Here we are, licking the wounds of what was a terrible outing at St. Mary’s, but this time, AFC Bournemouth comes to town and they would take some confidence from the mere fact that they grabbed three points from Manchester United and Chelsea this season and one point from the Merseysiders.

Arsene Wenger’s men know that anything less than three points would be a massive disappointment and they have to respond from their debacle against Southampton. Maybe the manager could try to switch things around to give some of the first teamers breathers but the squad isn’t even big enough to accommodate any drastic changes. Yeah, maybe Kieran Gibbs can come in for Nacho Monreal and the likes of Gabriel Paulista coming in for either Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny, but with Matt Debuchy not making the bench for two games in a row, it wonder what’s cooking there.

In midfield, Wenger’s options are down to bare minimums with Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Mat Flamini the only available players for selection. Calum Chambers offers a presence in holding midfield but I’m still impressed by his abilities in that role. There is some speculation linking FC Basel’s El Nenny and I hope it’s true. In attack, the only available option is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the lad has failed to impress me this season. 

Playing at home would give the lads some confidence, because the Emirates has been like a fortress this season. Let’s hope they turn up the style and finish the game with three points.

Sayonara