{"id":3857,"date":"2021-08-27T12:19:35","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T11:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3857"},"modified":"2021-08-29T15:07:13","modified_gmt":"2021-08-29T14:07:13","slug":"third-pl-match-lucky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3857","title":{"rendered":"Third PL Match Lucky?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
From Pulse NG<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Where do I begin? (Hums old tune and conjures up the image of the young Ali McGraw)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBegin at the end!\u201d said a wise elderly GP on being told by a notoriously garrulous patient that her current ailment was “a long story” and she was “not sure where to start”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I must confess that I wrote the title for this piece before our first home game. Those of a sensitive temperament or in need of constant optimism should look away now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than a gentle introduction to the new season, the PL fixture computer posed Arteta a challenging triplet of matches to begin the 2021-22 season in what at the end of last season was already being labelled as his \u201cmake-or-break season\u201d. That challenge was significantly magnified before our opening game at Brentford by four members of the match squad testing positive for Covid-19. This clearly disrupted the team\u2019s preparations 48 hours prior to kick off against a team riding high on a wave of enthusiasm generated by their first match in the top flight in 74 seasons. A disappointing outcome to that match appeared highly likely to those of us of a less than incautiously optimistic disposition even before the outbreak of Covid-positivity. Certainly no surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lessons for me (you will no doubt have your own) from that Brentford game were: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) if we are to take any points even from newly promoted sides with limited players, we need to be \u2018up for it\u2019 and show more determination to win; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) Leno appears to have become a highly jittery keeper especially with the ball at his feet; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(3) if Calum Chambers is our best RB we are in trouble;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(4) it takes time for a new CB to integrate into a back four, especially when there is little organisation and no leadership; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(5) Ben White needs to learn how to compensate for his lack of height and bulk or Arteta needs to do get others to do so; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(6) Mari is probably not our best option at LCB; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(7) KT3 cannot be our best attacking option again if we are to win matches;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(8) the back four desperately need organisation \u2013 are we missing Luiz\u2019s experience already? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(9) Lokongo looks a player but must not be flogged to death;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(10) Xhaka cannot be allowed to see out his contract; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(11) ESR is a vital creative force for this team and must be kept fit; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(12) Pepe is our most frustrating player since Hleb and needs to improve his output this season consistently, otherwise he must be sold; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(13) Balogun is too inexperienced and lightweight to lead the line this season and must go out on loan to learn his trade; he needs competitive game time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(14) Martinelli is a willing runner but needs to be more involved in games and be stronger in challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our second game against the European Champions was preceded by the boost of a negative Covid test for Aubameyang but sadly he was deemed unfit to start and we experienced another late sucker punch 24 hours before the match when Ben White dropped out of the squad with a positive Covid test. We will have to be prepared for such setbacks to become a regular feature of this season without the strict bubbles of last season. At least we got a pre-match lift through the announcements of the signings of Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale though the former could not provide his much-needed skillset due to the absence of a visa\/work permit. However, we have finally addressed the need for a decent back-up keeper and taken a step towards fixing the creativity deficit. I think that Odegaard is an excellent addition to this team despite the hordes for whom familiarity has bred contempt. In the first half against the Chavs, after a brief opening flurry, we were clearly second best with Mari bossed by Lukaku and James given acres of space on the left side of our defence throughout the first half. Surprisingly, James\u2019 freedom pass wasn\u2019t addressed by the coach until the second half as a result of which it could easily have been 0-4 or worse at HT. However, we did put in a more spirited performance in the second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lessons from that game (again, for me) are stark: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) despite beating the Chavs twice in the PL last season, a decade and a half of under-investment in this squad has left a quality gap between us and the big spenders; only organisation in the press, at a throw-in, in defence, playing out from the back etc. can compensate for that quality gap \u2013 we clearly have a lot of work to do at Colney!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) Leno is still a reliable shot-stopper; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(3) our defensive organisation needs a massive amount of work \u2013 I hope we can find a reliable pairing in this squad and a leader in the back four (think Bob McNab!); <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(4) in-game adjustments have to be made when things are going badly \u2013 that freedom pass on our left flank should have been revoked after 15 minutes; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(5) see (9) above, we can\u2019t get Partey back to partner him soon enough! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(6) Xhaka will never change, there\u2019s no good moaning about him, see (10) above; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(7) we have recently been pretty toothless upfront and for the second week running our forwards simply bounced off a defensive wall without creating good scoring opportunities; perhaps we aren\u2019t yet in a position to dispense with Auba and Laca despite their familiar deficits;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(8) there were encouraging hints of sharpness from Aubameyang in his brief late cameo but unless he or Lacazette rediscover the way to goal we are going to need to acquire a mobile striker who is not a callow youth \u2013 our young strikers have talent but are far too lightweight to lead the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our unaccustomed midweek foray into the second round of the Carabao Cup (forever the League Cup to those of a certain age) saw us trounce 6-0 a juvenile Baggie selection – albeit a meaty bunch of juveniles. That opposition is not a reliable yardstick of our PL potential but the result and performance provide essential balm for our damaged morale before the third and most daunting of our opening trio of challenges. Unreliability of the yardstick notwithstanding, we saw confidence surge back into the Gunners on the pitch, Odegaard pulling strings for 60 minutes and providing midfield urgency, Auba looking lively, scoring a hat trick and suggesting that his radar may be sorted, Saka returning to energetic mode, driving us forward and scoring a lovely goal, Laca linking well for 20 minutes and scoring with a stunning strike and Ramsdale keeping a clean sheet, making a couple of good saves and looking comfortable with the ball at his feet while showing a good range of passes. That match brought a welcome and much-needed blast of positivity. More like that in this match would be nice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our opponents this weekend, the current PL champions, looked a shadow of themselves in their opening game at the Armitage Shanks Stadium and managed to lose to the solitary goal. However, in their last game they produced a 5-0 drubbing of a lacklustre Norwich team and they represent a huge hurdle for Arteta and his young team. Shitteh\u2019s rise to their current pinnacle – the obverse of our decline \u2013 is of course the result of unprecedented spending on players which has apparently topped \u00a31billion in the last decade. Their starting eleven for this season\u2019s opening match cost over \u00a3500 million whilst every member of their bench that day would walk into almost every other team in the Premiership. Guardiola recently claimed that Manure and the Arsenal dominated the league at the turn of the century due to greater financial investment than their competitors but this is arrant nonsense. But for the funds from the UAE Treasury, Shitteh would still be languishing in their previous habitual position of mid table or below and they epitomise the distortions that result from financial doping first identified by Arsene Wenger. A far worse result than the artificial enhancement of a bang average club from east Manchester to become a PR vehicle for an oil-rich feudal state is their distortion of the transfer market that affects every club without access to a bottomless pit of petrodollars. They have risen close to the top of my ‘Hierarchy of the Despicable’ (other epithets are available).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can predict this match will be a struggle against another clutch of talented mercenaries and we are going to have to be at our best if we are to take anything from the game. At least the midweek outing at the Hawthorns, despite the paltry opposition, provides a glimpse of what we are capable of achieving (under optimal conditions)! However, we cannot be naive. I was surprised that we didn\u2019t play three at the back against the Chavs and I thought Arteta extremely incautious not to do so, despite being at home. A more cautious approach to this match will serve us better. We must recognise where we currently stand relative to the top four at the moment, in particular to these two petro-dollar fueled opponents. That is not defeatism, it’s recognising how things stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In truth, history tells us that the odds are stacked against us even without the recent effects of Covid-19 and injuries. A traditional procession of home and away victories against the blue side of Manchester began to falter after their acquisition by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, further aggravated by their early cherry picking of Arsenal talent. It then got worse. In 9 league games since the arrival of Guardiola in July 2016 we have garnered a solitary point from a home game in April 2017, during his first year in the job. We lost every other match home and away. A modicum of hope can be gleaned from the two cup semi-final victories in April 2017 and July last year when we frustrated Shitteh with stolid defence and strikes on the break. We have been universally written off for this match. Can we surprise everyone again? Can we get lucky again?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of writing, Ben White is expected to miss this game but Lacazette returned with a 20 minute cameo against the Baggies and looked sharp both in his passing and in scoring his goal. The injuries to Tierney and Martinelli forcing their removal against Chelsea were simply cramp and they too are fit to play. Bellerin is also available again. Willian is now Covid-19 negative but remains in limbo. Frankly he can remain there for all time but he won\u2019t get under the bar with a belly like that. As I have already inferred, I think we should play 3-5-2 against Shitteh and aim to strike on the break. This is an away game against the champions – the best team in England last season.  We sit pointless and goalless in 19th<\/sup> position in the table so this is a time for pragmatism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shitteh are a well-oiled, expensively assembled machine with a coach who knows how to take advantage of opponents\u2019 failings. We are still getting our show on the road and have several failings that Pep will have noticed. Over the years we have seen many sides come to our place and stifle us to steal a point or even three. It’s not pretty but needs must when facing a dangerous opponent! I remember Mancini\u2019s Shitteh trying to do exactly that despite their already expensively assembled team but losing out to a late Arteta piledriver in April 2012 (always a risk when all you do is stifle and you don’t take your few chances). We haven\u2019t created enough chances in either pre-season or our PL matches to believe we can go toe-to-toe with a Shitteh side that will dominate possession. However, I do believe that with a rejuvenated Aubameyang we can perhaps steal a goal (or two?). We should set out to stifle the opposition in the best George Graham tradition, frustrate them and their support and strike when we get the opportunities. Facing Shitteh’s offensive quality and strong defence every one of our players will have to be at their best, work hard and be lucky! It’s not an impossible task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this end I would play 3 \u2013 5 \u2013 2 (3-5-1-1 if you like) with an emphasis on parking the bus, keeping things tight and frustrating the oilers. My team would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Holding  –  Mari  –  Tierney  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bellerin  –  Sambi  –  ESR –  Xhaka  –  Saka<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Odegaard –  Aubameyang<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Although I believe that we will do well to take a point from this match, and I would bite off your hand if you offered me a draw now, bet365 are offering 50\/1 on a 2-0 win for the Arsenal. Unexpected riches if we can just pull off a miracle! And, with a wing, a prayer, a chapel full of candles and a Roman altar drenched in bull’s blood, it might just happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope our travelling fans enjoy the game. I shall be behind the couch with a bottle of Highland Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COYG<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where do I begin? (Hums old tune and conjures up the image of the young Ali McGraw) \u201cBegin at the end!\u201d said a wise elderly GP on being told by a notoriously garrulous patient that her current ailment was “a long story” and she was “not sure where to start”. I must confess that I […]<\/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\/3857"}],"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=3857"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3892,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3857\/revisions\/3892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}