{"id":1340,"date":"2020-09-11T16:39:39","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T15:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1340"},"modified":"2020-09-12T19:25:10","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T18:25:10","slug":"new-beginnings-on-an-old-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1340","title":{"rendered":"New Beginnings on an Old Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Amor fati<\/em> \u2013 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are not in Champions League? The midfield composition\ncontinues to have glaring deficiencies?  A\nsquad with an unusually high number of central defenders but they are either\ninjured, or inexperienced in Premier League, or simply not good enough? There\nseem to be floating uncertainties around quite a few players in the squad\nincluding a key player who has become (whether intentionally or not) a rather\nunfortunate divisive figure lately? Our self-sustaining club\u2019s finances are\nrather precarious in this pandemic-stricken times to expect immediate external\nsolutions in the market?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a problem! Such complex set of challenges at the\nbeginning of any other season would have had us in a collective depression so\nheavy that the inevitable comic reliefs offered by a neighboring club on their amusing\nadventures through the Balkan hinterlands would not have lifted the mood even\nfor a moment. But even though we are not quite dancing on the streets \u2013 these\ntroubled times call for more measured expressions in any case \u2013 there is a\npalpable current of optimism flowing through the world of Arsenal. The paradox\nof finishing last season with our lowest ever position in the league in 25\nyears \u2013 the disappointment of which was albeit partially mitigated by a\nspirited run in the FA cup and winning it for the 14th<\/sup> time — and\nstarting this season with as buoyant a footballing mood as possible I think\ndemonstrates the central role of relativity<\/em> in our emotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, nothing feeds optimism as much as a genuine sense\nof new beginning. Part by accident, part by design, and part because of the\nlaws of mutual attractions, we have finally found ourselves at the promising\nstart of a new era. Whereas credits should go to many different people involved\nin the Arsenal family, including various players and staff and not just the\ndecision makers, the main protagonist inspiring this burgeoning sense of\nrevival is our new manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the very first day Mikel Arteta returned back to\nArsenal on his first managerial job — the recent promotion from \u201chead coach\u201d\nto manager is merely an acknowledgement of the obvious —   he has articulated with an impressive\nclarity his supreme ambitions for the club and the strong foundations on which\nsuch goals can be planned to be achieved. He has been a unifying figure across\nplayers, the staff, the hierarchy, and a bitterly fragmented fanbase. And then\ndemonstrating a glimpse of the possibilities through a series of shrewdly\nmaneuvered victories over stronger oppositions and winning a cup to salvage\nsome dignity from a miserable season has now firmly established him as the most\nrecognizable leader<\/em> of the club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our opening match against Fulham may give us some clues about how we plan to approach such opposition. Even though Fulham \u2013 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 \u2013 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\u2019t seen them play at all in last year\u2019s Championship, but I did read about a certain reputation for playing positive football, and in Mitrovi\u0107<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, with all respect to them, I think it will be\nLemina\u2019s Gabonese team-mate wearing the Arsenal captain\u2019s armband who will once\nagain provide some of the key moments of the game. An elite goalscorer of rare\nconsistency, under Arteta Aubameyang seems to have improved his game further by\nenthusiastically contributing to defensive work as well as aggressive pressing\nfrom the front. The rest of the first eleven are a little harder to guess due\nto a combination of injuries, late returns from internationals, new squad\nmembers, and one or two established ones apparently on the verge of leaving.\nThen there is the question of the formation: will we continue with the 3-4-3\nthat Mikel employed so effectively in our cup run and towards the end of the\nleague last season? Or does that formation depend on the presence of David Luiz\nwhose strengths are best accentuated, and weaknesses best addressed with three\nat the back? Will Luiz\u2019s childhood friend and fellow Brazilian Willian make his\nfirst Arsenal appearance as an inverted winger, a midfielder or even a\nwingback? Will we risk either of our two new defenders, both gifted, imposing but\nstill very young \u2013 the Brazilian Gabriel or the French Saliba \u2013 for their first\nPL appearance?  If Luiz has indeed picked\nup an injury in the training as is rumored, may be we will be forced to start\nwith at least one of them? My guess is that if Luiz is fit we will continue to\nplay with the three in defense as we slowly move towards a more progressive\n4-3-3 over the season, but if Luiz is not starting Arteta will use that\nformation already. So, my guess for the starting eleven are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(With Luiz, 3-4-3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emi Martinez<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holding \u2013 Luiz \u2013 Gabriel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bellerin \u2013 Xhaka \u2013 Ceballos \u2013 Tierney<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pepe \u2013 Laca \u2013 Auba<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Without Luiz, 4-3-3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emi Martinez<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bellerin \u2013 Holding \u2013 Gabriel \u2013 Tierney<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xhaka \u2013 Ceballos \u2013 Willian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pepe \u2013 Laca \u2013 Auba<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the world famous Holic\u2019s pound, I suggest a\nconvincing 4-1 win for the mighty red-and-white with 2 goals by the captain,\nand one each by his fellow forwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wishing you all an enjoyable weekend, enjoyment heightened\nfurther by the experience of watching some exhilarating football. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come on Arsenal! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amor fati \u2013 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"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\/1340"}],"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\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1340"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1343,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1340\/revisions\/1343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}