After an impressive ninety minutes Thursday night in Frankfurt, Arsenal return to league action in the all too familiar Thursday-Sunday playing pattern. The Gunners host Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon in what is another must win game.
Having endured a woeful second half performance last weekend against Watford, Emery's men will be looking to give the fans something more to cheer about, and at home a win seems all the more likely. Our visitors come in relatively bad form and sit seventeenth in the table. With only one win from their opening five games, the Gunners need to turn up and be on it from the off to bury Villa early.
Having been given the night off in midweek, Bernd Leno and Sokratis are likely to return to action in the defensive unit. Calum Chambers deputised well in mid week at right back (as did the surprising Shkodran Mustafi in the centre) and the young Englishman especially should again feel unlucky to be dropped. Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin played for the U23s last night so aren't far away from a first team return whilst Rob Holding travelled to Germany and could make his first start on Tuesday night in the League Cup. He could make the bench here.
In midfield, Mesut Ozil was also given the night off whilst Matteo Guendouzi was an unused substitute. Both are likely to return to the starting XI in what could be a variant of 4-2-2-2 with Aubameyang and Pepe starting up top. Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos, Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock could be fighting for the three remaining starting berths in Unai Emery's side.
Aston Villa come to London with only two real injury absentees in central defender James Chester and centre forward Jonathan Kodja. Attacking winger Trezeguet returns from a red card suspension whilst the in form Tyrone Mings looks set to lead the back line once again. Marvelous Nakamba came in for his first club appearance on Monday night against West Ham and added a real defensive steel to the Villan's midfield and he could start again here. He'll fight Douglas Luiz for that holding midfield role and maybe Unai Emery should take note here regarding holding midfield and what to do. Also in midfield, former Gunner Henri Lansbury will be looking to make Villa's starting XI in an attempt to leave his mark whilst Wesley upfront is Villa's likely dangerman. However, the one that knits it altogether is Jack Grealish...play him out the game and Villa have very little else, especially away from home.
Lucas Torreira's positioning of late as taken some slack. Not directly aimed at him but at Emery who seemingly prefers Granit Xhaka in the deepest role. He wants a deep lying playmaker to control the tempo and create things from deep. This is fine going forward but defensively Xhaka isn't good enough and in his defence, cannot do it all on his own anyway. Torreira is the only real natural holding midfielder we have at the club and it was no coincidence that together, in more a than a few games last season, the Xhaka x Torreira combo was world class. The perfect mix of experience, energy, grit, creativity and desire - its the perfect platform for attacking midfielders Ceballos and Ozil to flourish from. Although its unlikely that the little Uruguayan will start (having played so long in mid week) but Emery needs to set out an XI designed to help our best players flourish and we will get results. Its simple, and made simpler by Arsenal's lack of defensive quality. We will score more than you - not much of a tactic but with Aubameyang and Pepe upfront, goals are highly likely.
With five goals and one assist in our opening five games, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is red hot right now, and long may it continue. With Alex Lacazette out and Nicolas Pepe still finding his feet, its really left to Aubameyang to find the net. Expect Mesut Ozil and Dani Ceballos to link up well going forward should they both start. They should again but unlike last week at Vicarage Road, it won't be too hot in England to withdraw the Spanish midfield maestro who grew up in sunny Spain tanning whilst playing. All comedy aside, it made no sense and unless its three points here, Unai Emery and his 'tactics' could come under scrutiny once again.
Expected XI:
GK: Bernd Leno
RB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
CB: Sokratis
CB: David Luiz
LB: Sead Kolasinac
CM: Granit Xhaka
CM Matteo Guendouzi
CAM: Mesut Ozil
CAM: Dani Ceballos
ST: Nicolas Pepe
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Prediction: 2-0 to Arsenal with a second league clean sheet on the table.
@craigbennett10
Having endured a woeful second half performance last weekend against Watford, Emery's men will be looking to give the fans something more to cheer about, and at home a win seems all the more likely. Our visitors come in relatively bad form and sit seventeenth in the table. With only one win from their opening five games, the Gunners need to turn up and be on it from the off to bury Villa early.
Having been given the night off in midweek, Bernd Leno and Sokratis are likely to return to action in the defensive unit. Calum Chambers deputised well in mid week at right back (as did the surprising Shkodran Mustafi in the centre) and the young Englishman especially should again feel unlucky to be dropped. Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin played for the U23s last night so aren't far away from a first team return whilst Rob Holding travelled to Germany and could make his first start on Tuesday night in the League Cup. He could make the bench here.
In midfield, Mesut Ozil was also given the night off whilst Matteo Guendouzi was an unused substitute. Both are likely to return to the starting XI in what could be a variant of 4-2-2-2 with Aubameyang and Pepe starting up top. Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos, Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock could be fighting for the three remaining starting berths in Unai Emery's side.
Aston Villa come to London with only two real injury absentees in central defender James Chester and centre forward Jonathan Kodja. Attacking winger Trezeguet returns from a red card suspension whilst the in form Tyrone Mings looks set to lead the back line once again. Marvelous Nakamba came in for his first club appearance on Monday night against West Ham and added a real defensive steel to the Villan's midfield and he could start again here. He'll fight Douglas Luiz for that holding midfield role and maybe Unai Emery should take note here regarding holding midfield and what to do. Also in midfield, former Gunner Henri Lansbury will be looking to make Villa's starting XI in an attempt to leave his mark whilst Wesley upfront is Villa's likely dangerman. However, the one that knits it altogether is Jack Grealish...play him out the game and Villa have very little else, especially away from home.
Lucas Torreira's positioning of late as taken some slack. Not directly aimed at him but at Emery who seemingly prefers Granit Xhaka in the deepest role. He wants a deep lying playmaker to control the tempo and create things from deep. This is fine going forward but defensively Xhaka isn't good enough and in his defence, cannot do it all on his own anyway. Torreira is the only real natural holding midfielder we have at the club and it was no coincidence that together, in more a than a few games last season, the Xhaka x Torreira combo was world class. The perfect mix of experience, energy, grit, creativity and desire - its the perfect platform for attacking midfielders Ceballos and Ozil to flourish from. Although its unlikely that the little Uruguayan will start (having played so long in mid week) but Emery needs to set out an XI designed to help our best players flourish and we will get results. Its simple, and made simpler by Arsenal's lack of defensive quality. We will score more than you - not much of a tactic but with Aubameyang and Pepe upfront, goals are highly likely.
With five goals and one assist in our opening five games, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is red hot right now, and long may it continue. With Alex Lacazette out and Nicolas Pepe still finding his feet, its really left to Aubameyang to find the net. Expect Mesut Ozil and Dani Ceballos to link up well going forward should they both start. They should again but unlike last week at Vicarage Road, it won't be too hot in England to withdraw the Spanish midfield maestro who grew up in sunny Spain tanning whilst playing. All comedy aside, it made no sense and unless its three points here, Unai Emery and his 'tactics' could come under scrutiny once again.
Expected XI:
GK: Bernd Leno
RB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
CB: Sokratis
CB: David Luiz
LB: Sead Kolasinac
CM: Granit Xhaka
CM Matteo Guendouzi
CAM: Mesut Ozil
CAM: Dani Ceballos
ST: Nicolas Pepe
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Prediction: 2-0 to Arsenal with a second league clean sheet on the table.
@craigbennett10
Comments
Post a Comment