We have spent most of this season talking about Arteta and Edu’s rebuilding project at Arsenal, so I thought I would do a comparison on the Arsenal starting XI at West Ham’s London Stadium in March 3031, just over a year ago.
I will just remind you that it was a crazy old game on that day, with West Ham shooting into a 3-0 in just over half an hour, with Lingard, Bowen and Soucek getting on the scoresheet.
Before half time we had pulled one back through a Soucek own goal, on the hour mark another OG, this time from Dawson made it 3-2, and thankfully Alex Lacazette got us an equaliser in the 82nd minute.
Lacazette is one of the very few survivors from last year’s team (if he even plays today) and the only other three returning players could be Xhaka, Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. We could probably have added Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey to that list if they were fit enough to play today.
The rest of the team was made up of Leno, Luiz, Mari, Chambers and Aubameyang.
So today, we will have a completely different defence, with Ramsdale, Gabriel, White, plus two of Tomiyasu Tavares or Cedric, and hopefully won’t concede three goals in the first half!
Here is last years line-up……
Do you think our line-up is a lot more improved since last year even without Tierney and Partey, or not much of a muchness?
Sam P
Admin Pat
Good morning one and all.
I beleive we are much improved as a team now.
Collectively we are so much stronger then the team of past
Whilst the old team was blessed with a lot more experience they lacked heart and cohesion
This team is still very young and as we have seen it can suffer setbacks but what i Iike about them is they have shown character and have bounced back with some big results.
What ever the outcome of this season I can say this team has given me some heart ache moments but overall they have given me back the feel good factor
My weekends are less feeled with despair, anger, frustration and a avoidance of media
We will get stronger as they grow and I am so looking forward to seeing to that
5 to go so let’s get behind the team, manager and club to see them home.
COME ON YOU REDS
Onwards and upwards
I ‘ve a mixed feeling whose squad’s stronger then & now cuz not pretty much has changed. But with our current squad, we should get maximum points, thanx 2 West Ham’s Europa distraction. Any result short of a win will be damning our UCL hope.
I agree virtually nothing has changed.
The squad on that day was
Leno Ryan
Luiz Gabriel Holding Mari
Soares Chambers Tierney
Xhaka Partey Elneny
Odegaard Ceballos ESR
Martinelli Pepe Saka
Lacazette Aubameyang.
So almost nothing has changed.
Ramsdale is no better than Leno. The CB’s exept are are the same Luiz is as good as White. The fullbacks are the same. The DM are the same Odegaard Saka Martinelli Lacazette all the same. So just about nothing has changed really.
Article did not say squad it said starting line up – considering almost half the team will be different I would say alot has changed !
Referencing the starting X1 and not the squad is cherry picking. Pepe, ESR and Martinelli all played from the bench (article does not mention) Tierney and Partey would also play but for injury. So despite the summer signings, loans and releases it is remarkable that as many as 9 who played last year will play this year. So yes little has changed. Those are the facts
This time we have 14 points more than we had last term at this stage, I think the team is doing their best and I can say, we have improved massively, everyone except pessimists know that.
More love gunners, more support for the boys, they can only get batter!
fairfan, FACTUALLY NONSENSE!
The TEAM, not the squad, which you are talking about, HAS MADE A MASSIVE CHANGE.
Ramsdale no better than Leno? Luiz = White?
Thanks for dropping in from your neighbouring planet to discuss our football, here on planet Earth.
I would say last seasons team looked stronger TBF
Of course they look stronger but they are’nt compared to the potential line up today.
🤔
We are the most improved EPL team so far this season, Great work by the team ( Coach, Players, Staff and Board)… We must make good use of our chances today to get more opportunities of Champions League football next season… Great Gunners
oh and the goat Pablo Mari
So I write ..
“I would say last seasons team looked stronger TBF”
And you took from that ..
I hate Arteta !
Deluded!
And a worse fan than a spud !
I absolutely love fans like you buddy 😂
Oh Gotanidea said the same below are you now going to go write that same guff about him as well .
What an absolute tool 😂😂
Your cheery picking, I’m stating what the article was written about.
So starting 11 last year compared to this game, there is 7 changes (over half the team) yet as you put it… So just about nothing has changed really. 😂😂
The line up of last campaign are full of experienced players whom their overall performance was heart breaking due to the fact that these guys are well paid but their reaction after falling 3nil behind at london stadium is laudable but i still think they could have done better,well that’s behind us now…….i think with the hungry squad we now have we will definitely finish at least 3place higher than the previous squad finetuned to the present one.
@fairfan,let me help you out on your ‘abysmal observation skill’.ramsdale and leno are’nt in the same level when it comes to service,long range passes,build up play and clean sheets,according to skysports analysis he’s dubbed the new ederson.white has never been sent off while luiz has been due to his reckless tackles which has cost us on those occasions plus his aimless long passes from the back giving away possession too often. And your last criminal offence is comparing tomi’s rb regime to that of chambers he relegated to the bench,like seriously?Aerial and ground duels,successful tackles and passes will always be better than that of chambers,bellerin and cedric combine.saying you can’t see any glaring changes is a crime for a grown up adult who claims to understand ‘FOOTBALL’.
FK, WELL SAID! fairfan has hugely embarrased him self with those ridiculous opinions and factual falsehoods.
Of course it is his right to embarrass himself, just as it is our right to point that out to him. Opinions are fair comment for all but no TRUE fan should present clear factual falsehoods and then wrongly claim then as “facts”.
Clearly some of our younger players from last year have become more seasoned but one of the big differences is the inability of clubs that finished above us to cope with European football with thin squads .. that’s west ham for sure but also Leicester and Spurs … man utd’s implosion more difficult to explain but their lack of quality in middle of the park is a lesson for us .. in any be event and whether or not we finish in top 4 progress next year will depend on adding quality in midfield and attack over summer ..
Last season’s team looked stronger because Aubameyang, Lacazette and Luiz were the starters, but I deem our current starters to be more motivated and cohesive
Nketiah and Saka have been playing together for many years, whereas Martinelli, Magalhaes and White would most likely want to get selected for World Cup
What excites me most about this awesome London club, is the fact that our club parades some of the brightest young talents professional football boast of, nxtgen winners…..I mean I look at Saka, ESR, Martineli, Nketia, ODEGAARD son of Odin (Lol), Flores, Miguel, Charlie, Balogun and Saliba …
I mean who owns the game if not teens and young bloods, they offer you grit, agility, passion and above all consistency and competiviness.
I don’t know ….who might be joining the main team yet, but I feel charlie, Flores, balogun is ready, okonkwo is our third goal keeper already, Azeez can go on loan.
Add the combo of Nunez/Osimhen or Jesus/Lauturo Martinez to the mix, with Bissuoma (Loaning out Lokonga, retaining elneny) …..
Then fellow gunner…2022/2023 season will see the North London Club Arsenal….reminding Europe how powerful and relevant we use to be in Europe and England.
Until then……I see us winning both half (for the banters in the house) today
A strong team is more than the individual players. I think we are stronger as a team.
But so is West Ham. It will be a tough game.
Despite West Ham Europa League semifinal 2nd leg match to Entrant Frankfurt on Thursday night. For which the Hammers could rest some of their key players for their today’s Arsenal match. So that they can perform well enough to bounce back to beat the Bundelisga club side Frankfurt and knock them out to reach the final match. Which I am taking them do.
But nonethelessm Arsenal should bot take getting a win against West Ham today for granted because David Moyes the Hammers manager may likely field a 2nd string team against Arsenal because of the impolsion Hammers’ EL commitment.
But instead, Arteta and the Gunners should take this match encounter against West Ham with every seriousness in them that they can give and put-in in the match. With the Gunners stepping up their performance in the match far above the performance that the Irons have on offer to play in the match, against them. And subdue by beating them in the game 0-4 with their hands down at fulltime of the match.
Nketiah.
Martinelli. Odegaard. Saka.
Xhaka. Elneny.
Tavarez. Gabriel. White. Tomiyasu.
Ramsdale.
Subs – Smith-Rowe, Lacazette, Cedric, Holding, Pepe, Lokonga, Leno.
Despite West Ham Europa League semifinal 2nd leg match to Entrant Frankfurt on Thursday night. For which the Hammers could rest some of their key players for their today’s Arsenal match. So that they can perform well enough to bounce back to beat the Bundelisga club side Frankfurt and knock them out to reach the final match. Which I am taking them to do.
But nonetheless, Arsenal should not take getting a win against West Ham today for granted because David Moyes the Hammers manager may likely field a 2nd string team against Arsenal because of the important Hammers’ EL commitment.
But instead, Arteta and the Gunners should take this match encounter against West Ham with every seriousness in them that they can give and put-in in the match. With the Gunners stepping up their performance in the game far above the performance that the Irons have on offer to play in the match, against them. And subdue them in the game by beating them 0-4 with their hands down at fulltime of the match.
Four out of the back 5 have changed, and upgraded big time! Saka is now the first name on the team sheet. Auba gone, Matinelli/ESR always starting on the other wing.
So lots of changes, and big upgrades!
Our back 5 have upgraded big time !
We have let more goals in already this season than the whole of last with 5 games remaining.
Yup. I wouldnt use the word upgraded as well lol.