Big game coming up. It feels a bit like last year (but less expectation on Arsenal). Last year we went there as favourites. For the first time in ages. This year it feels like it is a really good time to play United but at the same time we are all over the place. Who will start? What do you expect?
This has the makings of a goal fest as neither team can defend. If we have a back 4/5 of Sokratis Holding/Luiz Bellerin Tierney then that should be our first choice line up, and I’m think that improves us massively (hopefully). They have possibly the better midfield if Pogba plays, and Mata always plays well against us. If we play our new captain Xhaka (WTF) then we won’t win the midfield battles as he his ****e. We have possibly the better front line and it depends on how Ozil/Cabellos/Willock supply them.
United have got a ton of injury problems heading into this game. Pogba a doubt, Rashford a doubt, Shaw a doubt, Martial ruled out, Jones ruled out, Dalot ruled out, Gomes ruled out.... ...Yet you just know they are going to somehow muster a result against us. We never seem to have much luck at Old Trafford. And our away form generally isn't good, either. A draw is probably the safest bet, looking at the state of both sides tbh.
Our away form at especially OT is dire. Even when Utd have been ****, which is quite a lot over the last few years. we've still conspired to make it hard work for ourselves up there. Even though they look unconvincing again, I can't help thinking we could choke. For me we need to play the players that are hungry. Tierney, Holding, Guendouzi, Torriera, Ceballos.
Arsenal: Leno; Chambers, David Luiz, Sokratis, Kolasinac; Torreira, Xhaka, Guendouzi; Pepe, Saka, Aubeyang Not to be nagative about the manager again but... No Willock? No Holding? Tierney and Ozil not even on the bench?! Ugh.
Disappointed not to see Tierney and Holding in the team. Also Willock and Ceballos deserve a place too. Wait and see I suppose...but I wanted to see hungry players in the team tonight.
Emery's really digging his own grave here. He's fielded yet another ultra conservative line-up with no players that can link midfield to attack, lacking dynamism and power in the middle, and rewarding players for bad performances (Xhaka, Sokratis etc). That midfield is very ponderous and my fear is we will get overran badly by Pogba, McTominay and Pereira...
we are 1-0 down against a poor, poor United side. Negativity starting to creep in on the fan base now. Certainly has for me.
Xhaka can just **** right off. He constantly just lets players run past him. He literally ducked the strike by McTomelay!! What a ****ing ****. As always Aubmayang and Guendouzi are the only players really pulling their weight.
Not Xhaka's fault. Kolasinac was stupid for going for a ball that he was no where near going to get to. Just opened us up to a counter for no bloody reason!
Well what can you say about that... We were very very poor, what is the point of playing with Pepe, Auba and Saka when there is not the consistency of quality in the midfield players to feed them...Thought we were bloody awful and Man U were not a lot better.. We can still go on and take this but bloody hell we need to do so much better..
Poor half of football all round. But to concede in the way in which we did was same old Arsenal all over again