Every game for Arsenal at the moment is a crucial fixture as Mikel Arteta tries to pull his players out of the massive slump in form, which has seen the Gunners drop to 15th in the table having not won a League game since November 1st.
Chelsea have lost 3 games so far this season against Arsenal’s 8, and the Blues have scored 29 goals against Arsenal’s 12, so you can see the massive task that Arteta’s men have to face this afternoon.
But Frank Lampard is not expecting an easy game, and believes that Arteta will have his team fit and ready for the big derby despite being in transition. “If you come into a club that’s going through a period of certain transition, I think it’s very understandable there will be lots of situations and work that you need to do in order to get the club where you want it to be. It’s not all rosy as that’s not football.” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“That’s not to do with the manager. I think Mikel is a highly talented coach and manager, and his team are really just going through a recent patch of difficult form. That’s very commonplace in the Premier League as it’s a very tough league. I’ve got huge respect for Mikel and for Arsenal. They have a quality set of players and that’s the team I’m preparing for on Boxing Day.”
One bright spark for Arteta could be the return to fitness of a certain young Brazilian, but he will need the support of the players around him, and hopefully a striker that can put the ball in the net.
It won’t be easy, but as they say “Anything can happen in a derby!”
Isn’t this the very team KT said his team mates were not happy with his mentality, but anyway i understand the set of quality ur meaning
Arteta pb seems to be in locker room he has partly lost.
Picking William, Luiz or Ceballos for most games, underperforming.
Saka or Auba always played out of position, keepin them on pitch to not lose them in locker room.
Niles spoke his mind, got benched real fast.
If most of these guys support Ozil as they do; were asked on Ozil, they would reply as Niles. They all get benched?.
Arteta must do what Lampard said and world sees; we have the squad to fight for title as they do; the set of players he refers to; pick the right ones, meaning to play best players at their natural position.
Lampard means we have options, upon opponent; got to pick right set of players to display game’s tac tic
Obviously, he is not attacking but defensive minded as he was as a player.
Bellerin Mustafi Gabriel Tiern
……………………Niles Elneny
………….. …………….Rowe
……Nelson……..Auba…………..Saka
Martinelli & Partey… injured.
Sub : Willock Chambers, Holding, Laca, Pepe, Rowe, Kolas, Ceballos..
No need to select Willian if we have Pepe & Laca on bench, nor Luiz with Chambers and holding there.
Now, I can imagine Chambers or Luiz to play alongside with Niles or Elneny.
Rowe is simply our only number 10 without Ozil. Can play Willock or Xhaka or even Laca as fake 10s but Rowe is the real and only natural 10 we have…
We do have set of players, upon tac tics we have several option across middle & attack, plenty of CBs and again; Chambers is very good as a DM, Luiz can also help out there way more than CB where no one to cover his lack of reflex and speed…He is good in cutting attacks, in the air and passing ball up, bringing block higher,
had pressure that way, it hurts opponent and has us in attack mode pounding them.
Hope he gets it right, so far it is his main pb and lack of experience has nothing to do with making right pick, we do have a set of players offering many options indeed. Lampard as everyone can see that.
Why Nelson over Pepe? He can offer as much and defend where Pepe won’t and have Bellerin caught up and blamed…
A typically generous – or should that be a tactically wise – statement from Lampard. All wise Prem managers always avoid dissing the opposition before any game, as winding up the other side is foolish and counter productive. Shame he did not say we are easily beaten and rubbish. That would also not be true but it might help us a bit. Too wise for that, young Frankie boy though.
Though my head tells me we SHOULD get a clear defeat today, based on recent form for both clubs, I predict a hard fought draw. As it is Christmas time, I am for once, letting my heart overrule my head.
Keep the faith though, as a few weeks from now things will be looking much healthier. And THAT is my head agreeing with my heart.
Seems to me we are like the Titanic. Everyone watching whilst this massive ship will go down, as the browbeaten, confused, ships captain is walking hither and thither, leading us into the abyss. Everyone watching but no one bothering to do anything and we are about to sink. If we got a real talented, trained, decisive captain for our ship, to steer us around the iceberg, we would be safe. Do we want the Arsenal to become another Titanic….or will we get a true ‘captain’ of the ship to save us? The ‘captain’ of this Arsenal ship has no idea. This captain is taking us down.
Sean the trouble with imaginative and emotive analogies is that they are only effective when correctly used. Yours are not!
I would liken MA’s last few months to the Brexit negotiations and eventual deal, which against all odds, has finally been achieved. I’ll bet my analogy against yours any day.
Jon
We will see? I would rather Arteta could do this. I hope you are right. I would like him to succeed but my empiricism and wisdom say he will not succeed. There is no ego invested in this. He does not have the resources of experience and is blundering. My concern are the million Arsenal supporters and not one man….Arteta. The greater good of the supporters is more important than the one Arteta to me. We will wait and see. If you are right it will make it easier for the club.
Yes Sean indeed we will see. But only IF teb fans areprepared ro giv ehim a fair chance to show his talents So mmany are jumping thr gun I hope that does not include you, as you original post indicated and was thereason I challenge dyou I belive in beuing fair minded in life and in footbal Of course that doe snot mean Ithink he has not made mistakes; of cours ehe has and I see that as well as anyone else.
But I also see – so perhaps I am more perceptive, perhaps not – his many good qualities of drive, steeliness, refusal to accept scroungers and arrogant player behaviour( Ozil and Guendouzi respectively). I also see two top purches in Gabriel andPartey both his own choices I believe! We could and should have had Aoure too, but for Kroenkes lack of caring for the club he legally owns(not morally ).
I factor in that he has won two trophies in his first 8 months, even with the poor squad inherited. And finally I always back my generally sound judgement and most of the time – not always, as I am human too – I am proved correct.
I have 70 years of life experience to look back upon and it does help to have life experience and I say this, even at the risk of outraging certain youinger fans who wrongly believe that means I am arrogant and think myself better than them. I do not but my judgement -proven to me by my own life experiences – IS generally sound and I would be foolish not to know this and stand by it.
Just being truthful Sean.
Jon
You think you are being truthful.
Reality is different. The ego is deceptive.
Wisdom is often usurped by the ‘I know’ ego.
We all know lampard is holding back laughter when he says that. Of course he can’t disrespect opposition before the game has even started (out of politeness) but then again this club is one that you CAN disrespect and get away with…