{"id":10656,"date":"2025-01-15T05:46:17","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T05:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=10656"},"modified":"2025-01-16T11:03:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T11:03:41","slug":"spudz-to-provide-their-customary-comedy-relief-or-a-deepening-of-arsenals-mid-winter-dip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=10656","title":{"rendered":"Spudz to Provide Their Customary Comedy Relief or a Deepening of Arsenal\u2019s Mid-Winter Dip?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:594px;\"><div style=\"padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2150557783\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div><div style=\"overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:66.66667% 0 0 0;width:100%;\"><iframe src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2150557783?et=eK_mY10nTsRnXM0Y3CxppA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=agrBiMVw56syka5cFNzBylpo1CBFnr5rkPM93-dAF6I=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" style=\"display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Arsenal will try to steady the ship in a potentially season-defining game Wednesday night at home to Spurs after a trio of disappointments over the last 10 days:  they went out of the FA Cup on penalties against Manchester United, and lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semifinal first leg after they drew from a winning position at halftime in their last league match at Brighton.&nbsp;&nbsp;Aside from their ever-lengthening injury list, perhaps the most concerning thing about those last two and a half games has been that the Gunners have looked toothless in attack.&nbsp; Indeed, their only player to score a goal in that stretch was Gabriel, who is of course a defender.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week\u2019s doldrums have been such that it\u2019s a comfort to remember that the Gunners defeated Spurs 1-0 away from home in September, when Gabriel scored the only goal on a header from a corner kick in what was captain Odegaard\u2019s first of seven consecutive league games missed due to injury.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was the Gunners\u2019 third straight victory at the noisy neighbours\u2019 new digs.&nbsp;&nbsp;In last season\u2019s home fixture, played on April 28, the Gunners held on for a 3-2 home win after scoring a triple salvo of first half goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But now would be a terrible time to drop any more points, and particularly not to that blustery bunch from up the other end of the Seven Sisters Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The malodorous opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps Spurs have one or two more glamorous moments in their history, but a distinct highlight from our point of view was in 1935 when they were relegated to the Second Division, after which they failed in each and every attempt to return to the first tier until 15 years had elapsed.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not so uncoincidentally, on March 6, 1935 Arsenal registered a hearty 6\u20130 thrashing of Spurs that remains the biggest win by either team in the history of this contest, and most certainly helped consign Spurs to relegation. But since 1950, Spurs suffered only the 1977-78 season in the second tier, so they and Arsenal have played in the same division meaning fixtures between the two have been regular, and the interclub rivalry has seen two chapters added year upon year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>12th placed Spurs are coming into their 197th match against Arsenal, having won only 61 of the previous contests between the clubs, after losing at home to Newcastle in the Premier League on January 4th, and defeating Liverpool by 1-0 in their League Cup semifinal first leg four days later, before traveling to Tamworth where they prevailed 3-0 over the fifth tier club after extra time of their FA Cup match on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spurs team news is that they will be missing up to eight players including left-back Udogie who is expected to be out at least five more weeks with a hamstring injury.&nbsp;&nbsp;Central defenders van de Ven and Romero are also out injured along with first-goalkeeper Vicario leaving Pedro Porro as the only healthy member of Postecoglou\u2019s preferred back five.&nbsp; Spurs\u2019 most recent addition to the injury list is midfielder Bentancur who suffered a neck injury against Newcastle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 5th, the day after that&nbsp;game, Spurs&nbsp;adressed their&nbsp;goalkeeping emergency by signing 21-year-old goalkeeper Kinsky from Slavia Prague.&nbsp;&nbsp;First-choice keeper Vicario has been missing since he fractured an ankle in late November\u2019s 4-0 win over Man C115y.&nbsp;&nbsp;Since then&nbsp;36 year-old&nbsp;Fraser Forster had&nbsp;deputised&nbsp;but was out with illness against Newcastle, bringing on a debut for journeyman Brandon Austin. &nbsp;Kinsky&nbsp;was thrown into the deep end against&nbsp;Liverpool in Spurs\u2019 Carabao Cup semifinal first leg last Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prior to playing Tamworth, among Spurs\u2019 more uplifting team stats was their one victory from their last eight top-flight games, in which they also drew two and lost five.&nbsp;&nbsp;Spurs were winless in six successive home league games, drawing two and losing four, representing their worst run since going eight straight games without winning in 2008.&nbsp;&nbsp;Spurs had conceded 17 goals in their past five home games in all competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But never mind that Spurs aren\u2019t in their best moment because they will no doubt lift their game for the derby, and Arsenal must be ready for it.&nbsp; Spurs got an excellent result against Liverpool in their Carabao Cup semifinal home leg, beneficiaries of a slightly lucky late winner to take a 1-0 advantage into the away leg, as 18-year-old Bergvall probably should have been sent off before he scored the winner.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Arsenal XI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arsenal\u2019s missing and wounded contingent includes nailed-on starters Saka and White as well as backups Jesus, Nwaneri and Tomiyasu, while Calafiori is also a serious doubt after missing out against Manchester United with a muscle injury.&nbsp; The back four should remain stable, with Timber likely to take White\u2019s right-back spot, and Lewis-Skelly to stay in Timber\u2019s favored spot at left-back.&nbsp; In midfield I expect Rice to come in for Merino and Partey for Jorginho, with Trossard to fill in for Jesus (who was filling in for Saka).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Raya<br>Timber&nbsp;&nbsp;Saliba&nbsp;&nbsp;Gabriel&nbsp;&nbsp;Lewis-Skelly<br>\u00d8degaard&nbsp;&nbsp;Partey&nbsp;&nbsp;Rice<br>Trossard&nbsp;&nbsp;Havertz&nbsp;&nbsp;Martinelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the team sputtering as it has been, who knows where Arsenal\u2019s next goal will come from, but if history is any guide then Gabriel could be our man.&nbsp; If Arsenal manage to replicate the 1-0 win they scored at White Hart Lane a few months ago, I will personally volunteer to travel to Newcastle for the league cup second leg, and to eschew wearing a shirt for the entire game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just kidding.&nbsp; Don\u2019t let me distract you from what\u2019s important:&nbsp; Come on Arsenal and smash the scum!&nbsp; Enjoy the game, \u2018holics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images Arsenal will try to steady the ship in a potentially season-defining game Wednesday night at home to Spurs after a trio of disappointments over the last 10 days: they went out of the FA Cup on penalties against Manchester United, and lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10656"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10656"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10664,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10656\/revisions\/10664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}