Morning all.
The main talking points from Mikel Arteta’s press conference yesterday was Gabriel Jesus being added to the Champions League squad in place of Max Dowman who has been ruled out of the game for four weeks due to injury.
Declan Rice, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are missing for tonight too.
Declan was ill. He was quite sick after the game, and he hasn’t travelled with us. William is still not available and Leo again, he picked another knock in an area where they had the issue and I don’t expect that it’s going to be long, but unfortunately he cannot be here.
On the reasons behind it (injuries)
Not training, no, because we don’t have time to train. So, training is not there. But obviously, the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more. That’s a consequence of that and it’s a really dangerous.
So, Christian Norgaard might finally get to don his boots and get out onto the pitch tonight, that is unless Mikel Arteta prefers to start with Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi.
Brugge injuries: Both Mignolet and Jackers are injured so third choice keeper van den Heuvel will be between the sticks tonight. Vermant is a doubt, as are Reis, Romero and Audoor. (Who are these people?)
I’ve no idea how Brugge will play tonight and I don’t suppose Mikel Arteta will really as a new manager Ivan Leko is in charge for the first time. Leko has been around a bit and he’s not really stayed at one club for too long. 11 appointments in 11 seasons according to Wiki. Anyway, he was only appointed on Monday so he’s not not had much time to change change things and bearing in mind it’s taking Arsenal to get used to having an out an out striker in the team, I guess the Brugge players are more likely to run with what’s familiar to them.
If you include the qualifiers, Brugge have scored 16 goals in four home matches in this season’s Champions League, including three against Barcelona, so we should expect a goal threat.
In Europe they are happy absorbing pressure in the hope of catching opponents cold on the break, with speedy right winger Carlos Forbs, recently capped by Portugal, especially potent from those situations. Only two sides in the competition have produced more ‘direct attacks’ than our opponents.
Their best player is 33-year-old Belgium international Hans Vanaken. He is very tall but plays as a central No.10, reaching double figures for goals in each of the last 14 seasons! In the league phase, he leads Brugge’s players for possession won as well as interceptions and chances created, so he is very much an all-rounder.
We should be able to create plenty of chances; of the 36 teams, Brugge are the only side to have faced more than 100 shots to date. Conceding 13 times, including 10 in their last three games, they are far from watertight at the back.
I hope we see a few changes tonight, just as I hope we all get to see the much awaited return of Gabriel Jesus. Obviously, in defence, Arteta’s options are limited but further up the pitch, I hope Ethan Nwaneri, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres get a lot of minutes.
Up against a defence which leaks goals and pretty much relies on counterattacking football, as long as we’re focused at the back, we should get the job done.
Catch up later.
Morning Gooners and Rico, good post full of info about a team I know nothing about.
Low block, playing on the break, concedes lots of shots, we’ve been there before although the new manager might tweak a few things.
We need a win because the smell of Villa is still hanging in the air…
Morning Kev, I think Villa will fade away as usual. We could so easily beaten had we taken a few of the chances we created.
City are the ones to worry about I reckon and ourselves..
What we have to avoid tonight is the attitude that all we have to do is turn up . Their pattern is of strong team at home with the 3-3 draw with Barca as their highlight . Away not so good but that is irrelevant in our case.
They beat Monaco 4 – 1 at home and in the qualifiers Rangers 6 nil albeit the Scots had a man sent off .so this is not a walk in the park.
Is any game a walk in the park? My thinking on rotation is more about the number of points we have in the bag and the injuries we have.
Afternoon all, third choice ‘keeper? No doubt he’ll play a blinder tonight, just as all ‘keepers seem to do against us.
That seems to be the case in both the men’s and women’s matches. 😕
A purely hypothetical question.
Who would you choose to play tonight, Jesus who has played in one U21 game since his injury or a fully fit Max Dowman?
A fully fit Gabriel Jesus for me Cicero, he was flying last season prior to his injury.
Rico we finished above City last season and despite the nerves we’ll finish above them this season.
Dowman for me Cicero.
Hope you are right Kev.
Evening, match night, thanks rico for preview. We need to play Califiori who won’t have a game for 10 days and MLS, so hope Cali plays centre back. Be nice to see 20 minutes from Jesus, and hope Norgaard starts otherwise a waste bringing him in.
Evening Andrew, totally agree re Norgaard, MLS too as unless Timber is moving to LB on Sunday, Lewis-Skelly needs to dust off his rustiness..
Arsenal: Raya, White, Norgaard, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Madueke, Martinelli, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Nichols, Salmon, Calafiori, Copley, Nwaneri, Eze, Saka, Jesus.
Louie Copley:
Position: Midfielder
International: None (Eligible to represent England)
Signed scholarship: Summer 2023
Signed professional: Summer 2025
No Timber in the squad. Another injury?
Rested I think.
I’m wrong…
Arteta explains Timber absence and Calafiori benching
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta speaking to TNT Sports:
“They both had issues from the weekend. Two really bad kicks. For Jurrien [Timber] it was too early, for Ricy [Calafiori] we have to manage it.”
On Norgaard at centre back: “We will do what we think is best.”
Wow!
Noni again 2-0
2 great goals!
That’s what happens when we shoot. Even from outside the box.
They still count as one.
Such a shame Jesus hit the bar
Very rarely do you see Martineeli go “up against the defender” and shoot from distance…
And when he does Jm, he scores..
Three goals, clean sheet, three points. Still top of the table! 🔔🔔🔔
Two stunners and one header and Jesus hit the bar. Some good saves by Raya and also by the Brugge ‘keeper. Zubimendi had an excellent game. Odegaard getting back to his best, gradually.
Good night Gooners, everywhere. 😴
Good morning Rico and all
Here are the goals. Not only we hit the bar but also the post. Plus numerous chances. As it is we have qualified to the next round seeing that we cannot be overtaken due to points and goal difference, we are seeded. So technically the only thing stopping Arteta from rotating heavily is the €3M each game Arsenal win.
If it were for me I would rotate heavily, giving others game time and experience to the young ones. Salmon played yesterday no? He can easily play against Kairat. Finishing first or whatever place now has no bearing except bragging rights I think. We have qualified to the next round.
We have a real talent in Noni Madueke. The way he plays with confidence and goes straight at defenders gives the team something different. He is not scared to take on his man and he makes it look natural.
You can already see that he has goals in him. Every time he picks up the ball, there is a sense that something can happen. His direct approach brings energy to the attack and puts pressure on any backline.
He looks like a player on the edge of breaking out properly. With more minutes and consistency, the jump in his game will be clear. For the price and the timing, this is turning into a very smart signing.
If only he can learn how to play better on the left, or Saka gets used to the left more.
And Noni is still very young.
Morning Dev, I reckon Arteta will pick a strong squad for Inter and then rotate heavily for the last tie.
Bayern can finish above us if we lose in thd San Siro.
By finishing 1st or 2nd I think it guarantees you the 2nd leg of any subsequent tie we play after the group stage to be at home.
Morning Devil, Kev.
What a difference in Noni from the Villa game. He’s one of those players who can appear disinterested one minute, then the next he pops up with something quite brilliant.
Similar with Martinelli really.
New post up.
Don’t know why Saka and Calafiori came on so late in the game , ( 63 &70 minutes ) we were 3 nil up and surely if they were benched , to either save their legs or avoid a yellow , they should have stayed on the bench.
Other than that we can’t complain but the games with Inter and Kairat are now less important than our league and domestic cup matches and so should go on the back burner.