{"id":1859,"date":"2020-11-28T14:40:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-28T14:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1859"},"modified":"2020-11-30T19:07:30","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T19:07:30","slug":"little-red-riders-to-gobble-up-wolves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1859","title":{"rendered":"Little Red Riders to Gobble Up Wolves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Captain to fire Gunners to victory<\/em> (c) Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Is and what might have been<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Premier League fixture list for season 2020-21 was released on August 20th<\/sup>, it was immediately apparent that the early set of fixtures would represent a real challenge for Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before this season\u2019s opener, there was good reason to be confident that, going into Sunday\u2019s game against Wolves at Emirates Stadium, the Arsenal would have 19 points, having won one and drawn one of the three games played against the other \u2018top six\u2019 teams and disposed comfortably of the easier meat making up the balance of fixtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nineteen points would have placed the Gunners third, not good enough for some, but substantially better than the 13 that have the Arsenal sitting in mid-league, alongside the red team from Manchester and one place above their neighbours in blue. Consequently the Arsenal twitter\/twattersphere is in meltdown and carefully considered and informed commentary like \u201cWe are shite\u201d and \u201cArteta isn\u2019t up to it\u201d (a polite paraphrase) is commonplace and richly mixed amongst more measured viewpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlucky thirteen? Not really. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absent the incorrect decision to rule out Lacazette\u2019s goal against Leicester that changed the pathway of that game, Arsenal\u2019s current position is a fair reflection of performances against the calibre of opponents played so far. Much improved defensive strength has been outweighed by an inability to convert gilt-edged chances, several from inside twelve yards and even some from within three.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation hasn\u2019t been helped by several of the easier meats failing to recognise their true position in the hierarchy and proving much tougher to chew on than anticipated. How very dare<\/em>Aston Villa follow up their 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool by outplaying the Arsenal? Who would have thought that Leeds would manage a draw at Elland Road even against a ten-man Arsenal team when they\u2019d only managed to score three goals at Anfield? \ud83d\ude00\ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s beginning to look a lot like Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festive season is approaching and longer suffering Holics may well anticipate that I\u2019m now going to ring the bells and plunge into a profusion of pathetic pantomime punnery inspired by the visit of the beast with the polished incisor smile and hairy back passage to north London where the red riding hoods are all Arsenal branded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be worried, I\u2019m not going there. I\u2019ve been there too many times before, and I\u2019ve done all of that (to death)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A glance at the run of games through to the end of the Christmas festivities reveals that the scale of the challenge ahead is undiminished and confirms that there are few\/no easy games in the Premier League. All of these games are winnable, but Arsenal\u2019s success in scoring goals will need to be improved dramatically for that to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no better time or better place than Sunday night at Emirates stadium to begin to develop the sharpness in front of goal that is an essential prerequisite to a first PL win in three games. This is a game that offers potential to foster confidence and ignite the flame of success for a winning run toward the bells that will toll this worn old year out and ring in 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wanderers from Wolverhampton<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With arguably an easier set of fixtures so far, Wolves have secured one more point, fourteen, and sit one place higher in the League than the Arsenal. They will be very grateful to former Gunner Walcott for the last of those points gained away at Southampton. With an easy chance to make the score-line 2-0 in the Saints favour and kill the game off, Theo screwed his shot wide and Wolves scrambled a 1-1 draw. Had Theo scored, Saints would have been sitting third on 19 points. By such narrow margins are games won, drawn and lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolves list their set-up as 3-4-3 but their game is built on a robust, resolute five-man defence. They play a physical game at a consistently good technical level. Their ability to turn stolid defence into rapid breakaway attacks via a fast paced, physically strong midfield is a core feature of the success they\u2019ve achieved since promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much like Mikel Arteta, their coach Nuno Espirito Santo has been criticised for what is perceived to be an overly cautious approach to team selection and tactics. With increasingly large swathes of the Wolves fan base frustrated by a rigid, defence-minded approach, Santo reverted to a back four and played 4-4-2 against Southampton. Wolves struggled, looked porous at the back and it won\u2019t be surprising to see them revert to their more compact defensive set-up tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jimenez and Traore are Wolves danger men but neither is having a great season. Traore is in the midst of a transfer standoff, which is limiting his game time. Like Aubameyang, Jimenez has temporarily lost his golden touch and just as the Arsenal do, Wolves head into this game having managed only 9 goals in the league. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arsenal – Having enjoyed an extended Norway break<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following their 3-0 Europa League win at Molde, Arsenal\u2019s return flight from Norway was delayed. While this was inconvenient, and doubtless unhelpful for their preparations for Sunday, the impact is likely to be minimal as the cast of characters on the field will change significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assuming Thomas Partey is fit, Mo Elneny has exited quarantine and David Luiz has recovered from his head injury, I expect Arsenal to line up in 4-2-3-1 and field:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Bellerin            Luiz           Gabriel        Tierney<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Elneny           Partey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Nelson               Ceballos                 Saka<\/p>\n\n\n\n

       Aubameyang<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the back Gabriel has the speed and aerial power to manage the threat of Jimenez and he and Luiz are both capable of unsettling Wolves\u2019 defence by angling long forward passes to our wings. If Traore starts, Saka will provide some cover for Tierney\u2019s efforts to contain him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In midfield, Elneny and Partey need to demonstrate again the ball winning mastery and drive they showcased in the win at Old Trafford. In this, Ceballos\u2019 willingness to interchange when these two surge forward will be important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither Lacazette nor Nketiah have shown the firepower sharpness to merit a start in this game. Aubameyang\u2019s goal drought is certain to end soon. The chances of that happening tomorrow will be enhanced greatly by starting him in the centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Leicester did, Wolves will let the Arsenal have a lot of the ball. They will be happy to secure a point while hoping fervently to sucker punch the Gunners in the style of Vardy to secure victory.  The Arsenal have struggled to unlock packed defences and failed miserably to convert when they\u2019ve succeeded. Saka, Nelson and Tierney\u2019s ability to run with the ball and to get behind Wolves\u2019 defence and then feed Auba will be critical to remedying this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An early goal for the home team, as should have been the case in the Leicester game, would increase the entertainment value of this game and increase the likelihood of something other than a 1-0 outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The last time these two teams met, the Arsenal were very good value for a 2-0 win at Molineux. I think on this occasion the margin of victory will increase by one goal and we\u2019ll see an uplifting, confidence building 3-0 home win for the good guys with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returning to form and netting twice. What\u2019s not to like about that? Wherever you\u2019re watching, Holics, enjoy the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What Is and what might have been When the Premier League fixture list for season 2020-21 was released on August 20th, it was immediately apparent that the early set of fixtures would represent a real challenge for Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal.   Before this season\u2019s opener, there was good reason to be confident that, going […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1859"}],"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\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1859"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1866,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1859\/revisions\/1866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}