{"id":4136,"date":"2021-10-30T05:43:15","date_gmt":"2021-10-30T04:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=4136"},"modified":"2021-10-30T20:01:22","modified_gmt":"2021-10-30T19:01:22","slug":"rolling-back-the-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=4136","title":{"rendered":"Rolling Back the Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:594px;\"><div style=\"padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1276009123\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div><div style=\"overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:78.78788% 0 0 0;width:100%;\"><iframe src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1276009123?et=t7wplJS_TtZb6SWk0lwjsQ&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=R_lFksMxpCe_Yx7OZnWRMRxyOboVLuRv7zQt0OzrQ8o=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"594\" height=\"468\" style=\"display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the Foxes had returned to the English top-tier football we have had quite a few memorable victories against them. Even in their surprising title winning campaign in 2015-16 we won against them home and away, the home victory courtesy of a last minute header from the substitute Danny Welbeck, and that result in early Spring raising a glimpse of hope among some Arsenal fans of a genuine attempt at winning the league, only to see us falling behind rapidly towards the final months to end ten points behind Leicester, but still of course managing to welcome a certain Saint back in the North London sun (or rain). It was also our the then capital Mikel Arteta\u2019s farewell season, there were whispers in the air that one day we may see him back at the Arsenal, prowling the touchline and putting mannerless journalists and players alike in their place by the sheer force of that intense stare.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of all these victories my favorite was the come-from-behind 3-1 at home in October 2018, at Mikel\u2019s fellow Basque Emery\u2019s first season. It was at that early stretch of Unai\u2019s time when the results were going very well (22 unbeaten or something like that) and in between we had played some sumptuous football dispelling any fear of losing our identity of innovative, attacking football. Here is a highlight of all the three sumptuous goals, for those willing to indulge in a bit of nostalgia: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/TyE3cP27VoY\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/TyE3cP27VoY<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As wonderful that performance was, it is also a lucid reminder of how results and performances in football can change very quickly, how complacency and lack of focus can very quickly derail a campaign, and how only a ceaseless desire for improving all aspects of performance from one match to the next is essential to earn the rights to fight at the top of the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a poor start to this season Arteta\u2019s Arsenal has started to show a degree of resilience and application that raises the possibility of an upward movement on the league table, but only if that resilience and applications are maintained consistently, which then would offer the kind of strong basis of self-belief across the squad to facilitate the creativity and skills &#8212; that we all know to be present in this team &#8212; to flourish. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These noon-time away matches haven\u2019t been particularly kind to Arsenal in the recent years. Even though Leicester is yet to show last season\u2019s peak form they would present quite a difficult challenge to this very young Arsenal squad. Difficult, but not insurmountable, and I am hopeful that the memories of their own courage, commitment and discipline against Villa last weekend will give them the motivation and composure they need.&nbsp; We did win away against Leicester last season, twice! The second of those two wins, a 3-1 victory in February earlier this year, came courtesy of goals from David Luiz, Lacazette (a penalty), and P\u00e9p\u00e9. The Brazilian maverick of the flowing locks is now plying his trade back home in Rio in the Flamengo colors, P\u00e9p\u00e9 is unlikely to start (but a goal or two coming off the bench would be very nice, thank you), and it would be intriguing whether Mikel retains Lacazette in the team and leaves last weekend\u2019s starting eleven and shape unchanged or if he makes alterations, if only to tactically outmaneuver his art connoisseur counterpart. My guess is that in a feisty away encounter against a high pressing team he would like to use Laca\u2019s combativeness, leadership, and also to use his excellent understanding with captain Aubameyang to create central overload in the opposition penalty box which can then be exploited by the speed and skills our two Hale End heroes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assuming Tierney would still not be risked as he is yet to fully recover (as far as we are given to understand), I think we will start the same starting eleven as last weekend. I am of course also assuming that Benjamin White has fully recovered from whatever knocks he had received midweek, and the stomach bug that is apparently going around in the Arsenal camp hasn\u2019t sidelined any more players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Ramsdale<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Tomiyasu \u2013 White \u2013 Gabriel \u2013 Tavares<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Saka \u2013 Partey \u2013 Lokonga \u2013 ESR<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Aubameyang \u2013&nbsp; Lacazette<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would gladly take last season\u2019s 3-1 victory, giving us a moderately respectable 17 points from 10 games, but any victory would do. A clean sheet would be nice too, if only to strengthen the belief, confidence and camaraderie of the back five. Enjoy the match everyone!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images Since the Foxes had returned to the English top-tier football we have had quite a few memorable victories against them. Even in their surprising title winning campaign in 2015-16 we won against them home and away, the home victory courtesy of a last minute header from the substitute Danny Welbeck, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"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\/4136"}],"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\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4136"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4172,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136\/revisions\/4172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}