The season is almost upon us and we can now get back to the serious stuff of competitive football and with that comes the usual pre-match exercises of predicting what sort of Arsenal side Unai Emery will put out.
I must admit that it was rare that I guessed the team that Emery would field, especially near the end of the season, he really is one of the trickiest managers to second guess.
But no harm in trying.
I think it is a given that Bernd Leno will start in goal and to some extent the defence picks itself, mainly due to injuries and I expect he will go with a central defence of Luiz and Chambers with Monreal and Maitland-Niles in the full-back positions with instructions to bomb forward when they can.
Obviously, Tierney is out injured as is Bellerin and Holding and the only possible change could be Sokratis instead of Chambers.
The middle of the park is where Emery tends to spring his surprises but I would be shocked if he did not start Torreira and you just know he will start Xhaka alongside him.
The big question is who else he will start in the middle of the park and I am going to plump with Ceballos as opposed to Guendouzi.
In front of those three, I am going to go with Ozil just behind Lacazette and Aubameyang and so yes, you read it right, no Pepe.
I honestly think he will start our record signing on the bench mainly because of lack of pre-season action.
That said, it may change depending on whether Lacazette is declared fit to play.
So, my predicted line up against Newcastle is
Leno
Maitland-Niles
Luiz
Chambers
Monreal
Torreira
Xhaka
Ceballos
Ozil
Lacazette
Aubameyang
No doubt a lot of you will call me clueless for leaving out Pepe but that is what I think Emery will do in the first game of the season, hope I am wrong.
Pepe not starting seems like a reasonable guess. I’d say perhaps Nelson over Ozil for that wide role though. He’s featured a lot pre season and has performed pretty well for the most part.
its a 4-3-1-2 formation in the article so ozil in the middle. no way emery puts ozil on wings this season.
am assuming also pepe will begin on bench … if not would drop guenduzi … theyve brought in the brazilian but doubt carrol will start so this for me is a game to go on the attack
leno
chambers sok luiz monreal
torreira guenduzi cabellos
ozil
aub laca
Hard for me to call a lineup, because Emery has so many different options. He could actually go with a back 3, though I don’t think he would first game of the season. And Lacazette is not even guarenteed to be fit, nor Pepe to start. Players I do expect to see in the starting lineup are Auba/Ceballos/Xhaka/Ozil/Monreal/Luiz/Sokratis/AMN/Leno. The last two I really don’t know, all depends on fitness lvl and shape.
Ozil rarely played in away games last season when Ramsey was fit, so I bet Emery would play Ceballos instead. Torreira and Lacazette might still be unfit, hence I believe Guendouzi and Nelson would take their places:
……………………..Leno
…………Chambers . Sokratis . Monreal
Maitland-Niles . Guendouzi . Xhaka . Kolasinac
……………………Ceballos
………Aubameyang …………… Nelson
The new boys such as Pepe and Luiz would most likely be introduced after the 60th minute, when the situation is in control
Make sense and indeed a real issue with defense, obliges a back 5 and add defensive players on middle.
Emery has less options in defense than last season
Willock could start as well, instead of Ceballos
The boy looks very confident in pre-season
Kolasinac and Ozil are not in the squad due to last week incident!
Plus Tissiam, apparently there has been further harassment/threats following the incident, which is being investigated by police.
More dead woods expected to be shipped out of Arsenal by end of transfer window.We are relaunching new Arsenal soon.
Good get rid of Xhaka
UE should save us another frustrating season. Ozil, Mikhi, Mustafi, Xhaka should play mainly cup games (not including latter stage of Europa)
You alone will say players have dead left leg, you alone will play Iwobi upfront, only you will play Nelson up front, only you will play Mhiki up front. .I’m glad you ain’t the coach man.
Besides the squad you selected is it any stronger than our squad last season?
Please, no Ozil! I’m not even sure he’s bothered about playing football anymore. We need fighters, players who work for each other, not egotistical players like him. No Mustafi, and Miki as well. The lot of them have had enough chances.
he’s going to start first couple games I feel, but then will be dropped once players like Guendouzi get fitness lvls back to 100%. Ceballos is going to take him spot in a midfield 3. I think at some point in the season, Ceballos/Torreira/Willock(?) will be our 3 main midfielders. All depends on if Willock kicks on. If not, I still think Emery would opt for Xhaka or Guendouzi instead.
Spot on. I was screaming as i noticed Ozil was practically walking on the pitch against Barca until that magical assist from him. He needs to get his act together. Let’s hope that he turns up when those speedy wingers are in the same lineup with him.
Arse.com saying Luiz will train ahead of Sunday’s game and Tierney should start full training in 4-6 weeks time.
I seem to remember someone on here saying Tierney would be fit in 2 weeks time when I’d said I didn’t expect him to play until end September or early October.
highly doubt any of the new signings and lacazette would start this game.
i predict
niles chambers sokratis monreal
torreira xhaka
mkhi willock nelson
aubameyang
Holding can’t be too far away now, surely?
4-6 weeks for Tierney – be worth the wait!
Can’t wait for Sunday.. Luiz should come straight in with Sokratis.. Laca to be assessed, I hope he makes it. Obviously I want to see Pepe, reckon we will at some point..
Going to be interesting to see what formation UE goes with..
Oh I’ve really missed blogging on match day!! 2 days to go….. COYG
Admin you have not published my article.
1st 2 months this season will be dangerous for us defensively with:
bellerin- out till late oct
tierney- out till sept
holding- lack match fitness so may feature in sept
it will be last season defence with luiz replacing mustafi so i dont expect much improvement until our best defenders are fit.
That is one of my concerns too until they’re all back fit,we need to hope that the team’s we will play against in the meantime have their own problems too and that our defense has improved too!
OT:I saw that koss has given the reasons why he decided to leave us but couldn’t find the video/article!to be continued…
there’s a reason emery doesn’t rate mavropanos, he just can’t stay fit. he’s challenging diaby and wilshere for most day out injured but he hasn’t even a breakout season yet unlike them.
Just finished reading about how VAŔ will be used in the premier league and am Worried thats how the PGMOL will favour and against other teams especially on Offside
As long as Mustafi and Socratis don’t play we will get three points.
Have a feeling that things may not be as expected we now have players who are more settled in their positions Socratis and torriera now have epl experience and knows what to expect. Niles even thou I don’t rate him as a player, He has been playing Rb for half a season and I expect a slight improvement from him..with wingers now in our team our full backs should not be over exposed..
And more importantly we know have Luiz a true leader
Team when everyone fit…
Leno
Bell. Holding. Luiz… tierney
Torrier
Willock. Cebballos
Auba. Lacca. Pepe
Auba
Nelson Ozil Mikhy
J.Willock
Xhaka
Monreal D.Luiz Sokratis AMN
Leno
Subs : Emi, Cabellos, Pepe, Torriera, Guendouzi, Chambers, Kola
For now Pepe, Torriera and Guendouzi have not reach full match fitness yet. Therefore, UE might slowly introduce them in the team setup
Would not wanna risk Laca so early in the season, let him recover 100% first.
Can’t wait for Auba, Laca and Pepe trio (PAL)
Well, for all you Ozil haters…good news!!
It is being reported that, following another security incident, both Ozil and Kolasinac will be unavailable for selection.
Your messages of hate and derision towards these two Arsenal players shame every single one of you if this story is true.
The platitudes of “it’s not the man we are against etc etc” will come pouring in, along with the ringing of hands.
Let’s see how we perform now, the season is starting just as you all wished…no Ozil to blame this time.
I’m gutted Ken ?
Sue, it seems to be very serious, as Trissiam is reporting the police are protecting both families.
What is the world coming to? I feel that sundays game has no meaning at the moment – not because of the players involved, but because it could be any family from anywhere.
What a complete downer after such a great week – just hope that all involved are safe and sound.
Imagine having to have police protection for you and your family. I really hope this is a over reaction by the authorities and the club.
It’s terrible, Ken and I have to say, I was not expecting it at all! I thought they were back, so something must have happened. Worrying times….
Ken, a man of your age should not lightly mis- use “hate” for the plain majority of us who wish Ozil gone but do not hate him, though we dislike his performing ineffectiveness.
Here you go again with the “majority” you love to use to back up your personal opinions.
So if I called you mentally frail, lazy and money grabbing (bleeding the club dry) at your workplace, you wouldn’t take that as a personal insult?
I do not use the term “hate” lightly, I deliberately used it. When it comes to Ozil, just read what is being said about the man…it’s not just an opinion about his play is it?
You question his attitude, his mental being, his body language, his motivation and now…the intrepid statement “we DISLIKE his performing ineffectivenss”!!
So why didn’t you use that word, or similar ones, rather than those I have listed above? Simply because that was what you wanted to portray this man as being.
DISLIKE!!! No Jon, don’t try and wriggle out of this one by blaming me for reading exactly what you wanted everyone to understand and for heavens sake stop bringing age into it, hatred has no age barrier
The real shame is that your not the only one, others cover themselves in glory by taking every opportunity, no matter what the subject, to bring him up.
It sickens me to realise we have fans who think it’s ok to do this to an Arsenal player – I don”t need to hide behind a “majority” of unknown others to defend my beliefs either.
In fact, after this, I really do hope that Mesut Ozil says “enough is enough”, just as he did to the bigots in Germany and walks out on the club, but I believe he has the mental strength to do the opposite.
but who will you love then keg1945 if ozil goes buddy. over and out, lol.
Ken you are far from a professor of our English language and I suggest you use “hate” for serious matters only. Most disinterested folk would think it silly to use that word for a fan who merely does not want him to play and does not rate his on field effectivemess. I hate nothing in regular everyday football, save only the corruptly run business of it. I am dismayed at how cheating is rife and at how all top level players are vastly overpaid. As for “hate”, as someone who understands English well and is a graduate in it, I use “hate” for such awful matters as violence, thuggery, deliberate cruelty, prejudice, racist attitudes, poverty, disease and such like. Mere footballers whose only “crime” is to be lazy, are to be criticised for their laziness . But not “hated”! I really thought, from several past agreements on this subject between us, that you(of all people!) would not so lightly misuse that word. I ask you, in all seriousness to find a more suitable and alternative word in future, Ken. You underestimate the power that incorrect use of such pejorative words can help cause. Political correctness, when sensibly used,(which is not always the case, sadly) has helped shape social attitudes into the more enlightening ones most of us hold in the civilised part of todays world. Finally, on the percentage of fans who want OZIL OUT, PERHAPS YOU MIGHT TAKE MORE NOTICE OF THE FAIRLY RECENT FAN POLL ON HERE WHERE OVER 80% WANTED HIM TO GO. BUT I KNOW YOU WILL ONCE AGAIN ARGUE THAT IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF ARSENAL FANS WORLD WIDE. Sigh!
Serious question to all Gooners. Is there ANYONE at all who rates Xhaka and wants him to stay? I have not personally met any such fan and doubt any exist. I would love to know though, are we ALL 100% united in wanting this immobile, one paced, unaware, hothead gone ASAP? I PRAY HE IS GONE WITHIN DAYS NOW. I WANTED HIM OUT AFTER SEEING HIM PLAY ONLY HALF A DOZEN GAMES. IT IS EASY TO RECOGNISE A CLUMSY PLAYER WHO HAS NO REAL MOBILITY, NO LIGHT AND SHADE OR PACE IN HIS GAME,AND I QUICKLY DID SO!
Jim Wall your spot on with your selection when every player is available.A midfield which has pace, energy and creativity and I would have AMN on the bench before Guendouzi and Xhaka.Will we ever see this “eleven” Jim?
The 2 players involved in the incindent last week are not in the squad,police are putting security measures for the players and families
Game should be called off if players safety can not be guaranteed
Dont know but i’m thinking Luiz will not be in the starting lineup considering he hasn’t really trained or played with the team and won’t gel with the team yet. It’s also risky to play someone who is now getting to know his team mates. I think he will start in GW2 but not this one.