{"id":12467,"date":"2025-12-22T14:42:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T14:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12467"},"modified":"2025-12-24T10:36:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T10:36:03","slug":"the-carabao-conference-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12467","title":{"rendered":"The Carabao Conference Conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Shoehorn<\/strong> 
\u2013 noun: a curved instrument used for easing one’s heel into a shoe
\u2013 verb: force into an inadequate space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow evening will see us welcome Crystal Place to The Arsenal in the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup. Seem familiar? It is of course just like last year \u2013 we won that won 3-2 with a returning Gabriel Jesus notching a hat-trick to see us through. The draw for the semi-finals has already taken place and so we know the winner will advance into the semi-finals to play Chelsea over two legs in January and February of next year.  An unwanted distraction or an opportunity for a trophy? This has been an annual debate across the Goonerverse over the last few seasons. Happily, I will do us all the favour of not rehashing the various arguments for and against, I think we all know them by now, and just leave it to you to make up your own mind.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, turning to this particular game, there has already been a lot of noise about it being shoehorned into the busy schedules of both clubs. It should have been played last week but was delayed as Palace are in the Conference League too \u2013 their cup runneth over!!  In fact, my headline is just a smidge misleading in this case as there was no conundrum in the minds of powers that be\u2026\u2026the Conference League is officially the more prestigious of these two great competitions. I don\u2019t know about anyone else but I for one am glad that we got that one cleared up as I could find absolutely nothing between them in my own analysis. Cynicism aside, the situation is what it is and, personally, I take the somewhat obvious position of preferring The Arsenal to win than to lose, and I am fairly sure Mikel will have a similar attitude, regardless of the XI he finally selects. Although, if, in his pre-match interview he confides to an astonished interviewer that \u201cHonestly guvnor, I couldn\u2019t really give a monkey\u2019s one way or the other about the result tonight and I just picked the team out of Georgie Graham\u2019s circa 1993 magic hat\u201d, then I will stand corrected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Carabao XI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of our XI, I think we all expect a much-changed side. A hard-fought victory at Everton, and next up Brighton and Villa at home in quick succession in games which will certainly have priority in the minds of both the club and most supporters. But, who then? Well, given Jes\u00f9s\u2019s last two performances against Palace (he followed up his hat-trick last year with a brace in the league game a few days later) it must surely be written in the starlight and every line on Mikel\u2019s palm that his should be the first name on the team sheet. For the rest, Kepa in goal plus all the ones I don\u2019t think will start against Brighton or Villa is pretty much the basis for my selection. Except for the centre backs where we have an actual Carabao conundrum \u2013 we would probably prefer to rest Timber, Saliba, Hincapi\u00e9 and Calafiori but which ones will start because needs must when the stupid football authority<\/s> devil drives? My own thought is that Hincapi\u00e9 starts simply because Gabriel is back soon, Calafiori doesn\u2019t start because MLS is available, Saliba or Timber? I think one has to start unless MA is going to play both Nicholls and Salmon on the right-hand side of defence. That youth alternative would be very bold but I doubt MA will go that far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another viable option already taken is N\u00f8rgaard, or, thinking within the squad, then I suppose Rice, or even Mr Useful, Mikel Merino. I have ruled out Declan as even though he seems like an Energizer<\/em> bunny he really isn\u2019t and anyway even that bunny conks out eventually \u2013 they just didn\u2019t show it on the TV as obviously the kids wouldn\u2019t like a cute little bunny doing a ligament in front of their blessed little eyes, would they? My own view is that Saliba starts as N\u00f8rgaard is needed more elsewhere and Saliba, grizzled veteran that he now is, can guide one of the youngsters through. Not a particularly original line of reasoning I will own but it\u2019s all I\u2019ve got. I imagine that about seven or eight may even be right on the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Salmon Saliba Hincapi\u00e9 MLS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

N\u00f8rgaard Nwaneri Eze<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madueke Jes\u00f9s Martinelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crystal Palace have been having a fairly mixed season so far; eye-catching results followed by disappointing defeats in the Premier League see them currently sitting in 8th<\/sup> place after their encouraging whacking at Leeds. I saw the Leeds highlights and they looked poor at set pieces \u2013 the encouraging part \u2013 but then again, I did watch them last weekend as they impressively outplayed Man City for the first 35 minutes and spurned several presentable chances. Haaland inevitably punished such wastefulness and instead of being two or three goals to the good they somehow went in one-nil down. A look at their record this season tells the same story \u2013 whilst Mateta and Sarr (off at AFCON) have good reputations, and are certainly dangerous forwards on their day, they are not prolific. We contained them fairly comfortably at home in a 1-0 win this October, but they did until just recently have a solid defence \u2013 it was second only to ours until they suddenly shipped seven in two games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, who will actually start for them is, just like us, another question entirely \u2013 Glasner has selected reasonably strong sides in the Carabao so far but also left out three or four regulars in previous rounds. Last week\u2019s fake CL game against KUPS however saw Glasner send for the kids and it was a very young outfit that eventually fell 2-1 behind at home to a team that I have never heard of (they play in the Veikkausliga in Finland, I learned) and hadn\u2019t scored an away goal in the competition until then. KUPS must have liked the feeling as they scored another soon after. Glasner was at this point forced to send for the calvary to try for the highly-desired top 8 place. Alas, they could only salvage a 2-2 draw and, what I am sure must be an unwelcome place in the two-leg Conference League play-offs in February. Glasner gambled and lost, though to be fair he has gambled and won a few times and so I am sure his credit is still good at the Crystal Palace bank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the fact remains they are stretched thin and will certainly have to stretch further and thinner in the months to come. Given their decent league placing, will Glasner really go full out for this one? A surprise real CL place might well be up for grabs this season, but most probably he will hedge, leave a few on the bench and play a fairly strong XI again. I don\u2019t much care who he picks to be honest \u2013 I don\u2019t mean that unkindly (for a change!), it\u2019s just that they have a lot of solid Premier League standard players so unless Glasner picks the kids again it won\u2019t make much difference. It would be nice to see Eddie I suppose – don\u2019t score this time mind Eddie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading the tea leaves<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time to bring this longer than usual waffle to the sharp end of the forecasting business. As mentioned above we have already rolled Palace over at home once this season and I can see no reason why we shouldn\u2019t do so again.  In fact, we have won seven and drawn one of our last eight games against them and that\u2019s the sort of record that gives a man confidence when a half-chance presents itself on a cold December evening. Certainly, we may not have as strong a team as usual but then it is likely that they won\u2019t either. Eberechi Eze proved the difference last time we played and, as mentioned, Gabi J proved it twice in quick succession last season. Add to that the fact that the Arsenal Women rolled over Palace 2-0 this weekend in the Some Sort of Bad Food Cup quarter-finals and you would have to have got an E in tasseography not to see the writing at the bottom of the cup. Yes, it\u2019s a goal each for Gabi J and Eberechi and a 2-0 win to send our Gooner faithful home happy. A word of caution – it is my sacred duty as a responsible correspondent to remind readers at this point that gambling based on tea leaves is a mug\u2019s game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It only remains then to wish one and all a grand evening \/ early morning and a successful Arsenal performance to fill us all with the Christmas cheer of our choice! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merry Xmas to all my fellow Goonerholics everywhere!! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tomorrow evening will see us welcome Crystal Place to The Arsenal in the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup. Seem familiar? It is of course just like last year \u2013 we won that won 3-2 with a returning Gabriel Jesus notching a hat-trick to see us through. The draw for the semi-finals has already taken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"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\/12467"}],"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\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12467"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12486,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12467\/revisions\/12486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}