Offical match day thread

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gooner4ever said:
strangely we also improved once Elneny came on. I haven’t been the biggest fan of Mo as I previously thought he was full of energy and running but no real style to his game as he seemed to just pass square or backwards. Since coming back to the side he seems to look up and look for forward passes, presses with purpose, and covers the whole pitch. He has made me rethink him, whereas Mo shows how slow and ponderous Xhaka is and that Xhaka doesn’t press very well. Going forward the middle 3 is Partey, Elneny, and Cabellos, with Xhak on bench.
1st 11:
Leno
Bellerin
Gabriel
Holding/Luiz
Tierney

Partey
Elneny
Cabellos/Willock

Saka/Willian
Auba/laca
Pepe/Willian

Subs to bring on at 65 minutes to change a game:
Willock needs to play when teams are defending as he is the only one to get between the lines like Ramsey did.
I like Nelson as well as dynamic as well.
Martenelli and Eddie if we need a goal

squad players on bench:
Xhaka
Saliba - bring him in to get experience
AMN
Soares
Mari
ESR
Balogun

sell in January
Ozil
chambers
muatafi
katastrophe
sakratis
Click to expand...
Yeah agree with all the sells.. Ozil might be hard to shift though.

Personally I'm quite happy with the 3-4-3 formation. As we seem to go 4-3-3 when we attack.
Elneny brings more mobility - (as would have Guendouzi) with added defensive stability - However we really need a player alongside Partey who can do more with the ball. The side still lacks creativity more than anything. Unfortunatley Ceballos seems very inconsistent.

I would love us to sign an Szobolazai or Aouar in January and go..

-------------------------Leno-------------------------
---------Hold/Luiz--Gabriel--Tierney-----------
Bellerin-------Partey----Szob/Aouar-----Saka
---Pepe--------Aubameyang------Martinelli---

Bench: Saliba, Willock, Elneny, Xhaka, Cedrick, Willian, Runarsson.
 
They are upping the intensity but I hope Arteta goes full Berzerker mode at half time. This is a **** show.

If we loose a 4th game this early in the Season - I give up.
 
How do Lacazette and Willian keep getting games? Dogshit. Auba in the middle. Pepe on the right. Saka on the left. Partey, Elneny and Willock in the middle. 4 at the back. Don't care where villa are in the table, they're ****ing **** and we're playing five defenders at home. Again. How many times Partey or Elneny have it run forward a few steps, only have two options, stop, turn around and have to pass it back to a defender. So ****.
 
cini65 said:
How do Lacazette and Willian keep getting games? Dogshit. Auba in the middle. Pepe on the right. Saka on the left. Partey, Elneny and Willock in the middle. 4 at the back. Don't care where villa are in the table, they're ****ing **** and we're playing five defenders at home. Again. How many times Partey or Elneny have it run forward a few steps, only have two options, stop, turn around and have to pass it back to a defender. So ****.
Click to expand...
This is my main issue with Arteta. Its not soo much the tactics, not the workrate but the selections.

How can Saliba not even get a game? ..but Mustafi is constantly picked even after playing like dogshit.
I still think Guendouzi would be a better partner for Partey than Xhaka, Elneny or Ceballos.
Why is Ceballos always played soo deep?
Is it not worth trying Ozil in the side when we are soo badly lacking creativity? ..even on the right?

Most importantly.. Lacazette is'nt cutting it, Nketia is too raw - play Auba down the middle!
 
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Going 1-0 down makes it extremely hard for our team to get a result against any half decent team.

we are poor going forward
 
white_gunner said:
Going 1-0 down makes it extremely hard for our team to get a result against any half decent team.

we are poor going forward
Click to expand...
When Aubmayang is short on form/confidence we struggle.

Lacazette doesnt look like the same guy anymore. He's turning into a 1 in 4-5 striker. Not top level.

Pepe was supposed to be the guy that helped us in this department - but soo far he's not making the difference in the way he should.
 
**** me.. We're not making Top 4 this Season. Will struggle to make the top half like this.

Arteta is lucky there's no fans there tonight. This performance was everybit as bad as the games that got Emery fired.
 
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TheBear said:
**** me.. We're not making Top 4 this Season. Will struggle to make the top half like this.

Arteta is lucky there's no fans there tonight. This performance was everybit as bad as the games that got Emery fired.
Click to expand...

top 4, no.

but ironically where last season we drew 6 games, this season we are losing 3 and winning 3, which actually results in 3 more points, so we will see where we end up.
 
Well that was an absolute sack of ****e performance, EVERY single player out there tonight needs to hang their head's in shame, utter disgrace!!

If it had ended up 6-0 it would not have been undeserved by Villa, we lacked, desire, hunger and skill......terrible!!

Thank god for the International break!!
 
Uttter **** performance - no desire or press like we had against United, and Grealish is the type of player we are missing
 
Villa outworked and outfought us in every possible way - they looked hungrier than us and were sharper than us from minute one. They were winning all the second balls, transitioning with lightning speed and weren't afraid to overload the flanks. In stark contrast, we were lethargic, sloppy in possession, not recovering the ball fast enough and not tracking runners. It was a disastrous night.

Arteta has to find a way of changing things - if he persists with shoehorning Willian and Lacazette in the team, he will get sacked. Neither of them provide us with anything positive and are dreadful in the final third. Meanwhile we're forcing our best striker out wide where he's getting no chances and is significantly less effective. This 3 at the back has to be switched to because we look sterile going forward and aren't exactly stellar defensively. There's no fluidity when we move forward. No players are getting between the lines to create space.

It looks like the players have downed tools, which is a worrying sign.

Not good.
 
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Arteta saying that last night was the first time since he joined that he didn't see 'his team' out there. Could be two very different conclusions to take... either (a) we're ****ed as he's lost the dressing room and they've downed tools, or (b) he and they have actually recognised properly that they were ****ing turd.

At least we don't have him coming out and saying we had spirit and heart I suppose.
 
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431 mins since we last scored an EPL game in open play? Is that right?

Two games on the trot now playing with a back four and we are no more creative. The formation is'nt the problem.
 
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