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Arsenal African XI

Mo Britain

Doom Monger
Only players who have played for African countries or who can qualify, or could have qualified, to play for one and did not play for another country. So Lauren good, Vieira (whether he came from Senegal or not) not good.

Shabaan

Lauren Toure Eboue

Pepe Elneny Song Iwobi

Kanu Adebayor Aubameyang

Subs:

Gervinho
Wreh
Chamakh
Frimpong
Owusu-Abeyie
Traore

Problem with the goalkeeper as we haven't had any Africans in that position so went for Shabaan who could have played for Egypt but chose Sweden instead.

Went for a back three meaning Eboue plays left of defence, which he did successfully although as left-back when we got to the CL final. Some may prefer to move Song to centre-back and put on of the three strikers on the bench.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Pepe
Toure-Song-Elneny
Eboue-Lauren-Iwobi-Gervinho
Kanu
Ade-Auba
...based on the players I have seen.
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
For years, I'd thought we've been blessed with African talent but we haven't really.

------------------------GK
--------Song--------------Toure----------
--Eboue----------------------------Saka--
-------------Lauren-----Iwobi------
---Pepe----------------------------PEA--
-----------------Kanu------------------------
----------------------Adebayor-------------
 

Shalmaneser V

Active Member
For years, I'd thought we've been blessed with African talent but we haven't really.

------------------------GK
--------Song--------------Toure----------
--Eboue----------------------------Saka--
-------------Lauren-----Iwobi------
---Pepe----------------------------PEA--
-----------------Kanu------------------------
----------------------Adebayor-------------

Saka is a good English lad from Ealing.
 

GDeep™

League is very weak
Team picks itself, as it would do for most English, Spanish, Italian etc clubs, as they rarely sign African players.

What I’ll say is that we’ve probably got the richest history in England with Africans. Unless my mind is blank, I’ll say Kanu was the first African star in the PL, even though Leeds had Yeboah and Radebe. Then we went on to have guys like Toure and Lauren be integral to our most successful period.

Would say we’re the first top club where Africans came and became big winners.
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
Team picks itself, as it would do for most English, Spanish, Italian etc clubs, as they rarely sign African players.

What I’ll say is that we’ve probably got the richest history in England with Africans. Unless my mind is blank, I’ll say Kanu was the first African star in the PL, even though Leeds had Yeboah and Radebe. Then we went on to have guys like Toure and Lauren be integral to our most successful period.

Would say we’re the first top club where Africans came and became big winners.

Chelsea are the first Premier League club that I think of with regard to African players. Essien and Drogba are two of the best players full stop in Premier League history.

Lauren was brilliant. Often seems to be the forgotten men of the invincibles with non Gooners.
 

GDeep™

League is very weak
Chelsea are the first Premier League club that I think of with regard to African players. Essien and Drogba are two of the best players full stop in Premier League history.

Lauren was brilliant. Often seems to be the forgotten men of the invincibles with non Gooners.
Historically though, we’ve got the stamp of being the club where Africans first became champions in England. The first 3 African title winners came at Arsenal.

Obviously later on guys like Drogba, and Yaya at City, Mane and Salah now etc, all went on to have massive impacts.
 

GDeep™

League is very weak
Wenger was signing African talent when other managers, like Ferguson, were known to be reluctant to do so. Think his first African signing came in the 2000’s with Fortune.
 

Keplaz

Well-Known Member
We had a lot of players of African descent. We've had our fair share of Africans certainly but it's the French African boys, who don't fit the criteria set, who gave us that myth.
 
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Mo Britain

Doom Monger
Chelsea are the first Premier League club that I think of with regard to African players. Essien and Drogba are two of the best players full stop in Premier League history.

Lauren was brilliant. Often seems to be the forgotten men of the invincibles with non Gooners.
I remember Lauren rolling a penalty softly down the centre as the keeper dived in a tense derby with Spuds. It was the winning goal.
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
I remember Lauren rolling a penalty softly down the centre as the keeper dived in a tense derby with Spuds. It was the winning goal.

Are you not a gooner? I remember him nonchalantly sending the keeper and rolling a penalty. Forgot that it was against Sp**s!
 

Makingtrax

Worships in the house of Wenger 🙏
Trusted ⭐

Country: England

Player:Saliba
I remember Lauren rolling a penalty softly down the centre as the keeper dived in a tense derby with Spuds. It was the winning goal.
That was the one against Kasey Keller. He scored another one later against Paul Robinson. He lifted that one and placed it more in the corner.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
That was the 4-5. Crazy game.

Lehmann
Lauren-Toure-Cygan-Cole
Vieira-Fabregas
Reyes-Bergkamp-Ljungberg
Henry
...what a collection of players, we used to be unbelievable to watch week in week out...though with Sol and Gilberto missing you can see why we conceded 4 that day!
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
Lehmann
Lauren-Toure-Cygan-Cole
Vieira-Fabregas
Reyes-Bergkamp-Ljungberg
Henry
...what a collection of players, we used to be unbelievable to watch week in week out...though with Sol and Gilberto missing you can see why we conceded 4 that day!

That line up is UNREAL! Then to factor in that Sol, Gilberto and Pires aren't even in the line up is insane. I wouldn't swap any current squad in world football for this level of talent.

Then, you remember that yes Bergkamp was highly rated before we signed him and Henry and Reyes were big money buys, but the majority of that starting 11 made a name for themselves at Arsenal.

I'm going to make everybody upset now:

Lehmann
Lauren-Toure-Cygan-Cole
Vieira-Fabregas
Reyes-Bergkamp-Ljungberg
Henry


Leno
Bellerin-Sokratis-Luiz-Tierney
Torreria-Xhaka
Pepe-Özil-PEA
Laca

2 German back up keepers.

Two highly respected full backs thought to be amongst the leagues best on each team. Granted, Lauren and Cole are a level up. Two international captains in our current team vs a respected Toure and squad man in Cygan.

CM is no competition as the top team has the 2 CMs that are the best that I've saw play for us. 60m of talent in Xhaka and Torreria though. Tow international starters of top 20 FIFA teams.

On paper our bottom team has a 5 time German player of the year, one of the most expensive players in history, a Premier League golden boot winner and a 50m striker. We all no the top teams smokes their boots, but on paper the bottom teams attack should be electric.

WHY ARE WE SO POOR?

To get back on topic, we have a world class African player!
 
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Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
That line up is UNREAL! Then to factor in that Sol, Gilberto and Pires aren't even in the line up is insane. I wouldn't swap any current squad in world football for this level of talent.

Then, you remember that yes Bergkamp was highly rated before we signed him and Henry and Reyes were big money buys, but the majority of that starting 11 made a name for themselves at Arsenal.

I'm going to make everybody upset now:

Lehmann
Lauren-Toure-Cygan-Cole
Vieira-Fabregas
Reyes-Bergkamp-Ljungberg
Henry


Leno
Bellerin-Sokratis-Luiz-Tierney
Torreria-Xhaka
Pepe-Özil-PEA
Laca

2 German back up keepers.

Two highly respected full backs thought to be amongst the leagues best on each team. Granted, Lauren and Cole are a level up. Two international captains in our current team vs a respected Toure and squad man in Cygan.

CM is no competition as the top team has he 2 CMs that are the ebst that I've saw play for us. 60m of talent in Xhaka and Torreria though. Tow international starters of top 20 FIFA teams.

On paper our bottom team has a 5 time German player of the year, one of the most expensive players in history, a Premier League golden boot winner and a 50m striker. We all no the top teams smokes their boots, but on paper the bottom teams attack should be electric.

WHY ARE WE SO POOR?

To get back on topic, we have a world class African player!

The main issue is the midfield...it's impossible to get Xhaka and Özil to work in a midfield in England, it has cost 2 managers their jobs really...maybe in a 3 at the back formation, but even then it isn't really worth it.

Then you have two centre backs that I like in Luiz and Sokratis, but they are just too similar to work as a pair, plus neither is at their best anymore...also, Sol and Kolo had the physical attributes for English, both were powerful and fast, something this current team really lacks badly...Vieira in third gear, would destroy our spine.

Also the attack, while good on paper, has no cohesion...Henry and Bergkamp were both top players in very different ways, Dennis would drop deep and Thierry would drift wide, they complimented eachother very well...whereas Auba and Laca don't work at their best unless you play a 3 at the back formation again to get both upfront, but even then you are then losing a man in the midfield...plus only really Pepe can be compared to the wingers we used to have, the rest of our wide options are quite poor playmakers, even Pepe's strength isn't this, he should be used further forward but we are forced to compromise him because the rest of the team is messed up...the likes of Pires, Ljungberg or Reyes had the technical ability to drift inside and really help us retain possession, no one in this current team can really do that, so we keep get outnumbered in the middle...Iwobi is a better wide playmaker than anyone we currently have!

To sum up...basically we have a collection of good players, that don't fit well together and make a poor team really.
 

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