Arsenal starting XI: Porter; Nichols, Kiwior,  Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Jorginho, Nwaneri; Saka, Sterling, Jesus.

Bolton starting XI: Southwood; Dacres-Cogley, Forino, Almeida Santos; Toal, Williams, Sheehan, Dempsey; Arfield, McAtee, Collins.

Match Officials: 
Referee: Josh Smith
Assistants: Sam Lewis and Alex James
Fourth official: Ben Toner
Carabao Cup

Emirates Stadium
Wednesday 25th September 2024
KO: 19:45 (UK)

Tonight, we look to take on League 1 opposition Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup. After a great, hard working performance on Sunday, Arteta will be looking to rotate most of the squad and may look to give some of the youngsters game time.

One major talking point for tonight’s fixture, is the goalkeeper situation with Raya an injury concern and Neto cup-tied aswell as the injured Tommy Setford, 16- year old Jack Porter will have to step up to the plate. Porter had only played one game in the U-21 squad and it will be a nerve-wrecking but great experience for the youngster.

Hopefully, we can get a good cup run which we haven’t had for the past couple of years but nevertheless, our main focus is the Champions League and Premier League. 

It’s always great to see the youth players playing in the first team. Arteta speaks highly of the academy and hopefully, some more can show their quality tonight.

Bolton kicked us off and for the first couple of minutes, we held possession across the backline as Bolton kept a solid shape. Sterling managed to find himself by the byline, however some good defending from the Bolton defender won a goal kick for the away side. 

The first chance came from Bolton as a sloppy pass from Calafiori allowed the ball through to McAtee who back heeled the ball to Arfiekd who fired over from close range. As we retained possession, a couple of fouls were given away from the Bolton players as we were able to grab a corner. However, it came to nothing. 

Gabriel Jesus then had his effort blocked as Saka headed the ball onto him. Bolton then were able to get a corner of their own which was played out and in as there were a few shouts for a penalty however, the referee waved any complaints away. 

We then got the breakthrough goal as a ball across the edge of the area made it’s way to Declan Rice who took a nice touch away from the Bolton defender and whipped his effort into the bottom right corner. Bolton were here to play a physical game it seemed as a few challenges were going in from both sides. 

Bolton then won a free kick on the edge of the area as Kiwior barged the Bolton attacker. The ball was whipped in however, was cleared well. Not many attempts on goal from either side as Bolton were happy to let us keep the ball. Some nice skills from Saka allowed him to get away from the defender and slip the ball through to Jesus whose cut back was cut out by a Bolton defender . 

Quick play out from the back transitioned the ball out to Saka who played it into Nwaneri who switched the ball to Declan Rice. Rice then played the ball out to Sterling who crossed in to Jesus who tried an overhead kick which was deflected out for a corner which came to nothing. Again, we attacked as an intricate ball played from Jorginho to Saka, was well-weighted as Saka crossed into Jesus who flicked the ball just over the bar. 

Some nice passages of play from Bolton allowed themselves to the work the ball down the left-hand side as they won a corner. The ball was swung in and partially cleared by Porter as the ball rebounded back out to a Bolton player who volleyed it back in to McAtee who volleyed over. Calafiori was then booked after appearing to pull back a Bolton player. 

Bolton played the ball quickly and the cross was blocked out for a corner. Again, the ball was swung in and cleared by an Arsenal head. A nice ball through to McAtee who finished past Porter, however, the referee blew for offside. A nice ball through to Sterling in behind who whipped the ball across the box into Nwaneri who tapped home, to grab his first professional goal. 

Sterling again found himself on the byline and some good defending won us a corner, however, the referee controversially gave a goal kick for Bolton. As we continued to apply more pressure, Rice played the ball to Sterling  whose curling effort was equally matched by the Bolton keeper. 

Another ball through the Bolton backline made its way to Jesus who shrugged off the defender but fired wide. 3 minutes were then added. Sterling then went down appearing to hold his groin, however he was able to continue. Our last opportunity of the half came through a corner, as Rice’s ball was swung in and flicked on by Kiwior however, it went over everyone and the referee blew the half-time whistle.

Half time views:

A strong and well-managed first half from the senior and youth players. Two good goals from Rice and Nwaneri puts us on the front foot going into the second half.

The first 20 minutes were scrappy from both sides however, after that period we began to show our attacking prowess and comfort ability on the ball.

No changes are specifically needed for a tactical sense however, maybe taking off Saka would lift any risks. Hopefully we can keep this intensity going in the second half.

No changes were made by Arteta and we kicked off the second half. Our first chance came as Nichols overlapped Saka who played the ball through to Nichols who chipped the ball into the box and the ball was headed out for a corner. The corner was swung in by Rice and beat out by the keeper as we then were able to recycle the ball and maintain possession. 

As we looked for a breakthrough, Saka played the ball to Rice whose cross was easily claimed. However, a loose ball was pounced on by Declan Rice who played the ball through to Nwaneri whose effort snuck under the keeper and into the net for Arsenal’s third and his second of the night. 

Saka then took on Williams at left-back and fired a deflected effort into the side netting winning us a corner. The corner was swung in a cleared by Bolton who broke away as Collins went through on goal, went past Porter and tucked away. 

A nice run from Calafiori with the ball, as he played the ball across to Nwaneri who then worked the ball out to Saka whose effort was fired into the side netting. Lewis Skelly then went down requiring medical attention however, he got back on his feet. 

A few moments later, Lewis-Skelly then went down again as Arteta brought on two subs with Lewis-Skelly being replaced by Gabriel and Rice being replaced by Havertz. We then go our 4th goal of the night as some good trickery from Saka as he sat down the Bolton defender and fired the ball at the keeper as the ball rebounded out to Sterling who poked home to get his first goal in Arsenal colours. 

Another shot, this time from Calafiori who hit over with his weaker foot. We then made another two subs with Saka being replaced by Martinelli and Calafiori being replaced by Maldini Kacurri. Bolton also made a sub of their own with George Johnston replacing Chris Forino. Jesus then chipped a ball into the box which was met by Kiwior however, he couldn’t direct his header. 

A moment later, another great ball over the Bolton defence from Jorginho was met by Sterling who tried to play the ball across to Havertz however, his misplaced touch was tapped over the bar by the keeper. 

We played a short corner, which was then  clipped in by Jorginho wining us another corner. The ball was swung in and punched away to Jorginho who brought down and played the ball off to Jesus whose quick feet allowed him to glide past the Bolton players. He then played the ball off to Sterling who fired an effort at the keeper who parried the ball out to Havertz who reacted quickest and poked home past the goalkeeper to put us 5 up. 

Bolton then made two subs as McAtee and Collins were replaced by Adeboyejo and Charles. We then made another sub as Sterling , who played very well , was replaced by youngster Ismeal Kabia. A nice bit of play from Kiwior as he backheeled the ball back to Martinelli whose ball into Havertz was slightly taken with a heavy touch causing a scramble in the box as Bolton were able to clear. 

A few moments later, Jesus swung a ball in which was headed behind for an Arsenal corner. The ball was crossed in and again cleared by Santos who had played quite well in the Bolton defence. As both teams looked to settle for the score line 4 minutes were added as Bolton looked to create one last chance leaving them exposed as we won the ball back through Martinelli who won a corner. 

Nothing came from it, and Bolton had a goal kick. As the rain began to pour down, Bolton had their last chance with a corner. Jack Porter claimed the ball and the referee blew the final whistle.

Full time views:

A very complete performance, with alot of the youth team players stepping up. No player had a bad game and we were able to control the majority of the game apart from the Bolton goal.

For me, there were many standout performances such as Sterling and Saka. However, I would give the MOTM to Nwaneri , not just for his goals but for his all round performance.

Hopefully, we can build on this as we look to face Leicester again at home on Saturday.

COYG

Hudson

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— Kick Off Merchants (@KOMerchants) September 24, 2024

Every time I see fans use our lack of League Cups as a stick to beat us with I laugh. I really do not care that we have not won it since 1993. It merely shows that in that time we have had bigger fish to fry.

During the peak Arsene Wenger years, from 1996 to 2006, the League Cup was looked at with disdain by top clubs.

As the Champions League extended, teams became less bother by England’s 3rd most prestigious trophy and basically “put out the kids”. In reality, with smaller squads back then, these kids were also sides back up players. Their second XI.

From 1997 to 2005, neither Arsenal or Manchester United won the League Cup. This despite them sharing every league title except for 2004/05. The competition become one for the mid-table teams. Leicester City, Chelsea. Tottenham, Liverpool, Blackburn and Middlesbrough.

Then Roman Abramovich turned up with his dirty money and Chelsea suddenly had two squads. No longer was their “2nd XI” mainly prospects. They won two out of 3 League Cups in a period under Jose Mourinho where they also won the league twice. And then the competition returned to being dominated by “also rans”.

In a 7-year period from 2007 to 2013, no team won the Premier League and League Cup in the same year. It quickly became a runners-up prize.

Arsenal missed out during this period, losing to Birmingham City in the final. This time coincided with our toughest period where financial restraints meant that our first XI was now filled with kids, and our 2nd XI was basically filled with teenagers. We were struggling to compete against sides who were gaining greater strength in depth.

From 2014, Manchester City showed their dominance and have won 6 League Cups in 8. They were Chelsea on steroids, and their 2nd XI was filled with regular internationals. £50m players. That enabled them to navigate those early stages of the competition.

At the same time, those clubs in the middle of the Premier League followed top sides lead and begun putting out weaker XIs. Your Tottenham’s Aston Villa’s and Everton’s deciding that their Premier League survival was more important than winning a trophy. The result was Manchester City’s path to the final became even easier as their 2nd XI was vastly superior to the 2nd XI of their opponents.

In last couple of years, the League Cup has once again become the trophy of the also rans, with Liverpool winning it twice and Manchester United once.

Now I do agree that Mikel Arteta needs to get more trophies on the board. One FA Cup in 4 seasons is not particularly impressive. But I can handle that if he lands us the big one. And I would happily sacrifice another decade of League Cup success if it meant us winning the Premier League just once.

So tonight we face Bolton, and off the back of 3 tough away games in a row, I expect Arteta to rest and rotate his troops.

With Neto cup tied having played for Bournemouth, 3rd choice Tommy Setford is in line for his first start.

The 18-year-old is highly rated having joined in the summer from Ajax. He will likely be in a straight-out battle with Karl Hein next season to be backup to David Raya. Although I also would not be surprised if the Neto deal is made permanent and that battle happens in a further season or two.

The defence is a bit of a headache for Arteta.

Jakub Kiwor will obviously start, but who is alongside him in the back 4 is anyone guess.

I am sure Arteta would have liked to have rested both William Saliba and Gabriel, the pair having played every minute so far this season. But with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney out, and Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori doubtful, he might have to play at least one. I would probably go for Saliba for the balance.

I expect young Myles Lewis-Skelly to come in at left back. The League Cup could be a great tournament for him to show that he is ready to be a factor in Arteta’s thinking moving forward. Right back is more awkward.

Over the summer, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Reuell Walters and Cedric Soares all moved on. The next in line in the youth team is 18-year-old Josh Nichols. He is the only realistic choice unless either Timber or White recovers. The youngsters inclusion will be another reason why I would expect Saliba to start.

Moving into midfield, Jorginho is a shoe in, and I would expect him to captain the team.

I expect Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri to both get their first starts. they will be joined by Gabriel Martinelli. Some might be surprised by my inclusion of the Brazilian, but my thinking is simple.

With Leandro Trossard suspended tonight, he gets an enforced mid-week rest. The result is Martinelli plays tonight, and then Trossard starts against Leicester City on Saturday. I expect Arteta to continue rotating the pair midweek and weekends (and we might start to see similar with Sterling and Saka).

the one remaining midfield spot is up for grabs, and it could depend on how Arteta plans to line up against Leicester City.

Thomas Partey is another to have played every Premier League minute this season, but is due a break. That will either happen tonight or on Saturday.

Arteta might choose to go with only Declan Rice in midfield at home to Leicester, then play Kai Havertz in behind Gabriel Jesus. The result will be Partey drops to the bench for the Premier League match, and Rice does not play tonight. However, if Arteta decides to go with Rice and Partey, then I expect to see the Englishman start tonight. He has played the least minutes following his suspension against Tottenham.

Another option would be Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand. However he played 70 minutes against Stoke City for the U21s on Monday.

My bet is we will go for Partey, for at least the first half. And then maybe bring on Declan Rice for the second.

Up front will be Gabriel Jesus.

Predicted XI:

Setford
Nichols Saliba Kiwior Lewis-Skelly
Jorginho Partey
Sterling Nwaneri Martinelli
Jesus

Some of our custom Arsenal shin pads going out!https://t.co/K0MAsBNJ1R pic.twitter.com/Wd24wSffQQ

— Kick Off Merchants (@KOMerchants) September 24, 2024

Man City starting XI: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri; Savinho, Silva, Gundogan, Doku; Haaland

Arsenal starting XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel; Calafiori; Havertz, Partey, Rice; Saka, Trossard, Martinell

Match Officials:
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Dan Cook
Fourth official: Andy Madley
VAR: John Brooks
Assistant VAR: Richard West

Premier League 
Etihad Stadium
Sunday 22nd September 2024
KO: 4:30 (UK)

Today , we return to the Premier League as we look to face Man City at the Etihad. After a solid performance at Atalanta in the Champions League, with Arsenal drawing 0-0 thanks to a great Raya double-save, Arteta will be looking to add more attacking threat against a strong Manchester City side.

Without the presence of Martin Odegaard, Rice and Havertz will have to step up and be creative . Trossard replaces Jesus as Havertz moves upfront with Trossard in the 10, which is expected as Jesus was nullified by the Atalanta defender on Thursday.

A surprise change is the replacement of Ben White with Riccardo Calafiori as he comes in at left-back and Timber moves to right-back. For me, I think that this is the right change by Arteta for this type of game as Timber is better defensively than White and with Jeremy Doku on his side, I think that Timber will be able to deal with him. Calafiori is also very solid defensively and I think that he will be able to handle Savio’s trickery.

Bernardo Silva kicked us off and straight away in the first 5 seconds, there was a collision between Rodri and Havertz as Rodri fell to the floor. Rodri got back up and the game restarted. As we played out from the back, Man City aggressively pressed however, some clever passes allowed Raya to kick it long. 

A few moments later, there was another collision as Haaland ran into Saliba as he went up for the header. Michael Oliver quickly waved away any complaints of a booking as a free kick was given. A diagonal ball across our half was brought down by Bernardo Silva who fired a ball into the path of Ilkay Gundogan who took a brilliant touch and set himself up for the volley however, his effort went wide. 

Moments later City broke again as Savio slipped the ball through to Haaland who made no mistake and poked the ball past Raya and into the net. A record breaking goal for Haaland as he scores his 100th goal and 10th of the season. A good bit of play from City however, we shouldn’t have been carved open that easily. 

As we began to settle down, Saliba played a diagonal ball across to Martinelli who brought it down and crossed in however, the ball was cleared. A cheap foul was then given away by Gabriel on the edge of the area. Gundogan stepped up to take and his curling effort rattled against the post and out. 

Man City then managed to grab another corner and the ball was quickly took but Rodri went down again in the box , clutching his knee after colliding with Partey  and the referee blew his whistle for the corner to be retaken. After Rodri was down for a prolonged period,he came off a. The corner was then swung in and cleared by Havertz. Rodri was then replaced by Kovacic after a foul on Partey. 

The quick ball was clipped out to Martinelli who set the ball back to Calafiori whose amazing curling effort went straight into the top corner an amazing start  for the Italian. Our fans bellowed out chants silencing the home crowd which was pretty much already silent. 

As play begun City started to mount on the pressure, however our defence stood strong. City then attacked again as Savio took a nice touch past Calafiori and crossed into Haaland who was successfully challenged by Saliba who headed away. Kyle Walker then fired a long range effort towards our goal however, Raya was there to hold it in his gloves. 

Trossard was then booked for pulling back Savio. Then, a combination between Doku and Gvardiol allowed Doku to shoot however, his effort was deflected out for a corner. The corner was whipped in but Havertz was there again to clear. 

Saka and Timber then provided a combination of their own as Timber slipped Saka through and his cross was blocked and out for a corner. The corner was swung in deep by Saks and was met by Gabriel who headed over by Gabriel. He probably should’ve scored as it was a free header however, it was good to see that Man City were unable to mark him. 

A nice turn by Saliba allowed himself to glide past Haaland and we regained control of possession. Again some nice play by Gabriel and Martinelli allowed Martinelli to beat Walker for pace and cut the ball back for Trossard who blazed over. A looped ball from Rice then fell to Saka who then played the ball round again to Rice on the overlap whose cross was blocked and out for a corner. The corner was swung in again by Saka and AGAIN BIG GABI got on the end of it unmarked and headed into the net. Another inevitable corner goal just on the brink of half time as 6 minutes were added. 

Partey was then booked after he was late and stopped Man City from countering. Trossard was then booked again and sent off for kicking the ball away after giving away a free kick. I do think that this was a second yellow however, it shows no consistency as a Man City player had thrown the ball away and not received a yellow. The free kick was swung in and cleared as the referee blew the half time whistle.

Half time views:

A very strong first half performance after going 1-0 down. Disappointing to see Trossard go off however, it is good to go in 2-1 up.

I’m sure Arteta will be riling up our players to battle but also keep them composed and to keep a compact shape.

A sub will probably have to be made for defensive support. Anyways, hopefully we can hold on for the three points.

Before we kicked off we made our first substitution with Ben White replacing Saka. We then kicked off and City started on the front foot with Haaland’s effort being held easily by Raya. City then had another chance as we seemed to be sitting in a 6-3 formation, with Kovacic blazing over. 

Another shot from Dias this time, then sailed over the bar as Raya slowed down the clock with his goal kick. Shots after shots and Raya stood strong as he made a great save to deny Walker. 

Some last ditch defending from our defenders resulted in a City corner which was played out and in to the leaping Haaland who was denied brilliantly by Raya who parried out to Bernardo Silva who fired over the bar. As we stayed in our compact shape, another chance fell to Gvardiol on the volley whose effort was again met equally by Raya. 

A couple of moments later, Raya went down to receive treatment as Myles Lewis-Skelly received a booking before he’d even made his Premier League debut for appearing to tell Raya to go down. We again held our own as we hooked the ball away into the City half. 

Savio’s effort then went over the bar as Doku was replaced by Phil Foden. As City stayed camped outside our box, Dias again had a shot, which was deflected off Phil Foden and into the hands of Raya. 

Calafiori then went down signalling that he had to come off as he was replaced by Kiwior. With 15 minutes to go, we stood strong with the latest City effort coming from Kovacic which was again blocked. Foden then made his way into the box but his shot went over. 

Pep then made two substitutions with Savio and Walker being replaced by Grealish and Stones. Kovacic then lashed another one over the bar. We then managed to grab a free kick as Havertz went down after a duel with Dias and then Declan Rice was booked for delaying the restart. 

Dias then hit another one into the crowd as Martinelli went down with cramp however, Michael Oliver was having none of it as Jesus looked to come on. Raya was then forced into another save to deny Gvardiol as Martinelli was replaced by Jesus. Gabriel then went down after a challenge in our area. Again another one of our places went down, this time Timber as Raya kicked the ball away and the referee blew his whistle. 

Bernardo Silva was then booked for arguing with the referee. Timber then came off and was replaced by the booked Lewis-Skelly for his Premier League debut. We again managed to clear our lines however, City  came again and won a corner which was delayed by Jesus who received a yellow card. 

The corner was direct this time as Raya rose the tallest and claimed brilliantly. As we ticked past the 97th minute mark, City took a short corner as Grealish fired a shot in which was saved by Raya however, the ball bounced out to Stones who poked home for the equaliser. 

After the celebrations, we kicked off and already the players started pushing and shoving as Haaland bundled into Partey. VAR checked the foul and called it only “reckless”. As the ball was kicked long, the referee blew the full time whistle putting an end to one of the craziest games of the season.

Full time views:

A very hard-working second-half performance where we stood strong and failed at the final hurdle. Arteta will be proud of the lads for their commitment and perseverance throughout the game despite Trossard getting sent off.

A positive first half performance with a great goal by Calafiori and a dominant header by Gabriel. Without Trossard’s sending off, I think that it would have been a completely different game. 

Anyhow, onwards and upwards as we look to build on a great point today as we face Bolton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

COYG

Hudson

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— Kick Off Merchants (@KOMerchants) September 20, 2024