Theo Returns But The Gunners Need For The Points Is Great
Feb 2nd, 2018 by 'holic
Defeat at Swansea has left us eight points off the top four so the visit of Everton must provide the start of an unbeaten run. Certainly there will be a fresh feel to the side tomorrow if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang recovers from the fever that has also affected Jack Wilshere this week.
If he doesn’t we should still get to enjoy Henrikh Mkhitaryan starting for us for the first time. Accommodating him raises questions about our formation and should Aubameyang be passed fit those questions will increase. Will we go with a back three or four? Possibly four if we have two strikers playing together? Perhaps a three if we play with a single striker? Arsene Wenger also wanted to add to our defenders in January and called for more focus from his team.
“I couldn’t do everything. I wanted to do more. I believe we have to find an internal solution to our defensive problems, and that means everyone putting more effort in.”
I suspect the manager will persist with Petr Cech in goal although the temptation to play David Ospina must have risen. Assuming our new striker doesn’t make it then a back three of Laurent Koscielny, Skhodran Mustafi, and Nacho Monreal playing behind wing-backs Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac would strengthen the left side of our defence. Theo Walcott makes his first return to the Grove since joining Everton in January and we must not give him anything but a warm round of applause.
The midfield needs freshening up. Granit Zhaka has looked jaded of late and could be taken out of the firing line for this match. Mohamed Elneny has performed well in his last two matches and deserves another chance to anchor that midfield in front of, or dropping into, the last line of defence. Aaron Ramsey, or Jack Wilshere if fit, gives us box to box capability. Mesut Ozil (thank you for signing that new contract) as the main playmaker and Mkhitaryan giving us width on either flank as appropriate.
If ever Alexandre Lacazette needed a goal or two it is now as his place comes under threat for all but the Europa League matches. I personally would prefer to see us operate with two strikers now that we have two of the best in the business, but the challenge the manager faces then is can he play two strikers and two creative midfielders in a team that needs to improve defensively? It’s a nice problem to have, I guess, and should certainly act as a motivator for all four to perform to their potential.
Everton succeeded where we failed in the transfer window and their defence will be strengthened by the loan of Manchester City’s central defender Mangala. They also come into the match in good spirits after beating Leicester 2-1 in the week with Theo bagging his first brace for his new employers.
The ‘holic pound
The bookmakers fancy 2-0 to the hosts but our last clean sheet in the Premier League was against Newcastle in December. For that reason I’m taking 8/1 against us winning 2-1. Our home form has been decent and the players must have had the need to react positively to the shambolic performance at Swansea drilled into them these last few days.
Farewell
I admit to a little sadness that in order to sign Aubameyang we had to allow Olivier Giroud to depart to the bus stop in Fulham. He has given us tremendous service for over five and a half seasons scoring 105 goals in 253 appearances. He was the one player at the club capable of playing with his back to the opposition goal and his departure weakens the squad. Thank you Olivier, and also to Mathieu Debuchy who arrived at the club as a highly-rated right-back only to be cruelly fouled by Arnautovic and he rarely returned to full form and fitness. Let’s hope he finds both again at St Etienne.
115 Responses to “Theo Returns But The Gunners Need For The Points Is Great”
Cheers!
Cheers Pip, good to ‘see’ you!
I would give Ospina a shot at this point. If for nothing else than to stick a cattle prod where the sun don’t shine.
Thanks for the preview. No surprise that Everton fans are raving about Theo, as they’ve scored three since he arrived and he assisted one and got the other two.
But then, if you’ve had to live off nothing but bread and water, a thin scrape of butter on it will feel luxurious.
Jack’s had a fever?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L60GziFpdA4
Cheers Holic. Some extra thought required for team selection tomorrow.
Boss needs to get it right along with the players who must show equal measure of skill & determination. A further disappointing performance and result will be bad all round.
2-1 seems a fair wager so the win & Holic pound will be well received ?
Thanks Guvnor.
I’m curious to see how we line
up too.
I think we’ll play Cech but I
wonder if one of defenders will
be dropped after some recent
comments from AW.
3-0 will do nicely.
??
Nice preview Holic one that whets the appetite for Saturday. We just need to kick on now. We have our squad for the rest of the season and lots of attacking options . I think I’d play a four at the back – a diamond in midfield with Kolasinac sitting in front of the back four and Wilshere and Mkhitaryan behind Ozil as a 10 with PEA and Lacazette together .
I’d not change the goalkeeper. I don’t rate Ospina and even a failing Cech is better.
I don’t think Wenger will play that team. He will put PEA on the bench with Wilshere and have three in midfield – Xhaka, Elneny and Ramsey. Mkhitaryan and Ozil will have Laca in front of them. My team is better but then I would say that wouldn’t I!
I will warmly applaud Theo but hope we will starve Everton of the ball. When I’ve seen Mangala before I’m very glad we didn’t bring him in.
3-1 to the Gunners!
How do I cash out again?
Thought provoking preview, Holic. I look forward to seeing Mkhi start. I had hoped he’d arrive at the Emirates before he was tempted by the dark side. Now that he’s back in the sunlight, I have high expectations that his quality will shine and that with Ozil and JW he’ll form a most formidable attacking midfield. I think your comment that Xhaks is ‘jaded’ is kind in the extreme. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more.
I like your builds, TTG and would go with all of your team except “Kolasinac in front of the back four”. While I agree with the general view that he’s a tank who offers a powerful threat going forward, I’ve seen defensive wobbles that concern me and I would choose Elneny or AMN ahead of him in that critical role. (And yes, AMN would be a gamble but one AW should be considering if that’s to be the boy’s future).
I think we’ll do one better than the Holic pound and expect 3-1, no less. My only regret is that I won’t be at the game. The drumbeats say Steve T is planning to give the moths in his wallet an airing and rare events of epic proportions really shouldn’t be missed. I’ll applaud Theo’s arrival from in front of some screen somewhere. Enjoy, Holics.
Good preview, ‘Holic. The team had better put in a shift tomorrow, and if they do they should score a few.
Thank you for a nice helping of positivity ‘holic 🙂
Much needed.
RIP Dennis Edwards of The Temptations, lead singer on suc famous records as Papa was a Rolling Stone, and many others. What a great sound and memory.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzly6jrepRU
We march on in the Youth Cup , winning 3-2 at Boro. We are in the last 8 versus Reading or Colchester
Excellent preview Guvna. Covers all the issues. I would choose BtM’s team and agree with TTG that his selection (with Sead) is better than the likely selection by AW but BtM’s choice of Mo or AMN is better still.
Score? I hope we do and more than the Toffees too.
And bye bye HFB. Thanks for some great memories. Good luck except against us.
COYG
for chris and cynic, among others:
https://www.footballparadise.com/theo-walcott-sin-just-good-enough/
I liked BtMs team too but I
guess AW will go with 3 at
the back, Xhaka, Ramsey
Hector, Kola, and Ozil, Laca,
Auba. Mkhi and Jack sit.
Elneny, AMN on the bench too
with Osp, Calum or Rob and
Iwobi.
God knows why but I think
that’ll be the XI.
Easy to write that sort of stuff in retrospect, scruz. With no mention of the repeated injuries which dogged his career. Or the lack of opportunities he had compared to others in the latter part of his tenure.
I can’t see O’Bangabomb starting. AW likes to bench his newbies and sub them on to an appropriate welcome from the crowd. I just hope Laca isn’t the one to give way.
4.4.2. has to be the way ahead now, although he may start 3.4.3. and revert when O’B comes on. At least that’s what I would do, so it won’t happen of course.
Theo is bound to score!
And if we play like we did last time out he will get a hat trick. Xhaka needs to be dropped he adds nothing to the team. I’ve basically given up on him. But I’ve always liked Elneny. He deserves a run in the team.
3-2 Arsenal with Lava getting a late heart stopping winner!
That should be Laca not effin lava
Best would be a win with a clean
sheet, but if they score and
Walcott gets it I don’t much care.
As long as he doesn’t do the non-
celebration out of respect for the
fans bollocks, that’s always
annoying.
Actually making a league game. For once the change of kick off time has worked in my favour.
Who knows what will happen? We are still predictably unpredictable. It will be nice to get a glow Mose of both new signings, assuming Aubameyang is well enough to be considered.
I’m sure Theo will get a great reception. He was always well received by the fans, even when he had one of his garbage games. I will make sure I’m still there at the end to applaud his efforts over the last 12 years and to send him a big fat kiss sent from the heart of NZ.
May actually get a chance to catch up with a few regulars at some stage.
Up the Gunners.
Morning All,
I have no idea what to expect after last week’s shocker at Swansea. I hope to see Mo replacing Granit and Jack back in the MF. I am feeling sorry for Laca playing on his own up front, he’s a smallish guy who battles against 2 CDs who crowd him out. How about 4 4 2 ?
With the new signings in the side, who I suspect will be closely marked, I expect that Mesut will be given more space to work his magic, she says hopefully.
Am expecting Feo getting a warm welcome back from the Arsenal faithful but trust Nacho keeps him quiet . Holic 2-1 sounds a good shout. It’s hard to forecast a clean sheet these days but hope the new boys, if picked, score an early goal and settle all our nerves.
COYR
It is reassuring that Paul Merson thinks we are weaker after the window than we were before. I read today he criticised Citeh’s purchase of Kevin De Bruyne because ‘ he was out of his depth at Chelsea’. As I said earlier in the week there are too many ‘pundits ‘ out there and many of them are employed because of their willingness to say sensational things rather than intelligent things . Merson falls very much into this category and we can now hope that we go on from strength to strength as he thinks we are doomed.
To be fair he was making the point that we should have signed a defender in the window which is beyond doubt. My sense is that Arsenal put all their efforts into the two very complicated deals we did tie up and didn’t know how much we would have to spend thereafter. A bit odd but that’s Arsenal. Looked at another way would it have made sense to sacrifice the capture of a world superstar to tie up Jonny Evans at a heavily inflated price?
Interesting also that Wenger admitted yesterday that it was a mistake ‘in retrospect’ to retain Sanchez during the summer. I think this may have been the final moment when he cooked his goose with Gazidis because it is clear that Ivan the Terrible has definitely upped his influence since then. It was a terrible mistake and cost us £30 million. The rescue job carried out which brought Mkhitaryan in was firefighting . Wenger shouldn’t have had the influence to take such a silly decision then. It really doesn’t seem he has it now.
Scrub
That was a very well- written and fair article and captured the essence of Theo very well. He was an enigma but as we may see today he could be devastating. He will be hugely applauded today and I certainly will acknowledge his contribution. A lovely lad and one I wish the best of luck too- after today!
Sorry Scruz !
Agree totally with TTG@26.
I love Merse to bits, but sometimes he says the most stupid of things. He is spot on, we should have strengthened at the back. Realistically we probably need 4/5 defensive players if you include a holding midfield player and a keeper in that. Then re ruins it by suggesting that one of the solutions is Jonny Evans.
Her son and Ian Wrong are morons. Spouting inconsistent sensationalist bollocks for money. And all too eager to slate the club that gave them the platform from which they are paid handsomely as so called pundits.
Theo was a player who never had the manager’s full confidence and he never really knew what to do with him either IMO. The criticism Walcott has had for wanting to play up front then saying he was a wide player was largely down to the manager as well, who I think bought Theo to be Henry MK II, and said as much when saying very early on that he was going to be a striker. Then he only used him up top as an afterthought, chucked him back wide and he scored loads then got dumped for no real reason.
The move will, I hope, be the making of him.
He was never as bad as his critics said and didn’t become as good as he could have been.
When you think he came to the game late, never had any decent coaching in his life before he turned pro and has had very little development work done on him, he’s done very well.
He will always feel like undeveloped potential and a lost opportunity to me though.
*Merson ffs
Merson and Wright are certainly shit as pundits, and have crap opinions, but they are nowhere near as irrtating as Stewart Robson. What a tosser.
Dexter
I thought you knew something juicy about Merse’s parentage!
I remain firmly convinced that a club who signs the following players has one motivation- profit from printing player’s names on their shirts-
Kolasinac
Lacazette
Mavropanos
Mkhitaryan
Aubameyang
No chance for Park/ Ba / Ng or any names that aren’t going to raise mega- bucks. Benzema is only seven letters and Evans five. It’s a cunning plan ?
scrub loves ya, ttg 🙂
i hope theo goes on to incredible success in merseyside, except that he retains his offside, chicken-without-a-head, lack of defense games for when his blues play the arsenal.
Team news in
4-2-3-1 ?? I guess
Cech
Hector Kos Mus Nacho
Xhaka Ramsey
Mkhi Ozil Iwobi
Auba
Osp, Ash-N, Calum, Kola,
Jack, Elneny, Laca
Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan will start.
Feel for Laca there and I wouldn’t
have Aaron over Jack at the
moment
Wenger too stubborn.Continuing with Xhaka and Iwobi!
Disappointing.
And I guess too that not many
of us would have picked Iwobi
just now either
Big Sam drops Rooney to the bench, which is a bit of a surprise given Shrek has scored more goals against us than anyone else.
Nooooooo not Iwobi again ;(
And just like that… my optimism has evaporated…
Shite team selection.
I’m referring to midfield “engine room”
It’s as if AS is determined to prove to everyone that Xhaki is a top player and we all apart from him can’t see that.
I’m surprised they’ve left Rooney, Tosun and Sigurdsson on the bench. They would have been a right handful for our dubious defence.
Ok lads, which player off today’s bench would you pick instead of Iwobi? (Radford, Barack, I’m looking at you)
Would you pick Laca to play the wing? Or play Laca up front and shift our brand new uber-striker out wide?
Xhaka ?
?
Xhaka to score today!
😀
Get in, Ramsey!!!!
Miki Miki Miki…nice assist!
GET IN!
😀
Miki with the assist and defensive work, me like it
Koscielny!!!! Why can’t we play like this every week.
Great start, nice cross Mkhi.
I wouldn’t have picked Aaron
today haha
2-0!!!
Should have left it for PEA ?
This could be anything here. Mangala is a dreadful load of shite. 😀
Do not switch off!
3-0, Ramsey again. Why don’t we play like this every outing?
Great tackle by Mustafi to frustrate Theo.
jekyll and hyde definitely but
let’s enjoy today
good save mustafi
PEA off!!’m 4-0.
Pure class.
PEA!! Welcome to Arsenal
Dortmund connection
Offside but we don’t care
Miki-Auba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GET INNNNNNNNNNNNN!!
4-0 first half 🙂
MOnreal our other striker ..just missed!!
Score a few in the second half, please.
Nice addition, Miki.
4-0 flatters Everton, great stuff
going forward, enjoyed that.
More of the same 2nd half I
hope
@67
I expect Nacho to get those now!
Another goal from a corner today
How often does a Fat Sam team get so badly smashed by us?
Just don’t ease up second half. Anything less than seven is an epic fail 😉
Ozil magnifico
Don’t seem to be missing Petulant Pete Sanchez then?
Big hand for Tomas I heard at
half-time I heard
Do not switch off!!!!!
Back to our style of defending. Kolasinac stood watching as they headed home. 4-1. COYG?
COYG.
We switched off 🙁
Kolasinac isn’t a very good defender, is he?
In fact, put our jammies on,
had an oval tune and called it
a night
Osp on, hope Cech and Nacho are
not too bad
ovaltine not oval tune 🙁
Hatrickhat for Ramsey!!!! 5-1.
Hatrick.
Gsus.. can Miki pick a man!
What a player!
What is a Mustafi?
We woke up 🙂
Well done Aaron, first hat trick
Mkhi has looked brilliant – getting
away from Maureen is good for
your health
Kolasinac is having a mare.
Miki is a good technical player with good ball retention and a wide range of passing. Can’t wait for him to get used to our league and then we will see what an effective player he will be for us.
Defensively though, we do need to shore up.
Calvert-Lewin is a cheaty little
fuck
Anyway, 5-1 was a cracking
result. Happy day
Yes,OM. Three assists for Miki, a goal for PEA, a hatrick for Ramsey and a great win and three points for us. What more could one ask for?
Our counters clearly too slow.. too much lateral passing.
Auba needs the quick through ball.. He’s still not sharp enough.
But his composure in front of goal is brilliant with that chip over the goalie.
Team can only get better..!
😀
aaarrrrrsenal!
ksn,
the same again next week is
all i ask 😉
OM
It must be five in the morning in Osaka. How do you stay up so late to watch a game when you are not sure what Arsenal will dish up?
Nice block by Mustafi on Theo in the first half. Turning point.
Mkhitaryan exceeded my expectations. More of the same please.
Ramsey profiting by the absence of HWMNBN.
Just on train waiting for lift off. Very similar to the Palace game but we can’t get blasé. We moved the ball beautifully in the first half and would have been more mobile still with Jack for Xhaka. Huge debut for Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang took his goal beautifully although offside. We still didn’t defend well but it was yet more stellar entertainment at the Grove
Well that was fun all ends up
And a bat raiser to boot…
Do what ?
I wasn’t there …….
aaaaaebghikmmnnrtuyy
Bet if you were given those letters you would never come up with mkhitaryan and aubameyang and expect to find them playing for the Arsenal ……
Cant complain with the win today first half sublime Arsenal in the second we left the foot of gas which is a shame because we could have scored a ton more!
All in all a good day in the office! 😀
The best we have played for too long. The first half was reminiscent of 2004, controlled excellence. Pity the second half lapsed back to 2016-17 until they nearly scored a second and we woke up again. My only complaint is missing yet another opportunity to improve the GD when well in command.
If the Scotsman McHitaryan and Irishman O’Bangabomb can revitalize the Welsh Rambo so effectively there’s no reason why they can’t inspire our Spanish, French, German, Bosnian defenders to up their game.
The future looks promising, and will look better still after next Saturday.
Wow! Just brilliant.
After a game and result like that there’s no point in trying to find fault.
Well done boys and what amazing debuts!
I said earlier that if the team put in a shift, we’d get a few, and so they did.
If someone can get this team to turn up every week, we are in with a shout of ascending the table.
As for pundits the Merson types are like climate scientists who deny global warming is anthropgenic, not because they really believe it but because it gets them exposure in the media which they wouldn’t get if they simply went along with the crowd. You can always persuade yourself something is true if there’s enough fame or fortune in it for you.
What a funny old season!
I don’t think I’ve regularly seen such good games at home for years.
Two successive games where we have been 4-0 up at half- time. Despite Everton like Palace being awful we were excellent for 45 mins and Mkhi was especially impressive. Auba took his goal superbly even if it was offside but the second 45 brought two injuries, the realisation that the Tank is a poor defender in a back fourand a loss in tempo which was understandable. I still have little time for Xhaka and will be very annoyed if he pushes Jack out of the team and Iwobi cant play that effectively against good sides. I’m wondering if Laca can play wide on the left?
But it was a great day, Theo was treated well and lovely to see Tommy at half-time
Felt a bit sorry for you know who. He can’t have enjoyed anything about a game in his old stamping ground in which he was the best player on his side but the first pulled. I guess Sam knew the game was gone and wanted to keep him fit for better days, while letting the crowd cheer him off.
Even the obvious affection of the old crowd must have rung a bit hollow. Good luck to him, he deserves a change of it.
Hale End graduates representing. Jack, Iwobi, and Ainsley doing their thing.
It’s not all bad.
@95
It was easy this week though I
find the 17.30 uk time kick offs
the hardest ones. I must admit
I’ve struggled at times this
season like the team 🙂
Still, once an addict…?
TG@109: Laca has played on both wings in the past; started about 40 games on the right wing and 20 or so on the left.
Today’s little known fact –
Everton striker Oumar Niasse shares his first name with ex-Arsenal striker – Bobby Oumar Gould.
Thank you ?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>