This is a massive and a must win game for the team, only a good performance and 3 points will do. Looks like Sagna and Ramsey will be fit but Benayoun, Djourou, Squillaci, Diaby, Vermaelen and Wilshere are still out. The likely line up is; Sczezney Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Santos Arteta Song Ramsey Walcott RVP Gervinho Subs Fabianski Jenkinson Gibbs Frimpong Coquelin Arshavin Chamakh
Rosicky over Coquelin on the bench. Personally I'd have Oxo rather than Gibbs on the bench. If anything happens to Santos, Sagna can cover and Jenkinson can play RB. I just don't want Gibbs near the pitch at the moment.
Can't see Wenger would go with your plan, more likely to be 4-3-3, we have to score to win and i think this will mean 2 attacking midfielders will be needed. Bolton's defence is nearly as leaky as ours, so sitting back in defence doesn't make too much sense.
I agree, we need to get a solid performance under our belts as you never know what Bolton can do it us and our leaky defence. Also, we should look to play Song and Frimpong together in midfield more often. That would give us much needed power in midfield and a different type of game play, should the need arise to close a game out. Do you think that Wenger ever thinks about tactics or does he just think, whatever......
That is true. No tactics but total reliance on his style of play. When that doesn't work, we have nothing. How you can go into a game without considering the strengths or weaknesses of your opponent is baffling. Big Thanks Arsene.
Wenger's tactics are so poor that he has only managed to qualify for the CL every year and won the prem how many times??? Plastics do my head in.
If Wenger played 4-4-2 with two DM's and we were losing games 1-0, we'd all be saying that he's too conservative and needs to play more attacking football. When results aren't going your way it's a case of - damned if you do, damned if you don't I don't really think it's about the system. We just need to get a couple of wins under our belt for the confidence to flow
No but then I knew even less about football than I do today, which admittedly isn't very much anyway. However the game has moved on and without the cover of the back four of that era, we are left with a pretty fragmented team. Several observers with greater knowledge than I have said that we need to work on defence and tactics and it would appear too that they have a point. Arsene seems to me to have one style and that's it. If what he is doing is so wonderful then how is it we have had 6 ( that's six ) months of being in the wilderness. What would be your suggestion?
Positioning or formations are not my thing as you know but something sure as hell is wrong when we can't even string together two wins in a row, not in the EPL or in friendlies. The only occasion we did that was against Udinese and once in 6 months isn't winning form. Unless we win at WHL next weekend and assuming we end up with clear daylight between Bolton and ourselves, the two home matches in October will be our first opportunity in an eternity to string two wins together. It's a lot to be banking on when we keep losing players through injury as well. I'm not being negative Piskie. Arsene simply has to make changes and as it is and while we agree on the matter of defensive work, Arsene has said he isn't even prepared to bring in a defensive coach. This isn't a case of having no one. It's more like refusing to have anyone.
Qualifying for the CL has been easier in the past 14 years due to the gulf between the top4 and the rest. It is the future that counts andit will be tougher this year because other clubs have improved and we have gone backwards. Wenger does not seem to care for 'tactics'. Why do you think everybody who you don't agree with is a plastic?
Shame Diaby's still not back our Arteta--Song--Ramsey midfield has'nt quite worked. (Wenger needs to come up with a solution in midfield with Wilshere looking to be out until mid December.) Also Rosicky was looking like his old self in Pre Season so its good that he's back in the squad. If got a feeling he could perform well this year.
Arsenal vs Bolton match links Alv1172 Sopcast uncertain RokecSI Sopcast + RokecSI WebSop StopStream6 ExtremeGoal RealTvSport7 MyFooTV Viasat Koracity SkyFooty FreeSports2 Asssports1 Linkabstract Apologies if any of these do not work. Good luck to both teams
Interesting CARLING CUP FOURTH ROUND DRAW Wolves v Man City Cardiff v Burnley Blackburn v Newcastle Arsenal v Bolton Stoke v Liverpool Aldershot v Man Utd Crystal Palace v Southampton Everton v Chelsea Ties to be played week commencing 24 October
