Arsenal v Wolves. Sat 17th August. 15:00

[Marc Overmars]

Here we go again.

Can the first game of the season be a must win? Given what we’re up against with City it probably is. Plus with trips to Villa, Spurs and City in the first 5 games you have to think that this may not be a pretty start to the season if we’re not at the races.

I’m guessing the team that started against Lyon will be the 11 for this.

Come on you Gunners!

[HCZ_Reborn]

Most likely, given California (that’s what predictive spelling is calling him) comes from a slower league he might need time to come up to speed and I don’t expect any signings between now and 15:00 Saturday (as I’ve repeatedly stated we are worried about FSR, one reason why we are trying to sign Merino rather than Zubimendi) and we need to sell Eddie and Nelson and probably Zinchenko if we hope to make any signings full stop before the transfer window shuts

[Mac76]

If Arteta's plan is Zin in defence and Jesus at 9 then we can all relax safely in the knowledge that we won't be in a 'title race' this year

[The Wengerbabies]

Must win.

[Letters]

Must win.

:lol:

I hope we win, tbh

[dazthegooner]

2nd is not an option for this match :good: :)

[Mac76]

0-3 Hwang hatter

[HCZ_Reborn]

Overall Premier League Record against Wolves

Wins 14
Draws 3
Defeats 3


Goals for: 40

Goals against: 14



At Home


Wins 6

Draws 3


Defeats 1


Goals for: 19

Goals against: 7


We’ve won the last six games against them, scoring 14 and conceding twice.


They’ve lost their last three opening games of the season, 1-0 at United, 2-1 at Leeds and 1-0 at Leicester


They also won only two of their final 12 league games last season, drawing two and losing eight. It’s fair to say they don’t come into the season on sparkling form.

[dostoy]

I would say there is at least 32 must win games in the PL season now.

Some of the other 6 games may become must wins as well.

[HCZ_Reborn]

It’s about taking what we did last season and identifying where we can build on it

We broke a record last season in the amount of games we won in a 38 game season

Well we still have never won more than 15 from 19 at home or 14 from 19 away from home


Arguably its home form that needs to be identified. I don’t think we can afford to be losing two home games, it’s been over ten years since we’ve lost fewer than two games at home in a league season. And it’s been 16-17 years since we were unbeaten at home. City went unbeaten at home last season, Liverpool went three straight seasons unbeaten at home under Klopp (unbeaten at home from 2017 until 2021).


Also look to reach a minimum of 16 wins at home.

[Marc Overmars]

I’m probably being a negative nancy but I don’t see how we better last season. We will need to hit peak Klopp’s Liverpool standards to be sure of winning the league and I don’t think we’re at the level they found from 2019-2022.

Maybe City will have some uncharacteristic slip ups to enable the bar to be lowered as I do think this will be Pep’s last year, but we will need to just find a way to continue on from last season and hope for the best.

Hoping Martinelli and Jesus contribute more this season as they were the biggest let downs last year.

[Mac76]

I’m probably being a negative nancy but I don’t see how we better last season. We will need to hit peak Klopp’s Liverpool standards to be sure of winning the league and I don’t think we’re at the level they found from 2019-2022.

Maybe City will have some uncharacteristic slip ups to enable the bar to be lowered as I do think this will be Pep’s last year, but we will need to just find a way to continue on from last season and hope for the best.

Hoping Martinelli and Jesus contribute more this season as they were the biggest let downs last year.

I agree, I think we'll be third at best unless we suddenly make some sales and bring in at least one striker and one attacking midfielder

I can see things starting badly and Arteta then running Saka and Odegaard into the ground because he's desperate for results

[HCZ_Reborn]

I’m probably being a negative nancy but I don’t see how we better last season. We will need to hit peak Klopp’s Liverpool standards to be sure of winning the league and I don’t think we’re at the level they found from 2019-2022.

Maybe City will have some uncharacteristic slip ups to enable the bar to be lowered as I do think this will be Pep’s last year, but we will need to just find a way to continue on from last season and hope for the best.

Hoping Martinelli and Jesus contribute more this season as they were the biggest let downs last year.

I don’t think we will better last season, which is disappointing. But we are still comfortably the second best team in the league. Liverpool’s squad is no where near as good as it was three seasons ago, they’ve traded in the best manager in the league (albeit not by choice) with a rookie from the Eredivise and they’ve not been able to make any signings. It is worrying for them that a player like Zubimendi in the prime of his career should think himself better off staying with Real Sociedad than a club with the history and pedigree of Liverpool.

Aston Villa will be nowhere after having to sell Luiz and Diaby, Newcastle well they might find it easier than last season but again they’ve not been able to significantly strengthen.

Spurs are dining out still on the Kane money but it’s hard to argue that they’ve really replaced him.


I think we as you say need more from Martinelli and Jesus this year.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I agree, I think we'll be third at best unless we suddenly make some sales and bring in at least one striker and one attacking midfielder

I can see things starting badly and Arteta then running Saka and Odegaard into the ground because he's desperate for results

Have you been going back into the archives and taking lessons from me?. Because you sound like me a year ago :lol: although that was much more about how we were playing than signings. I think we’ve needed a striker for years, the fact that we’ve never signed a striker under Arteta (Jesus isn’t really a striker in the conventional sense) suggests Arteta doesn’t seem to like them.



I as you know disagree about finishing third at best. I think our inactivity in the transfer market largely reflects the lack of activity in general. Spurs signing Solanke doesn’t exactly give me sleepless nights

[Letters]

I agree, I think we'll be third at best unless we suddenly make some sales and bring in at least one striker and one attacking midfielder

I can see things starting badly and Arteta then running Saka and Odegaard into the ground because he's desperate for results

Who do you think will better than us other than City?
I agree with MO, I don't think we will do better than last season but I don't think we will do much worse and who other than City will do better?

[HCZ_Reborn]

Who do you think will better than us other than City?
I agree with MO, I don't think we will do better than last season but I don't think we will do much worse and who other than City will do better?

At the risk of answering for him, he thinks Liverpool will finish above us. I don’t see it

I tend to think without strengthening we will plateau. We got the absolute best out of this lot in the second half of last season but without a striker we are basically saying we cannot have an off day

I think we could potentially partner Havertz with Jesus, but a) that would depend on the claim that Jesus being as poor as he was last season was down to recurrent injury and b) I’m not sure how that would work with the way we set up tactically

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Should be hammering them really.

[Mac76]

Who do you think will better than us other than City?
I agree with MO, I don't think we will do better than last season but I don't think we will do much worse and who other than City will do better?

I think Liverpool will surprise people (though not me) and I think we'll drop off a bit too, at least we will if we don't buy at least one good attacking player and also ditch Zinchenko

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I'm confused now. Who do you have in second ahead of us?

[HCZ_Reborn]

Team news in ten minutes

I would expect to see the same starting lineup as against Lyon

[HCZ_Reborn]

Team news already out, and it is the same side as against Lyon

[HCZ_Reborn]

Kiwior not even on the bench, suggests that he and Arteta have fallen out

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Subs: Ramsdale, Jesus, Timber, Nketiah, Trossard, Jorginho, Nelson, Calafiori, Nwaneri

Wolves: Sa; Doherty, Toti, Mosquera, Ait-Nouri; J Gomes, Lemina, Bellegarde; R Gomes, Hwang, Larsen
Subs: Bentley, Bueno, Podence, Cunha, Dawson, Doyle, Sarabia, Chiquinho, Goncalo Guedes

[HCZ_Reborn]

This is Arteta’s 173rd Premier League match as Arsenal manager, it is however only the 19th that has been played at 15:00 on a Saturday.

Now there’s obvious factors like COVID and its effect on league fixtures, the Europa league etc to consider, but even last season we played only Five matches at this time. Fulham, Burnley, Wolves at home and Bournemouth and Burnley away

Im of course going back twenty-twenty five years, but it used to be that 40% minimum of fixtures would be played at that time. Now it’s about 15-20%.

[Mac76]

I'm confused now. Who do you have in second ahead of us?

Well I mentioned Liverpool so is it really that confusing...?

[Mac76]

Kiwior not even on the bench, suggests that he and Arteta have fallen out

Oh and what proof do you have of that exactly?

[HCZ_Reborn]

Oh and what proof do you have of that exactly?

I don’t have any proof, thus why I said suggests

Unlike you I don’t assert what I don’t know to be true as fact

[dostoy]

Surely Calafiori will take Zinchenko's place after a couple of games.

I hope so anyway.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Surely Calafiori will take Zinchenko's place after a couple of games.

I hope so anyway.

I’d have thought so, I think most likely what will happen is that he’s trying to ease him in gradually because Serie A doesn’t go at the pace the premier league does

[Mac76]

Silly dummy from Partey who should have shot and White puts wide

[Mac76]

Rice over the bar

[McNamara That Ghost...]

HAVERTZ!!

[Mac76]

Good goal :good:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Well I mentioned Liverpool so is it really that confusing...?

Given you also said you didn't expect much from them, then, yes.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

This is Arteta’s 173rd Premier League match as Arsenal manager, it is however only the 19th that has been played at 15:00 on a Saturday.

Now there’s obvious factors like COVID and its effect on league fixtures, the Europa league etc to consider, but even last season we played only Five matches at this time. Fulham, Burnley, Wolves at home and Bournemouth and Burnley away

Im of course going back twenty-twenty five years, but it used to be that 40% minimum of fixtures would be played at that time. Now it’s about 15-20%.

Not really that surprising given how often we've been in the Europa League.

[Mac76]

Great save Raya

[Mac76]

Given you also said you didn't expect much from them, then, yes.

Where did I say that?

[HCZ_Reborn]

Not really that surprising given how often we've been in the Europa League.

I did mention the Europa league but even last season we only played five times at Saturday 15:00

I haven’t checked other teams so don’t know if it’s particular to us, I doubt city have played more at that time.

[Mac76]

Decent first half, though would like to have seen more than one goal given the number of chances and shots we had

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

An average first half, as usual, with the same players rescuing us, as usual i.e. Saka.

Arteta and Edu should make the Merino signing happen quickly as there is nothing fresh about this team in attack. Here's hoping Arteta does the sensible thing and plays Merino ahead of the no 4 (who should be Rice with Partey's indifferent form) and we freshen things up.

The earlier Arterta sorts out this LB issue the better. Zin is finished as a top LB, its crystal clear. We should not be starting this season confused and with a weakened left flank when we have options. Martinelli has continued with his indifferent performances.

The earlier Trossard and maybe even Jesus come on the better. We need another goal to get some much needed breathing space.

[Mac76]

Wolves player literally tries to strangle Havertz, should be off

[Mac76]

VAR remains utter shite in this country

[Mac76]

Partey wide

[dostoy]

Big mistake by Saliba almost cost Arsenal there.

[Mac76]

Zin hauled off, Timber comes on to give us an extra defender

[dostoy]

Brilliant goal by Saka.

[Mac76]

Sakaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

SAKA!!

[Mac76]

Leo coming on

[dostoy]

Saka off Trossard on

[Mac76]

Good to see Saka's minutes finally being managed, assuming that's what it is

[dostoy]

Rice has got cramp so he is coming off.

[dostoy]

Jesus on for him.

[dostoy]

Wolves had a free kick but Jesus bent over in front of the ball. A wolves player put his hand on Jesus's arse to get him to move and Jesus pushed him over and then got booked. Crazy game.

[Mac76]

Jesus on for him.

Booked already :lol:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Good to see Saka's minutes finally being managed, assuming that's what it is

Well he scored after he went down injured, so hopefully as you say being managed or at very least a precaution

[HCZ_Reborn]

2-0 FT, adequate…no drama etc

Well no actually, a clean sheet as well. And only the 15th at home in the last 50 home league games. Hopefully one of many, I’m confident if we keep clean sheets we will win games.

Bit sloppy for a period in the second half but I think the substitution of Zinchenko made things more solid. And to be fair we had a few of those moments at home over the last season or so where we were at bit backs to the wall defending a single goal advantage, and today like then we saw it out and got another goal to kill the nerves

[Mac76]

2-0 to The Arsenal, important second from Saka

Next game we need to see Timber and Leo starting

Also Partey a bit random as usual, shows why the Merino signing is needed

[HCZ_Reborn]

Overall I do favour Martinelli over Trossard because of the pace element, however it may be that Martinelli’s pace might be more beneficial to us from the bench. I do highly rate him as a player but he’s got to step it up this season.