In the last few seasons, it is fair to say that we have done poorly against Liverpool away at Anfield and at home at the Emirates…This is a two-legs game and it is important to approach this semi-final as such. We have to make sure that we do not blow all our chances to reach the final already tonight. If we lose 3-0 or 4-1 or by any large margins, it is basically game over and we might as well play the academy boys in the return leg…
I am expecting Arteta to field a decent line up tonight to try to keep keep things tight and keep our hopes for a trophy alive this season but we do not know about Chambers, Xhaka….so in doubt, here is a potential line up
Ramsdale – White, Holding, Gabriel – Saka, Lokonga, Patino, Odegaard, Tierney – Laca, Nketiah
Let us see…
COYG! Let us get a trophy this season…It be amazing to beat Liverpool in the semi-finals and then Chelsea in the final…a big statement from our club and squad!
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
On Transfer Rumours from previous post:
1. Guimares – He has good states in the French league and he has improved a lot since last season but (i) he still needs to become more physical, (ii) he still needs to work on his positionning, (iii) he is not the fastest either although he is not slow, (iv) he needs to also work on his running with the ball. By the end of the season, he could be ready for a move to the EPL but I am not 100% sure about his credentials to play for us. I d like to see him play 1 year in the EPL for another club like Aston Villa before we take a look at him more seriously…
2. Vlahovic – people refer to him as the “Zlatan of the Balkans”, funny since Zlatan’s roots are in Bosnia but that is a different debate…Vlahovic would definitely provide physicality, aerial and penalty box threat but he is not so great at link-up play and his decision-making can be improved. He is very good technically and is quite fast for such an imposing physique. Would he fit Arteta’s game plan? Not 100% sure…There are other players like D. Nunez, J. David, A. Gouiri or players like L. Martinez, P. Schick, I. Toney, O. Watkins, D. Calvert-Lewin, T. Abraham, G. Simeone, E. Chiesa…
At the moment, our brightest players up front are Saka, ESR, Martinelli but they work well with a FW like Lacazette who knows when to drop deep and has a good link up play. We do not want to disrupt the flow of our 3 brightest players up front so we need a player that can play like Laca and can work hard for the team and would fit in the EPL…tough ask 😦 I think D. Nunez could be that player but again, he is not proven in the EPL and is still very raw at 22 playing in the Portuguese League…Then there are players like L. Martinez who are more proven but would not necessarily fancy leaving a club like Inter Milan…So the list is slowly winding down and then you have J. David who clearly has attributes to succeed in the EPL but is he already worth 50 Mln…Gouiri will be excellent but he still needs to grow physically and mentally so it is too early for him to join us…So we are left with P. Schick, I. Toney, O. Watkins, D. Calvert-Lewin, T. Abraham and Simeone since Chiesa is injured…
They could all be good fit for us I believe bringing different elements to our team – Shick is an outstanding forward but he is ltimnot great with defending, Watkins is a good forward too….Ultimately, I think that the best value for money may be I. Toney. He is already playing in the EPL, is living in London and is still learning and eager to learn. He can improve for sure but physically, he is ready to play for us and he is showing that he can be a good forward in the EPL so if I were Arteta-Edu, I d go for Toney or I d take a gamble and go for D. Nunez if we can get him for a good price…
Unfortunately we’re going to get tanked this evening.If we can keep it to a 2 goal margin.Might have a chance 2nd leg.As for the purchase of players.Anyone’s guess.But looks like Melo the midget from Juve.a crab.Pathetic.
Artur Melo…He is not bad…If we take him on loan just for half a season to be part of our rotation, it is not too bad of a deal…
Thanks for the snack RC.
Hold it to 2 goals and that might help our confidence on Sunday.
Bissouma is the one for me, but I know he will come with complications.
Hard pass on Artur in any shape or form.
Could Guimares develop into something greater? Is it worth the risk or price?
Hmmmmm.
“Thanks for the snack RC”
This made me chuckle………no one is expecting anything from tonight, it can only get better, can’t it?
Guimares is a good player and could develop into a very good player but I think that Lokonga who is younger may have a greater potential…Now regarding Bissouma, he would be good as well…
Digne, Coutinho at A. Villa and now Gerrard wants Bissouma…
Martinez – Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne – Bissouma, Luiz, McGinn – Buendia, Watkins (or Ings), Coutinho
Not looking too shabby now…knowing that they have a decent bench too…
From skysports.com:
“Arsenal have done it. Down to 10 men for 65 minutes after another Granit Xhaka red, the Gunners’ stubborn resistance secures a credible goalless draw at Anfield which leaves this Carabao Cup semi-final delicately poised ahead of next week’s return leg at the Emirates.
Gunners grind out draw
Character, defensive discipline and resilience in the face of extreme adversity, that performance was exactly what Mikel Arteta will wanted after Sunday’s FA Cup exit at Nottingham Forest.”
Could not have put it better…
Saka was my MOTM and I thought Holding did really well today. Otherwise, a few unusual errors for Ramsdale, White, Tierney and some worrying moments for Lokonga…A disciplined and hard earned draw…The dream of a trophy lives on…COYG!
I thought that Chambers did quite well when became on, Martinelli and Lacazette must have run a marathon, yes Saka played well but he should have scored and that’s disappointing.
That was the aperitif, now for the main course at the Toilet Bowl this Sunday…
Lost before we even played according to our own ‘fans’. 😂
This game made it very clear to me that an Arsenal side containing Salah and Mane would’ve battered Liverpool. The bulk of their squad is no better than ours, but we are still a couple of players away from being a team that can challenge in the league.
Excellent performance from the lads tonight. Arteta deserves credit for going 3 at the back after the red card. It was a decision made easier by the fact that it’s a 2 legged tie and we didn’t need to score tonight, but with past teams we would’ve gone 4-4-1 and been needing a miracle in the 2nd leg.
At home with the crowd behind us and 11 players on the pitch, and with Liverpool missing their difference makers, I really fancy us to get to the final. Let’s just hope we keep 11 on the pitch!
We are really are getting quite good at playing games with 10 men.
LB we have had alot of practice recently, this it what 5th time this season
This is a good one Sue but the big question is WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY FRIEND? All good on your side?
Hi RC.. All good here, thank you 😊 How about yourself? How are things in France? Zidane to PSG?
All good here, thanks 🙂 Zidane to PSG…maybe but probably not…
The priority for PSG is to extend Mbappe at the moment and they may be able to persuade him with the signing of…Pogba and Zidane as well as with a short-term bumper deal for 2 years…
Zidane is not likely to join PSG but if he does, he is rumoured to want to work with…Pogba and Mbappe…
Pogba is keen on PSG if Zidane and Mbappe are there…
So basically…if one of the elements is missing, it is over…
Mbappe is also keen for Fofana to join PSG, he rates him super highly…
If Mbappe were to leave PSG, PSG is looking closely also to…Auba…
If Mbappe, Pogba and Zidane join PSG, here is the likely line-up:
Navas – Hakimi, Marqunihos, FOFANA, T.HERNANDEZ – Verratti, Gueye, POGBA – Neymar, D.NUNEZ?, Mbappe
I think Messi will leave at the end of the season…to go back to Barcelona to join D.Alves, Pique, Busquets and Xavi to restore Barcelona to the top 3 in Spain
So balogun out on loan?
Really feel sad for PEA , going threw a heart issues, hope it nothing serious
The furore in the media following the postponed NLD has been totally over the top but not surprising in the least and I’m quite enjoying it, nobody likes us, we don’t care.
Let them whinge, it’s a backhanded compliment and shows our progress and a bit of ‘us against the rest’ breeds the right mentality and dare I say brotherhood in the camp.
Looking forward to Thursday…
So true seems everyone should get games cancelled except us, remind you first game of the season we had issue and no one cared
Pepe having a good AFCON hope he wins it
Good Morning Folks.
I have not seen much football lately, for various reasons – including Arsenal games – but I did watch the game last night.
I was taken aback, when after a promising start Arsenal started. to play ‘statues’ like they did in the reign of Unai Emeritus!!
What a let down! Instead of attacking, at least occasionally, the tactic seemed to be to defend our own half – really poorly – and when passing around the penalty area it seemed we were playing ‘pass the parcel’ to the Pool players.
With injuries, sickness etc I suspect this might be a passing (no pun intended) problem, and we will get back to the great football I heard we were playing – Notts Forest excluded.
Somebody shoot me.
Where would you like to be shoot
At half time I would have taken a flesh wound but at full time between the eyes was the only way.