On Sunday afternoon, seven days after they dispatched Liverpool at home, the top-of-the-table Gunners will be looking to keep their momentum moving steadily forward as they take on Yorkshire outfit Leeds United at their Elland Road ground. Leeds may not be as far north, and certainly isn’t as picturesque as midweek stopover Bodø, but seeing as Elland Road used to be called the Old Peacock Ground, it’s a highly suitable venue for Arsenal to strut their table topping stuff. But while the Gunners remain top, they have to keep earning it week upon week if they intend to stay there, and Leeds away has the potential to be a banana skin (or another metaphor of your choosing) if the players’ focus and application aren’t quite right. As we witnessed at Bodø, it’s not possible for any team to bring their best performance to every match so this will be another important test of our young team’s stamina and resilience.
The Dirty Opposition
Leeds survived a serious relegation scare last season when their newly hired Yank manager dragged them over the line into 17th position at season’s end after taking the reins from sacked Argentine club legend Marcelo Bielsa a few months prior. Jesse Marsch, the Yank in question, is an Ivy League graduate (Princeton, doncha know) and came to Leeds in February after coaching stints at three member clubs (New York/Salzburg/Leipzig) of the Red Bull empire between 2015–21, a stretch that was highlighted by two straight Austrian league championships. According to the Guardian’s pre-season preview of Leeds (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/22/premier-league-2022-23-preview-no-10-leeds), Marsch’s teams are known for their intense high pressing and the 4-2-2-2 system he developed in his time at Red Bull.
This season Marsch has been selecting a first XI comprised mostly of players from the Bielsa era (Harrison, Koch, etc.), with a few new faces mixed in. Prominent among the newbies is speedy 21 year old winger Brenden Aaronson, whom Marsch brought in from Salzburg as the second most expensive U.S. signing ever, lagging only Christian Pulisic of Chelsea. Aaronson has been getting positive reviews for his contributions to the Leeds attack, and has started all eight fixtures to date. Elsewhere in attack Patrick Bamford has returned from last season’s injury plague to provide greater attacking threat, but hasn’t scored any goals. 31 year old Spanish striker Rodrigo is their top goal scorer with four, followed by Luis Sinisterra, a Colombian winger signed from Feyenoord, who has scored two. Presumably Sinisterra was brought in to replace Raphinha, Leeds’ star man of the last few years who left over the summer for Barcelona, and whose creativity won’t be easily replaced. Leeds currently occupy 14th spot in the table having scored 11 goals but conceded 12. Last week they ended up losing 2-1 away to Crystal Palace after dominating the first 45 minutes but falling away in the second, so Arsenal’s fresh legs off the bench could play an important role if their anticipated first half barrage doesn’t materialize.
Arsenal
Gabriel, who was rested in Norway, should resume his customary position in central defence, along with Xhaka and Partey in midfield, and Jesús and Martinelli in the forward line. I expect Jesús could be particularly energetic in this one, and I might fancy a bet on the Brazilian scoring the first goal, or even another one on 3-1 to the Arsenal with one goal each by Jesús, Martinelli and Saka in that exact order. I don’t know the odds but they ought to be pretty attractive to the betting-inclined, so there you go! The team should remain unchanged from the one that dispatched Liverpool so delightfully:
Ramsdale
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney
Partey, Xhaka
Ødegaard
Saka, Jesús, Martinelli
If you fancy an additional bet I would put your money (not mine) on a 4-1 scoreline with the goals by the same three players plus a final salvo by late substitute Vieira, so get scavenging that long lost cash and have at it! If you’re watching on the telly, don’t forget to look for our very own Countryman100 who should be leading the charged-up chorus in the away section. But most importantly, do your utmost to root the Gunners on to a victory of any kind, be it clean, dirty or somewhere in the middle. It’ll keep us top, I know because the table says so.
Arsenal inched closer to qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League with a slender 1-0 win at Bodø/Glimt on an artificial surface in Norway. Mikel Arteta named a strong side, with the likes of Saka and Ødegaard making their first European starts of the campaign.
Despite our 3-0 win at the Emirates last week, the Norwegians still caused us a few problems particularly in the second half, so perhaps this was the reasoning behind Arteta’s strong selection. Bodø began well, getting in behind us on a couple of occasions although Holding and Saliba kept them at arm’s length. But we struggled to find any sort of rhythm for the opening 20 minutes and it was Lokonga who produced our first attempt on goal firing wide after 15 minutes. On 24 minutes, we found a breakthrough. Some lovely combination play from Lokonga and Saka put the latter in on goal. He attempted a cross which was intercepted by a Bodo defender, but the ball freakishly rebounded back off Saka’s face and into the net with the ‘keeper wrongfooted. A scrappy goal, but they all count.
Bodø then had a great chance to get back on level terms as Pellegrino found himself one on one with Turner straight from a goal kick. He attempted to curl the ball past the USA international, but he got the finish all wrong and skewed his effort well wide. A let off for Arsenal.
The second half was a very low-key affair. Pellegrino had another decent chance to score but Turner got down well to make a good save. Arsenal didn’t create an awful lot; you got the sense that the artificial surface made a lot of the players uneasy as our usual slick passing didn’t always come off. Also, with these Astro pitches, there is always the danger of injury. Just one sharp turn has the potential to leave your foot lodged in the grass and cause ligament damage and it was clear to see the players had that in the back of their minds. Thankfully we came out of the game unscathed. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that the only player who looked totally at ease with the pitch was Martin Ødegaard who of course played on artificial surfaces regularly growing up and playing in Norway in the early part of his career.
No one played particularly badly but, in all honesty, in general it was a dull game. However, we won which means we now have nine points out of nine from the three games so far. That puts us two points clear of PSV Eindhoven at the top of group A. We are also now five clear of Bodø/Glimt so if my maths are correct we will guarantee at least a play off place with a win against the Dutch outfit next week. But, of course, we will want to top the group in order to avoid that two legged play off against one of the eight sides dropping out the Champions League. As it stands those sides would be Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, AC Milan, Shakhtar, Sevilla (obviously) and Juventus. That’s quite a list. One you would rather avoid for sure.
Also, once again I would like to mention the heroic efforts of my 2nd team, Omonoia Nicosia who were mere moments away from securing an astonishing point and clean sheet at Old Trafford last night before a goal right at the end from the second most punchable man in football, Scott McTominay (behind Bruno Fernandes but that goes without saying) broke Cypriot hearts. Our goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, had an extraordinary game making twelve saves, some of which the likes of Manuel Neuer would have been proud of but he was sadly undone just moments from the end. Omonoia have now been eliminated from the competition although they can still gain a third-place finish and entry into the conference league play offs, so fingers crossed.
But now for Arsenal, the attention turns to a tricky away game at Leeds on Sunday at 2pm. Unfortunately, the game will not be televised in the UK so for the first time this season, I will have to trawl the dark depths of the internet looking for a dodgy stream that looks like its being filmed on a potato. Such fun. But hopefully we can maintain our place at the summit of the league.
Tomorrow evening, the Arsenal play the most northerly fixture in their illustrious history, cheered on by an intrepid band of travelling Gooners who follow them over land and sea (not forgetting Leicester). Good on you, fellas! I hope you remembered to pack gloves and thermals.
Bodø lies just north of the Arctic Circle (66.6°N) at 67°16′57.72″N (thanks again, bt8), and sits on a peninsula in the Norwegian Sea rendering it subject to strong winds from east and west. October is Bodø’s wettest month with an average of 5.4 inches of rain over 18 days. The October average temperatures are a high of 7.9°C and low of 3.9°C and the average date for the first overnight freeze is October 12. The Met Office forecast for kick-off time tomorrow is a cloudy evening after morning rain, a temperature of 8°C (feeling like 6°C), a south-westerly wind of 12mph gusting to 19 mph and 76% humidity. So, conditions should not be intolerable.
I suspect that the mere existence of a football team called Bodø/Glimt first struck your consciousness last season, as it did mine, when they trounced Moaninho’s Roma 6-1 in a European Conference League group game. Beyond that I knew nothing of their history and playing style until I read Dr F’s superbly researched preview to last week’s game at the Grove which I commend to you here:
I will not go over that ground but only add that their home record in European ties is exemplary. Over the last three seasons, they have won all but one of their home games in the three current UEFA competitions. Their solitary home defeat came against Legia Warsaw in the 21-22 Champions League first qualifying round. Since then Bodø have won 14 consecutive home matches in UEFA competitions and while several were qualifying round ties against minnows (whom they often trounced) they included two wins against Roma and a win against Celtic (OK, OK! but not quite a minnow). Perhaps more discomfiting than the frigid air, the team will have to contend with an artificial pitch though I am sure that, with his usual attention to detail, Mikel Arteta will have prepared the team for that.
A quirky observation on Bodø is that their supporters, den Gule Horde (the Yellow Horde), have an unusual relationship with a toothbrush. The Horde bring a giant toothbrush to games (I didn’t spot one last week – did anyone?) though I suspect regulations in UK stadiums might have prevented them bringing it into the Grove. The club have adopted this symbol and visiting teams are presented with a yellow (normal sized) toothbrush by the Bodø/Glimt team captain. This tradition apparently springs from a toothbrush being used for many years to conduct fans singing at matches. Imagine someone trying to conduct the North Bank! If someone did have the temerity to attempt the role of North Bank conductor, what might s/he have at hand to use in lieu of a baton? Answers on a postcard, please.
Bodø looked distinctly second best in the first half of last week’s game despite several long spells of possession during which they moved the ball around quickly and accurately but failed to breach our stolid back line. Much to everyone’s surprise they dominated possession in the second half with their high press and smart movement of the ball. Indeed, they looked much more threatening and quite capable of pulling a goal back against a surprisingly tentative Arsenal. This prompted the addition of three A-teamers which wrested back a modicum of control and finally settled the match with our third goal. I suspect we are more likely to see second-half Bodø than first-half Bodø tomorrow night. I hope we see better quality from the Arsenal than we got in the early part of that second half.
The tremendous investment of energy the first team had to expend in beating Liverpool on Sunday means that rotation is again essential. Games are coming thick and fast and the first team will be called upon to put in another huge workload next Sunday against Dirty Leeds. Yet a balance must be kept. We will want to keep our winning run going and maintain the momentum and mind-set that consecutive wins generate. We cannot simply throw in the kids! So, I expect the starting XI to feature some of the first team as did last week’s team.
Turner will clearly replace Ramsdale. Cedric was warming up on the touchline on Sunday so I expect him to start and bring his experience to the backline and right flank though he is now clearly third choice at RB. Holding will clearly return at CB but on this occasion, I expect him to be partnered by Saliba as Gabriel has played every game thus far and looks in need of a break. However, either Tomiyasu or White could be alternative partners for Holding. White strikes me as the least likely given the exhausting shifts he has put in at RB of late. At LB we have several options. Although Tomi was outstanding against the Dippers and had an excellent 20 minute cameo at LB against Bodø last week, I expect Mikel to begin with KT3 who is still working his way back to full match sharpness but is also acclimatised to frigid air. I don’t know if Zinchenko is fit again yet but I suspect this is too soon for him.
In midfield, I think Xhaka, who has also played in every game thus far, also needs a rest and we will probably see Ødegaard make a hero’s return to home soil from the start, alongside Sambi-Lokonga and Vieira. If Partey is fully fighting fit, we might see him on the bench but with his recurring muscle issues and the predicted ambient temperature I don’t think that he will feature at all. If midfield reinforcement or replacement is required I think Mr Reliable (GX) will again be called upon. Up front, I would rest Martinelli whose stellar performance on Sunday has earned him a seat on a sofa in a warm room with a nice glass of warming Shiraz or even a hot chocolate laced with rum at hand (if he wants to nip down to Bath for an evening, he is very welcome). Nor would I start any of Sunday’s front three. I would commence the game with a callow but dynamic and hungry front three of Eddie, Marquinos and Nelson with Jesus and Saka at hand on the bench should more experience be required. I don’t know who is better suited to play on the left, but Mikel will. Hence my team is:
Turner
Cedric, Saliba, Holding, Tierney
Ødegaard, Lokonga, Vieira
Marquinos, Nketiah, Nelson
What of the Holic pound, you ask? A draw is available at 18/5 and an Arsenal win at an optimistic and ungenerous 2/5. The smart call looks like a 3-1 win to the Gunners at 9/1.
Arsenal played the Mugsmashers™ (trademark Arseblog) at the Emirates late Sunday afternoon, hosting them in what was hoped to be the tail end of a run of six games without scoring against them from open play. And, with the spirit of Tommy “Lamb” Shanks raised a bit, and that of Dave Faber raised considerably higher, Arsenal ran out 3-2 winners after an intense, exciting, and memorable game that your humble correspondent from California was blessed to watch live from the North Bank Lower. (And I wasn’t even the furthest travelled…Osaka Matt was in from Japan!)
Lest anyone think that the slogan we share here, “Goonerholics: Virtual Bar, Real Friends”, is just fluff, let me show you another picture, one that has been nearly three years in the making:
Clockwise from lower left: BTM, Scruzgooner, Bathgooner, ClockEndRider, Osaka Matt, Steve T., Son of Steve T., Son of Countryman100, Countryman100, Mrs. Scruz, and Son of Baff
Not one of the above knew each other (except relations, filial or marital) prior to landing in the Drinks of Dave’s blog. Since his passing we’ve created this blog (with others who sadly couldn’t be present) and our own community that embodies the “real friends” aspect of the tile set in the ground at the Grove. And we had the pleasure of meeting for lunch prior to the game today where we raised multiple glasses to absent friends, and in Goonerholic’s memory. We invite you to join our community against future celebrations of Arsenal, real friendships, and our lost, and terribly missed, spiritual leader. Comment in the drinks below!
After lunch it was off to the game. As we walked down Stroud Green Road we made our way with an increasing number of our fellow Arsenal fans. Just before we reached the Arsenal tube station, a stroke of luck: a bit of paper tumbling towards me in the wind turned out to be a £20 note, which I grabbed happily and took as a good sign of things to come. The singing began in earnest on the stairs leading to the Ken Friar bridge, and then we were in the ground. CER’s friend David (is that right, CER?) handed us beers, and met two more friends who sit near to him. The concourse was buzzing with chants and clapping. And then it was time to take our seats. I won’t explain the physiology of what I was feeling, if only for TTG’s sake, but let’s just say I was delighted when the green of the field rose into view as we walked through the tunnel.
We lined up with a mildly surprising formation, with Tomi at left back, otherwise it’s as you were from our previous league win against the Scum (see Ned’s fine preview linked above or at right). Liverpool played their new-look, Rangers-beating 4-2-3-1, with Thiago and Henderson holding behind their dangerous front four. And it didn’t matter a damn.
Note: I did look at a timeline and the goals to get the names right. From the North Bank lower it was a far piece to see, but in the first minute of the game we broke that six-game duck with a goal from Martinelli. After Liverpool kicked off we won the ball on the right, and Saka brought it forward at pace. He squared above the box for Mø, who put a peach of a throughball to the onrushing Martinelli, who calmly slotted home from the left past a despairing Alisson. It was an amazing thing to see live, even at a distance; the Grove exploded in delight and joy, which was an amazing thing to feel. It was Arsenal this season, in a nutshell.
Arsenal 1 – 0 Liverpool (Martinelli, 1′)
I will say that watching the game live it’s much more difficult to write a blow-by-blow report as we often see here, though kudos to whoever can accomplish it. I can’t. Despite (or, wonderingly, perhaps because of) much wine, negronis, amaro, beer, and whisky drunk before the game, comparing it live even to OskartheDog’s (RIP) oversized TV view is a nonstarter. Sober or otherwise, the speed, the sound, the movement, and the way the teams interact are just not visible in the same way on the television.
Liverpool tried to answer, but our defense held firm. There were moans from the away corner for a handball (as if they could see it, happening as it did right in front of us) as Jota struck the ball against Gabriel’s arm inside our box, but from fourteen millimeters, basically; VAR correctly gave them no love. Nuñez struck a shot in that Ramsdale parried away to be cleared by the defense, and then on the break Saliba blocked their inbound cross for Ramsdale to push away again. We weren’t making very easy going of it through the middle of the first half, and finally on 34 minutes Gabriel miscontrolled a long ball over the top which fell to Diaz, who squared for Nuñez to equalize. It was coming, and was perhaps our lowest moment of the first half.
Arsenal 1 – 1 Liverpool (Nuñez, 34′)
But the crowd just roared, and chanted, and stood and sang, giving our boys the energy to lift themselves after that setback. And lift they did. After a series of fouls, free kicks, an enforced injury substitution of Firmino on for Diaz, and a yellow card for Mø we struck back. In the last minute of first half injury time Jesús stole the ball from Thiago in our defensive third, and passed forward to Martinelli streaming up the left. He pulled up and took the ball on his right foot, arrowing a pass across the back to an unmarked Saka on the back post. Cue pandemonium again in the stands, and roars again, this time of appreciation for the tenacity and skill of our Arsenal lads.
Arsenal 2 – 1 Liverpool (Saka, 45’+6)
What a way to end the half, and going in to the locker room up a goal had to make the oranges and gatorade taste that much sweeter. For me, at my second live Arsenal game, it was so exciting and happy-making. A huge thank you to CER for sharing his son 21st Century Gooner’s ticket with me (the lad is away at university; enjoy the hat, 21CG, we’ll meet another time!).
Shortly after the second half began Alexander-Arnold ended his ineffective day (England, what?) being taken off injured, replaced by Gomez. And about five minutes later our nemises Jota and Firmino combined to score a really nice goal, fortunately at the far end of the pitch; I could see Jota’s throughball running straight to Firmino, who followed Martinelli and placed it past Ramsdale into the same corner of the net.
Arsenal 2 – 2 Liverpool (Firmino, 53′)
That was depressing, and yet immediately after they scored the crowd roared to life again, chanting “Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal…” Again the team was lifted, and after some Liverpool substitutions we began to bang on their goal trying to knock it open. A series of attempts were saved or blocked (this time right down below us; our movement and interplay was a joy to watch), and then Xhaka sent in a cross to Jesús waiting in the middle of the 18-yard box. He was rendered unable to field it, I found out later, because Thiago kicked through his foot. The referee pointed to the spot, upheld by VAR and vehemently protested by the Liverpool players while Jesús was getting treatment on the pitch. The ref even had to go over and explain to the coaches what was going on, or to tell them to stop yapping at one another (I still don’t know). But no matter. When play resumed Saka stepped up and struck a beautiful penalty low to Alisson’s right, restoring our lead and inspiring pandemonium in the crowd.
Arsenal 3 – 2 Liverpool (Saka, 76′)
From then the final quarter hour (plus eternal stoppage time) played out, with MA8 bringing on KT3, Eddie, and Vieira for Mø, Jesús, and Saka, respectively. All three players were sung and clapped off, as appropriate. All three gave everything they had to the game, and their replacements slotted right in. Liverpool sent everything they could at us, but nothing got through, and at the end of stoppage time we were back atop the league, and singing it loudly and proudly.
It is so satisfying to write “Arsenal 3 – 2 Liverpool”, not least because we beat them solidly, make no mistake. From what I can see they’re about the level where a 4-2-3-1 can beat Rangers, but not the league leaders. And boy, do they miss that bastard Mané; he provided a certain steel to their spine, and they have not replaced it (yet). Let’s hope it’s a long time before they do (I have to wonder who’d come to a mid-table side languishing, as Steve T pointed out over postgame drinks, below Fulham).
We probably won’t win the league, but it doesn’t matter a damn. MA8’s and (bloody) Edu’s 5-year plan is just more than halfway through, and we are seeing the results of trusting that process, both on and off the pitch. The boys played with passion, grace, and fire, never letting their heads drop and bossing a flailing Liverpool, ripping them open from the first. By the end of the game they had nothing with which to answer. And for this Californian it was one of the best sporting nights of my life, as well as one of the best days to meet old friends for the first time. Best of all? I get to look forward to returning to King Mikel’s court when we play PSV in ten days!
Many thanks (again and again and again…) to CER for the ticket and the companionship to and from the game, Bath for arranging the pregame drinks and lunch (and being savior for a certain someone after the postgame drinks!!!), and to Countryman100 who has worked for a couple months to help me plan and arrange all of this. Here’s to Goonerholics, forever!
On Sunday, we entertain Liverpool in the Premier League for the 238th competitive fixture between the two clubs and our most testing game yet this season. After it, I fancy, we shall have a more accurate measure of where our ambitions for the season should lie.
The visitors have the better overall record, 94 wins to our 81 with 62 draws. We started the sequence dismally in the old Second Division in 1893-94 and 1895-96, losing all four games and failing to score.
We broke our duck on the opening Saturday of the 1905-06 season. With Liverpool returning to the First Division that season (our second in the top flight), we beat them 3-1 at the Manor Ground, initiating an 18-game unbeaten run against them at home in the league that lasted until February 1930.
Bemoaning the first-half loss of Liverpool’s centre forward Jack Parkinson with a fractured wrist of sufficient severity to have him immediately taken to Woolwich Infirmary to have it reset, the Liverpool Daily Post opined that ‘there can be few who saw the game who will deny that Liverpool were the better side’, adding that ‘the Gunners were left distinctly fortunate winners by 3 goals to 1’. Nothing new in media antipathy towards us, especially when we win.
Your moment of history
The first of our three goals, a rapid response equaliser after Liverpool had opened the scoring early in the second half, came from John George ‘Tim’ Coleman. He was an inside forward whose goalscoring partnership with Tommy Shanks was instrumental in Woolwich Arsenal’s elevation to the First Division. He was sold to Everton in 1908 for £700 — serious money when the record transfer was only £1,000 — to ease the club’s financial woes (Nothing new there, either).
Coleman retired from professional football when the First World War started. After the war, in which he won a Military Cross, he eventually pursued a successful, if largely forgotten, coaching career in the Netherlands— three league titles with different clubs in nine seasons in the 1920s and ’30s. He died in unlikely circumstances during the Blitz, fatally falling off the roof of an electricity substation in Prince Consort Road, South Kensington, onto which he had clambered to repair bomb damage. He was 59.
The opposition
Recent results have heavily skewed Liverpool’s way. We have beaten them once in the league since April 2015, the 2-1 home win in July 2020 played behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions. There have been a couple of other victories since then: the Community Shield at the end of the following month and a League Cup tie in October, both also behind closed doors and won on penalties. We have not scored against them from open play in our past six games.
Jurgen Klopp’s men will arrive on Sunday buoyed by an easy midweek Champions League win over Rangers. Yet in the Premier League, they have stuttered with two wins in seven games, although only the Mancs have beaten them. They sit ninth, eleven points beneath us with a game in hand. Caution is warranted over those early-week stats. After seven games last season, they had won only four, yet would still push City for the title to the end, losing only two of their remaining 31 games.
Klopp, the Spinal Tap of football managers, says his team needs to go ‘back to basics’ in defending. They have conceded nine goals in their seven games, against six in their first seven last season and 20 in their next 31.
In Virgil van Dyke and Joel Matip, Klopp had two of the top 10 centre-backs in Europe last season. This season, Matip is only newly returned from injury, and backup Ibrahima Konate is also only now back in contention after a long-term injury. Joe Gomez has filled in alongside van Dyke, who has been slow to get back to his best form. Konstantinos Tsimikas has had to deputise for first-choice left-back Andy Robertson, who is out with a long-term knee injury. Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has been exposed as the English Nuno Tavares.
Sadio Mane’s departure to Bayern Munich has unbalanced the front line more than might have been expected. Yet Klopp has plenty of fire-power to juggle with across 90 minutes in Luis Diaz, Diego Jota, Mohamed Salah, new boy Darwin Nunez and old hand Roberto Firmino.
With Jordon Henderson, Tiago, Fabinho, and James Milner off the bench, Klopp has steel and experience in midfield. Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho offer youthful creativity. Arthur Mello, on loan from Juve, the Ox and Naby Keita remain unavailable.
Klopp played 4-2-3-1 against Rangers instead of his habitual 4-3-3, although he used 4-2-3-1 in 2018-19. Henderson and Tiago, as the double pivot, tightened the defence. Elliott, Carvalho and possibly Firmino offer the 10s the system needs. A rehearsal for Sunday, or a Klopp double bluff?
The Arsenal
We come off the exhilaration of the NLD win and a much-rotated team’s slightly disjointed Europa League win over visiting Bodø/Glimt. Klopp’s lot will be a different kettle of custard. Last season, we lost three of our four games against the bin dippers, drew the other one, and failed to score in any of them.
Yet, as TTG observed in his Tottnumb review, we are a much-changed team from last season; we should now be able to match Liverpool as a footballing side. Yet, this game will be won and lost in the mind.
The mental resilience needed against Liverpool differs from that required in a derby match against the neighbours. Liverpool has become acclimated to winning against us, and we to losing to them. It is redolent of the Mancs at OT, where we lost the game, albeit being the better side for much of the game.
It is, as Arteta likes to say, ‘the moments’ that matter. We cannot let those get away from us on Sunday. That is what Arteta means when he talks of the need for consistency.
Pace possibly Zinchenko, absent from the bench on Thursday, no new injury concerns prevent Arteta from starting the XI that put the neighbours to the sword:
The bookies have a draw as the clear favourite and the odds on either side winning a toss-up. The classic 1-0 to The Arsenal (a scoreline not seen between these clubs since 2010) can be found at twelves, and a much overdue and history-repeating 3-1 home win at 20s. A nervy 2-1 home win, available at tens, may be the most likely outcome.
This will be a testing game, but there to be won if the team puts its mind to it — and the faithful their voices behind it as magnificently as they have all season.
