Citeh v The Arsenal, Sunday 31 March, 16.30 GMT

[Mac76]

I do think this is a likely title decider in the sense that if we lose it will not just lose us the lead but reinforce that we can't beat our direct rivals away from home

I think we need to win this to have a real chance at the title because we have so many tricky fixtures in April that we're bound to drop points elsewhere.

Starting Zin in this game would be suicide so it has to be Kiwior and we should also start with Jorg, with Rice in his more forward role.

Assuming Martinelli is fit I'd start with Havertz up front and keep Trossard back to bring on later on.

So:

Raya

BennyWhiteWhiteWhite Salibaaaa! Gabriel Kiwior

Jorginhooooooo

MartinOdegaardOiOiOi RiceRiceBaby

BukayoooooSaka KaiHavertzScoresAgain Martinelli


...but it will still be 3-0 Haaland hatter

[The Wengerbabies]

Must win.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I don’t think this we need to prove we can beat our rivals away from home stuff has much merit

Guardiola has won five league titles but has won only once against Liverpool at Anfield in eight seasons, losing four times

Klopp’s only league win at City was in 2015 when Manuel Pellegrini was in charge of City


But for me it’s academic anyway, in my opinion we aren’t going to win the title not whilst Arteta is here.


We’ve lost the last seven times at the Etihad in the league and under Arteta we’ve lost five out of five games there in all competitions…scoring only once in that time.

It seems a bit fanciful in the least talking about this as a must win game


A draw would be a result better than we could hope for, but I don’t think we will get that either

City 2-1 Arsenal

[Mac76]

I don't think you can put it on Arteta except in terms of his inexperience, I think he's working through his faults although a big test is whether, now Zin appears to be fit again, he recognises Kiwior is our first choice LB now

I don't think we'll win anything this season, but lose at Citeh and it's all over, win and at least we make more of a fight of it this time

Plus while I get your Citeh/Liverpool point we need to make a real statememt and give the team real belief

[McNamara That Ghost...]

1-2 Arsenal tbf.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I don't think you can put it on Arteta except in terms of his inexperience, I think he's working through his faults although a big test is whether, now Zin appears to be fit again, he recognises Kiwior is our first choice LB now

I don't think we'll win anything this season, but lose at Citeh and it's all over, win and at least we make more of a fight of it this time

Plus while I get your Citeh/Liverpool point we need to make a real statememt and give the team real belief

Kiwior isn’t our first choice left back, primarily because he isn’t a left back

If we were to play anyone at left back I’d prefer it be Tomiyasu. Long term i suspect the first choice will be Jurrien Timber

I agree I wouldn’t start Zinchenko in this game as it we will have to play far more defensively, but he will have a part to play despite your unhealthy fixation on him, in games where we need someone who links better with the attacking players and is one of the best passer on the ball in the team along with probably Jorginho


Arteta is not a good coach, he’s at best a mediocre one who has benefited from a very generous transfer outlay and even then he’s wasted so much of that money on luxury signings and in areas we didn’t need. The lack of money from player sales is definitely at least partly his fault.


He’s very good tactically and he would be an excellent asset to any coaching set up, but he lacks the type of personality where he can overcome the fact that players don’t really respect him because of his average playing career.

You see the interviews and it’s all about how impressed they are with his tactics and the different way they do things, there’s no real liking of him as a person.

[Mac76]

Well obvs I meant Kiwior is the best of those available although tbh I think he now gives Tomi a run for his money

but in any case Tomi won't be sufficiently up to speed to play this one I'd have thought, plus why disrupt the rhythm of a team that is playing well?

Oh and Zin's passing is generally mediocre and frequently appalling, he maybe plays a useful ball once or twice a game

[HCZ_Reborn]

Well obvs I meant Kiwior is the best of those available although tbh I think he now gives Tomi a run for his money

but in any case Tomi won't be sufficiently up to speed to play this one I'd have thought, plus why disrupt the rhythm of a team that is playing well?

Oh and Zin's passing is generally mediocre and frequently appalling, he maybe plays a useful ball once or twice a game

It really isn’t, the main problem with Zinchenko is he dithers too much on the ball. Players like Kiwior are better at tackling and interceptions than Zinchenko. Zinchenko’s overlap with players like Martinelli means we have more attacking verve on the left hand side rather than it always ending on the right side with defenders doubling up on Saka.

[Mac76]

It really isn’t, the main problem with Zinchenko is he dithers too much on the ball. Players like Kiwior are better at tackling and interceptions than Zinchenko. Zinchenko’s overlap with players like Martinelli means we have more attacking verve on the left hand side rather than it always ending on the right side with defenders doubling up on Saka.

That may be the theory but it isn't the practice

Yes I forgot his dawdling on the ball which has or nearly has cost us a goal in most games

[HCZ_Reborn]

That may be the theory but it isn't the practice

Yes I forgot his dawdling on the ball which has or nearly has cost us a goal in most games

No it is the practice, you just refuse to see it. Just like when you refused to acknowledge our set piece variation had been good for most of the season.