{"id":14318,"date":"2026-09-11T21:14:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T20:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=14318"},"modified":"2026-09-13T20:35:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T19:35:37","slug":"laissez-les-bons-temps-rouler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=14318","title":{"rendered":"Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"399\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image0.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image0.jpeg 399w, https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image0-239x300.jpeg 239w, https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image0-60x75.jpeg 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px\" \/><figcaption>Image courtesy Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Salvete Omnes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notting Hill Carnival just wrapped-up a couple weeks ago and Mardis Gras remains five months away, so why the traditional festive wrapping for this current epistle? Well, unlike the dour goings-on in the land of infernal heat (over forty-four days exceeding 39\u02da C this summer), infernal drought (fifty-seven consecutive days without measurable rainfall this summer), and infernal wickedness (as this is a football blog, I\u2019ll leave examples to your Google search\u2026but the examples are legion), as the Premier League Champions (Mikel\u2019s \u201cAttacking Champions\u201d no less), surely the football has furnished a much-needed distraction and respite for these forlorn eyes. Maybe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fresh off our complete and utter demolition of a tough European opponent away to Napoli (who have never given up 4.0 xG at home\u2026<strong>never<\/strong>) and in the midst of one of our brightest Premier League starts, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking these are halcyon days for the Gooner faithful worldwide. Encouraging statistics and interesting nuggets abound:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The Arsenal have scored nine goals in three Premier League matches; all from <strong>open<\/strong> play.<\/li><li>The Arsenal have conceded one goal over the same period (lowest total xG (0.9) conceded in the Premier League so far).<\/li><li>Odegaard, Saka, and Havertz are back amongst the goals, assists, and shots.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With all the good work taking place on the pitch, I\u2019d have expected everything to be all sunshine and unicorns. But, no sir, the grass is green, the ball is round, the Premier League is the toughest league in the world, and certain corners of our support have turned their cannons inward training them on certain members of the squad. Bish bosh to all that rubbish talk. Given the rich vein of form the Champions currently are in (did I mention our patch is golden?), I\u2019m having none of it. Folks who have been good will come good again, and we are walking in fields of gold.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Mackems have begun the sophomore season of their most recent return to the top flight in decent form. Although they deserve all the credit for staying-up in style last season, it remains to be seen if they can effectively press onwards, especially with European competition in the offing. From the first three Premier League matches, Sunderland have won one, lost one, and drawn one. Fresh off a 1-nil defeat of Hull City in the League Cup, the R\u00e9gis Le Bris will have his Black Cats well-up for hosting the Gunners on Saturday night. A special thought by the way for the traveling support who have just about a snowball\u2019s-chance-in-Hell of making it home after the match\u2026the broadcasters and the Premier League could, <strong>and should<\/strong>, do better by the fans. Sunderland were a miserly outfit at home, and they strengthened over the summer with seven inbound including Malick Fofana and (giggles) Kevin Danso. We will battle a team in good nick, confident, and leaning-in to the underdog\/besieged narrative, and we will need to approach the encounter appropriately. I would expect Le Bris to bring Ballard back in for Danso and set up thusly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Roefs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Reinildo \u2014 Mukiele \u2014 Ballard \u2014 Meunier<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Xhaka \u2014 Sadiki<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Hume \u2014 Le Fee \u2014Angulo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Brobbey<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Arsenal XI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This team currently has an embarrassment of riches in both player form and player availability. Timber is well on his way back; Mosquera is progressing; and I reckon no news is good news as far as Saliba is concerned. The captain is back scoring for fun; Tzolis has four assists since joining the club (his assist to Odegaard was sumptuous); and, if Saka has as many shots against Sunderland as he did against Napoli, well somebody is getting a hiding real soon. Our defense has been imperious (whisper it, but I think the \u20ache\u00a3ski defensive record of fifteen goals might just be under threat) \u2013 Konsa, what a signing?!?!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Left back is a bit of a worry. Will Mikel try to squeeze one more start out of Benjamin White so soon after Napoli? I think he will (but I would expect a Timber cameo around the eightieth minute). Will Bruno give Dekkers a breather? Did Zubimendi do enough in Naples (Napels, even! \ud83d\ude0a) to ease Myles Lewis-Skelly out of his starting role? All good headaches for the gaffa, but I expect Arteta to keep his personnel selection stable through to the international break. Barring any late fitness hiccups, this line-up would not surprise me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Raya<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">White \u2014 Konsa \u2014 Gabriel \u2014 Calafiori<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Rice \u2014 MLS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Saka \u2014 Odegaard \u2014Tzolis<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Havertz<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mikel has shown tremendous improvement in his timeliness of tactical substitutions, so I would expect significant freshening up on sixty minutes or so. If we can continue with our fast starts and keep getting six attackers in and around the Sunderland eighteen-yard box, we should be able to take a significant early lead. Let\u2019s make sure we bring our favorite shooting boots (no box-fresh studs for this encounter, please).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The \u2018Holic Pound<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year\u2019s trip to the Stadium of Light in November left a very bad taste in our mouths. Brobbey\u2019s last minute equalizer did little to ease our nerves in a season where every away ground serenaded us with \u201cSecond again, ol\u00e9 ol\u00e9!\u201d. Well, the worm has turned, ye bastids. We\u2019re the Champions now, and I agree with Amy Lawrence who urges the traveling support to forego the \u201cWe know who we are\u201d chant for \u201cChampions again, Champions again, Champions again ol\u00e9 ol\u00e9!!\u201d Not for nothing, the Arsenal have been righting many of last season\u2019s wrongs, and I would say the Mackems have what\u2019s coming their way. 0-4 to the Arsenal will do quite nicely.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Come on you Gunners!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MCMBD\/BMBD<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Salvete Omnes! Notting Hill Carnival just wrapped-up a couple weeks ago and Mardis Gras remains five months away, so why the traditional festive wrapping for this current epistle? Well, unlike the dour goings-on in the land of infernal heat (over forty-four days exceeding 39\u02da C this summer), infernal drought (fifty-seven consecutive days without measurable rainfall [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"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\/14318"}],"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\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14318"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14323,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14318\/revisions\/14323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}