Radical changes needed in attack against Everton

By Danong and 1970s Gooner 

Arsenal are back in action on Saturday afternoon, with the boys in red and white hosting Everton at the Emirates Stadium.

The last time the Toffees visited, the Gunners sent them back to Merseyside with a 2-0 defeat. That result extended Arsenal's unbeaten run against Everton to seven games, comprising five wins and two draws. 

Naturally, after last weekend's 2-0 loss to Chelsea, Everton will be desperate to bounce back. David Moyes and his side will look to put that result behind them and return to winning ways. They will arrive intent on frustrating Arsenal and making the afternoon as uncomfortable as possible. 

What's important is that Arsenal have to start the game on the front foot and go hell for leather to score in the first half. This is where Everton showed against Chelsea they are more vulnerable. 

Arsenal must therefore move the ball quickly, stretch Everton's defensive shape and take their chances. The aim will have to be to be ahead when the whistle goes for half time.

With Bukayo Saka injured, tomorrow presents a massive opportunity for Arteta to start Max Dowman and for the Arsenal attack to step up.

Remember, Dowman scored against Everton in this exact fixture last season to become the youngest scorer in Premier League history. Arteta should trust the Hale End star to deliver again.

That said, with pace needed, Arteta can find it in Dowman, Viktor Gyökeres and Noni Madueke. Together, they can tire the Everton defence before Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz come on to finish the job.

To achieve that the following line up is considered the more appropriate for this game.

Raya

White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori

Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Ødegaard

Dowman, Gyökeres, Madueke

This the starting eleven to end Arsenal's Munich hoodo

By Danong 

Arsenal travel to Munich on Wednesday night for one of their toughest tests of the season, as they renew their rivalry with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

When the two sides last met at the Emirates, the Gunners won 3-1.

Mikel Arteta and his side would love to repeat the feat.

To do so, however, they must change the narrative of this fixture. In five away meetings, Arsenal have never beaten Bayern, who have won three of those games, with the other two ending in draws.

Bayern are unbeaten in nine games this season and have just thrashed RB Leipzig 6-1, so they arrive in the best shape. For Arsenal, though, that will not matter, because these are the battles they relish.

Arteta will be raring to go as he looks to outwit Vincent Kompany and secure a famous win in Munich.

Arsenal definitely need the speed of Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres to put the Bayern defenders under pressure, which is why the two start ahead of Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz.

Lewis-Skelly also starts ahead of Bruno Guimarães, bringing some more solidity in midfield and more progressive passing that Arsenal lacked against Nottingham Forest, when Rice played alongside Guimarães. Crucially, Arsenal need to be as direct as possible.

To do that, the Arsenal boss must field his strongest line-up, and none could be stronger than:

Raya

Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori

Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard

Saka, Gyokeres, Madueke

Hopefully, that is the line-up Arteta selects against Bayern.

That said, Jamal Musiala will miss Bayern's clash with Arsenal on Wednesday night because of a muscle tear. Meanwhile, Michael Olise is suspended, and Manuel Neuer is a doubt, which should give the Gunners a massive boost.

Tricky trees, tricky game. This is the team Arteta should select

By Danong 

After a comfortable 3-0 win over Lille in the Champions League, which preserved their 100 per cent record in the competition, the Gunners now return to the Premier League to continue their title defence.

They do so with a trip to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal's last few visits there ended in draws. This time, however, a stalemate will not do, not if the Gunners want to stop City extending their lead at the top.

Heading into this weekend's fixtures, the Cityzens held a three-point advantage, so the plan is simple: avoid dropping points and deny City any further breathing room.

That said, Forest are opponents Arsenal should beat comfortably. The Tricky Trees are yet to find their form under Oliver Glasner, collecting just five points from six games. Mikel Arteta and his side should therefore exploit that and punish them with a vital win.

Arteta can play his part by fielding a formidable line-up, but first he must settle three selection dilemmas. Does Bruno Guimaraes or Myles Lewis-Skelly start in midfield? Does Jurrien Timber or Ben White get the nod at right-back? And does Eberechi Eze start ahead of Noni Madueke on the left wing?

With Forest expected to defend compactly, Arsenal's team selection could prove crucial to breaking them down. If I were Arteta, this is how I would approach it.

I would go with Eze on the left wing. Forest will roll out a low block, and Arsenal will need his creativity to break it down.

At right-back, I would rest Timber and start White to manage the Dutchman's workload.

In midfield, meanwhile, I would pick Guimaraes over Lewis-Skelly. The Brazilian is a low-block dismantler, and Arsenal need to be more progressive and vertical from the first whistle. He offers exactly that.

That means Arsenal should line up:

Raya

White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori

Guimaraes, Rice, Odegaard

Saka, Havertz, Eze

It is a formidable line-up, and one that should take care of business on Sunday evening.

The four key changes to the starting eleven Arteta must make to hand Leeds their first defeat of the season

By Danong and 1970s Gooner 

Gooners cannot wait for this international break to end and for the Premier League to return.

That 3-0 loss to Brighton still aches, and only a convincing victory will put things right.

If Arsenal is to jump back to winning ways, the players will need to be at their absolute best, because a stern test awaits against Leeds United.

Still unbeaten in the league with two wins and three draws, Leeds are proving a tough nut to crack this season. Even so, the English champions must overcome them to close the gap at the top especially with Manchester City facing a stern test against Liverpool.

Team News

Cristhian Mosquera is expected to be fit for the Leeds match, provided there are no setbacks.

Kai Havertz’s injury, which he picked up while playing for Germany over the international break, although not expected to prove very serious, means he's unlikely to be risked for this game. Especially taking into account the serious hamstring problem he had last season.

Christos Tzolis is also expected to miss the fixture after the hamstring injury he suffered while representing Greece. He is set to be out for at least a month.

Piero Hincapié, Ben White and Marley Simon all returned to training. This doesn't mean however that they will be risked to start. Jurian Timber however is one step ahead of them as he started the Netherlands game at Greece two days ago.

That said, which side might Mikel Arteta select to stun Daniel Farke? He could go with:

Raya  

Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori  

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Ødegaard  

Saka, Gyokeres, Eze

Looking at this line-up, Eze has a massive opportunity to show the quality he displayed in his final year at Palace. If he is to break into the side, this is his chance. If he doesn’t show up then Arteta can bring Madueke on on the left hand side and it would be interesting to see him terrorise Leeds from that side with his speed on the ball.

Gyokeres now has the chance to get a run in the side and bring his goalscoring form on the international scene into the Premier League. This means that Arteta will need to prepare the players to play at Gyökeres’s strength by playing the early ball for him to chase and look for him in the box. 

A midfield of Martin Ødegaard, Bruno Guimarães and Declan Rice proved against Brighton & Hove Albion that it lacks the chemistry and balance Arsenal have seen with Myles Lewis-Skelly.

That Hale End graduate brings something different. He brings midfield physicality, defensive security, and energy going forward. More importantly, the engine room looks compact when he plays there. He is difficult to play through and can support both phases of play.

With him at the centre of the park and Eze in the side, the Gunners could hold the key to beating Leeds and starting a winning run of games.