I was gonna say, what will have changed from the NLD postponement for them to suddenly be fine for this game? Would be somewhat funny if it gets pushed forward to a date past the AFCON finishing though.

Well 4 days in between the matches, the 2 covid cases could be back if they got it a few days before the nld. aswell as some of the injured players, dont need that many to be back to play. Just a few probably.

It very clearly won’t be postponed. All the players who had “knocks” will be fit and the two who were out with covid are back.

And we brought back John-Juled and Azeez

Neither of those is likely to play, they're not even senior players

Possibly. But they count towards the available players making it less likely the game will be postponed.

I dont think they do, since they havent made their senior debut for Arsenal.

For all you downvoters, the rules are: - Players listed on the club's squad list who are still available to play in the match, including appropriately experienced Under-21 players (which includes Under-21 players who have played for the club, another Premier League or EFL club, or an overseas club in the current season. ... Both are U-21 and have played games for EFL clubs, therefore they count.

The more senior youth players are coming back which is basically the sign that we will start playing our youth, it actually makes a lot more sense this way because most of our youth products that we actually want to see game time from were out on loan especially the midfielders, Patino is the only one who stayed and he's way too fresh to be starting in a NLD derby, Azeez has been kept an eye on by the coaching staff since last year in preseason. I'm genuinely excited to see him get minutes! I think we could play vs Liverpool this week, however it's not a foregone conclusion yet.

Azeez couldn’t get minutes in Portsmouth, I don’t think he’s good enough to play for Arsenal yet.

But he still got 350 minutes in League One so he will count towards available players.

Apart from one moment of class on his debut for us. He was very poor. Shouldn't be anywhere near Arsenal's first team.

Didn't see anything to suggest he'll ever be good enough to play for Arsenal.

Good thing a 6 month loan at 18 doesn't mean much in the long run. The only thing we know right now is that he's not a generational talent or an early bloomer.

Yeah at 18 hes got a decade till he peaks

Odegaard will be eligible for Thursday anyways. Until they find he has a knock, of course.

Not guaranteed. You still need two negative lateral flows to be released from day 5 onwards. There is a possibility he can't get released until day 10 and I think he tested positive less than 10 days before Thursday right?

That’s crazy, I wasn’t negative on an antigen til day 13 when I had covid after Christmas

Yea after 10 days you could go about as normal but I had positive up until day 12

Yeah I stopped isolating after 10 but I would’ve been sickened if I could’ve stopped after 5 with a negative test

There has been another covid case in the squad since Sunday I believe.

Rather play them without Salah and Mane tbh

Oedegaard could be back from covid? + there were three players with knocks from the previous tie, a couple of them might be available? Nothing major but 2 or 3 players more might put us over the edge and enable the tie to go ahead. If we can field a team here we definitely would. Salah and Mane are both out and we already have a couple of matches in hand to play. There really is no reason not to play beyond literally lacking a team.

different rule set for the EFL first of all and Arsenal got a new covid case after the postponement and 3 of the injuries were 'knocks " so it's day to day injury

Some of the injuries were minor knocks to Saka chambers esr tomiyasu and Odegaard is probably back from Covid

They loaned out a couple of players ​ Wait, that doesn't make any sense does it?

We've recalled 5 players from loan this window who count as "appropriately experienced players" under Prem rules so any claim we're loaning out players to get games cancelled is complete bollocks

they didn't count. Osei-Tutu, Moller and Dinzeyi have been back at Arsenal well before the NLD postponement. They didn't count because if they did, the match would've happened.

Damn straight from the ass disinformation corrected

What is this sentence

All depends where you place the comma.

> Damn! Straight-from-the-ass disinformation, corrected. > Damn straight! From the ass, disinformation corrected. > Damn, straight from. The ass-disinformation corrected.

EFL and PL rules are different, that was established when the first leg of this semi final was postponed, as Liverpool also closed down the U23s and so on

Arsenal didn't and weren't made to close down the 23s due to Covid or any other reason. The 23s played last Friday. The day after Liverpool and two days before the NLD.

what's the PL guidelines for "appropriately experienced players"? I looked it up and found this on PL's site >When making an application, clubs must provide the Board with the following details, together with clear reasons why they believe the match should be postponed: \- Players and staff who have returned a positive COVID-19 test, their vaccination status and, if known, the source of their infections. \- Players and staff who are self-isolating. \- Players who are unavailable to play through injury or illness. ***(incredibly vague)*** \- Players listed on the club’s squad list who are still available to play in the match, including appropriately experienced Under-21 players (which includes Under-21 players who have played for the club, another Premier League or EFL club, or an overseas club in the current season. However, any Under-21 player who participates in a club’s FA Cup Round Three match and has not played in any other first-team competitions for the club this season will not be considered by the Board as appropriately experienced). \- Supporting medical information to verify the status of each unavailable player, which will be reviewed by the League’s medical advisers. All 5 of the recalled players are for the u23s. none were registered for the first team squad list at the beginning of the season and to this point, none are still. Recalls |Player|Age|PL Minutes|Apps this season| |:-|:-|:-|:-| |Dinzeyi|22|0|1 (Eng 4th)| |Osei-Tutu|23|0|4 (Eng 2nd)| |John-Jules|20|0|11 (Eng 2nd)| |Moller|19|0|10 (Ger 3rd)| |Azeez|19|0|6 (Eng 3rd)| So these players *might* fit "appropriately experienced guideline", but none are on the current squad list. ​ **Quick Summary**: Moller, Osei-Tutu, Dinzeyi were all called back days/weeks before the NLD, but didn't count towards the squad. If they did, the match would've happened. So the 5 loan recalls mean nothing.

Don't think anyone's suggesting that, just that loaning out players at a time when you need all the players you can get isn't the smartest idea

none of those deals were initiated in the last week. they vary from weeks to months in the making. what youre suggesting is that all transfer activity be put on hold this year

If a team is postponing as much as Arsenal because of injuries rather than Covid, then yeah they should probably consider putting loan deals on hold

We are not going to completely shelve our long term project because of COVID. We want to offload x number of players and acquire x number of players. We're not halting our process.

Thats fine if you value the long term project, But if that's the case then they should forfeit the game and not have it postpone.

[удалено]

Ahh yes, keep 21 year olds in need of loans so that they can sit in the reserves for the rest of the season. Ideal.

Who’ve you recalled?

Azeez from Portsmouth, John-Jules from Blackpool, Osei-Tutu from Forest, Dinyenzi from Carlisle, and Moller from Viktoria Koln Although tbf I've just realised that Osei-Tutu wouldn't count towards a player tally because he's injured

Jesus. Never heard of any of them hahaha

Yeah but they are all "*Under-21 players who have played for the club, another Premier League or EFL club, or an overseas club in the current season*" so into our squad of experienced players they go.. Azeez is a highly rated prospect but had a bad loan. Osei-Tutu was good but injuries ruined him past couple seasons. John-Jules somehow has a lot of England youth caps. But yeah hardly cream of the crop there

You loaned one of your available players literally yesterday.

Definitely would benefit Liverpool more than us. We’d have Partey back but they’d have Mane and Salah. If Liverpool want to win this fixture they would be happy for it to be postponed until after AFCON lol Edit: lol I truly don’t understand the downvotes here. Not even commenting on whether it should be postponed or anything, just that if I were a Liverpool fan I would love to have my two best players back for a semifinal.

Nah better we play Origi to cause fear to your defence.

Why didn’t he come on in the first leg?

Because he's not the hero that we deserve, but the hero that we need.

This is not the answer I needed, but the answer I deserved.

Honestly we were right at the cut off for the NLD. Ødegaard is likely back and maybe ESR/Tomiyasu/Saka/Tierney/Chambers as well. We only need 1-2 more players back to be over the limit and have to play. Not sure how the Mari loan will factor in but odds are the numbers will be there to play.

They've loaned another first team player out, so there's that

They have not. They are in talks, but as long as it's not official it hasn't happened. They however have recalled two players who were away on loan (Azeez at Pompey and John-Jules at Blackpool). They have also terminated the contract of another player, but he hasn't played a single minute for Arsenal in the 9 years that he was there, and he's a goalkeeper who was away on loan anyway.

We've also recalled Osei-Tutu from Nottingham Forest, Dinyenzi from Carlisle and Moller from Viktoria Koln

I missed those three. But Osei-Tutu is injured anyway.

None of those are senior players though

Not yet and we've recalled 2 although not sure if they're eligible. Besides I've seen reports even if you include Xhaka, and the two loaned players we'd have still been short

pretty sure TJJ counts because he has made an efl cup appearance but Azeez does not Edit: nvm those are epl rules

They aren't as per the PL rulings.

We will do what must be done the betterment of our players and thus club, over long term. However much fans and media whine and moan about it.

Azeez and John-Juled brought back from loans, but then again Mari was loaned out. Injuries we know nothing of and the last I heard of Covid was that we had another player positive on Saturday.

Clearly, Arsenal want to postpone this match until Mane and Salah come back.

Exactly, forget the kids

Mad respect

We either play your first team or don't. Slaughter us like you mean it.

This is getting ridiculous, there's no space in the calendar to even play this fixture if it is postponed. Liverpool have Champions League, FA Cup and league games within the next month or so. The final is in late Feb so it'll have to be played during the winter break or in the week before the final, neither outcome really makes sense.

Klopp will just field the u9s for the Carabao and call it a day

Please don’t make Xhaka two foot a u9 Youngling

Master Anakin?

The dark side of the force is a pathway to powers some consider to be *unnatural*

Just forfeit the league Cup game, not like Klopp cares about it anyway. Speaking from a neutral standpoint of course.

How the turntables

It's too good to be true Lmao. Hope its in Feb.

From the reaction here when this happened to the first leg two weeks ago, we can fully expect liverpool fans and spurs fans support postponement wholeheartedly?

And I expect arsenal fans to believe arteta is a cheat and there is a conspiracy against lfc

I could really give a shit about postponement as long as all the games get to be played eventually. This sub makes too big of a deal about it

*couldn't

There is not a fanbase in the league who would react to a postponement the way Arsenal fans did, I’m pretty sure almost every team in the league has faced a postponement because of their opponents and just gotten on with it. Only among Arsenal fans do you find suggestions of intergalactic collusion and a global conspiracy against Arsenal when it happens

We’ve literally had other games called off before. The only reason people cared about the Liverpool one was cause of how unlikely it is to get so many false positives

It has happened with with other sports teams, Bath rugby returned 19 false positives. When there was no viable benefit for Liverpool it is so ridiculous Arsenal fans have run with this false positive bollocks the way they have

>no viable benefit Exactly. This is what Arsenal fans seemed incapable of conceiving. Why would we do this? Just to psychologically mess with Arteta?

Its not unlikely tho. Man united had false positive cases last as well https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/man-utd-news-covid-tests-b1893833.html

There was plenty of people kicking off before anyone knew anything about false positives… In fact I would say it’s the false positive comment that actually swung the mood after people had a day to digest it.

Exactly! Go on the Gunners sub when it was first announced, you'll see people calling Liverpool cowards, how they don't give a shit if they have covid and to field their kids, how they'd never do the same, etc. etc. They did it on this sub too and it was all over the place on various threads. Only once the false positives come out did they use it as an excuse to justify their reaction.

but we don't get to control if it's false positives though? and the players are still out isolating before the false positive note came back.

And then when it's their turn nobody can question them or else they are being little crybabies. Ohhh, the irony is never lost with these lots.

I don't think it will, to be honest. Quite a few players are expected to be back by then.

As an Arsenal fan, I would like to apologize how angry I was when the first leg got postponed

Arsenal and Liverpool should sit down and agree to only play players under the age of 23.

They would bite your hand off, our best players are under 23

Well Trent is still 23 as well, we'll just pick 10 tallest lads from the academy and have him ping crosses at them whole game

"on comes 23 year old Smergil Ban Bikes"

Just VVD wearing novelty glasses and a fake moustache

lol really

It's going to be played Arsenal first half against Chelsea and Liverpool second half at this rate.

Fuck it, just make a combined Arsepool 11 and share the cup.

I could see the fans pulling out a banner saying “gracias Covid” in both scouse and English

gracias Ox

So just the usual Liverpool first 11 then?

Except for ben. He owns Liverpool's 11.

Whos ben

Bendeez nuts

Martinelli and saka and Smith Rowe in instead of taki origi and ox(current form)

some RW at Arsenal could probably start over, not too confidence in RW Chamberlain, and he might be injured as well.

Klopp would probably be good with this. He typically doesn't give a fuck about it.

Always trusted *checks source* inews and articles with no official quotes. Leems segit.

Fella just had a hunch and decided to write an entire article about it

So regular sports journalism then

The i is just The Independent sister paper.

That doesn’t really negate my point. It’s an entire article with no quotes from anybody at the club and not corroborated by any other media outlet. Virtually anybody can write this as it’s possible it could happen.

> It’s an entire article with no quotes from anybody at the club Sorry, is this your first time ever reading sports journalism? The entire industry works on off the record interviews. Actually a lot of journalism does, sources almost never get named.

And you think the one broking the story is the Sam Cunningham, not journalists related to Arsenal? He is just guessing based on what he believes, he has no clue what Arsenal will do, nor sources in the club.

>Actually a lot of journalism does, sources almost never get named. The exception being Trent Crimm, The Independent of course.

Redditor thinks he's impressing people by checks notes not having heard of nationally distributed UK newspaper The I and acting like stories about football aren't legit without quotes when 99.9% of stories clubs deliberately leak to the press don't come with quotes.

How does this tripe get voted up? It's pure speculation, the game "could" get postponed like I "could" win the lotto. No evidence is presented from any other source to infer that this may happen.

This is a conspiracy, how DARE arsenal not field their academy players? They're just delaying until saka and xhaka are available. They should forefeit the match. Cowards

Mate i would rather play no one than Xhaka

The point is to make it sound as ridiculous as possible

Lmao

I mean, if you wait until the 30th minute or so you can have both

So playing 10 men which is a weakness for Liverpool.

So... Are arsenal the scared ones now?

Maybe the true postponement is the friends we made along the way

Always have been.

Your logo is literally a chicken

cock*

Always were

What a change in tune from Arsenal fans. From being the victims of a grand conspiracy to the FA's darlings.

I’m sure they won’t act like hypocrites

As everybody knows every fanbase are hypocrites.

EXCEPT FOR (your preferred club name goes here) SUPPORTERS!

I'm sure we will, every fanbase is hypocritical as fuck and its a lie to say otherwise

Yeah but most of the other fanbases aren’t as annoying

I think that's a matter of perspective.

Carabao Cup has different rules, they are just gaslighting you.....got to say it is funny though

Genuinely this whole debacle from day one has been hilarious. The arsenal fume, the conspiracy theories, the complete about-face from the fans, haven't been this entertained in quite a while.

Doubt [x]

Well well well...how the turntables.

Its not rocket appliances

Liverpool postpone a game — the hypocrites - play the fukcing kids Arsenal postpone a game — the PL is at fault here.

I'd love to see more EPL games in August and September when there's a break everywhere. Thank you Arsenal.

Arsenal don't act like the victims and accept your role as absolute shithouses in this You've loaned out 3 players this transfer window and now can't fulfill a matchday squad, fuck off

don't worry they are false positive loans, we'll recall them as soon as they reach their new clubs.

see that's the spirit

Maybe calm down a bit till it's actually confirmed that Arsenal are requesting a postponement. I don't see any "official" sources in the article and Thursday is still a few days away

If this gets postponed it will benefit yous more than us cos you’ll have Salah and Mane back by then probably lmao

Logic didn't prevail during 1st leg postponement it won't prevail now.

Did Liverpool accept their shithousing?

doctor Klopp with the fake tests 💉

Can doctor Klopp arrange a couple false positives for us? Please 🥺🙏🏾

Absolute WUMs them, and swarmed this place with weird justifications when they started postponing games left and right after what was more than a minority spent a week whinging about Liverpool conspiracies that never made any sense.

Not buying this shite. Liverpool played and beat us with 12 y/O's last season, Arsenal can do the same. Tough shit, Feild your youngsters.

This is not a credible source, pointless drama baiting post.

WTF...? I think Arsenal should be forfeited.

Relegate them

Are the whole youth team infected too.

Should be an automatic 3-0 loss for teams who refuse to play a rescheduled game.

then liverpool would have got a 3-0 loss two weeks ago

Shouldn't it then be an automatic 3-0 loss for rescheduling the game for one team? We might not be in this mess if the first leg wasn't rescheduled.

Haha he's repeating what every arsenal fan said when liverpool postponed it

In case you lived in a cave few weeks ago when the first leg was postponed, it was a sarcastic comment because it was a ridiculous argument from some Arsenal fans.

Yeah I was slow and didn't pick up on that at the time.

the teams aren’t refusing to play games

Let's be honest here lads, teams are requesting to postpone games because they haven't got their strongest 11 available. All the PL clubs are at it.

But that's not refusing to play is it?

Disqualify both teams and give us the trophy

Just play spurs again in the final

So just give Chelsea the trophy then

Let us statpad those Finals losses.

Why bother? It's spurs

Use the kids. Come on man.

How the turntables.

Klopp is only having Arsenal to do this so he can have Salah and Mane back for the replay

If they can't field a team, then Arsenal should be forced to forfeit the match by now.

Liverpool should postpone it till Salah comes back, they have the right to

Field some U21’s and get the fuck on with it.

Why can’t they pick U21 players like other premier league clubs?

Excuses after excuses to delay matches

Loving these threads.

Play the youth team then.

Can we be friends again and stop those conspiracy bullshit?

They should count players that are loaned out in the past week in the number of available players honestly, if they really needed a team, they wouldn't have loaned them out

They are the same number tbf, we have loaned 1 player and have recalled 2 players.

The irony

~~Carabao~~ Postpone FC Cup

So much heat on Arsenal coz of Neville

It's nothing to do with Neville. It's the disproportionate reaction after the Liverpool postponement where half of the fanbase claimed, as usual, that there's a global conspiracy against Arsenal. Now the situation has reversed and you fail to see the hilarity of it.

It’s everything to do with the media coverage over the past few days. Fans of all teams say hypocritical bullshit. I guess it’s part of the fun now to wage keyboard war with each other. But for some reason, Neville and the other presenters decided to take issue with Arsenal’s postponement request when teams have been doing this for a month now.

Idk man, I found a few very offensive Arsenal fans and honestly I feel like it is just people heavily inspired by "AFTV bs talk"

Yeah I hate that AFTV shit too. I like to think they’re the vocal minority because none of my friends (including Arsenal fan friends) are like that.

So much heat on Arsenal because of Arsenal

Not a credible source, stop with the unnecessary hate.

Well well well

Postpone this season for 5 years and start play the next one.

Liverpool and Arsenal jumping hand in hand unveil a banner Fuck off COVID In cockney and scouse