{"id":2752,"date":"2021-04-16T11:42:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T10:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=2752"},"modified":"2021-04-17T23:25:33","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T22:25:33","slug":"bohemian-rhapsody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=2752","title":{"rendered":"Bohemian Rhapsody"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<a id=\"Y00W2vgsTkl-y7mz_RsJjQ\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/1312707151\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Y00W2vgsTkl-y7mz_RsJjQ',sig:'2Qj7kt1s_HFcqRZxmj7wkwi0acf30IbcbDwiZ4t4itk=',w:'594px',h:'425px',items:'1312707151',caption: true ,tld:'co.uk',is360: false })});<\/script><script src=\"\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" async=\"\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, in North London, we outplayed our Europa League quarter final opponents, Slavia Prague, making many chances but spurning most of them. Virtually on the final whistle we conceded an away goal which made the final score 1-1 and led to much angst, even in this normally calm bar. We were off to Prague, the capital of Bohemia, for the second leg.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team announced was very similar to that which blew Sheffield United away at the weekend, swapping only Martinelli out for a fit again Emile Smith Rowe. However on the bench, the next generation of Hale End talent was appearing, with Azeez, Balogun, and Hillsdon joining Eddie and Nelson. Auba was confirmed earlier in the day to be suffering from malaria. We wish him well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leno, Chambers, Holding, Mar\u00ed, Xhaka, Ceballos, Partey, Saka, ESR, P\u00e9p\u00e9 and Laca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan, Hillson, Bellerin, Gabriel, Willian, Cedric, Nelson, Elneny, Nketiah, Martinelli, Balogun<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There had been much discussion before the game \u2013 was this make or break for Arteta? (I\u2019ll give you my view below, although I trailed in it the drinks under GSD\u2019s excellent preview). One thing was for sure, this was a huge, huge game for keeping any competitive interest in this season. Any defeat or a 0-0 draw and we were out. Any win and we were through. Positions behind the sofa were assumed and we were off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the kick off the SP team all stood, huddled together. Their fellow player had just been suspended for 10 games for racist abuse vs Rangers. Led by Lacazette the Arsenal team took the knee, a strong silent protest.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first ten minutes or so were all theirs. Confident in their own stadium where, the BT Sport guys kept telling us, they hadn\u2019t lost in 15 months. Then, on 14 minutes, we broke forward for the first time. ESR went down the right and fed in Saka on the edge of the box. He pinged in an excellent left foot shot which the keeper did well to tip onto the post. It broke to ESR following up who tapped it in. Gooaal \u2013 oh no wait! An interminable VAR check decided that Smith Rowe was marginally offside.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How would we react to the disappointment? We came straight back up their end. The ball came to that man ESR again on the edge of their box, surrounded by half their team. He nutmegged one man, then another, sliding the ball through to P\u00e9p\u00e9 on the left. P\u00e9p\u00e9\u2019s first touch was excellent (I don\u2019t write that often), he froze his defender and drove it into the net. We were ahead and with an away goal!.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Slavia Prague 0-1 Arsenal (Pepe 18, agg 1-2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again we broke forward, with ESR playing in Saka again. He was fouled, no ifs or buts. Penalty! Nerveless Laca ran up, paused mid run and rolled it into the net with the keeper diving the wrong way. Suddenly we were 3-1 up on aggregate, with 2 away goals. Any draw would take us through. The fast start we so wanted had happened.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Slavia Prague 0-2 Arsenal (Lacazette 21, pen, agg 1-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We were utterly dominant in this period. Partey passed to Chambers on the half way line. He jinked to his left to beat a man, and laid Saka in with a lovely left footed pass right into his stride. He made ground, did the keeper with the eyes and passed the ball into the goal inside the near post. Perfection and should be game over as SL now needed four more goals. Brilliant, brilliant stuff. Huge grins from Arsenal fans everywhere, mid-afternoon in the US, 4.30 am in Japan, Thursday evening in the UK. All were applauding, cheering, drinking and relaxing. Come on you Gunners!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal (Saka 24, agg&nbsp;&nbsp;1-4).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We got to half time confidently with Rob and Mar\u00ed blocking and heading the ball away. P\u00e9p\u00e9 was tackling back well, helping out Xhaka on our left. Half time and we were 4-1 up on aggregate. A dazzling first half performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slavia made a rather rare thing at half time; a quadruple substitution. On 66 minutes, the \u201chold what we have\u201d change began as Elneny came on for the Croydon de Bruyne, who once again had had a quite brilliant game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The skipper put the punctuation mark to the game on 76 mins when P\u00e9p\u00e9 ran down the left and crossed to Laca. He seemed to have about three weeks to control the ball and smash it in with his left foot. Slavia Prague\u2019s much vaunted home record was in bits and their players demoralised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Slavia Prague 0-4 Arsenal (Lacazette 77, agg 1-5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just time to make some subs. Martinelli, Cedric and Balogun all got some minutes and Martinelli nearly scored after a lovely run, but it was all over. For the third time in four years we are in the Europa semi-final, playing Unai Emery\u2019s Villareal. The interest continues into May (the games are on April 29 (away) and May 6 (home)).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So was Arteta\u2019s job on the line last night? As I said in the previous drinks, not for me, win lose or draw. I am firmly on the side of giving him at least another year, whatever happens in the Europa League and even if we fail to get a European spot next season.&nbsp;&nbsp;I think he can bring on these talented young players and mould them into a title challenging team. The last two games have seen all his tactical decisions come good, playing Xhaka at left back, Partey the deepest defender, Holding and Mar\u00ed forging a partnership at CB and the youngsters playing merry hell up front. Lacazette is loving all the pace around him. But it could all go wrong again in the next game and this team is firmly a work in progress. But, for me, it\u2019s heading in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Charlie George has just signed for Willow! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">The Cup Final replica shirt and programmes in our forthcoming auction now bear the signatures of FIVE of the legends from the 1970-71 Double Winning team. Bob&#8217;s autobiography now bears not only his signature but also that of the one and only Arsene Wenger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Forget giving your Holic Pound to the Bookies and start saving your shekels to bid for a piece of history! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"642\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-16-at-11.28.10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2756\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-16-at-11.28.10.png 642w, https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-16-at-11.28.10-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-16-at-11.28.10-75x43.png 75w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, during the currency of this post, a historic moment occurred that should be marked and toasted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"458\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-17-at-21.50.22.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-17-at-21.50.22.png 458w, https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-17-at-21.50.22-268x300.png 268w, https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-17-at-21.50.22-67x75.png 67w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images Last week, in North London, we outplayed our Europa League quarter final opponents, Slavia Prague, making many chances but spurning most of them. Virtually on the final whistle we conceded an away goal which made the final score 1-1 and led to much angst, even in this normally calm bar. We [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752"}],"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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2752"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2770,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752\/revisions\/2770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}