Goonerholics Forever

It feels that at every rare occasion ‘les sang et or’ qualify for the European competitions, they meet the mighty red-and-white from just across the channel. In Arsène Wenger’s first season at the Champions League as Arsenal manager – Arsenal didn’t qualify for the CL for the 97-98 season, finishing the 96-97 league season in third position, by goal difference, behind Newcastle – we had faced RC Lens at the group stages. Away at Stade Bollaert-Delelis Lens managed to equalize towards the end of the match that Arsenal was leading for the most part thanks to an early Marc Overmars goal. But it was at their away match – at Arsenal’s adopted European home ground of Wembley – they had truly surprised the gunners, earning a famous 1-0 victory thanks to a goal by Mickael Debeve. That RC Lens team also included Smicer, later a Liverpool regular. That set of poor results ensured that Arsenal’s first season – of an uninterrupted, record-setting 19 years stretch to follow – back at the top tier of the European competition ended in a rather unmemorable manner, failing to qualify from the group with Dynamo Kyiv top and RC Lens as the runners-up. 

We exacted revenge of sorts a couple of years later at the semifinals of the 2000 UEFA Cup – Bergkamp scoring the solitary goal at home, with Henry and Kanu ensuring a 2-1 away win – though it is unlikely that any Arsenal fans will want to remember that season for the many heartbreaks that it caused, on and off the field. 

Since then, ‘the blood and gold’ have had somewhat of a mixed time. They won the (now defunct) UEFA Intertoto Cup twice, in 2005 and 2007, moved back and forth between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, most notably finishing as runners-up twice in that time frame – in 2001-02 behind Lyon, and last season behind the mighty PSG, missing out on what would have been their second league triumph by the margin of a solitary point. 

This latest round of revival – two seventh position finishes following promotion from the second tier, and then last year’s surprising attack on the recently acquired monopoly of the Ligue 1 titles – owes a lot to their manager Franck Haise, and his signature tactical approach of midfield diamond and high wing backs. 

There are multiple opinions about how RCL got their nickname of ‘the blood and the gold’: according to some the colors carry the memory of their Spanish connection as the medieval town of Lens for a while belonged to the Spanish Netherlands before being passed back to France in the seventeenth century by the Treaty of the Pyrenees, while others affirm that the name is a homage to the coal miners who had formed the backbone of this working class town in the industrial age (red for their blood, gold as coal was so highly valuable for a long time). 

No such doubt exists about how RCL will form their starting line-up:  Haise always organizes his team in what are all essentially different variations of the 3-4-3 formations, with the front three switching between 1-2 or 2-1 styles depending on the opposition and RCL’s own defensive approach. The structural consistency comes from the three center-backs, two central midfielders and the two wing backs. They do not press the opposition high up on the pitch, but at the same time they do not drop back or form low blocks. In possession they like to move their three central defenders and one midfielder very close to the center circle and rely on the ball carrying and passing abilities of their wide center backs to recirculate and continue to put pressure on the opposition defense. The Argentinian Facundo Medina, one of those center backs, is particularly adept at this ball carrying role, as well as in passing ambitiously and progressively. 

From the last year’s successful team, Lens have lost their talismanic captain and playmaker Seko Fofana to the Saudi Pro League. The French born, Côte d’Ivoire  international was instrumental in how Lens used to operate in the opposition half, equally good at passing and dribbling and an excellent half-space operator. In Fofana’s absence, Sotoca in right midfield and Polish international Frankowski on either wing – a two-footed player similar to our very own Trossard or Tomiyasu – are the primary creators, and a significant percentage of RCL’s goals last season were created by crosses and cut-backs from the wings. 

The departure of Fofana and their chief goal threat from last season, the Belgian Loïs Openda who now plays in Bundesliga for RB Leipzig, has evidently weakened Lens significantly – they are currently struggling at the relegation threatened 15^th position in Ligue 1 (with ex-gunners Lacazette and AMN faring worse for Lyon, sitting in last place at 18^th !), with four losses, two wins and one draw from their first seven matches. 

The Arsenal team is doing comparatively well, despite not yet getting near to the level of the free-flowing exhilarating display that had characterized much of their football last season. The expectations are higher this year and this group of young talents are no longer a surprise to any. Quite understandably, Mikel Arteta is focusing more on controlled dominance, tactical variations and an ability to spring surprises to push this squad further forward to the type of success that this great club has been missing out on. 

An away European match at a passionately supported club is never an easy proposition, whatever the current form of the opposition may be. We will need to be at our best to ensure that we return with all the three points and build more assuring momentum to our European adventure. The injury news seems to be not too disheartening, Martinelli and Trossard likely still missing out in addition to the unfortunate Timber. 

I don’t think we will see too many changes from the weekend’s successful outing at Bournemouth. I myself would have preferred to see Nelson instead of Nketiah and Jesus down the middle, but I suspect if Jesus is indeed played down the middle, it would be Fabio starting on the left. My predicted line-up:

Raya

White – Saliba – Gabriel – Zinchenko 

Ødegaard – Rice – Havertz 

Saka – Jesus – Vieira     

Everyone going to the match, enjoy the trip and the game, and I look forward to hearing your voices on the television. I predict a challenging but ultimately assured 3-1 victory for the away team. 

Come on Arsenal!

In the seventh fixture of the young league season, on Saturday afternoon Arsenal will face Bournemouth away with an opportunity to return to winning ways after the annoying hiccup in our last league fixture.  Not to forget or to focus on the negative, we remain undefeated in the league sitting only two points behind second place Liverpool.  However our injury situation is a bit of a worry, and Thomas Partey is definitely out this week but Saka, Trossard and Martinelli were still to be in contention as I write this on Wednesday evening, and Arteta expected Declan Rice, who hurt his back last week, likely to be available for this game.

As the Gunners came in to the Everton match ten days ago, they had not been firing on all cylinders but the Gunners gave a big kick-start to their season with consecutive clean sheets at Goodison and a few days later, at home to PSV Eindhoven.  In addition to the Gunners’ improved defensive cohesion, the intricate passing in the buildup to their five goals in those two matches was beauty itself.  On the other side of the ball, neither Everton nor PSV really troubled our revamped defence featuring Gabriel and David Raya, who seems to have uprooted Aaron Ramsdale as first choice goalkeeper.  

Unfortunately our brief run of clean sheets came to an end last weekend when we conceded two silly goals at home against Spurs in a frustrating 2-2 draw but on Wednesday we were able to come up with another clean sheet at Brentford in the League Cup.  I didn’t see that game so don’t know how impressive we were, but the result was important after the derby disappointment.  As TTG remarked elsewhere, it is “interesting that we’ve had three clean sheets away but have leaked goals at home.”  Maybe I should repeat at this point that we will be playing Bournemouth away?

Not a Bowlful of …

The Cherries defeated Stoke City 2-0 at home in the League Cup in midweek and lost 3-1 at Brighton last weekend.  Bournemouth are winless in six league games, and occupy the 17th spot in the league table ahead only of the three newly promoted sides having scored five goals but conceded eleven.

Since June of this year the Cherries’ new manager is Andoni Iraola, who managed Rayo Vallecano to mid-table finishes in La Liga in the last two seasons after leading them to promotion in 2020.  Bournemouth escaped relegation in the Spring under manager Gary O’Neil who was sacked nevertheless before taking on the reins at Wolves.  The Cherries no doubt hope they made the best decision with Iraola, but to this point Wolves have topped them in the league table, just sayin’.

The last time we played the Cherries at home was in March when Bournemouth scored within ten seconds of the opening kickoff in the game that was famously redeemed by Reiss Nelson’s last minute winner.  In last season’s away fixture at Bournemouth, played in August 2022, the Gunners won by a decisive 0-3 margin with two goals scored by Ødegaard, and one by Saliba.

Arsenal XI

Aaron Ramsdale kept a clean sheet in the League Cup but I expect the manager will turn back to David Raya for this one, seeing as he is Arteta’s shiny new something or other, and he started the three prior games.  With Saka an injury doubt and Nelson coming off his game winner at Brentford in the League Cup, there’s a possibility we could see the young Nelson in his friend’s spot on the right side.  Considering the injury report and the manager’s team selection in midweek, I think we could see this team starting at Brentford:

Raya

White  Saliba  Gabriel  Zinchenko

Ødegaard  Rice  Havertz

Nelson  Jesús  Trossard

The Holic Pound

Even though they are at home, it shouldn’t be surprising if Bournemouth set themselves up to frustrate their visitors.  In any case, it could be difficult for the Gunners to break down the Cherries’ defence, but I am hoping to see Gabriel Martinelli make his return in a late cameo and if so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come up with the winning goal in a jolly old 1-0 to the Arsenal.  Jolly in retrospect at least, after some considerable nervous tension is released.  Hoping I’m wrong of course, and a few early goals come our way.  It wouldn’t hurt in that regard if Saka also is able to contribute, of course.  

Enjoy the game, ‘holics, and here’s hoping for a bountiful return from the South Coast as well as a continued upward trajectory for the good guys.

To take it seriously or not to take it seriously, that is the question.

For the last couple of years, Arsenal have been on an upwards trajectory. From narrowly missing out on the top four with the youngest squad in the division, to nearly topping the financial juggernauts, Manchester City, for an unexpected title. Much was expected of Arsenal this season, and it still is. But Mikel Arteta’s side remain without major silverware in just over three years.

That may not seem like a long time, and it is true that this club has endured far more barren spells in its history. But the time has now come for them to lift some metal again.

The League Cup is without doubt at number four out of four in Señor Arteta’s list of priorities this year, as it is for all our rivals. But it is a trophy that is there to be won. A trophy we have not won since 1993 as part of a domestic cup double that year.

Wenger regularly used this tournament as a chance to blood some of the youngsters to varying degrees of success. We made the final on three occasions under the Frenchman, losing all three. All were painful for various reasons. In 2007 a 17 year-old Theo Walcott put a young Arsenal side in front against a Chelsea team of star-studded superstars in Cardiff. However, in the second half Abou Diaby did his moral duty as a human being by kicking John Terry in the head. The lengthy stoppage in proceedings caused Arsenal to lose momentum as Wenger’s young side were denied by their long term nemesis, Didier Drogba. Future losses at the hands of Cities Birmingham and Manchester ensued.

Normally I am rather dismissive of the League Cup but this year I feel differently. We really ought to win something. Winning the title feels unlikely even at this early stage, as does the Champions League. There’s always the FA Cup after Christmas but who knows, mid-season silverware might prove to be the catalyst going into the final few months of the season in which we hope to be in the thick of the title race as well as the latter stages of the Champions League.

And it is not as if we do not have sufficient depth to put out a second-ish string team and still come out on top against a solid mid table outfit in Brentford. If I were Arteta, I would revert to Ramsdale in goal as the cup ‘keeper. The back four selection will be interesting given a number of our back up defenders can play in numerous positions. Personally I would be inclined to play at least half our first choice backline. Perhaps something like, Tomiyasu on the right, supported by Saliba, with Kiwior as his partner and Zinchenko on the left? Despite our growing injury list that is just one of a number of combinations Arteta can go with.

The midfield will be an interesting one, both Rice and Partey are almost certain to miss out, so we could see a rare start for Jorginho, perhaps anchoring a three man midfield with Vieira and Havertz on either side with one of those two playing in a slightly more advanced role.

As for the front three, I would like to see Eddie up top flanked by Nelson on the left and Smith Rowe on the right. A nice combination of pace, and trickery with a poacher down the middle. Perfect for a cup tie against strong opposition.

The game will not be televised live in the UK but I am sure it will be in almost every other country in the world so it could be a torrid night in what I’m sure will be the first stream-hunting session of the season for a number of our readers. I will be one of them so fingers crossed.

As for my prediction, it will be a very physical game against a side who, despite missing their most dangerous player in Ivan Toney — who may well be one of us in a few months — remain technically and tactically very strong and well adaptable to changes in circumstance. I am going for a hard fought, but deserved 3-1 win for The Arsenal. Eddie, Nelson and Vieira on the scoresheet.

COYG!!