Arsene Wenger still has the return leg of Arsenal’s Champions League knockout stage against Barcelona to consider, but the Frenchman has already hinted that he is looking at that game as a huge long shot and so is likely to prioritise the Premier League and FA cup matches.
And with injury problems mounting up, especially in the threadbare defence, it is not going to be easy to win the quarter final clash with Watford on Sunday. So I do not think we will see much tinkering from the boss and I expect him to pick the strongest possible line up.
The question is, though, what will that be? After Wenger started Danny Welbeck against Tottenham last weekend it looked as though the Englishman had overtaken the big Frenchman in the pecking order, for a while at least. Now that Giroud has ended his longest ever goal drought as an Arsenal player and in some style with his well taken double at Hull, should he start again against Watford?
It might seem a little harsh on Welbeck But I think Giroud should keep his place. We want to make the most out of Giroud’s renewed confidence and form and I expect the game at the Emirates on Sunday will be more suited to Giroud’s abilities. Then Wenger can start Welbeck in Barcelona and hop[e that his counter attacking pace can help us to upset the odds.
Is this how you would use the two Arsenal front men?
We really need a striker better than giroud and welbeck i want a striker to make his own chances out of nothing I’m sick of giroud type of player and welbeck is not that good too
I’ll take any of them as a second choice striker
In watford game start with giroud and against barcelona star with welbeck as he is a big games type of player
Our style of play needs a player like giroud. Plus he’s our best scorer this season with if I’m not mistaking 21 goals. Why you never give him credit? He has already scored 20+ goals this season. OK he had a period with no luck but he’s back now.as long as he gets the good service he needs. I would start him for the Watford game and rest him at barca and go with welbeck. Tired of all this rubbish about giroud, he has proved this season that he’s a good striker. He has been one of our top performers with 21 goals and 4 or 5 assists.
giroud scores x2 and x3 against some poor teams and his numbers look good. he rarely scores versus big teams or turns matches for us.
Jumping to Giroud’s defence, I think the fiction that he can’t score against big teams or in big matches has been disproved.
He scored twice versus Bayern. How many times did Messi score vs Bayern? Or Aguero? Or Suarez? Or Neymar? Giroud > Messi, Neymar, Suarez & Aguero 😀
are you for real??? comparing G-rude with Messi, Arguero, Suarez, Neymer. I like him..donkey though he is, works hard and plays for the team but he also frustrates me immensely with his poor touches, cant dribble and cant score in BIG games. Australia set the world record for internationals by scoring 31 against samoa. Our striker scored 13 goals and still holds the record? yet highest league played was in Belgium. If you use stats sure, giroud has scored 21 times so far but as against samoa, not difficult against poor opposition
For the stretch run I would like to see the front 3 I hoped would be our starters. 17,12,14.
If we are in need of a goal bring Danny in and have him up front with OG and ditch the DM position which would be Le Coq after his suspension of Flamini.
Assuming Walcott and Giroud are back scoring
Main offensive 4: Ozil, Alexis, Walcott and Giroud
Bench: Welbeck, Campbell and Iwobi
If Giroud and Walcott don’t perform well then replace them with Danny and Joel
Well that’s the thing… They haven’t performed well. Danny and Joel have.
still planning on benching welbeck and campbell despite ramsey’s absence?
Wenger logic!
injuries often have forced wenger into superior configurations. this time it will be campbell on RW and elneny at B2b. i think the elneny/coq combo will be v.good.
its a toss-up between giroud and welbeck. whoever is more likely to score vs barca should be played wed and the other vs watford.
hope koz is back soon. disappointed that gab has regressed.
*smirks* ……..Giroud will go back to being Giroud………… If u knw what’s good for u, Stick with WeLbeck!
The Unpredictables: Who should face Barcelona.
We have nothing to lose… ?
We may even catch them on the break! ?
And beat them on away goals…
for once, in our miserable champions league lifes! ?
——————————- Ospina
———- Chambers, Mertesacker, Gabriel
Bellerin —— Coquelin —— Elneny ——-Monreal
——– Campbell —– Welbeck—– Sanchez
formation 5-2-3 with no Ozil?
ApparentLy, we need the goals without assists L()L
No ozil???your kidding???what we are just ganna go and get beaten??? Remember we beat a Bayern team 2-0 away??who knows..we still have a 1% chance of making it.
Hey!… We lost 2nil at home! ?
And er.. Barcelona are not so good away from home,
Whereas they hammer teams at the Nou Camp! ?
The Only way to beat them, is to defend well and catch them on the counter attack! … Obviously ?
Koscielny should be back and with the above midfield and the front three of Campbell, Welbeck and Sanchez, I am sure that we would score goals!
Walcott, Giroud and Ozil can start from the bench!
3-4-3??
Hahaha well done man ?
We even have to keep it tighter this time. From back to front, from start till end. We have to utilize the aerial ball and send more crossing. It was almost catch them at Emirates but denied by Ter Stegen. Mascherano was strong and quick under ground, but he didn’t have the altitude. Pique was high tower but a bit slow. So, my option will be the best combination of those two abilities, aerial ball supreme and quickness. That’s mean Welbeck should be start over Giroud.
I think the news that there has been a dressing room bust up, but hopefully now a reconciliation doesn’t come as any real surprise. Our drop in form when we were looking so good was astonishing, but not not surprising. If the fans are having certain arguments and doubts, you can bet your bottom dollar that the players are too. Team selection and substitutions have seemed odd to us will also have seemed odd to players.
So to choice striker, Theo may have ruled himself out with his wing statement, so it would seem a direct fight between Welbz and Giroud. For me they both need to prove they want it, so I would currently let Welbz start but pull him for Giroud on the hourish markmif he hadn’t scored or looked that dangerous. Lets face it Giroud in terms of knowing where the goal is Giroud wins hands down.
Giroud is not good enough period, he has never scored 20 goals in the EPL.
Play both and confuse the Watford defense 😀
Welbeck Giroud
Sanchez Coquelin El-Nenny Ozil
Monreal Gabriel Mertesacker Bellerin
Ospina
A chicken wld always remain a chicken! It can only jump with great height,but never fly or soar like the the eagle. Giroud is a C(average) striker. On his good days mAy look a little above C, on bad days wayyy below C. Has giroud scored up to 17 premier league goal in a season b4?(Pls do state if he has.$ I would take note). It just amazes me how arsenal fans of 2day have so downgraded themselves to think scoring 21goals in all competitions;Bpl, UEFA, FA cup, carling cup makes him a great striker then we shouldn’t grumble over our usual 4th position trophy. Henry came out and said the ovious truth(which some pple don’t like to hear), he said giroud was not top quality. When a topest striker(if there is a word like dat) like king Henry says something like that, its like saying the sun is yellow in colour! Even A well deciplined adebayo hit 25 premier league goals(bpl ony) I didn’t include other competitions!!! I really don’t blame Olivier cAuze his only giving what he has $ Tries to do his best @ that…