Your Ideal First XI: Page 2 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Your Ideal First XI

Pepe LeFrits

goon Tierney doesn't belong in any XI imo. It's not about how good he is at what he does, he just doesn't fit with any style we're going for.

I think he'd be pretty much ideal for a non-inverting LB/LCB role if we have the RB inverting.

In response to the OP, I don't think we have an ideal XI anymore, and that's a good thing. It should vary depending on the circumstances.

KingslandBarge

goon If I had to choose right now though, I'd actually go with as close to last season as possible.

Agree, and since I don't see it listed as yet, here's my thinking on the starting XI, which its still too early to call.

              Turner
   White Saliba Gabriel Tierney
           Partey Rice
             Ødegaard     
      Saka  Jesus  Martinelli

Timber and Havertz eased in, Zinchenko injured (and rather dropped), Trossard, Smith-Rowe and Tomiyasu knocking, Ramsdale dropped.

If it ends up being something like @Burnwinter's lineup , I won't mind, even if we initially struggle to collect maximum points.

HomeSteak

Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Timber
Partey
Odegaard Rice
Saka Trossard Martinelli

Coombs

Clrnc Tierney was excellent again when he came on against Barca. That cross for Trossard goal was superb.

I dunno. I thought it was a terrible cross that Trossard turned into a good assist with an exquisite piece of control.

Coombs

Right now I'm leaning:

Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko
Partey
Odegaard Havertz
Saka Martinelli Trossard

MistaT

White deserves to start simply because he has a solid partnership with Saka. No need to jeopardize one of our best routes forward.

I think Trossard has done enough to start over Jesus. It’s a huge call but he’s on form and I’d rather let Jesus ease into things than lose Trossard’s conviction.

Can’t say I’m too fussed by Zinchenko vs Timber, or really even Tierney.

Ramsdale
White - Saliba - Gabriel - Timber
Partey
Odegaard — Rice
Saka - Trossard - Martinelli

For that line up to work I see plenty of swapping between Trossard and Martinelli, and ample cover for that flank from Rice / Timber. Let Rice press high (which Xhaka couldn’t) and have Timber narrow to cover Rice.

Mirth

Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko
Partey
Odegaard Rice/Havertz
Saka Trossard Martinelli

Think we need to get Trossard involved somehow

Kel Varnsen

Ramsdale
White-Saliba-Gabriel-Zinchenko
Ødegaard-Partey-Rice
Saka-Trossard-Martinelli

Gazza M

Kel Varnsen agreed.

peak jesus is better than trossard, but we haven't seen peak jesus for a while

partey-rice-ode is my midfield of choice until havertz does what trossard has done and brings something to the table consistently

lorddulaarsenal

———————-Ramsdale
———Timber——-Saliba——-Kiwior
—————Partey————Rice
—Saka——Odegaard—Trossard—Nelson
—————-———-Jesus

Asterix

Who the hell knows - which is great!

I'd try to sneak one or two extra players on the field and hope no one notices.

Phil

-----------------Ramsdale
------White-------Saliba-------Gabriel
-------Timber-Partey-Rice-Zinchenko------Tierney
-----------Odegaard--------Trossard
--Saka-----------------------------------Martinelli
--------------------------Jesus

That's more like it.

Big Willie

Phil -----------------Ramsdale
------White-------Saliba-------Gabriel
-------Timber-Partey-Rice-Zinchenko------Tierney
-----------Odegaard--------Trossard
--Saka-----------------------------------Martinelli
--------------------------Jesus

That's more like it.

If you can manage to get refs to allow us to smuggle in an extra 3 players then that would be awesome. That team would destroy any in the history of football.

invisibleman18

Just play the 11 plus 3 subs from the start!

Big Willie

invisibleman18 Just play the 11 plus 3 subs from the

And Saka still wouldn't get any rest.

Lukazan

Trossard should start and will I reckon. He's been consistently great since his first appearance for us.

So good (and kind of a strange feeling as an Arsenal fan tbh) to have so many options and ways we can setup the team now.

banduan

We need to compete in every cup too. These guys will get games. It's the Hale End kids who'll suffer a bit from this.

Clrnc

So this thread was created purely based on pre-season showing and after the transfer windows some players are not here anymore/injured (Timber) or added (Raya)

But last night XI is probably the first time Arteta could field his strongest XI on paper or what he wanted to do? The only contention now is Partey at 6 with Rice moving to 8? Otherwise the team picks itself.

Gazza M

Clrnc I'd want to at least pilot rice, partey, ode. but I do get the sense arteta doesn't view that as his first choice midfield, tactically speaking. reckon it would make us even tougher defensively, if nothing else

MistaT

I think White vs Tomiyasu is still up for debate.

Tomi has been great, but I'm not sure his recent showing have been noticeably better than Ben White at his best. White's partnership with Saka last year was fantastic and we're just now seeing if Tomi can replicate that.

MistaT

I'm also curious to see what would happen if Partey started and Rice played as an 8.

In my mind that's a better team because I think Partey's quality (and Rice's) surpass what we've seen from Havertz. The question then becomes how do we get a second attacker into the box which is what we've asked of Havertz. Arteta has recognized Jesus' weaknesses and that our solo strikers can't compete against 2 CBs.

I don't think Martinelli can fade in easily because we have no width/overlap from Zinchenko. That seems to suggest the 8 is being asked to do that, and that Arteta for the most part doesn't think Trossard can do that. I've been a backer of Trossard at 8, but I will qualify that by saying I think it only makes sense in certain games (where we dominate possession, face teams with static midfields, etc.).

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