{"id":6442,"date":"2022-08-04T14:29:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T13:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=6442"},"modified":"2022-08-06T23:16:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T22:16:05","slug":"annnnnnd-were-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=6442","title":{"rendered":"Annnnnnd\u2026 We&#8217;re Back!"},"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\/1410679543\" 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:73.90572% 0 0 0;width:100%;\"><iframe src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1410679543?et=NLXK37s2Q4x6PnAOBCm71g&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=2nbjeXfjCuP_4rWWimPe2qR7_R7UVmV50k3xJNK6nAE=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;\" width=\"594\" height=\"439\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><br><br>A new season. New faces. Big new hopes and dreams. Yet, for all the preseason promise and the pleasure and puns it provided, this is where the football starts in earnest. Arteta&#8217;s team must begin turning potential into potential realised from the minute we kick off the Premiership opener at Crystal Palace on Friday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>But first, of course, a little history.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Our first competitive game against Palace was a 7-0 drubbing handed out at Highbury in the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1934. Three days previously, Palace had lost 11-6 to Exeter in the old Third Division league cup. Sometimes, it is just not your week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Our first league visit to Selhurst Park was in November 1969, a 5-1 win in the old Division One. John Radford hit a hat-trick against the team then known as The Glaziers. Since you ask, the fedora-wearing, cigar-chomping &#8216;Big Mal&#8217; Allison changed the nickname to the Eagles in 1973, mimicking Benfica, then in their European pomp despite the great Eusebio being in his twilight years (Google him, younger &#8216;holics).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>The 1969-70 season was Palace&#8217;s first in the top flight since its election to the Football League in 1920. Subsequently, apart from three seasons in the old Third Division in the mid-1970s, they yo-yoed between the two top divisions before a financial near-death experience in the first decade of this century.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the Steve Parish-led resuscitation, Palace came out of administration in 2010. They returned to the Premiership in 2013 to settle into mid-table residency (is that how you spell mediocrity?), never finishing lower than 15th or higher than 10th.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Roy Hodgson left at the end of the 2020-21 season to play the role of Arthur in the video of Louis Dunford&#8217;s&nbsp;<em>The Angel<\/em>, Palace has been managed by our very own Patrick Vieira. The ambition of a team that counted Tony Pulis, Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce among Paddy&#8217;s recent predecessors has at least risen to playing football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>The opposition&nbsp;<\/strong><br>In his first season, Vieira steered Palace to a familiar 12th place in the league and a less accustomed semi-final in the FA Cup. Palace also achieved a positive goal difference for the first time in the Premier League.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paddy is rejuvenating an ageing squad inherited from the league&#8217;s oldest manager, needing younger legs to turn it into an attacking, high-pressing side. When he talks about his makeover, he sounds uncannily like Arteta:<br><em>We are a different team, we have an identity and a clear idea about how we want to play the game in and out of possession.&nbsp;<\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also speaks of recruiting players that fit a profile, of individuals having the discipline to put the team before themselves and of the need for consistent performances to move to the next level. Arsene Wenger must be allowing himself a satisfied smile over his two proteges.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this close season, Vieira has bought Cheick Doucour<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/cheick-doucoure\/profil\/spieler\/543387\">\u00e9<\/a>, a 22-year-old Mali international, from Lens and the similarly aged centre-back Chris Richards, from Bayern Munich, which had the US international on loan at Hoffenheim. Malcolm Ebiowei, an 18-year-old winger who has attracted the attention of some bigger clubs, arrived from Derby County on a free; he is likely being groomed as Wilfried Zaha&#8217;s successor. Onetime England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone also joined on a free, from West Brom. Although 29, he is not so long in the tooth in goalkeeping years.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doucour<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/cheick-doucoure\/profil\/spieler\/543387\">\u00e9<\/a>&nbsp;replaces the released 32-year-old Senegal international Cheikhou Kouyate as the &#8216;6&#8217; anchor of Vieira&#8217;s favoured 4-3-3 formation. Of Palace&#8217;s other midfielders, James McArthur, currently injured, turns 35 in October. Jeffrey Schlupp, whose career has spluttered with the Ghanaian not receiving an international call-up since 2017, turns 30 mid-season. Will Hughes, at 26, the oldest outfield player Vieira has signed, has not fully established himself since arriving from Watford a year ago. Conor Gallagher, last season&#8217;s player of the season, has returned to Chelsea. The 24-year-old Eberechi Eze, bought from QPR before Vieira arrived, appears to have leapfrogged up in Paddy&#8217;s pecking order.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upfront, Odsonne Edouard, also 24, is another who has not fully delivered on his promise since joining from Celtic. He found himself on the bench towards the end of last season but will likely start against us. Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew are wily old campaigners but now 30-somethings. Zaha, who will join that set in November, is still like the daring young man on the flying trapeze \u2014 he flies through the air with the greatest of ease \u2014 but he was Palace&#8217;s top scorer last season with 16 league goals, a menace and a threat.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palace also have a young striker on its books, Luke Plange, whom some might recall from when he was with our Under-18s. We let him go on a free to Derby County. The Rams sold him to Palace for 1.2 million euros six months later. Hmm.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palace&#8217;s stand-out young player, centre-back Marc Gu<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/cheick-doucoure\/profil\/spieler\/543387\">\u00e9<\/a>hi, is now a full England international, having moved to Palace after failing to break through at Chelsea (O Hutchinson, please note). Gu<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/cheick-doucoure\/profil\/spieler\/543387\">\u00e9<\/a>hi should line up alongside the Dane, Joachim Andersen, flanked at full-back by the combative Joel Ward (32) and Tyrick Mitchell, a talented 22-year-old product of Palace&#8217;s Academy. Last season&#8217;s No. 1 keeper Vincente Guaita will start between the sticks with Johnstone and Jack Butland injured.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is not much to be taken from Palace&#8217;s preseason friendlies. Nine first-team players were absent from the overseas tour because of injury and the unvaccinated being unable to travel. Vieira has said his preseason was disrupted. Let&#8217;s hope so, although Palace ended on a high, beating Montpellier 4-2.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Arsenal<\/strong><br>No need to rehearse the discussions in the drinks about the purposefully made additions to our squad and the gaps still to be plugged and the redundant to be moved on, for which read, given away. 21CG deftly anticipated the expectation of goals and enthusiasm for the season ahead in his Sevilla match report. I will add only that last season, we dropped five points to Palace, and have beaten them once since January 2018. That is not a record we can repeat if we are to deliver on top-table aspirations this season.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arteta says that three of our quartet of injured are back in training, assumedly Tomiyasu, Tierney and ESR, but not Fabio Vieira (sounds like ESR is the odd man out -Ed). Late fitness tests await. Squad depth allows the luxury of not needing to rush returns.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I fancy Arteta will start as he did against Sevilla:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Ramsdale<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Partey, \u00d8degaard, Xhaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Saka, Jesus, Martinelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Bench (five from nine named subs can be used): Turner, Holding, Cedric, Lokonga, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, P\u00e9p\u00e9, Nelson, Nketiah.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paddy&#8217;s Palace will again provide tricky opposition. So this warning that comes down through the ages is salient.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Commenting on the 1934 FA Cup tie in his Arsenal programme notes for our following game, &#8216;Recorder&#8217; wrote,<br>&#8221; <em>[Palace] were always strong enough to suggest that, if they could snatch a goal, our situation might be difficult.<\/em>&#8220;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, &#8216;Recorder&#8217; added,&nbsp;<br>&#8220;<em>Our victory was complete in every department, for long before the end Palace were outclassed\u2026our splendid display was most cheering\u2026some of our movements were so illustrative of perfect understanding that they could not fail to stamp us as a great team. Our finishing power, too, was shattering, and the way in which some of the goals were scored would have confounded many a defence far stronger.<\/em>&#8220;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is what we want to see on Friday evening and through to the end of May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The &#8216;holics pound<\/strong><br class=\"\">The bookies have us as favourites, but the odds are drifting. The value looks to lie in a 3-0 away win at 17s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy the game, &#8216;holics, near and far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images A new season. New faces. Big new hopes and dreams. Yet, for all the preseason promise and the pleasure and puns it provided, this is where the football starts in earnest. Arteta&#8217;s team must begin turning potential into potential realised from the minute we kick off the Premiership opener at Crystal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"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\/6442"}],"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\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6442"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6456,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6442\/revisions\/6456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}