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Don’t Lose That Winning Feeling – And Leicester Away

Sep 22nd, 2020 by

The Carabao Cup has rolled around again and it’s time for the annual discussion of should we take it seriously or just send in the reserves and the kids. We’ve done both without winning it in recent years. In fact it is a trophy that we have only won twice and not lifted in any of its varyingly ridiculous guises since 1993 when we won 2-1 against a Sheffield Weds side led by Viv Anderson, once notably of this parish, in a game that has not stuck in my memory despite actually being there. Though I was reminded of it this year when Auba dropped the FA Cup, as that 93 final is the one where another Arsenal captain, a clumsy Adams on this occasion, dropped not the cup but the unfortunate winning goal-scorer Morrow breaking his arm. I am not a superstitious man but we have had many years of bad luck in the competition since, still hope springs eternal and perhaps we’ll do better on the morrow. The luck of the draw has not been kind this year either; a trip to Anfield is likely if we get past Leicester. However, should we prevail and add carabao to our coke and littlewoods we will be rewarded not only with the prestigious Carabao Cup (see above) but also a place in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League, a competition so absurd that it makes Hardaker’s Folly look like serious stuff. The poor relation’s poor relation, think Baldrick’s idiot brother on a bad day and if that is not sufficient motivation for the players to get in the Top 4 this season and make such contemplations superfluous then I just don’t know what is. As you may have started to suspect I am not a big fan of the League Cup and to be honest see no reason it should be played at all this season given the current situation. However, it is being played, we are in it, and I would very much like us to win tomorrow night for the simple reason that it will keep the atmosphere positive and confidence high ahead of some difficult PL games to come over the next six weeks – a run of games that I believe will show us exactly where we stand and exactly what sort of a season it is going to be and another potential turning point for The Arsenal. It is difficult for me to overstate how much I want us to be a force in the league again and if a win at Leicester in the Carabao Cup helps that along then I am all aboard for the ride. Enough of that for now and back to what is supposed to be a Leicester vs. The Arsenal Carabao Cup preview. What is the definitive answer to the tricky question of team selection?

Who will Mikel select?

I don’t know. Well, what do you expect? It’s a tricky question. But I am being paid the big bucks to have a stab at it so I will moo and be damned with an XI as below:

Leno

Holding – Luiz – Gabriel

Soares – Elneny – Joe W – AMN

Pepe – Eddie – Nelson

I am expecting to see Soares, Elneny, Eddie, Joe W and Nelson start but the rest are in all honesty my best guess as indeed is the formation. We could just as easily see a team with several youngsters, Balogun and Saliba spring to mind, but considering the stage of the season and the difficulty of the tie I think Mikel will want to give some of the current squad members more playing time. Whether to play Leno in goal is itself a more difficult decision that it was – we are one three-week injury away from starting with Macey or Runarsson away at Liverpool and Man City. I believe Mikel will take the risk as Leno would probably appreciate the game time after his injury but it is a risk and one with a significant downside. We need another keeper. In defence, Saliba could easily start as might Papa if they have been training well and Mikel wants to rest Gabriel or Rob. In midfield we have less options as I suspect Torreira may be near the door and only played in an emergency. I also don’t know Kieran’s actual fitness (bone inflammation but I assume that has degrees of severity) and whether we may want further rest or to get him playing for at least part of the game. Do we play Kola and keep AMN, Saka and Kieran back for the weekend game? It’s possible we might want Guen in the shop window – a pure guess that and I have no inside knowledge. I suppose if we play four at the back then a sighting of Ozil is possible but it seems very unlikely at the moment. ESR is out injured. Up front Pepe and Eddie could do with a full game and I have selected Nelson but we may see Saka playing left wing again – I imagine he’d appreciate it. Balogun as a long shot to encourage him to stay?

Who knows but despite my ridicule of the MilkRumbelowsLittlewoodsBanaramaCocaCalpisColaCarabou Cup I will hunt down a channel and tune in tomorrow at 3.45AM to find out.

The Opposition

Leicester have had a good start to the season with wins against West Brom and Burnley, hardly in the class of Fulham and West Ham of course, but nonetheless they have put a somewhat miserable run of form at the end of last season behind them and sit with six points from 2 games. Like us they have a tricky game coming up at the weekend – Man City in their case – and I assume that like us they will play various squad members. As I believe our squad is better than their squad I expect them to lose. Once Rogers has stopped staring at his ridiculous portrait I imagine he will choose some of their older squad members like Fuchs, Albrighton and Morgan for a run as well as a start for Iheanacho in place of the cheaty Vardy. Maddison didn’t start at the weekend so he may play too. Regardless, there should be gaps in quality as well as speed of foot in their defence and that is where we can hurt them.

The Holic Pound

I am anticipating a fairly even game between two teams with plenty of players needing to shake off a little light rusting. As the game wears on I expect Pepe and Nketiah to take the game by the scruff of its scrawny neck and see The Arsenal home to a 2-0 victory. The bookies have us as slight favourites to win outright and 12-1 for a 2-0 win. Seems doable to me as do Leicester, in purely footballing terms I hasten to add.

That is about it for this preview, other than to wish an enjoyable game to you all and the best of luck to The Arsenal tomorrow night.

Posted in Match Preview | 118 Drinks »

We Ride Our Luck But Saka Inspires Two Fine Goals To Sink The Hammers

Sep 20th, 2020 by

Laca scores against West Ham (Photo by Julian Finney – Getty Images)

It is very rare that I do not watch an Arsenal game live, either at the game, or on TV. However that late move of the game from Sunday afternoon to Saturday night totally snookered me. We had arranged to visit two dear friends in North Norfolk. Although only in her 50s, she has very serious brain cancer. Her husband is devotedly caring for her. We have known them for 30 years. For once Arsenal had to come second. So a DVR and an early Sunday morning rise is how I came to watch this game.

Coincidentally, this same fixture was the last one I saw live before lockdown. We scraped a 1-0 win, and were constantly caught on the counter attack. Surely today would be different, given the very different starts to the season?

The early bad news was that KT3 had aggravated a hip injury in the warm up and had been withdrawn. Kola came in as left sided centre back in a three (the ringing sound you may have heard yesterday evening were the immediate alarm bells). However well prepared, this must have unbalanced the team.

Leno, Holding, Gabriel, Kola, Hector, Saka, Dani, Xhaka, Willian, Laca and Auba started the game. AMN was surprisingly left on the bench where he joined Macey, Luiz, Elneny, Willock, Pepe and Eddie. West Ham matched up with three at the back, despite playing a back four last week. Lucas Fabianski returned to the Emirates, but sadly LJW did not. Ah Jack. Arteta said interesting things in his pre match interview. When asked why AMN and Elneny were not picked, despite their excellent games against Fulham, he said every game demands a different approach – evidence of his research. He also picked apart the fact that we were lucky last March and said we were poor against the counter attack. Wise and prophetic words.

After an early chance for Laca, we started giving the ball away. A characteristically poor pass between our penalty area and the centre circle from Xhaka left West Ham on the attack. Fortunately it came to naught. An early corner led to an easy save from Leno, but the space they were finding in our penalty area was disturbing. In particular, Rob Holding was suffering with his lack of pace against the lively Antonio. During this early period the most frequent sound I could hear was MA8 hollering Dani! Dani! West Ham had a shout for a penalty as they broke free on the left (Kola’s) side. Gabriel missed a ball in the air under challenge from Antonio and Bowen carried the ball into our area. Gabriel recovered and nicked the ball back but Bowen hurled himself to the ground after brief and slight contact. Michael Oliver, VAR and our own Smudger on co-comms all dismissed the claim with disdain.

As we closed in on 20 minutes, like they did in March, the Hammers were knocking it around nicely, with Declan Rice quarterbacking well. The need for more grip in midfield was very apparent. When we got forward the interchanges looked good but in central midfield we looked slow, square and just not quite on it.

Then, in the 25th minute, it clicked. Saka slid in Auba with a sumptuous and perfectly weighted pass. Auba drove forward and, like so many goalscorers are able to do, stood it up perfectly with his left foot, first time to allow an unmarked Laca to power the ball in with his head from the six yard line. Bosh! John Radford would have enjoyed that one. Offside against Auba looked marginal but again VAR came down on the red side, with Diop’s heel just playing him onside.

Arsenal 1-0 West Ham (Lacazette 25’)

Another lovely flowing move saw Saka in space in the area on the left again. Now we’ve seen him convert from that position before (e.g. Bournemouth in the Cup). He hit it well, but just over the top.

On 33 minutes, some aerial head tennis on the edge of the box saw the ball strike Gabriel on the upper arm. It looked very similar to that given against Lindelof of Man Utd in the game earlier in the day. Oliver didn’t give it, VAR took a long look and decided no penalty. For my money neither should have been given, but the handball rule continues to be the one that is most inconsistently applied, despite FIFA’s intervention in the summer.

Fredericks was rightly booked for a murderous waist high challenge on Saka. However Oliver played a great advantage and Dani just failed to meet a cross in the six yard box. Again I thought we were looking sharp around and in their area, with Laca showing some lovely hold up play to link passes and Willian looking constantly dangerous.

As the half approached it was looking like we had weathered the (modest) storm from the Irons, scored a very nice goal and were going to go in 1-0 up. But this is The Arsenal my friends! From a promising attacking position for us, with plenty of Arsenal players forward, Fabianski cleared his lines with a hoof to the left wing on the centre line. It was collected nicely and then switched to Bowen on the right. Instead of closing down, Kola just ran away deep into our area, allowing Bowen to set Fredericks up on the overlap with no pressure. Unchallenged again by Kola, who was a good three yards off him, Fredericks drove a cross into the six yard box. Rob Holding had somehow got the wrong side of Antonio who finished well.

Arsenal 1-1 West Ham (Antonio 45’)

Guys, we have to talk about Kola. His passing is awful, especially from his own penalty area. His defending is worse, consisting of either running away or clumsy efforts that are often penalised. When attacking he gets in great overlapping positions, but his delivery is poor. He won’t do. Get rid.

HT Arsenal 1-1 West Ham

No changes at halftime. After Saka went close, courtesy of a delicious Auba off the ball run and well timed pass, Leno released his full Manuel Neur by collecting one clearance on the half way line and recycling the ball rather well. A change of underpants was required by the watching Arsenal Community with memories of another Manuel, this time Almunia, still vivid. He was then seen to be prowling fully 20 metres outside his box to block out the long ball over the top. An Arteta instruction to support a high line?

Gabriel was having a rather enjoyably physical battle with the very athletic Antonio. Honours were just about even. But our new Brazilian centreback clearly does not shirk the heavy stuff. We dodged a bullet when Masuaku delivered a fine cross from their left and this time Antonio couldn’t quite finish, with Leno clutching the ball on the line after Gabriel had made life awkward for the centre forward.

A frankly dull period followed, with West Ham looking dangerous pumping back post crosses in from their left to either Soucek or Antonio. Now who was at the back post playing left centre back (who was frequently nowhere to be seen)? Oh yes …

On 64 minutes, Willian, who had been buzzing nicely in a central number 10 position, was taken off for the mercurial Pepe. Xhaka was left for dead in midfield and then recovered to crash clumsily into a West Ham player. Another cross was pumped in. Leno claimed well but fell over Ceballos, spilling the ball in the process. A dangerous shot came in but Leno recovered to get his legs in the way. Antonio hammered a header against the bar. We were clinging on more than a bit.

On 75 minutes, Laca, who put in a good shift, came off for the fresh legs of Eddie. As we went past the 80th minute the Hammers barrage slowed. Were they settling for a point? If they were it came back to bite them. Another fabulous line splitting pass from Saka saw Ceballos clear in the area. He unselfishly squared it to Eddie who had been alert enough to stay behind the ball and hence onside. He duly completed a trademark tap in. Last week’s sparring partners had combined to win the game!

Arsenal 2-1 West Ham (Nketiah 85)

On 88 minutes Luiz came on for Saka, who another highly effective game, with great and visionary output. Before the goal, Ceballos was going to be hooked for Elneny evidently!

As the board went up for 4 minutes added time, the ball fell to Auba for his first clear chance of the match. He hit it well but straight at Fabianski. We saw the game out without serious alarms. Played 2 won 2 baby!

FT Arsenal 2-1 West Ham

I thought Saka (my MOTM), Auba, Laca and Dani were rather good. Kola was awful. Xhaka and Holding definite room for improvement.

When you play badly and win, that’s how you get competitive in league football. We rode our luck, with all the VAR calls going our way, but scored two very high quality goals. We are only behind Everton by virtue of goals scored. A fine start to the season.

Posted in Match Report | 107 Drinks »

Early Season Feelgood Opportunity

Sep 19th, 2020 by

Arsenal v West Ham Match Preview, Saturday 20:00 19 September

The Moment

In Saturday’s late game Miguel Arteta’s high-flying and sharp-shooting Gunners will try to make it two wins in as many tries when they host predicted relegation candidates West Ham United.  In the last few seasons I would look at this fixture and think “potential banana skin” but with the feelgood factor flowing ever more freely at the moment after Tuesday’s announcement of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract extension, surely there can be little reason to expect Arsenal to slip up this weekend.  Knocking on wood never hurts, but it feels that way.

It’s easy to say the undefeated (and yet to concede) Gunners have only beaten Fulham, but considering the short off-season they have also recently defeated Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.  The last time I checked those three are all top four clubs so Arsenal have a right to be feeling confident, if not cocky, which would be Tottenham’s bailiwick.  What’s more, Arsenal come into their second straight London derby with Brazilian recruits Willian and Gabriel having made superb debut performances.  Against Fulham, Willian notched a hat-trick of assists and managed to pep up the attack by a tick or two; and Gabriel, his man-mountain compatriot, plugged a few holes in the permeability of Arsenal’s defence in several of the moments when he wasn’t banging in the Gunners’ second goal from a Willian corner.

The Gunners have not lost a home fixture to West Ham since August 2015, upon Petr Cech’s debut, when Arsenal were unable to turn their ample possession advantage into scoring chances before they ended up conceding a couple of soft goals.  The seemingly unlikely pair of Mikel Arteta and Calum Chambers were unused Arsenal substitutes that day; but nobody else in that Arsenal squad remains under Arteta as manager, as he is now to be called rather than head coach.  

It feels like a new era, and indeed it is.  The Gunners will hope to improve on their performance against West Ham at the Emirates of five months ago, in the final game before the Covid-19 shutdown, when Arsenal emerged victorious after VAR proved that Alex Lacazette’s 80th minute goal, assisted by Mesut Ozil, was not offside as it was originally called.  In a match of few chances Arsenal were plainly short of creative ideas but they were buoyed by an inspired performance from Bernd Leno in goal.

The Opposition

Arsenal may have an edge in fitness not having played for the whole week, whereas West Ham hosted Charlton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening. If so, any such advantage must be only slight as David Moyes made 10 changes in his midweek starting eleven.  Haller (who scored two goals), Manuel Lanzini, Felipe Anderson, and Robert Snodgrass were among the Hammers who featured against Charlton, but sadly for LJW as we know him, according to a media report Jack Wilshere didn’t make the squad to face Charlton “with writing on the wall for his Hammers future.”

Last Saturday West Ham hosted Newcastle in their first match of the new season.  Hoping to gain some clever insights, I had planned to watch the game on television, but arriving home a bit late, saw bubbles blowing past the players as they returned for the second half.  Newcastle scored ten minutes later amid confusion and passivity in the West Ham defense.  David Moyes tried to spark his attack by bringing on Sebastian Haller and Andriy Yarmolenko for Pablo Fornals and Mark Noble, but half an hour later I awoke from a nap to see the Hammers had lost by 2-0.  It seems the Hammers conceded again in the 86th minute, and Felipe Anderson replaced Jarrod Bowen two minutes later in the Hammers midfield, but to little effect and to my suspicion even less entertainment.  

The players were not particularly shy in recognizing that West Ham played a stinker.  After the match, Newcastle striker Callum Wilson said “I like playing against West Ham. It is not a disrespectful thing but I keep scoring against them.”  This sort of admission sounds quite honest to my ear but perilously close to “Can we play you every week?” (a phrase only the fans are usually brave enough to use).  More to the point, West Ham midfielder Declan Rice admitted: “I don’t think we could have played any worse to be honest.”  As renowned for their inconsistency as they seem to be, are the Hammers saving up their best performance for the Arsenal?

Last season David Moyes was forced to play his youngsters more often than planned as he was short at both the full-back and centre-back positions.  Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop formed the established centre-back pairing, but Diop started the season slowly before improving his form after lockdown as West Ham fought off relegation.  Based on his pre-season form Ogbonna should start against the Gunners, and Diop returned from an unspecified injury to play in both of the Hammers matches this week, so may rejoin Ogbonna in their familiar pairing.

The Hammers’ summer transfer market activity was rather quiet, with the main drama surrounding the future of defensive midfielder Declan Rice, as Chelsea were rumoured to be keen to bring him back to Stamford Bridge having released him as a 14 year-old in 2014.  But as no such deal has materialized we should expect Rice to start in midfield alongside 33 year-old captain Mark Noble, who has exceeded 500 appearances for the club but by now must be treading on his last legs, or so one might suspect. To put his durability into context, Noble made his senior debut for the club in August 2004.

West Ham fans, as well as Noble, criticized management for the recent sale of young midfielder Grady Diangana.  Apparently, Moyes was told he needed to sell players before he could buy new ones.  Anticipated deals involving midfielders Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lanzini failed to materialize, forcing the sale of Diangana to free funds for the signings considered necessary to avoid another relegation battle. Whether the Hammers can complete either task is still to be determined.  A West Ham fan, Pete May, conveyed the downcast mood around the club when he wrote: “We’re not in a good place: the defence is still poor, we’re not spending and expensive players such as Haller, Anderson, Fornals and Lanzini all underachieved last season.”

At the start of September the Hammers reportedly failed on consecutive bids of £27m and £30m for Burnley’s 27 year-old centre back James Tarkowski.  More recently, the Sun reported that the Hammers offered Arsenal a £5m package to take Rob Holding on loan for the season, an offer that was also rejected. The timing of the story, just a few days before Holding is likely to feature against the Hammers in the Arsenal defence, is interesting to say the least.

The Hammers’ failure to complete new signings this summer could signal that West Ham’s owners may not have full confidence that Moyes is the right man to make them.  This week a website that handicaps which Premier League manager is likely to be next to receive the sack offered its lowest odds (2/1) on Moyes; so there may b a chance of the Hammers holding off on signings until a new manager is in place in January.

Arsenal XI

At Fulham debutant Willian was primarily responsible in my opinion for making the Arsenal attack look more fluid than it has in ages. Confident and relaxed on the pass, the dribble and in tight spaces, he helped transform Arsenal’s attack into a more smoothly methodical unit as they probed and eventually broke down the opposition defence.  The good news for Arsenal is that Willian can deploy his skills effectively not only from the right wing position as he did at Craven Cottage, and I would be excited to see him play against the Hammers in a more central playmaking tole, allowing Pepe to make his first start of the season at right wing, playing alongside the Brazilian.  

But there are very strong arguments for keeping the side that won at Fulham, primarily to keep the momentum going and to solidify the foundation of the first XI.  The defence that held Fulham scoreless fully deserves to retain their places, and indeed it would be a bit harsh on any of the starters to be taken out of the side following a 3-0 win.  I suspect that the resolute Arteta may make no changes at all, retaining Elneny in the midfield and Maitland-Niles on the left, so the team I am predicting is:

Leno

Holding Gabriel Tierney

Bellerin Xhaka Elneny Maitland-Niles

Willian Lacazette Aubameyang

At the same time I’ve been wondering if it might help the progress of the team if Arteta were to tinker slightly so as to figure out where Saka and Pepe will fit in the overall scheme.  Inclining slightly for the latter scenario, I would like to see starts for Saka alongside Xhaka in midfield, and for Pepe to come in on the right side with Willian shifting into an attacking central midfield role behind Lacazette.  We know that the Arsenal team against Fulham clicked, including the attacking combinations that outshone most of what we saw last season, but it is ever so tempting to want to find out which variations on that team can click if and when we run into difficulties along the course of the season.  Ceballos and Nketiah will certainly be involved as well before long, but if not from the beginning, then at some stage I would love to see how this lineup might be able to break through a packed Hammers defence:

Leno

Holding Gabriel Tierney

Bellerin Willian Xhaka Saka

Pepe Aubameyang

Lacazette

The ‘Holics Pound

If there is one thing Mikel Arteta still must instill in this Arsenal team, it is the instinct to kick an opponent when they are down.  I don’t mean it in a literal sense though, because if they see a decent opportunity this pack of Premier League referees are itching for the chance to dole out another handful of red cards to Arsenal before the holiday season hits, so we must not afford them any such openings.  Rather, I mean that Arsenal must not just protect one goal leads but keep pressuring the opposition in their half of the field, probing weaknesses, taking advantage of tiring opposition legs, and putting a few more goals in the net to keep the feelgood factor flowing, rather than just scraping by or risking a late reversal.  This certainly must be the approach against a club in relative disarray such as West Ham find themselves, so I am predicting a 5-1 win with four second half goals as an implementation benchmark of the “kick ‘em when they’re down” theory.  Rob Holding and friends will on the other hand be putting all their efforts into a second consecutive clean sheet, and who is to say they can’t do it so if I were a betting man I might put a second fiver on 4-0.  The game may turn out to be a good deal more difficult than I have prognosticated, but if so we should remember we are headed in the right direction.

Have a good one, ‘holics.

Posted in Match Preview | 115 Drinks »

Tabletoppers Do Everything Asked Of Them As New Boys Shine

Sep 12th, 2020 by

Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel celebrates scoring against Fulham (Photo by Clive Rose / POOL / AFP)

I’ve been waking up on the opening day of the season as an active Gooner for 62 years and that feeling of butterflies mingling with anticipation has visited me every single year.

It was no different today and those butterflies intensified with a look at the team. Elneny and Gabriel were surprise inclusions and Willian made it a brace of Brazilian debutants. My late trip to the garden centre for Mrs TTG’s latest garden project only added to the anxiety. Would I get stuck in traffic or be delayed by road works? I saw a Gooner travelling companion at the centre, even more stressed because he lives further away, and his wife had a bigger shopping list! I made it back in time! 

Denied the enjoyment of the delightful walk through Bishop’s Park I was delighted that the season kicked off in bright sunshine; almost perfect conditions for football. We then almost replicated what we did the last time we played Fulham on the opening day by presenting Fulham with a stupid early goal, an AMN pass putting Gabriel under pressure and Leno calmly rectifying the problem at Kamara’s feet.

Fulham started well and Arsenal scarcely featured until the 9th minute when Aubameyang set up Willian whose blocked shot was turned in by Lacazette.

Fulham 0 Arsenal 1

As goals tend to it changed the shape of the game. Arteta’s innovative switching between a defensive five into a fluid shape with AMN getting forward and Tierney sliding out wide was a source of attacking joy. If our holding midfield lacks dynamism the energy and neatness of Willian gave us interesting options going forward.

Willian and Lacazette combined to set up Elneny and after his shot was blocked Xhaka blasted wildly over. After 26 minutes Lacazette was fouled on the edge of the box and from the free-kick Willian whipped in a vicious low curler which beat the keeper and ricocheted off the right -hand post.

Just as the commentator mentioned how secure the Arsenal defence was Odoi escaped down the right and whipped in a low cross, but the referee blew for a push.

Tierney then produced a delightful ball for Aubameyang, but he was dispossessed perhaps reflecting on a yellow card he had received for pushing Odoi on the touchline.

The half ended with a dangerous looking free-kick followed by a corner but we dealt with the danger well.

Half-time Fulham 0 Arsenal 1

The second half was barely under way when we saw a mesmerising bit of control by Rob Holding of all people who set up Lacazette whose effort was blocked. From the ensuing corner Willian whipped over an inviting cross which fellow Brazilian debutant Gabriel headed firmly in. A dream start for Gabriel who was excellent throughout.

Fulham 0 Arsenal 2

A few minutes later we saw a goal similar in quality to Ramsey’s in the equivalent fixture two years ago. A flowing move involved Bellerin, AMN and Lacazette and a very intelligent advantage by referee Kavanagh allowed Willian to pick out Aubameyang with a wonderful crossfield ball and our superstar striker reminded everyone what a superstar he is with a great strike curled into the far corner.

Fulham 0 Arsenal 3

A great team goal embellished by a beautiful individual strike.

It was clear even to a pessimistic watcher like me that we were starting to overrun and outclass Fulham who looked every inch a rookie Premier League side.

We saw a series of exciting passing moves with both wing-backs bombing on and neat interplay between our forward players. A superb pass by Tierney set up Aubameyang who crossed for Lacazette but the blocked shot- a good save by the keeper – was offside. Bellerin, increasingly prominent found Auba whose effort was headed off the line by Hector, although a discerning observer might feel Mr. Hector was lucky still to be on the pitch after constant heavy challenges from a man on a yellow card.

Pepe had replaced Willian who had a very effective game with two assists and a big hand in the first goal , Xhaka who had a knock earlier ( after a heavy challenge from Hector) was replaced by Ceballos who then produced what my grandson refers to as ‘ ultimate tekkers ‘ with a nutmeg, drawback and backheel to set up another great moment.

Lacazette was subbed for Eddie Nketiah meaning that the two subs (he and Ceballos) who had appeared to have a difference of opinion in the warm-up were on together. Laca was very warmly greeted by his manager suggesting that he is very much a part of Mikel’s plans.

The game ended with us totally dominant and able to move to the top of the table. A wonderful start and everything we could have hoped for from our first match.

In interview Arteta was as impressive as ever. He could scarcely impress me more in terms of the clarity of his vision and the effectiveness of his communication and his signings Gabriel and Willian had assured debuts. His tactics are fluid, intelligent and it is clear for the first time in ages that the players know exactly what is expected of them. Gabriel was hugely dominant, calm with the ball at his feet and looked a very solid addition. Willian worked his socks off and had a huge effect on the match. He is incisive, creative and full of flair. I also liked Elneny who played his role to perfection and Holding who was a rock. Had I been asked to nominate a man of the match though it would have been Kieran Tierney who I thought was excellent defensively and played some sublime passes forward. He oozes commitment, quality and level- headedness.

So, a super start and the feelgood factor at our club is building inexorably. Let us without being greedy, hope we can find the midfield additions that might make this a really special season.

Posted in Match Report | 272 Drinks »

New Beginnings on an Old Ground

Sep 11th, 2020 by

Amor fati – love of fate: not just accept the vicissitudes of life with a stoic calmness but celebrate the entire spectrum of experiences as a joyous necessity. This may or may not be a philosophy to live by, or at least an attitude to dress up in (the boundary between those two nations of mind is forever shifting, I admit), but for an Arsenal supporter nowadays loving our fate seems to come rather naturally.

We are not in Champions League? The midfield composition continues to have glaring deficiencies?  A squad with an unusually high number of central defenders but they are either injured, or inexperienced in Premier League, or simply not good enough? There seem to be floating uncertainties around quite a few players in the squad including a key player who has become (whether intentionally or not) a rather unfortunate divisive figure lately? Our self-sustaining club’s finances are rather precarious in this pandemic-stricken times to expect immediate external solutions in the market?

Not a problem! Such complex set of challenges at the beginning of any other season would have had us in a collective depression so heavy that the inevitable comic reliefs offered by a neighboring club on their amusing adventures through the Balkan hinterlands would not have lifted the mood even for a moment. But even though we are not quite dancing on the streets – these troubled times call for more measured expressions in any case – there is a palpable current of optimism flowing through the world of Arsenal. The paradox of finishing last season with our lowest ever position in the league in 25 years – the disappointment of which was albeit partially mitigated by a spirited run in the FA cup and winning it for the 14th time — and starting this season with as buoyant a footballing mood as possible I think demonstrates the central role of relativity in our emotions.

I don’t mean the space-time interweaving kind of relativity, but the fact that we feel good or bad about something always relatively to how we feel about some other things. The trauma of living through a pandemic that is still raging has definitely created in us all a more balanced sense of perspectives – it is hard to indulge in the world-is-falling-apart hyperbole about football when the world is, if not quite falling apart, is going through a painful mutation. But even on the footballing front it is the dysfunction and chaos of the last couple of years that has injected in us a better sense of balance. No longer taking things for granted (consistent presence in the Champions League, even though that cannot be the only goal, is still something to not scoff at), and learning to better appreciate quality and potential.

However, nothing feeds optimism as much as a genuine sense of new beginning. Part by accident, part by design, and part because of the laws of mutual attractions, we have finally found ourselves at the promising start of a new era. Whereas credits should go to many different people involved in the Arsenal family, including various players and staff and not just the decision makers, the main protagonist inspiring this burgeoning sense of revival is our new manager.

From the very first day Mikel Arteta returned back to Arsenal on his first managerial job — the recent promotion from “head coach” to manager is merely an acknowledgement of the obvious —   he has articulated with an impressive clarity his supreme ambitions for the club and the strong foundations on which such goals can be planned to be achieved. He has been a unifying figure across players, the staff, the hierarchy, and a bitterly fragmented fanbase. And then demonstrating a glimpse of the possibilities through a series of shrewdly maneuvered victories over stronger oppositions and winning a cup to salvage some dignity from a miserable season has now firmly established him as the most recognizable leader of the club.

It is vitally important that the team starts the season with performance, attitude and results that sustain that mood of positivity which will inspire and encourage further excellence. Such a feedback loop between the fanbase and the players are fundamental to the success of the club.  The competent victory a couple of weeks back in the Community Shield over the League champions assured us that the lessons of tactical discipline, hard work, and fighting for every single ball until the last moment have now started to grow strong roots. We will definitely be a much harder team to beat in this season compared to the last few, but the question remains if we will have enough quality and nous also to win consistently especially against teams that will simply be happy to let us have possession, and will not make themselves vulnerable against what seemed to be our most potent weapon in counter attacks.

Our opening match against Fulham may give us some clues about how we plan to approach such opposition. Even though Fulham – without looking up the record books and based purely on what I think I remember, they seem to be one of the more see-saw teams of the English football, oscillating between the Premier League and the Championship – will be at home they are likely to play with a degree of conservatism and caution normal for a newly promoted side. I confess I haven’t seen them play at all in last year’s Championship, but I did read about a certain reputation for playing positive football, and in Mitrović they have a highly capable goal-scorer to benefit from progressive passages of play. Arsenal fans definitely remember their manager Scott Parker, if only as an ever-present member of one opposition London club or another and often at the receiving end of a typical Wenger era masterclass of attacking football.  Looking at their squad I notice the presence of Mario Lemina, formerly of Marseille and Juventus, on loan from Southampton. He is capable of moments of genuine quality.

However, with all respect to them, I think it will be Lemina’s Gabonese team-mate wearing the Arsenal captain’s armband who will once again provide some of the key moments of the game. An elite goalscorer of rare consistency, under Arteta Aubameyang seems to have improved his game further by enthusiastically contributing to defensive work as well as aggressive pressing from the front. The rest of the first eleven are a little harder to guess due to a combination of injuries, late returns from internationals, new squad members, and one or two established ones apparently on the verge of leaving. Then there is the question of the formation: will we continue with the 3-4-3 that Mikel employed so effectively in our cup run and towards the end of the league last season? Or does that formation depend on the presence of David Luiz whose strengths are best accentuated, and weaknesses best addressed with three at the back? Will Luiz’s childhood friend and fellow Brazilian Willian make his first Arsenal appearance as an inverted winger, a midfielder or even a wingback? Will we risk either of our two new defenders, both gifted, imposing but still very young – the Brazilian Gabriel or the French Saliba – for their first PL appearance?  If Luiz has indeed picked up an injury in the training as is rumored, may be we will be forced to start with at least one of them? My guess is that if Luiz is fit we will continue to play with the three in defense as we slowly move towards a more progressive 4-3-3 over the season, but if Luiz is not starting Arteta will use that formation already. So, my guess for the starting eleven are:

(With Luiz, 3-4-3)

Emi Martinez

Holding – Luiz – Gabriel

Bellerin – Xhaka – Ceballos – Tierney

Pepe – Laca – Auba

(Without Luiz, 4-3-3)

Emi Martinez

Bellerin – Holding – Gabriel – Tierney

Xhaka – Ceballos – Willian

Pepe – Laca – Auba

As for the world famous Holic’s pound, I suggest a convincing 4-1 win for the mighty red-and-white with 2 goals by the captain, and one each by his fellow forwards.

Wishing you all an enjoyable weekend, enjoyment heightened further by the experience of watching some exhilarating football.

Come on Arsenal!

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