{"id":1471,"date":"2020-10-03T00:56:12","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T23:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1471"},"modified":"2020-10-04T18:41:37","modified_gmt":"2020-10-04T17:41:37","slug":"lets-have-gunners-who-are-too-sharp-for-the-blades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1471","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Have Gunners Who Are Too Sharp for the Blades!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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That save against Sheffield United! From David Seaman\u2019s Twitter page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Sunday post-prandial delight may be an inappropriately\ndelectable way to describe the forthcoming visit of Sheffield United to the New\nHome of Football. I expect a torrid physical challenge from determined, muscular\nYorkshiremen as we attempt to get the fusty aroma of two consecutive visits to Anfield\nout of our hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk of a match against Sheffield United\nbrings a memorable moment to mind – from the 2003 FA Cup semi-final in which,\nin his 1000th<\/sup> senior game, 39 year-old David Seaman pulled off a\nwonder-save late in the game to ensure that Freddie\u2019s 34th<\/sup> minute\ngoal took The Arsenal through to win the cup final against Southampton. An\nunforgettable moment from an otherwise forgotten game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blades have so far made heavy weather\nof their second season back in the big time having failed to score any goals in\ntheir first three PL games against the might of Wolves, Villa and Leeds. However,\nthey did score one goal against Burnley in the League Cup. In fact, Sheffield\nUnited made plenty of opportunities in the Yorkshire derby, had 15 shots on\ngoal and were denied a goal by poor finishing and world-class saves by the\nLeeds keeper. I hope that their poor goal-scoring record continues and that The\nArsenal\u2019s habitual generosity to struggling opponents is withheld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last season the Blades looked odds on to\nfinish above us as we struggled to claw our way towards a place offering\nEuropean competition but they faltered, as of course did we, in the final\nfurlong. They finished a place below us in ninth, a very good season for a\nnewly promoted side. That place was obtained through defensive resilience\nrather than offensive brilliance and their concession of 39 goals was bettered\nonly by the top three whilst their identical tally of 39 goals scored bettered\nonly four clubs, two of whom were relegated. The Blades average of nine shots\nper game last season was the worst in the PL, below even The Arsenal\u2018s paltry eleven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our re-introduction to the Blades last season took place at Bramall Lane on a bleak Monday night in October and ended in a 1-0 defeat during the downward spiral of Unai Emery\u2019s team. It was described by the Guvna, in one of his last match reports, as \u201cPunchless Gunners Humiliated Again\u201d (https:\/\/goonerholic.com\/2019\/10\/punchless-gunners-humiliated-again\/<\/a>). The game turned on Mike Dean\u2019s decision at 0-0 not to award a penalty when Sokratis, goal side of Egan, was blatantly pulled back in the opposition box. Our performance was so flat that Dave observed that he \u201ctire(s) of a team that isn\u2019t playing a style of football the sum of which its individual parts should most certainly deliver much, much better<\/em>\u201d. That sums up where we were a year ago. How he would have relished the improvements since Mikel Arteta took over the reins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a cautionary warning to that\nhistorical note. Sheffield United came into that game after three consecutive\ndefeats with the label of \u201cRelegation Candidate\u201d hanging over them. On the\nother hand, The Arsenal, despite several disjointed performances, could have regained\nthe top three place from which we had just slipped. As the Guvna aptly observed,\n\u201cWelcome to a struggling side, The Arsenal, let\u2019s gift them an opener!<\/em>\u201d\nOver recent years we have indeed regularly shown an inappropriate degree of\ngenerosity to teams on a bad run of form. Let\u2019s not do that<\/em> again,\nplease!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our opponents\u2019 last visit to our place was\nin January during Mikel Arteta\u2019s first month in charge. This was expertly\ndescribed by Countryman100 in one of this site\u2019s early match reports (https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=159<\/a>).\nThat game was dominated by the defensive resilience of the Blades. We fought\nout a 1-1 draw taking the lead just before half-time through Martinelli after a\nmove involving Laca and Saka. However, the Blades were yet again assisted by\nMike Dean\u2019s decision not to award a penalty for a clear trip on Pepe and the\ngame finished with an 83rd<\/sup> minute equaliser for the Yorkshiremen to\nwhich we failed to respond. MA8\u2019s teams have certainly shown much more\nresilience since the lockdown as his work on the training ground and on their\npsychology has sunk in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We last met United in June in the FA Cup\nQuarter Final at Bramall Lane, a hard-fought match, well reported by Countryman100\n(https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=982). He described us as playing a\nfluid 3-4-3 with Saka moving between a midfield of Xhaka and Willock flanked by\nAMN and KT as wingbacks and a front two of Pepe and Lacazette. The Arsenal took\nthe lead against the run of play, from a Pepe penalty on 25 minutes and dominated\nthe rest of the first half but we were second-best throughout the second with\nhigh balls raining into our box. We were finally undone by a long throw and a\nfluffed clearance by Kola from which the Blades equalised on 87 minutes. The\nArsenal defence then had to withstand a battering and rely on two good Martinez\nsaves before Ceballos popped up in the opposition box to smash the ball into\nthe goal with his right foot from close range in added time.  This may give us an inkling of the nature of\ntomorrow\u2019s game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against Leeds last week, the Blades lined\nup with three at the back, martialled by the able Ampadu with wing backs Baldock\nand Stevens thrown forward to pin their opposite numbers back. The former in\nparticular regularly pops up in the opposition box. They have replaced last\nseason\u2019s excellent loan keeper from Manure with the so far equally competent\nRamsdale, signed for \u00a318m from Bournemouth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the Blades be as offensively inclined on\ntheir travels or revert to a low block hoping to catch us on the break through\nBurke, McGoldrick, McBurnie or their shiny-new record signing, the former\nLiverpool and Swansea loan striker, Brewster? Sheffield United tend to flood\nmidfield with hard-working scrappers like Osborn, Lundstram, Berge, Sharp and\nFleck, several of whom have a modicum of skill. When they defend set-pieces we\ncan expect a strict tight man-for-man approach with much grappling. They are\nhard to break down, as that goals against tally from last season attests. On\nthe basis of precedent, we can expect a scrap with a well organised defence,\nfew chances and an aerial bombardment when they venture forward, as they will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What of The Arsenal\u2019s worthy warriors? I\nfind it difficult to predict our formation confidently, given that we have\nstarted with a back three for months but predominantly played a 4-4-2 in our\nmost recent match and started with a flexible 3-4-3 that was pushed back into a\n5-4-1 in the 3-1 defeat. I suspect Thursday\u2019s flexible 4-4-2 is closer to MA8\u2019s\ndesired style of play than the 3-4-3 that he has used as a way of stabilising a\nragged and demoralised group. In our last game, I particularly liked the way\nWillock and Saka got forward from \u2018midfield\u2019 positions to aid the attackers as we\nreally haven\u2019t seen nearly enough of that from our midfielders recently, and\nadded muscle to the midfield duo when Liverpool had possession. I suspect MA8\nvalues the ability of KT and Saka in particular but also AMN, Kola and Willian\nto move between positions as possession switches or as the games tactical\npriorities evolve as the game develops. I suspect it\u2019s about players for Mikel,\nnot formations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The victory on Thursday will have helped to\nheal any psychological wounds from the ravaging by the champions last Monday\nand the change in personnel will have allowed some weary limbs to recover. Monday\u2019s\nteam may not have set the heather on fire but the players who lost 3-1 worked\ntheir socks off to try to get something from that game and will have benefited\nfrom the break. On the other hand, several of those who put in a full shift on\nThursday will no doubt be knackered. Considering performances in those two\ngames (the second for several reasons, not least the quality of the opposition,\nwas clearly better), the players who played in each and the relatively short\ninterval from Thursday to Sunday, I expect a team close to that outlined below,\nillustrated as a 3-4-3 but expected to play flexibly between that and 4-4-2 and\nall permutations between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leno <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holding,          Luiz,            Tierney;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bellerin,           Ceballos,\n        Xhaka,             AMN;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Willian,           Lacazette,         Aubameyang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key decisions will be whether Gabriel who was outstanding on Thursday and combined well with Holding, gets the nod over Luiz or Gabriel retains his place with Holding dropping out for Luiz having played 90 minutes in both midweek games. I would be surprised if Ceballos dropped out for Elneny given how he re-energised the midfield as an attacking force when he replaced Elneny on Monday and I suspect that\u2019s why he wasn\u2019t asked to play the full 90 on Thursday. AMN gets the nod over Saka despite the latter being the more potent attacking force because Saka looked knackered and cramped up badly from 80 minutes on Thursday. Lacazette gets the nod over Nketiah because the latter played most of Thursday\u2019s game and he will be keen to make amends for his miss on Monday. I hope he succeeds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holic Pound<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much as I would like us to keep a clean\nsheet, sadly I don\u2019t expect us to achieve that. In part because of our\nremaining defensive frailties but also because of our traditional generosity to\nstruggling teams and the fact that despite failing to score in any of their\nthree PL games this season the Blades were only thwarted by an excellent keeper\non their last outing. We also have an excellent shot-stopper but we still have\nvulnerabilities elsewhere in our defence and on the law of averages the Blades\nare bound to score eventually. Nor do I expect us to find scoring easy against\nthis team against whom we have hitherto struggled to score. Thus, I will lay\nthe Holic pound on 2-1 to the good guys, currently available at 31\/4 (bookies\nhave clearly been working on their fractions since I was last in their shops).\nIf you are more optimistic about our defensive capabilities, you can get 1-0 at\n21\/4 or 2-0 at 25\/4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go blunt those Blades, Gunners!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Sunday post-prandial delight may be an inappropriately delectable way to describe the forthcoming visit of Sheffield United to the New Home of Football. I expect a torrid physical challenge from determined, muscular Yorkshiremen as we attempt to get the fusty aroma of two consecutive visits to Anfield out of our hair. Talk of a […]<\/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\/1471"}],"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=1471"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1494,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471\/revisions\/1494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}