Emery believes home advantage will help Arsenal beat Chelsea

Arsenal may not have won any of our last five away matches in the League, but Unai Emery believes that we do not suffer from the same confidence issues when we play at the Emirates in front of our own fans, and can take the three points of Chelsea and move closer to our local rivals in the table.

When asked on Arsenal.com about what he was expecting from Saturday’s game, Emery replied: “The victory, firstly. Victory first but I think we are doing two different performances, at home and away. We want to find the balance between the two moments. First, we are going to go game-by-game and Saturday we are at home and I think we are doing very big matches with big confidence with our supporters and I want the same spirit and the same performance on Saturday against Chelsea.

“It’s a difficult, tough match and I think it’s a good test for us also. We wanted to go into this match with three points difference in the table, but our defeat at West Ham doesn’t give us this possibility. But Saturday, I am looking forward to playing this match because I want to look at my team, our team, playing with a good performance and also to show our supporters we can do more and we can do better than we are doing away.

“I think Saturday is a big test and our first objective is to be in the top four. It’s more difficult after our defeat against West Ham but we can take positives, like if we win on Saturday. It’s a good test and challenge. A win will take us closer to them. This will take us one step closer to our objective and this is the test. Over 38 matches some are small finals and Saturday for us is a small final.”

We only lost narrowly when we played the Blues at the beginning of the season at the Bridge, and he does have respect for our opponents but is not unduly worried: “A very organised team with very important players.” he admitted. “It will be difficult but I believe in our spirit, our quality, our organisation when we are playing at home with our supporters. I think that each match in the Emirates is very special. It will be a tough match but if we play with a big performance, with organisation, I think we can win. It’s difficult and it’s also a test because we can be who we are. Between the beginning of the season when we played them and now, the 23rd game of the season, we are going to play them again. It’s a good moment and a very good test.”

It’s a very good test, and a very BIG test. There is no doubt about that. But having only lost two home League games in our our last 22 (both against Man city!) there is no reason why we shouldn’t face Chelsea without a good dollop of confidence, is there?

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34 Comments

    1. Great. I hope they prepare Mavropanos to contain Chelsea’s lamp posts

      Mustafi, Sokratis, Xhaka and Koscielny are shorter but strong. However one mistake from them could make Chelsea lead from a set-piece

      1. gotanidea I don’t think Mavropanos will be thrown in just like that after spending up to half a year on the sideline and battling fitness…glad to see Monreal back, he’s a better LB than Kolasinac and he even gives Kolasinac a run for the money at LWB..
        Tomorrow I don’t know if we’ll go with 4 at the back or 5, it’s up to Emery bro, I’ll be watching the game with my ear pods on while listening to Jon Bellion’s Glory Sound Prep album, and Imagine Dragon’s Origins album.
        whatever happens tomorrow in the game is cool by me?, winning will make me bump my fist in the air no doubt? but if it goes otherwise, still cool, ain’t gon get hurt

  1. I predict Arsenal players are excited of this match, because it is a big derby

    The problem is Chelsea’s aerial dominance in Morata, Giroud, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Cahill, Christensen and Loftus-Cheek. Those players are big threats in set-pieces and one first successful header from one of them could change the game

    The tallest players Arsenal have for defending/ scoring are Mustafi, Sokratis, Xhaka, Koscielny and Aubameyang. This is why the new CB should be the one as tall and quick as VVD and Koulibaly

  2. Leno
    Bel Sok Mov Kol
    Tor Xhaka
    Niles Ozil Iwobi
    Alexander

    Emery’s got balance it just doesn’t suit his style of play

    1. I believe Emery would start Ozil due to the pressure from the media/ fans and this is a home game

      I also predict he would use 4-2-3-1, but with Aubameyang and Lacazette instead of Maitland-Niles

    2. Jah Son, since you wanted me to give what line up I think is our best with everyone available.. lemme try..Lol

      ………………………..Leno………………………
      Bellerin…..Mustafi…Sokratis…..Monreal
      ……………..Torreira…… Xhaka……………..
      Ramsey…………… Ozil……………….Iwobi
      ……………………Lacazette………………….

      This is what I think is our best option, Ramsey used to play the RW under Wenger few seasons ago, our last season in the UCL I guess.. and he’s a better option on that RW than Ozil is, he will cover for Bellerin also… Plus that attack will create and disturb a lot, with passes coming from either Ozil or Ramsey, with Iwobi disturbing on the left like normally does against Chelsea…
      The main problem would be our striker, hope whoever starts gets deadly…
      I went with Lacazette because He will definitely be a menace to Chelsea’s defense…
      But since this is my own fantasy, we all know Emery ain’t using this line-up, no way..
      Mustafi for Macro because Mavro is still being integrated back into the team slowly.

      I remember Wenger using that formation against Liverpool few seasons ago with same lineup, apart from Leno, Torreira and Lacazette, it was Cazorla/Coquelin in the midfield… Sanchez-Ozil-Ramsey behind Walcott..
      and we went 3 up in the first 35 minutes, conceded a penalty in the 2nd half and Giroud was a sub, but he scored a stunner to make it 4.
      Bellerin’s lovely goal, Ozil’s free kick and Sanchez’s amazing shot from outside the box.
      Hell I loved that game.
      I don’t know if I got the line up for that liverpool game all mixed up but that’s the line-up I’d love to see tomorrow..
      I’m free to dream ain’t I???

      1. Unfortunately, currently there is no midfielder at Arsenal can dictate the tempo as what Cazorla did and no attacker is as skillful as the peak Sanchez

        Giroud will be Chelsea’s super sub instead of ours, but luckily we still have Xhaka’s free kick ability 😀

  3. I do not believe in home advantages and away disadvantages. Manchester City came to Arsenal FC in our own stadium. Why did we use Home advantages to win all our home matches before today. Nevertheless I wish Arsenal FC and Unai Emery all the best of luck. Unai Emery should be able to utilize his game plan and his players to the highest of their ability and let them bring out the best of their potential in them.

  4. I think Auba will be more effective early second half let the youngsters run their socks off early tracking hazard and company

  5. He should take care of his defence. Without that even if he is on a red carpet we will still lose. Am not overly excited about Arsenal Football Club as it is now, am not excited about Emery’s vision or his anger with players neither am I excited about us playing against Chelsea. Still I wish up best of luck.

    1. Pat you and I are on the same team??… You just type d exactly how I feel and I couldn’t have it any better than this, this is the best

      1. We are not a very good team to be honest. Eddie our defence is terrible, and the team lacks balance. We will see what happens against Chelsea but to be honest am not very hopeful.

        1. Exactly Pat …there is no balance,and after 20 odd games he looks like he still doesn’t know his best team or formation..I suppose injuries haven’t helped him but by now he should know what he wants from the team and how he wants them to play .i haven’t been impressed these last 4 weeks .he really needs to buck his ideas up because the season is slowly starting to disappear and it looks like we’ve been left behind once again

          1. Swear down it still feels like last season.. nothing has changed, and Paul Mersin keeps tearing into us and keeps making more sense??… he said we’ll never win anything or achieve anything with our defense, he sounds sensible

            1. So Eddie you watch the match while listening to tunes? Did you write on here once long ago that you’re a record producer?? Or did I get that completely wrong? ?

              1. Lol..Sue no you didn’t, and yea I wrote it once..I’m a producer, tomorrow I’m giving myself the privilege to listen to some good music while I watch the ball, aye that way I won’t have to scream at the TV or get worked up, I’m with Pat.. I ain’t looking forward to the match??

                1. Spot on! So have you worked with anyone famous?
                  That’s not a bad thing to do.. I always say I’m not going to get worked up & stay calm, but it never happens ?
                  I’m actually looking forward to it ? but I’m not sure we’ll get anything from it!… and I hope Giroud doesn’t pop up with the winner!!

                  1. No Sue I haven’t worked with the big boys yet but I’m pushing towards that?..
                    and please no Giroud goal, I can’t even imagine it, Giroud scoring a super sub goal would take the tension to another level??.

                    Let’s be honest, Wenger might’ve not been the best for the past few seasons but he did leave us with 5 quality UCL players in Ozil, Ramsey, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Cech, and look, within 6 months Emery has done something to provoke shipping out 3 of them?.
                    Man I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, No doubt Ozil has to go but if we are losing Ozil and Ramsey because we wanna replace them with Suarez and Banega then I’ll gladly be an advocate for the #EmeryOut. Both Suarez and Banega are nothing close to Ozil and Ramsey.
                    Well Sue, you should control your heart rate when watching the game, please i don’t want you telling us you fell off your chair because of the game??

                    1. Well let’s hope you do soon Eddie!
                      We know Ramsey’s going.. but if Ozil does too… sheesh I don’t even want to think about that ?
                      It’s the 19th & still nothing on the transfer news….At this rate it’ll be the last day & it’ll be a panic buy (Sorry panic loan!)
                      Haha hopefully that won’t happen and I won’t chuck anything in anger!! ??
                      Let’s hope we play really well & take all 3 points (& may even be in front at half time ?) COYG

                    2. Dear sue mr 350 isn’t going anywhere. If it were you would you? Especially for a manger who doesn’t know what he is doing? Eddie the day I have the same thing to say about Arsenal as Paul merson is the day something is seriously and terribly wrong. But I totally agree with him. Am not on Emery’s side with the way things are right now. There is no prospect, there is no vision. Same old same (May be worse than Arsene Wenger’s last days). We are going nowhere!!!!!!!
                      Dear Sue maybe you should be our prime minister, you are more interested in human beings far more than Theresa May.

                    3. Hey there Pat… I wonder what delights Emery will come up with today!! And I wonder which Arsenal will turn up!! We are in desperate need of a good display & 3 points… these last few weeks have been an absolute nightmare! I hate it when we lose & are awful…we all know we can play & play some beautiful stuff at times – just not enough imo!!
                      I hope you’re keeping well ?

  6. I hope we play a bit more offensive at home, I do hope to see 4231 formation as others have said and this could be a chance for Ozil to prove he wants to be in the team with a MOTM performance.

    I do think we have good enough players to come away with all 3 points. We need to perform on the day.

    Leno
    Bellerin/Mustafi/Sokratis/Monreal
    Torreira/AMN
    Ramsey/Ozil/Auba
    Laca

    I know it won’t happen. I would like to see AMN given time in the middle, his pace and power can help us recover the ball quickly and I feel he can offer more going forward than Guendouzi.. and even Xhaka currently. Plus he has played LB and with the right advice I do believe he can help protect the left flank better than Guendouzi, if Monreal has pushed forward to act like a winger.

    Ramsey on the right with the thinking that he can cut into the middle or make a late run into the box to be the threat he can be, he is a big game player and this is a big game for us. With a CF who will bring others into play then his late runs could be found by not only Laca but also Ozil. Having Ramsey on the field also allows us to slightly switch style in game so Ramsey can act as a false nine with Auba and Laca becoming the real threats in attack while in defense they can mark the CBs (assuming they spread wide).

    Auba on the left, he may not be able to dribble well enough for some people’s taste but what he does offer is pace to burn in attack along with his good timing to get on the end of things. With Ozil and Laca on the field then I would bet they can make a few chances for Auba to hit the target. Also, Auba can play part of a 2 man CF, allowing a switch in formation, if we can get the lead then we could drop Ramsey for Guendouzi and got 433 to hold the lead.

    I’d go with Ozil in the number 10 role, as I mentioned above, if he wants to fight for his spot which his hard working indicates then use that, he is a world class talent and if he wants to fight then I believe he will perform and show us why he was known as king of assists.

    Laca as the CF due to his buildup play and ability to bring others into the attack, he can drop or push forward, depending on the situation. He has fed Auba some beautiful balls in the past (that sounded dirty…) and he has the ability to switch his role from lone CF to part of 2CF with Auba as talked about in Auba part.

    Monreal as LB instead of Kola due to def reasons, I believe Monreal would offer us more protection at the back and if we wanted to, we could use him as a left CB and bring Kola on, possible change to 343 (Ozil for Kola example).

    COYG!

  7. Leno
    Bellerin Mustafi Sokratis Monreal
    Torriera Guendouzi
    Iwobi Ramsey Aubameyang
    Lacazette

    I am not usually fan of using a player that is leaving (Ramsey), but we’re so short of options right now. Mustafi only just gets the nod over Koscielny. Both are poor, but again, lack of options. Definitely time to start dropping Xhaka. His awful clearance cost us dearly against West Ham, and he keeps giving the ball away. Yet another poor season from him. The rest of team picks itself.

  8. Emery is more deluded than Wenger! Wengers last year was a shame, prior to that top 4 and an FA cup was ok.Anyways playing in the UCL was not exciting as we never had the talent to win it, just a few extra bucks for the owners This man is no good for a top 4 EPL club, just check what an impact Nuno has done for wolves or Sarri for CFC.wishing AFC all 3 points tomorrow but will not be surprised or dissapointed if its the reverse.And now a days being booed by CFC fans at work hardly angers me.
    And finally Wenger may not have been at fault (except staying a year longer than expected) Emery himself cannot do a thing right

    1. Red and white, how is Unai Emery deluded when he has at least honestly stated that Arsenal has no money for transfers, only loans. This puts the spotlight on the owner and board, whereas Arsene Wenger ran interference for them by arguing that there are no players good enough in the market.
      With regards to Nuno, Wolves are still below Arsenal, despite considerable investment since promotion and Sari at Chelsea has inherited a squad which won the EPL two seasons ago and has an owner who backs him.
      In addition I suppose it is Unai Emery’s fault that injuries have disrupted his defense, such that different players are available week by week. How can you develop defensive teamwork without stability?
      I suppose if you bag out Emery at every oportunity during his half season tenure, you will convince yourself you are right. How about being fair and balanced?
      I would like to know who you believe would come to Arsenal should Emery walk (like Mislintat) or be sacked, given the current squad, the transfer budget and the self sustaining model of Stan Kroenke?

  9. I am the worlds biggest optimist when it comes to Arsenal.We have a good team.Not a great team.A good team.But we do have some great players.Ozil is the best of the lot by far when played as a No10 and having runners off him.We need to play a 4231 with Laca up top and Auba wide.And Torreira MUST PLAY.Ladt week was a shambles for a team that is supposed to play a high press and to be fair it’s hardly worked all season.We played well against the Scousers (at home) And could/should have beaten them.We were excellent against the Spuds and 4-2 flattered them.So we CAN perform when we want to but it’s this infuriating habit Emery seems to have of putting some players in the team when they have no right to be there.EG Xhaka as a CB was a DISASTER.
    We CAN beat those Chavs and I believe we will perform out there today.We are due a performance and today will show if we have COJONES or NOT.

  10. Always bet against arsenal. Arsenal win, you’re happy. Arsenal lose, you win some money. That way it’s a win-win.

  11. We simply don’t have a best 11 even on form that looks like it’s a top 4 outfit … This game I think will end up as a 1 1 draw which suits chelski better and we will be back down to 6th place by end of weekend … Basically fans have been lied to for 5 or 6 years … Wenger’s self delusion with absent owner focused only on bottom line even while paying too many championship level players champions league wages … Sustainability plus cohesion equals mediocrity in football unfortunately … We need ambition and drive … And soon

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