• The Arsenal

  • Arsenal @ Spurs | Sat 2 March 12.30pm | Roast cockerel & ale

On to the NLD!!! A chance to recover ground lost since we stuffed the cretins 4-2 in December, a day when Emeryball flowed freely. 

Be not afraid. Spurs are the ultimate flat-track bully. They currently sit with a 20-0-8 record. Their Burnley defeat was their first and only defeat to a team in the lower half of the table. All their losses have come against top half teams. Against other top six teams 

2 wins: Chelsea and United
5 losses: Chelsea, United, Arsenal, City, and Liverpool

Given that they still have to travel to City and Liverpool, that record could get much worse. 

They go into the derby having lost two games, and carrying heavy minutes for many squad members who played deep into the World Cup. They're likely ripe for a stuffing. 

I would be progressive. 

Ozil ----- Aubameyang ---- Mkhi 
-- Xhaka -- Torreira -- Guendouzi 
Kola- Koscielney- Sokratis - Lichsteiner

If we win this, it will blow the last two spots on the top 4 wide open.

Spurs will be desperate, we have to match the intensity.

Win this and we will be fucking rocking till the end of the season. But I'll be happy with a draw. Spurs have to play both Liverpool and City away, it's looking interesting.

I want to smash them and hear all the confused pundits talk about how they are a much better team than us.
Spurs are just the best example of system stability in football. Pochettino is a fantastic manager who coaches these guys to execute consistently. You can depend on all the players to give a certain level of performance and know exactly how to operate within given attacking patterns. This is what enable to keep beating up on lesser teams, even with injuries. It's down to the management more than anything.

And pundits make the mistake of attributing more of it to the players, hence we keep hearing outrageous 9 figure valuations for each of Kane, Alli, and Eriksen. Replace these players with any of Aubameyang, Mkhi and Ozil in the same stability and you achieve at least the same results, yet you don't hear these types of exaggerated valuations attached to our players.

I'm thinking that the plan was probably to play Özil yesterday and not in the NLD. Wonder if this has changed now.

After two straight solid performances, the manager has some difficult choices. All of Iwobi, Ozil and Mkhi are in great form right now. They're possibly our three most in-form players. If the gaffer were more positive, he would deploy all 3, but I expect he will sacrifice one.
Thankfully, at least we have the problem.

Wonder who will start up top. It's either Auba or Laca imo as can't see us starting both.

I'd go

Leno

Jenkinson Sokratis Koscielny Kolašinac 

Torreira Xhaka 

Mkhi Özil Iwobi

Auba

Claudius wrote:

After two straight solid performances, the manager has some difficult choices. All of Iwobi, Ozil and Mkhi are in great form right now. They're possibly our three most in-form players. If  the gaffer were more positive, he would deploy all 3, but I expect he will sacrifice one.
Thankfully, at least we have the problem.

Play them all behind the striker. 4 at the back, Torreira and Xhaka in the middle.

Qwiss! wrote:
Claudius wrote:

After two straight solid performances, the manager has some difficult choices. All of Iwobi, Ozil and Mkhi are in great form right now. They're possibly our three most in-form players. If  the gaffer were more positive, he would deploy all 3, but I expect he will sacrifice one.
Thankfully, at least we have the problem.

Play them all behind the striker. 4 at the back, Torreira and Xhaka in the middle.

I think he would only do that if chasing the game. You think opposite to him. You'd probably start with that formation and hope to pull of Ozil to close the game out with 3 at the back. He might look to start safely with 3 at the back and then go to 4231 if he needs to chase. 
If I recall, he had to go much more positive in the last game, and we just ran through them in the second half. 

I wouldn't play Kola and Jenks/AMN in a back 4 away from home, especially to a top 6 side

I expect Lacazette to start. This is such a big game. We haven't beaten them at their place (for now borrowed place) for a long time. We have to change this. I don't for a second think we won't be up for it. Emery manages that beautifully. Our approach to big games has focus and desire. It's great to watch even if the footballing performance doesn't match up. It will be down to mistakes. We get one flawless game from our defence and midfield off the ball an we could roast them again. Really up for this. I do think Ramsey will start too, just so that we match up with their physicality and work rate. I like Iwobi and I think he might have got a rest yesterday with an eye on the weekend. He is most prone to poor turnovers though. I think we should go Ozil and Mkhitaryan wide with Ramsey behind Lacazette. I suspect Emery will use the back 5 however.

I think he'll bench Ozil. He's been good in the last couple of games but that doesn't change the reason he's been dropped for these games in the past.

I think Ozil might be benched too in favour of both Auba and Laca playing, but who knows.

I'm actually not that fussed, Auba and Laca have the goals in thier favour, Mkhi, Iwobi and Ozil have form and unique skill sets in their favour. Pretty much all of them should be relatively fresh, especially in comparison to their jaded Spurs counterparts. Any 4 of those guys would be good.

I think a back 3 would be a mistake personally. If we want to press high up we need more numbers at the top end of the pitch. They'll have energy at the start of the game so it's important we don't let them make anything of it and match them. As the game goes on we should be able to take control. They had nothing in the tank against Chelsea.

I think we will see Torreira, Douzi and Xhaka in midfield with Laca, Auba and Mkhi in the front three. The fact that we have Ozil, Iwobi and Suarez to come off the bench if needed is great depth to have.

Kane could be banned for that headbutt scene , hope it happens and Son eating some bad lasagna would help too.

Kane will score and you'd fancy them to score another somehow.

We need a few goals to win this,


                Leno

Jenks Sokratis Koscielny Monreal
Xhaka
Torreira Guendouzi
Ramsey
Aubameyang Lacazette

The big concern is our away form. Momentum has meant little for it recently and last season too. We can look really good at home but lacklustre just days later. Luckily form goes out of the window in these games and Wembley for us must be a feel good place given our recent Cup successes. It could be the perfect time to turnaround our away malaise.

We haven't been that poor away from home this season, not nearly as bad as last season. Just had some rotten luck at key moments.

Tactics wrote:

I wouldn't play Kola and Jenks/AMN in a back 4 away from home, especially to a top 6 side

Agree with this but on the other hand going 3ATB without one of the defenders being Monreal would be even worse as hes the only one who can pick a pass. If hes not available we should play 4-3-3 as that wouldn't invite as much pressure as fielding all three of our ball allergic centre backs

Anyway key personnel question as usual in this league is who will be ref come match day. Let's see which bald blind dickhead the FA will pull out of its hat this time, I'm betting it'll be Mike Dean.

That would probably be a good thing to be fair, after Poch disrespected him I'm sure Dean will be keen to make him pay.

Kane to receive no reprieve for his illegal head pump. What a privileged club Spurs are.

Wait. Kane has an illegal head pump?

Was his skull size deflating?

goon wrote:

I'm actually not that fussed, Auba and Laca have the goals in thier favour, Mkhi, Iwobi and Ozil have form and unique skill sets in their favour. Pretty much all of them should be relatively fresh, especially in comparison to their jaded Spurs counterparts. Any 4 of those guys would be good.

Yeah I feel the same really. I mean if Laca, Ramsey or Ozil are on the bench then at least we've a bit of scope to change things.

I knew that mistake was too stupid not to be intentional.

I'm so impressed with him right now.

I think Ozil will be dropped for Xhaka in a 433. But we really must not play Lichsteiner.

I'd rather Lichtsteiner than Jenkinson.

Klaus wrote:

I'd rather Lichtsteiner than Jenkinson.

You sure?

I’d play Jenkinson too - Lichtsteiner is done physically

flobaba wrote:

Wait. Kane has an illegal head pump?

Was his skull size deflating?

#Deflategate

Didn't seem worthy of conventional description 😆 The bloke is a bit strange

Has Jenkinson even played for the reserves this season? Heart says Jenko in his last NLD

bloody trippier. couldn't have waited 1 more game to drop that clanger. could've been the stuff of legends

I feel like we have the better right back. As good as Trippier's curling finish was, there's no beating this one:

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

I feel like we have the better right back. As good as Trippier's curling finish was, there's no beating this one:

I cannot believe none of the players went to get his chin up after that. He was visibly distraught,  and just a kid.

Wenger's shake of the head 😆

Klaus wrote:

I'd rather Lichtsteiner than Jenkinson.

I'd like to see Mustafi at rb, with Sokratis and Koscielny at cb.

Jenkinson knows what the derby means to the fans and is actually able physically. Licht is neither. Easy choice.