Arsenal will prove too strong for Leicester! Heres hoping anyhow!
We would be silly to expect the same Leicester side that we came up against in the Carabao Cup only a few weeks back and although we grinded out the win it would have been a shock if we didn’t.
Leicester always pose a big threat to our boys and always give us a tough game, but I feel very confident that we can get a result against them this weekend. Where previously I would feel nervous, I can say this time that I am quietly confident, and I hope it comes true.
Not only have we got a near full fit squad but we have amazing talent and ability and we are playing at home, although we don’t have the fan advantage to cheer us on in the stadium, we have an impeccable streak going at the Emirates and we need to continue that to ensure we make the Emirates a theatre that teams are afraid to come to.
One positive for us is that Leicester’s star defender Caglar Soyuncu has been ruled out and his return date is not known. Jamie Vardy on the other hand has been out injured and although he is reported to be fit for the game, we can use that to our advantage because he may not be fully fit but may be risked. Let’s hope that is the case because if we want to stop Leicester, first we have to stop him, given that he always manages to score against us.
With Gabriel in defence, and with the tactics Arteta has thrown into the mix there is no denying that our defence has become more solid, although we are still prone to conceding if we can grind out the win and come away with all three points it shouldn’t matter if we concede or not.
Of course, conceding is not ideal but given how all teams are defending in the League this season if we can get the goals at the other end and win then it really won’t matter will it. We can also hope that Partey will make his full Premier League debut at home and will bring Leicester back to reality especially after the way he performed midweek. Gooners?
Shenel Osman
Its not going to be easy.
Ceballos or willian must play cuz we need creativity in midfield.
And vardy creates a different kind of threat.He is not that physical but he will make clever runs which i think will be a problem for our CBs because they lack pace.
The structure needs to be solid and lets PARTEY!!!
He definitely creates a threat !!the diving for penalties kind ,no doubt we will see a few attempts later this evening which VAR will be more than happy to give .
I would be shocked if we played the whole 90mins without seeing a Vardy dive .
Why should we ‘grind’ out a win?
We should go for it big time!
My only problem with the game is the 7.15pm kick off time and that it’s only on pay per view.
I’m going to Hesgoal, Declan!!
Funny how Sky/BT haven’t released viewing figures for ppv. A lot of fans have been boycotting it and giving the money.to local food banks instead. Leeds, Newcastle, Villa and others have donated a lot of money!!!
Sue I have heard informally, from somone I know in TV, that PPV on both Sky and BT has been disastrous for both and that both are desperate to keep the real, very low uptake a secret.
It is rumoured, from those in the know that it is close to costing them money to put on, with no real profit to speak of, at all. This cannot go on long without a change. But I cannot get actual figures and believe me I HAVE TRIED! I have no luck getting it on hesgoal. How about you?
I bought it from Sky this morning but cannot view it on BT as I thought, as I usually can with normal Sky games on BT Sports.
I was thinking the same. We seem to be a team of grinders right now and a long way from being the slick operators that we aspire to. It’ll come, but not this early in the season. Perhaps by next spring and with a full squad we might get back to our old values.
I suspect Arteta will play Ceballos,Partey and Xhaka in midfield but that would be tough on Elneny who did well in Vienna.
Big difference between Vienna and Leicester so Elneny for me is ideal as a squad player esp against the lower teams when some of our boys get complacent.
Having said that I have not seen him play since his return . What does everyone else think of Elneny.compared to our other midfielders.. should he start?
Neil, I’m glad you admitted that you haven’t watched him yet instead of judging him based on your previous knowledge of him.
Anyways, to be fair, I think he has really improved. At least we are seeing the best of him yet, and as much as some fans believe Xhaka is important to the team, Elneny has now created a fair competition with him for who starts alongside Partey and Ceballos- that’s how much he has improved.
Things I’ve noticed since he came back under MA:
1.) He’s tactically better (especially with his positioning)
2.) He’s nolonger toothless in tackles; unlike the run-around Elneny with nothing to show. Now he actually tries to tackle and win the ball back.
3.) He’s passes are better. This is his most improved aspect imo. He has become better at distribution and with some give-and-go passes. This has helped our transition play when he’s played so far as he nolonger just passes the ball backwards without conviction.
Also, he seems to take more risks with his passes these days which shows he’s more confident..a good example being the slide rule pass to Bellerin for our goal against Rapid Vienna(hopefully we keep getting such surprises from him)
So if I’m to choose between Elneny and Xhaka rn, honestly, I’d go Elneny.
Vardy will be up for it, as he always is against us, guzzling his red bull in the tunnel, to give himself wings! I just hope Luiz is careful, as we all know JV loves to go down in the box! Barnes is looking good for them…
Having said that, Auba has found his shooting boots… I’m drooling at the thought of Ceballos, Partey and Xhaka/Elneny in midfield… so we should be in for a treat! COYG
Apparently Pepe wasn’t in the training pictures…
True,Barnes is in great form
And if pepe is not playing and willian is injured Saka should play the RW instead of nketiah or willock
👍👍
I’m in two minds about paying for this game more out of principle than the cost. I pay a lot of money for my tv subscription so I think this could be possibly the first time I miss a game for over 4 years.
I’m not expecting a classic but I’m hoping we let the hand break off and go for them big time. I think the defensive structure is now there but the final third really needs looking at and am just hoping that the lack of attacking play was due to adaptation.
I just want a win so I have something to look forward too on MOTD.
👍 I think it’s a bloody cheek, on top of what we pay for Sky/BT/Amazon..and I wonder how many more times we’ll be on it?! I’m going to stream it on Hesgoal
Totally agree Sue. I think they are taking the royal p!ss. I pay 100pm just for sports and cinema and can’t get it any cheaper because old customers cannot subscribe for the promotional offers. On top of that the 79py for Amazon. And what do we get, games that nobody is interested in.
I used to subscribe to yeah iptv but the streams were not always reliant but I will take a look at your suggestion. Many thanks.👍🏻
It’s now being reported that Sky/BT would happily see ppv binned as they’re concerned about their reputations, having been labelled as ‘greedy’ 🤣 You couldn’t make it up!!
Well, enjoy the match, NB 👍 COYG
Myself,
I’m Confused On How The Formation Should Be
Our Best Midfield Has To Be Xhaka-Partey-Ceballos
That Will Mean It Must Be 4 Defenders & With 4 Defenders That Will Mean Saka May Not Start (Auba-Laca-Willian Upfront)
But Saka Is Our Biggest Spark Now & I Don’t Want To Gamble Auba In The Middle For Saka On The Left
Cos The Team Is Already Comfortable With Creating For Auba When He’s Striking From The LeftSide
(We Can Continue Trying Auba Down The Middle Against Lesser Teams – We Shouldn’t Be Over-tinkering Against Tougher Teams Like Man City & Leicester)
Looks Like I’ll Personally Do:
Bellerin-Gabriel-Luiz-Maitland
Partey-Xhaka
Ceballos
Willian – Lacazette – Auba
Lacazette substituted later for Saka, so Auba can go middle
Just don’t want Niles for too long on the bench, I know Tierney is our best LB
Of course it’s in the bag. Arsenal 3-2 .COYG