Confirmed Arsenal team to take on Chelsea in first capacity Emirates match in 17 months

The teams are out for today’s crunch match between Chelsea and Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, where we will be backed by a full-capacity crowd for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic.

We could certainly do with the lift after last week’s disappointing defeat at the hands of Brentford, and with a packed Emirates crowd expected today, the team will surely find a new lease of life.

Today’s opponents will not be a push-over and we will need to be at our very best to claim all three points, but with the 12th man behind us that should be more than possible.

We have as many as six first-team players missing from the selection for various reasons, including Ben White who is claimed to be missing with an illness re: David Ornstein.

Did Martinelli do enough to warrant keeping Balogun out the side this week? Is this the best possible XI of those available?

Patrick

Tags Arsenal v Chelsea Chelsea

260 Comments

  1. Two games into the season and my spirit is down already for this lot. To think we are the highest spender this transfer window. What exactly did we buy?

  2. Is it too much to hope all other teams do not have dominant CFs that can easily expose our backline like Toney and Lukaku?

  3. Also, can we stop going on about lacazette’s “holdup play”. Lukaku showing how it’s properly done. Falling over the second you get the ball at your feet isn’t good holdup play and never made this team better. If a sale is available, take it and invest.

  4. Very bad to see arsenal sinking year in year out. Am not happy, arsenal has made not interested in watching football again. Loosing back to back.

  5. If things don’t change they stay as they are. We have not changed at all. Same build up no final pass. We need a coach and a motivator. Something must change. Same Groundhog Day story. How long can it go on?

    1. The two goals were poor but in terms of attacking we looked decent. Martinelli should of been on the end of multiple balls particularly Tierneys cross but hes not there yet (he will get there in future but does point out how stupid the Matinelli needs to start every game last year crowd were and those that were happy Auba got covid and was banned from training.)

      We deserved to lose can’t give away two goals like that in any game nevermind against Chelsea.

  6. Commentator on Sky just asked if Arteta has inspired Arsenal to do better in the 2nd half. I’m afraid he couldn’t inspire a jelly on a plate to wobble.

  7. The game might not be going in our favour at the moment, but we fans just need to exercise some patience and realism. We are playing a better team that have spent the last 15 years consistently buying players and trophies along the way.

    This team is young and fans should stop the habit of picking apart individual players after a loss. The coach might not be our choice as fans but we need to understand the owners of the club appointed him and won’t sack him anytime soon.

    The good thing is we are buying young good players with potential (something we should have been doing earlier), so whoever comes in at anytime as head coach will have enough tools to work with.

    Chelsea will always sack an underperforming manager because the squad is good enough to be challenging on all fronts all season. That is the position Arsenal are hoping to be 2-3 seasons from now. Let’s be realistic and optimisitic. COYG!!!

    1. I could get behind that had we not given Xhaka the new contract and shown we haven’t leaned anything. Same old same old.
      I’m telling you now, even when we have all our missing players back, the best we can hope to be this season is hard to beat because our only decent, reliable striker is Laca. We are in big trouble,.

    2. The squad looks very good with all the additions. Arteta to his credit has done a solid work improving the already good squad with the signings especially this window and getting rid of the clique.

      He has laid a solid foundation for a proper manager to come and take the club forward and hopefully it will be soon.

        1. No my friend I am serious on this. We have a very good squad right now and I like all the signings made this window. When we have a proper coach with tactics and again hopefully as soon as next month people will find it hard to believe it is the same squad of players.

  8. Today has completed my 100% doubt that Arsenal players are not bad but the tactics are very wrong.
    Tierney making wrong decisions, Lokonga not stable in midfield, Saka indecision is worrying.
    People asking for a striker are so wrong.
    Messi in this team won’t offer anything.

    Imagine how Joghinho, James, Christensen, Alonso will fare in Arsenal?
    They will be worst but look them playing like a world-class players.

    1. This is my conclusion as well. It’s the only explanation for even our more reliable players being awful today. Arteta instructions either don’t make sense, or they are bad. And will there ever be a striker in an Arteta setup that actually is able to get more than one touch? I feel bad for balogun who got dropped as if it’s his fault he gets NOTHING. Same for aubameyang actually too.

    2. But Laca has already shown he can make this team play *better*, and he can’t even turn quickly anymore. A striker of really quality would make a massive difference, but I do agree it wouldn’t be enough to make us as good as a Chelsea, for example

  9. Smith Rowe looking decent, Pepe trying, Holding decent.

    dont think I have even see Xhaka.

    only saw saka when he wasted the xhance, Cedric terrible.

    Tiernay out of place for 2nd goal.

    everyone invisible.

    1. Saka cost us both goals. I don’t think he was fit enough for the game. He just didn’t track back. Sambi is a good buy, i think we will be decent if he partners Partey

  10. We talk all the time about deadwood and the big challenge Arteta faces to clear them but then Arteta goes on and sign Willian, Mari and Cedric. So can someone tell me who is responsible for this deadwood?

  11. Tactical indecision is the biggest challenge facing Arsenal at the moment. Why do I get the feeling that MA has the worst combination of AW’s stubbornness and UE’s tactical indecisivity? Even UE switched it up every game and got it right more than wrong.

  12. I like Tierney as even though he is a cross it into the box and Hope player he always gives 100%. Shame he is made of glass it seems.

  13. We’re living dangerously as arsenal fans.nothing more to defend arteta’s coaching staff cozy the way we play is similar to how manure used to play under van Gaal.

  14. Lets be honest most Arsenal fans are enjoying what at they cried for wanting Wenger and UE out.

    I hooe they enjoying this.

    1. I think we (I’ll say we even though I don’t think I’ve ever carried for a manager should be sacked) were hoping for a manager like Klopp or tuchel. You know, a manager that doesn’t see success as finishing fourth because other teams have more money – look at what Simeone accomplished against great Barca and RM sides, we want to at least see that genuine desire to win the league
      The team being bad under Arteta doesn’t mean Wenger was doing a great job in his final years (just was better than now).

  15. I see Chelsea are sponsored by Trivago. They are obviously expecting to be going places this season, unlike Arsenal. Although there is always Rwanda I suppose.

  16. I can only think of one saying and that is beware what you wish for, this absolutely Arsenal Fans who thought Wenger is the real issue, insulting and driving him out of club will fix all the issues and make us into title challengers. Now look where we are and future looks more bleak both on and off the field.

      1. Did we finish out if Europe when Wenger was incharge even in his worse season. Also the amount of money provided to Areta if it was provided to Wenger we would have been title contenders for sure.

        1. Logic the PL is far more competitive now even West ham were pushing for CL football.. put Wenger in charge now and he would struggle to get a Europa League place. If you think a 72 year old is the answer then God help us

    1. And there’s Arsenal fans who can’t let go of the past who keep constantly talking about Wenger and that Aston Villa keeper.. if you think Arsene Wenger would have Arsenal playing swashbuckling football then your sorely mistaken he was long past it and would never left Arsenal unless he was pushed, he himself said he stayed too long! If wenger was so amazing then surely he would have been snapped up since leaving the club ? The truth is the rot began under him and it’s just now continuing! Modern day coaches would have Wenger for breakfast unless it was one of Wenger’s signings the clueless Arteta.

      1. Stop talking absolute rubbish. Which modern day coaches? It is only three years ago Wenger stopped coaching and not 1950. If you think that all the coaches getting sacked since 2018 and still moving to big clubs are anywhere near Wenger, then you don’t know football at all. In your mind, the Barcelona coach is anywhere near 2018 Wenger? He isn’t at a club becuase (1) he chose not to (2) he actually has a big job.

    2. He was an issue – fourth place is good enough for me if I see a genuine desire to get better. We were in the slide and not a series title threat. If we wanted to get better, unfortunately Wenger (with all the respect in the world for what he accomplished before) had to make way.
      The issue is that Wenger was far from the only problem, and we didn’t take any steps to actual make that lead forward by replacing him with a worthy manager like Klopp, Tuchel, Simeone etc; we took chances in the wrong people because the people at the top don’t know what they’re doing

  17. I don’t why Arteta continuously gives instructions during match??
    If he wants to give instructions during the match then what he do with team in training sessions??

  18. Is the score stay, only positive is I will get 3 points in Dan’s predictions league😂😂
    Jk- Sambi and ESR are the bright spots this game. Rest meh…

  19. The problem is with ball control and positioning. When one player has the ball the other one hide behind.

  20. Arteta is getting away with murder;he should be gone by now.Emery was a better manager than this clueless fellow, Arteta.
    and why did he had to send Saliba on loan?

    1. So he can buy £50 million Ben White and we can label him as British Van Dyke , ppl who say Tierney should be captain for me he should not be in the team even, he is poor defender no position sense at all. If Robertson works for Liverpool that is not a way to measure that his country man will do same for us.

  21. Arteta is doing what he was told to do win the league, no one told him to win EPL 😜. He is doing his best to do that but in order to do that first you need to be in championship. This is the great project Arteta.

  22. Starting with 2 at the back knowing fully well how slow, weak and lazy Mari is, just shows how naive arteta is, I can’t continue to support this kind of manager.

  23. We lost to a much better team. Can’t dress it up or down any differently. I’ll look with interest at the end of the season as to who will win the league. Chelsea will be up there. Cracking when you can bring on Werner and Kante.

    Poor first half defensively but a better second. Players still fighting instead of throwing their collective arms in the air when it doesn’t go right

    There were chances to be taken but it was not our day in finishing

    Best to judge in a few weeks but not after playing the serious title contenders this week and next.

    Better to criticise after a few dour performances against Norwich etc

    1. Have to respectfully disagree Sue. The loss is not thw problem, atleast for me. The tactics are the problems. I saw no difference here then against Brentford. It was the same thing. And will be the same against WBA, City as well. We can’t score goals with this, I dont know what kind of tactic this is. Maybe Agboola would be able to enlighten us why we play it without the players required. Also the way we going I feel the scenario in your last paragraph might happen too.
      Although ESR and Sambi were massive positives atleast for me. But sadly no positive from the coach.

        1. The Fans were a massive positive Sue! Other than that really sorry for pouring more negativity on you. Just that the same old feeling is making me more negative…😢😢

  24. We fought but it wasn’t enough. I believe this team will do well but there’s one thing that I want to say.

    I will stop supporting MA if he plays Xhaka ahead of Lokonga when Partey returns. It’s a bad decision to renew Xhaka’s contract. He gives us nothing and I don’t think Balogun is better than Nketiah as some fans make up.

  25. I was naive for believing we were going to win this match. I can no longer support Arteta. A change is needed. Zidane is the guy.
    Thanks Arteta. It is time to day goodbye.
    I am tired. Honestly

  26. How is Mari better than Seliba? We are just finished with Arteta, even Messi will not save us from this embarrassment.

  27. Saka cost us both goals. I don’t think he was fit enough for the game. He just didn’t track back. Sambi is a good buy, i think we will be decent if he partners Partey

  28. We are finally assembling a core of young ambitious players, similar to Dortmund. It is unfortunate the senior players are nothing to proud about while our injury record still remains a source of concern.

    It’s a shame Partey and Gabriel are out, Martinelli and Tierney (both injury-prone seem to have succumbed to injury again, just 2 games into the season).

    All I care about is getting the team to play fearlessly and playing an attractive well-orchestrated brand of football. Who the next manager to bring that to fruition is left to the club to decide upon.

    I can’t wait to see that happen!

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