Unai Emery will need his first team to be on the ball on Saturday against Liverpool, so he has made it clear that he will be using some youngsters for tonight’s Carabao Cup match against Blackpool. He told Arsenal.com: “We will choose 18 players for the Blackpool match, the young players also. We are going to have a mix in order to get the best performance against Blackpool, to respect them. For us, the Carabao Cup is very important. It’s an opportunity to win a trophy and for tomorrow, a chance to play in front of our supporters at Emirates Stadium in this competition.”
The youngsters that are most likely to feature tonight are Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Julio Pleguezuelo, who were all absent from Freddie Ljungberg’s U21’s who were soundly beaten by Cheltenham last night. The first three are regularly featured in League Cup games, but Plezuguelo is maybe more likely to start the game as he is a centre-back or right back for the U23’s. The Spaniard captained our U21’s to win the Premier League 2 title and has had loan periods at Mallorca and Tarragones. Also now that Maitland-Niles has returned to fitness he should feature this evening.
The question is; Will Emery use them all right from the start?
Admin
………………………Cech
Lichtsteiner . Mustafi . Sokratis . Medley
…………….Ramsey ……. Elneny
Smith-Rowe ……….Ozil …………Welbeck
………………….Aubameyang
Elneny is injured
Maybe Willock would play?
Why would you start with Auba and Ozil? Surely their going to feature Saturday, or you just trying to be controversial.
that looks good to me
Actually my guess as to who Emery will choose
Cech,
Lichsteiner, Sokratis, Holding, Niles/Xhaka
Torreira/Guendouzi, Ramsey
Mkhitaryan, Smith-Rowe, Iwobi,
Welbeck
Good question the article poses. My impression is that Emery has generally selected stronger squads ,incl subs, for the cup comps than did Wenger. I have not actually checked this out so if I am wrong do tell me please. I just don’t envisage Emery putting out a team like Wenger did at Forest last season in the FA Cup when we got turned over by a lesser but far more determined team on the day and paid for our somewhat understrength team selected. I just feel that now ANY opponent has to actually BEAT US, rather than us not turn up and roll over and have our tummy tickled, as so often happened in away games these last few years. Even at Palace, though clearly tired and jaded on the day, we still drew and nearly won, but had Wenger been in charge we would surely have lost that game, just as we did a year ago when we lost 3-0. Despite clear holes still throughout the squad, that new attitude makes and has already made a MASSIVE difference. I JUST FEEL THE CLUB HAS REGAINED ITS PRIDE AND SPIRIT. Or rather , I don’t feel, I KNOW!!!
I agree
Wenger had too much faith in youth and average players.
Emery seems to play stronger line-ups
I like the new attitude
Him getting Torreira and Guendouzi, Wenger wouldn’t have got them
Also Emery doesn’t wait till the 70th minute or later to substitute
I think the clear holes are in defense, CM and need of a Top winger. But Emery’s a good tactician, a better tactician than Wenger
Sven done wonders finding those two, who we was scouting and linked too before Emery was confirmed manager…
I say this not to knock Emery but to praise Sven, he has found some great players for us in such a short time that I can’t help but praise him when I feel he is the one who deserves the praise.
For the Wenger part, didn’t Wenger try to make out he already knew about Mavrop yet didn’t go in for him until Sven pushed. Same with Mkhi, Wenger wanted Martial but it was Sven who wanted Mkhi… and lastly, Wenger wanted Evans in Jan while saying we have a WC CF in Laca.
Wenger didn’t have such control as some make out, it became glaringly obvious (at least to me) once Sven came and our transfers went in the direction of his recommendations over who Wenger wanted.
Cech
Jenkinson,sokratis,mustafi,stephan L
Gendouzi,Ramsey
Mhki,Rowe,welbs
Eddie