Yes I love Mark Knopfler's playing and as you say he is a master of the slow ones. Bit like Sokratis...

Not sure if you're serious or not but I believe it could work. Maitland-Nile isn't a full back and looked out of place defensively when he played there.

Welbeck with his movement and attitude could do a very good job there and being older than the kid should be wiser though possibly not as flexible.

However I'd love to see him given a chance to stay a Gooner.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45073327

Sensing some optimism from Arsenal fans, which is nice. Personally I expect this to be a relatively comfortable win for City. We haven't looked great defensively in pre season, and I think we just have to accept it'll take some time for Emery to really put his mark on the team. Hoping for some positive signs in the way we play at least.

Liverpool look good. However, every time they attack West Ham only seem to have their back 4 back. It was proven that Liverpool struggle against packed defences where they can’t use their speed and the counter attack - it amazes me that smaller teams don’t use all use this tactic

Čech, Bellerin, amn, mustafi, Sokratis, guendouzi, Xhaka, ramsey, Özil, mikhtayran, Aubameyang
Leno, Lichtsteiner, holding, Torreira, elneny, iwobi, Lacazette on the bench

I wonder what formation we're playing. Early predictions saying it's a 4-2-3-1, but I'm hoping Ramsey plays in a box to box role rather than further forward. Would like to see three players in midfield against a team like City. Nice to see Guendozi rewarded with a start after his excellent pre season.

Seems a logical team for a first game. Was expecting El Nenny to play but I think it’s logical he doesn’t throw in Torriera or play Lacazette and Aubameyang at the same time for this type of game.

It will be interesting to see if Xhaka has changed his style to incorporate more pressing and less diving in and also tracking back under Emery.

Really looking forward to this game but like Haz I'm not expecting too much. After all, we are very much a work-in-progress whilst City are near to the finished article.

Great to see young Guendouzi start, I just hope the occasion is not too much for him and that he at least shows glimpses of the talent he has shown in pre-season.

Overall, I'm just hoping for signs we are moving in the right direction........better organisation, more intensity with and without the ball, hopefully fitter and more aggressive that in previous seasons.

Im on board with this as well Soc. We know if wenger was still in charge you could chalk up a simple victory for City. We are work in progress. It is interesting that we play the best team in the league straight up, I want to see what plan Emery has. Will we sit deep and counter, will we go for the high press, will we try to dominate possession?

Laporte high through the back of Aubameyang. Later in the game it’s a yellow - should be in the 2nd minute as well

A defensive mid snapping in to tackles and a manager barking orders from the technical area....there’s 2 new things already

Oh well.

Well that was a bit too bloody easy. Show a man inside by all means but make sure you show him in to another man to make a tackle. Just a free run for sterling to run across the box and have a free shot from 20 yards

That was annoying. Bellerin had a shot saved and as it came out to a city player we had 5 players ahead on the ball. I think only 1 of that 5 made it back to our box. There was an absolute age and none of the rest were busting a gut to get back and help the defence.

Čech now almost sidefoots a pass in to his own net.

Our press needs more work.

Its a bit frustrating when City gets talked about with regards to their deep quality without mentioning they are the world's richest club with could be regarded as unlimited funding. with

We arent terrible. We are actually playing decently but its a tough ask to be up to the level of City so early in the season.
Had we been playing almost any other club in the league we would look better.
The match has to be put in its proper perspective.

Xhaka is back to being Xhaka, sigh!

Well done Čech!

They are really giving us the runaround here. This could get really messy.

Shame for AMN. I feel sorry for him. A short painful experience in both senses.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been added to the Injury Room.

He has suffered a knee (non-specified) injury and he is estimated to spend around 2 weeks on the sidelines.
The average time lost for this particular injury is 27 days, based on a sample size of 36 injuries of the same type.

If the tactic is the play the ball out from the back then your gk has to be as good as an outfield defender with the ball at his feet, Čech is probably one of the worst in the division with the ball at his feet. Leno should start if that is the tactic

There is still an issue with players not working hard enough to track back. Özil, mihkitaryan, Xhaka even Ramsey are not natural trackers. You can maybe afford to have 1 maybe 2 who don’t track but not as many as we have.

Can't name them all but some of our players are playing really well.

We've done well to hang in there and keep it at one. Lichtsteiner should have started at full back rather than Ainsley, he's shown his experience. Tough opponents but at 1-0 it's not over yet. Not quite

Interesting first half. City clearly the dominant side, our performance is a mixture of some encouraging signs and some annoying defensive sloppiness. Guendozi looks a bit out of his depth at times, he should've done better preventing Sterling from getting the shot away. Xhaka with a couple of frustrating defensive lapses that could've led to us conceding goals, but also some excellent distribution going forward.

You can clearly see what we're trying to work on. We look a bit better positioned overall, and our play without the ball is much more aggressive. We're at the beginning of something but it will probably take some more time and work to get it right. If we can keep our focus and not concede there's still a chance.

Should also be mentioned that City are really, really good. Anyone who wants to challenge them this year will have to step up.

It looks like the players aren’t yet comfortable with the way Emery wants them to play. Playing out from the back is awful as we can’t find anyone in midfield, and the press up front is too easy to break with a simple ball in midfield.
City do both of these things really well but it took pep a whole season and half a billion quid to build a side able to do it.

Generally if that is the plan we should stick to it, but if we are up against such a superior opponent and keeping doing it is leading to panic and gifted chances then we need to stop for this game.

The strange thing for me is that if those are the tactics why pick Čech and why sign Sokratis who are not ‘play it out from he back’ types. And why play Özil AND Mikhi who are not ‘high tempo press types’

That was a 1-0 battering. Hope we can get into it in the second half.

Torreira or Elneny for Xhaka and Lacazette for Mkhishould shake it up.

Another stupid booking for Xhaka. Sigh.

Looking much better and more promising this half.

Lacazette making things a bit more interesting.

Laporte must get done for that nutting.

City win a corner, take an age to get a man over to take it, then the ref sorts some argy bargy in the box, then city make a sub. The ball has been out of play for 3 minutes in that whole incident alone. No chance the correct amount of time is added on. It happens every game. Big annoyance for me

Wow. Well done Čech. Kept us in it there.

Čech still number 1...............

Guesdouzi with a horrible mistake as last man, aguero 1v1 and Čech saves. He could have squared it for a tap in and game over

But not for long. Hey ho.

There is 2-0. So much space in the box