Arsenal are in the Potteries today hoping to get a rare away win over Arsene Wenger’s serial tormentors Stoke City. Even a point will be enough to take the Gunners back to the top of the table but obviously a win will make our Premier League title challenge look that much stronger.
So in an attempt to avoid the same sort of scenes we saw last season when the boss was heavily abused at the train station by a group of Gooners, the Frenchman will be disappointed not to be able to name Alexis Sanchez in the starting line up or even the subs bench. And with Mesut Ozil apparently having picked up a knock our attacking options are not as strong as we would have liked.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain comes in for the German although he might play on one flank with Campbell in the number 10 role. I think it will be the Ox though, at least from the start.
Our new signing Mohamed Elneny does make the squad but Wenger has started with Mathieu Flamini alongside Aaron Ramsey in the centre of midfield. Other than that the Arsenal starting XI is pretty much as you would expect, with Olivier Giroud leading the line and Campbell and Walcott either side of the big man.
David Ospina returns to the bench after his injury and it is not the strongest looking bunch of subs in an attacking sense. Hopefully we will be ahead in the game before Wenger thinks of making any changes but I am not exactly brimming with confidence.
Cech
Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal
Ramsey, Flamini
Campbell, Oxlade-Chamberlin, Walcott
Giroud
Subs: Ospina, Chambers, Gabriel, Gibbs, Elneny, Arteta, Iwobi.
Last5 mins a lot better
This ref is a joke Stoke can get away with anything
How many fouls is Peters going to commit?
the reff is a real bias
Flamini makes fewer mistakes than before but he does little
Oh dear lord, worse game we have played..by miles
This is so embarrassing
at least put elneny, why not a long range shot?
Stoke is not playing very good. We are making them look good.
Campbell should hve that on target
Pendulum swinging back to man city… Buy an attacking option wenger u blind Gallic slug
Stoke playing for the draw
Wow! Is this how we will become champions?
Off the line twice. Phew!
here we go..Chambers..to hold on for the draw..pathetic coaching..we are so lucky.
Ox off 15 mins too late
what a coward wenger is….
you can not call yourself title contenders with performance like this..I’m pissed
Should we repeat this next week? Chelsea will give us a hiding.
Hopefully Ozil and Sanchez back next week. Anyone know whats going on there?
This was pathetic, stoke were playing with their handbrakes on an we still could not finish them off. So much for squad depth Ox can’t pass and Walcott can’t stay on his feet. Only arsenal can make Southampton and Stoke feel like premier league giants.
Leicester City would have taken the chance and go top if they were in our shoes. Hopefully we will have a better squad come the Chelsea game.