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Confirmed Arsenal team to take on Fulham this afternoon

The teams are out for today’s 3PM kick-off between Arsenal and Fulham FC.

The Gunners have won both of their league outings so far this term, beating Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, and today will hopefully be no different.

We knew we would be without both Jurrien Timber and Mo Elneny today due to injury, while Takehiro Tomiyasu’s double yellow on Monday night forces his absence also.

Gabriel Jesus is back in the squad however, and it will be interesting to see how many minutes he plays out today.

With the above information, we named the below predicted Arsenal XI:

Ramsdale
Partey White Saliba Zinchenko
Odegaard Rice Havertz
Saka Nketiah Martinelli

As you can see, we were just two players away, with Kiwior taking Zinchenko’s LB spot, most likely down to the Ukrainian’s fitness, and Trossard making his first start of the season.

This team should be able to get a convincing win this afternoon, but what are your predictions after seeing the sides?

Patrick

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Tags Arsenal v Fulham Fulham FC

223 Comments

      1. Someone is tall does not automatically mean they’re good in the air

        Aguero, Obafemi Martins are examples of short people that are good in the air than many tall people

        This the same insinuation that makes some people say Kai’s height makes him good in the air.

        With which goal/goals/corner-defending has he proven that

    2. Tierney wanted more playing time, and he’s gone where he’d get it.
      Can we move on from him…..please…..

      1. Kiwor is not even cut out at CB, yet he is better at LB than Zinchenko?

        Partey is best DMF, but he now plays at RB.

        We will lose many games this season and it will solely come down to stupid tactics like this.

        1. Zinchenko isn’t really match-fit yet. Kiwior was often deployed as DM by his former manager Thiago Motta at Spezia because of his ability to possess and control the ball

          Partey will still play DM when we have the ball, alongside Rice and Kiwior in deep-midfield area

          The so-called stupid tactic has won us three games in a row. I believe we’ll win one major trophy with it

            3. His ability to switch play over long distances suggests you have no idea what you are talking about.

              1. Switch play over long distances is different from possessing and controlling play

                Have you watched Chelsea’s CB Disasi and how good he is with switching play and long passes – he’s so good at that

                Nonetheless I would never want him in our defense from what I’ve seen

          1. Fair enough, but then you see comments flooded with negativity.

            My comment might be slightly negative, but I’m also real. I don’t want people to get hopes up when there is no concrete evidence.

            If Arteta goes back to last seasons way of playing and integrates the new players we can win something, good chance. These experiment of players out of position at the start of the season doesn’t sit well.

        3. “we will lose many games this season and it will solely come to down to a stupid tatics like this”
          So in your wisdom you’re better than Arteta in coaching business for you to know that the tactics that is yet to lose any match is stupid. The way some people feel so entitled is just too funny not to laugh.

          1. It doesn’t take a great mind to know we have been poor thus far. You only look at at the W and L. Those last two games could’ve easily ended in draws.

            Wisdom doesn’t even need to come in here.

    4. Kiwior has gone under the radar, time will tell but he has qualities ahead of entire backline particularly athletically.

  2. I guess Arteta wants his attackers to keep the ball longer in the opposition’s area, hence Trossard in the CF position

    And Holding isn’t even on the bench. Maybe he’s getting shipped out too

    1. Great Trossard is starting
      He deserve his chance
      Also I think Arteta must have still remember how Trossard ripped Fulham off last season with 3 1st half assists
      But Gai I still feel we need big strong and Powerful CF like Vlahovic, En-Neysri

      1. Maybe that’s why Trossard will play against Fulham soon

        I’d like to see Vlahovic, En-Neysri or Osimhen at Arsenal, but they’d likely stick with Jesus, Nketiah and Trossard for the CF role

    2. Gai Gabriel benched again? Despite taller than White. Hope we all shall soon know Arteta’s reason 🤫

      1. I think Magalhaes has become Saliba’s backup for the sweeper-CB role and the third-choice for the inverted-LB role

        1. But I still wonder Gabriel is better than Kiwior and both are left footed
          Why Arteta selected Kiwior instead of Gabriel

          1. Kiwior was often deployed as DM by his former manager Thiago Motta at Spezia, because of his ability to possess and control the ball

        2. So what happen to Artet’a favoring left footed CB? Well no issue other guys are equally good just for his height

      2. The gaffer is playing mind games with his team formation and selection.

        Partey in the two last games at right back is on paper only.
        Today will be different as Zinchenko cannot defend to save his life.

        1. Partey did play rb at times in the last game – he plays there when we are defending and at times stays relatively wide when we’re attacking. I think his main job was to be the “inverted” fullback to form the “double pivot” with rice, though.
          When zinchenko returns, I think partey may lose his place (Gabriel coming back, white at RB), or rice will play higher up the pitch in the xhaka role and someone else will drop out – it’s an option anyway.

      3. Asked if he has explained the reasons to Gabriel, Arteta replied: ‘Yeah, especially someone that has played a lot of minutes and games with us in the last year.

        ‘I don’t know if he understands but I told him.🤔

        1. Gabriel looked fired up in the last game when he came on – he’s an important player still imo, arteta’s just got too many good players now.

    3. He created a record in our last outing against Fulham (3 assists in 45 minutes)

      That’s why he remembers him today

  4. If we don’t start good, another struggle awaits. Fulham are no mugs. Only rest bite is there is no Mitrovic.

  6. An easy win and Havertz to score his first goal today. The tinkering at the back doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon.

  7. Good to see Leo playing. I cannot see Fulham stopping Saka-Trossard-Martinelli. Possibly the most mobile fron three in the EPL. Cannot think why Gabriel is benched. I hope it’s a fitness issue rather than Arteta’s having an ego tussle with Gabriel.

    1. I hope at least today Havertz Click with this all attacking players around him
      Look at the offensive quality we have in this line
      Martinelli, Trossard, Odegaard, Saka

    2. My bigger worry would be that Gabriel is tempted by Saudi although we should get an insane payday that way. Much less concerned that it is a battle of egos makes no sense given Gabriel’s constant inclusion previous. All that said could just be tactics.

  8. Great Line up
    All out attack, should be enough to put Fulham at sword
    I hope at least today Havertz Click with this all attacking players around him
    Look at the offensive quality we have in this line
    Martinelli, Trossard, Odegaard, Saka

  10. The way some people fight for the players on the bench is now something else and it’s not funny any longer… Very soon we will see some people’s comments demanding that our Raya need to start ahead of Rasmdale even when the later is yet to put a foot wrong….. No matter who start, people can never be satisfied

    1. It is not about who is starting. It is about if they are starting in their best position. That is all that there is to it.

  12. I don’t think this will be a walk in the park by any means.Fulham have a very strong midfield three

    1. Fulham overperformed last year and haven’t improved in the summer. It should be easy and expect a dominate performance barring weird referee decisions like last game or extreme missing of chances by our forwards. A 2 goal victory should be bare minimum. The cliche there are no easy games is true but if want to fight for the title then you need to make your quality count.

  14. The big talking point is Gabriel starting on the bench for a third game running.

    If it’s purely tactical, I can see why MA is experimenting at the moment given the quality of opposition (Forest, Palace and now Fulham), but he still runs the slight risk of upsetting one of his key players.

    It seems everyone is on board with MA, and most key players will then be ok missing the odd game, but for one of your main CB’s to be benched 3 games straight…surely there’s more to this?

    I wonder if Gabriel’s head has been turned by the Saudi’s?

    1. It’s funny how Gabriel being benched has become a talking point. Throughout the summer he was the main target for various people as a potential weakness. Funny how these things work out.

    1. Good luck Arsenal and enjoy the game my fellow gooners! Hoping for a nice 4-0 statement but would take 2-0 and points on the board

  16. Spurs to my surprise bear Bournemouth at home 0-2 in today’s early kickoff game. Thereforem the Gunners MUST react to make a big response in their today’s afternoon home match against the Cottagers by walloping them 5-0 final score-line at full-time unfailingly. To start building up massive goals difference as they top the table today.

  19. Well, that was a bit of a shock. Fulham gifted a goal from a very poor Saka back pass. Our best work is through Martinelli, but his final ball as usual is poor.

  22. What an effort from Jimenez. Arsenal look like a shadow of what they were last season. I don’t understand this tinkering.

    1. @Babasola They say we should give him more time for a player who has been in the league for 3 seasons .lol. Same folks are quick to brand Pepe a flop. The list of players Arteta has rubbished grows day by day.

      1. he’s not proactive.
        he doesn’t win any challenges
        Trossard exchanges with Martinelli and on his first move from the left we have one of our best highlight

        the team is just carrying him
        and our defence is obviously shaky

        1. pampering players sometimes may not increase their confidence as one hoped

          why is Kai still playing inside himself till now even in a confident team and having plenty playing time

  26. This formation makes no sense. Look so shaky when defending. Can we please just go back to a normal back four?

  27. Arteta is his own worst enemy . Football is not rocket science . We are struggling against fulham , what happens when we meet the top six . The insistence on this Havertz experiment will be his own undoing . Saka and Martinelli look off the boil i wonder why?lol.Our midfield is being sliced like butter when we have capable midfielders in the team .Lets hope some individual brilliance bails us out of this game like the last one .

  28. This is all on Arteta.
    For God’s sake white is better at right back. Leave Partey in his midfield role. Don’t distruspt the Saliba-Gabriel partnership.
    This all on Arteta.

    1. @Twinlights they will tell you how you are clueless and you have never played football when you are just stating the obvious.
      It doesn’t need rocket science to know that something is a miss at Arsenal.We have a problem.

  30. Why is partey right back? Did he evolve like Pokemon? He was one of the best in the world in his original position. This doesn’t make any sense.

  31. Take Havertz off. This experiment just isn’t working. Missed two wonderful chances, not positionally aware, and slow. Partey, Rice and Odegaard should be the midfield.

  34. Take Havertz and Kiwior off and bring Zinchenko and Gabriel in team

    White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko

    Rice Partey Odegaard

    Saka Trossard Martinelli

  35. Arteta should go to Man City as Pep’s assistant;the man is obsessed with Man city’s inverted nonsense

  36. PARTEY IS TOO GOOD TO PLAY AS AN RB. How can one play possibly the best DM in the league at RB????

    2. Rather than playing players to their strengths, he tinkers to show his brilliance.

      We are a depressing shadow of the sharp free flowing football of last year.

      Havertz looks so disjointed and out of place, and just lacks the instinct to find scoring positions.

      Wake me up when we play players to their strengths and this tinkering nightmare is over.

  38. One day people will run out of phrases trying to defend this mediocrity and see it as it is.I hope it won’t be too late.

      1. It’s painful @gizzle,bearing in mind that we had a wonderful team last season which just needed strengthening.
        Instead of building on what we have someone wants to reinvent the will,totally ubsurd.

  42. i will love for Jesus or Nketiah to come play the hard ball/tight spaces in the middle

    We need Trossards magic in the more spacious places – midfield or flank

    its almost now like a huge sacrifice having Trossard play in the middle, fighting in-btw big defenders while his creativity is really needed in many other places

    lets have Nketiah or Jesus battling that war in the box amongst plenty defenders

    1. Totally useless stupid experiment with Partey and Kiwior as FB. Gabriel SORELY missed. Havertz is half a player, so we have 10 and a half men.

      1. Meanwhile Fulham scored with their only shot on target. Arsenal missed multiple chances and have dominated possession it’s almost as if the tactics are working but Saka both for the goal against and our one clear cut chance isn’t quite at it so far today. Preordained narratives superseed actually watching the game though.

        1. You cannot seriously tell me the chances created by Arsenal were of required quality (quality wouldn’t matter if they scored). It’s 2.5 uninspiring halves from Arsenal since the season began with Havertz one of the worst performing players, but still being played through majority of the game. Not to mention playing a world class DM at RB.

          1. Emotion versus reality again look up the xg. Rewatch the chances. Being 1 down is a fluke that narrative pedallers like yourself are trying to latch onto. I said before the game I expect a 2 goal win and that hasn’t changed.

            Just curious can you name the Fulham chance that were of the quality you expect? Their goal wasn’t that was insanely accurate from distance.

            1. Fulham are just sitting back as usual. Did you expect different from them?
              And i am not peddling an narratives unlike the pedestrian interpretation you made of my comment.
              Fulham would obviously come to Emirates to ride their luck. But Arsenal haven’t really played quality football.

  44. We played a very good game, one of the best first halve this season, but when u go a goal down In 2min. U make the game tough for Urself. I hope we come back from this

  45. The whole team has been poor.
    In an attacking sense our best player has been Partey and then followed by Martinelli.
    I hope the whole lot get a rollicking at half time.

  46. Several Arsenal players didn’t seem to focus on the game. Saka made two misplaces passes and Odegaard/ Partey/ Saliba made one wrong pass. Martinelli also made bad crosses and Havertz missed two sitters

    Fulham just sit back with a Christmas tree formation. If we still can’t score after the sixtieth minute, it would be better to play Zinchenko and Jesus for more creativity

  47. Havertz has been poor so far in Arsenal Shirt
    Today also missed 2 sitters
    Absolutely crap
    Arteta need to change things

  48. I predict Arteta will take out Martinelli or Trossard and still leave Havertz on the pitch . All Pep disciples have few thing in common . Thier stubbornness and experimenting. In Arteta’s case he has a lot more issues , The man simply hates the Academy (You doubt
    name a player from the academy during his reign with exception of players developed by
    Emery)and its either his way or the highway. His game management is shocking and his man management is dreadful.
    We all love and support him but we should be honest at least. We have papered over the cracks this long . Edu makes things worse as well as he lacks a lot. Every Genius needs someone to balance him as was the case with Wenger and David Dein .

  50. Ohh God why to keep Havertz and taking Trossard off
    That decision will turn out to be one of the terrible one soon

  51. Arsenal are the first side in Premier League history to concede three goals in the first minute in a calander year.

    1. Correct decision and it’s absolutely fascinating that nobody above called it given the game Trossard was having.

      2. So on a very rare start,Trossard is given 46 minutes to show what he can but others 3 games how is that fair?

  57. Arteta has underestimated the effect of not having White overlapping on the right on our build up play. Watch saka and odeggard lack that outlet white gives when we attack.

  59. If we keep this system and keep Havertz in team then we not only gonna loose this but we will not even get top let alone title challenge

    1. Do you think we got Havertz on sale or return. Chelsea must be having a real laugh at us paying £65 million for him. What a steal.

  68. That’s the thing with some of our fans.as long as we win they do not care about performances,the way we play.i guess Konstantin was right about performances catching up with our results.even if we manage to salvage a draw or win,it won’t change the fact this team is unrecognizable from last season.

    1. Our shots are pretty weak too
      Leno doesn’t even need to parry anything
      He is easily catching everything

  71. This is dreadful.
    Playing Havertz is like being playing with a man down – what does this man offer Arsenal?
    £65 million and he is much worse than Pepe who, in fairness at least scored a few goals.
    They have taken him off and no one noticed..

  72. Our shots are pretty weak too
    Leno doesn’t even need to parry anything
    He is easily catching everything

  73. Is MA still approaching games like a pre-season game? I’m not entirely sure who naturally plays in which position any more. All this switching has me confused. Next week we may see Ramsdale in a number 10 position!! 🫢

  74. I do believe with the team we have we should be comfortable winning this game. It has to be the team selection and tactics that the manager has to get right!

  75. Has Havertz payed a bribe to be in every single team Arteta picks? How do fans express their frustration with a terrible player?🤯🤯🤯

  76. You cannot tell me the last few minutes have been explosive? Of course the fwds are highly wasteful!

    1. Finally!!!

      Please Arteta stop with the tinkering. This isn’t FIFA manager.. And Arsenal team isn’t a 22-man team like city either…

      1. TBF that is an understatement.
        I think he will find his feet but at the moment he isn’t contributing much.

      1. Zinchenko mistake leads to another goal, for supposedly being so good in possession he continues to F-up and cost points.

    2. Not really!it doesn’t change the fact that TP should play in the midfield and that Havertz has been useless.

    1. They said he was a flop and needed to add some muscle to have any impact whatsoever in the EPL lol

    2. Havertz deserves a chance. He needs time and that means he needs games. Let’s at least be a little patient before you try to crucify him please. 🤔

  88. That’s why the criticism towards Vieira last season was unfair.he was new to the league,a new country and arrived injured.you can also see that he has been working on his physique too.

  89. Vieira has impressed since pre season. If he can get more game time perhaps we might have a useful player there.

    I have missed the game again but if he goes back to rot in the bench after this rescue there is no point to bother.

  91. Well at least Arteta made the changes early.
    Vierra is getting there, not quite there yet but is getting there. One assist and one penalty caused.
    Now to get a third or see this game out. Coyg.

  95. Bad day at the office today. This squad seems far from settled (no surprise). Not scoring enough and conceding too many..

  97. FFS
    The game was won.
    Playing this stupid defensive system and insisting on playing a player every game who clearly is not the right fit for the position is costing us.

      2. Exactly right. Lost count how many points Zinchenko cost us since he arrived.

        Sloppy sloppy far too often, seems he’s at fault when things go pear shaped he’s usually involved.

  99. As I write it’s 2-2 I still expect us to win but it’s disappointing in the fact we should of always have been out of sight. Just the narratives that are running just don’t add up.

      2. Arteta doesn’t rotate prior to complaining Arteta does rotate. Arteta can’t do tactics. Arteta can’t do subs. Vieira is useless. Eddie is useless. So on and so forth. Fair few. Anyone watching that game who doesn’t think Fulham were lucky are liers.

        1. Add in Zinchenko being a liability. Gabriel too until he was dropped and then magically became lynchpin of the entire defence. Could go on and on. Trossard must start (I was in that camp) plays awful not a word said.

  100. You got back from a goal down, then with the opposite team down to 10 all you had to do is go defensive? Instead of attempting to kill the game off?

    Then when it’s 2-2 you start afresh with an attacking sub? Mist times I doubt Arteta’s mentality.

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