Another obstacle in our quest for the league title awaits us in N5 on Sunday, this time in the shape of Crystal Palace of Thornton Heath located in the London borough of sunny Croydon. Otherwise known as “the gateway to the South”.
I jest of course. Anyone who has ever been unlucky enough to find themselves in the vicinity of Croydon should probably locate the nearest gate, door or some sort of trans-dimensional portal that will take them as far away from Croydon as possible. In fairness to the residents of Croydon this goes for most of South London as well. Always go North of the river. Every day I wake up and thank the higher powers that good old Sir Henry Norris had the sense to do just that back in 1913. Otherwise, we would currently be preparing for a South London Derby, and we’d also be dangerously close to Millwall.
Unless of course our attendances down in Woolwich continued to dwindle and the club we all came to know and love eventually disbanded, meaning we would’ve all grown up in an Arsenal-less universe forcing us to support one of London’s many perennial also-rans like West Ham United of Stratford, otherwise known as “the Gateway to Southend on-sea, where all your hopes and dreams go to die.”
I think we can all agree Sir Henry made the right choice there!
In fairness to Crystal Palace, despite the fact they are located in London’s answer to Omsk, I have always had a bit of a soft spot for them. For me, Palace have always come across as a likeable club with a passionate and loyal fan base. They have given us two particularly tidy players over the years, some fella called Ian Wright who might have gone on to score a few goals for us, and more recently Eberechi Eze who came dangerously close to signing for the Dark Side before Kai Havertz decided to sacrifice his knees for the cause forcing us to swoop in and save Eze from a career of mediocrity at the hands of Mini Me. Palace are good chaps despite their unfortunate geographical location.
Right now, The Eagles are enjoying their most successful period in the club’s history. Whilst they have been a solid mid table outfit for several years now, last May they experienced their finest hour in beating the law abiding, financial fair play compliers Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley with the winner being scored by a certain Ebere Eze. Palace also beat Liverpool in August to win the Community Shield and until a last gasp defeat away at Everton, they were enjoying the longest unbeaten run in their history. Since then, they’ve suffered a slight dip in form drawing 3-3 at home to Bournemouth last weekend and, on Thursday night losing 1-0 at home to AEK Larnaca in the Conference League. Now there’s a great place to put a football club!
We can expect a tough afternoon at THOF. Oliver Glassner has done a remarkable job since taking over from Roy Hodgson and he will set his side up to be very difficult to break down. The good news is our boys are no strangers to a pesky low block.
Regarding team news, Arteta revealed yesterday that Gabriel is a doubt. If that’s not just mind games, we have Mosquera or Hincapié waiting in the wings for some minutes. Not bad options. It is certainly a far cry from going to the Etihad with Rob Holding in the starting 11. Sorry Rob!
Elsewhere could we see MLS get a first league start of the season following his swashbuckling assist in the demolition of Atletico Madrid? We might, we might not. I’m not in Mikel Arteta’s head; he’s not in mine. He is in Jamie O’Hara’s head though. It’s just as well there’s not much else in there. I knew I could fit in a dig in there somewhere!
In midfield we will surely see Zee line up against his old side alongside Declan and Zubimendi.
In attack, I think Martinelli ought to start after his TH14 finish against Atleti and Gyökeres will hopefully get another couple of Danny Welbeckian finishes against the Eagles. In fairness to Welbz, he’s still knocking them in for Brighton. Doesn’t matter how they go in the onion bag as long as they go in. As far as I’m concerned, I’m happy for Gyökeres to knock in another 30 goals with his gonads if it wins us the title.
I will be in the Norf Bank for this one and I’m looking forward to it. 2-0 to The Arsenal, Gyökeres brace. Gonads and right nipple with a goal apiece.
COYG!!
As a sidenote, on Friday evening I was lucky enough to attend a fundraiser event for the Kevin Campbell foundation which was set up by Kevin’s family and friends following his tragic passing last year. In short, the charity aims to support children and young people gain opportunities and aid their development often through sports in addition to other avenues. More info can be found on their website.
The event was graced with the presence of four Arsenal legends: Martin Keown, Paul Davis, Perry Groves and Nigel Winterburn. It was a great chance to meet some of the best players to wear the red and white whilst raising money for a great cause and also honouring the life and continuing legacy of Super Kev.
If you wish, feel free to donate to the charity online. It really is a great cause.
UTA
In my early days I visited London and took the opportunity to watch a match. The only game in town was being played at Crystal Palace and so off I went. I have little recollection of the day other than that it was a bloody difficult place to get to (and it goes without saying, the quality of play was well below that I was enjoying at Dundee at the time). So, your informative and very entertaining preview brought back both memories and rekindled a firm intent ‘never to go back there again’.
A 2-0 home win tomorrow would be a splendid outcome. Regarding the team selection I find myself conflicted. On the one hand I’d like to see Mikel use the squad to the maximum. On the other hand, when I pick my strongest team it’s the very obvious first eleven absent Havertz and Odegaard. I’d be pleased to see Mosquera, Hincapie, White and Norgaard all feature at some stage tomorrow, but unless Big Gabi is unfit, I’m not convinced that any of that four will start the game.
Enjoy the game, Holics whether you’re watching in the North Bank, at home on the telly or even under a coconut tree.
COYG and NLFE.
Thanks for the preview, 21CG, and for the shout-out for the Kevin Campbell Foundation, which sounds well worth supporting.
A 2-0 win would be satisfactory. Glassner has some decent talent at his disposal and makes the most of it. The Palace paradox is that while they lead the PL this season for shots on target, xG and big chances, they also lead for big chances missed and negative xG differential. The form book suggests our defence will smother Palace’s attacking potential.
One question, wasn’t Bal-ham the gateway to the South?
Or have things gone further south since my youth?
Great stuff C21G.
Balham? Happy and contented people?? Shurely shome mishtake.
Just win, baby.
The stretch of Northern Line from Morden to Bal-ham
abounds with gateways to the beautiful south, though you might
think twice about going through them late at night
Thanks for an enjoyable preview 21CG, a Gyokeres brace would
be great. Hincapie seems the logical choice if Gabriel doesn’t make it
and assuming Mikel thinks he ready, Calafiori would be another
option I suppose if MLS plays LB.
Good stuff, 21CG – getting quite lighthearted in your old(er) age !
As for team news it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll see 11 starters – even Mikel hasn’t managed to improve on that aspect of the game yet – and there will be some other blokes eager to get on and maybe even a touch grumpy if one of them is called Trossard. He’s a super sub but clearly doesn’t like the role – I’m with you though and would start Martinelli.
Ned @2 – I think you’ll find, following a quick check, that almost everything has gone a lot further south than you might have imagined. PKEASE do not confirm or deny 🙏🏻
Great preview 21CG albeit that I lived in South London until I got married and could walk to Selhurst Park in 20 minutes when I lived in Norbury before I left home . Croydon is a ghastly , soulless place as is Thornton Heath .
Nevertheless I have a soft spot for Palace despite the fact that they sold us the utterly useless Eddie McGoldrick . But we sold them Marouane Chamakh . 15 all .
I think we will win and it sounds like Hincapie may make a league debut . Tough game for Eze, who I hope doesn’t try to overdo it . Palace are a tough team but starting to suffer from having a small squad . I think 2-0 to us is about right
And so the Xhaka-led Sunderland emerge as our main title challengers….
Watched bits of the game and Sunderland played ok really. Chavski
looked fairly toothless and I laughed when Sunderland got a late winner
even though it will murder me in the Predictathon (and everyone else I suppose)
OM@7: Only seven players predict a finish for Sunderland outside the relegation zone, with the most optimistic being a 13th-place finish. If the Black Cats keep it up, you will need waders to get through the blood on the floor.
Thanks for a very enjoyable preview, 21CG. Given his multiple very competent options, I expect Arteta to rest Gabriel if there is the slightest niggle from the Atletico game. I wish I’d thought of that before selecting my fantasy team this week. For me, despite being a right footer, Mosquera is in pole position for the role of Gabriel’s replacement given how rarely we have seen Calafiori play CB for Arsenal and how little game time Hincapié has had to date. 2-0 would do very nicely, especially if it’s another Gyøkeres brace.
COYG
Liverpool. Sorry, LLLLiverpool. LOL.
Great performance from Brentford.
I see McManamanaman is playing the ‘we were away in Europe in midweek’ card.
Game on tomorrow. Let’s stretch that gap.
Liverpool must currently be close to the worst defence in the Premier League ( I think West Ham shade them) . Brentford genuinely deserved their win tonight and underlined how few easy games there are in the Premier League . It was a cliche but it’s absolutely true now .
Enjoyable watch of the Brentford highlights
with breakfast. 250m down the drain 😂😂
I expect they’ll recover but may as well
enjoy it while we can. time-keeping 🙄
Random application of rule ☑️
Amusing preview 21CG!
When you Londoners say “South of the river”, do you mean rather far south and not close to the southern bank? Because Tate Modern and the Globe theatre are also south of the river, no? Or don’t they count? Not a rhetorical question, just curious as an outsider. Woolwich I know is close to the river, as is Greenwich. Croydon must be very far down …
If there is even a very minor niggle, Gabriel should absolutely be rested. Mosquera will do fine on the left of Saliba. Hincapié likely a good option from the bench. Calafiori plays his role to perfection as the marauding, unpredictable left back and I suspect he will continue doing that. Agree with you and others that Martinelli ought to start with Leo as the super-sub, but I think Arteta will start Leo.
A 3-0 home victory, goals shared between Gyökeres, Saka and Eze.
Come on Arsenal!
I can confirm that Croydon is very far down
Cheers 21CG.
I’m generally against harming animals, but wouldn’t mind some Eagles really suffering today.
Sipping a coffee, listening to music, waiting for the train, hopefully a good day ahead.
Have a good one, Ollie 🤞🏻👍🏻
Matt @ 4. I had a mate who used to live in Balham with friends then moved to Morden. Used to stay at him fairly regularly when staying over for Arsenal matches at some point so I’ve been around that stretch of Northern Line late at night quite a few times. Escaped unscathed. Or have I?
Worst experience around there was actually on a bus (though maybe it was closer to Clapham? think there might have been engineering works either way), with some disaffected youth jeering at me for being ginger (they might have wanted their eyesight checked…) and throwing a condom at me when leaving the bus. Odd behaviour.
Cheers Trev! Possibly last match of the year too due to silly kick offs.
Stevie M
My Slot machine is broken – can you help fix it?
UTA
Game Day!
Gird yer loins.
Victoria Concordia Crescit!
Three points please.
Dr. F@14. The Southbank Centre, inc. National Theatre, as well as the Globe, are indeed south of the river. We see this as doing missionary work, bringing civilisation to the benighted.
Cheers 21CG,!
Just through Gatwick on way to Victoria. See you shortly Ollie!
Heh, CER. And I cannot possibly comment, being South of that river but also many more from most of you.
See you Esso. Two thirds of the way to Lille, on the way to Concordia Crescit.
Have a good journey over, Ollie.
Cheers CER!
Arseblog is down. Is this the end of civilisation as we know it?
Indeed baff, though somehow there is a blog.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/sunday-morning-142077616
Thanks Ollie. The morning feels much more normal. I can leave for the match now.
Thanks for the link, Ollie. Good luck on your journeys.
COYG
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori
Zubimendi, Eze, Rice,
Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard
Bench: Nwaneri, Merino, Lewis-Skelly, Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, White, P. Hincapié, Martinelli, Norgaard
Safe travels to all those on the road.
Arseblog is back up, at least some of it including the blog.
Many thanks 21CG for a very enjoyable preview. Hoping for a very enjoyable 2 hrs ahead.
Clipping the Eagle’s wings won’t be easy but we will get there at the FT whistle.
COYRRR
73% possession but only one shot after 32 minutes to Palace three. Palace playing well and pouncing on our errant passes. Timber shining by Saka not really in the game yet.
And the he was. Fouled. Free kick and brilliant Eze strike.
@18 Ollie, in my youth I think I probably lived at all those Northern line shithole stops in various shared houses of ill repute except the inaptly named Colliers Wood.
75 minutes gone and 1-0 up.
I must in all honesty admit I would take the 1-0 against
what is not a bad Palace side
File that under job done.
We go into November, four points clear of, er, Bournemouth, and five of Sunderland.
I was so impressed with Mateta in the first half. Firstly he is massive, easily 6’4””. Secondly he is the original big man but with great feet. He dribbled past Zubi twice and Saliba once in. Top quality.
We gave the ball away a few times but to me it was largely due to great game reading. Palace’s back five is very effective, then they counter well.
Very pleased we won. We worked so hard. Gyokeres was immense. His best game yet.
After the Lord Mayor’s Show comes the Rag Parade. We were somewhat low key throughout but defensively efficient. It was another of those games of fine margins but the important margin came from a sumptuous delivery from a free kick on the right from Rice, nodded down by Gabriel to Eze whose technique came in useful to volley a high ball into the net. There were no real scares at the other end but Palace are strong defensively and carry offensive threat that we managed well throughout..
For me, Trossard stood out up front, he was a constant thorn in the Palace defence’s side and had one of his best games for us. Gyökeres worked hard throughout, made numerous intelligent darts behind the Palace defence, held the ball up well to play in others and was unlucky with a couple of bounces in the box. Sadly Saka was a shadow of his usual self, was hooked early and was apparently ill over the last couple of days. Rice was everywhere as usual, Eze made some mazy dribbles to little effect, Zubi was surprisingly erratic in his first half passing but the defence were solid and the second half replacement of Saliba by Mosquera did not weaken the wall.
What did the pundits say that a team winning games when playing only in second gear is a sign of?
The GHF Predictathon leaderboard for Matchweek 9 has been posted. Not such a great week for everyone, but it has shaken up the rankings a bit. Plus there is a special bonus chart this week. You know where to find it…
Thanks Ned, I’m not sure I want to
be famous for murder and mayhem 😃
I certainly took a beating myself though
Has this been shared?
https://gunnerstown.com/arsenal/2025/10/24/playing-against-arsenal-positives-needs-hopes-ars-4-0-atl/
>>>>>>>