Brighton vs Arsenal, 06.04.2024 - 17:30

I don’t like playing these lot, bit like playing Swansea it often never ends well for us. Have only achieved one double over them in the previous six seasons they’ve been in the Premier League.

It’s good that there’s no Mitoma available. But Adingra is just as capable of giving us grief…they are good on the counter and they are hard to press because they are good on the ball

Also they haven’t lost at home since August. And they’ve only lost three times at home since we last won there on the last day of 2022

It’s a definite must win, and it’s really not the type of fixture you want as a must win

This game is a giant Bear Trap, get past it with three points and we set ourselves up nicely

Stumble and we possibly end up bleeding out

Would be nice to have Martinelli and Saka back for this one.

Lineup - Raya, White, Gabriel, Saliba, Kiwior, Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli

And this is the lineup I’d go out with against Bayern Munich too

Lineup - Raya, White, Gabriel, Saliba, Kiwior, Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli

And this is the lineup I’d go out with against Bayern Munich too

I hope we win, tbh

Brighton are not as good as they were last season but this remains a huge banana skin.

Feeing a bit pessimistic so I’m going to say 1-1.

3-0 Welbz hatter

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Originally Posted by Mac76

3-0 Welbz hatter

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Didn’t he score a hat trick for Brighton once or was that a fever dream on my part

I was at the game when he scored that hat trick for us against Galatasaray and even though I wasn’t exactly happy about us signing him, I saw a bit of Ian Wright in the performance. That was to say the least incredibly optimistic on my part

Even Eddie's managed a hatter so it just shows anyone can do it :lol:

But I actually think we should win this fairly comfortably, Brighton aren't all that good and we've rested some key players

It would calm a lot of run-in nerves if we could make this look easy

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Originally Posted by Mac76

Even Eddie's managed a hatter so it just shows anyone can do it :lol:

But I actually think we should win this fairly comfortably, Brighton aren't all that good and we've rested some key players

It would calm a lot of run-in nerves if we could make this look easy

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I don’t think we are capable of that. Brighton are good at home, they don’t lose…they have pace and technique

Frankly if we win at all it will be semi miraculous, we are good defensively so we can get decent respectable draws against City and Liverpool. But Spastic teams like Burnley and Sheffield United aside, teams aren’t going to implode against us the way West Ham did.
That’s what happens when you are thoroughly irresponsible with transfers the way Arteta and Edu have been by piling up average defenders (Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Timber, Soares, Mari, The Dog Snogger) and neglecting up front.

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Arteta and Edu have been by piling up average defenders (Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Timber, Soares, Mari, The Dog Snogger) and neglecting up front.

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You're wrong on almost every one of these:

Zinchenko - worse than average, he's simply not a defender at all

Tomiyasu - is a very good defender, he's kept people like Salah in his pocket

Timber - hasn't even played for us beyond one game :haha: but by all accounts looks very promising

Soares - again not average, he's shite

Mari - probably the only one you're correct on

The Dog Snogger - who?

How completely like you to miss the point

Dog Snogger is Tavares, certain social media post which would turn your stomach


Zinchenko is average defensively, your weird obsession about him hasn’t really been borne out this season. But the point is


Timber didn’t need to be signed at all

Tomiyasu is a decent squad player but that’s it


The point being made is that Arteta has forever been changing things up with defence, and arguably when it wasn’t necessary. Before we signed Rice we’d spent more on defenders than any other position, it’s madness…that we’ve spent 600 million and we have a Man City reject and Eddie Nketiah as strikers…it’s beyond negligent.

The problem none of you seem to recognise is how badly screwed we are going to be by the rules. It’s all very well saying sell this player sell that player but the clubs we’d sell them to are all in deep financial shit…if Leicester for instance get promoted they will start next season most likely with a points deduction.
We are going to struggle to find buyers for Ramsdale, Nketiah, Nelson, Smith Rowe…let alone the real dross. We need to sell players even if we sign no one because of the massive losses we’ve made over the last few years…so we may be in a position where we have to sell a player we don’t want to sell. Only problem there is, so many other clubs are in similar positions that no one can buy them anyway.
If not for the fact that we won’t be relegated, Arteta and Edu are the David O’Leary and Peter Ridsdale of the 2020s

Brighton: Verbruggen, Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Gross, Baleba, Moder, Enciso, Adingra, Welbeck.
Subs: Steele, Igor, Pedro, Lallana, Barco, Fati, Veltman, Buonanotte, Peupion.

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard, Saka, Jesus, Havertz.
Subs: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Partey, Smith Rowe, Vieira, Trossard, Martinelli, Nketiah.

Jorginho, Rice, Kiwior, Jesus, Saka all back

Martinelli on the bench. Seems that Saka is playing on the left and Havertz on the right

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Jorginho, Rice, Kiwior, Jesus, Saka all back

Martinelli on the bench. Seems that Saka is playing on the left and Havertz on the right

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More likely Jesus on the left, Saka on the right and Havertz up front

Unless of course you think 'on the right' means as if you were looking at the team from the opposition goal which isn't how positions are normally described, but given your ignorance of the home/away format it wouldn't surprise me

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

How completely like you to miss the point

Zinchenko is average defensively, your weird obsession about him hasn’t really been borne out this season. But the point is

Timber didn’t need to be signed at all

Tomiyasu is a decent squad player but that’s it

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I was totally speakong to the point, you said they're all average but I was just trying to explain how wrong you were - and still are

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Originally Posted by Mac76

I was totally speakong to the point, you said they're all average but I was just trying to explain how wrong you were - and still are

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Shame for you then that your assertions are about as laudable as those of Comical Ali

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Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard, Saka, Jesus, Havertz.
Subs: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Partey, Smith Rowe, Vieira, Trossard, Martinelli, Nketiah.

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Not sure about the lineup - starting Zin basically hands Brighton a goal, so we'll need our scoring boots on today

At least it hopefully means Tomi or Kiwior will start vs Bayern

I'd also prefer to keep Saka back to see if we can keep him as ready for Bayern as possible

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mac76

More likely Jesus on the left, Saka on the right and Havertz up front

Unless of course you think 'on the right' means as if you were looking at the team from the opposition goal which isn't how positions are normally described, but given your ignorance of the home/away format it wouldn't surprise me

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Awww someone getting a bit testy

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Awww someone getting a bit testy

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yes - you :lol:

Come on Arsenal. :bow:

Gabriel should score!

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Originally Posted by Mac76

yes - you :lol:

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Yep definitely, can feel the rage building up :d

Not that it’s at all in keeping for you to project onto others

Zin running towards the ball and leaving Adingra completely unmarled when Brighton came forward then

Good move from Brighton.

Saka shoots wide!

Jesus shot, saved!

Jesus heads wide. :lol:

Gabriel scuffer.

Pelanty!!

SAKA!!!

Great defending from Welbeck. :bow:

So good from White.

Great save from Raya off Enciso.

Havertz nearly stabs one in.

0-1 HT.

Need to be more ruthless for sure.

Come on Arsenal.

Jesus header, eternally wide.

Good effort from Ø

Good shot from Odegaard.

Great corner routine that, unlucky not to come off.