Arsenal v Manchester City, 7th August, 6pm, ITV

[Power n Glory]

You see the best of Cazorla when he's given licence to play more advanced and that I imagine is the benefit of having three defensive minded types like Coquelin, Elneny and Xhaka to choose from (although I think Elneny is more of a box to box supporting midfielder than a defensive one)

Xhaka is supposed to be that too. He's not a DM. But yes, I think Cazorla is better as the number 10. Two footed, can wriggle out of danger, can play the killer pass as well as crack a shot. I like when he plays deep but he will have moments when he's too casual. He'd be better playing further up field.

[Power n Glory]

That plus you can only play who you are up against, yes the way we play suits us when we play teams like Man City but at the same time you can't expect us to showcase a different style of play which would be effective against teams that sit deep but totally pointless against City.

The takeaway from today is that we need a centre back and striker, simple as.

We can't discredit the opponents now that we have won. That's what I don't like because when we were losing it was typical old Arsenal.

[Niall_Quinn]

That plus you can only play who you are up against, yes the way we play suits us when we play teams like Man City but at the same time you can't expect us to showcase a different style of play which would be effective against teams that sit deep but totally pointless against City.

The takeaway from today is that we need a centre back and striker, simple as.

So the takeaway is what we knew last April?

[Marc Overmars]

So the takeaway is what we knew last April?

Best thing to do is judge the situation in May.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Like PnG I think Elneny is really good. Shame we won't see him that much really....

And Cazorla is bisto.....obvs.

[Letters]

Best thing to do is judge the situation in May.

Nah. You should judge the season either before it has started or after one game.

[Marc Overmars]

Nah. You should judge the season either before it has started or after one game.

That happened this time last year and as usual people weren't far off the mark.

[Kano]

Like PnG I think Elneny is really good. Shame we won't see him that much really....

And Cazorla is bisto.....obvs.

The 'other' player is always the better option, until a few off performances and he becomes the new scapegoat.

Elneny looks like a good player but he didn't offer a miracles when he became part of the team last season. We played shit football from beginning to end, so the solution comes from the combination used in the middle and of course have a clue what we're doing going forward and defensively.

[Marc Overmars]

To be fair I think Elmo is genuinely a decent player, good box to box players are hard to come by these days. He's far from a miracle worker of course but he's probably more reliable than certain other midfielders we have. From the games I went to last season his style of play was always noticeable, often confidently collecting the ball from deep and later popping up in the final third. I hope he is given a fair crack this season.

[Letters]

That happened this time last year and as usual people weren't far off the mark.

True, but irrelevant. You assess how a season has gone at the end. I really shouldn't have to explain or defend that.