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Arsenal team and preview for Leicester clash with Gibbs AND Monreal

Perhaps Arsene Wenger has let the recent success of a change in the usual Arsenal formation go to his head, because at first glance it is pretty hard to work out what system the Gunners will be using tonight in our must win OPremier League home game against Leicester City.

The defence is going to be different, or at least I think so, because although Arsenal are starting with just two recognised centre backs in Gabriel and Koscielny, the boss has named three full backs with Bellerin, Monreal and Gibbs all starting.

It may well be that Monreal plays on the left of a back three but after young Rob Holding did so well there I wonder why, although holding may have a knock as he is not even on the bench. The questions do not end there either, because both Welbeck and Giroud start on the bench with Walcott, Alexis Sanchez and Giroud making up a possible front three.

Coquelin and Xhaka complete the line-up so this is my best guess at our formation, although it could be that Wenger’s team selection is deliberately able to change to a back four if needed.

Cech
Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal
Bellerin, Coquelin, Xhaka, Gibbs
Walcott, Alexis, Ozil

Subs: Martinez, Ramsey, Elneny, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Iwobi, Welbeck, Giroud.

However they line up, let us all hope that Arsenal play with the same intensity and fight that got us past Man City in the FA cup. Come On You Gunners, get us those three points and keep us in the the hunt for the top four.

Bob.

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92 Comments

  1. Whatever the outcome of the game, please, please, please mr Wenger don’t say the following after the game:

    We were bit unlucky
    We looked a bit tired from the City game
    It took us a while to get into the game but in the second half we were the better team
    Leicester played for a draw and defended well

    NO EXCUSES!!!! Just win the game or lose with style and honor.

  2. Very defensive line up, but if we get through first half, bring on welbeck n ox when legs are tired, might work in our favour.

    Honestly I like the line up.

  3. What Wenger keeps seeing in Walcott that I haven’t in the last 10 years, I’ll never know. If I was a Manager and I heard my captain ( on the day) come out and say they (opponent) wanted it more, you could see it from the first minute’, after a 3-0 defeat I’d kick him out of the squad for the remainder of the season atleast.

    What a disgrace. He will probably end up scoring 1 or 2 today, but it won’t make up for his performances for this season, let alone the last 10 years.

    Longest serving player under Wenger? That shows how deluded Wenger is.

    1. Yeah, that one killed me too, like there wasn’t another 89 minutes to do something about it. He says it like, oh, it’s the first minute, that’s that then.

    2. “What a disgrace”

      Wow! So your talking smack about Walcott on one hand and predicting he will score the goals with the other. You must be impossible to shop for on birthdays.

      “Here son. We bought you a brand new Bentley”.

      “Why did you get me a silver one?”

  4. I think you have the line up positions correct Bob as Nacho has played at CB before. Looks good and full of pace.
    COYG
    Wenger out though

  5. Monreal and Ox best players on weekend playing in different position. Monreal in CB Ox on bench. Manager thinks tinkering with formation and players in different position will take the attention away from his future. After not changing formation for the last 10 years, he thinks it’s a masterclass that he suddenly changed formation.

    1. No, thinking we can get by with this ream, and need a fresh squad for an on form spuds next.

      Want wenger out, think he makes stupid decisions, but this is not one of them.

  6. Well, If it is a 3-4-2-1 formation, we will have a lot of pace going forward.
    Holding must be injured then ? and I’m not sure about Monreal playing as a CB, so maybe Wenger has gone back to the usual formation and his using Gibbs on the LW?

    Come on you Gunners, we need this … And we need the Spuds to lose and..and .. and all the rest of the favours and miracles that exists in this not so fine world ?

  7. Looking forward to the game, I think the new formation not only rejuvenated the players minds, it also got me interested in how our players make out with a new system. No Holding, he’s been our most consistent one, might be his age and us choosing the next game for him. Not sure how we’re gonna look this evening though, but please lets win. Coq and Xhaka I must admit doesn’t fill me with too much of anything, Xhaka has been a bigger influence lately so hopefully he’ll hold the reins well.

  9. I think playing both Monreal and Gibbs on that left hand side could be a good option to counter the threat posed by Mahrez..COYG!

  11. looks like a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2, i think it will work because your front 3 must be fluid and interchanging positions for 3-5-2 to work.
    Ozil like to move wherever the play dictates, walcott for all his fault has excellent positional awareness to create an goalscoring opportunity and both will have limited defensive obligations which is their weakness although walcott has greatly improved this season. plus sanchez get to do whatever he wants kind like a 9 1/2 which is his best role.

    so basically everyone get their best positions, this could be a blast.

  13. I like it
    I think Alexis will get his 20th Premier League goal of the season and his 25th goal of the season tonight.
    Its been a long time since we had a 20 goal scorer

  14. looks like a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2, i think it will work because your front 3 must be fluid and interchanging positions for 3-5-2 to work.
    Ozil like to move wherever the play dictates, walcott for all his fault has excellent positional awareness to create an goalscoring opportunity and both will have limited defensive obligations which is their weakness although walcott has greatly improved this season. plus sanchez get to do whatever he wants kind like a 9 1/2 which is his best role.

    so basically everyone get their best positions, this could be a blast.

  16. There is a risk of a lack of creativity with this many defenders. Guess Ozil has to be the man to do it today, absence of Ox might hurt but guess he needed a rest for the Spurs game.

  19. I think Holding is a big part of why three at the back looked good for us. Height, he’s good aerially. There’s a calmness to Holdings play too, and a good passer.

  20. Sanchez the worst center forward in the league is goals isn’t from center forward player giroud should start until we replace him with a better center forward i know a lot of will never understand he doesn’t make himself available in the box that is what a center forward does now to the line up easy win for Leicester City Wolcott bellerin Gibbs no giroug walk in tje park for Leicester City

  21. Back to possession with no substance
    Like all season

  23. 27 mins and finally a shot at goal
    Thank u Buddha
    Thank u

    1. Yes his ability to. It so much and miss even the most basic of chances is exemplary.

      I sure do miss him looking to the sky like kicking straight is a big deal today.

  26. look thats why even if özil is a liability for physical battle but his passes today are just magnificent, those two long passes just wow and nobody in this team can play such accurate and perfectly weighted short passes as özil and the receiving one doesnt even need a lot of technique to stop it immediately and he can play passes with a very little backlift

  28. Need to take shots from five to ten yards out of box when possible, don’t know why they wont try, it’ll make their defenders come out some more at the least. Come on Arsenal, come on Alexis turn it on already.

  29. i dont know why but since we changed into this formation all the players seem to be fighting about thrice as before.. and i’m loving it 😛
    maybe because of the change many fringe players got into form and they are probably fighting to keep their positions and the others probably understand than in this new formation they have to prove themselves first

    1. Really … Your beloved whippet continues his jogging around with zero impact …until we get rid of these utterly sh… Players we will be outside the top 2 and probably top 4 for a long time to come

  30. looool if that was ramsey or özil with those flicks and overplaying it they would have roasted about now… and on the field sanchez would have been the first one to throw his arms like a sulking baby… that was never ever fighting spirit of him but spirit destroying behaviour

  31. Why oh why doesn’t Wenger allow our players to shoot on goal from outside the box.

    In situations like this when a team defends like Leicester the only way to draw them out and create space is if they know you fill take a shot on goal if they don’t close you down. Now we just pass the ball around in front of their two well-organized lines of defense.

    Xhaka and a decent shot in his legs as does Elneny. Use it.

  32. When you don’t have a wingback running in behind the defense or taking on players like Ox, this is what it looks like. Essentially the same problems when we played 4 at the back. And in typical Arsenal fashion WAY overplaying for no good reason. Ozil and Xhaka been good moving the ball around but Alexis is having a bad game and Walcott offers absolutely nothing besides making the same predictable run every time. Gibbs and Bellerin need to get more involved. Bellerin not taking on any players, always looking to pass to Ozil instead of initiating something. Let’s hope for a better 2nd half.

  33. 2-5 more years of this dross
    should be fun

    if passing the ball and bottling it was a turn on for me
    i would have nutted everywhere by now

  34. F**ing shoot someone, anyone!!! And go back to the direct football Arsenal played in the good old days. Falling asleep watching all the unproductive sideways passing

  35. Looking good so far just missing a goal or two.

    We need to start shooting more often though. Alexis and Walcott needs to switch positions for this game. We need an upgrade on Coquelin this summer to provide the best pairing with Xhaka.

      1. Junkies are always optimistic coz they are still alive and therefore still live in hope of another shot … But there will be no 4 th place this year so now the junkies are trying to convince themselves that 5th place will still give them that same high … You need to stock up on the soup and face the cold turkey mate … Maybe after that a bit of realism will creep in

        1. Just ignore him mate,
          I’m guessing that his little sister asked for her Dolls back and kicked him out of her room…. Again! ?

  36. i dont get you guys, wanting wenger out is absolutely sensible but being optimistic about one or two players or being optimistic about a game isnt the most ridiculous thing there is 😉

  37. If Arsenal was a Woman … She’d be labeled in the ‘Nice ass, shame about the face’ category ?

    We’re Absolutely clueless in and around our opponents box, no wonder they all look like a bunch of Virgins out there ?

    Maybe Wenger should try 3 at the TOP! ?

    At the half hour mark, the camera pans to the bench and there was poor old Wenger… Looking absolutely constipated ?? man was twitching and rocking back and forth like a crackhead going through cold turkey ?

    Oh well, if it truly is a Groundhog season then we will see Welbeck come on and score the Winner with his Head ??

  38. Its not about formation, but players. We have 8 defensive players including the goalkeeper and a passenger Theo, then a Leceister player Alexis. Coquelin is not a box to box midfielder and Theo’s only advantage is Nationality!

  45. welbeck getting ready to come on and wenger just sitting down next him says it all. Get off your f#$$$g arse you deluded old fool and motivate your players.

  48. lmao, when Ramsey gives the ball away crowd gets 10 times louder than when any other player does it.

    1. Could it be because that’s what he and Theo primarily do, with little positive end-product to balance out the frequent negative?

  49. Very very clear that in the semi final the players played the event not for wenger

    Today back to they can’t be arsed

  57. This match has been embarrassing. Sanchez, Walcott, Ozil have all been terrible.

    Lucky, Lucky

      2. I’m watching a match where we dominated possession, didn’t give them much, and yet created almost nothing until the end because all three attacking players refused to go in the box or shoot or do anything really.

        Sanchez has since proceeded to embarrass himself some more, and Ozil almost gave away a free goal.

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