It is back. Arsenal are back. The 2018/19 Premier League season got underway last night as Manchester United beat Leicester City in the Friday night curtain raiser.
Our first game of the season though is a big one. Big for two reasons; the first is that for over the last twenty two years it was Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, now its the start of Unai Emery's tenure. The second is that we welcome last season's runaway Champions, Manchester City to Ashburton Grove. Its got the makings of a classic...Pep's world class squad against Emery's new look, hard-working Arsenal.
Emery has spent the last six weeks drilling his methods and ethos into the players and now, after some impressive performances in preseason, the real business gets underway. So what can we expect?
Arsenal's new Head Coach looks to like Aubeyang and Lacazette together in attack which means Auba from the left and Laca up the middle. He has also spent time explaining how he wants to have Mesut Ozil in his favourite and most productive position but against Man City on opening night, I expect to see Ozil play from the right. Arsenal's full backs tend to offer the true width so the two wide forwards are not necessarily bound to the flanks offering a dynamism going forward.
Midfield finally sees an out-and-out holding midfieler join the ranks in the form of new man Lucas Torreira, and I anticipate him to start alongside the ever improving Granit Xhaka and the big game Aaron Ramsey. A solid three in the centre of the pitch is essential against Manchester City if there is to be any points left in London after the final whistle.
The defensive unit should be what's expected bar the question over the starting left back. With no real training and no actual pitch time in preseason, I anticipate Monreal to miss out and Maitland-Niles to start. The other question surrounding the record breaking Petr Cech and Arsenal's record goalkeeper signing Bernd Leno...I feel that Leno will get the nod to start between the sticks. More flexible and agile, and quicker across the ground, he is more suited to this match than the bigger and more aerial-commanding Cech.
City have questions over Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Benjamin Mendy due to lack of match fitness. But as with all of Pep's men, they always seem to be ready when it counts. I expect to see all these names in the matchday squad and am confident that de Bruyne as a minimum will start. Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho should partner KdB in a midfield trio.
Expected lineup:
GK: Bernd Leno
RB: Hector Bellerin
CB: Sokratis
CB: Shkodran Mustafi
LB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
CDM: Lucas Torreira
CM: Aaron Ramsey
CM: Granit Xhaka
RW: Mesut Ozil
ST: Alexandre Lacazette
LW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Prediction: 2-2, PEA and Lacazette grabbing a goal each.
@craigbennett10
@craigbennett10
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