Confirmed Arsenal XI to take on Southampton in must-win clash

The teams are out for this afternoon’s Premier League clash at St Mary’s Stadium, with this Arsenal side set to take on Southampton.

Neither side comes into today’s outing in the best of form, with the Gunners losing both of their last two while the home side are winless in six, coincidentally conceding six in their last fixture also.

While you would think that the Gunners would be confident of a result with all things considered, there is key injury absentees as well as some disappointing performances which will be stuck in their mind, and you would hope that this team will give us the impetus to start the match brightly and look to assert things here today.

Looking at our bench we have very little to call upon if things are not going smoothly which has to be a huge worry, but all eyes will be on the likes of Nketiah and Tavares on their returns to the starting line-up.

What are your predictions after seeing the XI?

Patrick

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Video – Mikel Arteta on the Southampton clash and our injury situation

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156 Comments

    1. Hehe is this the more dilute version of the In Arteta we rust slogan that some gooners last season made up😂😂

  1. I got a feeling Nketiah and Tavares would maximize their chances today, since Xhaka is back to the left midfield position

    Spuds still can’t break Brighton. Ten more minutes before they draw or lose the game

      1. Brighton also had a difficult period like us, but they managed to change the situation by winning two difficult away games in a row. Unfortunately, their resurgence cost us as well

      1. I like Bissouma.
        I wish Arsenal can buy both Ruben Neves and Bissouma in the summer. Our midfield needs a complete overhaul.

        We need hardworking midfielders with Stamina and aggression.

        We can go for a 433 formation next season.

        Tierney Gabriel White Tomiyasu

        Bissouma Neves Partey

        Gnarby Martinelli Saka

        Martinelli and Pepe to rotate that CF role next season.

          1. Yes Andrey. If only wishes were horses.
            The truth is if we want to have a team that can get to the level of Liverpool and Man City, we have to spend more.

            I like the Liverpool model. They play a high defensive line. Their 3 man midfield is very strong and aggressive. They press so good.

            Bissouma has Stamina. A proper defensive midfielder. He is composed on the ball

            Neves is very good in breaking opposition lines. He moves forward. Very good in set pieces. Has the required intensity.These 2 players will allow Partey the freedom to move forward. Our transition from defense to attack would improve with these players.

            Gnarby can be tempted back to England. He looks lost in Germany.

            He is top quality. A Gunner as well.
            We can then move Martinelli to the CF role.

            So you see, Gnarby, Neves and Bissouma are a must buy.

      1. Kudos to Graham Potter, his coaches and his players for winning two consecutive tough games

  2. Atleast Xhakas back where he should be
    How Eddie starts ahead of Pepe is a mystery ,not sure what he has to do to get a start ahead of a player who won’t even be here next season.
    But that bench as got to be one of the weakest that can remember .

        1. As soon as spurs lost today I thought I bet you we will too!
          For goodness sake!
          And yes I know Fraser Forster was immense.
          Spurs breathing a sigh of relief and Man u delighted.

    1. Xhaka should be sitting in his back garden taking in the sun .. anywhere on the team sheet is a weakness

  3. Arsenal normally bottle it when pressure is on and expect same today saints will be right up for this so fear the worse!

  4. Now the spuds have screwed up there can be no excuses.
    They need to turn up and get the job done.

  5. Wow Brighton… didn’t see that coming….now let’s get our spot back… let’s go gunners….

  6. Am loving this top 4 race,
    It’s getting more interesting than top 2 bbattles.
    Can Arsenal take advantage?

    1. Very funny SueP but also very true.

      Can’t wait to watch the Amazon series about this Arsenal year.

      1. Yep me too Durand. Not really a fan of the series as I didnt like the Man City one. But if its Arsenal and the hotpot of a season we are having, I have got to watch it, atleast for the drama lol.

  7. Back for 90 minutes. You know as a fan from 1999..when ian wright is our predator. I try to always positive.. No goodbye.

  8. Not suprsised. That is just Spurs being Spurs. Not advantage Arsenal until we bad the 3 points.

  9. That’s why we love the PL, it’s a full season of drama. The “All or nothing” will be a good watch, if we make the CL. For now, game on, you Gunners!

  10. Great tactical switch by the gaffer allowing Martinelli and Saka to play as traditional wingers and dropping Lacazette. This shows we intend to play wider without necessarily comprising the defensive duties of our fullbacks. Hopefully, this yields instant result for us.

  11. We are playing too much sideway passing…
    Don’t know what’s wrong…
    May be we are missing Partey

  12. Lifeless … can anyone explain what position xhaka is playing .. he is there just because arteta can’t envision a team without him even though he brings nothing to defence no carrying ability through the middle and no attacking option … absurd

  13. Nketia sharp and winning some balls.
    We are generally slow and playing as if we are leading. Spurs has dropped points!!! Urgency for goodness sake!

  14. Our wingers need to switch during games as well…I have a feeling saka would have been more influential from the right (his best position).same as martinelli on the left……we can’t afford to go on scoreless deep into the game…we need to score as soon as possible

    1. We need these guys to cut in and shoot more and that won’t be possible with their current positions as conventional wingers as they would have to cut into their weaker foots…reason saka couldn’t bury the chance earlier….

      1. Exactly my fear…saints have scored for godsake…we allowed these guys regain confidence …go back to the winning formation arteta …this is becoming painful to watch

    2. Seriously cedrics dead ball delivery is amateur level, how can this b allowed

  15. No bookings 4 saints day is it, arteta should b sacked 4 allowing cedric take free kicks corners

    1. Yes. He should for giving us this boring nonsense. And stop letting them get Kicks! Prose is there!

  16. And that finishes it. Can we just sack Arteta…like right now. And I don’t want to hear all those “trust the process” nonsense. Just keep it to yourswlf.

    1. If the club sacked him Kobin the Arteta fan club would protest to have in him reinstated, he’s a genius in their eyes.

      1. Quote me anywhere, I am not a coach, but I can do better than this, this is cr**p. Just watch the Brighton game, you could see desire in them.

  17. There’s no pattern it’s just Mish mash here we go Gabriel playing them on side piss off to barca

    1. Perhaps to help out Tavaress on that left back.
      This is not good… Arsenl just being unfortunate though not playing badly

  18. Too much sideway passing…
    There is so much pain to watch Arsenal under Arteta..
    One of the most overrated chequebook manager

    1. Kedar, you are spot on but something tells me that even aryeta screws up these golden opportunities and we end up in the Europa or even without european football he will still have a job.

      1. Reddb10 yeah it certainly seems he’s untouchable, it’s mainly down to the support the fans show him they talk him up like hes a hybrid Klopp/Pep

  19. Clueless football from a clueless manager … the process .. to nowhere … no attacking threat snails pace out from the back …. We should put the deputy in charge from the second half onwards til end of season .. football was at least decent when he was temporarily in charge

  20. Saka is so overated 9 goals but 9 handy ones missed can’t wait 4 artetas post match nonsense it’s gettn comical, where is our club going

  21. Forster was brilliant in the first half and Soares’ free-kicks were awful

    Unlike Partey, Lokonga and Xhaka can’t turn swiftly in tight spaces. I don’t think we’ll see Partey again this season, so bye-bye top four

    Our tactic is good, but we didn’t have an attacker who can convert the crosses into goals with his headers

    1. Niketiah is not even taking diagonal runs to near post or far post…
      He just runs to towards the goal and hope that ball will come to his right across the face of goalkeeper…
      Our sideways passing is pathetic…

      1. I think Nketiah played well, but he isn’t Giroud. I believe we’ll score in the second half

    2. GAI, Keep your endless analysis and face the facts. Arteta is clueless. I have seen enough football to come to this decision. No tall CF and the likes. Just don’t. Even if we win this game and make top 4, Arteta should still go. Crap football.

      1. And I don’t think there should be any tall CF or right footed or left footed CM…
        Liverpool doesn’t have tall CF
        Liverpool doesn’t have any left footed CM…
        Still they are one of the best team in the world at the moment..

      2. Unlike Conte and Tuchel, Arteta had to inherit Aubameyang, Lacazette and Nketiah. Wait until he signs his own CF

        1. Lol stop the inherit BS. He ‘been in charge since 2019. Plus aubameyang is doing well in BARCELONA??

    3. We have never had attackers that can convert crosses, it is a pointless tactic that left us rock bottom early season before saka switched wings and stopped crossing but shooting instead or pulling back for tap ins

  22. 2 shots on target is not good enough I’m afraid .
    So dull watching us right now .
    Really do need to pick this up in the second half .

  23. How can a professional footballer miss sakas chance keep it low ffs different game then, Ben White is the best iv seen at backing off off off never actually comit close down pure donkey of a footballer

  24. Sometimes I wonder what arteta does in training cuz for 3 games no improvement ,no reaction , no desire to get back to winning ways….same poor early season form when we could lose to anyone…

    At least deploy a back 3 for now, we can’t be conceding goals for fun….

    After all the hard work all season ,just to throw it all away few games to go….this is unacceptable,we ain’t bottlers

  25. Lol! Is it going to be another “unacceptable” performance? Atleast this time we have square pegs in square holes…

  26. GAI, Keep your endless analysis and face the facts. Arteta is clueless. I have seen enough football to come to this decision. No tall CF and the likes. Just don’t. Even if we win this game and make top 4, Arteta should still go. Crap football.

  27. Oh well, 45 minutes to rectify it. Can’t really see us scoring two goals. Obviously Arteta’s words to the players has gone through one ear and out the other. It’s been pretty lameless football of late. There’s no urgency at all. And Cedric taking free kicks is bit of a joke. Sean Dyche is there for the taking. He’d probably teach our players to grow a set of balls. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if our Arsenal players sit down to take a piss. Oh well second half has just started. Let’s see what eventuates. I think Mr Arteta is playing Russian Roulette. He is certainly skating on thin ice

  28. I’m surprises how chealsea got 6 against Froster, he is towering giant, and so are their defenders, our players look tiny in the box.

    1. Obviously because of their effective tactics from world class Manager, unlike today’s joker, clueless and mediocre manager
      And of course chequebook manager

  29. Wow, such poor play. Honestly outplayed handedly by Palace and Brighton and what’s the response?

    Serve up the same crap hope for different outcome. Need a spark, can’t crack the Saints.

    1. Is anyone playing??
      I thought they are just doing practice of sideways passing and pointless crossing..

  30. With this kind of performance we don’t deserve top 4
    And more importantly even if we get CL then I can’t imagine how European teams would F**K
    We won’t even reach knockout stage with this Manager

  31. That’s it Arteta needs to go. Go and get our loaned out players and a new manager. Arteta don’t know what he’s doing

  32. That Arsenal can’t take advantage of Spursy is quite amazing. Man U is closing the gap.

  33. I don’t care who we are going to sign anymore, all I would to see are physical players who are at least 6’2

  34. Our standing match is with Tottenham so even if we win that still Tottenham will be on 4th spot because of Better GD
    So top 4 is gone

  35. I’m starting to think that MA is a one trick pony.he mostly plays the same way,with the same players and God forbids because of injuries, suspensions…it has to deviate from it,he seems completely lose it.

    1. Not surprising since both his mentors were a strict follower of a set style and only tweaked it later (Wenger with the change from early 2000s philosophy to possession based to sometimes back to counterattacking and Pep having to change in City). But the only problematic part is the core players. Rest become busted flush it seems…

  36. Can’t hit the goal and when they do it’s straight to the keeper. Sideways and backwards. I’m done with con(e)-man and his braincancer-football, in fact I think I am done with the club full stop. Owners don’t give a s##t, if they did, the apprentice would be out of a job a long time ago. I’m not supporting this anymore. And for those that will say goodbye and tell me to support another club, goodbye to you too.

  37. Can Arsenal score and force a draw?
    Else, other clubs with consecutive losses will find Arsenal the best team to break their’s duck.

  38. Arteta’s tactics were solely dependent on Partey
    Partey gone and we F**CKED
    He doesn’t have anything called plan B at all

    1. I think we were just as reliant on laca – his form dropped and so did the team’s. He couldn’t score himself, but 7 assists from 9 is still productive

  39. To thoae that support Arteta, gonfind another club to support and take the fraud with you, you fake supporters.

  40. Man U will finish ahead of this toothless team and possibly, Westham too. Well the 8th position is well reserved for them. I wont support this team if they qualify for the European conference league. Its a backward slide for Arsenal.

    1. That’s right … the man is utterly clueless … fans need to stop their idiotic support for the clown … he’s simply not fit to be running a top team … have been saying this after his first year in charge largely on the grounds that the football on display was the worst in decades .. three straigtt but losses to teams in the bottom half of table should be enough even for our cowards in the board to move

  41. Areta out, a complete amateur.

    Poor tactics, poor management, poor resource management.

    Cudos to those of us that saw through the purple patch and called it as it is.

  42. After losing 9 straight points to these feder clubs, now follows Chelsea, Man Utd and West Ham.

    WTF.!!

  43. theres a reason why us arsenal fans are consistenly negative lol. it’s predictable stuff like this. i said i’d judge arteta when the season is over tho, so lets see how the comedy ends first.

  44. Sambi shocking 1st touch for a professional footballer xhaka is he actually this slow of mind and body were fuc%ed

  45. Our season is officially over.
    3 defeats in a roll against teams we should beat. We should almost be out of sight in this race by now.

    1. 3 defeats in a row. All to mid table teams.
      One goal scored, Six conceded.
      Zero points gained.
      Brighton hadn’t scored in many games, but they put two past us.
      Saints hadn’t won in Six games, conceded Six goals in their last game, yet they beat us and kept a clean sheet.
      What a joke!
      United are now in 5th. We may likely end up in 7th place.
      Truth is, this job is bigger than Arteta.

  46. Some folks are still mentioning Arsenal and Top 4 in the same breadth. Is Top 4 the issue here or the lack of a top-class managers to manage the squad we have.

    I laugh hard at comments like the manager needing a ‘tall CF’ or ‘left-footed CM’, forgetting this is the real world not FIFA, where you get all your hypothetical dream signings in a sigle season. Wake up and smell the coffee!

    I don’t even care where we end up at the end of the season. The one trick pony manager we have if left for another decade will definitely begin to win at some point as other teams phase out managers and some players hit form at different point in the season.

    The question is whether it makes any sense sticking with a rookie for another season given his zero man-management and lack of technical ability as shown by loaning out players without replacing them at the most critical point in the season. He probably needs to be loaned out himself to Leganes to hone his trade and reapply again for the job of managing a big club like Arsenal.

    At this rate, we are going to lose all our targets and the current players on our book as they grow dissatisfied under Arteta. He is a one-trick pony who only plays the same tactics and overburden players with confusing tactics.

  47. Imagine dropping 18 points at a stretch. Bad decision making in not signing a striker in January. It was obvious to the blind that Laca and Nketiah will not take us far. Also, how Arteta does not have a plan B is frustrating. He had a whole week to prepare for all the games we have lost so far. Shame to the Gunners!

  48. Arsenal blew their chance to be in UCL . I am glad I canceled all my subscription. No more waking up early morning. This is just pathetic.

  49. Those supporters who believe in this clown MA…he who sells and loans off to further weaken his squad has no philosophy no tactics no alternative plan. He who puts his ego before his team and cannot think further than his 1 idea. I hope you can finally see this guy cannot take us anywhere.
    Either we get us a real manager or stay mediocre .Chelsea will beat us and then its 4 losses in a row….

  50. Arsenal didn’t play so badly tbh.
    No one should blame the manager this time around because he isn’t the one who told them all to keep shooting to the orbit

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