Draw PL: Arsenal 3 - 3 Southampton | Friday, April 21 | KO: 20:00 BST | Sky Sports

20:00 kick off, so no sunlight in this for Casper to go missing as every dog in the PL will be watching this game closely on a Friday night after a long week at work:

Form:



If Saliba isn’t fit then I’d start with this:

Trossard
Martinelli Ødegaard Jesus
Zinchenko Jorginho
Tierney Gabriel White Partey
Ramsdale
​

Partey can invert during the game next to Jorginho with Tierney playing in a 3 at the back similar to what Pep is doing. We’ll have more bodies in the middle of the pitch and dominate the game imo which we’ve been lacking in recent games.

This is our best time to try something different and be creative before we go to the Etihad.

Arsenal 4-0 Southampton

Let’s FOGGIN DO THIS!!!!!!

 

[Riou]

This is the second time this season against these bottom-dwellers that we've been denied a legitimate penalty.

I really, really hate Southampton. Even back during the Wenger days of playing them at The Dell & then early in their time at St. Mary's, they've always had our number.

Their dropping to the Championship for a decade or two will be a welcome reprieve.

With Champions League basically secured for us already and the title almost certainly gone our remaining games will feel a little anticlimactic, so all I want now in the league is to make sure ****hampton get relegated.

So whatever results best get that done, is what I am looking for!

 

[SomGooner]

Of course but can't see who he'd be replacing Vieira is xhaka replacement and holding is saliba replacement its easy to say try new things but we in title race we can't do that. Something i agree with you is his subs are late and mostly wrong

JORGINHO. What was the point of signing him if you’re not going to play him?

Having him out on the pitch would’ve definitely calmed the players, especially Partey who was all over the place.

We need every experienced player in games like these and Jorginho got that in abundance unless you wanna convince yourself that Vieira is the only one who should replace Xhaka.

 

[Riou]

With Champions League secured for us

For how gutted we all are now, being back in this is gonna feel good next year...



...time to make some new memories!

 

[Sapient Hawk]

With Champions League secured for us now, all I want now in the league is to make sure ****hampton get relegated.

So whatever results best get that done, is what I am looking for!

You can count on me being in full "Petty Hawk" mode for what remains of the season as I'll be keeping an eye on their matches & hoping it all ends in tears for them.

Then, when the wound of relegation is still raw, we go in for Bella-Kotchap in the summer to rub a potent paste of salt, ginger & lemon.

 

[Tnegs]

Building a team that isnt good enough.

Isn’t good enough yet but we are very clearly on the right track. What is your proposed action plan then? Remove Arteta and replace him with?

 

[The_Playmaker]

F*ck the cvnt. He deliberately killed our momentum for pretending to be injured in the first half. He knew what he was doing.

Fortunes and resources dictate where you are in the table. They have the youngest squad. We have the second youngest. They are fighting for survival. We are fighting for the title.

And yet when it came down to it. We got it back to 3 -3. Not because of resolve. Or character. Because we were facing the youngest squad in the league that are bottom of the table for a reason.

And yet with all of that, they were 5 mins away from applying the dark arts to perfection and winning 3-2. The youngest team in the league!

We were older and more experienced than them but we lose our heads over everything. Over time wasting. Over fouls. Just focus and grow up. Let your football do the talking. Don't give away silly free kicks and goal kicks. Grow the **** up. Act like you are fighting for a title.

What we don't need is our most experienced players looking like they are about to cry every moment and our midfield talisman losing his **** every time he makes a mistake.

Pep sold us two high quality players. How could he let them go people said? He knew what he was doing. Their mentality wasn't good enough got City, but better than what we currently have in our senior players. What does that tell you about our senior players.

**** age. Let's get young players who we know have the character. Saka, Martinelli. They show up. If Caicedo is the midfield equivalent of their mentality give me that rather than another Partey who turns up when he wants.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

JORGINHO. What was the point of signing him if you’re not going to play him?

Having him out on the pitch would’ve definitely calmed the players, especially Partey who was all over the place.

We need every experienced player in games like these and Jorginho got that in abundance unless you wanna convince yourself that Vieira is the only one who should replace Xhaka.

I want him try that but clearly Jorginho can't play in Xhaka position but honestly he should try that in case xhaka miss a game thankfully xhaka back next one

 

[SomGooner]

I want him try that but clearly Jorginho can't play in Xhaka position but honestly he should try that in case xhaka miss a game thankfully xhaka back next one

Come on bro. You’re better than that.

 

[sdotzdot]

Absolutely hilarious that some of you think we'll even lay a glove on City

That’s now how football works, is it? Just because you’ve had a few bad games against lesser opponents doesn’t mean you have 0 chance of beating teams above your quality/around your level.

Football maths doesn’t exist and I question how long you’ve been watching the sport if you’re making such silly statements.

 

[A_G]

Absolutely hilarious that some of you think we'll even lay a glove on City

Why do you care? You said the title was over in February.

 

[sdotzdot]

Even he’s not enjoying it as his team selection and substitutions will testify.

He needs to calm the f*ck down and stop tinkering with the team selection and play our strongest team.

What was the point of starting Vieira? Why not give Nelson more minutes when both their FBs were on yellow and tell him to run at them at every chance?

He’s bottling this just as much as the team.

Actually he’s doing the opposite of tinkering and that’s the problem.

He’s been too scared to try new things, so when we’ve had players out like Saliba and Xhaka, he’s opted for like for like swaps with players who clearly aren’t good enough to step in.

He should’ve tried something different instead of giving Holding an extended run in what is the most important month or two in 20 years at arsenal. He should’ve jigged things up yesterday instead of bringing his back up 8 (who has always been Viera) who clearly has not been good enough. He should’ve changed the way we set up when Tierney came in instead of completely negating his strengths by trying to make him a b tech zinny.

The pressure is clearly getting to him as he’s sticking to our usual tactics regardless of the massive drop in quality and he’s hoping it just works out. If this was earlier in the season or last season he’d be doing some mad **** but he’s clearly not willing to risk it atm and that has cost us some points unfortunately.

 

[The_Playmaker]

JORGINHO. What was the point of signing him if you’re not going to play him?

Having him out on the pitch would’ve definitely calmed the players, especially Partey who was all over the place.

We need every experienced player in games like these and Jorginho got that in abundance unless you wanna convince yourself that Vieira is the only one who should replace Xhaka.

I would go to City and play all three of them.

Martinelli-------Jesus--Trossard-----Saka

---------Xhaka----Jorginho-----Partey
------------Kiwior----Gabriel---White

I'd drop Ødegaard and Zini. I don't want control of the ball, I want to hurt them. Let them have the ball, stay compact and plug the holes. Sit deeper and dominant the ball in the air and leave no space behind.

Play with a back 6 and front 4. Let Trossard drop in and leave Jesus up top.

Partey, Jorginho, Xhaka are all capable of playing the ball in behind for one of the 3 or finding Trossard through the lines.

 

[Head&Shoulders]

For how gutted we all are now, being back in this is gonna feel good next year...



...time to make some new memories!

And we are gonna be in draw pot 3 if we dont win the league.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

Why do you care? You said the title was over in February.

Even a cynic like me will tell you that it's still not over.

If we win, we'll have the advantage & a draw will keep things tight until one side gives way. Only with a City win is it all but over.

Nothing's impossible, but I'm struggling to see how we can keep a rampant City silent when we shipped 3 against a hapless Southampton.

 

[Riou]

And we are gonna be in draw pot 3 if we dont win the league.

So we drop out at the group stages and back into the Europa and finally win it next season, is what you are telling me...

 

[SA Gunner]

Its not about ability here, its about composure at the key moment of our season.

We cannot allow teams to get into their preferred defensive shape by any means. We must always keep them open and pushing for their advantage. So mistakes made like we've seen in each of our last three draws, needs to be cut out completely, to stand a chance.

Yes, City make the same mistakes, but they have two things we dont. The first is the quality to rectify the mistakes made, very quickly. And second, the composure to drop those mistakes to zero, making them undetectable and seemingly unstoppable. That comes from being there before yes, but more importantly it comes from getting over the line, the first time.

There will be more twists and turns in this title race, it is not over at all. The key for us is to understand that we have taken a few blows, but we are not down and out yet. We know that, but do we have enough to respond to that, as City did back in 2012/13.

 

[LuanNguyen]

Even a cynic like me will tell you that it's still not over.

If we win, we'll have the advantage & a draw will keep things tight until one side gives way. Only with a City win is it all but over.

Nothing's impossible, but I'm struggling to see how we can keep a rampant City silent when we shipped 3 against a hapless Southampton.

City will want to finish the race early, to fully focus on Champions, if we get results at Etihad they will be distracted. I'll take 1 point now.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

Its not about ability here, its about composure at the key moment of our season.

We cannot allow teams to get into their preferred defensive shape by any means. We must always keep them open and pushing for their advantage. So mistakes made like we've seen in each of our last three draws, needs to be cut out completely, to stand a chance.

Yes, City make the same mistakes, but they have two things we dont. The first is the quality to rectify the mistakes made. And second, the composure to drop those mistakes to zero, making them undetectable and seemingly unstoppable. That comes from being there before yes, but more importantly it comes from getting over the line, the first time.

There will be more twists and turns in this title race, it is not over at all. The key for us is to understand that we have taken a few blows, but we are not down and out yet. We know that, but do we have enough to respond to that, as City did back in 2012/13.

Bad example there, Boss.

United finished 11 points clear of City in what turned out to be Fergie's final season at the helm

 

[TheGreatWright8]

Defend like that against City and i can see them putting 8 past us especially with Holding in the side it's not looking good.

 

[Gunners1616]

I don't understand the obsession of not changing the system when that defense can't cope without Saliba.

Just switch to a back 3 with White Gabriel Tierney and Nelson/Saka + Zinchenko on the wings.

Or try Partey as inverted RB with Jorginho as DM if you don't want 3 at the back.

The very least you do is reinforce the defense with Tierney and the midfield with Jorginho next to Partey.

But try something...

It's impossible to win a game in PL when concede almost 3 goals everytime.