CONFIRMED – Official Arsenal team to face Man City – 4-3-3!

There are not many surprises in today’s line-up but it looks like Wenger has decided to go back to a 4-3-3 formation which should certainly make things interesting!

Danny Welbeck, Calum Chambers and Mustafi are still too short to play today but all are expected to be back after the international break. David Ospina is also still on the injury list and so Macey will be sitting on the bench as back up to Petr Cech.

Iwobi replaces Lacazette! Coquelin makes the 3 man midfield with Ramsey and Xhaka. Very innovative line-up from Wenger maybe he CAN adapt lol. We shall see if it works….

What do you think of that!

137 Comments

    1. How is this a master stroke
      It’s nothing short of being an absolute moron
      No striker on the pitch and hoping to swamped the midfield with bog standard midfielders
      If this is how you wanna see arsenal play and ran then best of luck to you .

  1. Why no Laca?
    And Monreal as the 2nd CB??
    Not quite sure but credit to Wenger to have tweaked his system

    1. I hope the response from Alexis is not similar to that of the Ox when we played against Liverpool, the club he wanted to join. It is no secret that Alexis wanted to join City.

    2. Yep not the only 1
      I’m sure laca signed thinking he would be benched to play against the big boys
      I have no faith in this lineup hope I’m proved wrong but I suppose I don’t get paid 10 million a year ,so what do I know

  2. Good lineup w/ Coquelin as DM. Looks like he wants to pack the midfield, but why no Laca??? I really hope it’s an injury or once again Wenger thinks he’s smarter than he really is

  3. Not many surprises??? Is that because it is almost one big surprise???
    Anyway, normally I am a Wenger critic, but I would say this line up looks interesting for the game in hand, and I don’t think Wenger can be criticized for not adjusting his tactics here.

    1. Might end up looking more like 4411, Iwobi and Ramsey could go to the wings. I hope not, I hope he picked this line up to give us the numbers in midfield when without the ball.

  4. Fingers crossed, i hope to God this tactical switch works. Its good to know that wenger can be flexible once in a while.

  5. Rather see Lacca over Iwobi, because Lacca better finisher, presser, and partners better with Sanchez.
    Anyway ballsy selection choice lets go gunners

  6. I love how Wenger changed the formation, however my worries are; Iwobi starting ahead of Lacazette, Monreal as CB….

    It seems Wenger’s confidence is not so high on Lacazette afterall, as I believe these are the kinda games you want your record signing to feature him…

    Good luck though…

  7. I’m a little worried because we haven’t being playing this defence and we are rusty at stepping up to catch people offside. Id be worried no matter what so here we go. Coquelin needs to get back to that level, lets hope this setup looked good in training.

  8. Man city attack even if a bit more sluggish after exertions last week must be licking their lips at the lack of pace and closing down that this combo offers … The only way we can get anything if attack scores 3 times … Difficult to see how

  9. I am really hoping to be wrong but Switching to back 4 with one of the CB not in his natural position against the best attack of the premier league does not look very smart to me.

    1. Would you have chosen Per or Rob over him, even though Monreal and Kolasinac are the only two defenders with decent form on their side.

  10. I just read a poll and it had 48% of the fans believing Wenger can win the league again.
    Just an indication that Wenger is not the only delusional person in the Arsenal kingdom.

    Been a fan is one thing, and a painful one at least with Arsenal, but been stupid is nor acceptable anymore. He tweeted the lineup today but anyone with any brain knows that leaving Lacazette
    on he bench in just another idiotic overthinking the plan.

    Play your best players !!!!!!!!!!!

  11. Is anyone nervous as me! But this is the time to protect the invisible and we are going to do it today!!!

    1. Iwobi covering Alexis position, Alexis covering Lacazette. I reckon Arsene also had late options arriving from the bench in mind when he chose this. City played mid week, teams slow down late in the game, and Giroud and Lacazette are two decent strikers to have in the Arsenal reserves. Especially when you realize that allot of people were calling for a Laca Giroud combo. I just hope we can stay in the game, try to stay with them until they tire before we do. We need to watch out for a very quick start from city.

  12. Not sure why iwobi stars instead of laca but lets see where this goes. I just dont see where our pace is coming from. I wonder if ozil is playing the false 9?

  13. I like Iwobi but I will definitely start Lacazette ahead of Him. But Iwobi has been decent in big games anyway.

    Hoping to see Laca in the game later. Hoping we win.

    No matter what, Arsene tweaked the formation. Kudos to Him.

  14. Nothing good is going to come out of this line-up. Way to destroy Laca’s confidence. Just becnh him for every big game.

  15. i have a feeling that iwobi will turn up to be another walcott. It’s been more than a season but he is still not the player he promised to be. On the other hand look at rashford

  16. Like I said … Utterly dominated in midfield … Only an tired old has been would start him in this game

  17. Yawn … maybe if we’d had Lacazette up front we could have taken advantage of the early opportunities …

  18. To be fair holding off for 18 minutes before the thrashing begins is commendable. Usually we are 2 or 3 down by now

  19. Why didn’t we get a CB in the summer? We knew we were short especially after selling Gabriel. VVD would’ve been worth a shot

  20. Goal was Ozils fault, he never tracked Dr Bryune, just stood and watched.

    Also most GK would haves saved that, Cech is wraknon the ground.

  21. Iwobi ramsey xhaka coquellin is a midfield devoid of composure and skill …. Just hope we don’t concede again before half time

  22. Half time take a chance, bring on Jack for Dhaka and lava for iwobinor ozil.

    Even Jack n lava for iwobinor and ozil

  23. the only good thing about the game till now is that i am not seeing any way how with such a weak passing sanchez is going to fit in this city team

  24. Ffing Ramsey should be playing for chesterfield … Fortunately they have lost a bit of edge over the week otherwise this game would b out if sight already

  25. Looks a training ground session between thte First team and the reserves. That is how much the gulf is.

  26. The only plus is we are only one down … Don’t know how … But remove coquellin or xhaka and Iwobi ..lacazette and wilshire on

  27. I know many of us dislike Walcott, but this is a game for him, if Wenger won’t start Lacazette, Walcott would have come in handy, am sure…

    Would have preffered him to Iwobi tbh

    1. you gotta be kidding. have you watched walcott play this season? worst performance from an epl player by miles

  28. I think Arsenal did well conceding only 1 in 1st half.
    In 2nd half target should be not to concede more than 5 goals

  29. Don’t think anyone’s having a good game. City look really good & what I’d give to have De Bruyne, he’s brilliant

    1. guy played 90 mins away at napoli. still outran every midfield player (if we had one). i dont see the difference in freshness and sharpness after resting all these first team players midweek

  30. It’s not just the skill gap that is shocking but the basics of effort positioning closing down shifting the ball quickly from the back …all of which is the job of a coach to get right … Guardiola has made delph and fernandinho in to better players … There is not one on our team you can say that wenger has done the same for

  31. Only 1-0 down? Thats almost like a,win already!

    Now park theth bus, 1-0 or even 2-0 is still a,respectable score line against the world class teams.

  32. Monreal you are playing as a CB not a wingback ffs!
    The 2v1 chance where my nanny would have done better than Sterling was Nacho’s fault. He’s got exposed quite a few times.

  33. See Mr Wenger! That’s how you build a team. Just ask Pep or Jose or Antonio or Jurgen or Mauricio. They will teach you

  34. I will say it again …. Ramsey is a third rate footballer … And running around doesn’t compensate in the top flight …

  35. If that would have been Giroud instead of Laca it would have been tongue out, looking at the sky time for him and the first aid kit out for the poor guy in row z

    1. Tired? Most of the players in this city team were playing mid wk CL. We rested ours. Seriously Wenger needs to go and take most of this team with him. But saying that under a good manager our players wouldn’t be so damn useless

  36. That third goal showed how much this team lacks discipline. The same story for over a decade. zero commitment and a manager incapable of changing the fundamental characteristics that a top team must have.

    1. It was way offside – I can’t understand why Alan Smith says it isn’t when it clearly was from their own slow mo. But we – esp Xhaka just gave up hoping for the correct decision

  37. AW will use the poor ref as an excuse, but in this case its legit, alexi announcing he has picked his next team before a big match is classless, i really think this squad will have a great second half after the clubhouse drama is gone…

  38. This is pretty much what Arsenal used to do to the opposition years ago. How things have changed……

  39. We have to start all over again … This outfit is finished as a top EPL team let alone european… It’s pointless pretending otherwise

  40. it took 2 referee influenced goals for city to win, meanwhile our two “stars” no where to be found…

  41. Arsenal might have gotten something from this game. The linesman gave them the 3rd goal but i blame the players for switching off.

  42. I know we were all dreading it, but on the face of it, they weren’t that good, and if we had had some better managerial, refereeing decisions and invested in a proper not makeshift defence, definitely beatable. Get a bit sick of all the hangers on fawning over them, hoping for a job.

  43. de bruyne played 90 mins..ran past xhaka kolasinac ramsey and iwobi like they werent there on countless occasions. fitter and more driven than any of them. thats what i saw

    1. AGREED 100%
      The commitment and collective ability of MC was significantly in a higher level.
      this is not a midfield of a top team challenging for titles , neither is the defense.
      the last 4 years we have witnessed a consistent deterioration of those areas and it goes to paying
      players like Walcott/Iwobi/Ramsey/Xhaka a lot of money for very little return.

      We would actually have ben better off signing some world class players for the last 3-4 years even at a rate of 1 major signing per transfer window. We would have a world class team and save $$
      in the process. Scary. Or sign Simeone and start teaching them how to defend/play as a team.

  44. Frightening how far arsenal are away from challenging for prem league tittle absoulutely a million miles away I am 48 and can’t see them winning it in the rest of my life time feel sorry for young supporters who may never see it happen either the club is a complete shambles from top to bottom and are in serious crisis I just can’t watch this rubbish anymore!!

  45. We need someone up top go mr wenger u step down go on holidays relax and take ur time on holidays actually u can stay away for good ur done thank u and then go get David drink back and go get Sean dyche I no load people like wat but look we need a proper man who can get us together plus we need give a manager like that a chance

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