By Bulldog Drummond
Arsenal still have the third-best defence in the league – just one goal more than Chelsea conceded this season. We have conceded one fewer goal than Leicester.
However, in terms of attack, we are 11th in the League, having scored 13 fewer goals than Leicester.
Leicester have scored 19 and conceded 16 at home while Arsenal have scored 12 and conceded 15 away – which all makes it look like a Leicester win is on the cards. It all looks like Arsenal will have to rise up to heights not seen for a while.
So what makes me think they might?
Leicester’s defeat in the Europa League might just have an effect on their confidence. The media have been talking them up endlessly, and that will be giving them confidence, especially as they see the way some Arsenal commentators have been knocking their team. But the media felt they would be ok in Europe too…
Since winning the Premier League for their one and only time, Leicester have come 12th, ninth (twice) and fifth, and have just gone out in the round of 32 in the Europa League. So they are very anxious to live up to the new status bestowed on them previously by the media. They haven’t quite got to the stage of “Fourth is not a trophy” but the knock out in the round of 32 would not have been expected having got to the quarter finals of the Champions League after their one title win.
They are the fourth-best attacking team and fifth-best defending team in the league, and the only thing that stands against them could be PGMO who might be minded to deal with Leicester’s unique tactics. This relates to their tackling and the getting of penalties, which we have looked at before. If the PGMO step in, Leicester will have a problem. If not, they will make the top four certainly.
However five of Leicester’s six Premier League defeats this season have come at home, so maybe, just maybe…. But we have to recognise that Arsenal have failed to score in ten league matches this season. Only once previously, in 2005-06, have they failed to score more often in a Premier League 38 season.
But if Aubameyang plays we will all be hoping that only one of Aubameyang’s last 18 Premier League goals was scored outside of London. That was last November, so it is time for him to brighten up away from home.
So, to the teams.
We know that Leicester City will be without James Maddison for this game along with Wesley Fofana, Ayoze Perez, Dennis Praet, Wes Morgan, and James Justin
The Short Fuse have the headline that it is Arsenal v Leicester, so I think we’ll hold on that.
The Standard predict a draw and say that Holding will be fit to play, but that seems unlikely if he had concussion.
Sports Mole offer us
Leno;
Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney;
Thomas, Xhaka;
Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe;
Aubameyang
BT Sport tell us that “The team lineups will be available an hour before kick-off. Check back then to see who’s playing,” which is appallingly feeble given that they are showing the game on TV, yet can’t even be arsed to make a team prediction.
On Twitter, Orbinho tells us that “If Bukayo Saka plays against Leicester on Sunday, he will be the second youngest Arsenal player to reach 50 Premier League appearances for the club: Fàbregas 18y 236d, Saka19y 176d, Walcott 19y 224d, Anelka 19y 301d, Oxlade-Chamberlain 20y 213d, Guendouzi 20y 259d
The Sun has got an article on the subject of the teams on page 2 of a Google search, but it includes Maitland Niles so I suspect they are just re-promoting an old article so it’s all getting a bit difficult to find line ups.
Extratime go down the same route as the line up above but with added first names. The Guardian came in very late with their line up and didn’t even bother to mention the match on their main football headline page, but here it is…
Leno,
Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Tierney,
Partey, Xhaka,
Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe,
Aubameyang.
Enough the teams: the match is up next.
Footnote: You may have heard that there is considerable dismay among Arsenal Silver Members, and members of at least one of the major supporters’ groups over the way Arsenal is claiming to have consulted over the way Silver Members are being treated. Untold is fully aware of this, and once the game is over we’ll be publishing our forthright views on the club’s treatment of its fans.
Tackles, fouls and yellow cards. These figures are truly weird.
- New fouls and yellow card data suggest refs are reacting to club ploys.
- How the top clubs foul with impunity
- Could Arsenal adopt Leicester’s tactics and follow them up the table?
Anyone feeling positive. Thought so !
Lol. We should be feeling positive but so often the referees have screwed us over and the pundits have ignored the bias.
Will today be different? We always hope so. Maybe this is the start of an outbreak of honesty. Fingers crossed.
Of course, Leicester could outplay us and win deservedly, in which case hats off to them. But on paper, I’d back us today, despite what the guru Mark Lawrenson says.
Back to the Arsenal special Laws!! No penalty because it was a foul outside the box. Note no card or punishment for a foul from behind!!
Officiating a fu&&ing joke!
Selective vision and creative imagination by the officials giving Leicester the game.
Another professional being told not to be a naughty boy. This is the way officials allow our competition to get away with yellow cards!!
The transition by the official by giving an Arsenal ball to Leicester is typical of the sloping pitch!!
The management of the game by the referee is so damned obvious with Riley in his ear!!
Eventually Thomas gets his yellow card and Willian puts the ball for Luiz to head into the net.
ESR is down with an injury, looks like its the calf but maybe a groin issue.
Credit to the team / line up a spirited fight back , controlled possession and fully deserve to go in all square at half time , gutted about losing ESR but well done team .
Can anyone explain how when Evans is kicked in the head by Ndidi and Tierney is about to shoot, the ref stops then restarts with a kick to Schmeichel?
I’m sorry but can anyone explain how that is even a possible decision?
The corrupt PGMOL is so obvious in this match!!! In the first penalty that was overruled by VAR the referee was not asked to look at the pitch side monitor. It was on off field decision that brings the game into disrepute. The second penalty for handball was referred to the pitch side monitor.
The goal by Lacazette was followed by Schmichael kicking the ball aggressively at Laca. I should be a yellow card.
Sally Pally – it is simple. PGMOL Laws of the game when Arsenal are playing.
Tierney is a rising star of the Riley academy. He stinks to high heaven
I thought officiating was poor in football and excellent in Rugby, but yesterdays Wales v England really showed that some officials need to be substituted mid game!! It was the worst Rugby officiating I’ve ever seen. Lee Mason showed the real PGMOL in a Buster Keaton like sequence.
This officiating and the commentators including Martin Keown leaves a lot to be desired, because honesty is out the window.
Yes, Menace. At every game, we all call out the bias in the hope that something is done about it.
Before the game, the media and pundits all pointing out that Arsenal always lose after a European away game. Not one said about Leicester actually going out and us making a comeback.
You can be that if we go on to win, they will all put it down to a bit of a blip for Leicester after going out of Europe. Because like Lawrenson said, Leicester are going to show Arsenal what it requires to become a top 4 team. From what we’ve seen so far, we were so much better than them in the first half that it very much looks as though the positions should be reversed. And they would largely have been if not for the PGMOL’s dirty tricks.
Come on Arsenal! No sloppy defending. They had one look-in and that was down to our error and not their good play. Mind you, Tielemans took the goal very well!
Man I haven’t been watching many matches and remembered why I swear so much when I do.
Today’s Arsenal PL match starting XI lineup away to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, is a little bit of a surpluse as Aubameyang, Bellerin, Thomas and Saka who are expected to start the match which if they do could make the Arsenal team for the match to look stronger in starting the match. But they are all starting it from the bench.
Could it be it is a game playing tactics strategy that is being employed for the match by the Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, or it is down to fatigue reason suffered to these 4 regular Arsenal PL match starting Gunners that made them to start from the bench? Us will know later.
But not withstanding these Arsenal quartet players not starting the match. But nevertheless, I strongly believe that Arsenal will beat Leicester in the match. For, I think the Gunners will raise the level of their game playing up considerably in the match to surpasse whatever level of game playing that the Foxes will have on offer in the match.
I think it’s going to be a massive 0-4 away match win to Arsenal this afternoon.
Pepe kicked on his left ankle and Ref ignores the foul.
The Triple standards ref and poodits @Menace
Poodits: Arsenal aren’t playing Leicester have injuries and are still in the FA cup unlike Champions talk about backhand comments. Yeah Arsenal don’t have a few starters on the bench
Poodits: Arsenal aren’t playing Leicester have injuries and are still in the FA cup unlike Champions talk about backhand comments. Yeah Arsenal don’t have a few starters on the bench
Tierney booked by his uncle for being in Vardy’s way.
He was breathing too loud
Ianacho must have pulled Arsenal players back at least 3 times without a booking. What is with this sheer cheating that PGMOL are getting away with? It is going to get somebody killed. The fans are beginning to get angry to the point of violence. If the FA do not clear the air by change of officiating contract they will be responsible.
WOO HOO , HOO ! Well done guys . An away three fine points and 3 goals. Not to mentioned a good , solid all round performance.
And we should avoid relegatio once again !
Up the Gunnwts !
As usual, I will go through this game again to look at the areas of controversy specially where anomalies occur with correct officiating.
Thee fouls all game (which is less than Iheanacho on his own) and still the referee has to book Tierney for the most innocuous foul of the game. These refs can’t help themselves. It’s almost as though they don’t get their bonus if they fail to book an Arsenal player. When Xhaka got upset about an elbow to the face, he was the one who got verbals from the ref. Nothing said to the perpetrator.
Anyway, a fabulous performance and brilliant result. Top marks to every single player.
5 yellow Iheanacho has a good chance to score! Hold on why is he still on the pitch poodit? Well done lads on a hard fought win. Lacazette looked like he was getting pickup like a child half the time he was on the pitch.
We come back from a goal down to win 3-1 away against Leicester.
Saka gets to rest
Laca smashes in a penalty
The real Willian shows up big
Pepe shows up
Plus
We play a near spotless game 3 fouls to their 15
AND…. you guessed it we still get a booking!
15 fouls and 2 bookings the other way. If we had tried to match their fouling we could have been down to 10 men.
Good performance. Good win.
Perhaps it all falls into place soon and we get to see this kind of result regularly.
Very true Cheadle but its hard swimming against the tide and be consistent
More good news as our Women returnedt to winning ways with a four nil win against Aston Villa, all scored in the second half. Miedema with her 13th of the season (in 13 games), Nobbs, a belter from McCabe and McCabe. Well done Arsenal and well done to the referee who had a good game (not always the case in the Women’s top flight).
VAR – as explained by https://www.premierleague.com/news/1932113
And again the same old names will come here claiming it’s all above board with these cards.
Not today of course because they’d just make themselves look stupid. But they’ll be back.
Great result.
Well played lads.
@ Menace
So take four straightforward, non-contentious decisions and use them to then claim you’ve explained how VAR and the officials are in fallible………..
@Mikey – there is nothing straight forward when it comes to VAR. The Laws have allowed VAR to verify on field decisions that lead to a goal or penalty and to examine incidents where serious fouls have occurred that should be reviewed by the Referee.
The officials are never infallible only God is. The issues arise when VAR reviews any incident and informs the Referee. The Referee must go to the pitch side monitor to make a decision. The decision must be seen to be made by the Referee and not by the official at Stockley Park. Association Football is a game officiated by a Referee on the field of play.
However, it seems to be in English Premier League to be a game officiated by a variety of persons on off and inbetween the field of play and somewhere up north.
Exasperating first halfhour. Industrial language by the bucket load then the game clicked.
Leicester are a favoured filthy team. Some things change, not that about Leicester. Remember their title win?
Their fouling in the second half with the ref’s tolerance – at what moment does the tolerance of systemic fouling become an identifiable, quantifiable, condition of the contest?
Two very good results in four days. Quality was applied when it had to be applied to make the decisive difference. The 87th minute goal in Athens, the third goal today. What made today even better – PGMO routed. Roll on Saturday.