Some are wondering how strong a line up Unai Emery will field this Friday when Arsenal take on Man United in the FA Cup. For me I don’t even know why it’s up for debate. I’m not one of these fans who think players can’t play 3 times a week and need a rest, and I would hope everyone in our dressing room is demanding to be involved in this type of game.
It’s sad for the FA Cup that some supporters now see an advantage to being knocked out early. I have heard some Gooners say the same, based on us having to play 4 days later. Sorry do we really need to sacrifice a fixture to help us best Cardiff at home? Is resting key individuals really going to increase our chances of getting 3 points next Tuesday? I’ll word it the other way around.
If we knocked out Man United, would you really have your hands in your head saying, ‘now I don’t think we can beat Cardiff’!
Our best hope of making the top 4 is everyone being confident. You raise that by winning games. Imagine if we could follow up beating Chelsea by ending United’s run.
I always want silverware over European qualification. I accept though the difference between what you want and what you need. At the moment Arsenal FC need to be back in the Champions League. It won’t change Mr Kroenke’s ambition, but we need the lift of being back in the big time. I don’t see why we can’t target both. How does the Red Devils winning at the Emirates, building their confidence help us finish above them or Chelsea? What kind of a mood does that create for our next match, a weekend of United mocking us? The Cup remains our most realistic way for happiness, to create memories, to have something to show for our season.
Until we are owned by someone different, then we are not good enough to be putting our nose up at this trophy. We don’t really know Emery’s views on this competition, all coaches are different. He must be smart enough to know though that wholesale changes will be asking for defeat. The visitors are the inform side in the UK, their best players are in form, and they now play attacking football. If this tie was pre-Xmas, we would only be worrying how to get past a parked bus.
Having lifted this prize as a player, Solskjaer would be proud to do the same as boss which is why I’m certain he will bring his strongest unit (hopefully he plays a cup keeper?) The Norwegian will look at this competition as his best hope of landing his temporary gig permanent.
It’s Arsenal vs Man United
Friday Night
Flood Lights On
Knock Out Football
These are the special occasions that makes football special for us fans.
Can’t believe some would risk throwing that away to give us an advantage against ….. Cardiff?
Dan Smith
Don’t worry Dan, Emery will pick his strongest team for Man U tomorrow night.
With you on that.field a weak team against Manure & their bunch of c** t fans.?you can’t be a gooner or only started following The Arse in the last 3 seasons.Never in a million years would you do that lot a favour.Thrash em & that’s their season down the drain.do you think they’d ease up on us?check out when we went to Manure with a virtual reserve side.8- 2 insult which they still gloat about day & night.pleeeeeeassssss…
Uwot, agree with you completely and good to know that you, at least, haven’t forgotten the awful injury list we had leading up to the defeat.
Same goes for the Forest cup exit, injuries are just not confined to our present situation.
We already have several main players injured
If more of them are injured because of the FA Cup match, we would have less chance in EPL and Europa League
There is no guarantee players rested tomorrow will not immediately get injured in the next fixture. Can’t leave players out saying we are “saving” them for the next game. They might even get injured in training like Koscielny the other day.
QD, agree; if that was the case Arsenal would never play there best players, because of concern over injury.
No reason why we shouldn’t be fielding our strongest team! After all this is the FA cup, we’re at home, no doubt Sanchez will play, we’ve won this competition loads of times…. let’s go for another!! COYG
Agreed. We must destroy utd and put a halt to this overwhelming optimism coming out of their backsides. FA trophy and Europa would be a great season!
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Yeah I also think it’s ridiculous that some are suggesting we rotate. I could understand if we were playing a weak opponent, but this is Utd! Winning the game will have a positive affect on our league campaign, through the confidence gained. And we’re at home. They must put on a show for the fans.
Personally, I think both managers will pick their strongest team. I’m going to shock everyone as well…Jenkinson for RB. There, I said it! Haha!
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Well Dan, at least our ex-manager knew the importance of this particular trophy, even if some of our fans didn’t.
Hopefully UE will view our history in this competition, realise we are the current record holders and select the team accordingly.
Hard to believe that some on here were belittling the trophy and actually saying they hoped we got knocked out.
UE has got to win this game in order to keep the chelsea momentum going.
Will be interesting to see how utd feel about it and what team they put out.
That might show us the thinking of both clubs with regards to the trophy and actually winning something.
OT. Just read that Hazard says that the only thing he hasn’t won in English football is the Community Shield!
I guess that shows the players, at least, see it as something worth competing in and winning!!!
Ken, There can be no doubt that HAZARD is a great player. BUT as a valuer of competitions and as someone who even thinks the Community Shield is a proper trophy at all, which it clearly is NOT, I won’t be thinking him the brain of Britain (or even of tiny Belgium) anytime soon.
Real winners don’t take anything for granted
Jah son, not really sure what you mean by that remark.
However, if the professionals see the charity shield as a match worth winning, I guess we, the public, must accept that they go out to actually do just that, so it should be important to us as well.
Never looked at it like that before, but it sure was nice to beat chelsea twice in four months at Wembley!!!!
See spuds have bottled it yet again, but let’s wait until the result against utd before we start gloating.
In total agreement with Dan, as my FULLY detailed post on the immediate previous thread spelled out and also as to WHY, as well. ESSENTIALLY I WAS SAYING THAT WE SHOULD NOW PRIORITISE WINNING CUPS ANDS THEREFORE SILVERWARE OVER WHAT IS AT BEST A LONG SHOT OF MERELY FOURTH PLACE. If you REALLY want to know more, please scroll back a thread.
It is actually TWO threads ago. Apologies!
The players could recover their stamina before facing Cardiff, but it’s going to be a big problem if some of them get injured
We lack the personnel already, so no need to risk our chance in getting into the top four and Europa League final by asking the main players to work hard in an FA Cup match
Cardiff isn’t the important game though, the following league one is where we’ll need the full team back at 100%: Man City away, where getting a point will be a great success.
Without being overly confident, you could have the main team against Man U, put a few players on the bench for the Cardiff game (where they can still come in and make the difference if needed), then back to the full team for the following Sunday at the Etihad?
Some say play our strongest team.
I’ll ask what’s our strongest team and a good bet is nobody knows cause our manager says his game is to adjust to the opponent. Arsenal is a speculation club ? is there such a thing. Emery’s system can’t even be criticize because he plays with none.
Tomorrow against United we can’t play like we did against Chelsea because they don’t play out from the back neither do they like to keep position. A different strategy as to be implemented and properly executed.
It’s impossible to play a game without a system, how they set up, the formation, that is the system. How the system changes through result or tactics, that is the system. How the system changes or adapts to the play, that is the system. I have no idea why you keep saying this, unless you mean, you believe every system he’s tried has sucked.
You ask us what is our strongest team. Injuries aside, and formation chosen, I believe everyone in here would pick the players or come very close. The players who’ve played more games than anyone in same position, those are the players. Who our opponents are will also come into it, Emery knows tactics better than any of us.
Before the Chelsea result, I didn’t like us going with so many CM players. It’s usually when he goes with three CM’s, I don’t like, but he also had Ramsey playing. I wouldn’t have chosen that, going by earlier games I definitely wouldn’t have chosen that. It worked a treat all the same. Things take time, that is what I would take away from that. We can be too quick to judge.
B-o-t, you’re wasting your time with rational argument. You may as well hit your head against a brick wall.
Agreed! Best to ignore this daft as a brush newbie called jah son. He clearly has not the first idea of what football is about. All his posts to date have been full of total rubbish. Don’t waste your valuable time on him. I don’t any more.
We need to play 4-5-1 against this United side.
They like to go quickly to their wingers via Pogba’s passes, but if we swamp the midfield they’ll be lost. No idea about the personnel required except that I would put Laca as the sole striker and Auba on the bench to play if needed. And this is a game made for Ramsey, love him or hate him (I’m in the neither camp on this one).
Same team that started against Chelsea with AMN in for Bellerin (don’t fancy Lich going up against the likes of Martial and Rashford)
Stick with the 4-3-3 and ramp the pressure on the opposition defence harrying them into losing the ball and not allowing them to play the same way we did Chelsea. Utd are still weak at the back IMO.
No reason we should not be playing the strongest XI possible and going out to win this. I don’t care what the competition is, I don’t want us getting beaten of Man Utd in our own ground, ever!
The Cardiff game is important, if it was away, I think it would be normal to wonder which is more important. Top four is still reachable. Four days later, we’ve had less than that thanks to Europa, I think they should be fine for Cardiff. Someone has to try and knock utd off this bit of form they’ve found, it’d be great if it is us. I agree with the article, the confidence we could get from it might come in handy.
Don’t know whether anybody saw what Ryan Giggs said about traitor Ramsey’s move to Juventus, “It will make him a better player now that he’s joining a class club”. Pity Giggs never showed a bit of class when he had a relationship with his brother’s wife.
So it’s Craig Pawson tomorrow Kenny…
Spot on Kenny; Giggs wouldn’t know what “class” is.
The same old story; Ryan Giggs “great footballer, BUT …….”
Could be worse Sue but another ref from the North, at least it’s not Oliver
It’s just Giggs bitterness and stirring things up pregame. He was solid player, but obviously not much in way of manager or scout, seeing how he’s been passed over how many times? Glad Ramsey is moving on, NO WAY guy is worth 300k per week. Wait until he shows his typical performances and winds up on Juve bench. Reason why Juve went for him on a free, was not by accident or chance. If he was as spectacular as Giggs makes him out, why haven’t we heard about teams bidding for him in years past?
10 years is 3 years too much for me; color me less than impressed. He wanted money over Arsenal and thats his right; don’t expect me or anyone to cry or kiss his arse on his way out.
Will Higuain play tonight??
Am sure Emery will field the strongest possible line up to beat utd. A win would also remind them 4th is not theirs as they seem to now think.
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How heart breaking for Emiliano Sala’s family… now that the search for their son & others on board has been called off…… just horrible…. RIP
I hope we take this game seriously tomorrow and field our strongest side.
However I can see Emery rotating a few players. I think we might see the likes of Ozil, Lichsteiner or Mkhitaryan starting, which won’t fill me with confidence.
I’m hoping for:
Leno
AMN–Sokratis–Koscielny–Kos
Torreira–Xhaka
Ramsey
Mkhi–Laca–Auba
I think Guendouzi would get run over in the midfield so he can start on the bench. Even though Ramsey’s leaving he starts over Ozil as he’s more tenacious and can break well. Not sure about Mkhi on the right wing but I’d like to see him perform against his ex-club.
I reckon Cech will play
De Gea has not travelled?!
That’s right Sue, Arsenal don’t have to worry about De Gea making amazing saves in this game.
Thierry has been suspended!
Sue, he’s not playing tonight!!!?
Sad. I wanted Henry to succeed. Anyway, he will get another chance.
Btw. Anybody who says “told you so” or are happy about it are NOT real Arsenal Fans.
Henry is a legend. He helped us win trophies. A true Arsenal fan will only wish him to succeed and be sad if he doesn’t
Anyone else is a FAKE Arsenal fan: FACT
I don’t think any Arsenal fan wants to see him fail as a manager, but I was shocked that some were calling for him to succeed Wenger, at a time we were absolutely desperate for a top coach, but also an experienced one. I do think we dodged a bullet there. Not just with Henry, but with Arteta also.
I would love to see him succeed, and if he does well, hopefully managing Arsenal one day. Although he could turn out to be another Tony Adams. Legend player, awful manager. Let’s hope not though.
I wonder what Fabregas thinks!
ThirdManJW, I totally agree with you.?
He took the wrong job. He should’ve started at a smaller club and done something similar to what Lampard or Gerrard are currently doing. Henry had zero experience prior to this and has a lot of learning to do before he is even on Arsenal shortlist.
You’ve said exactly what I was thinking in regards to Lampard and Gerrard…I just couldn’t be bothered to write anymore on my comment. Haha!
Yeah, I think Henry should have made a start in the Championship myself, as I imagine he wants to manage Arsenal one day. So the English experience would have made more sense, and much less pressure, and more time at a Championship club.
I disagree, our squad is wafer thin and risking key players in a knockout competition that doesn’t really align with our main objective this season (qualifying for champions league) is pointless and senseless. If this was a Europa league game then yes, we should be starting a full 1st 11 but for now Cardiff is the priority
HAHAHA ERIC DIER!! Remember when you told Ramsey to ‘sit back down’ maybe you should have taken your own advice when asked to take that penalty ???
Those poor spuds just don’t like semi finals!!!
Chelsea.through ?
Glad it’s Chelsea and not spurs Sue but wish we were going to the final. I really don’t get people saying it’s a worthless cup, it isn’t but then again most people saying it don’t know any history. Anyway, a Cup is a cup. As for others suggesting we put out a weakened team against Man U to save ourselves for Cardiff! Again, they obviously just do not realise what it means to beat MU. Yes a little rotation but not wholesale, I want to win the FA cup. Surely you go for everything. Worried about Cardiff? SMH.
Totally agree Declan! We have to win tomorrow end of COYG
Declan, come on mate, you know EXACTLY the reason our cup victories were given no credit, to suit a particular agenda.
Still, as you so correctly stated, it’s all part of our DNA and no other club can match us in this area.
Ken-I have to say I disagree with you that fans believe the FA Cup is a trophy not worth winning.AW used to always say a Top4 finish was a trophy in itself and he has been proven correct.But the FA Cup is THE Premiere Cup Trophy in WORLD FOOTBALL. and along with ALL Arsenal supporters across the Globe it is an occasion that is impossible to match.I have never belittled the Trophy And never will.BUT.A Champions League position is our Holy Grail at the moment.It dramatically increases our revenue and allows us to attract the level of players we need.
I am hoping Emery realises tomorrow how important this Trophy is to the Fans.
There was no agenda against Wenger, Ken1945. Some people simply equate the value of a trophy/competition to its financial payout. Winner of FA gets what, £2M? So obviously premier league comes 1st (payout +£100M), champions league qualification 2nd (payout +£30M), Fa cup trophy (payout £2M) then lastly Carabao cup (payout £100k). So as you can see some people believe FA cup is a waste of time and they have a point. Personally I don’t care about the money it’s the glory of winning that is important for me. I always ask for the trophies because I know the money will go straight into Kroenke’s coffers.
This competition is important and we need a win. Saturday, Sunday, Monday should be sufficient rest time for the next game, and we can rotate a little bit in that fixture if necessary. A lot of teams have it worse than we do right now so we should be able to manage this and fatigue shouldn’t become a problem.
So the D. Suarez deal is off and we’re now trying to get Nkunku from PSG…?
Could be worse Sue but another ref from the North, at least it’s not Oliver