The Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has slowly been improving his side over the years and this summer he has managed to persuade the PSG star Jese Rodriguez to join the club on a year’s loan and has also brought in defender Bruno Martins Indi from Porto, and he is hoping to see the team improve on last years home performances against the big sides, starting with Arsenal tomorrow.
At the end of last season the Gunners gained a facile 4-1 at the Bet365 Stadium, but the home team had nothing to play for while the Gunners were still fighting fora place in the Top Four. Hughes is expecting a much better showing this time around. He told the official Stoke City website: “We didn’t cover ourselves in glory the last time we came out against them, so we need a marked improvement on that and I sense that from the group in fairness,”
“We’ve got a number of exciting new players in the building as well so I think everyone is looking forward to seeing how they’re going to perform.
“We’re clear in what we have to do to get fans on the edge of their seats and that’s what we’ll attempt to do.
“Last year, in terms of excitement against the big boys, we didn’t really give them enough to take the roof off the place so that’s what we’ll try and do this season.
“As I say, we’ve got good players, great players in my view, ones that will get you off your seat and have your cheers back at them so we’re all really looking forward to it.”
Although Arsenal won last season’s meeting, Stoke have a great home record against Arsenal, and after losing out to just a Wayne Rooney goal at Everton last week they will be fighting hard for their first points of the season, but surely Arsenal will have too much firepower for them again this season…
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If we go out on the field with the proper balance then I believe we will be fine against stoke. I firmly believe that going back to 4 in the back and playing with our No. 10 actually in the middle of the field with the freedom to pick up the ball on both sides of the field provides us the balance we need to play the type of game we want to play — as evidenced by how well we played when the double-sub came in and we went back to 4 in the back. If Arsene has no interest in that, then I would suggest that we’d be more balanced with a 3 back that more resembles a 3-4-1-2.
(assuming people are fit):
mustafi, koscielny, Monreal
Belli, Xhaka, Santi (Ramsey), Kolasinac
Mesut (iwobi)
Alexis, Laca
At present, sticking our natural 10 on the touchline and confining him to one side of the field, and then playing with Xhaka and El-Neny in the middle who both prefer to go sideways/backwards (with the occasional ball over the top from Xhaka) does not maximize the best attributes of the team in my opinion. This adjustment of the front 3 would give Alexis, Mesut, and lacazette the full freedom of the final 3rd to interchange and pick up the ball where and how they see fit in the attacking half of the field. WOuld be very dangerous I feel.
If we change tactics we will be fine.
we should target their weaknesses.
apart from pieters their defenders are very slow.
Pieters only? They have Showcross, don’t tell me he is slow as well
Stoke City has lost Arnautovic, but now they have Jese Rodriguez and Xhaqiri is still with them. They also change their formation to 3-4-2-1 and it would be difficult to face them with the same formation.
Arsenal could win if they can slow the tempo down and using hardworking attackers to tire Stoke’s defenders down, like when Arsenal faced Chelsea. It is going to be tough game for Mark Hughes as well, since they lost in their first match.
All I ask for is no complacency from the boys tomorrow.
Lets start fast and control the game from the first to the last whistle which is easier said than done. Stock still has some players that can cause us a lot of problems. We missed top 4 last year because we dropped a lot of points against the “lesser teams”. We went on the pitch thinking we have already won the match minus earning it.
Looking for a massive improvement this season.
Worried about our transfers, what is going on? Gabriel is sold and now supposedly Mustafi is being touted to go as well. What about all the other players we should be prioritizing on releasing like Debuchy; Jenkinson; Akpom; Perez; Gibbs and etc? Also where are the needed reinforcements and promises to spend? Not good enough from Arsenal Football Club!
Mustafi rumour is journo making stuff up, Milan might have asked but there is no talks for a Mustafi sale. Lazy journalism.
I too am a bit worried, we don’t look to have star power in CM, some good qualities but not a consistent boss of CM. Xhaka doesn’t have the legs to be a truly dominating force, and our hopes are tied to his. Ramsey as always ..a busy threat, and can mix it up at times. But we need a player who can take the game by the scruff, like Alexis does in a forward role. Arsene admitted there is room for more signing[s], so I don’t get how selling players is on the agenda ahead of buying another, there’s not enough being done. When he said we look to only add a certain quality of player, I deflated and got worried for real. He wanted a winger, offered the money, so why now is he backtracking. I hope it’s not because of one game v Leicester.
Arsenal need to maintain the momentum from the win against Leicester . we cannot afford to loose points now and its imperative seeing as our following game from Stoke is against the pacey attack of Liverpool . we cannot go into the Liverpool game with our heads down . the Potters are a rude bunch , their fans absolutely hate Wenger and Arsenal so they will do everything they can do ensure our visit to the Britania is an unpleasant one . Mark Hughes has done a commendable job turning that group of rubgy playing thugs into actually playing decent football . Regardless of that , these are exactly the games that have kept the Premier League title from Arsenals grasp , so we need to turn up with a monster pair of Ball… and show everyone Arsenal aren’t pushovers that will get bullied into submission . if we fight like warriors from the 1st whistle till the last , keep our nerve by playing intelligent football we shall more than enough to put Stoke away
Just heard about Bruce Forsyth. Have been on holiday so didn’t realise there was an Arsenal game yesterday and that Ramsey had scored
OT- Gabriel has completed his move to Valencia. Goodbye Gab.