Is that a first?

MA has the entire first team on the bench................

Faith in our reserves?

Good start in terms of attitude. Final ball though....

Was there really a need for a back 5 in this game?

More like a back three with the full backs playing as wingers......................

More like a back 3, Rich. Not sure formation will be the crucial factor tonight. Composure and accuracy in attack is key

Feel like the ref has helped them out a few times with some 50/50 calls where they might have been in trouble if the ref didn’t give the free kick. That looked like a good tackle from elneny and we’d have been in on the gk from it

Snap!

The point though is you have natural defensive players pushing forward.
Nketiah, Nelson, Pépé and Willock at a push are the only real natural attacking players on the pitch.
You could play a back 4 with fullbacks pushed high and add another attacking midfielder
You need creativity and goals and 7 of the starting 11 aren’t going to give you any of that

Dundalk will run out of steam midway through the second half. They are working really hard without the ball.

Nketiah misses a sitter from 4 yards. It’s a very dull game

You would think so but they are battle hardened in Europe. We need a goal.

For me it looks more like a back four with Mustafi and Xhaka as the central defenders and Cédric plus Kolasinac as the full backs.

That was coming. 1-0 Eddie.

And 2-0 Joe Wiilock.

Screamer from Nketiah

1-0 Nketiah gets one from 4 yards now. Awful gk error

Willock 2-0

Of so AMN and Nelson are both playing left wing.

Willock has been our best player in my view. Fine finish.

Really nice finish from Willock

Don't forget Pépé..............

Pépé really should have played Willock in, he chose to shoot and the block fell to Willock exactly where he would have been if Pépé has passed it.

Willock and Nelson have been the most impressive simply because they’ve been willing to drive at them and make their defence commit to actually doing some proper defending rather than just shuffling side to side marking space

I haven’t seen much of AMN in defence.

Nketiah’s 9 goals for Arsenal have been from a total of 50 yards, averaging just over 5 yards out per goal

That brings me back to my schooldays and a game we as teenage kids organised against the neighbouring school. No ref or managers just us. At half time at 0-0 a bizarre group think took hold and we changed formation to have two left wingers!!! Which was shite for me as the right back!

Well no. But it still looks like the classic Arteta formation which is a 5-2-3 without the ball and 2-3-5 when attacking. I don’t see it as a back 4 in any way because the positions of AMN and Nelson don’t make sense for it to be a back 4. I’m not criticising players being too defensive I was questioning the need for the formation which puts 7 players on the pitch who would probably total 5 goals and 5 assists together over a season.

A beauty from Pépé

What did I say 3-0

From the kick off in the second half, AMN was firmly in midfield. It was a back four with Cédric, Mustafi, Xhaka and Kolasinac.

Nice Pépé. That should seal the game. Would be good to see some
Minutes for Balogun

Anybody watch the Spurs game

With his right foot too.

A lot quicker and brighter with our attacking second half.

Balogun and Tierney coming on.

That’s a clear foul on Nelson. Think the ref has been swayed by the David and Goliath nature of the match and has been hugely sympathetic to Dundalk. Any physicality from us is a free kick to them immediately

Lost count of the number of times Kolasinac has given the ball away when under no pressure

Nelson has been impressive. MOTM?

The ref is ridiculous. Like a fella in an Under 10s game trying to help the weaker team.

Case in point. Willock has his shirt held for ages as he’s dragged back. Ref gives nothing. Not that it’s mattered for the result or any big decisions but the ref has been ridiculously one sided to Dundalk tonight

He and Willock have been very good. Gives Arteta food for thought. Both need a run of games.

Nice to see us shooting more but we seriously need to work on the accuracy. Absolutely awful from range tonight