved.
I should have gone down the pub for free booze.
Wow, should be 0-3 to be fair
We’re afraid to take them on.. always going sideways.. lucky we’re not down by more goals… play like the away team.
Lots of effort. Very little quality. Still not even come close to testing their keeper.
Massive massive improvement needed second half.
Three changes please.
Off with AMN, Iwobi and Ozil.
On with Mustafi, Walcott* and either Coquelin or Elneny.
Go with a proper 4-4-2 to shore up this dreadful defence by packing the midfield, which is being over run because Iwobi, Ozil and Alexis can’t be bothered or aren’t good enough.
*I only say this because replacing Iwobi with Welbeck would offer nothing different. Theo was awful the other night but at least he might worry them with a bit of running and he stinks of goals in big matches.
The cup team are much better than this shite, i would fuck sanchez of to man shity, bellerin to the juniors, xhaka can just fuck of anywhere and preferably take wenger with him.
We should scrap all competitions and put everything on EL, the only chance for UCL next year, not that we would shine there TBH
Surprise surprise Mustafi to be introduced. Why the f he didnt start him!!!??
Half time it’s not looking pretty, team go booed on the whistle have not seen this I don’t give a flying toss in a long time!
Guess Nacho is injured…of course
Lacazette with a touch of the Welbecks in falling over his own feet, abject corner by Sanchez, nearly 0-2.
WAKE THE FUCK UP
Sanchez is terrible. Giving the ball away, delaying and so predictable. We won’t miss him next year for sure.
Liverpool are dressed like training cones and we’re playing like them.
FUCK OFF
THREE players get drawn to the ball, Salah just runs into the spce, gets the ball and we are fucked.
What is Iwobi still doing on the pitch? Can we have Kola pls.
0-2. Score at will. Can’t watch this any more.
The laughing thing about goals is that they were both due to deflections
Sanchez at least has a goal scorer’s instinct. COYG.
A goal gives hope, but you know what they say about hope..
Get Iwobi off and Theo on ffs. If Welbeck comes on I will cry.
Now Ive seen everything, Xhaka scored, can go and die in peace
2-2, Xhaka get in!!!!
How the fuck did that go in?
Wow
Oh dear. CHOCOLATE WRISTS keeper.
I cannot believe we are level. This is mad stuff.
Their defence is as effective as ours… 😀
I cannot bear this
Whooooooooooo
I tell you what, the worst two players on the pitch have scored in Ozil and Sanchez.
I believe in Santa Cluas now.
COME ON.
3-2. Ozil, this is crazy. Don’t lose it from here please.
I take it back.. our defence is looking better than their defence now…
😀 😀 😀
Hell of an assist from Lacazette, that.
Play tight and hit them on the counter pls
Rag doll the bastards while they are rocking. Go for the throat.
Fuck me. They are worse at the back than we are. This could end up 9-8 at this rate.
Nuts.
You think BB? 🙂
I am very sorry mesut i doubted
you !!!!!’
He’s played the ball there you cunt.
Verdict is still out there… very fluid this…
Look, the back heel worked once Laca, don’t push your luck
Mustafi? What a substitution. Tactical genius.
Boooooooom
He only made the sub because Monreal was injured, Steve 😉
70’s Brazil replays are not good for the heart..
Bollocks.
3-3. You said it too soon, BB.
Like so…. It’s not over yet….
😀
He’s got to save that but the defending again was fucking dross.
This is not tight
Bring Kola FFS
I take it back. Perhaps they are not worse at the back than us
I wish Carragher would shut up. He had to be the most annoying twat on the box.
Robbie Savage with O levels
Good man AMN
Sub coming on and I’ve started crying…
Square it don’t fucking shoot
We could do with a shin goal?
What’s the point of making a sub now?
Feo Feo
Lacazette’s making a film in the New Year by the way
It’s called No Left Foot.
Cynic he wants to ‘steal it’ ?
Bloody hell that nearly went in!
Good good man ATM
Mistake from AMN but he did very well to recover there. Just see this out ffs
AMN of course
ATM? A player you can bank on.
Still feels like a ‘win’
That was an appalling performance for 50 minutes and a good point in the end, but we’re a really poor side sometimes.
At least we got a point. It could easily have been a rout at 0-2. Disappointing we didn’t win after going ahead. Anyway, it was a great comeback of which the boys can be proud.
Aye we may be poor… but they’re poor too!
😀
😀
😀
Don’t be honest Jack, you’ll be dropped like Theo was and never seen again.
ATM? Sell him. Cash in now.
It’s times like these when you want a coin toss to decide the winner… Not satisfied with the draw!! We need the points!
Jack again very good.
AMN & Özil should be contending for MOTM. What a game. Hats off, even though I still got issues with them.
Why didn’t I cash out? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>