My Arsenal starting XI for crucial Stoke clash? What’s yours?

The game at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday really is a must win game for Arsenal. We have largely disappointed so far this season but a good performance and result against Mark Hughes and the Potters will put all that behind us and leave Arsenal in a great position.

Arsene Wenger´s team selection and tactics could be crucial though, so how should the Frenchman prepare his team for this game? There has been talk from the Stoke camp that they feel confident of getting a result and their new look side is not just going to sit back. Well I for one am not buying it. 10 men behind the ball and looking for a counter attack is what I expect.

Don´t forget that Stoke had two key players in Charle Adam and Afellay sent off in their last game and these two missing midfielders are a large part of their creative force. They are also missing Glen Johnson at right back and Shawcross at the heart of their defence, so they are vulnerable and I think we need to try to exploit this from the first whistle.

I would stick with Giroud in the middle to cope with their physical approach and bring other Gunners into play and I would go for the Ox on the right over Walcott or Ramsey, purely for his drive and dribbling skills. My other change would be to swap Arteta for Coquelin to give us more control and creativity in the centre and Gibbs for Monreal for the extra attacking threat. Here´s my team.

Cech
Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs
Arteta, Cazorla
Chamberlain, Ozil, Alexis
Giroud

How about you Gooners?

Tags Arteta Gibbs Stoke

38 Comments

  1. wenger will never drop Ramsey for Arteta .
    Ox will be benched again and may be we will see Gab and kos partnership and Walcot over Giru that will be it. i see Dabuchy been given chance in this one .
    Cech
    Dabuchy,, Gab,,kos,,monreal
    Coq,,Cazorl
    Ramsey,,Ozil,,Alexis
    walcot

    1. I would like to see this line up against Munich…
      Super Defensive line up with counter attack ?

      Cech
      Debuchy, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal
      Belerin, Coquelin, Gibbs
      Cazorla,
      Walcott, Alexis

    2. My exact line up with exception of dropping one of Ramsey or Santi for lecoq, because we needs to pay attention to not conceding is as good as scoring. With this goals will come.

  2. Arteta????!!!!
    No. We should play Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Kos, Monreal.
    Sanchez, Coquelin, Cazorla, Walcott
    Ozil
    OG

    1. Id go for that team as walcott is in good form from scoring two for england, if not swap him for the ox…. Thats the team id like to see

  3. Stoke will be a push over.
    Rotate the whole team.
    Ospina
    Debuchy Chambers Gabriel Gibbs
    Flamini Arteta
    Chamberlain Ramsey Adelaide
    Walcott

    1. @davidnz..hahahaha………Dream team…….with the idea of flamini and Arteta bossing the midfield…….. Nothing ever gets past them……. Hahahaha

  4. How do you justify playing Mertesacker ahead of Gabriel. Do you not watch football? Arteta not for me but I dare say Wenger will pick him.

  5. Cech
    Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal
    Ramsey, Cazorla
    Walcott, Ozil, Alexis
    Giroud

    But. I would call Chris back and keep playing him

  6. Every game has it’s own complexion. I agree with you Bob, the Potters will look to sit back in their numbers and counters when they have the opportunities to do so. Mark Hughes’ Game App Data Plan that runs on 2G data is, Defend In Numbers And Steal The Game. To thwart this plan, I want the Boss to allow me to take a gamble or should I say take a risk on his starts for the Stoke game to see if it will payoff. Ofcourse it will handsomely payoff. I want to adopt the 4-4-2 diamond head playing style formation for this game to comprehensively overrun the Potters, instead of the 4-2-4-1 we been using that could give room for Stoke to operate against us. The Boss’ Game App Data Plan for this game is, Dazzling Overunning Speed To Cement Victory which runs on 4G LTE data. Cech. BellerinDeAberuKoscielnyGibbs. RamseyCazorlaCoquelinOxlade. SanchezWalcott. Bench: OspinaGiroudDebuchyMonrealRhino’ArtetaOzil. However, I suspect the Boss will start Rhino’ instead of De Abreu and Ozil instead of walcott or Oxlade and even stick to his 4-2-3-1 playing formation. But the Boss should remember we are talking of overunning speed here. If he starts Rhino, Ozil & Monreal, the 4G data will not run. Instead, it’s the 3G data of 4-2-3-1 that will run.

  7. Shocked that people are leaving Le Coq out of there team! Without him the whole balance goes. Stoke are always a tough tackling side and we need someone like Le Coq to give it back to them!

    1. But with 3 game in a week I would rest him Saturday. I think teams are sent out to get at him at the mo because as good as he is getting he can make some bad tackles that will cost us. Saturday is a team that needs to win but it’s a game that FQ can be left on the bench

  8. Mines are 2 alternative teams.

    1. AKBs line up:
    silent stan (c’)

    BUDD boldgazidiz maureenho josh37

    yin yang fart-eta slowmini ny gunner

    GIRUDE fergie

    2. WOBs line up:
    piers morgan (c’)

    gari nesvile fatboy gooney sopa aeon a. cole

    jadul kick ass fan roy keane prof pikun

    van payslip iWOBi

    1. Dammit!…….how did i become a CB?…….. I’m a Lethal striker……..i’m 100% Reliable to solve our ST catastrophe ….. L()L

  9. Every game has it’s own complexion. I agree with you Bob, the Potters will look to sit back in their numbers and counters when they have the opportunities to do so. Mark Hughes’ Game App Data Plan that runs on 2G data is, Defend In Numbers And Steal The Game. To thwart this plan, I want the Boss to allow me to take a gamble or should I say take a risk on his starts for the Stoke game to see if it will payoff. Ofcourse it will handsomely payoff. I want to adopt the 4-4-2 diamond head playing style formation for this game to comprehensively overrun the Potters, instead of the 4-2-3-1 we been using that could give room for Stoke to operate against us. The Boss’ Game App Data Plan for this game is, Dazzling Overunning Speed To Cement Victory which runs on 4G LTE data. Cech. BellerinDeAberuKoscielnyGibbs. RamseyCazorlaCoquelinOxlade. SanchezWalcott. Bench: OspinaGiroudDebuchyMonrealRhino’ArtetaOzil. However, I suspect the Boss will start Rhino’ instead of De Abreu and Ozil instead of walcott or Oxlade and even stick to his 4-2-3-1 playing formation. But the Boss should remember we are talking of overunning speed here. If he starts Rhino, Ozil & Monreal, the 4G data will not run. Instead, it’s the 3G data of 4-2-3-1 that will run.

  10. Most of us here aren’t professional footballer neither are we licensed football coach but we go on and on with fantasy of selecting the first 11 man line-up without considering the technical know how of managing a team, bringing out the best of the team and keeping the whole members happy yet we identify the weakness of the team thereby asking for additions. Suggestions will continue to hip but decision rest with the Arsenal handlers. Can’t wait for club football action tomorrow. Gooners for Life.

  11. It’s just Stoke at HOME
    Give the team a rest for the tough week ahead.
    We play Dynamo Z, Chelsea and Spurs AWAY

    Ospina
    Debuchy…Gabriel…Chambers…Gibbs
    Flamini…Arteta
    iwobi…..Rosicky….Adelaide
    Campbell

  12. since it has lost its key defenders and midfielders stock will mostly probably play 10 men behind the ball and counter attack. which means as usual we probably will have most of the ball possession….then 1.how can you start martsaker over Gabriel for a counter attacking team?
    2. how can you start arteta over le coq for 2.1. a counter attacking team
    2.2. a highly physical team
    i understand that le coq can’t play every game and needs resting, but we must not underestimate the team we r facing any less than chelseach. my preference is start the first 11 and change le coq for arteta after half time.
    and i think wenger kept arteta to keep the team calm and lead when it is paniking or leading and not as a DM option.

  13. We are at home against arguably the roughest team in the league and you want to drop Coquelin? our only combative midfielder? No Thanks

    Cech
    Bellerin Gabriel Kos Monreal
    Cazorla Coquelin
    Ozil
    Walcott Giroud Sanchez

  14. My take
    Cech
    Bellerin Gabriel Kos Monreal
    Ramsey Coquelin
    Ozil
    Ox Giroud Sanchez

    overwhelm Stoke in the first 30 minutes of the match, then sub key players for the CL match at half time.

  15. In the next three games I’d like to see:
    A) Giroud, Walcott and Ox rotate with each starting two games
    B) Ramsey, Carloza and Ozil rotate with each starting two games
    C) Arteta start at least one game ahead of Coquelin
    D) BFG, Koscielny and Gabriel rotate with each starting two games
    E) Ospina, Gibbs, Debuchey and Campbell all to get one game

    Wenger keeps saying we have depth, it’s time he starts backing up his words with action.

  16. Mert back in means to me our back line is weakened over the option of kos and gabriel. So removing coquelin and the more defensively soundmonreal for gibbs seems ssomewhat gung ho and maybe even arrogant/overconfident to me. Doesnt shaqiri play rw? If so its monreal over gibbs all day for me. If kos is not 100% ready I’d like to see gabriel come in to help contend with xerdan s.

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