Arsenal vs Chelsea 16.03.2025 - KO 13:30 GMT

[HCZ_Reborn]

Not sure what our chances are in this game, we’ve won once in four in the premier league. Chelsea however have not won away from home in three months (and six games) and have lost their last three games on the road - Man City, Brighton and Villa.

I think Martinelli needs to start and maybe consider playing either Trossard or Nwaneri up front, now that the Brazilian is back I think it’s absurd to continue playing a central midfielder up front

Cole Palmer is decent player but he’s off the ball massively, I think we can contain them…the important thing is whether we can score goals.

[Letters]

Probably a must not lose than a must win.
But…I hope we win, tbh

[Marc Overmars]

Fancy us to win mainly because Chelsea will probably try to play and won’t bother with low blocks.

If we lose then then I’m not sure we’ll be finishing in the top 4.

[Mac76]

0-3 Palmer hatter

I really think Trossard is wasted at 9 and is better being rotated with Martinelli, another reason I think we should have had a decent look at NBO or Kabia by now.

Given Arteta's failure to do so, Merino's as good a choice as any just to keep defenders busy while hopefully we score from the flanks

The Emirates will be really up for this and I'd like to think we could pub the win

[HCZ_Reborn]

I just think it’s now absurd to be playing a central midfielder up front when we actually now have an attacking player back. It doesn’t really matter who goes up there, Martinelli, Nwaneri or Trossard but I think one should.

But will see what Arteta goes with tomorrow

[Letters]

.If we lose then then I’m not sure we’ll be finishing in the top 4.
Why?

City dropped points again, they’re not exactly consistent.
A win would make a Top 4 finish all but inevitable, I don’t think dropping points makes it unlikely

[Mac76]

Why?

City dropped points again, they’re not exactly consistent.
A win would make a Top 4 finish all but inevitable, I don’t think dropping points makes it unlikely

Well tbf he posted that before Citeh dropped points.

And let's not rule out a bad run on our part and a good run on others', though tbh I'm a bit more comfident than I was, especially as apparently England might have five CL places next season.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Well I said it was absurd to play a central midfielder as a striker when we have one attacking player back but turns out Arteta is ok with the absurd.

Really need movement up front, so why Nwaneri is on the bench I don’t know. Even if you were going to make such a silly decision why compound it by keeping Trossard as a starter and moving him to the right?. If there’s one player that would have been worthwhile dropping it’s Odegaard :lol: but if there was two it would be Trossard.

Lewis Skelly over Calafiori at least makes sense as we need someone who can run and get back defensively.

[HCZ_Reborn]

No Palmer or Jackson for Chelsea. Nkunku the danger man for them

[Mac76]

I'm happy with Merino up front as it means we have someone ro come off the bench although i thought Nwaneri would start on the right with either Leo or Gabby on the left

[HCZ_Reborn]

I’d rather it go the other way round, start an XI that is most likely able to get goals and win the game and then either bring someone like Merino from the bench and or the two lads who don’t get a look in.

Of course it depends how Chelsea play it, with no Jackson or Palmer are they going to be more reserved or will they risk it all to try and win.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I can't understand why Nwaneri is on the bench when Merino starts.

Poor decision especially when we are playing against a weakened Chavski side.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I can't understand why Nwaneri is on the bench when Merino starts.

Poor decision especially when we are playing against a weakened Chavski side.

100% agree

[McNamara That Ghost...]

MERINO!!!

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Well that was beautiful by Merino, really beautiful.

[HCZ_Reborn]

:lol: @ me

[McNamara That Ghost...]

My No.9,

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Ref is really pissing me off.

By now Chelsea players should have at least had 2 yellow cards, but every single touch we make against them he penalises.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Fofana should have been off the field by now

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Woeful from Martinelli.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Oof Raya. :haha:

[Marc Overmars]

Chelsea are awful.

[Marc Overmars]

So lucky Raya.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Trossard has really done a 360 and easily our most wasteful player nowadays.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

1-0 HT.

Chelsea came back in to a bit after Martinelli's shank.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Trossard has really done a 360 and easily our most wasteful player nowadays.

I think his head isn’t there. He’s gone in the summer most likely. He’s turned down a contract extension twice is it?

Probably looking for a big pay day in Saudi Arabia and to be honest I can’t say I blame him. He was never going to be a top player for us, but he’s done his job and been quite useful (even though not been the best of seasons for him)

Hopefully bring him off for Nwaneri second half

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I am quite disappointed. We should be 3 nil up and I think we would have been if our most in form finisher had started, and yes that's the 17 year old Nwaneri.

Odegaard has been really good and the first 30 mins was probably the best performance I've seen from him without Saka in the team. Usually when he is this influential, we decimate teams, but Trossard largely has wasted most of the chances with the supporting crew.

Chelsea woke up in the final minutes and showed us they can still be deadly without Palmer.

We need to win this game, not because we are still in the title race but because this is one of the few teams that plays to our strength.

Anything less than 3 points from today's game will just be a confirmation that Arteta really is struggling and totally out of sync with reality.

[Marc Overmars]

If we crank up the tempo again I don’t think Chelsea will be able to live with us. It’s when the game starts to drift we become vulnerable.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Not the strongest shot from Odegaard.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Caicedo trying to injure Martinelli, again.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Trossard is a effing idiot!

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Tierney should have come on for Trossard instead.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

1-0 FT horrible game but always lovely to beat Chelsea.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Oh well take that, shame we couldn’t score more but a win is a win

[HCZ_Reborn]

1-0 FT horrible game but always lovely to beat Chelsea.

:gp:

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

1-0 FT horrible game but always lovely to beat Chelsea.

Missed the first 15 mins of the 2nd half but I'm guessing we wasted chances early on.

3 points is what matters but I'm not impressed with the performance.

Clearly this team won't get close to an acceptable level without Saka and Arteta's need to continually be over cautious.

[Mac76]

Tierney should have come on for Trossard instead.

Agree but Martinelli's still being eased back in I think - but Leo has definitely dipped

Decent performance overall, I didn't feel too as nervy at 1-0 as I often do.

Tierney at RW was a new one :lol:

[Marc Overmars]

2 goals in 4 games now. Pretty shit but an important 3 points.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Agree but Martinelli's still being eased back in I think - but Leo has definitely dipped

Decent performance overall, I didn't feel too as nervy at 1-0 as I often do.

Tierney at RW was a new one :lol:

Chelsea were utterly hopeless, the only half chance they had came from Raya spilling a shot

Honestly, in terms of going forward they had about as much ambition and actually carried less threat than Ipswich town

Interesting that he seems in the main to have more faith in Tierney on the wing than defensively (I know he brought him on second half against Forest for Calafiori, but that’s because Calafiori was pretty much a walking second yellow waiting to happen).

All seems to be about wanting to control the space directly in front of our centre halves

[HCZ_Reborn]

2 goals in 4 games now. Pretty shit but an important 3 points.

4 in 5 doesn’t make it sound much better. But equally we’ve only conceded three goals in last seven league games. If not for that we’d be in deep shit