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Official Arsenal team to face West Brom – Auba, Ceballos and Laca start

Arsenal is going for their third Premier League win in a row this evening against relegation-threatened West Brom, however, it would be a huge mistake to assume that this game will be a walkover, it certainly will not.

No doubt some will point to their 5-0 loss against Leeds United, which is fine, but if you do that you cannot ignore the 1-1 against Man City and the draw against Liverpool by the same scoreline.

Sam Allardyce is a brilliant manager at keeping teams up and he will have West Brom fully wound up for this game and it is imperative that Mikel Arteta gets both his team selection and tactics right this evening at the Hawthorns.

This is the team that Arteta has gone with.

Are you satisfied with the team that Mikel Arteta has gone with against West Brom this evening?

Has Arteta has got it right once again or has he made a boo-boo with his line up?

Leave us your comments below and maybe predict the score at the same time.

Also, if you go to the official Arsenal website here you will be able to get live commentary text and radio.

JustArsenal predicted Arsenal team (for comparison) here
JustArsenal match preview here

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Tags Arsenal Team West Brom v Arsenal

196 Comments

  4. Good team selection, giving Martinelli a well deserved rest and Elneny on the bench. I’d still have preferred AMN instead of Cebellos, but you can’t have all wishes granted.

    1. Same – dying to see AMN more involved. I think his game in midfield against Dundalk(?) may have actually gone against him because he was very eager to join the attack, when he’d probably have more success playing a bit more defensively in that position. Guess it depends what his instruction was.

      1. Ceballos might be in to help beat the expected ten defenders WBA will put out. He is a better passer than AMN.

  5. I am happy that ESR is becoming the most important player.
    I am confident that He is going to have a good game

  6. A big game for Smith-Rowe hope everything goes well. He will not have Martinelli running to support him Aubameyang will leave him to dictate play. We need this one
    #COYG

  8. I hope they don’t cancel the game.
    Great lineup, no complaints from me.
    Willian playing his best position for the third game in a row.
    God’s own child playing, and will be getting a well deserved rest.

    1. COYG here’s to victory. Martinelli coming in for Auba in the second half if he doesn’t perform. But my guess is Arteta will take lacazette off first before Auba no matter how the two are performing.

  9. If Abua doesn’t pull his finger out i expect him to be subbed for Martinelli. Then again MA would probably replace saka with Martinelli. All guess work. Either way Abua needs to find his form as he is being out performed by a number of youngsters at the moment

  10. Cebellos should not be playing…especially if rumours are true and Real Madrid are looking to bring his loan to a premature end if he doesn’t get enough game time.Frankly his game time should be reduced to the odd minute or two from the bench.The fact that Arteta chose to bring him back after an underwhelming Season which was only saved by a few half half decent appearances made no real sense….and was an indication of further mistakes which followed.If I were AMN I would be thinking that other Clubs undoubtedly offer better opportunities when Arteta continues to favour others.In a similar vein I would have thought that Balogun should be given opportunities on the Bench in front of others who have proven time and time again to be well below the standards that Arsenal should demand from their players.From what Ive seen his abilities seem to be head and shoulders above the likes of Neketiah….a supposed “goal poacher” whose abilities remain within the realms of under-21 football and not at the senior level.

  11. Aubameyang better respect himself&perform better than of recent.wishing the rest of the team all the best&hoping for the 3points come the end of the night.COYG

  12. This should be a walk in the park for Arsenal. I won’t wish good luck tonight because we don’t need it. This should be our highest scoring game this season considering the opponent, with all due respect to them.

        1. Looks great there, Jax. No, not been there… Used to go to Lakeside a lot back in the day. Been to tons of exhibitions… love the darts!

  14. Happy new year everyone. I wish everyone a prosperous year.
    This is a good selection. 3 points is all that matters. COYG

  15. Thank God for no Willian, Pepe, Luiz and best of all no Elneny. Two idlers, one mistake on legs and one crab!
    We still have to put up with Xhaka and Bellerin, but given who our owner is, we should be thankful for small mercies.

          2. It really is Sid
            I’ve been down in the dumps with the anti Arteta comments but we might have turned the corner

        1. Honestly he has to be sooner or later, I cant spot a better candidate on the pitch. He looks something we have been lacking in capains for a long time.

          1. Look at him in training hes a mans man a will run through a brick wall for Arsenal & as he did at Celtic. Ultimate professional. Roy Keane will also love this lad for the way he conducts himself. Captain Material, natural leader.

  32. iff saka was on left and auba right, Auba would have scored that cross with right foot he attempted. We did by Tierny who auba cant match on that flank.

    midfield is not doing it, 2 number 8 in ceballos & skz who both caan play 10 as Rowe, they all need to focus on defending ..

  44. These young guns have it!! Laca again involved with them, brilliant goal well done lads 👏👏 SmithRowe… Wow!

  47. Smith Rowe. This guy is a player. I just love the way he plays. He has that football intelligence

  50. 11th in the table if we keep this up. At 2-0 we are -1 goal difference, make this game count as we need those goals in the plus to even stand a chance of catching the 4 or 5 above us!

    Cmon demolish big sam please

      1. 3points behind Southampton who have their game in hand v liverpool and West Ham are 3 points clear too but goal difference will be vital for us and all these chances need to be out away!

      1. Ken be happy for gods sake. Were all here for same reason buddy. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, it’s our job to respect it with counter opinions.

        1. I’m happy Sean, it’s great to see attacking, progressive football from the team.
          Just so annoying to see someone try to bring in ANY kind of negativity – idiotic in my opinion.

          2. What’s negative about it? Hes bigging up a rising talent and referenced a player who will never kick a ball again for arsenal 🤷‍♂️

          3. I’m with Ken ,if smith Rowe can do half of what Ozil as achieved we should all be happy ,no need to bring Ozil into it IMO

          5. Nothing at all Ken
            But does that have anything whatsoever in calling Kieron an idiot?
            You set the bar

  54. @Sean
    Agree about Gd I cant believe how close the entire top of the table is a few wins in a row and up we go.
    Spurs today up from 7th to joint 3rd.
    Most teams from 2 to 10 are in 29 then 26 we look to be 23 with a win today.
    Bizarre season!

    1. Yeah even city 3pts ahead but they will have 3 games in hand. We need to keep winning a newcastle is next isnt it? Have to win that!! Other Fixtures will play a key part like the Southampton v Liverpool in getting up the table!

  55. Fab half, really enjoyed it!!
    I wonder if Holding brought his guitar for some half-time entertainment?! 😄

    1. Excellent Sue not often we say that at halftime or full-time lol now Bellerin off Maitland Niles on before he is sent off 😄

    2. Yes Sue. We are winning this. Glad the team is playing well now. Martinelli and Smith Rowe brought the required energy. COYG

  56. @Ken
    Idiot me?
    Keep your opinion to yourself!
    ESR optimised everything that Ozil isnt cant wait to see his toxicity gone.
    My opinion.

  57. Wonderful solo goal by Tierney and he looks on steroid today. The second goal is an amazing teamwork that shows great understanding between Lacazette, Smith-Rowe and Saka

    All Gunners are playing without brakes today!

  58. 2 isn’t enough. The conditions make it so easy to give away a goal which wouldn’t happen on a normal day. Ball is holding up. Everyone has to maintain concentration.

  59. That’s what short, quick passing does to a game of football….

    Not this kind where Holding takes 10 touches before releasing the ball.

    Come on Arsenal let’s score more,,,, something like 5.

    2. Yup, ESR was the missing piece and Saka has been outstanding, along with Laca (wish he’d finished that run and shot) – got to keep them and GM fit and healthy.

  62. Great 1st half. Really enjoyed the performance despite the heavy snow.

    Absolutely mind-blowing goal from Tierney. Can’t hope for a better goal from a left back. He’s really up for it today.

    2nd goal reminds me of the good old days. Vintage Arsenal goal.

    Only gripe I have was a couple of backward passes by Xhaka that put us in more danger than if he had gone forward.

    I have no problems with passing backwards as long as it makes sense, but if it puts a teammate under more pressure, then it’s clearly the wrong option

  75. Excellent game from Arsenal right now. So glad to see us getting back on track and playing entertaining football

  76. Superb performance from the boys – this is what we have wanted all season!!
    Wonder if Allardyce still sees us as relegation rivals.

  79. Wonderful win . I dont want to be critical and i know Arteta was just trying to kill the game . The clear out is necessary . Willian,Mustafi,Ozil,Runnarson,Nketiah,Pepe ,Socratis and Willock have to join that Taxi out of Arsenal and Auba is a shadow of himself and he isnt worthy to be in the first 11.Just my honest opinion.

  80. All about Goal Difference now. +1…
    Make it a 5 star performance, one more lads. We could be 7 or 8 ahead here

    1. Sean
      Again you are so right
      A weird season and if there is ever a time to be on the rise … it is now
      And
      + goal difference
      Yee has!

  81. Anybody seen why Bellerin in playing ahead of AMN? We cannot really know t all from the outside. He has given the ball away in dangerous position more than all the players put together in just these few minutes he came in.

      1. Right now I will be sad if we sold him but due to contract issues we should just cash in and maybe with more game time MAN will come good. He doesn’t just have the fight in him. So lacklustre and relaxed…

    2. Yeah but it’s not just about one game. Bellerin has been great recently, but history suggests he’ll drop back to mediocrity at some point (hate to be so negative but it’s been a happening for years now).
      On AMN, I do think he has a big future but there needs to focus on a main position (DM, CM, LB, RB) – currently he doesn’t have that. He’s had some big performances, but mostly at LWB, which Didn’t do himself any favours today – definitely agree on that.

  82. why did Auba sign ‘that thing’? he is not interested in playing here and his body language show it all. look at the simple mistake pass from KT , football is a team game and mistake and coveries are bound, so why does he seem to blame Tierney, who does he think he is, doesnt he make mistakes too

      1. I believe he will. Otherwise Arteta may need ro make some hard decisions. But right now I think that trusting him is right, as he is a really consistent goalscorer. Just tweak your plan to suit Aubameyang more. His pace seems to have dropped, so maybe less defensive duties for him would do the trick?

  84. Please explain this back and forth passing between ANM and Cellabos? Are they trying to see who gets the most touches?

    1. Seeing out the game I guess. But after Saka and Smith Rowe came off yhere was no progression from the middle😔😔

  85. If there is any player I want gone from the Arsenal squad it’s Willock. To think that they were playing him ahead of ESR is criminal.

  87. Guess we are never meant to see aubameyang and lacazette both in top form at the same time. Auba looks soo sad out there, nothing is going right, no Striker luck

  88. Unless Arsenal have serious plans to
    bring in an Isco/Buendia/Brandt
    type this month there is no chance
    in you know what that the likes of
    Pepe, Willian and Willock will be
    allowed to leave.

    Saka and ESR cant play every game
    during this festive period of
    fixtures.

  89. Sorry, but is there a rule that says a captain should not be subbed because I didn’t understand why Auba finished the game?

  90. Great game from Arsenal. My only negative is Aubameyang’s body language. Unbefitting of a captain. I know he wants to score but sulking and jogging when we need to close out a game is BAD. And attitudes like that is exactly why we have so many players here that think this is a vacation. Okay… rant over. Happy about everything else today!

  91. Has Laca earned a new deal??
    If not much of a payrise then yes.
    His experienced head with these young guys is brillaint atm.

    Auba may look to leave though! I’d take £30m for him and give the Captaincy to Keiran Tierney!!

    1. Agree Sean, Haven’t always been a fan but Laca’s running in the past two games has been one of the pluses in contrast to Aubameyang’s tired performances. Whether or not Arteta can continue to get the best out of Lacazette will define Arsenal’s season.

  92. Mari might actually be a better shout than Gabriel. His position sense is second only to the BFG. Holding New Contract? still no sure.

    Saka and Tieney, our shining light.
    Auba’s body languages says the he’s not in the team. In wish i can explain it better. It’s like the experienced players vs the youngstere.

    To think that Partey will be joining this team is exciting. Granit Xhaka is good when everyone around him is running and defending. Great to see him and Partey combo With ESR ahead. Auba shouor sort himself out or Martinelli will forever take his spot. Laca is putting up the fight I want to see.

    Overall a good win for the team.

    1. Gabriel was player of the month for 3 months was it? Hit a bit of a bad spell and seems to be written off already.

      2. Gabriel is a bit rash is his tackles. He was player of the month in 3 month when Mari didn’t play in those 3 months we actually lost plenty of games. Mari hasn’t lost that much.

        No one is writing him off. We need this type of competition. And if I may ask you Gunnerdev, if you were MA, does Gabrel just walk back into the team lIle Partey will?

  93. I hope Martineli has taken a well deserved break to start the next game. Aubameyang proves again that he is not captain material therefore has to be benched. Missing a sitter, blaming the MotM Tierney, lack of motivation, the list can go on and on….

  94. I thought it would be an ugly win today, but the Arsenal did it in style. Everything has already been said above about the kids. If Martinellii had played it could have been six. I guess by now even his main supporters would be worried about Auba. Something is just not right. I don’t think it’s the contract. It’s more his energy level and inability to be in the right place at the right time in order to get his timing right. Maitland Niles has to learn to pass. I still like him as a defensive midfielder. Hers to one good signing and lots more good football.

  95. Great performance today…even though we looked a cut or two above Brom all day, there’s no guarantees that it would translate into the 3 points we craved, so it was impressive to see our guys do something with their opportunities…moving forward, we can’t be afraid to get a little greedy whenever a team opens up like that…6 or 7 could have been in the offing today…here’s hoping we can ship some more deadwood, get one top-notch creative CM and get Partey back soon…to me, this is all about using the second half of the season to get our ducks in a row for a real push next year…not concerned so much about Auba not getting on the scoresheet because we’ve desperately needed secondary scoring since his arrival…if this continues, he’ll get plenty of opportunities, as defensive will have to adjust their coverages…let’s hope the club doesn’t use this bump in results to stand pat, as we’ve seen in the past…I was watching Stuttgart play today too and it made me seriously wonder if we could craft together a solid young defensive core with Gabriel, Saliba, Mavro and Holding

    2. I love mavro too. I think he is a pacy guy. Also some academy boys might be great too. Mcguiness, Clarke, new guy Rekik, Ballard may all be great players in the making.

  96. @ken1945 and Footbalistrivial

    I like coming on here but there are some rude idiots at times.
    My anti ozil comment was nor meant to ‘bringing negativity’ on a postive day or ‘being a fanboy’.
    I’m 50 have supported the gunners for 40 years and visited Highbiry and the Enirates many times.

    Again Ozil had been class for us and it’s not his fault that someone was stupid enough to give him a lucrative contract but and a big but hes a divs and a sulker, he doesnt fit the new gritty hard working model.
    The fact hes happy to train and earn money doesn’t endere him to me anymore and his persistent tweeting about wanting to become best friends with goonersaurus etc. Is so damaging and negative toxic in fact.
    If he truly loved the club and fans etc he would’ve agreed to leave and ask to make one more appearance to say goodbye.
    The fact he drive off and left Kolasinac when he got out the car to defend him says everything about this man, *and yes I know the women were in the car too).
    I think what frustrates me most about him is that I loved him as a player since his Real Madris days and when we signed him I was ecstatic and bought shirts with his name.
    So the situation now and seeing him up close just makes me more sick of what’s become and ball and chain around Arsenals ankle even if it is there own doing.
    Go and play in the.MLS and good luck!

    Ken and the other this is my opinion if you disagree show some respect when challenging me.

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