Even though we all want Arsenal to win this pivotal match against Leicester City in the race for the Premier League title, with lots of people saying that nothing but a win will be good enough to keep the Gunners in the hunt, I think it is just as important that we stop the Foxes from doing what they did to Man City last weekend.
And I reckon that Arsene Wenger has been having the same thoughts, which is why he has gone for the experience and defensive calmness of Per Mertesacker instead of the pace and aggression of Gabriel in the heart of our defence. This move tells me that Arsenal will set up to be a bit more cautious than most of us were expecting.
Hopefully our tactics will take Leicester by surprise a little and bring them forward more so that the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud have a bit more time and space to operate. They will still pose a big threat going the other way though, but with Coquelin returned to the side in place of Flamini we should have the strength and solidity to cope.
Wenger has also kept faith with Oxlade-Chamberlain after his recent performances and excellent goal last week and there are plenty of attacking options on the bench if we are struggling, most notably the onclusion of Danny Welbeck for the first time this season.
Cech
Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal
Coquelin, Ramsey
Oxlade-Chamberlin, Ozil, Alexis
Giroud
Subs: Ospina, Chambers, Welbeck, Flamini, Elneny, Campbell, Walcott
Can we do the double over Leicester and get the EPL challenge right back on track? Course we can. COYG!
Mert and Ox starting. I have zero confidence now. 2-0 Leicester. Gabriel injured and Ox has been absolutely useless all season. Despite his goal last week he had another poor game.
Still persevering with a defender upfront despite lack of goals…hope & pray job!
I expect Bellerin to have a great game going forward as Monreal stay calm for magrez #COYG
don’t worry……….if anything goes wrong….. We will have a reason for it
Haha!
Forget the calmness of mertesacker hes useless! Presses too far up the pitch with no pace to get back! Vardy and mahrez are going to have a field day, elneny should be starting with coq in midfield to help out the defence. This is going to be a very tough game, Leicester actually look like a title winning team
Nice bench! Not keen on mert being at the back against Leicester’s fast forwards. Can’t call this one, coyg!
Chill out dude. At least Per is not as error prone as Gabriel. I get more nervous with Gabriel than with Per. Gabriel always makes 1 or 2 mistakes each time he plays, against good teams, we risk getting punished when Gabs is on. Per is super slow, but that has never costed us a goal.
Chelsea two weeks ago. Nuff said!
still that didn’t cost us a goal. the goal was Koscielny’s fault. he failed to track costa’s run to the near post
Him getting sent off didnt help the cause though!
Wonderful that at last our squad is almost 100% fit..only missing SANTI..
So Gabs must be injured. But at least Coquelin is back, hopefully up to match pace. This is a must win. COYG!
He got scared of the pressure!
Probably at home crying 😀 😀 :p
easy leicester win.
sweet sweet revenge
On a bloody train in swiss alps so will hopefully catch second half … Wengers credibility on line with this line up … Mert Ramsey ox giroud would not get in the Leicester team for sure and some of em wouldn’t be on their bench … Happy to take a one all draw
We tend to be strong against attacking teams. so if Leicester are gonna come at us, they’ll certainly get whipped. My only worry is if they come here with a mentality of preserving their 5 point lead over us and decide to sit back and play cautiously. In that case we might struggle to break them
Looking good looking good 🙂
Little worried about Ox in start 11 but hope will grown on that goal last week…
Cant wait for kickofffffff
COYG!!!!!!!!!
Lets rock those mdfkn foxxes
I don’t care what the team looks like. All I care about is a f***ing win. LET’S GO!
And who says Mert’s lack os pace has never costed us? Do u remember our swansea game during Michu days? Yea right u do. Even his lack should hav resulted to many goals if not for the flash speed of Flash(Bellerin). What of Chelsea game? Am a little bit worried bcs of Giroud’s and Ox’s inclusion. I thought the midfiel would have been . Le cop, Ozil and Elneny. Then Ramsey, walcot and Sanchez upfront. But it then, I still no this team can get us the 3pts.
My bias would be towards Campbell over Ox. I just don’t believe Ox has done enough to warrent a start over Joel who is an all round better player in my opinion.
The verdict from Jamie Carragher: If Leicester win today, Arsenal can’t win the league. There you have it!
The title will be over today for Arsenal ,we’lll lose 0-2
at least you are an optimist
Arsenal have beaten Leicester City by 3 goals to nil. I am not a prophet neither am I a pastor. But that’s the belief of my mind. And am believing my mind’s belief to come to pass. Amen!
weve started well but lets just hope neither vardy or mahrez get a chance to run at mertesacker
Per starting.
Oh well, maybe next season……
THAT WAS FKKNNN HANDBALL!!!
Leicester looks shaky we need to score early
Defending very good on both sides. Good game but Paul not in it yet.
That should say Ozil. Stupid auto correct.
those focking star sports commentators seems to be praying for a liecester win… why are these ppl always such a d!ck
No free kicks in this game
the problemm is we can’t afford a draw while the foxes can
Morgan isn’t giving Giroud much
would have wanted foxes to win the league if not arsenal… but after this blatant dive by vardy i would want them to not win it
They think it is all over,it is now
the ref is a clown or a cheat, you decide
Incompetent. How can an unfair challenge on Ozil leading directly to an advantage for Leicester not be a free kick? Vardy very cute falling over monreals outstretched leg. Another refereeing catastrophe heavily impacting a game.
Nice dive Vardy, nice dive
Absolutely disgusting. This ref is giving us nothing and it was no penalty. Absolutely disgusted.
BLATANT DIVE
Great freaking refereeing
well hopefully they go on and win it now . theres simply too many over rated players in the squad and a clueless manager.
Stupid red
Really another yellow, why only we getting yellows.
Fckn cheating ref fk fk fk fk fk u
How is this ref giving us yellow cards, when they are doing the majority of the fouling?
We looking so friggin ordinary while Leicester look every inch champion to be…Konte what a player. Giroud as usual ZERO threat!
Two great assists the last two games? No threat?
The truth is we play nothing,just like in the last 10-12 games.We are far from ready to challenge the title.Foxes game looks simple and effective,outs is overcomplicated.Wenger must go,he is complicating thinks instead of clearing them.No way we can win today,not with a game like this.Now wait for a 82 minute substitution,with Gibbs and Chambers popping onto the field-hmmm-never learning
Leicesters league to lose now as it stands!! Ref again at the centre of attention but what can you do abso nothin as they seem to not like ArsenalFC.
Ozil looks non interested maybe the rumours are true??
Now we are in trouble, chasing the game against Leicester 🙁
Ok Leicester are annoying me now. It was fun watching them beat the other sides but damn! I don’t care how well they’re playing it’s still Leicester for crying out loud, Jesus we usually beat these teams routinely…
Its gonna be 5 0
You can’t win a game where the referee gives you no decisions. and gives unfair decisions to Leicester. Don’t understand Henry, what have Sky given him?
You can’t win a game where the referee gives you no decisions. and gives unfair decisions to Leicester. Don’t understand Henry, what have Sky given him? A bonus? Vardy should’ve had a yellow card for diving. It is NOT part of the game to stick your leg out to dive over a defender Henry and Carragher.
… and we thought this year is our best chance at winning the league …. if we screw this up i am afraid ozil and sanchez might leave us
Would love to see us now give them a good second half whipping with a hungry Welbeck….We can dream…
First half:
When it’s 0-0(win is crucial)
When it’s 0-1(draw is a must)
and chambers on for kos…good lord
What happened Koscielny?
Not gonna be out day I fear
Instead of making England team for the euros vardy should be selected for the swim /diving team for the Rio Olympics!
if we loose, i will only blame the referee. we are not that bad. still hopeful. COYG!
As usual Arsene could not handle pressure againts his team…
Lacked motivation, lacked simplicity, lacked aggression, no self confidence in this team…
Compare the Invisibles era its like heaven & hell…
If Leicester win EPL this season so its very shame for all the Gooners all over the world…
WENGER OUT!!!
Come on AFC. We were 1-0 down to Leicester and beat them before. Sanchez needs to get on his game. This is a fight. We have to give it 150% for 45 mins. Coygs.
Another dive? Disgusting – why didn’t Mahrez get a yellow card for diving?
Wow. Leicester got a yellow. And no penalty for a dive.
Sunderland looked more dangerous than us today, Giroud either watching the grass grow or argiung with the referee what a waste
Monreal getting owned
At last … some justice!
Good news at last now lets push for it guys
Red lol yeeeessssss
not sure what irritates me more…. giroud’s misses or wenger’s stubbornness
Looks like Leicester will defend and it’ll finish 1 – 0
Push on guys coyg
2 goals come on
Kante is going to have to be careful as well…. Let’s keep calm and win
Commentators hate Arsenal, not sure who it is.
Bring on Walcot for OG
Or Elany for Coq
if we don’t win it now then frankly we don’t deserve to win the league
What a freaking make up call, Atkinson is a clown
Coq off? Why? He was playing well
WENGER do something you prehistoric dinosaur you don’t win this one tend your resignation tomorrow
He has nothing. There’s no innovation in him, he’s 1 dimensional.
Haha love that by Cech or Vardy!
its these games you need sanchez and ozil who are supposed to be our best players to grab tne game by the scruff of the neck
We should take this chance now to win this, but unfortunately we do t have players who can score. If Leicester close up we won’t get through.
I eat my words.
We our losing our head here. Wenger will again say scoring is cyclic bla bla….only seems to be us though. Very concerning that no one can score.
Don’t know what happened to Atkinson – maybe he saw a replay of the ‘penalty’ at half time and was p’d off
when you are playing at home and not scoring you simply dont deserve anything. oh and against 10 men
What the f… is wrong with Ozil thinking on La Liga already????? worst game this season
Come on boys
YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK LORDD!!!!! Another one another one another oneee
Walcott. At last
All is forgiven Theo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
good play by giroud-walcott combination… credit where it is due
Goal….whrere are the so called arsenal supporters who where wishing arsenal will lose
PENALTY REF COME ONNN
that should have been a red for that pisswater
Ramsey nearly for his leg broken again by Drinkwater
we need the the second goal otherwise we are just doing the others a favour.
Still nothing WE NEED TO WIN
Alexis costing us ATM
now to think of it leicester is a very dirty team
Sanchez, Ozil and Ramsey are not playing well. Is Welbeck coming on?
Come on Danny!!!
RAMSEYY REALLLYY?????????????
Ramsey wouldnt score…..
Bunch of bottlers
4 mins
will giroud ever score again?
We juz don’t have a clinical CF that required in this type of game.
Clinical he has out two balls on a plate the last two weeks for assists.
last min. corner
COME ONNNNNNNNN
Unnnnnbeeelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!