Relive every moment of every first team game since the beginning of the 2005/06 season. Our archive of matchday threads originally posted in the General Discussion Forum.
funky chicken wrote: ↑Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:54 am
IF Antonio is fit and starts I fancy us to beat these. They suit us more. In fact it's only their forwards I fear. But we will lose to Southampton IMO. I guess you could argue it's classic West Ham!
Id love to see the midfield and front 3 line up like that but id put anderson for fornals.
Not sure cresswell n front of fredericks is a good shout though. Theyd get in each others way
What a depressing read and what a load of nonsense about Antonio needing only to turn up and outperforming Arsenal forwards and we'll have an easy win. We've go deeper problems and Antonio isn't going to some sort of savior in the long run.
I'll settle for having full 90mins where we don't commit stupid individual errors(It was Fredericks' turn to fail to do the fundamentals on the corner last week) and some semblance of control in the midfield - and no, it doesn't mean we need to "Burnley" physical, it just means we retain possession when we have the ball and nip and tuck when we don't.
I saw Rafa was on the line up, strange to have him on as he has no connection to any team which is going away from what SKY usually do (bar the usual faces like Souness etc.)
I'm still optimistic, Arsenal don't travel, seen enough in the last two games that we appear to becoming more solid/working hard etc. Just need to find that balance going forward. If we keep the intensity up I see us winning this, can see lots of chances being created.
same old problem for us will be the midfield area where we are too slow and too weak.
arsenal will see this as a good time to play us as everyone else does. never want us to lose but if it meant pelle went then maybe it would soften the blow.
3 -0 to arsenal I am afraid as our wasters and dead man walking are heading for bottom 3 for xmas. Southampton will beat us in pelle`s last must win game. lose these two and surely he has gone ?
I AM ASSUMING ANTONIO WONT BE RISKED - you know he will breakdown if he is and be out until march !
my team
martin
fredericks balbvuena ogbonna cresswell
Snodgrass noble rice masuaka
Anderson haller
pelle will play fornals instead of masuaka
subs anang 18 Johnson 19 diop 22 Coventry 19 fornals 22 ajeti 22 Holland 21 - a very young bench ! pelle will include zabaleta sanchez and yarmolenko on his bench!
any waster who cant be bothered to try and run should be replaced straightaway ! haller and Anderson being in the frame !
Clacton-ammer wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 8:28 am
I saw Rafa was on the line up, strange to have him on as he has no connection to any team which is going away from what SKY usually do (bar the usual faces like Souness etc.)
Rafa has been linked with both the managers positions so it's not surprise Sky wanted him on there.
Going forward we are looking totally devoid of ideas.
We might get lucky from a set-piece early on, the ball bouncing off Oggy's backside. 1-0 … Leading to 2-0 as we catch them on the break. Haller will score.
In the alternate universe, we have a shocker - they wallop us 4-0.
Antonio is an option for Yarma or Haller but I'd rather we wait for him to be properly fit, similarly Lanzini could play and of the 3 behind the striker roles.
I'd like to see the front 4 told to go out and move, slide into each others positions, constantly give the defenders a different look and something different to worry about, double up on a wing and have the others float in and really move them about. Arsenals defence is poor most of the time and with the likes of Luiz in there lack the focus to deal with a moving and changing front line. Fredricks and Masuaku are key to this formation, they have to watch each other and make sure one or the other is always staying home to give cover but when they both go Rice needs to make sure the screen is strong and the back 3 are organised. It is a touch harsh on Nobes, Cresswell and Snods as both have been fine but neither fit into this formation for me Cresswell for being slower than Masuaku and Snods for being less able to do all 4 roles, though he would undoubtably come in for one of the 3 in behind at some point to offer legs and battling. Cress could even come on for one of those 3 and play more of a sitting role than Masuaku with him relieved of defensive duties and pushed up on the left wing depending on what we need.
Maybe Fornals will be on the left with Anderson in the middle as midweek...
Arsenal are in **** form, they desperately need a win from somewhere and as we all know, when you need a win just play West Ham, the gift that keeps on giving.
1-3 to Arsenal with a fig leaf consolation goal once we wake up because we are 3 down as is our want at home right now.
Both sides are in **** form at the moment. Can see it being a very nervous affair.
Our midfield needs to be quicker. It also needs to move the ball quicker and support Haller.
Arsenal have Sideshow bob at the back and we need to take advantage of this (assuming he plays) but they are rubbish at the back. Hopefully our backroom staff/manager have watched more than MOTD video to show how vulnerable at the back they are.
So Arsenal have been on a bad run, sacked their manager, was surprisingly beaten in their last game... up come West Ham.. you know the rest!
Antonio will help, but think we will struggle.
Arsenal's defence has been shocking, so have our forwards so stalemate their. Their attacking line has been good, our defence hasn't.... 2-1 them
I Used to have a little soft spot for the gooners as I have mates and some family that have supported them through the years. That was until my now ex wife ran off with a proper muggy little toad of a gooner (even wore his then Mrs’ shirt before I found out, which by the way I subsequently burned) so now I absolutely hate them.
Blow Bubbles wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 12:20 pm
See the Noble droppers are out again! Cue a blinder from him tonight!
I don't want to drop Nobes per say, he is our only leader and he usually outdoes himself in derby matches, I just want us to play a formation that I believe would get more out of our forward players and someone has to be sacrificed for it, Rice is the better holding midfielder.