Match Day Thread Arsenal vs. Southampton 2015/16 Official Match Thread

Southampton seem to have the blueprint on how to get the better of us and we always struggle against their high-pressing game.

Giroud is going to be important for this one because the best way to counter an intense pressing game is going direct. Play balls forward and rely on the Frenchman's hold-up play to help push up the pitch whilst relieving the pressure on our midfield.

I know we like to play a high defensive line, but Mane, Tadic and Long will have a field day so we may need to play slightly deeper and utilise our wide players frequently.

 

Are you frikking kidding me? Flamini is starting?! An Elneny is not even on the bench?

For the love of god

 

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Sigh...

 

What happened to Elneny?

 

Coquelin on the bench??

BFG - isn't he expelled from a red card or was it only a one match ban?

 

We got ripped to shreds by them last time since our midfield has no presence, we got beat by Chelski as well again because our midfield had no presence, and in general since Coq has been out we have been getting over run in midfield, so in light of that may have been better to have started with the Coq, but we shall see how this goes.

Anything but a win will not be acceptable today, if we fail to win, then you can confidently say we are well into our usual bottle job.

 

BFG had a one match ban.

No Elneny presumably because Flamini starts and Coquelin on the bench. Wenger obviously wants to ease his players back in and ease his new players in. When he throws players in after injury or in at the deep end when they've just signed he gets criticised, so this is an understandable team he's picked tonight.

 

Here we go

COME ON YOU GUNNERS !!!!

 

Under no circumstances should Flamini be starting if we have Elneny, unless he's picked up an injury or has some other valid reason for not being picked. If Coquelin was fit to start against Burnley for just over an hour, he should be starting this one too. If he's not fit enough, he should not be on the bench. It really is that simple.

We are going to get overran in midfield. Flamini does not have the mobility or the tackling ability to fulfil that DM role properly. Not a good decision to start him at all, especially after how he was so easily harried off the ball against this lot in the reverse fixture.

 

Decent links place them here ____________________________________

 

First 5 minutes in, and looking rubbish, as bad as we did when we started against Chelski. Need to pick it up.

 

10 minutes in and still rubbish. Midfield non existent yet again.

 

Southampton look solid. If we win this, it won't be pretty.

 

If we scored that by Ozil that would have been one fine goal, finally we did something.

 

It's not really hard to be solid when all Arsenal are doing is side side and back, that's very easy to defend against.

 

Holy ****, that first touch!

 

We look so open and poor defensively, there is no solidity at all to this side.

 

Everytime Southampton attack they make it to our box, we haven't been able to stop one attack so far in midfield, every bloody time they move forward they go all the way.

 

Not even 20 minutes gone and how many misplaced passes have we given away? As I said, I maintain we are an average passing side, we are so highly overrated on our passing game, there is absolutely nothing special about it.

 

How the hell did we not score?!