No, because i picked us to lose 1-0, and olympiacos are ****, so we can afford to field a weakened side. We're at home too. As long as Ramsey, Giroud and Koscielny don't play, i'm happy. Your lack of faith in our backups worries me. Call yourself a gooner?
So **** that they pushed us close at the Emirates and beat Marseille away last season? They managed to get NINE points in the group stage last season, they are not ****. If we go with that team, then we are not winning, especially with Walcott through the middle.
That was last season, Mirallas was their key man, and he's now at Everton. Djebbour and Fuster are decent, but not as decent as Mirallas was last season. They are not a legitimate threat. I don't see the point in wasting key players fitness now when we have a far tougher battle against West Ham on the weekend.
Eh? Play the first team, get the job done and we are then more than half-way to getting through to the last 16. Our next two games are against Schalke, and going into those games we need to be on six points. I certainly do not think we can get three points against Olympiacos with Walcott through the midddle, Yennaris at right back and Arshavin playing in the midfield. Man Utd taught everyone a brilliant lesson in the CL last season and we will do well to learn from their mistakes. Wenger spoke today about the importance of winning at home and I can't see him rotating that much.
Oh and on Yennaris, I just remembered that he played the full 90 for the under 21's on Monday, so he will not play, anyway.
If we don't rotate much tomorrow, i fully expect us to lose on Saturday, with a knackered team. I think you're guilty of overrating Olympiacos. They really aren't very good.
I agree with Kyle that resting a few players is important, don't know why but a lot of the team have look knackered at the end of games especially against Montpellier. I would go with --------Mannone-------- Jenk----Mert---Kos----Santos -------Ramsey----Coq------- ----------Arsh-------- Theo------Giroud----Pod (60mins)
Apparently the humidity in Montpellier was up at around 9O deg. So that might partly explain why so many players looked knackered after that game. As for Olympiacos. I think we need to rest one or two players, with West Ham in mind on Saturday. But I don't think we should make wholesale changes and disrupt the team too much. As SJW says, we need to win our home games in the Champions League. Also, it sounds obvious, but we just need to win to get the team back to winning ways and instill confidence again
Not something I want to consider doing......but if you added the word "up" it becomes tempting, but that would be against the law.
Mannone, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Coquelin, Cazorla, Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Podolski. Subs: Shea, Santos, Djourou, Arshavin, Ramsey, Walcott, Giroud. Per not even on the bench. Must have picked up a knock in training. Edit - According to twitter he is ill.
Oh no, Kos is playing. Even Djourou would have been a better option, i still can't get over how bad Kos was against Chelsea.
As long as we don't get another "yes I admit it was a little bit of gamble, he'll be out for 3 weeks" routine.
Sky rightly talking about our impressive home record in Europe. Last time a foreign team beat us at our ground was Inter in 2003.
It's a real shame that City play on the same day as in the CL. Do not get to watch their brilliant games against great teams live. Their game with Dortmund tonight should be a cracker.
