Morning all.
We face Crystal Palace this evening in the League Cup. In previous rounds, Mikel Arteta has rotated his players. In the third round, a home fixture against Bolton, four teenagers – including 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter started with a further two coming off the bench. In the last round match, away at Preston against a stronger opposition, two teenagers started with two on the bench.
Along with Porter, Tommy Setford, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ayden Heaven, Josh Nichols, Maldini Kacurri and Ismeal Kabia enjoyed minutes on the pitch. Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri might be teenagers but as far as their football goes, they both play beyond their years in my opinion.
Sterling, Jesus, Kiwior, Jorginho and Zinchenko, if fit, could all start tonight as they have in the previous two rounds but bearing in mind we’re up against a Premier League club, Arteta might field a stronger side this time around.
Matt Turner is likely to be in goal for Palace and Nketiah is probably desperate to start against his old club. Eager to score I’m sure.
Talking of strikers, Mikel Arteta served up a bit of surprise yesterday during his press conference as he was asked about Ethan Nwaneri and where he could end up positionally.
Nine. When he’s got the goal in front of him, he just looks at the goal. He has a tremendous ability to put the ball into the back of the net.
Well played him there now I say… Tongue in cheek of course because his senior career is just kicking off. A bit like Myles Lewis-Skelly really who like Bukayo Saka, could very well end up on the wing having started out playing at fullback.
Will Mikel Arteta make wholesale changes tomorrow:
We’ll decide that in the morning in relation to how the squad is, obviously the relevance of the match and where we are in the quarter-finals, it becomes a very important match. We’ll decide the best team to win it.
Declan Rice is fine but Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are ruled out again. So, we have all our attacking players and midfielders available but we’re just a bit short of options across the back line. Whether Setford or David Raya starts this one is anyone’s guess. Neto of course is cup-tied but I’m sure he’ll get his chance in the FA Cup next month.
Crystal Palace are without the suspended Daniel Munoz. Joel Ward, Franco Umeh-Chibueze, Adam Wharton, Matheus França de Oliveira and Chadi Riad Dnanou are expected to miss out. Eberechi Eze is also a doubt.
What to expect from Crystal Palace this evening?
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official match-day programme:
Crystal Palace deploy a very settled 3-4-2-1 formation under Oliver Glasner. On the ball the astute Austrian pushes both wingbacks high and wide as a matter of course, forming a five-man attack, but when possession is lost, the Eagles quickly contract into a 5-4-1.
Long passes from back to front are often encouraged by the Palace head coach, who likes to use target man Jean-Phillipe Mateta as an outlet. In recent weeks he has been terrific at holding the ball up for supporting runners, with twin No.10s Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr often quite elusive in those half-space pockets. Making sure those three do not combine in close quarters from direct attacks is important for us in this cup tie.
In the last round, Palace beat Aston Villa with 35% possession and 2 shots out of 12 on target. Villa had 17 shots, 9 on target and just one goal. No one will remember the stats though, just the result.
The League Cup isn’t a competition high on the list of fans priorities at the beginning of the season I’m sure but I think it’s important that we go all out to win tonight’s match with a strong and convincing performance. The players need it and they need goals too. They need what would be a confidence boosting victory. This squad needs to feel what it’s like to win something together and the club as a whole could really do with adding a trophy to its cabinet regardless of how big or small.
The last time these two sides met was back in January of this year. Roy Hodgson was the Palace manager back then and we’d been on a run of three games without a win. Palace must have thought it was a good time to play us but ended up on the receiving end of a 5-0 thrashing.
I really want to believe that all the chances to score which the players have missed this season is just bad luck. That the likes of Odegaard, Havertz, Martinelli and Trossard are just minutes or a different pair of boots away from finding not only the target, but the back of the net. That both Jesus and Sterling, when they have a chance, they take it too. Ok, the last bit might be a stretch to far but you get my point.
This group of players are too good to be struggling as they have been at times this season. They’re too good to be struggling to break down an awfully negative team like Everton. Remember, it wasn’t long ago that we were beating Monaco and Sporting Lisbon comfortably and both are better than many of the Premier League clubs.
So let’s go and beat Palace and keep our chances of making it to Wembley alive.
Catch up in the comments..
Good day Rico. It’s anyone’s guess who will start tonight, whoever it is will need to bring their “A” game with them and be prepared for a tough evening.
After much thought, I’ve decided to watch the men’s game and record the women’s for something to watch tomorrow.
Afternoon Cicero.
I think he’ll rotate albeit it’ll still be a strong side.
I hope it’s two Arsenal victories tonight..
Good post Rico
I shall be meeting my son at Highbury Corner where we’ll find somewhere for some liquid refreshment and maybe a packet of crisps before walking down Holloway Road.
I’m expecting a full-strength Palace team or at least those available and a full-strength Arsenal team with a strong bench to boot.
Winning tonight is essential and not a time to experiment, maybe MLS at left back with our Dutchman on the right-back berth.
Maybe start with Jesus and Sterling but have replacements on the bench – who hopefully we won’t need?
Kev, if we start with both Jesus and Sterling you can bet they’ll be subbed after an hour with the score still reading Arsenal nil.
Thanks Kev.
Me too re Palace. Their results have improved and they’re climbing away from danger. They’ll want to win this although I fully expect another Everton kind of performance.
Not if Saka scores Cicero. 😂
Yeah I reckon a mix of mostly Senior players,with a few fringe players. I’d love to see both Jesus and Sterling come good,especially when you remember how effective Jesus was in his first season. I’ve just looked it up and he scored 11 goals in 26 league games,that’s pretty good,I know stats don’t tell the full story but he is a shadow of that player now
It’s got to the stage where Jesus and Sterling are much more of a risk than Nwaneri and MLS.
Someone pointed out rightly we have underachieved in this cup over the years,we have probably won it less than Spurs – I’m definitely not going to look that up.
Low points were Birmingham (sky show that match every couple of months) Also Swindon,I was only 2 years old. My worst memory was Luton 1988,we were rubbish that day.
It would be nice for a repeat of the 1987 final,2 -0 against Liverpool both goals scored by Charlie Nicholas,both a bit flukey but who cares.
Good afternoon Rico and all
A good post. I wouldnt put it past Arteta to play Nwaneri as a CF. We had Lacazette as a CF and Nwaneri is half an inch taller plus more mobile and faster. Whether or not he begins from the beginning of the match is another matter, but we will know more when the line up is shared.
I am sure that Crystal Palace will not defend like Everton tonight. They know that they have to pass the round and that means they will have to open up sooner or later. Its important for Arsenal to be patient and bide their time unless gunners score within the first few minutes.
Limey you are around a year older than me then.
The two cup finals which really hurt were the ones against Birmingham and Luton. We should have won both with ease. But we didnt want to. We didnt win because both teams were better than us. We allowed them to be viewed as better on the day.
Win 1-0 tonight and another 1-0 in the weekend. that would be enough.
Even playing Setford or Porter in goal would be less than a risk compared to Sterling and Jesus imo.
Up till now they have offered nothing. and if reports in italian media that Arsenal are willing to offer Jesus in exchange for Vlahovic, are true than sooner rather than later. However I still want Gyokeres.
If both Jesus and Sterling start Rico, Saka will be on the bench.
Me too Limey. The last game Jesus played in I thought he did much better. The previous week I think was when he bottled a one on one with the keeper, Leno I believe but that changed. He hassled up front, set up a goal and didn’t go to ground much. For him anyway.
Afternoon Devil, Nwaneri isn’t about to play as the striker, Arteta just said that’s where he sees him ending up.
Good point Cicero…
I see we’re being linked to Illan Meslier….
We’ll be linked with many more before the January window closes Rico. Exciting isn’t it? 😉
I read this morning that United have opened an internal investigation to discover who has been leaking their starting line-ups a day or so before games. Apparently, it had been happening for sometime under ten Hag’s managerial tenure and they were hoping it would stop with the new manager’s staff taking over. No such luck, Last weekend’s line-up was posted on line over a day early. Is it Putin’s hacker’s, or maybe the Chinese? Who knows? All part of life’s rich tapestry! 😊
Cicero, I do hope you’re wrong but given past experience?!!!
Jesus did look as if he was getting closer in the Monaco game but Sterling is I’m afraid the invisible man up till now – who knows, it might all fall into place tonight?
I’ve just been texting my son and deciding where to go for some liquid libations and I suggested Waterstones!
Cue much hilarity as I meant Wetherspoons.
Mind you I do like a good book
Extremely exciting Cicero, I could crush a grape 😜
Haha Kev, I’d rather Waterstones…
I have just read that both Sterling and Tierney are going to start the game. A post on FB
Arsenal: Raya, Partey, Timber, Kiwior, Tierney, Jorginho, Merino, Nwaneri, Sterling, Trossard, Jesus
Subs: Setford, Saliba, Gabriel, Kacurri, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Crystal Palace team news – Glasner goes strong!
Team to play Arsenal: Henderson, Guehi, Kporha, Lacroix, Chalobah, Mitchell, Hughes, Lerma, Eze, Mateta, Sarr
Did you manage to get a book ing? Kev. 😊
A gamble by Arteta. He’s surely done the right thing to play Raya but the back 4 looks a bit of a mess of players out of position.
We can do it,COYG
Strong looking bench though
Rotten start…
Mateta must have been over the moon seeing no Gabriel or Saliba up against him. So easy against Kiwior. Saliba half time please before it happens again.
Rubbish starting eleven! Rubbish defending, Rubbish up front. Farewell to the Carabao Cup unless Arteta makes major changes right now.
Yep , change or go out , 10 minute charge to the north bank
What a difference a physical presence up front makes..
We’re all puff, wind and no end product.
Great goal Jesus!!!
Great turn Jesus, nearly second. What a difference confidence makes.
Lovely finish from Jesus.
Hopefully Arteta will now recognise that playing Partey anywhere but in midfield is an accident waiting to happen.
He looks a striker again! Brilliant
Another fine finish from Jesus.
Thank goodness there’s no VAR. 😜
Well Jesus has finally found out where the goal is.
Jesus is like the proverbial English buses. Take long to arrive and lo and behold two come. Shall we expect the third one???
Not so long ago, Jesus would have gone over hoping for the penalty but instead, he dinked over the keeper perfectly. His second was about power.
Agree re Partey, he’s a midfielder, not a right back..
That was sheer power full of venom from Jesus
I think Var would have ruled that one out..
So so pleased for Jesus. He needed that…
Wow, thank you Jesus. Shame it’s took so long but this has been a classy performance
That’s his hatrick!
The third bus has arrived. Hat-trick
How did Nketiah win that in the air?
Fantastic. I heard earlier that Jesus hasn’t scored since the Preston game,he’s made up for it now.
That was a Berkamp like chip by Jesus, lovely.
Finding out his wife pregnant yesterday must have done the trick!
All three were good but the chip, tidy. Lol
Certainly was rico. I watched the previous Christmas special of Gavin & Stacey last night, to get ready for CMas day, Tidy!
I knew someone would get the “tidy” Andrew. 😂
I’m going to do the same, really looking forward to the Christmas special.
What’s Occurring rico? 🙂
Wasn’t the second goal offside?
Nketiah is missed by us.
A definite game of two halves, but really for all the angst, Palace created very little, although I missed the Eddie goal.
Whoever we get in the semi-final it’s going to be tough.
Boy so many people writing Jesus off then a big change after scoring a hat trick. I always knew he had it in him,
well, after I read the headlines that is,
Hopefully this will lift his spirit / confidents.
Good morning everyone
We feature in some parts in the following video. Enjoy
Jesus Andrew, that’s what was “occurring” 😂
Morning guys, new post up.
Early bird and all that… 😂