{"id":12146,"date":"2025-10-28T18:30:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12146"},"modified":"2025-10-29T22:49:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T22:49:34","slug":"shoot-those-seagulls-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12146","title":{"rendered":"Shoot Those Seagulls Down"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As games begin to come thick and fast, next up is a home tie in the Carabao Cup (it\u2019ll always be the League Cup to me) against Brighton and Hove Albion. This is not a competition, in any of its incarnations, in which we can boast a proud history. We have won it only twice, in 1986-87 (Gorgeous George\u2019s first trophy as Arsenal manager and Kenny Sansom\u2019s swan-song as captain) and 1992-93 (when Steve Morrow\u2019s arm was broken after Tony Adams dropped his celebratory hoist) and been beaten finalists a record six times! Part of the reason for our lack of success in this competition was Arsene Wenger\u2019s early decision to use it merely to blood the kids and as a result it was the only domestic silverware to elude him. It would be nice if Mikel could upstage him though we do still have bigger fish to fry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brighton is clearly a well-run club and has been able to maintain its Premier League status despite regularly selling top talent every summer. Its record of finding and buying talent in the darker corners of Europe, Africa and South America has been extraordinary. The Seagulls used to be quite a \u2018cuddly\u2019 club but the arrival of Fabian Hurlezer in June 2024 has changed all that, with his inflammatory antics on the touchline and snide post-match interviews. Yet, the event that changed my perception of the \u2018Seagulls\u2019 was how Van Hecke contrived to engineer Declan Rice’s sending off last season which, while largely the responsibility of a numpty referee \u2018who had no choice\u2019 but to brandish a second yellow card for touching the ball to the side, was still the consequence of gamesmanship by the Brighton defender which was applauded by their coach in his post-match interview. Hurlezer has transformed Brighton into the football equivalent of its \u2018Seagull\u2019 soubriquet: nasty, noisy, aggressive, sharp-beaked, keen on scraps and looking to steal your lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last round, Brighton won handsomely at Barnsley, beating the Tykes 6-0 with four goals from Gomez, a Paraguayan midfielder of whom I had never previously heard, until sitting down to research this piece. In the previous round they beat Oxford United by the same score. Hurlezer fielded largely a reserve team against Barnsley including only Welbeck, Baleba and Kadioglu whose names I recognised. I suspect he will choose a stronger line-up against Arsenal and I expect to see the likes of Verbruggen, van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper, Rutter, Ayari and Minteh added to strengthen his side. I can\u2019t see him not \u2018going all in\u2019 for this match in the hope that they can recover from their disappointing result at the Old Toilet in the first half of which, their previously assured play out from the back was tentative and occasionally suicidal. Nonetheless, they still represented an attacking threat with brisk and clever interplay and really should have scored before Manure opened their account. Brighton fully deserved their second half recovery from 3-0 down and for a brief period at 3-2, after an excellent free kick from our old boy Danny Welbeck, it was squeaky bum time for Manure until they scored a late fourth. Hopefully, Danny won\u2019t go on a run of scoring against former employers. The Seagulls will be optimistic in this game as they beat us in the third round of this competition at TNHOF 3-1 in November 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the Seagulls currently sit in thirteenth place in the PL after 9 games, they present a far greater obstacle than Port Vale whom we beat 2-0 in the last round with an early goal from Eze (his first goal in red and white) and a late goal from Trossard. Mikel Arteta made nine changes to his starting XI for the Port Vale tie bringing in Kepa, in goal, behind a back four of White, Saliba, Mosquera and MLS. N\u00f8rgaard was given his full debut alongside Nwaneri, Eze and Merino with the latter pair alternating the \u2018left eight\u2019 and \u2018false nine\u2019 roles and joining Saka and Martinelli in the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The knocks sustained by Saliba, Rice, Calafiori and Martinelli against Palace and the illness that blunted Saka in that game will clearly influence Arteta\u2019s choice of team. Without those injuries, I would have been confident that either Saliba or Gabriel would provide defensive continuity and experience as Arteta likes to have one of them at the heart of a changed defence. However, it seems likely that both will be ruled out. Gabriel was a doubt for Palace and sustained a couple of heavy crunches – one from a collision with a post – and I expect prudence to prevail. Likewise, but for illness and injury, I expected either Saka or Martinelli to start in attack to add experience and threat. Mikel Arteta was, as ever, Delphic in his responses to questions in his pre-match \u2018presser\u2019. However, he confirmed that Saliba and Martinelli are definitely out, Gabriel is \u2018touch and go\u2019 and Rice, Saka and Calafiori are available. He also suggested that Hincapi\u00e9 was short of match fitness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am certain that Kepa will start in goal again and that Arteta will probably select three of the back four that started against Port Vale: White, Mosquera and MLS. Without doubt, Arteta would have preferred to add the experience of Gabriel but as this may risk long term fitness, he will probably have to employ a novel central defensive pairing. Mosquera has made himself a clear starter in this situation and the $64,000 question is with whom to pair him in the absence of both regular starters. The young Spanish centre back has looked top class alongside either of our regulars but it will be a big test for him if he has take the lead in the centre of our defence. Arteta has declared Calafiori available for selection and the HIB (handsome Italian bloke), if he is indeed fully fit, would be my first choice at left centre back as he is clearly familiar with the Arsenal\u2019s defensive ways and has often played that position for Bologna and for Italy. Timber is another possible option at centre back alongside Mosquera as he has experience in that position but he is a regular starter whose legs need resting. In my opinion, despite its popularity in the Goonerverse this week, a central pairing of Mosquera and Hincapi\u00e9 would be a risk, given how little the latter has played recently and his relative inexperience of Premier League opposition. MLS is a shoo-in at left back if Arteta thinks Hincapi\u00e9 is not yet match-fit. Having said all that, if Gabriel make a sufficient recovery, I expect him to start alongside Mosquera in the heart of the defence. I would certainly not bet against Gabriel declaring himself fit and ready!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before this flurry of injuries we were certain to rest our first-choice midfielders and I expected to see the same quartet of Nwaneri, N\u00f8rgaard, Merino and Eze as started against Port Vale, with the latter pair again alternating \u2018left eight\u2019 and \u2018false nine\u2019. Should Gabriel not be available to provide experience and leadership in our central defence, we may see Zubimendi selected as a second holding midfielder alongside N\u00f8rgaard to provide an experienced screen for a novel central defensive partnership and add \u2018nous\u2019 going forward. That would enable us to rest Eze after his emotionally draining performance against Palace and employ him in the \u2018finisher\u2019 role to add late \u2018chaos\u2019 to proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up front, I originally expected to see Martinelli on the right in the absence of Saka as I, personally, think it\u2019s too early for Dowman to start against such feisty Premier League opposition, despite widespread calls for his inclusion. However I would certainly start Dowman in this game if both Saka and Martinelli were ruled out, and I do expect to see him join the fray on the right as a \u2018finisher\u2019. As Martinelli is definitely ruled out, I expect Trossard to start on the left but to give way to Eze as the game progresses to spare both sets of legs. I anticipate we will see Merino reprise his alter ego<\/em> of striker as Gy\u00f6keres has run himself ragged throughout the last few matches and clearly needs a break. We cannot afford to gamble with Gy\u00f6keres\u2019 long term fitness by starting him in this game as we currently have no fit back up other than Merino. The Swedish striker may possibly be another to join the fray late on but only if needs must. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, in this unexpected injury-blighted scenario, informed by Arteta\u2019s \u2018presser\u2019, my XI is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kepa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White, Mosquera, Calafiori, MLS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nwaneri, N\u00f8rgaard, Zubimendi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saka, Merino, Trossard<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must avenge that bitter and costly draw in the league last autumn and I don\u2019t think that Mikel Arteta will readily treat this as quite the disposable competition that Arsene Wenger did. I know many Gooners dismiss this tournament but that doesn\u2019t seem to be Arteta\u2019s style. The team that started against Port Vale didn\u2019t obliterate the lower division outfit quite as well as expected and if this particular opponent proves as difficult as they have been of late, I expect any available, fit, first team regulars to join the fray as \u2018finishers\u2019 later in the game. However, it does seem likely that the bench will also include a few Under-21 hopefuls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The score? I think the game will be scrappy and tight and a hard won 2-1 to the Arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy the game, Holics, wherever you\u2019re watching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As games begin to come thick and fast, next up is a home tie in the Carabao Cup (it\u2019ll always be the League Cup to me) against Brighton and Hove Albion. This is not a competition, in any of its incarnations, in which we can boast a proud history. We have won it only twice, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"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\/12146"}],"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\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12146"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12162,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12146\/revisions\/12162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}