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Will We Ride a Renewed Happy Train from the Arsenal?

Aug 26th, 2022 by

The better team from Fulham travels to Ashburton Grove on Saturday for a late afternoon kickabout, with a 1730 start, local time. The Cottagers currently sit five places above their neighbors from the Bus Stop (ok, only a point above with three more goals in the differential basket, but still 🙂 ).

Arsenal, of course, sit atop the table after three games (sing “we’re top of the league!”). Admittedly, and with the rose-tinteds set on the side table, our three games were against teams we are expected to beat. And, yeah, it’s only three games. But it was the manner, the method, the verve, the vitality, and the beauty of the football we played that has launched a thousand happy trains into the Arsenal lebenswelt.

Speaking of happy trains, and taking up the rose-tinteds, we can hope that for the first time in more than a decade The Goonerholic(sforever) Happy Train will pick us up at Arsenal or Holloway Road and carry us along home after the match, its Columbian medicine cabinet restocked with free samples of green goodness from California (and perhaps a new wine bar). Just don’t forget to shelve Shaft’s moustache wax, and certainly avoid stepping on Wofie’s Jimmy Choos (or his MiuMius, or whatever brand he’s currently sporting). If the twins are still on the train, tell them I’ll be over in October!

And long may we ride. But first we must remember that the skin of a banana can be slippery underfoot, or under the wheels of the Happy Train.

Cottage, er, Pie

Coming off the weekend win at Brentford the Cottagers played Tuesday at League 2’s Crawley Town in the 2nd round of the Carabao Cup. Led by ex-Arsenal U23 skipper Kevin “To” Betsy, Crawley Town strolled to a comfortable 2-0 victory against a largely second-string Fulham. Fulham started 10 players who usually don’t start PL games; now that another ex-Arsenal man Bernd Leno has debuted against Brentford in the league it may well be that none of the side that played Crawley Town will make an appearance except from the bench.

Mitrović is their leading goalscorer with 3 (and he has previous with us from his time at Newcastle, earning a red-card in 2015 for stamping on Coquelin). They offer threat from others in their 4-2-3-1 formation, including second striker De Cordova-Reid and Pereira from the midfield. Their defense hasn’t been terrible, but can be expected to exhibit porosity, having let in 4 goals so far this season (2 from Liverpool and 2 from Brentford).

Fulham’s injury list is short, with long-term absentees Solomon and Wilson possibly joined by Kebano, who picked up a groin injury in training before the Brentford game. He’s scheduled to be a game-day decision for coach Marco Silva.

Da da da da da da da da…

Arsenal will have had a full week’s rest after our 3-0 juicing of Bournemouth’s Cherries (nurse!), and with the exception of long-termer Reiss Nelson Super Mik has a full squad from which to choose on Saturday. Given the consistency of our first three lineups, unless there’s a refined tactical or a red-zone reason for not starting a player I expect we will start as we have been starting:

Ramsdale

White — Saliba! — Gabriel — Zinchenko

Mø — Thomas — Xhaka

Saka — Jesús — Gabigol

And I expect us to be fast out of the blocks, with the interplay between our forwards and midfield augmented by our tucked-in or overlapping fullbacks. Our defense should be solid against Fulham’s wing play, with Saliba! and Gabriel cementing their partnership into a wall through which Mitrović will have a hard time scoring. But, remember, the banana skin.

I expect a good game from Saka, and with an assist or perhaps a goal; while he has been excellent this season his contributions have been in the build-up rather than the final product. His Ego seems to be such that he can continue that way indefinitely, but I have to believe that same Ego is going to burst through and we’ll see him catch fire. Gabigol is another who is right on the edge of blowing up, hopefully adding assists to this season’s goalscoring threat. Indeed, Mø’s brace against the Cherries might have given him the taste for more; his silk is mixed with steel, and that lovely left foot.

Of course, there’s our savio(u)r, Gabriel Jesús, who leads the team in both goals (tied) and assists, and rests tied atop the League table for goal involvements with Leeds’ Rodrigo. His presence and its effects have been written about ad infinitum; needless to say we have leveled up at least a few notches since he has joined the team, and can expect that to continue. Such a potent front three plus midfield we haven’t seen in any number of years.

Our bench will be uncertain, but won’t include Pépé, and shouldn’t include Ainsley Maitland-Niles or Bellerin. Pépé has been loaned to Nice in France’s League Un; AMN may be off to Southampton in the PL, also on loan. Bellerin still doesn’t know where he’s going, but longs for one of the white cities of Al-Andalus. This might be a game for Super Mik to blood one or another of our young tyros. We’ll see.

The Holics’ Pound

Keeping in mind the banana-skin potential contra our security at the back and our firepower up front, your best odds are on the final score or goalscorer. It’s clear the bookies see our fourth straight win as the likely outcome. For final score 4-0 gets you 14s, 4-1 gets you 18s, and, if you think a draw is likely 0-0 or 2-2 are 20-1 or above. Gabigol is your best bet at 11/2 to score anytime.

So have at it, enjoy the game wherever you are, and pack at least your toothbrush so that you can jump onto The Happy Train as it is leaving the station…

Posted in Match Preview | 63 Drinks »

This Organisation Does Not Tolerate Failure

Aug 20th, 2022 by

There is a scene in You Only Live Twice where Blofeld interrogates two of his subordinates who have failed to kill Bond. He sends them away in displeasure, yet after the first chap has crossed a suitably evil lair décor 101 looking bridge, Blofeld depresses a lever with his foot and the bridge falls away, sending the red-haired woman (Helga Brant is the character name – thanks Google!) into a pool beneath. She surfaces and screams, before being submerged in a frenzy of bubbles as she is eaten by piranhas. The camera pans to the horrified look on the face of the chap who has just escaped death by a whisker.

I imagine this was something like Scott Parker felt in the first half an hour as his Bournemouth side were torn to shreds by a rampant Arsenal. I don’t know what colours piranhas actually are, but I assume they are salmon pink – either due to natural selection or because they feel such a strong kinship to Jesus, Martinelli et al that they have all bought replica Arsenal away kits.

We began nibbling away from the first whistle but tore our first chunk out of them after a mere five minutes. Ben White played a brilliant, lofted ball forwards (what do you mean it was a loose punt upfield?!) which Jesus took out of the sky under pressure with a touch God would have been impressed by before showing incredible skill, strength and pace to beat two men, drive forwards and slip a delicious ball through for Gabigol. His shot was saved but Ødegaard was in the right place to knock it in. What a start.

We scored again five minutes later, our captain feasting on easy prey. It’s a pity we can’t play a Harry Redknapp side in this form. We’d show him what ‘down to the bare bones’ really means. Anyway, this time Ben White overlapped, Saka played him in, and his pullback was cushioned perfectly for Martin Ødegaard (what do you mean he was trying to control it for himself?!) who absolutely walloped it into the far corner. There was a VAR check off White’s position, which I have to say I thought was going to go badly for us after a look with my naked eyes, but the arbitrary lines went in our favour this time.

The rest of the half was a solid display with some dangerous looks that did not quite materialise into good chances. We played well and held them at arms length. They couldn’t lay a glove on us and we looked untroubled all the way.

Bournemouth perked up a bit in the second half, starting better but not causing us concern.

Then, we swung a long corner to this new chap we’ve signed to make runs into the box and get the goals and assists we need to go to the next level. It is unusual that we have given him Granit Xhaka’s number 34, and even more so that we haven’t even changed the name on the shirt, but I’ve been watching Xhaka play for years, and I’ve got no idea who this bloke is. He layed off a wonderful, weighted pass to invite a shot from, of all people, William Saliba. However, the young Frenchman has cunningly turned down all Thomas Partey’s invitations to join him for shooting practice, and stroked it into the top corner with his left foot. Absolute banger.

Bournemouth sent some crosses in. Keifer Moore did moore with them than he could be expected to but we kept the clean sheet. See what I did there?

We could well have added to our goal difference. The arbitrary VAR lines ruled out a Jesus effort dinked over the keeper. Pity. He had another decent chance that was saved. ESR and Eddie came on and both had chances that failed to get past the goalie. Lokonga and Tomiyasu got on, as did Tierney, ahead of Zinchenko in an interesting positional choice that we may see more of through the season.

We ran out 3-0 winners. A thoroughly deserved result.

A word for the away fans, who had a marvellous day out. They were raucous and did not stop singing. Even on the TV you could hear them pulling out the full repertoire for those on the pitch, as well as a few old favourites. “You’re going down with United” was good work. I was more surprised to hear a chant for Xhaka than for Rocky, but glad of both. Saliba was serenaded all day, including at the end when the team went over to applaud their rapturous support. He was coy at first, but was soon wreathed in smiles. He looked very happy. Good.

The entire team were brilliant. The Xhaka-Zinchenko thing is just excellent. Saka had a good game and yet was our least effective attacking player. Partey was like an octopus in the middle, pulling the ball in from all angles. Saliba gets a special mention for the goal and generally being the sort of invincible-seeming henchman Bond would have to kill with a seriously elaborate death (perhaps one of the floodlights crushing him?) Jesus got MOTM from Smudger but Gabigol and the skipper would have been good choices too.

Now, I have watched All Or Nothing, and it appears that Arteta has a dog. I think this is the wrong animal for him. Can someone get the Gaffer a fluffy white cat to stroke menacingly as he stares furiously at his team for failing to win by seventy-four clear goals?

Afterwards the Sky Sports gimp asked him how close that was to perfect. As expected, he barely drew breath before asserting “Still far,” and proceeded to lay out a variety of ways we could have been better.

Honestly, I think he is aiming to win the Prem and Champions League only as practice for World Domination.

So, we have three wins from three. We are doing as well as we could be at this point. Let’s not go overboard, there is a long way to go. But, as Dave would remind us, it’s good to enjoy the good days!

As a final note, we wore black armbands for Steve Braddock, by all accounts a tremendous man as well as the finest groundskeeper in the country, if not the world, and I think everyone at the club did him proud today. This one was for you Steve, thanks for the carpet, and RIP.

Have a good one ‘holics.

Posted in Match Report | 142 Drinks »

Can we put the Cherries in the pits? Yes, we can!

Aug 19th, 2022 by

This view of Bournemouth was provided courtesy of the Bournemouth tourist board. The slogan was provided by someone who has not visited LA.

The Pre-ramble

Hello Gladness, my old friend

This weekend sees The Arsenal taking a short trip to the Dorset coast to face Bournemouth in the hope of not only maintaining our 100% start to the season, but also delivering our first three-game winning run at the start of a season since the 2004/5 campaign. Optimism, both guarded and unbridled, has abounded in the Goonerverse this week as the good news has just kept on coming since the frustrating end to last season. Our new signings are prospering, our failed signings are leaving, our injured are returning, and most importantly our team is winning. Though experience tells us that guarded is the wiser course at this stage, I must admit to a high bar in terms of expectations this season and an almost unseemly yen toward the unbridled. 

And why not really? I believe that many of us, blessed with a certain hard-earned skepticism, are fully aware that Football, being a fickle beast, rarely, but not always, fails to joyfully puncture early season balloons; on the other hand there is certainly a line of thought that hope is there to be enjoyed, not feared as though a slavering politician; therefore, for the fullness of the time allotted, I will continue to savor our early season delights in gleefully raucous “we’re gonna win the league” mode until the inevitable POP heralds the return of those sturdy but tiresome bores Ma and Pa Reality.  

Will that pop come at Bournemouth? Well, anything is possible of course but I very much doubt it for reasons I will explore in more detail later. However, for the moment let’s focus on The Arsenal.  

The Starting XI

Hello Goalness, a welcome trend  

To date, we have ground out a win at Palace and delivered a lesson in attacking to Leicester. Six goals in two games are indeed welcome, nicely on track for the 80-90 goals Mikel requires.

Both Jesus and Martinelli have hit the net running, and even Xhaka is looking dangerous in the good, positive, warm feeling sort of way. Long may it continue.

I have seen the latest injury news update straight from the horse’s mouth as it were, and it was those exceedingly rare but heart-fillingly sweet three little words….. Everybody is ok. 

I would be surprised to see a starting XI any different to the one that has won the first two matches in such contrastingly pleasing styles. Vieira had a run out for the U21s this week, as did ESR, and I assume both will be on the bench this weekend. I did notice that Tomi did not play in that U21 game, though whether that is a sign he will start this week I have no idea. 

The decisions will come left, right and centre for MA as the season goes on – we already have 9 games scheduled for October – but I think that just at this moment he will not change the team. Therefore, at this stage, and entirely predictably, I believe it will be the below XI…….

      Ramsdale

Benjy WS Gabriel Zin

     Party Xhaka

   Saka Ode Gabi

         Jesus

Subs: Turner, Tomi, KT, Rob, Sambi, Mo, ESR, Vieira, Eddie

For the subs my guess is that no place for Pepe, but it may be that MA will want the extra right-wing option for as long as he’s here.

The Opposition

Hello Bournemouth, yet goodbye again

Bournemouth were relegated at the end of the 19/20 season after a 5-season stay in the Premier League. Eddie Howe, once touted as a possible manager of The Arsenal, departed, eventually rolling up in colder climes and the usual large-scale turnaround of players began. We got the best of them as you know. A fairly mediocre season in the championship followed despite the benefit of the parachute payment system (who says the PL owners don’t care about the little clubs?), but a better effort last year saw them win automatic promotion back to the Promised Land Premier League.

They made a good start to the season with a 2-0 home victory over a poorly-managed, under-performing Villa before getting a fairly comprehensive drubbing against a well-managed, corruptly-funded Man City. The new cast of Bournemouth in the Premier League: The Return is, like most sequels, just a shade or two lower in quality than the original and certainly shares the danger of being largely forgotten by all but the most diehard fans. The cast is led by Scott Parker, who I quite liked as a player though he was vastly over-rated. He ran around tackling, was often a bit fouly, and scored the occasional goal (31 in 486 league games), a step or three below top-class he was it seems, unsurprisingly, well-liked at the neighbours as well as at Fulham and West Ham – both of whom he ruthlessly dumped upon their relegation. 

This current Bournemouth side is more or less fashioned in Parker’s own image and, therefore, will I expect be relegated come May, whereupon Scott will, most likely, be off free. Anyway, enough of him, what of the journeyman support cast? Well, they still have a smattering of their previous PL squad. The likes of Kelly, Lerma, Stanislas, Billing and their main attacking threat Solanke remain, but others like Calum Wilson, Harry Wilson, Ake, Fraser, King and the one and only Aaron Ramsdale are gone. Solanke is a fitness doubt, the old “we’ll see how he is on the day routine”, that generally means he will play but regardless this is a team weaker in Goal, Defence and Attack than two years ago.  Perhaps that isn’t a bad thing in some ways as the previous lot got relegated without much of a fight, but, in all honesty, I would be surprised if they are not down by April. Having divested themselves willingly or unwillingly of many PL quality players, Bournemouth have invested little in the replacements they now need and the life of a yo-yo club beckons, pockets too packed with parachute payments to stay down long, but too greedy or incompetent to risk the necessary investments required to stay up. Harsh you may feel, but my sympathies lie with the fans of such clubs, and there are several of them. They do not deserve such leadership. As you may have guessed by now, I am not a fan of the parachute payment, it is unfair to other Championship clubs and encourages a lack of ambition in its recipients. 

The Holic Pound

Hello luckness, be for our men

We have played Bournemouth 12 times since our first meeting, losing one, drawing two, and winning the other nine.  I am sure after reading this review you are not expecting me to suggest anything other than a decent win for The Arsenal this time around too, and you are quite correct. 3-0 to The Arsenal seems a touch conservative but perhaps about right, though the odds are only 8-1 or so.  For the first goal-scorer, I would have gone with Gabriel Jesus, who did in fact score the winner for Man City when he last played against Bournemouth, but I have a feeling it is time for Bukayo Saka to find the net and he so rarely disappoints. 

Or if you feel this new-look Xhaka is here to stay then he is 16-1 for the first goal. 

Well, that is about it for this preview and it remains only for me to wish one and all a safe and happy trip to the ground, their local bar or their favourite rocking-chair. 

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Posted in Match Preview | 43 Drinks »

Jesus feeds 60,000 at the Emirates

Aug 14th, 2022 by

Copyright Stuart MacFarlane AFC, as posted on Twitter (@Stuart_PhotoAFC)

The first home game of the season for Arsenal coincided with a national rail strike, trapping TTG in his riverside holiday cottage on the Norfolk Broads. So we hatched a cunning plan. He would drive to my home in Cambridgeshire, from whence we would head forth for North London in my car. And so it came to pass. As the air conditioning kicked in, at 10am the temperature gauge read 27 ˚C. It would reach 36˚C in the stadium. The traffic proved light and around 11.45 we parked up near the Emirates. 

We were early because we were having the first meeting this season of various Goonerholics for a pre-game lunch. As we left the cool of the car and headed out, the heat and humidity reminded me of visiting Baton Rouge, Louisiana on business. It was, as we Londoners say, bloody hot. Our venue was the Alcedo Bistro and Bar on the Holloway Road. Apart from TTG and me, fellow lunch guests were Bathgooner and his son, Clockendrider and 21st Century Gooner. Over foaming pints of cold Peroni, and various dishes of calamari, halloumi, pasta and some excellent steaks, we fortified ourselves and talked and laughed and talked. To our joy, BtM, once a mainstay of this parish, wandered in briefly. I hadn’t seen him since pre-Covid and I hope he’ll not be a stranger and come to football more often instead of hitting a small white ball around the fields of Bishops Stortford. Our mentor, Dave Faber, often said that the social side of football was as important, indeed on bad days, more important, than the football. As always, Dave spoke wisely.

Off into the baking Holloway Road and the short walk to the Emirates. All around us was an excited buzz and chatter as we climbed the steps and made our way to our various gates. TTG was sitting next to me in the North Bank Lower, filling the seat of my son, who was enjoying the various delights of a lads’ holiday in Croatia (TTG is less excitable and doesn’t swear so much). As always, it was a great pleasure to greet the usual members of my immediate ST cadre. The one thing I fear about safe standing (which I am supportive of) is that it may break up these groups of people who have watched football together for many years. We stand throughout every game on the North Bank anyway. 

The team proved to be the same one that had started against Palace:

Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Martinelli, Ǿdegaard, Saka, Jesus.

Added to the subs list were Tomiyasu and ESR, leaving only Vieira from our recent acquisitions deemed not quite match fit yet. 

A chorus of North London forever and we were off. Leicester started quite brightly and the loathsome Vardy robbed Xhaka on our left side, then slipping in Fofana (what was he doing up there?) who slalomed into our penalty area and got his shot away. Fortunately, Ramsdale, not for the first time, made a key block. Then the Gabriel Jesus show started. There was a whirling interchange featuring Zinchenko who slipped the ball out to Jesus on our left wing. He beat his man and passed to Martinelli in the box. He again beat a man then passed back to Jesus who was surrounded by Leicester players. No problem. He stopped the ball dead, and from a standing start, with a very short back lift, chipped the ball over the 6’3” Ward and into the top corner of the net. What an opening PL goal for our latest Gabriel from Brazil. 

A few minutes later, we won a corner on our left hand side. The ball was whipped in and Vardy (ha-ha) did his very best Steve Bould tribute act to flick the ball on to the back post, where the diminutive Jesus was there to nod home his second. God, I love it when we score from corners. Jesus was quite unplayable during this period and was to have two more chances before half time. Ramsdale hit one of his trademark clearances deep into the Leicester half towards Jesus. For some unaccountable reason Jonny Evans stood off him and allowed him to control the ball (perhaps he wants his old job back at Old Trafford and is trying to prove he can be as crap as Harry Maguire). Jesus then showed another element to his game. He shoved his backside into Evans and then spun him on the edge of the area and burst into the box. We all anticipated a first half hat trick, but a combination of a desperate foot from a defender and a block from the keeper sent the ball for a corner. 

Later, a ball found Jesus coming in from the left. He collected the ball, opened his body and shot, TH14 style. On target, but Ward made a good save. To add to all this, Saka found a lovely cross to the back post where he found an onrushing Granit Xhaka who powered his shot against the post. Xhaka was consistently breaking into the box in the inside left channel, confident in the knowledge as he roamed forward that Partey and Zinchenko were covering him behind. As half time approached it was looking good for 2-0. Then a long ball found Ramsdale and Vardy approaching the ball at the same time on the corner of the area. Vardy collapsed like a deckchair. Penalty said referee, Darren England. To be fair, from my angle, it looked feasible (although TTG was less sure). VAR check, with Mike Dean (!) in the chair. England sent to the monitor. No penalty! Then they played it back on the stadium monitors. Virtually no contact. Rat faced diving little see you next Tuesday! I’m really not sure why he didn’t get a yellow card. The Arsenal faithful kindly informed Vardy that his wife was a grass, and to make sure the message had got home, repeated this bulletin every time Vardy touched the ball from then on. 

Half time and a very satisfying 2-0 that could have been five. As the second half started. Arsenal looked to be in complete control. Then a chip forwards towards Vardy which Saliba, seeking to clear, headed past Ramsdale (who may have been slightly out of position) and into his own net. 2-1. At this point the crowd were immense. A roar of support went up before the ball had been returned to the centre circle. Saliba’s every touch for the next 10 minutes was greeted by cheers and support. It was not always thus when an Arsenal player made a rick. 

This seems a good moment to talk about the crowd. They were immense, very loud and utterly supportive. New songs for Zinchenko (Zinchenko, Oh, Always believe in yourself – Gold by Spandau Ballet), Saliba (the tune was familiar but I can’t place it, can anyone help?) which ended the refrain with a great shout of Saliba!) and Jesus, which, in the spirit of recycling, was a retread of Giroud’s Hey Jude song, with Jesus at the end instead of Giroud. Many old favourites from last season including Super Tomiyasu, Super Mik Arteta, and Saka and Emile Smith Rowe inter alia. When Tielemans was subbed, an immediate chorus of “we’ll see you next week, we’ll see you next week, Youri Tielemans, we’ll see you next week!” went up. I love spontaneous football humour. 

Back at the game, it only took 90 seconds to restore our two goal lead. The ball was crossed into their box, it seemed harmlessly. But Ward made a compete howler (tell me again why Schmeichel left?) and dropped the ball at Jesus’s feet. At they said in Pretty Woman, big mistake. He immediately rolled it sideways to Xhaka (who was in the box again) who smashed in home in front of the North Bank. Again Leicester came back. The ball broke to Maddison on the Leicester right (not sure where Zinchenko was). He made ground in the box before hitting a fierce shot through the legs of Ramsdale. He would save that 8 times out of 10, but it’s a difficult place to defend if the ball is hit hard. 3-2. Again the crowd roared their support and again it only took 90 seconds before we scored again. We broke on our right flank. Jesus collected it and shipped it on in the D to Martinelli. He steadied himself then hit a perfect, powerful daisy cutter into the corner of the net. Delirium. Gabi’s third goal in three league games. Is this his real break-through season?

And that was that. Just time for Jesus to just miss his last chance for a hat trick, but the ball was deflected to him and came very quickly. He had to settle for 2 goals and 2 assists. Good enough. There was time for cameos from KT3, Tomi, ESR and Eddie. The depth from the bench is beginning to look very impressive.

Thoughts. Jesus was superlative. So much energy, speed, close control and near lethal finishing. He also leads what was a highly efficient forward press, which made it difficult for Leicester to get out. Very good were Gabi (who is forming a highly effective partnership with Jesus), Xhaka, Saliba apart from the OG, Gabriel. Zinchenko was huge in attack, less so in defence. He had one moment in midfield where he reprised his game against Scotland for Ukraine by picking up the ball in the centre circle, beating 3 men, and then striding away into open space. He looks more of a midfielder to me and he constantly floated between left back and midfield, especially when Xhaka was making the extra third man running up top. . Saka had a quiet game, as our attack focused on the left, but still made some dangerous contributions. Top performer of the day was the home crowd. I haven’t heard support like that at home since the golden Highbury days of 98-04.

Homewards. Radio on. I thought we had tuned into a comedy channel but it turned out to be Man United getting thrashed at Brentford to the horror of the commentators. Cry me a river.

A wonderful day out. More please Arsenal. 

Posted in Match Report | 120 Drinks »

Jesalibenko and friends come home

Aug 12th, 2022 by

The historians among us will remember that the last time Arsenal hosted Leicester City in a home opener, as they will on Saturday afternoon, substitute Olivier Giroud headed a late winner as the Gunners fought back to win 4-3 at the start of the 2017/2018 season.  A mere 18 years earlier, at Highbury on the opening day of the 1999/2000 season, substitute Thierry Henry made his first appearance for the Gunners, who won 2-1 with the help of Dennis Bergkamp’s 65th minute equaliser and a late Leicester own goal.

But to shake you back to the present, this Saturday afternoon is forecast to be sunny and very hot so the two clubs may need to take advantage of the Premier League’s new rule allowing five substitutions, should injury or fatigue strike as might be anticipated in such conditions.  Also due to the hot weather this weekend, the league has announced there will be drinks breaks during games so we hope those in attendance will be able to take advantage on that count.  But with Arsenal’s first hurdle at Crystal Palace cleared they now enter a winnable run of games that gives them a chance to position themselves favorably in the table before the mid-season break for the World Cup arrives after gameweek 16 in November.  This week Leicester endeavour to become the first opponents to breach William Saliba, Oleksandr Zinchenko and the Gunners’ refashioned defence, while Gabriel Jesus and company hope to mount a successful initial exhibition of attacking verve for the home fans.

The opposition 

After Leicester’s difficult season ended a few months ago in an eighth-place finish, they enter the new campaign with a lot of questions looming.  Will they be able to challenge for Europe again, or continue to fall back into mid-table mediocrity?  With largely the same squad they blew a great chance to qualify for the Champions League on the last day of the season before last.  The last part of that scenario will sound familiar to Arsenal fans, who even more recently suffered a similar disappointment. Arsenal, however, have gone out and acquired new players to address their perceived weaknesses, whereas Leicester have not been nearly so proactive with new signings. As of Thursday, the club had still not made a single signing in the current window.

Brendan Rodgers has been in charge at Leicester for three and a half seasons, in which he led them to ninth place in his first half-season, and then consecutive fifth place finishes and an FA Cup prior to last season’s slip to eighth spot.  Before this season began, Rodgers expressed frustration at not having sufficient transfer funds at his disposal, saying “the squad is not going to be the level I would have wanted” so he appears to believe that he lacks the players he needs to prevent a recurrence of last season’s dip in form.  The Foxes’ first eleven may still be capable of challenging for the European places or thereabouts, but they lack the squad depth of rival clubs.  Their lack of transfer business has seemed to hinge on the possible sales of defender Wesley Fofana, the subject of multiple bids by Chelsea; and midfielders Youri Tielemans, linked with Arsenal for months, and James Maddison, the subject of bids by Newcastle United.  No less an insider than our very own TTG commented this week on Arsenal’s non-pursuit pursuit of Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans, saying “Leicester are in trouble financially and the lack of a bid may be geared to an understanding already reached with Leicester over the timing of the deal given we are playing them on Saturday.  If we have agreed personal terms that would indicate we intend to sign him.” On August 1, Newcastle made an improved £50m offer for Maddison but Leicester turned it down.  Before the window opened, Rodgers said he wanted a ‘healthy shake-up’ of the squad so the lack of signings is not by his design.  On Thursday, Rodgers clarified the Fofana situation saying “We’re not looking to sell. That’s the key point. He’s a top young defender and there are not many about at his age.”  If recent reports are to be believed, club executives do not believe there is a desperate need to improve the squad, being content to maintain the club at its recent level. Rodgers seems to have greater ambitions but be a man stuck in the middle of a muddle, as it were.  

The main actual news, as opposed to speculation, in Leicester’s outgoing transfers was the early August departure of 35 year-old goalkeeper and club captain Kasper Schmeichel who moved to French club Nice, meaning Leicester will have a different starting keeper for the first time since before they won promotion to the Premier League in 2014.  The Danish international was Leicester’s no. 1 for 11 seasons in which he made over 400 appearances.  The Foxes’ new keeper will be one of Danny Ward, who started last week, or Daniel Iversen.

The Foxes’ reliance on James Maddison in attack last season was considerable.  Nobody else in their squad matched his 30 goal contributions (18 goals and 12 assists) in all competitions, but veteran striker and Arsenal tormentor Jamie Vardy managed 15 goals in 25 injury-limited league appearances.  Injuries cost the Foxes the chance to play Fofana and Jonny Evans as a center back partnership, unsettling their defensive solidity.  When the two of them were healthy enough to play together (just six times in the league) Leicester conceded only seven goals.  After Fofana fractured his fibula in pre-season he was out until the end of March, but Leicester’s goals conceded per 90 minutes dropped from 1.6 to 1.0 with Fofana in the side.  

The Foxes will be missing two of their most important players due to injuries suffered in the club’s final pre-season game.  Full-back Ricardo Pereira is out for up to six months with a ruptured Achilles tendon, while winger Harvey Barnes is out for a few weeks with a knee injury.  Rodgers commented on Pereira’s injury prior to their season opener, saying “It’s such a shame because a lot of our game idea over the summer was based around full-backs and Pereira in particular.” Leicester played Brentford on Sunday so face Arsenal on six days’ rest, two fewer than the Gunners.  Last week the Foxes drew at home with Brentford 2-2, squandering a 2-0 lead built on Timothy Castagne’s header and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s long-range screamer.  Leicester’s starting XI included Ward, Castagne, Amartey, Evans, Fofana, Justin, Tielemans, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison and Vardy.

Arsenal XI

A few months ago nearly no one would have predicted with any confidence that William Saliba would start the home opener in the heart of the Arsenal defence.  But speaking of Saliba’s dominant performance last weekend at Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta enthused “You don’t really see that at 21 years old in a debut in the Premier League.”  Saliba and new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko, who were so effective in pre-season and last week at Selhurst Park, are nearly certain to feature in the starting defence either side of Gabriel while Ben White should continue to fill in at right-back after his admirable performance controlling Zaha, Palace’s most dangerous attacker.

Perhaps the best news of the week was that competition for places in the team has definitively been ratcheted up a notch as of Tuesday, when Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe had all resumed training after their assorted injuries. If they all emerged unscathed then one, two, or possibly all three of them could displace some of last week’s named substitutes on the bench. But other than those different faces on the bench, the starting XI should be the same one we saw last week:

Ramsdale
White — Saliba — Gabriel — Zinchenko 
Partey — Xhaka
Ødegaard
Saka — Jesús — Martinelli

Substitutes: Turner, Tomiyasu, Holding, Tierney, Elneny, Sambi Lokonga, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Nketiah.

The ‘holics pound

William Saliba was last week’s the man of the match, as defensive solidity was the key to defeating Palace away. This week the home fans will be hoping to see a different scenario, with Gabriel Jesús displaying his attacking style and getting amongst the goals as well as providing opportunities for Martinelli, Saka and a rotating cast of characters up front. Leicester appear to be a wounded animal at the moment, and may make it difficult to break them down initially, but over the 90 minutes Arsenal should be able to fashion a number of opportunities, and I expect they will be able to rise to the occasion with this satisfactory score: Arsenal 3 Leicester 0.

Despite that deceptively one-sided scoreline, there are no doubt going to be some interesting twists and turns, so enjoy the game, ‘holics, and please do your best to beat the heat.

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