This will be the first time Gabriel has to face Ronny :0)
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Hope Munoz can make this game. His sheer speed and aggression will cause Artetaās team nightmares. If we can start with Gakpo and Barcola and then sub in Munoz and Ngumoha at 60 mins, it should be a terrifying afternoon for Arsenal. And I would also start Nyoni with MacAllister in midfield. Gravenberch is not consistent enough.
Not for me. We arenāt yet at the level at which we can sustain enough consistency in order to chase the title until the end of the season.
That being said, with our current form and a bit of luck, itās not out of the question that we may sting Arsenal and take the three points on Sunday. We play at home, and the fans will hopefully be up for it. The motivation and adrenaline will be running high, and the Anfield atmosphere might help the lads to bring out their maximum in terms of performance, fingers crossed.
This might be a reality check for fans and staff.
Iād fucking love it if it wasnāt though.
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Hat tirck from Jomez now he has got his eye in.
Weāll smash em. They couldnāt even win a home game at Highbury against relegation fodder in league 2.
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Reality check how? Weāve beaten Brentford away, and a flying Brighton at home. Weāre 3 for 3 in Europe and in the QF of the league cup having played two PL oppos. We were matching City stride for stride until the dickhead ref sent Grav off for nothing.
The reality is that this is a good squad that can match any team on our day, led by a good manager who has shown to be adaptable and tactically smart, while showing the wherewithal to rotate and manage his squad even through injuries to key players.
If we lose, we lose, but itās not some kind of signal that weāre really a mid table team punching above our weight. This is a top 3 team and should at the very least be Arsenalās nearest challenger once City are out of the picture.
By my reckoning, we are a no. 6 and a LB short of being title favorites. The additions of JJ and Araujo have been fantastic, and our attacking options are up there with the very best, especially once Hugo is fit. The midfield is the bigger question mark in the squad, but with Wirtz rounding into form, Macca looking back to his best, and the emergence of Nyoni, I think the addition of a top CDM would make us close to complete.
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Is this yet another set of reported injuriesā¦then an hour before the gameā¦theyāre all appearing on a team sheetā¦load of kiddumā¦bar 1ā¦young dowmanā¦but even he could win a reprieve on the day of the gameā¦mind games me thinksā¦or just too cynicalā¦
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Actually, I think this applies more to Arsenal than us.
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Normally Iād agree with you, Wilks, but this time they actually do have a load of legit injuries, and their squad is looking light.
They still have plenty of good players, mind, Iām expecting a win for us but it could be tight. Iāve no patience for Artetaās shithousing.
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Highlights from Iraolaās press conference:
- Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and forward Victor Munoz āhave a chanceā to feature in Sundayās match.
- Despite Liverpool winning their past five matches and knowing victory on Sunday would take them to within three points of the Gunners, Iraola was quick to dismiss any talk of a title challenge. He said it is ātoo earlyā to judge, adding: āI always say the first reference is more or less when everyone plays each other once, so halfway through the season. Then you can start thinking and understanding.ā
- Iraola said his impressive record against the Gunners as Bournemouth boss doesnāt matter much when it comes to Sundayās game: āIt is a totally different team and moment. We canāt use the same things we used with Bournemouth here.ā
- On Virgil van Dijkās claim that the Anfield energy is coming back: āItās not just about winning. At Anfield, everyone feels when the team are going for it and trying their best. Even when we lost, they have been there and helped us massively. We can create a special atmosphere.ā
- When asked about Ryan Gravenberchās āup-and-downā season, Iraola replied: āHe has had better games and worse games. We trust him and we know what he can produce. Like other players, when he doesnāt play well we try to help him improve. He is in good place.ā
- On managing the workload of three matches a week: āItās true that I havenāt had a lot of experience, apart from some coaching in the Europa League, but I had a lot as a player. Iāve already been there. Itās different to management but I think our players are very used to it. A lot of the work is done and now itās about getting the decisions right in terms of the [work] loading.ā
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Yeah, was wondering what the odds were in all 3 of the ādoubtfulsā for the Arse showing up for the match. Could be a handy bet, IMO.
Arsenal will come with the intention to bore us to death and try sneaking away with a 0-1 win, probably from a set piece.
I say to hell with that and we play them off the park like Brighton did last month, or like Iraola did with Bournemouth back in April.
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Thing is even last season when we were relatively poor these games were tight so when you speak of reality check what do you mean as a slight loss or a draw to me wouldnāt be.
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We can look to pull them apart at the back with pace on the wings. Iād love to see Barcola and Rio get the start on the wings with Wirtz and Isak central. If Munoz can make the bench, look to bring him on around the hour mark to terrorize them late game.
It sounds like Doni wants Grav to play his way back into form, but heās just been so inconsistent for me this season. Would rather see Nyoni get the start along with Macca in the middle of the park.
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What I taking a warming to is his knack of scoring. You can have all the skills but if you donāt score then whatās the point? Dare I say it there is a bit of Jota thereā¦
Well, I guess as itās Iraolaās first season Iām expecting some ups and downs. Itās unlikely to be as smooth sailing as Slotās first six months, which were record breaking.
We certainly look in much better shape than we were at the end of last season, but the weaknesses you mentioned, at full back and in midfield, are there. It may well be that Nyoni establishes himself as our dm, hopefully starting on Sunday, but thatās not a certainty at this point.
A win puts us into title contending territory, even at this early stage, but there will be setbacks along the way and this may be one.
My default setting is pessimism, but Iām actually quite positive about this match.
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This does feel pretty big, but I think itās bigger for them than it is for us.
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Itās a big game overall, so naturally for both, but I actually think it might be bigger for us. Being at home, after a few games and wins in a row there, an opportunity to contiue with that and potentially get involved (not that you win anything in November, but you certainly can start losing). Arsenal are probably going nowhere (yet) regardless of the outcome here. Especially since we donāt know what will happen with City and when.
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In Memphis to see my cousinās son play football for Army tonight. Travel home tomorrow, so will have to listen to the match on radio.
Think thereās more pressure on Arsenal to get a result after their cup loss, and we seem to be finding some form. Hope the supporters are up for it with a bouncing atmosphere. Isak staying in form and netting one would be huge, and hopefully our speed on the wings will cause them problems. Just stay patient, and not let them bully an early set piece goal, and I think weāve got a solid shot at a result.
Oh, and another masterclass from BIG Ron would be a nice sight!
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