As expected Arsene Wenger has not made a lot of changes to the Arsenal team that lost at Everton on Tuesday, and he will be urging them to bounce back with a much improved performance.
This will be Wenger v Guardiola for the first time meeting in the Premier League, but Le Prof has faced the Spaniard many times in the Champions League, four times when he was at Barcelona and another four when he was in charge at Bayern Munich. (Guardiola Wins: 4, Wenger Wins: 2, Draws: 2). But the Premier League is a different kettle of fish and Wenger is looking forward to the increased competition, now that Conte and Pep have now arrived (and with Klopp at Liverpool of course). Wenger said: “I know it’s competitive and we’re surrounded by top-class managers but I want to win,”
“I think that the fight will be tighter and more difficult than ever and that we have an opportunity to prove that we can deal with the new competition.
“Of course, it stimulates everybody. We will see. It will be very open until the end I think.”
Well I know he said that on Friday but it’s not looking quite so open now with Chelsea a staggering 9 points clear this morning. But will it be Pep or Wenger that start clawing back the gap by the end of this afternoon?
Anyway over to todays confirmed Arsenal team…There is no room yet for Lucas Perez, who scored a hat-trick on his last start, or Olivier Giroud to start the game, And, in the only change from Tuesday, Alex Iwobi replaces the Ox after finally hitting form and scoring two goals in a week.
Cech
Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal
Xhaka, Coquelin
Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi
Sanchez
Come on you Gunners, let’s bounce back in style!
Admin
Win or perish
giroud should start for awobi, and alex on right. Would be beter team
C’mon boys, we’ve got this. COYG!
#COYG win this match, I don’t care how, just win it please. Thank you!
Boys, nothing but a win is needed.
You can do it.
By any margin or any how, ugly, og, splendid, or referee.
lose and you are out
Clichy and Sterling face Bellerin, I think Bellerin can get the better of them defensively against Sterling and offensively against Clichy. For me Bellerin will be the key player in this match.
Their key player would be Toure, he can drive through the midfield phsyicallly with the ball like no one else in either side.
I would have swapped Ox for Walcott and Gibbs for Monreal.
I have been out of touch for a while, been busy touching myself ?
I was pretty confident about us getting a result today but that was before I saw the line up.
Anyways, I’ve gone for a halftime /full time bet:
Half-time City, Full-time Arsenal @ 28/1
God help us!
Dont let me down boys be brave be strong and bring those points home..come on gunners!!!!!!!
Goaaalllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. Theo of new.
Come on boys. Get this one and move on.
COYG
Now don’t pull back ….. BBBBUUUURRRYYYYYY TTTTTHHEEEMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bellerin pure class, what a build up, alexi find theo, theo in the right place, sweeeeet!
gabriel needs to have his best match today, he worries me the most on that pitch
For Gods sake, attack, don’t sit in
Bellerin looks like Jesus
Getting worried that Walcott thinks he can go back to sleep after his goal….
Need to score some goals while they’re not at the races …..
Sanchez want our players to press but more of our players are not as fit as him. For my observations our players only can play 15min pressing game.
Come on. Score another before half time
We need to keep a clean sheet! That is how we win the game…..
The point is we can’t play that game, we never have been able to in all the years I have been watching, if we do pull it off it is by luck rather than judgement.
“If you score and manage to keep a clean sheet, then you’ll win”
– Michael Owen
About the only thing Michael Owen’s said that turns out true … I guess he decided to play it safe …..
We are not a team that concentrates on being set up defensively like West Brom etc, Wenger doesn’t devote much time to that…
It’s an away game and will be tricky. We have to attack, however should also defend with our lives. I rather have us win 0:1.
We are looking very dominant though. ….
I just hope they don’t repeat Everton mistake.
If we can stay at 0-1 I think we may nick this.
Yes we didn’t concede before half time I got more confident we will win this game now.
What did I say???? We can’t play that game…. Seen it so many times before
Typical freaking Arsenal, same script year after effing year.
Amazing how a new coach(Conte) can completely transform a teams mentality in half a premier season.
Meanwhile at the Emirates…..
Petr Cech’s goal kicks though…
Cech gifted them that all the way
Saw that coming. Might lose this game
I said that we should’ve taken advantage in the first half – got thumbed down …. Gary Neville’s saying that now … hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Time to wake up boys
I said before how goal kick is so weak that very time fall for them and we like to keep doing it.
Totally offside dat one
Not impressed with the second hand. Too easy for City.
Why after city swap their winger we can’t contain them?
now watch us lose the game
We can’t pass … giving the ball away, not pressuring them
We are getting toyed with now.. i don’t know why it’s hard for us to clear our line quick. Losing the ball and Ozil has been invisible so far. Come on lads!
We would have lost this game by a big margin had Aguero been on the pitch.
They wouldn’t have scored if Mustafi was on the pitch
we are being dominated, ozil no where to be found, coqs passes terrible, lets hope ox changes this up,
Need to get hold of the ball and get passing going. Lost count of the balls we’ve given away.Hopefully Ox coming on will stretch them a bit
Now I think most of us will be happy if we got a point.
not expecting a point, but a point puts chelsea farther outta reach
Oops not even a point.
nice save
missing aguero fernandinho and gundogan yet they are playing as if they are from a different planet.
We dont deserve anything tbf
What on Earth is Gabriel doing?
he is a weak link, terrible
Really stupid team
Pathetic
We are a disgrace.
Top 4 is the aim for the season.
No title again
We may as well put Giroud on and try to go for it…
what is this? what in gods name is this? I’m furious right now. We’ve shown city way too much repsect and they’ve punished us. Useless
How on earth is Sterling allowed to be on his own on the left wing???? They’ve been cutting out our space everywhere. IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!!!!
how much is ozil demanding, pathetic match mesut, now what?
Exactly! But they’ll still his name over Alexis’.
Sing*
This is a sub par city team …. SUB PAR!!!! Apart from Mustafi and Cazorla, we are full strength
I’m depressed now
We need to win this one. With a draw or a loss we will be too far away from Chelsea
Chelsea will win the league. Arsenal will battle with Liverpool and United for 4th place.
City will score again
Missed first half … In Strasbourg ironically birth place of the delusional one … No idea about first half but if this team finishes in top 4 will be shocked … Joke manager plus at least 4 players who should never be playing in a top flight team .., Walcott … The highest paid laziest least skillful player in world football … Iwobi … Monreal …. Gabriel … Can’t defend ozil anymore his lack of effort is appalling …
Told y’all in the Everton game that our wings are crap defensively. We have so many passengers on this team it’s sickening.
They are continuing to attack us when they’ve just scored…. we switched off, that’s the difference
EL Neny??? Bring in Perez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How many half hearted tackles have they put in? Losing every one
This team is a joke.. Wing play is zero.. Creativity is zero.. Ozil is a fraud for the hype he gets… We need another creative player as we can no longer have carzola most of the times ND clearly ozil is better of a supporting striker nt a playmaker. We need a playmaker..
2 1 down … Ox injured so let’s bring elneny on … Another master stroke from the 8 million quid man …. Couldnt make this guy up if I tried
Don’t feel you have to rush back from Strasbourg for us
Four place is looking good enough at this point that if MANURE doesn’t finish strong another season we fell short
Jose will very happy to kick us out of top 4, that will be his new year resolution.
2 loses in a row
midfield totally dominated,
Where is the passion? Effort? Pride? First half was good IMO, but the second has been god awful!
the day we lost the title. And I am being melodramatic But It’s also true and everyone knows it.
That title race was awesome!!! Shame we won’t take part in it any further. The only person that deserves the money is Alexis. Ozil had done f all these last 2 matches, and he wants how much???
Second team in a week that were for the taking early on in a game and we bottled it.
Now what idiot thinks we still have a chance of the league?
probably the same idiots who think we have a great manager
Bottling company of London
Guardiola keeps bringing on offensive players because he knows we’re there for the taking.
I mean……City are missing the spine of their team.
Mustafa where are you??? he left our season seems over
maybe not in our lifetime, but one day we will have a manager who actually has a clue.
Score a goal …. go to sleep … concede two … wake up ….. and repeat….
The only way Arsenal will ever be a force is if we have 11 players with Alexis’ mentality.
Spuds scored what a week
Am I the only one on here that thinks Xhaka is too slow for the premier league?
Plus 6 others on that team
Only way for arsenal to become a top team again is for wenger to leave … Ideally at Xmas … Even the 4th place junkies have gone quiet ..c’mon defend your delusional pusher
And people wonder why pundits never consider AFC a title winning team. Chelsea came from finishing mid table and about to win the trophy again. We keep living on champions league appearances like it’s a trophy
Then you’ll have some come on here and say the WOB is out after every loss. WAKE UP!!!
Can’t believe what I am watching.
Last one turn off the lights season over…. there’s always 2020
You want Alexis to extend with a team that participates instead of challenging.
Guys don’t take it too hard anyway I don’t expect arsenal to win premier league so chill.
Marry Christmas!!!!
but dont worry, last 5 minutes Arsenal might try and play football now……unbelievable
Foul after foul my goodness. What is going on. Poor poor poor. It’s wengers time to get out . He has bought this crap.
Bye Bye Sánchez….. what a train wreck we are
Pathetic pathetic Arsenal, this can be our new chsnt
Ozil is useless against big teams. Only bullies small teams.
What a load of rubbish, why do we pay good money for this manure.
stupid overpaid useless so and so’s, there’s bombs in Alepo, the pounds gone to hell, there’s a housing crisis, and then i have to sit down watch these overpaid fools walk around a pitch. How dare they!
disappointing, absolute disgust. Always losing points from winning positions. VERY DISAPOINTING
Only way to Get rid of delusional one is to boycott this failed club ..12 years is enough …. The junkies have gone quiet …Lets hear it from krish n bud n admin … What’s the excuse this time ?????
why we don’t engage teams when we are winning only shows our weak mentality. ABSOLUTE RUBBISH. CALL ME PLASTIC FAN BUT THIS IS RUBBISH
Couldn’t believe what I was seeing … a conference team would’ve played better than us after we scored the goal. It was pathetic, no closing down, poor marking, poor passing, allowing them plenty of space while they allowed us none. I don’t mind losing if we put the effort in, but we simply didn’t – were they at a Christmas party last night? It looked like no one on the Arsenal team wanted to win that game after we scored the goal, apart from possibly Alexis and Cech – but even Alexis’ passing wasn’t great in the game.
Why would Sanchez and Ozil stay with a team of no hopers and a manager who has not got a clue. 4th if lucky this year again. So sick of this dung.
Bellerin was getting outpaced by de Bruyne? What is going on? I thought Bellerin was the fastest man on the pitch??????
So you guys are still watching arsenal matches.. aww sorry ok.. spare yourself this headache and be checking LiveScore or something after the match… u will feel better.. Wenger isn’t going to win anything with this team.. the earlier you realize that the better …