Arsenal News

Official teams and preview of Southampton v Arsenal

The latest news for Arsenal fans is pretty much the same or similar that we have had all season. Arsene Wenger has had to shuffle his squad and experiment because of the constant and ever growing and ongoing injury situation that the Gunners have had to cope with.

Now our central midfielder Mathieu Flamini is not available to play, so Wenger has had to put Calum Chambers along with Francis Coquelin in central midfield and we have to hope that the inexperienced young Gunners can do a job for us in a really tough test away to the Saints. And I thought that they had it bad by losing Schneiderlin to suspension.

Just to add to the problems, the in form Cazorla has had to move into a wide forward role because of Giroud’s suspension and the injury to Welbeck. I must say that Wenger and the players will deserve a medal if we come out of this game with anything.

Szczesny
Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs
Chambers, Coquelin, Rosicky
Chamberlain, Alexis, Cazorla

subs: Martinez, Monreal, Bellerin, Maitland-Niles, Campbell, Walcott, Akpom

All I can say Gooners, is cross your fingers and hope….

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253 Comments

  1. No idea what will happen. Nowadays it’s a total gamble to guess what Arsenal team shows up.

    Expecting for the best, fearing for the worst as we are fielding almost all our defenders at once. Let’s see what Chambers can do as a DM (little odd isn’t it when finally the transfer window opens, Wenger decides to put Chambers play DM..). Another excuse for not getting a DM?

        1. Are you SURE he is injured??

          2 years ago there was an injury excuse rolling around to cover Wenger for not playing him. It was all nonsense invented by Wenger loyalists.

          Just asking. I have been lied to (repeatedly) before about Poldi’s “injury.”

    2. Spot on comment, I can see wengers excuse already , finally we play chambers where he is supposed today so we don’t need a DM

    3. Twice a year Chester will have the yellow must and charge out the goal like a crazy man.

    4. everyone voted me down when i said we would have a tough game at southampton. where are you pu ss ies now?? we are screwed

  2. good line up. glad rosickys in.
    can anyone clarify these poldolski rumours- find it hard to believe he stormed out of training

    1. He denied he stormed out of training. He said he wasnt even on the pitch,because he spent whole training with medical staff inside.

    2. See what Lothar Matthaeus is saying about him. Podolski was a regular only at Koln, not at Bayern or national squad. You can’t blame everyone because they are better than you. This is how it is unfortunately.

      1. Sorry. You don’t really know what you are talking about. He was a regular at Bayern until they decided to go with Ribery in position at LW – hard to fight that correct move so THEN he rightfully decided to move on for regular play.

        I have followed Poldi his entire career. (My family is German – wife from Munich).

    3. He commented on this and said it was nonsense and that he was with the medical staff and never even went on the pitch in that session
      Mirror making up garbage as usual

  5. Tbh the line I wanted/expected except I would have played flamini and rested the ox for Walcott but flaminis unavailable and Wenger must deem Walcott not ready and think podi is injured (hamstring) so the ox has to play but think Joel or Walcott might be subed on

  7. Didn’t expect this formation, but can’t say i’m disappointed; looking forward to the Coq/Chambers partnership, our ideal back-line is back, Rosicky and Cazorla have been very good recently, and we have Ox/Sanchez +Walcott on the bench for counter attack pace.

    no Podolski though so he is definitely out which I’m sad about but I respect that if Wenger has no intention of playing him for whatever reason it is better to get some money and that 100k salary and bring in a replacement who will play.

  14. AW’s starting line-up is good. I hope Rosicky is ready I’d like to see him for at least 25 minutes today. COYG!

  15. Also there are few pundit who thought UTD before today still can challenge for PL. If we win today we are 1 point behind them, why not buy Hummels and Shniderlin then we can challenge chelsea

    Come on wenger make all fans happy

  17. Is it 5-3-2 formation with Gibbs, Debuchy as wing backs? Chambers could be in back 3 of a defense. Still don’t understand why Walcott, Campbell or Podolski are not selected. I understand completely why Podolski and Campbell want to leave. Walcott needs minutes so why leave him benched???

  18. well… i have no idea what will happen looking at this lineup. Hopefully we can pick up the 3 points though.

  19. Well that’s an odd looking team.. Chambers as a defensive midfielder should be interesting though. Look at our bench too, it doesn’t look very strong at all. Worried about this one.

  20. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the first time that our first choice back four have started a game together all season. Isn’t it? Mertesacker wasn’t there at the start because of the World Cup, then Gibbs got injured before he came back, then Debuchy and Koscielny were injured and now finally everyone’s back. There’s one positive for today at least.

  21. One postive although 1 of our first choice back four is way below the quality we need and standards we should be setting. No prizes for guessing who I’m referring to!

  23. Defense all at sea again!! Ot bojan and biram diouf unavailable for the match against us, nice 🙂

  26. Yep mert no longer has any place wearing an Arsenal shirt unless he buys one from the store to watch from the stands. Wenger suddenly showing he has two dm options in coquelin and chambers, surprise suprise! Think we’ll get a cb this window and thats it 🙁

  27. I have been calling for Chambers to play back of midfield all season. Im glad Wenger is finally trying it. Hope he does well.

    I’m happy with the line up, although prefer Cazorla or rosicky in the middle

  43. One pass and the whole defense is exposed. Scezeny is the worst of the 3 keepers we have and surprisingly he is at the top of the pecking order.

    1. Welcome to Wenger land. You don’t have to train well to play, just pick up his dry cleaning and you are in.

  44. Can’t believe that.. If your goalkeeper is drawn out, someone has to get on the goal line to stop that happening.. Not sure what Szczesny was doing there.

    1. the whole thing was a embarasaement wwhat the f was koschileny and mertersacker doing when schzney came out they were neither here nor there. why did not koschileny or mert run to the goal line or whn scz started to run back why didnt koschileny try pressure mane

  45. Yep mert the coordination of my gran.and schez I always thought he was unpredictable and unconvincing. I said it last week I’ll say it again adrian> schez!

      1. Kos would have recovered if schez did not dash out..this is so stupid..well Mert cannot be expected to defend that ball..that requires agility of which he has none.

  46. After the West Ham game I said that I was not impressed by Szny and that he will always have 2 blunders a game and that in big games they might just be 2 blunder but they will cost us..

    We got lucky at West Ham when he came out exactly the same way and we were not punished..

  47. Arsenal shoot themselves in the foot once again.

    They are nothing more than a comedy show of errors – a bloody awful defence and a wasteful attack.

    Yet Wenger is still there claiming his £8 million a year for failing…

    Arsenal are just not a very good team…

  48. i like to believe in Szczesny, but I’m seriously losing patience with him. Every game he does stupid things and this time it resulted in a goal. We have Ospina just waiting on the bench now for his opportunity…

    3. Ospina on the bench? Haha that guy played 90 minutes and got injured for 3 months. What I also heard was that we bought him already injured. Brilliant business by Wenger no doubt.

      1. and before that he only ever had one other injury where he only missed 6 games. Please gain some perspective, and stop blaming Arsene Wenger for EVERYTHING!! My goodness, I’m also no Wenger fan, but give the man a break sometimes… Ospina has only played one game so far and you are bashing him…

  50. Opsina should be playing between the sticks instead of our usual rash and impulsive stopper. Market value of per? 2m? Whod want him though?!

  51. Southampton fans be like ” HA HA HA HA HA. Such a great circus in town led by the head clown Wenger “

  52. Mert doesn’t have the speed to track that ball in the air and knock it away? Granted that Schez blew that but your defenders have got to help you out with a clearance on a soft shot like that.

  53. And Mertesacker should have been on that goal line when Szny went on his normal walk about..

    Our players just don’t seem to have a clue when it comes to defending intelligently..

  54. Listen Scz is not bad it’s the defence in front of him that’s shit.
    Watch he will make good saves through the game
    The defence has been shit for years now!

    1. u havent been watching too many games I believe…one single lapse of conc from a goal keeper is enough to cost a game..and schez has too many of those moments..

      1. I’ve watch many games and I’ve watch schez win many games for us, is he the best keeper in the league? No but he is not the worst just think back to some of the amazing saves he has many earlier on in the season and then think about playing behind a defence like ours that has been shaky for many years

          1. Tell me goonster does our defence fill you with confidence? Just think about that and think about playing behind them. The problem is bigger that merts or schez the problem is the manager and his belief that the team he has and the players he have are good enough and his refusal to be ruthless with players

  55. Such a poor goal to concede.

    On a positive note, Coquelin has been really good so far, winning tackles and moving the ball quickly.

    1. We are all excited for Wenger to actually try Chambers at midfield but………

      matching him with Coq was a bit risky. We shall see.

  57. why is everyone hating on Mertesacker again though, Koscielny was 100% beaten by Mane right there. I bet if it was Mert who got beaten and Kos who didn’t intercept, peolple would still be attacking Mertesacker. Either way our defending has been a joke all game. Its way too easy to break us down. Southampton create good chances every few minutes, and we just keep wasting opportunities and can’t create anything… We’re not a very good team, but we all knew this. Average at best which is why we’re not in the title race.

    1. Sadly, Mert has become the whipping boy for fans disappointment this season.

      Of course it could not be that Kos has been out, Wenger did not bring in CB cover, Wenger is playing 2 “new” players at deep midfield, and Sczesny decided to go on out on a sightseeing tour instead of playing GK.

      Mert was 2nd in the Arsenal player of the year voting last season – now he is crap. How soon they forget.

      1. yeah, I agree Mertesacker has been horrible this year, but Arsenal fans just love to blame one player for everything and its ridiculous.

  58. Thanks for that. There have been so many false injury reports invented by fans about Poldi during his Arsenal career that I am always suspicious.

    But if he says it……… I believe it.

    1. Yes. And that someone’s name is SCZESNY. There is a reason keeper’s play in front of their goal.

  60. Southampton 1 Arsenal 0 Very poor first half from Arsenal same old same old pass pass pass pass then lose the ball and get sucker punched.

  61. We can still win. No need for doom and gloom.
    Just stay positive

    Time for criticisng should be after the match. During match we should hope the players perform better and Wenger makes necessary changes asap

  62. And Kossy too should take the blame, all he had to do is stay goal side and not force himself to get in front of Mane… If he was patient enough to just stand his ground instead of trying to nick the ball by getting in front of Mane..

    We are so frustrating…

    But we still got another 45 minutes, hope we don’t go gung ho as headless chickens in the opening stages like we always do.. Take your time and we will get back into it…

    1. But kos would have recovered, there was no danger, we just have an idiot keeper who along with his mishaps cant even claim a high ball no matter how high its looped. Thats when he should leave the goal line, for claiming the ball instead of trying to show a defender how to do his job.

  63. chambers is useless. better play rosicky CM and bring on Walcott.
    WE do so many mistakes that lead to goals. Almost 2 per game. Its ridiculus.

  64. #IN17WETRUST we trust coyg lets go. U mr scz u better not go on instagram after & take no fackin pic u folish guy!!!

  65. Let this line up go for 15 minutes than sacrifice a DM, drop Rociscky deeper, shift Santi into the middle and unleash Theo.

  66. Im sick of szcz doing this shit. You wouldnt see Cech or any che keeper do this brain fart stuff the sooner we replace the fool the better.

  67. Chambers is simply lost in the middle,he doesn’t know what to do (and has no skills to do it) in the DM role.All he does is pass the ball back to defenders,not driving forward.Poor quality player,for his price tag you can get a lot bet players.Chambers out,Rosicky back to the middle,Walcott in,we are not enough (in numbers )in attack.

  68. Im a AOB’S guy but i cannot blame #AW for any wrong doin this time iz tht fackin kp tht stupid guy ahhhhhh smfh

  69. biggest 45 mins in wengers recent 4th rate managerial career….he can prove he knows how to turn a game around against a decent (but not top) team or he can confirm he is just a tired and deflated existential corporate bs artist who is well past his managerial sell by date …about 4 years past on my reckoning …

  70. Arsenal don’t look as if they have a goal in them. Let’s see if Mr Wenger can earn some of his 8m
    and do something to turn things around.

  71. Chambers hasn’t put a foot in so far I swear. Walcott in Chambers out, stick Rozza in the middle with le Coq and put Alexis on the left, Chamberlain on the right, Theo in the middle. No one to pass the ball to up top at the moment, Giroud would’ve been a massive asset in this game.

    2. Arsenal have been playing with 10 all along..chambers is invisible. Not the game to try out a 19 year old in a new position

  74. Szczesny : one of the worst GK in the league. Saving just 35 % of the shot ,this guy almost singlehandedly cost us progession in the champions league last season.
    Dropped by poland at the euro for his endless mistake

  75. Kossy should have stood his ground… But he tried to get infront of Mane, that is suicidal because if you don’t get the ball then Mane is free…

    I blame Szny, Kossy and Mert… We could have prevented that goal…

  76. Whenever the opposition concedes a corner, I think to myself “Damn, another attack lost” because that’s what happens. There isn’t a single player in our team who could deliver corners.

    1. I have consistently said . We need a total overhaul in the playing department. That we are have performed anywhere close to how we have ,with players like sendoros, Szczesny ,djorou ,wilshere giroud ,flamini etc is nothing short of a miracle.
      I hope people can see the hardwork of welbeck especially when he is grafting and assisting in ithe midfield .

  81. Again Szces thanks mate, i have no idea why u would pass Tadic the ball… He basically said come and score so I can have a break to drink from my bottle… Just bullsh*t

  83. case closed….just f****** go you joke of a manager….mourinho was too kind in his description you are a disgrace to this once serious club…and take the idiot walmart guy with you…. WE NEED OUR CLUB BACK

  86. I laughed at the first goal and the second one was even funnier. Two steps forward and 1 step back. That’s how we work.

  88. O My God it gets worse 2-0 and Wenger just has a blank look on his face he has not got a clue.

  91. Arsenal are a mid table team, without Sanchez we would be bottom half quite honestly. Both times we have played Southampton, they have been the better team, more structured and composed, they deserve a top 4 finish more than us. If we come back in this game, it will be a miracle.

  93. Yep, 2-0 down. Now lets make a sub when its too late. So typical of our joke manager. Walcott shouldve been on at HT and Chambers out.

  94. This season has been one of the hardest to watch every time we gain some momentum we shoot. Our selves in the foot.
    The guys need shooting practice whenever we get in the box we have to score the perfect goal because we shit
    Corners need to be stopped because I always feel like we are the ones to concede just let it be
    a goal. Kick

  96. The problem with Arsenal.

    The first is that we have a manager who can neither apply tactics nor motivate the players he has to achieve anything.

    The second problem is that we have a squad of players who are just there to pick up their extravagant wages every week and the manager can seem to do nothing to motivate them to do better.

    I just want Wenger gone – I think every Arsenal fan who wants Arsenal to do well wants him gone as well.

    So why is he still here collecting his ridiculous salary ???

        1. Yep ,flea market -level players. We shop at poundland matee and not marks and spencer.
          The owners are not ready to spend like they do with all their sport teams.
          What with the uncouth language?

    1. Szczesny is one of the privileged ones. Along with Wilshere, Ramsey, OX, Arteta, Diaby, Welbeck and Giroud, how they perform is insignificant. If they are fit, they play. If not, they get new contracts.

    2. Wenger has to be sacked. De Gea carries united on his own, while we have this black hole between the stick. It’s sad. we need a new manager, but of course even if Yellowstone erupts this wont happen.

    3. Arsenal has become a comedy……….. Sou 2- 1 Ars…….. hahhahahahahahahahahahahahah the first joke of 2015… Any day….Wenger Out

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