We will be bored sensless all weekend without a game and go on a bender .

So now the Sheff U game is out of the way, what about Arsenal? It will be very difficult but I think we can get something out of the game. Why? With Lerma alongside Doucoure we have two of the best5 DMs at breaking up play and that will be vital against Arsenal, Also, if Mitchell is told simply to focus on stopping Saka and not worry about getting forward we may just scrape a draw.

Edited by doombear (12 Aug 2023 8.55pm)

Arsenal were bang average

2-1 palace

We will be in full Royball mode. Two banks of four with Ebs and Eddy offering a token attacking gesture. In Roys final full season apart from the first day win at Old Trafford we made very little effort to beat the so called 'big' clubs and at the end of last season amongst a lot of exciting football was a dismal defeat at Spurs where we reverted to type. Its wrong to expect a win but i hope we actually have a go. Saka v Mitchell fills me with dread though.

I suggest you take your blinkers off and realize that Hodgson adapts his system and tactics according to the resources available. As he showed last season he set us up very differently to what he did in the last year of his previous stint which in turn was somewhat different to the first two years of his tenure.