Southampton visit the Emirates this afternoon and probably feel quietly confident that they can get something from the match.
The Saints are very much a hot and cold team, they can get stuffed 9-0 and return a few weeks later and defeat the very same teams that thumped them, that is the enigma of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s team.
Southampton could easily turn up today and get rolled over by Arsenal or they could just as easily take advantage of the Gunners recent drop in form and claim all three points.
A lot will depend on Arsenal themselves and how they perform. If they put in the same performance that they did against Everton on Monday evening then Southampton will win, be under no illusion about that.
It is therefore imperative that Mikel Arteta gets his tactics right this afternoon and gets his team playing to their true ability, do that and Arsenal will win no matter how good Southampton are.
Anyway, this is the Southampton team to face Arsenal.
It’s a start for @willy_caballero 👐
Here’s the #SaintsFC team to face #AFC this afternoon: pic.twitter.com/kDs2RoPa1H
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 11, 2021
Arteta is a confused coach.
Arsenal has been totally consistent all season. Arsenal play the exact same way every game. All Arsenals results this season have been determined by how well the opposition have played and where the game has been played. So Everything depends on how Southampton play. What team Mikel picks, the formation, the tactics, effort and leadership will play no part because we always play the same regardless. We are at home v a side 16th while we are 7th. Simply put we should win and probably by a couple. Xhaka to start . Arsenal 5 Southampton 0. Auba and Laca to score a brace each 🙂 COYG.
True that, most of our wins have come from how bad our oppositions played or how they’ve failed to capitalized on our frailties.
Fan fair. I am not a football manager but I know to be a successful coach you must force your own play on every opposition you meet. Your opponent’s ability or venue you are playing should not (totally) how good or shitty you will be. Liverpool and Man City wins home and away. 2004 Arsenal won’t go invisible if it you go with that theory
“Everything depends on how Southampton play.”
As if Arteta’s tactics and our players can’t impose themselves. Unbelievable that our fate relies on how Southampton play rather than how we play.
It’s that type of thinking that keeps Arteta in his job. Excuses like that foster the level of midtable mediocrity we are stuck in.
Sorry but I disagree completely that our fate rests on how Southampton play. Our form and play does matter
Arteta on why Aubameyang is not in the squad today:
“Unfortunately due to a disciplinary breach. I think we have been very consistent that we have certain non-negotiables in the team that we have set ourselves as a club, and he’s not involved today.” #AFC[Chris Wheatley]
It’s been rumoured that Aubamayang told Arteta in training that he needs to change his tactics and didn’t go well with the coach.
Haha
If he said that ,shows exactly what the players are thinking
Dan it’s on twitter, though not an official account, but more than 60 people have twit about it.
A tattoo has been mentioned…
Safe to say he has lost the dressing room. More often than not, we know where such route leads, sooner than later.
Auba out so Lacca to score a hatrick 🙂
I seriously doubt Lacazette will put 100% for the shirt ever again. Not that he’s not hard working or anything like thayt.He just dont need to.
He’ll be signing a lucrative precontract in January, so he can just take it easy until summer.
Convenient not surprising illness for Auba, not liking xhaka over Lakonga and AMN and not liking Odergaard over ESR but he has scored twice and ESR carrying a knock.
Auba out, it’s GM’s time then.
MA going still on about non negotiables is a joke.if on there is one thing his tenure has shown us is ,different rules for different players.
go down saka pen,cedric on bench LOL
Saka was too honest/naive for his own good!
were all over the place this looks bad
7mins in great ,free flowing football ,shame it’s Southampton 😂
nice goal but scary xhaka shocking lol
That came out of nowhere. Quality goal. Walked through them easily
I predicted Laca would score 🙂 COYG.
it’s about time you predicted something right FF…btw you could have probably scored against this piss-poor defensive display being put on by the away team and we all know, based on your nonsensical banter, that you haven’t got an athletic bone in your body…for this game to have any significance we must pot a handful of goals, as I haven’t seen such the Saints play this poorly in their final third since the LC beating in 2019…think about these two facts, then ponder how these could be viable scenarios moving forward, firstly we’ve dominated them inside their box on set pieces and when on the counter, which simply isn’t a common occurrence minus one game this season, and secondly, at several points in the first half the players farthest forward on our squad were Laca, Ode and Xhaka, which is such an untenable notion against any team on most days…eye test still a serious work in progress, now it’s time to put our collective foot on their necks and address our +/- concerns
seen the Saints NOT seen such the Saints