Daily Bits and Bobs

Arsenal face big scoring team, but they concede too.

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Arsenal have three fixtures to get through before the October international break is upon us.

Wimbledon FLC H – tonight.
Toots PL H – Sunday.
Brighton PL A – 2nd October.

I’m sure the League Cup isn’t a priority for Arsenal this season but nevertheless, the competition is important in many ways. It gives squad players time on the pitch, a chance for players to show Mikel Arteta what they’d bring to the team if he opted to play them and for one or two of the under 23’s, it’s their time to shine.

Mikel Arteta is likely to make a number of changes for tonight’s game with Leno, Lacazette, Nketiah, Balogun, Holding, Chambers, AMN, Mari, Tavares, Martinelli and Elneny, if fit, expected to be involved. Xhaka sits this one out again, the last of his three match ban. There has been talk of Patino being involved tonight as he, along with Tim Akinola, Salah-Eddine and Ryan Alebiosu, trained with the first team yesterday.

This is today’s AFC Wimbledon, not the one which many of us will remember.

If the Arsenal players think tonight’s opposition will just turn up and play hoof ball, they’re likely to come unstuck. Of course they’ll be physical and won’t hesitate to go route one if and when needed but they can move the ball around too. Despite the chance above not being finished, Wimbledon score goals with seventeen so far in all competitions but they concede goals too.

Wimbledon have shared their goals across the team with Rudoni and Nightingale their highest scorers with three. Aubameyang is our top scorer with four, three of those were against West Brom, but no one else has scored more than one. This is a big problem for Mikel Arteta to solve. As suggested before, it’s easy to suggest player x, y, or z would have done better but no one knows if they would. However, unless the team start putting the ball in the net a lot more often, winning games is going to be hard work. Beating Norwich and Burnley was hard work.

I’ve no idea what kind of team their head coach Mark Robinson will field but with another League fixture on Saturday, away to Shrewsbury, he too might field a mix of experience and youth. He has said that his team won’t turn up at The Emirates and park the bus.

There is no point. If I change the style of play, I am telling the players that they’re not good enough – and that’s the last thing I ever want to be doing. Everything will be the same. We still want it [our preparations] to remain largely about us. Obviously, they will throw up some different challenges to possibly what we would face in League One football – of course they will. But we want the bulk of the preparation to still be about us because that gives us the self-belief to go and perform.

Interesting comments I think because isn’t that pretty much the same as Mikel Arteta has done? I wrote the other day that his style of football started on day one of his career at Arsenal but he didn’t have the type players he wanted/needed. He didn’t switch tactics to suit the players but changed the players to suit his tactics.

With three wins behind us, no tables are yet turned, all is not perfect on the pitch either, far from it but in little spells, we can look good. The end product is what’s missing though. Perhaps tonight, Nketiah, Balogun or Martinelli will change that and give Mikel Arteta something to think about.

Regardless of this being the League Cup, Arsenal need to win and win well. As Mikel Arteta alluded to in his pre match interview on Arsenal Media, whoever represents Arsenal out there in the pitch, there must be focus, and a high standard of football. Just because a few who’ll pull on the shirt tonight haven’t played much for the first team, it’s no excuse to slack. In fact I’d expect the opposite if their intention is to push their way into the first team.

Over 45,000 tickets have been sold for tonight’s so The Emirates crowd should be right behind the team. Arsenal need to respond.

See you in the comments.

 

 

 

 

rico

42 thoughts on “Arsenal face big scoring team, but they concede too.”

  3. potter says:

    Interesting clip that one Rico , a lot of sideways , backward passing and it’s only when the driving run happens that the defence is put under pressure. I suspect that the number of passes would not have been anywhere as much had the defence been pressing at the back .
    However if they turn out to be a passing team that is not always a good thing for us . far too often we resort to allowing them to play and cause us more problems than those that are more direct.

  5. rico says:

    A bit like us really Potter, lots of sideways and safe passing, just waiting for the final bit of movement in and around the box. Doesn’t always come though.

  6. Devilgunner says:

    Thanks for the post Rico

    But I dont think that Wimbledon will score a lot today. not it Arteta plays a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 formation. Three at the back will be enough to shut them up and I am sure we will score quite a few. We will leave the 1-0 wins to the league games against Spurs and Brighton. They will be enough.

    Martinelli and Balogun alongside Laca and we will enjoy another fine win tonight.

    Personally I would love to see Arteta play Ramsdale. But I think that Leno will get to play.

  7. allezkev says:

    Thanks for that Rico, I’ll be there tonight, my first game since March 2020 and I’m really looking forward to it.

    Of course you have to respect your opponent but Wimbledon are League One so we should of course respect them but they aren’t Chelsea or Man City, we should dominate this game and win by at least three clear goals.

    If Nketiah plays then he should certainly have an eye on his future and therefore want to impress any possible watching suitors, ditto Lacazette, ditto Kolasinac, ditto Leno, ditto the rest, so I don’t expect a disjointed or half hearted performance.

    This season the League Cup is one of only two chances Arsenal can realistically succeed in so it’s a big deal and the nearer to Wembley we get the bigger it becomes.

    It’s a shame for our youngsters but I can see a strong starting XI this evening with maybe one or maybe two youngsters on the bench but mainly a strong bench as well.

    I think that’s how Guardiola approaches this competition and they’ve won it how many times on the trot, three, four?

  9. Devilgunner says:

    City have won it five consecutive times Kev. Guardiola treats it as important. I dont think that we should treat it as just an adventure.

    So yes I agree with you totally that we should put out a strong side tonight.

    But for heaven’s sake…..no Kolasinac or Elneny. I expect a midfield of Sambi and AMN with Martinelli, Laca and Balogun in front of them. Soares and TAvarez as the wingbacks while Chambers, Holding and Mari will be the CB.

    I just wish Ramsdale plays but Arteta will play Leno for sure.

  10. Cicero says:

    Good day to you all from a delightfully warm and sunny Norfolk. After a swim this morning a couple of hours relaxation with a coffee and the paper in the garden and I’m ready for Wednesday night football, only blot on the landscape is the game’s not on the telly.

    I haven’t a clue what side Arteta will put out tonight, and I suspect he’s no wiser either. No doubt he’ll be delving in the bran tub for squad numbers this afternoon.

    Last night’s games resulted in a hatful of goals and big wins for the top clubs. We need to get the scoring boots on and win in style.

  14. Cicero says:

    Interesting that about safe standing, it made be look up the highest ever attendance at Highbury. First Division 9th March 1935 against Sunderland. 73,295. I bet that was a bit snug. 😉

  16. Cicero says:

    Rico I looked at the conditions around the safe standing. Every one must have a designated seat which cannot be locked in the upright position. Hence standing or sitting will be optional but as each standing position will occupy the same area as a conventional seat the overall attendance will not be increased.

    It seems to be a very watered down version of the conditions at that Sunderland game.

  17. Cicero says:

    I remember a match in the early sixties, maybe a Boxing Day game when the attendance was announced as 60,003. I was there with my wife and my eldest brother, we always said it was us who were the three in that total.

  21. Devilgunner says:

    I have written the team I want twice today. And Partey was not in either.

    I wanted him rested

    The rest of the team I agree about. But not PArtey. he should have been rested

    Leno
    Soares, Holding, MAri, Tavarez
    Sambi, Partey, AMN
    Nketiah, LAcazette, Balogun

    That is a good team. But it shouldnt have been PArtey in the starting 11.

    That is a strong team imo….but not with PArtey.

    Partey is an unnecessary risk imo

  23. Wavy says:

    Cicero, if you want ‘live’ arsenal commentary it’s on Radio 5 xtra. I’ll settle for text on BBC.
    A win by some margin would be satisfying!

  24. Devilgunner says:

    Cicero…no I dont agree. because playing Partey is an unnecessary risk. He should have been rested. With his injury record I thought that Partey would have been the last risk Arteta would take.

  27. Devilgunner says:

    Martinelli’s close dribbling drew a foul. He runs with the ball at defenders forcing them to commit when he goes past them.

  30. Devilgunner says:

    yes you are right in that regard Rico. Maybe its still that. But I still feel its risky.

    Man Utd losing 0-1

    Spuds….2-0 up but a few minutes ago they are 2-2

    Brighton are beating swansea 2-0

    Chelsea are winnning1-0

  38. Potter says:

    Bobby Collins and Bremner effectively ended Eastham’s Arsenal career one tipped him over and the other stamped on his ankle. Had no time for dirty Leeds ever since

  39. Cicero says:

    Partey got an important sixty minutes which will help his match fitness.

    Leno managed a clean sheet, although that could be because Wimbledon didn’t have a single shot on target in the whole game.

    Saka had a fifteen minute run out, just to loosen him up. We shouldn’t be tempted to wrap the players in cotton wool.

    We’re on a three game winning run in all competitions.

    All in all a good evenings work.

    Good night Gooners…..everywhere. 😴

  40. Aussie Geoff says:

    Didn’t hear or see the match however a 3 nil win is still good but we should have won easily, My only concern is how long it took to get the last 2 goals

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