by Bulldog Drummond
Of course we play Liverpool twice this week – once now and once in the League Cup. Presumably the teams on both sides will be different each time.
The Guardian offers us
Leno
Holding Luiz Gabriel
Bellerin Ceballos Xhaka Maitland-Niles
Willian Lacazette Aubameyang
There list of possible substitutes is not necessarily that helpful as it is generally made up of everyone else they can think of who is not injured but anyway here it is….
Rúnarsson, Macey, Saliba, Tierney, Soares, Papastathopoulos, Kolasinac, Torreira, Elneny, Guendouzi, Willock, Nelson, Pépé, Saka, Özil, Nketiah
They also give us their version of the injury list which includes Tierney but others suggest he has recovered. Our regular Physioroom list is below.
Meanwhile, and for a change the Independent goes down a different route with
Leno,
Bellerin, Holding, Magalhaes, Luiz, Tierney,
Xhaka, Ceballos,
Aubameyang, Lacazette, Willian
Of course partly this is just the way you choose to write it out, but they express it as a back five, so that’s how I’ve copied it. They also tell us the odds, which give us no hope
- Liverpool: 4/9
- Draw: 19/5
- Arsenal: 5/1
The BBC as ever don’t give us a team, but they do come up with some match facts and stats… including the thought that if we win we will have won back-to-back league games against Liverpool for the first time since September 2012.
And here is a good one:
- No reigning champion has won their opening three Premier League matches since Manchester United in 2011-12.
On the other hand we are told that Liverpool have scored in 35 successive Premier League home fixtures since a 0-0 draw versus Manchester City in October 2018, but they have conceded three goals in back-to-back league games at Anfield for the first time since September 1982.
This being Arsenal of course they also give us the negatives noting that we won the opening two matches last season but then triumphed just twice in the next 13 fixtures (D7, L4).
But all bad runs eventually come to an end, so the notion that Arsenal have not won in 27 Premier League away fixtures against the other five members of the traditional “top-six” since a 2-0 win at Manchester City in January 2015 must mean it is time for a change.
The BBC also tell us that Mikel Arteta can become the first Arsenal manager to win his first away trip to Liverpool in any competition since Tom Whittaker in December 1947. Nine managers since then have failed to win, with eight losing. What they don’t tell us is that in Tom Whittaker’s first season (which 1947/8) was, we went unbeaten in the first 17 games of the season and went on to win the league by seven points. Tom Whittaker played for Arsenal after the first world war, went on to be the club physio under Chapman and Allison, and then took over once he had returned from him military duties in the second world war.
The Standard gives us
Leno
Luiz Gabriel Kolasinac
Bellerin Ceballos Xhaka Saka
Willian Lacazette Aubameyang
The Daily Canon offers…
Leno
Luiz Gabriel Tierney
Bellerin Ceballos Xhaka Maitland-Niles
Willian Lacazette Aubameyang
The last time everyone ignored Elneny he played, thus proving everyone wrong!
There is not much new in the injury list, but here it is just in case you thought we had forgotten… it is as ever from physioroom.com
| Player | Reason | Further Detail | Potential Return | Condition | Status |
| Shkodran Mustafi | Thigh Injury | Aug 25: “Positive progress, is now off crutches with good mobility. Aiming to return to full training in October.” | 31/10/2020 | None | Ruled Out |
| Emile Smith Rowe | Shoulder Injury | Sept 22: “Now out of protective sling and aiming to return to full training within the next 10 days.” | 17/10/2020 | None | Ruled Out |
| Sokratis | Calf/Shin/Heel Injury | Sept 22: “Aiming to be back in full training this week.” | 28/09/2020 | Late Fitness Test | 25% |
| Kieran Tierney | Groin/Hip/Pelvic Injury | Sept 22: “Settling well and aiming to resume full training later this week.” | 28/09/2020 | Late Fitness Test | 75% |
| Cedric Soares | Calf/Shin/Heel Injury | Tight Calf Muscles | 28/09/2020 | Late Fitness Test | 25% |
| Gabriel Martinelli | Knee Injury | Aug 25: “Due back in the UK on Aug 31. Will step up his rehab with the aim of a return to full training by the end of the calendar year.” | No Return Date | None | Ruled Out |
| Calum Chambers | Knee Injury | Aug 25: “Will continue with running outside and light ball work. Aiming to be back in full training as soon as possible this calendar year.” | No Return Date | None | Ruled Out |
So there we are. It is, of course, all on TV. Might be best to turn the commentary down though.
- Liverpool v Arsenal: what can we expect?
- Arsenal are over achieving, and are due for a fall.
- Arsenal’s 25 players list is over-full – we must lose some before we can buy
Despite that Saka who played almost the entire 90 minutes of the game in Mid-week away to Leicester in the Carabao Cup but who the Standard still has in their Arsenal starting lineup. But who I think could be suffering from game playing fatigue after the Leicester match.
Nevertheless I am adopting the Standard’s Arsenal starting XI as my own Arsenal starts for their big game match away to Liverpool in the PL tonight.
This is because of the presence in their own team of the fast breaking wingers/wing-backs of Bellerin and Saka who can also switch play to cover as full-backs to constitute an Arsenal back-five defence when Liverpool has possession and gengenpressing Arsenal to attack in the game.
I am taking this big game match between Liverpool and Arsenal as this season’s Championship decider match despite that is too early in the season to do that.
This is because I think whichever of the duo teams that win the match tonight could go ahead to win the Premier League title this season. This match is so massive and I believe Arsenal will win it to put an early end to Liverpool ambition to finish this season’s PL campaign unbeaten.
This is an added motivation for Arsenal to beat Liverpool right there in their backyard tonight to keep Arsenal sole unbeaten to the season record in the PL intact. This is important as the big-four club sides are already out of reckoning to finish unbeaten in PL this season. And apart of the Gunners wanting to beat the Reds to stay unbeaten this season and remain on top of the table or to joint top it after this match is played tonight.
Might I point out that as the articles in the build up have said, once again no one has mentioned Elneny as a possible player in this match … except Untold Arsenal.
And would you know, Elneny is is playing
And is there an apology? Have any journalists been sacked? Not that I can see
Leno; Holding, David Luiz, Tierney; Bellerin, Elneny, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles; Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang.
Substitutes: Runarsson, Gabriel, Saka, Kolasinac, Ceballos, Pepe, Nketiah.
Before 10 mins played and the select official does not see a foul on Laca by Fabinho. The game is going to be difficult for our boys if the selective vision of the PGMOL officials continue. Mane was booked for an elbow/fist in Tierneys face but VAR did not see it!!! In any game it should have been a red card.
Elneny being in the starting eleven, as well ans Maitland-Niles shows what squad depth we have and the enormous possibilities it gives us in terms of rotation and game substitutions
AND NOW WE SCORE !!!! GREAT LACA !!!!
We*re ahead and five live do not like it at all
…and now they)re happy once more
Pray this doesn’t end up being a cricket score .
Since when does punching a player in the face not result in a red card? Mane should havve been sent off after a few minutes for swinging his arm against the face of Tierney. The fact the ref gave a yellow card is a sign of him being a coward. He had seen it obviously and then there is only one card: a red one.
Walter
Yet again Adrian Clarke on arsenal.com is defending the ref.
He’s claiming it wasn’t an elbow and the yellow was correct. It was clearly an elbow. Clearly a red.
what chance have we got when our own pundits are cowards.
More important Walter where is VAR? The corrupt PGMOL choose what to see. The second Liverpool goal should have bben checked for handball by Robertson but was laughed off by the presenters.
I hope Arteta makes a point of the officiating being sub standard.
Back to normal with pseudo foul throws being used to transition Liverpool into offence. The obvious fouls being ignored but Arsenal players getting booked for anything.
Rolls up Jotas hand and VAR doesn’t call it!!!
Playing at the Champions is never going to be easy. Lets be honest they are a better team than us…..at the moment. But despite everything I’ve come away from this match feeling, well, okay.
The ref, yet again was frustrating. But more than that VAR. WTF ?
How that elbow wasn’t a red I’ll never know, despite Adrian Clarkes wonky take on it. It was nailed on. How the hand ball for there 3rd wasn’t seen ?? yes in any normal season it may of seemed churlish to give it but as we’ve seen this weekend hand ball, any hand ball, in the build up to a goal is a freekick. But hey, except when it’s against us it seems.
So that’s the usual crappy officiating out of the way.
What about the performance ? Well as I say, Liverpool were the better team, by some distance, and possibly should of been at least 3 goals up by half time, but we improved immensely in the 2nd half and I would argue deserved at least a draw out of it, and possibly shaded it.
We just need to be braver, but that will come.
Either way, the manner in which we went toe to toe with them in the 2nd half has given me every reason to be optimistic for the season.
As the home side, Liverpool dominated throughout.
BUT.. the end result might easily have been 3-3, if only our strikers had been on form and taken the two clear chances we were given.
Liverpool have better proven processes that they use but the fouling needs to be called by the officials.
They stamped on Arsenal feet twice that could have earned red cards let alone fouls. VAR didn’t look at any of them (three times perhaps one by accident).
Mane should have been in the showers after 4 minutes. Alexander Arnold should have had a red for stamping. Fabinho got away scott free for several fouls.
We were too defensive in the first half and didn’t vary our goal kicks allowing Liverpool to press us in our half. The eventual change made a difference but Auba has to move into the middle occassionally to stress the opponents positioning.
It was the PGMO and their crooks at their VAR device that beat Arsenal. But certainly it wasn’t Liverpool that beat them in the early big game of the season played at Anfield tonight.
But it wasn’t Adrian Clarke alone that was at fault for his wrongly been a anti-Arsenal pundit in his wrongful assessment calling a Red card for Liverpool a Yellow one instead. That his anti-Arsenal punditry of all people was absurd and unacceptable.
But even Mikel Arteta the Gunners gaffer too did not help matters either as he resorted to praising Liverpool team game playing superiority in the match over that played by Arsenal in the match.
And even he went ahead to claim that Liverpool football playing on the night was at a higher level to that played by Arsenal. But failed in his post match statement to acknowledge that is was acctuqly the PGMO and their staff manning the VAR machine in their anti-Arsenal match refereeing in the PL that gave Liverpool the win over Arsenal in the match.
But not that the Gunners lose the match in the actual sense of playing the game which I think Arteta should have said in defence of his team that was robbed of a win or a draw in the match by the combine PGMO and VAR personnel obnoxious match officiating against Arsenal.
Which gave Jurgen Klopp the Liverpool manager the chance to be ranting against Roy Kean but falsely, having known in himself that it was the PGMO and the people at their VAR that gave his team the win.
Nevertheless. I will want to see Mikel Arteta grow up to decisively become football exponent for Arsenal and henceforth stop playing to the gallery in his subsequent post match comments and statements for Arsenal.
Sadly it shows what an uncompetitive competition the EPL has become when in September the media are all agreed that Liverpool should be awarded the title now.
All worship at the shrine of Klopp.
Yes they are a good side and they are better than us. But they don’t need the helping hand they are getting from the refs and biased media
Klopp and his really clever nutritionist poached from Bayern
Just as an acute example of media bias. BBC Live Text after five minutes of the Women’s FA Cup, “Man City have seen most of the ball in these opening minutes”. Their own stats for the same period show possession as 52% to 48% in Arsenal’s favour. You couldn’t make it up………although they obviously did!