Part One – The Recap
The Gunners will make the short journey across London this weekend for the return leg of our seasonal double-header against Crystal Palace. After a slow start to the first game an Ødegaard/Jesús inspired attack was far too sharp for the pleasingly ponderous Palace defence, an eventual 3-2 victory enough to see us march into the semi-finals of the Wotjamacallit Cup and the Eagles flap despondently through the cold, dark night on a bitter return to their soulless South-east London dump. It was an enjoyable fifth win in a row against them in Cup and League and while no doubt this weekend’s league game is the more important of the two, it was a useful confidence booster against what was basically their first choice XI. Can we do it again? That is the question.
A striker anyone?
Well, now is not the Winter of my discontent and so I can’t see any good reason why not is the quick answer. Three points are certainly needed as a couple of good performances against Man Utd and West Ham have been followed by two underwhelming draws against Fulham and Everton. Eight points out of the last twelve isn’t quite the end of our title challenge with 20 games left as the more ridiculous sensitive amongst our brethren in the Goonerverse may have bewailed, but getting back into the winning habit as Santa’s reindeer-exploiting sleigh approaches would certainly be welcome. If we could do it while also knocking in a few goals that would be just peachy, especially if it stopped, even briefly, the plethora of learned why, oh why don’t Arsenal sign a striker articles. Just to be clear, I have absolutely no objection, of course, to signing a decent attacker if we can in January or a decent player in other positions too! Does anyone seriously believe by now that MA wouldn’t sign a quality striker that would help the squad if he could? Of course he would, quicker than he’d drink a glass of rioja that’s for sure. However, and just to add, as a plug for a new journalistic concept I have invented – I call it ‘balance’ – the team knocked in our 49th, 50th and 51st goals of the season in all competitions midweek. Can we be more clinical? Certainly, and that is always true, but as it stands right now, I’m still confident the current squad can win the league.
Us
What will be our starting XI? There are a few questions for the boss to consider as he enjoys his 5th anniversary as our saviour but having seen his surprisingly informative injury update on Calafiori, Declan and Zin we do have some answers. However, we could ask ourselves does anyone desperately need a rest? Should we leave Jesus in to plunder another hat-trick? Which of our seven possible left-backs will start? Maybe, Yes, and Er, that one – those are respectively are my own personal answers. However, I have to guess a starting XI or I don’t get remunerated and so….
Raya
Timber Saliba Gabriel Calafiori
Ødegaard Partey Rice
Saka Havertz Martinelli
Personally, I would rest Rice (just a feeling he needs it more with tougher games to come) and start Gabriel Jesús (strike while the iron is hot) but I do not believe MA will do any such thing. At left-back I selected Cala as he seems to be MA’s preferred choice but personally I wouldn’t mind if he played MLS, Zin, or even Mustafi Kiwior.
Them
What about them then? Well, hopefully they will still be a little depressed at how easily we carved them up in the second half. As to their team/approach for this game, I think Ned and the ever-reliable monks have already covered that divinely in this recent exemplary preview of the Cup game here. I don’t believe Glasner can or will change anything though perhaps he will shoehorn Eddie in somehow after his expertly taken goal (I don’t believe for a moment Eddie will do that again and actually I don’t begrudge him the goal as in the circumstances it didn’t matter a whit). Regardless, one thing I do hope to see is that they leave three players forward for our corners again as I would greatly enjoy seeing us leave just one back, outnumbering them in their own area and nodding one in (preferably when we are already 2-0 in front to be honest). Apart from that what else can I say about Crystal Palace that hasn’t been said before? Not a lot really as they have no meaningful history as such, have never won anything worthy of note and as long as they pretend it’s financially necessary to just cash in on their best players they probably never will. Harsh I know but, in truth, I feel it’s nothing less than Parish and his greedy, hypocritical chums deserve. I don’t like them, I don’t like Glasner who hasn’t treated our old friend Pensacola Capitola Rob [sheesh!…eds.] well at all, and I don’t like that they have a new eagle to pointlessly fly round like a toy for the amusement of their mainly simple-minded support (TTG’s nice, old friend excepted!) Free Rob and the Eagle!! Hopefully, both will fly the nest this Winter.
Well, that about covers everything folks barring the small matter of the result – I think a clean sheet with a rebooted defence is certainly doable, goals for Kai and Jesús and a comfortable 2-0 victory sounds about right to me though I imagine the odds are not good. I am sure several of you may be heading to Sydenham Hill for the game and so a safe journey to you all, and an enjoyable morning, afternoon, or evening’s viewing to the rest of us wherever we may be!
Excellent preview OM. The Eagles Nest (no pun or historical reference intended) is cramped and the patrons unruly, but, if he keep to our tasks and stay efficient, we should be able to take all the points.
No Eze. No problem.
Come on you rip roaring’…
MCMBD
we had a nice note from cba’s kin in the previous drinks. here is Ciarán’s post for those of those who missed commenting on it before the chevrons (as suggested by osakamatt):
Hello Goonerholics Forever
Just want to send best wishes to you all for another year of brilliance
Happy Christmas and New Year from Donegal,Derry,Belfast,Glasgow and finally at last and a long time coming London
Cheers and here’s to David Faber ⭐️
Excellent preview, Matt. Your team is the obvious pick but I think Mikel will rotate some more for this one.
A win of any colour or shape will do me nicely.
Nice to hear from cab’s brigade.
Cheers Matt! Are you suggesting burning Eagles’ feathers with that reliable striker? Probably effective if a bit cruel/crude?
I suspect your predicted line-up may be right.
I’ll go for an early Christmas present 3-0 victory.
Good stuff from the cba clan.
Good stuff Matt. I suspect that MA8 will agree with your instinct to start Jesus (as do I) as he is now hopefully on a roll, which will hopefully continue. 2-0 would do very nicely but it’s always been a difficult place to take the points and we will have to put in a shift to win them.
Good to hear from Ciaràn. CBA remains a fondly remembered alumnus of this coterie and here’s to his memory:
Great stuff, Matt !
Lots of laughs in a very enjoyable read – and I do like a quirky headline photo – which even sat the birdy tone for the piece.
I would go with you and pick Jesus to start but from wide rather than centrally. He gets a bit swallowed up (birdy, geddit, but true) in the middle by big centre backs and also finishes better from wide positions. MA will probably want Havertz in the middle for that reason – and the fact that we need every six foot plusser we have for our corner routines as that, as everyone knows, is the only way we are capable of scoring. Oh, hang on …..
I’d be glad to halffinch any kind of result in the circumstances but it’s be great to give them a good thrushing. Anyway, enough of this punning lark. Stone the crows – how do I do it ?!
I missed the greetings from cba’s nearest and dearest but great to see they are still looking in and appreciating our efforts. Here’s echoing their memories of Dave – especially at this time of year. Five years ago on Christmas Day …..
RIP George Eastham, of this parish somewhat before my time but him scoring the winner against Chelsea is one of my earlier football memories.
Brilliant Trev. Hope nobody behaves like a tit in our team tonight. (Wouldn’t mind one soon… suffixed by ‘le’).
RIP George Eastham, an elegant and talented player in an era when those qualities were in short supply at Highbury.
You get renumerated Matt!!!?
Fine preview otherwise, fine preview. I tend to agree with C100 and think we’ll see Jesus start wide instead of Gabi.
COYRRR
I would parrot Trev’s remarks in #6 above, but that would be a bit much (even for me). I will simply second his sentiments. The Holidays are always tough for people whose loved ones depart on or around that time. May they have the strength to toast the memories while remaining present to make new ones with family and friends.
Oh, and sparrow thought for put upon €115y supporters (all 3 of them) traveling to see their shell of a team. #Stay Humble, eh?
MCMBD
Great preview, OM. Thoroughly enjoyable read. Loved ‘the Wotjamacallit Cup’.
Thanks, too, for the shout-out, despite linking to GSD’s even more excellent match report 🙂
Reindeer lack circadian clocks, so Health and Safety may not be as concerned about the long shift Santa makes them put in at this time of year as you suggest.
Trev@6: Completely looney.
Ciarán@the previous drinks: Good to see you popping in. As OM said, the very best to you and yours. Your Da is dearly missed.
Pangloss – are you quoting C100 telepathically or me from my post ?
Villa just gone 2-0 up on Shitty 🤣🤣
Fine preview Matt- a man with South London connections . Palace are massive underachievers – the Zenith Data Systems Cup in 1991 or something like that id their only honour .
If we start well we can overwhelm them and 3-0 is possible but if we let them out of the traps quickly it’s a very passionate crowd who create a tricky environment. I think your team is spot on especially as we don’t play again until Friday .
Finally I join the tributes to George Eastman, a terrific player who chose to join Arsenal when we had a manager who couldn’t build a title team around him , Joe Baker and Mclintock . Spindly-legged but prodigiously talented as a playmaker
RIP George
Very entertainingly written preview, Matt and many thanks. Your Xmas cheer must be showing through as I couldn’t tell you were huffin and puffin to write it.
A pint of cheer also to Ciaran and the wide rangong cba clan who are always well remembered here.
Oh, and stuff the Palace with Christmas goodies before withdrawing them all and distrubuting them to all the good children.
[ned@12, link corrected. doh! -eds]
Cheers Matt!
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Odegaard, Havertz, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Kiwior, Calafiori, Jorginho, Rice, Merino, Nwaneri, Trossard
Thanks for the kind words all. Funnily enough MA has picked the team I would instead of the one I thought he would, MLS getting the nod in front of 3 internationals is quite a compliment for him.
All three Gabi’s start!
For all those readers wondering about the mysterious identity of “goonerholicsforever” I think his sentiments are universally shared but personally he may share many of the characteristics of scruzgooner. Could be wrong though. 😉
[🤫 shhhhhhhhhhh. -eds.]
For all those (c100 perhaps?) who were worried about a possible shortage of Gabis in the team at Selhurst Park, it looks like Mikel has put paid to those legitimate concerns.
Another Gabi hat-trick, C100!
COYG.
Let’s do this.
And RIP George Eastham. Always classy. Win it for George!
Crazy game. Three one up but I feel nervous.
We have been clinical up front due to Jesùs’ new ly restored confidence but extremely jittery at the back. I think that shows the value of both Rice and Jorginho supplementing Partey as a screen against a physical front footed team like Palace. Kai doesn’t provide that cover though his goal instincts do compensate a tad. I would bring Rice/JG on by 60 whatever the game state and consider Merino as well.
But we really need to score the next goal here.
And relax…….
Yeah, that was a nice nerve settler of a goal.
I’m taking personal credit for the rise of Jesus. He clearly reads GHF and he thought “right, I’ll show that countryman100”. Reader, he did.
Cracking finish for Declan for 5-1. Feels like it has
been a while since he scored too and pleased for him.
Doesn’t really feel like a 5-1 game to be honest but
we have been a distance ahead at finishing.
That second half, after Rice and Calafiori came on was a transformed game. But for a couple of bounces in both areas in the first 55 minutes this could have been a very different result.
This is a huge result. Moreover it was great to see our players stand up to Palace’s physicality and scrap for the ball just as much as them. This is, unlike some of our teams of the 2010s, not a team of shrinking violets that rolls over if they’re not allowed to play their fancy stuff.
Well done C100 whose (tbf, not completely) constructive criticism inspired Jesùs to his hat trick on Wednesday and his double plus assist plus the pre-assist for Declan’s beauty. Good man management.
Great win, boys. Keep ’em coming.
Trev@13. My tendency to agree with C100 was just a piece of free information. I was, indeed, agreeing with you.
UTA
Key moment was Raya’s save from Mateta that would otherwise have made it 3-2 and a different game.
Christmas is a time for being with family and friends and reflecting on the beautiful people we know. We think back to simpler days, youth and happy times. In which vein I ask: what’s your favourite Arsenal Christmas song? Mine is:
Away in a manger
No crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus
Woke up and he said:
“We hate Tottnumb
And we hate Tottnumb…”.
I think it’s the bittersweet juxtapositon, almost elision of absolute love with the total opposite.
Bath@27: your point about Saliba and Gabriel needing a screen is well made.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>