Dugout Discussion

Flores back in the Watford hot seat as Ceballos and Ozil return for Arsenal

The penultimate match of Gameweek 5 sees Watford take on Arsenal at Vicarage Road. Kick-off is at 16:30 BST.

This is returning head coach Quique Sanchez Flores’ first Watford match in charge since departing the Hornets at the end of the 2015/16 season.

Flores has made three changes to the starting XI that drew 1-1 at Newcastle a fortnight ago, with Jose Holebas (£4.8m), Gerard Deulofeu (£6.2m) and the fit-again Etienne Capoue (£4.9m) replacing Daryl Janmaat (£4.4m), the injured Craig Cathcart (£4.4m) and Roberto Pereyra (£5.8m).

The release of the teamsheet had the Hornets lining up in a 4-2-3-1, a formation Flores had favoured on and off during his managerial career.

Andre Gray (£5.9m) leads the line, with Ismaila Sarr (£6.4m) among the substitutes.

There is no place in the matchday squad for Danny Welbeck (£6.0m), however.

Unai Emery has made two changes to the side that rescued a point in the north London derby.

The injured Alexandre Lacazette (£9.4m) is replaced by Mesut Ozil (£7.3m), while Dani Ceballos (£5.7m) returns to the side in place of Lucas Torreira (£4.9m).

The Gunners may well be playing in a 4-4-2 diamond, given the number of central midfielders in the starting XI.

This corresponding fixture last season saw the Gunners keep their only clean sheet of 2018/19.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m) scored the only goal of that match.

The Gabon international is the sixth most-popular captaincy choice of Gameweek 5.

Aubameyang starts up front with Nicolas Pepe (£9.4m) this afternoon.

Watford XI: Foster, Femenia, Dawson, Kabasele, Holebas, Doucoure, Capoue, Hughes, Cleverley, Deulofeu, Gray.

Arsenal XI: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Luiz, Kolasinac, Ceballos, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Ozil, Aubameyang, Pepe.

1,887 Comments Post a Comment
  1. King Carlos
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Arse, are you kidding??!!

  2. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Clever goal that.

  3. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Imagine

  4. Herman Toothrot
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    I don't want to be part of a world where Tom Cleverley outscores Raheem Sterling

    1. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      7 mil cheaper... Time to move on?

    2. tucaoneo
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Sterling > Cleverley range FT done.

      1. tucaoneo
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        *rage

  5. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Too many teams play out from the back with players who are not good enough to do it. Nothing wrong with booting it up the pitch when you are 2-0 up.

  6. Cok3y5murf
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Nobody:

    Not a soul:

    Pundit of Punts: Arsenal defence only gonna improve.

    1. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Kola essential!

      1. RamaJama
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Will he continue to play?

        1. RamaJama
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          When Tierney’s back?

    2. SweepaKeepa
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      3 of first choice back 4 yet to start a game.

  7. dark91
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Don't get why the teams are making us of this new rule of passing inside the box when you have such dumb defenders!!

    1. dark91
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Use*

    2. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      It’s like are doing it just because they can rather than because it’s a good idea

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        *like they

  8. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Imagine, even for a second, considering an Arsenal defender.

    Were labeled as being essential soon, earlier 😆

    1. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Tierney does interest me though

    2. Debauchy
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Well Holding an upgrade and Tierney may be fit soon, may still be worth a look. Essential hardly but what defence is

  9. Albrightondknight
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Emery must be telling them to play out with a defender on each side of the six yard box. Muffet coach with muffet defenders to carry it out to perfection.

    1. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Tactics make sense, players the problem.

      1. Differentiator
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        What benefit do you gain from a sideways 5 yard pass across the goalline?

        1. Rainer
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          It’s all playing the %s. Hoof Burnley balls are 60/40s or 50/50s.

          Idiotic defenders are the problem.

        2. The Ejiptian King
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Drawing opposition players in to create space further up the pitch although most of the players doing it can't even make the 5 yard pass nevermind an accurate longer ball.

      2. Albrightondknight
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Passing inside your own six yard box while being pressed makes sense? If you want to play out from the back just spread it wide to start out of the danger zone.
        Why not kick in straight into your own goal from the goal kick and have done with it.

    2. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      There are only about 6 CBs in the PL that can do it IMO - VVD, Stones, Laporte, Luiz, Lindelof, Maguire

      1. Rainer
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Harsh on Gomez.

        Very harsh on Matip.

        1. Albrightondknight
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Too be fair Matip is better than he looks he scare me a lot but rarely messes up. Its just that he is so gangly and awkward looking 🙂

  10. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Darn, that’s good for Auba BAPS.

    1. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Like he was never getting 3

  11. SEXY SOLO SAUCE
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Watford are clearly going to stage a magnificent comeback and win this

    1. have you seen cyan
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      I think so or draw at least

    2. Eleven Hag
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      With a contribution from ozil

    3. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Nah. Pepe or Aubam to get a 3rd and end their dreams

  12. Differentiator
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Pepe is looking like an absolute clown player. A slower, slightly more skilful Adam Traore

    1. Dannyb
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      I had high hopes, not anymore, straight out to fund Auba.

    2. JonBoy
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      He's better than that. Will just take time.

    3. tucaoneo
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      A week ago he was compared with Son here.

      1. have you seen cyan
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Ikr I must have said son over pepe 450 times in last 2 weeks

      2. g40steve
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Just spat my beer out.....

  13. RamaJama
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Which option?

    A) Haller to Abraham
    B) Digne/Greenwood to Rico/Abraham
    C) Zinchenko/Salah/Greenwood to Maitland-Niles/Mane/Abraham -4 (keep Digne)

  14. Team Cruel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Jafooli yellow

    1. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Jafooli close 😮

  15. BrutalLogiC
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    more goals coming..

  16. dshv
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Heaton

    Robbo - walker - digne - vvd

    Salah - sterling - mount - david silva

    Pukki - wilson

    1. Vvd + dilva To 4.5 + son
    2 downgrade vvd and upgrade Greenwood

  17. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ceballos fail

  18. Wild Rover
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ceb off 59 mins

  19. Danstoke82
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Oh FFS Ceballos subbed off.

  20. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    RUN

    1. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      59:43

      1. Eleven Hag
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Heehe

  21. TorresMagic™
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ceballos 1 pointer.

    1. JonBoy
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      20 seconds!!!

  22. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Nah you're joking. Ceballos comes off before 60. Wildcard confirmed

    1. STEP rOVERS
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Hahaha quality the wild card has been whooped out nearly every goal scored today

      1. Tsparkes10
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Shhhhhh

  23. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ceballos bye bye

  24. Eleven Hag
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ceballos not getting the 2 appearance pts

  25. Mr Peanutbutter
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    ceb subbed before 60

  26. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ceballos doesnt make 60 😆

  27. Albrightondknight
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ceballos off.
    Emery is one special guy.
    And I don't own Ceballos

  28. Longlatini
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    The week that keeps on giving

  29. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Pepe is basically the new gervinho with a few more skills that only impress those who don't understand football

  30. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    That was some bandwagon!

    1. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Everyone to switch go cleverly? Then Ceballos haul against villa at home? Sounds about right