The Arsenal team to face Liverpool?

It does not really matter who I or other Arsenal fans think should be in Arsenal’s starting XI to face Liverpool tonight, as Arsene Wenger will stick to his favourite line up for as long as possible until injuries or midweek games force his hand. There were no new injuries and no returning stars to affect his decisions today.

It would seem that Theo Walcott’s wish to be centre-forward will have to wait longer after Olivier Giroud’s opening goal against Crystal Palace last week. The changes the fans may want to make, like Per Mertesacker replaced by Gabriel, is not going to happen while the acting Captain is available to be on the pitch, and the return of Sanchez last weeks means that Oxlade-Chamberlain will again be on the bench.

So it is obvious to me that the team will be exactly the same as last week’s, which also means Aaron Ramsey as a nominal winger as Wenger floods the central midfield as usual, with Cazorla, Ozil and Coquelin alongside him.

Wenger never likes being predictable, but his successful settled team for the last ten games of last season plus the lesson learned from Chelsea winning the title with mostly unchanged sides may have altered Wenger’s thinking on his chopping and changing of past years.

So I am giving a confident prediction that we will have the same starting XI that we had against Palace. Who disagrees?

Tags Giroud Mertesacker Ramsey

33 Comments

  1. Maybe Wenger should be asked some loaded questions occasionally like, ” what`s behind your decision to play Ramsey on the wing in front of Walcott”? “Being as Mertesacker is un likely to be injured, he`s too big and doesn`t risk himself very often, will Paulista ever get a run”?
    “Is `rotation` a rude word”? I think he should answerable to the supporters occasionally.

  2. Yep this is pretty much a Wenger line up. It took me a while to figure this out but Ramsey’s inclusion in the team has nothing to do with wing play. Wenger relies on our full backs to provide the width while Ramsey’s inclusion ensures that we flood the middle of the patch with ball players who ensure possession and fluidity. Ramsey never stays on the flanks. He drifts to the middle while Bellerin is higher up the pitch trying to provide crosses. It is a bit like what Barca used to do with Iniesta. He is not a winger but because the likes of Abidal and Jordi Alba always overlap, Iniesta has the license to roam and in so doing, they are more compact in the middle and they keep the ball better. For Wenger, it is all about the midfield. The problem then becomes how to include potent forces like Walcot and Ox in the team. I cannot believe these two are bench warmers but what do I know.

    1. any comparison of iniesta and ramsey is just not serious football talk … i like bellerin but he does not put in loads of crosses and has become more hesitant as an attacker which is understandable….but this only makes sense if you are not confident about your defence in which case do something about it….anyway the point is that this arsenal team probably can beat lpool but it cant come close to winning epl and nowhere near the top teams in europe…correcting that is the managers job and so far wenger has proved himself expertly incapable of doing so

        1. of course he was….and it is complete bs…. iniesta is not a box to box player…he carries the play maker role that santi or jack should be playing and can play because both are on a different footballing level from ramsey… though neither sadly as good as iniesta…ramsey`s roaming is random and based around his silly belief that he is a goal scorer…got away with it so far because wenger has not invested in proper strike options in the way barca have…a decent bench player that can keep us around the 4th place mark…we need better

    2. @Uche.
      I love the way you explain it. I also did not understand Wenger’s decision at first. But after doing a bit of reading and watching myself, I say the reason gave are exactly the reason why Wenger is playing a fourth CM in Ramsey.

      Some fantasize about having a stronger, faster version of Mikel Arteta -a type of dream player that Arsene wants but can’t find easily.

      The way I see it; Cazorla and Coquelin combo is some sort of hybrid solution to that. But then you still need that box-box energy player like Ramsey to play alongside this hybrid player in midfield. And you also need the vision of Ozil closer to the final third so there is almost no need for him drop deep at all.

      1. Plus Alexis Sanchez or Theo to finish those fantasia, we’ve the best attacking football in England dude.
        I wonder why AW put Ozil in the middle, because he always tend to go left when Sanchez running to the right. Ramsey? He’s right in the middle!

  3. Would love to see ox playing out wide. But ramsey did have a decent performance against palace. He got into some good positions. I feel that chamberlain and bellerin can have a go at gomez. With ramsey playing out wide im a bit worried.

    1. I thumped you up because the comment has nothing to do with “Benzema done deal” …

  4. Wenger will still play the same XI even if they aren’t performing alright. Yes it is called favoritism, yea that’s our Manager. I think the changes we need is Bench Per (don’t tell me it’s because he’s our captain, cos Barca benched Xavi wen He’s not performing, recently Mouthrinho sub Terry wen he’s nt doing well) play Paulista, Walcot for Giroud, Ramsey for Ox. Let’s surprise lesserpool.

  5. Once Maureen said he was ok with his squad and that there would be no additions, and if u truly looked at his squad, it seemed so. But along the line, he realised somethings need fixing, and having identified what needed fixing, he went on to fix it. That’s a guy who won the league last season still very much driven like he’s never won it before.

    Just how driven is Arsene? Like someone said here, if you wait till this time of the window to buy a player, it’s a panic buy; and when Wenger panics in the market, he often comes up with stars like Kim kadashian and Yoyo Sanogoals. Let’s hope he buys and buys the very kind of players we do really need, but I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t.

    1. Are you happy that you have managed to post another trash against the club you purport to support while praising your model Mourinho? So much about being an Arsenal fan?

  6. If ox doesn’t start wenger can sign 10 year contract worth $4444444444444444 th place every year,

  7. yeap that’s the team that Wenger will pick….
    Personally i dont believe in the philosophy of mostly unchanged teams..but this is a big game and Strongest avail squad is required..
    Mert vs Benteke…i dont know about that..

    1. It is as predictable as night following day on here – before every match, whichever striker is playing is a “mismatch” or a “worry” for PM. The match commentators will have it on their match notes – gets said with “authority” every game. Fortunately, the dooms-dayers have been wrong for the vast majority of the 171 times he has played for us. Didn’t you watch our last 3 games against Villa – Mert dealt with Benteke fine.

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  9. Walcott should be given a chance, later subbed by Ramsey. And yes, yet again on the wing, because Giroud really loves Pool’s net.

    And Gibbs should be given a chance. He is an academy lad and should play against rivals in home matches. (I might be wrong here, no idea if he’s fit.)

    Maybe 1 more player should be rotated. Rotations please, no more overuse.

  10. “Liverpool can make their own decisions. They refused to sell us Suarez, so I cannot feel too much sympathy for them,” Wenger
    I like it …

  11. I am pretty sure that our team will be unchanged. Ramsey will start ahead of OX for sure which IMO is a good decision and maybe Ox and TH14 could come in later on when loosepools tire out. Wenger will puts Ramsey on even if we will have Pogba because of his engine. He can run up-down throughout the game, he can find those goal-scoring passes and also chip in with goals. But I think what is holding Ramsey back is sometimes he passes too carelessly and holds on the ball longer.

  12. Wenger
    Eat sleep cohesion repeat same mistakes repeat don’t sign dm and cf repeat excuse repeat 4th place repeat sign one player every season repeat

  13. No tactics explanation can make me understand why a midfielder (ramsey) plays on the wing over natural effective wingers (T14 & Ox)…

    1. Well, thats your problem.
      If the tactic works in the end, no explainer will care what you choose to or not to understand

    2. Perhaps the only thing that will help you is knowing that there is no regulation or law that requires a football team to play a “natural” winger on either side of the field. And does anyone seriously believe Alexis is a “natural effective” winger on the left – he is as one footed as it gets and couldn’t cross with his left peg if his life depending on it.

  14. Admini or Bob, good morning. You got it right. That’s the new look Boss’ orthodox starts. And I’m giving him my 100% support for keeping to his new look orthodox starts. This is a show of starting confidence and strength by the Boss. Every big successful club should have a stable strong starting XI. And Arsenal cannot be an exception but a part of that philosophy. So, that JustArsenal.com Arsenal starting XI the Liverpool game are in order. However, I wonder if the Boss would allow me to thinker a bit with his new orthodox starters likely to start the Liverpool game. Walcott is believed to have the pace ahead of Olivier Giroud who is seen to have the hold up game to bring others into play and can also defend better than Walcott does. Nevertheless, for the purpose of getting behind the Reds’ defense line early on in the game to score a goal and give assist for a 2nd goal within 20 minutes into the game for Arsenal to go 2-0 up. I want the Boss to start Walcott for this game to likely achieved this my thought. Giroud can play his own positive part in the game as the Boss brings him on in the 2nd half. Importantly, I believe Rhinosacker must have learned in his fallings against Martin Skrtle aerial threats. There should be no any kind of ducking headings or dodging shots by Rhino’ in this encounter. Are the Reds starters likely to look like these?: Mignolet. ClyneLovrenSkrtleMoreno. HendersonMilner. CoutinhoLalanaIbe. Benteke. The Boss and the Gunners should ponder and be proactive against Brendan Rodgers and his Reds Game App Data Plan of: CONTAIN THEM AND STRIKE DEADLY. Which the Boss and the Gunners will diffuse by their own Game App Data Plan of: SHORT CIRCUITING THEIR DEFENDING AND COUNTERS. To nullify Brendan Rodgers game app strategy and renders it into obsolete state. AFC 3-0 LFC at full time + added time. For AFC: Walcott, Sanchez & Ozil.

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