Morning all.
Another day, another game. A day to hopefully put the performance against Bournemouth behind us and show what we as a club and team are all about. The reaction to Saturday’s game has been extreme in my opinion, certainly in the media. For the last two seasons we’ve been very good, too good to think that one lousy performance is the new Arsenal. It’s not. Yes, certain players have made stupid mistakes but they’re only human but when they come all at once they perhaps seem worse than they are.
Arsenal take on Shakhtar Donetsk tonight. Obviously we all know what’s been going on in Ukraine but football has carried on and rightly so. How I don’t though, it’s incredible really.
Shakhtar are doing reasonably well domestically, scoring 25 goals in just 9 fixtures but in Europe, it’s not been as good a start. They’re currently 27th in the Champions League table having drawn 0-0 with Bologna and being battered 3-0 at home by Atalanta. There’s a long way to go yet in this qualifying stage of the tournament.
Martin Odegaard and Takehiro Tomiyasu are ruled out for this one. Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka are doubts too.
They (Saka and Odegaard) are closer and both progressing really well. Martin is still not fit. With Bukayo, let’s see how he feels today and in the training session we have later on. (Yesterday)
As for Jurrien Timber, Mikel added:
He’s going to be close. We have to see how he deals with training with the whole group. It was a muscular injury.
Goalkeeper Tymur Puzankov, who has an ACL injury, is the only player missing for Shakhtar.
Stats are on our side – Arsenal.com:
- We haven’t lost a home game in the group/league stage of the Champions League since September 2015 (3-2 v Olympiakos), winning eight of the nine such games since then (D1). Indeed, we have kept a clean sheet in all eight victories in that run.
- We have kept a clean sheet in both of our games in the Champions League this season (0-0 v Atalanta and 2-0 v PSG), while we last kept three in a row in the competition back in September-November 2007 under Arsène Wenger (4).
Shakhtar are yet to score in the Champions League this season and have only had one shot on target in the two games played. There’s little chance of them outdoing Arsenal tonight with pace as the stats show them to be the slowest team in the competition when it comes to progressing the ball upfield in open play. (0.97 metres per second). They are one of only three sides who haven’t recorded a direct attack in the competition this term, along with Girona and PSV Eindhoven.
Other than the above, I’ve no idea what to expect from Shakhtar ahead of tonight’s game but what I hope we see from Arsenal is a strong, disciplined and positive performance. I’d imagine Raheem Sterling will start again and if he does, he needs a big performance as it’s the only way to get the critics off his back and the same can be said of Gabriel Jesus if he features. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oleksandr Zinchenko involved tonight either, perhaps from the start and in midfield. I can’t see Mikel Arteta going with Thomas Partey, Mikel Merino and Declan Rice in the starting lineup again. We need some creativity in midfield, we need to impose our game on Shakhtar and not let them settle.
The only way to help get over a defeat is by winning the next match..
Catch up in the comments.
Afternoon Rico and all.
Not feeling confident about tonight’s match, it has come at the wrong time, if it had been scheduled for two weeks’ time, I would feel a bit better.
Thanks, Rico
I have to admit that even the before the brutal carding of SAliba, the team was quite unusually struggling for chance creation, and someone could sense a disappointment loading 😔. I personally wasn’t convinced by the performance of Sterling, especially the way he kept losing possession( a number of his teammates were guilty of this too) and falling to the ground too easily.
Yea it is important for people to note that in spite of the impressive results we’ve become accustomed to in the new Arsenal, we’re still not perfect, and there can be a drop in form or class at times. However, as you’ve already mentioned, the best reaction to a loss is to win the next, and we move on.
This season Arteta has to drop a bit of perfection to at least win a cup, however ugly the win could be. Also coach the team on how to get a result with 10 men!
Afternoon Geoff, Kyalo.
I’m feeling quite optimistic about tonight. I reckon a 3+ goal victory..
Salaiba has to play.
He will not play in the other games.
Good day Rico and all.
Watching the games over the weekend I was struck by how all off the “bigger” sides, Arsenal included, play l the intricate pass move pass move, repeat, repeat game seemingly trying to create the perfect goal. They all appear to be shot shy and are happy to be that way until the dying minutes when anything goes in the quest for a vital, points winning / saving goal.
In our case, Rice and Partey are both capable of scoring with shots from outside the box and should be encouraged to give it a try now and then.
A three + goal win Rico? That’s a bit optimistic isn’t it?
Jm, he’ll only miss the Liverpool game.
Afternoon Cicero. I’ve never been a fan of the ‘passing’ style of football as I find it quite boring. I like the way we played under Wenger when he first arrived. Solid defence, a strong midfield and attacking players with pace to burn.
I’m in an optimistic mood. 😝
Can’t be bad, Rico. 😉
We used to take the long shot at goal and it’s only my opinion, but I feel Arteta has stopped them from taking it.
I’m a glass half full type of guy, until that is, I take a level lowering swig from it. 😕
Certainly can’t Cicero. lol
I’m not convinced Geoff, our guys do take long shots but more often than not they go wide or high…
Boom boom….
Good afternoon Rico and all
Anthoy Taylor is the ref for our game vs the Snotballers. Dont know whether to laugh or cry.
Rico….I can tell you probably why our loss last Saturday was taken to the extreme. We, as supporters, have been treated to caviar….winning the league unbeaten. Even we we were to win 37 games and lost only the last one that would be an insult to us. Because we know that we have won the league without loss. So we expect that again. We want that again. even if we go back to our best for the remainder of the season, the game we lost will still stand as a blemish. Because we lost it. They didnt win it. we have dropped points this year…two draws and one loss because we have dropped them. the others did not win the points. we presented them on a plate. That is why we take it to the extremes.
tbh I dont give a toss about tonight or the CL. I just wish that we won last saturday and saved that performance for today. I just want the EPL+FA cup and Carabeo cup. Yes I know that many want to see Arsenal win the CL but honestly I just prefer winning the domestic cups season in season out.
I have a feeling we’ll see some goals tonight,Arteta is sure to have one eye on Sunday though so will he want to give Saka and Timber some minutes if available. I’m only guessing but he would love them to play against Liverpool.
Also perhaps tonight’s the night to start Nwaneri.
COYG
I saw no sign of Saka in the 40 odd pictures of yesterday’s training session on the club website. I don’t expect him to be on the bench tonight, maybe he’ll get a run out against Liverpool, but it’s doubtful in my opinion.
Limey, I would love Arteta to begin Nwaneri on the right wing and then introduce Saka (if available) with around 15-20 minutes. Even in defence I would begin with the same defence as last game and then put Timber in for Saliba for the last twenty minutes or so. Jesus and Sterling can come in as subs later on.
On the left I would still go with Martinelli. For all of those who keep hammering Martinelli because he misses some of the obvious (on FB and lots of social media) I would still persist with him because I feel that he will eventually come good and score.
Trossard should play behind Havertz with two out of Rice, Merino and Partey holding the midfield.
I hope Jesus doesn’t start he doesn’t deserve to and this kicking off and passing back to the keeper does my head in tbh
especially as we have trouble holding the ball upfield . 9 times out of ten we lose possession . Yet when we are under pressure we do all the dangerous things we were taught not to do back in the day .
I wonder what the attendance will be tonight ? My son and I have two of the cheapest tickets in the house and out them in exchange 3 days ago and not a sniff . Can’t help wondering if the PGMOL have taken the shine off of things .