Emery Plays It Cool On Likely Starters
Sep 19th, 2018 by 'holic
“The best 11 will play tomorrow so that we can continue to improve in our way both tactically and individually. What’s important for us is to produce a winning performance but also to continue to improve… Tomorrow we are going to change things to give players the opportunity to find minutes, to find confidence on the pitch, and then maybe tomorrow’s players can play on Sunday too.”
Unai Emery’s English gets better week by week, but he has confused the heck out of me today with these quotes (credit arsenal.com). We kick off our Europa League tomorrow against a new opponent for us, Vorskla Poltava, from Ukraine. Given his admission that the Premier League is his top target I suspect we will see squad rotation for this one.
Surely we should see Bernd Leno’s competitive debut for the club? An appearance for Stephan Lichsteiner and Rob Holding in the back four perhaps? Lucas Torreira could get a first start alongside Mohammed Elneny in midfield. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Danny Welbeck could be promoted from the bench which will possibly be a mix of youth and experience.
I am guessing, as I know little about the man, that he may keep three or four of his five captains in the team rather than the wholesale changes his predecessor made. That would enable a little continuity between the first team and squad team.
I don’t mind admitting that all I know about Vorskla owes everything to a five minute glance at their Wikipedia page. The current version of the club is only 34 years young and named after Poltava’s Vorskla river. They were promoted to the Ukrainian Premier League in 1996 and lifted the Ukrainian Cup in 2009 beating Shakhtar Donetsk in the Final.
Additionally the BBC report that Arsenal’s opponents finished third in Ukraine’s top-flight last season – their best finish since 1996-97. They are eight games into the 2018-19 season and have won four of their last six matches. Vorskla Poltava are competing in the Europa League group stage for the first time since 2011-12.
The ‘holic pound
Having not a clue who will play and just how strong the visitors are makes this a tricky call. It’s time for a nostalgic hail Mary. Mention of Shakhtar Donetsk will always bring memories of the Eduardo goal for the visitors that sparked a standing ovation never to be forgotten and won me enough to buy a new iMac. Therefore I have to go with that 5-1 again at a boosted 28/1. Say a little prayer for me. Could lightning strike twice?
That’s it for now. Enjoy tomorrow night wherever you are watching, but particularly if you will be at the ground. Here’s to a successful first European tie with The Arsenal for Unai Emery.
Have a good one, ‘holics.
53 Responses to “Emery Plays It Cool On Likely Starters”
Eastern European cherry brandy for me please, ‘holic. Wisnioswka or something like that is what I remember Arthur saying. Don’t know if it works for Ukraine though.
Wikipedia also says that during the Cold War Poltava was “home to a Soviet Air Force division of heavy bombers” and seeing that Poltava is situated closer to Donetsk than it is to Kyev, it sounds like we are very close to the neo-Iron Curtain.
Fine preview Guvna. I knew even less than you because I couldn’t remember who we were playing.
Vorskla Poltava, you say? Well I must confess that I’d never heard of them when they were drawn in our group and then I instantly forgot the name.
Nonetheless I shall be there cheering whomsoever our new manager selects after a fine Italian repast with Miss B.
I hope we get that 5-1 victory (though I don’t see a smooth enough engine room to deliver that) to make it a memorable night and I might just remember that name. What was it again?
Good luck with that wager, ‘Holic. We have scored more than one goal in only two games out of ten against Ukranian opposition.
I won’t be there as I have to go to Dublin.
The game has scarcely registered with me but I think we might nick a narrow win
Cheers H.
I’m with Bath. I’ve got no idea who we are playing.
I added Miki to score first into the Holic pound and then got it boosted to 209/1. If I’m throwing a Hail Mary then it may be to a catcher in another stadium.
Have a good one Holics.
Greatings from Split. Watching the game with friends in Trogir tonight . Let’s hope for a hat full of goals and Holic comes up trump’s.
COYR.
The ladies team won 7-0 last night having scored a five and nine without reply already. Maybe we should be looking at some of those defenders for rotation!?
What are the odds on more than three of their players’ names ending in -enko? Not that you need another wager, ‘holic. 😉
still one of the best ever turns
on what is becoming
a frequently bleak affair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEYYI1ii0AU
for the mighty Esso
.
.
UP THE ARSENAL
No more idea than anyone else
about tonight’s game.
But I hope we rest Nacho as I
wouldn’t like to lose our last left
back in this game.
Course that means youth or a
square peg at left back but anyway
I’d do it.
It’s a good test of my commitment
tonight – do I get up at 4AM to watch
us play a team I’ve never heard of
in a second rate cup?
🙂
no
i’m not even gonna get up at 8
#internetdrunkardhumour
Bleak Affair? Wasn’t it that failed mod/goth crossover outfit from Chingford?
They could never pull off the image, it’s quite hard to be a goth in a fishtail parka.
Even a black one.
Sound advice.
I’ve never been good at commitment anyway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zkzpoWEAwI
.
.
.
show us yer tits
JUGS!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N755jvOUCNI
Cech rested and Bellerin on the bench. Monreal starting. Hope we win and no one gets injured.
Arsenal: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Holding, Sokratis, Monreal, Torreira, Elneny, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Welbeck, Aubameyang
Subs: Martinez, Bellerin, Guendouzi, Smith-Rowe, Ozil, Nketiah, Lacazette
torreira + elneny
rock on
Nacho captaining the side. Well deserved too.
mucho nacho
They play decent football and are no pushovers.
half-empty, the grove
all you can hear – The Vorskla hooligans
Finally, Auba,1-0. Good pass by Iwobi and nice finish by Auba.
EmericK!
guess what
iwobi is playing football
against green goblins
but
hey
who am I to –
so-crates MOTM so far. perhaps the find of the summer?
and finally, at the end of the half, we look like we want to play.
bored on the bench
give em the ball
the football ball
Other than that clinical counter attack — Mkhitaryan nicking a pass and running at pace, feeds to Iwobi at pace on left, perfect cross field pass to Aubameyang who applies clinical finish — not much to talk about. Very tentative, with most first time starters playing to not make a mistake.
Sokratis best player by far first half.
Welbeck has scored. Must be his birthday.
*uck Vorsklaaaa
DW
now, i don’t know how fast that vorskla player who was just racing sokratis is, but damn, if our man doesn’t have a hunger.
lovely
why mesut?
he’s tired.
twenty minutes away from the first clean shit
where’s Leno?
Mesuuuuuuut
enough with that thumb sucking thing
nice chip by so-crates. nice goal by mesut. nice pantsing by so-crates. leads to a flipping goal. still no clean sheet.
Setting up nicely for the ‘holic pound ???
SSY, no clean shit…
ah, stephan.
good call, jean…
Holic, you are almost there! I feel another Mac is on its way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irkPij5HFyo
four in a row
me like
‘Holic, at least you got the total right…
what?
vorskla 2
those guys are playing for pride, and their result is an offside goal that glosses the scoreline for them. bummer for bernd, both goals were from defensive mistakes. seems like we’ve been saying that a lot this season.
full marks to so-crates (still my MOTM), leno, holding, and iwobi; less than full for lichtsteiner, mikhi, and elneny.
smith-rowe with a nice cameo.
I can’t believe they scored two goals.
How close was that to a killing! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>