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Confirmed Arsenal side to face Fulham – Kiwior starts and Jesus on bench

Following our shock defeat to West Ham last week, was our first reversal of the season at the Emirates, all Arsenal fans will be hoping that this setback will now spur them on to come out fighting again, but actually manage to get the ball in the back of the net this time around.

Considering the consensus on Kai Havertz in his first couple of month, it is good to see that many Arsenal fans seem relieved that he can return to the starting line-up today after his one-game suspension, and hopefully he can get back to his recent scoring exploits after his rest.

As the game against the Hammers was just a few days ago, i would normally expect Arteta to try a little rotation to add a few fresh legs, but the Boss doesn’t seem very keen make many changes.

Well this is the very strong team that Daisy predicted earlier…..

Raya

White – Saliba – Gabriel – Zinchenko

Odegaard – Rice – Havertz

Saka – Jesus – Trossard

And now we can compare her choices to Arteta’s final decision on today’s starting line-up…

Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice, Odegaard, Havertz; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli

Are you happy with that selection?

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156 Comments

      1. Same but lets hope nketiah has a good game though even then he hogs the penalty box limiting the position exterchanging with Martinelli,saka and limits the space havertz has to run into the box.

        1. Yeah, Eddie came on for the 2nd half in the reverse fixture and scored so maybe he’ll have a good game for us.

    3. Yes unfortunately he starts and does his typical nothing. How do Nketiah and Saka stay on the pitch and Martinelli gets subbed?

      Arteta’s game management has been shocking, simply aghast how an invisible Nketiah and poor Saka stay on the pitch.

    2. @Gai Nice Lineup👌 Nkethia can run behind the defence. I guess Arteta wants to be a bit pragmatic in ball possession and get results. Jesus and Zichenko dropped means Arsenal may not necessarily dominate possession but will keep well our defensive shape. I see a win. I hope Matinelli bring his A game

  6. At least Zinchenko is not starting again today. Maybe things would’ve been different had Arteta started Kiwior at left back in our last two games.
    I’m a bit confident we’ll get a result. Defense not widely exposed at least.

    1. Kiwior’s a solid enough defender, but doesn’t add much else. He’s not really a left back anyway is he, but still an improvement on Zinchenko in this respect.

      1. That’s why Kiwior never starts many games as he is very limited in the attacking sense.
        They really need to start finding a plan B for Saka as his game has slightly gone down and defenders have really figured out how to mark him out of the game.

  7. Arsenal must be bold and take their 3 1 3 3 formation to craven cottage back yard.

    ———————-Raya
    ——White———-Saliba———-Maghalse
    ——————-‘—-Rice
    ——-Odegaard——-Havertz——Kiwor
    —‘–‘-Saka———–Eddie——-Martinelli

    But where is the new scapegoat?

  9. Need a fast start and put fulham on the back foot. What does Nelson have to do to get a start. Hopefully we get the win but it all depends on which Arsenal turn up

  10. Can Eddie make a claim for the striker position. He has to go out there and impress and keep Jesus on the bench! For Eddie being given the green light ahead of Jesus he has to take this opportunity. I see this as Eddie’s biggest game and I hope he treats it that way! Get out there, play and dare the manager to take you out of the team for the next game!!! COYG

  11. Is Nketia going to score a hatrick today? I predict he will, not because the transfer window is about to open (that would be cynical) but because this is his chance now, today to prove the doubters wrong. If he doesn’t take his chance today in leading the line then I’m afraid that’s going to be it for the lad, time to move on. The amount of chances we created against West Ham tells me if we had a top, top striker, then they would be scoring goals for fun in this side. It was so glaringly obvious against West Ham, we need a top striker. Hell it’s not even about a Giroud 2.0, I’d take Giroud 1.0 back right now in a heartbeat.

    1. Exactly AndyE! He’s heard all the talk about arsenal looking for a new striker. Where does that leave him? This is his last chance Today to stake claim and show that he wants to play for this club or leave because game time for him will become limited! Someone at the game today please tell him he needs to leave everything out in the pitch today!!!!

      1. There’s nothing I’d like to see more, all our academy players such as Eddie, Saka, ESR and Nielson, shining and keeping anyone bought in, on the bench. I hope today is the turning point for Eddie and he motors on to become top class. I’m rooting for him ❤️🤍

  13. Good to see a couple changes in players starting, but we also need to change the stale flat tactics we have seen on rinse and repeat.

    A change in approach and how we play is necessary, otherwise just swapping deck chairs on the titanic will not solve the problem.

    Hopefully we find some sharpness today, it’s a good opportunity to bounce back and have a performance we can build on for the 2nd half of the season.

    Let’s get a real striker in January, and a midfielder if funds allow.

  14. Zinny seems to be injured, OR he would have played. I dont want any of our team injured of course but that he is not playing is something of a relief, IMO.

    He is not, never was and never will be a defender in any shape or guise, but despite being used in midfield is STILL our regular left back too and thus a decided weak link.

    Reality, which sadly MA seems likely to go on ignoring, when Zinny regains fitness.

    1. Something not quite right with Arsenal this season and as I write fulham score. Too slow and far too many sideways and back passes and again no passion or heart in this side

    2. What has happened to us?
      Everything is so, so slow…

      We are a shadow of what we were last season.
      I miss last season’s Arsenal.
      😞

  19. Hope we are better than this. Saka and Nketian are having nothing games, our two centre halves,White and Kiwior are doing nothing as wing backs and I can’t see how in the world Harvertz can be regarded as a betty player than ESR. and just as I’m writing this Fulham have just scored. We need real wingbacks dumbo

  25. Why do Saka and Martinelli never switch wings? Might get some dangerous first time crosses in if they did, just like Fulham.

    1. No surprise though, typical and predictable performance from Nketiah. Proves yet again he should be sold ASAP.

      Seeing him wearing the 14 jersey as well, like putting derby roses on a carthorse.

      Further proves how badly we need a striker.

  27. You could just sense a Fulham goal coming. We weren’t pressing. We almost looked like we’re not interested until they scored.

  28. This is not about the players. This is poor coaching . You cannot field the same formation for every single game.
    I can bet Martinelli might be the first sub , that is how predictable we are.
    Saka looks a shade of himself, and we are doing Rice a disservice by making him play that entire midfield by himself.
    We have no fullbacks. Ben White is off boil, and we have no leftback because the sage Arteta decided to get rid of the only one at the club .
    Im sorry, but Nketiah is not the answer to any question we have, and Havertz was a waste of money, but that can be said about a huge number of signings that have been made so far.
    We can only hope for this game, because it is not looking good.

  31. A disgusting ref performance, at this point, he’s gonna put the ball himself in the net for Fulham. Arab performance bonus incoming.

  32. Tiis must surely be Nketiahs last ever game at Arsenal as a first choice pick! He was beyond awful in that first half and will SURELY be replaced by Jesus at halftime.

    1. Yea.
      I’ve just had a quick look back: we weren’t looking lethargic and short of bite against Liverpool, certainly not against Brighton.

      What did West Ham do to us?!

      Everything in attack seems out of place!

  34. We lack dynamism in our play, the gaffer has to learn to inject venom in his tactics by rotating, Smith Rowe with his direct running and energy could spark a little chaos in the middle

  35. I think Raya and Kiwior could’ve done better to block Jimenez’s shot

    Havertz still didn’t have the confidence to do playmaking in tight spaces and our defenders didn’t dare to pass the ball to Kiwior frequently

    A big CF is essential if we keep playing like this, because the opposing teams have been familiar with our through balls to our diminutive CF

    2. Kai can’t do playmaking in tight places, is not a question of confidence. He is a tuch and go player.

    3. I also think Saka and Martinelli have got to vary their approache a lot. We depend on those channels in attack, and they are both looking one-dimensional…labouring big time.

      Maybe switch up, like a gunner up there hinted.

      Maybe both could call up their supporting full backs and interplay. I don’t see any of this. They always seem to want to go alone.

      What’s the gaffer seeing that we don’t??

  36. I have to say that despite standing firmly behind MA til now I am beginning to have serious doubts that he is the RIGHT long term pick as our future manager.

    His many and REPEATED MISTAKES are fast betraying his reputaion as a top class manager . The constant slow pace, boring midfield play and static formation is steadily making us look more and more mid-table in quality as the games go by.

    He refuses to change a plainly not working shape and seems to have lost the ability to THINK and to PLAN AHEAD.
    I STOP SHORT OF SAYING I WANT HIM OUT, BUT AS OF NOW I AM DEFINITELY IN THE “NOT SURE ABOUT HIM” CAMP.

    I personally feel betrayed by him and his lack of tactical nous, which is becoming harder and harder to ignore and more pressing to call out as “NOT ARSENAL EXPECTED STANDARD”

    1. Jon interesting comments and honesty in your appraisal and open-minded criticism.

      I think Arteta can only copy Pep so far; the spending, inverted fullback, and playing from the wings.

      In my opinion Arteta has not emerged from Pep’s “shadow” in terms of tactics.

      Arteta has 2 traits that I find concerning in my opinion.

      1. Stubbornness and refusal to change when things are not working. He has no plan B, and lacks the in game management still and we currently struggle.

      2. Arrogance without a resume’ to back it up. His insistence on players for example. Partey at RB experiment, Jesus as a non-scoring striker, Zinchenko as non-defending LB, Nketiah as any semblance of effective player.

      I question if Arteta is the long term answer as you do. I think too much power rests with 1 person as we saw with Wenger after Dein.

      I think Arteta needs an executive to take more control of the club so he can focus on managing. How Nketiah got resigned along with Nelson, or wasteful luxury buy of Vieira. Havertz shoehorned into the midfield instead of a legitimate midfielder.

      Standards and goals would be a welcome addition, something to gage success like Wenger and Emery had.

      1. Durand, Grateful for your detailed reply which sums up my own view too. I also think that it will soon be a more mainstream view of MA, if indeed it is not so already.

        None of us can ever know for certain ,the eventual outcome, when any manager first comes in and most of us make up our minds over a period of time based on what our eyes, brain and gut intincts tell us.

        I confess till very recently being probably more in MA’s camp than I NOW consider a wise view. Others have had long standing doubts and have expressed them and still do.

        I have argued with some of those fans, but now feel unsure of the ground I need to occupy in order to argue with them further.
        In truth, I have been somewhat shocked by my own gullibility in overrating some of his talents.

        I now see SOME holes in those former views of mine and, right now, would in truth, call myself a wait and see what happens next type fan. Some very odd incomings and retaining plainly sub par players AND far too long too.

        I still hope he proves my former long standing views right, but I no longer feel SURE he can or ever will..

        Others would perhaps now call me a doubter and I could not, IN TRUTH, deny that description.

      1. Our midfielders are hardly trying to create something with their passes. Havertz and Rice are okay with just passing the ball around.

  38. We need a proper, creative number 8. Havertz is not really pulling the strings and the burden of “making something happen” is falling on Rice. We need a CM and CF in January.

  39. Watching the game on the gogglebox today… feels a bit weird not being there.

    I’m noticing a bit of a pattern… we cannot seem to get a defender to cut out any crosses into the box. It looked exactly the same cross for West Hams first where the defence is so far forward that it travels the whole of the 6 yard box. Also, both came from Whites side.

    Just saying…

  43. You can only buy and copy success up to a point!

    At some stage MA needs to learn he can’t hide behind a wallet and Pep’s copied tactics and actually start coaching and coming up with his own ideas!

    Slow passing
    Same tactics for 3 years
    Zero flexibility
    No plan B

    Things need to change ASAP, even if we win this game!

  47. Hopeful of seeing the Gunners turn up very well in the 2nd half. And play far far better than they did in the 1st half. And score more goal in the match to win it. And win it unfailingly.
    Fulham 1-5 @full-time +

  48. A new low in shockingness! Top four now looks suspect!

    HEADS WILL CERTAINLY ROLL UNLESS MAJOR IMPROVMENTS HAPPEN VERY SOON.

  49. No matter what happens today, arteta is killing this club.
    He has destroyed Ramsdale and many others with his personal vendettas that he has. Another embarrassing performance by this so called big 6 club.

  50. A LB that isn’t a LB, a CM that isn’t a CM, and a CF that isn’t a CF. There is only one person responsible for this

  54. Again Smith Rowe doesn’t get a look in when he is just the player we need to assist Rice and Odegaard but Arteta will stand by his man, Harvertz .

  55. Midfield build up has been getting slower and slower this season with Havertz inclusion, I like him but I’m not blind to the facts! Everyone’s poor recently so I’m not scapegoating him but it’s true! Rice and Havertz together don’t seem to be a fast partnership and obv Rice won’t be dropped.

    We need a proper box2box midfielder for speedy transitions! Ode like normal is all the way to the right by Saka, so huge hole in the CAM area weekly.

    Boring, slow and fatigued play caused by almost non-existent rotation during the season, as called by the fans with foresight 🙂

    1. What hurts is that we had a great team last season that just needed improvement.
      We don’t deserve to be where we are now honestly.

  57. I don’t think I can can factually find anything positive to say about or performance today. Everywhere I look I just see nothing to like. We look like a team playing for nothing. How many shots on goal have we had? How many missed passes have we made? It’s just so so poor!

  58. Now we know what Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey bring to the team in terms of goals from midfield, assists and quality chance creation.
    The experience and quality is sorely missed.

  62. It is Arteta fault with his favoritism and predictable tactics. Loan Tierney, drop Ramsdale, play Partey RB, Saka is never dropped

    1. How can we be this bad? I mean, this is as bad as I’ve seen Arsenal in years. Saka has been bullied again. We look nervous at the back. Midfield is non-functional. Nothing happening up front. It’s just really poor. Manager has a lot to answer for.

  65. To be honest… not too surprised. These games were coming, but got away with the sucker punches.

    We play with no tempo and are way to predictable.

    Looks like the horseshoe is here to stay.

  66. Again our “strikers” score nothing.
    Honestly, anyone who think Jesus and Eddie are any good need their head testing.
    Here is a bit of perspective – our first choice front four have scored fourteen goals between them. Solanke of struggling Bournemouth has scored twelve.
    There is not ONE Arsenal player in the top 24 goal scorers in the premiership according to the BBC goal scoring charts.
    Declan Rice has scored three goals this season – the same as Gabriel Jesus.
    MA is to blame for this – some of his decisions have really cost us – the failure to bring in a striker for one.

  70. Lol why we playing so slow like we are dictating play and winning. Also what’s up with our players and this suboptimal football… they are doing countering a disservice with this. The wingers need to learn how to perform takeons, strikers are both useless, that midfield needs an outlet, both the starting fbs are useless and now even the cbs are playing bad lol. Frankly Raya been better than a lot lol. Another derby defeat and contrast to last season’s perfect record, nice new year’s gift MA. Maybe some coaching simulations in the off season as I don’t think we have anything to look forward to this season…

    Lol rant over. We move on to the new year. Hopefully the boys will pick themselves up. COYG!

    2. Finally!
      Someone echoes what I’ve been expressing here for a while.

      I single him out. Yes, it might be unfair as everyone up top is piss poor but he was our ‘special spark’…our star!

      He’s gone so dim now, I can’t recognise him no more.
      He used to be so explosive and direct!

      What happened to him??

  72. Let’s forget the nonsense of signing a big lug centre forward. Get Robinson, a real full back. He’s had Saka in his pocket and terrified our so called full backs.

  73. No intensity. Sometimes they need to stop with the intricate passes and just pass the ball fast.
    I can’t believe we are losing to Fulham after seeing how other teams have managed to beat them.
    This is what happens when there is no plan B.
    And really not to sound like a broken record but Saka needs to be dropped.

  74. This has been coming all season. Generally, we have been poor .
    My gripe is with Arteta and Edu. We knew our weaknesses, but we never addressed them. Only Arsenal spends $200 million and gets worse.
    Imagine Silva being so confident before this match, saying he knows Arsenal’s weaknesses and will exploit them.
    What is sad is the issues at Arsenal will never be addressed because there will be a change of someone in management.
    Now watch Arsenal crumble in the Champions League and FA Cup, going another season without a trophy, and the protected one will call for phase 5 with more money to be spent.

  76. This is as bad as we were during the poor run last season. It was believed to be pressure then, but we’re not at a serious pressure point yet, so it’s likely something else.
    I agree with those questioning arteta’s tactics, but i don’t think that entirely explains how flat we are. We’re not showing any fight.

  77. What is going on? Can anyone explain to me? I dont understand this performance at all. What went wrong

    1. It’s not just this game. We have been poor for weeks. Both West Ham and Fulham defended well so credit to them. But this Arsenal side are struggling more today than ever. Something is very wrong!

    2. @Skills let me explain. We have a midfielder as a L..b,a centre back as our R.b,a centre forward as our CAM,and a winger as a C.F.what do you expect.
      We also banished Tieney,Xhaka&Balogun and our only R.b is the evergreen Cedric.
      If you remember well at the start of the season Gabriel was to be on the bench&Partey at R.b coz we were inventing a new style of play.

  78. I think more people will now agree with me that our immediate target signing shouldn’t be a striker.
    We need more control of the midfield and the ability to get goals and assists from midfield.
    For me in as much as Partey is gradually being phase out, this should be our priority.
    And also I still think we need a winger(for Saka) and a central defender(for Saliba) before a striker.

    1. In Artetas books,we already replaced Partey with Declan,Xhaka with Havertz therefore he has no room for any signings in that area.

      1. Well, it is turning to be a big mistake. You look at huge limitations of both Rice and Havertz in the attacking and creative sphere then you know we aren’t going anywhere with this team.
        Force Arteta should eat the humble pie and accept he needs a proper box to box and a creative winger.
        We need chance creation and assists from the midfield.

  79. “No danger whatsoever to Fulham”, is the commentators verdict and I couldn’t agree more. As some have said this has been coming. What is it? Four points in five games.

  84. The midfield is just so slow. The wingers are very poor and it’s like we don’t even have striker on the pitch. No urgency in the way odeggard and the rest moves the ball around. Our last few games has been poor attacking wise.

  85. Skills, what’s wrong? I’ll tell you. Too much money in the pocket to spend after jumbo wage increases on new contracts 😁

      1. I said in my first comment here that we looked dozy, and would need to wake up if we were to win it, I hoped they would come out firing in the second half, but they didn’t. Teams seem to know that they won’t get penalised for strong challenges in the penalty box on us, so aren’t scared doing that, yet we are scared to challenge them.

  86. Congratulations to Fulham who deserved the win – they wanted it more than the team some thought were title challengers.
    Arsenal are fighting – and I mean fighting for top four now.
    They had no fight in them today. As soon as Fulham equalised there was only one winner in this game.
    Given the huge amount of money that he spent on players I would like to see some pressure being placed on MA’s job – some of his decisions and transfers are questionable.
    One good thing is that no one expects anything from Arsenal now so we can just endure it until the summer when we can have a break from this and enjoy the sun..

    2. 800 million pounds spent and his greatest achievement is an FA Cup with deadwood from previous managers.

      Would love someone to step in and tell Arteta

      1. Nketiah experiment is a failure, he will be sold ASAP.
      2. A striker who scores or at least has a presence in the center is incoming.
      3. Havertz is not a midfielder, you can have Odegaard or Havertz, we can’t afford both.
      4. Develop the talent in the academy; replace your staff if the current assistants are unable.

      Time to hold Arteta accountable; questionable transfers, lack of rotation and not dropping underperformers, and lack of in game management.

  87. We can clearly say that the PL is out of our reach now – £800,000,000 to watch two London clubs humiliate us!!
    What a difference to last season when we reigned supreme in London.
    I really don’t know where we go from here and what to say – just total rubbish!!

    1. You should know exactly what the difference is between the composition of this team and that of last season.

  88. Having lost all HOPE of the title in just a bleak three says ands now looking helpless to avoid missing out on a top four place too, REAL QUESTIONS WILL ARISE , as to whether or not KSE will continue faith in this manager.
    Like all our watching fans, I watched in dumb horror and real disbelief that a team which so recently looked aproper team, could have morthed backwards in to this “RIGID, terrified to show any initiative” bunch of players, who , to my mind are clearly unhappy with the formation they are INSTRUCTED, almost under pain of death to keep misperforming.
    Without a shadow of doubt this slide is entirely down to MA.
    I believe that right now, thise in KSE will be ondering their next move. I predict nothing firmly but I WOULCD NOT BE AT ALL SURPRISED IF THIS LAST TWO MATCHES ARE A REAL TURNING POINT IN KSE’ FIRM FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THIS MANAGER.

    Consequently, I am now more than ever sure that NO KSE funds will be available to MA this JANUARY.

    I AM ALSO NOT AT ALL SURE HE WILL EVEN BE HERE NEXT SEASON.

    I am also not at all sure that I even want him to be either.

  89. Luckily enough I’ve been saying all season we will be lucky for a top 4 finish as the cracks has always been on display throughout this year.

    I’m hoping for a good champions league campaign as the opposition usually want to go toe to toe with us and are usually surprised by Martinelli and Saka. I just hope we don’t don’t draw $hitty as they will nullify us as most EPL teams have already identified.

    Peeps, be ready for another long old slog as nothing will change until the tactics and urgency change, as the personnel won’t this January.

  90. As much as we need to reinforce other areas we need ESR to replcace Odegaard but if the coach doesn’t believe in ESR then we need a new player. Odegaard is not the answer to our playmaker needs. We need Saka and Martinelli to play as traditional wingers playing on their feet whipping in crosses for the strikers to feed on. Before we blame the strikers is the team even creating decent chances for the strikers? Why not play Elneny as a defensive midfielders and try Rice as a box to box.

  91. Does MA usually do post match interviews after a loss?

    If so, will be interesting to hear what he says.

    I hope it isn’t that ‘better in boxes’ thing.🤣

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