{"id":7551,"date":"2023-03-08T05:53:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T05:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=7551"},"modified":"2023-03-10T09:25:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T09:25:56","slug":"a-protean-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=7551","title":{"rendered":"A Protean Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 02: (L-R) Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta and Hector Bellerin celebrate after the FA Community Shield match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on August 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If, dear reader, you were to point out with your customary patience that the premise of a protean identity is paradoxical, I will not entirely disagree. To your surprise, I may even go further to suggest that the notion of identity itself, in an ever-changing world, may be inherently protean \u2013 \u201can architecture suspended over the abyss of its own contingency\u201d, to quote Marcus Steinweg\u2019s insight about the world at large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Lisbon for example: from the Westernmost trading post of the seafaring Phoenicians, through the settlement of Olissipo in Roman Lusitania, the socio-culturally diverse and architecturally influential Islamic middle ages, the Reconquista, the golden age of discovery and expansion including Vasco da Gama\u2019s history-defining voyage to India, the colony in Brazil, the catastrophic earthquake in the eighteenth century (that even more than three hundred years after Voltaire still retains its persuasive power against the fallacies of thoughtless optimism), a twentieth century dominated by political upheavals \u2026 Lisbon, or Lisboa, has been an elusive shapeshifter, where the familiar serves to amplify the unknowable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we are here not to taste such ontological pretzels, but to participate collectively in the more wholesome festivities of joyous anticipation: a high-flying, euphoria-inducing, expectations-defying, running-out-of-superlative-ly marvelous Arsenal team will be resuming their European campaign this Thursday, away at Lisbon, protean or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Europa League round of 16 opponent is \u201cSporting Clube de Portugal\u201d, or as it is better known to us in the English-speaking world, Sporting Lisbon. Along with Porto, and their Lisbon derby rival Benfica, Sporting is one of Portugal\u2019s big three teams, winning the Portuguese premier league last in 2020-21 season (albeit after a 19 year gap). Sporting doesn\u2019t quite enjoy the history or glamor of Benfica, the most successful Portuguese club, both domestically and in European competitions. Their record suffers also in comparison with Porto, and this season they aren\u2019t doing particularly well domestically, sitting fourth on the league table, 15 points behind league leaders Benfica. Their route to the Europa league R16 has been circuitous as well \u2013 failing to progress out of their CL group after finishing behind Eintracht Frankfurt and some English club, then winning the play-off against the Danish side Midtjylland. However, they do have a good record in the UEFA Cup\/Europa League competition history, where their record of matches played and won are just behind that of Inter Milan. And their only European trophy came in a previous incarnation of this competition \u2013 the UEFA Cup Winners\u2019 Cup in 63\/64.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal and Sporting had faced each other only twice before: in 69\/70 Fairs Cup Arsenal drawing 0-0 away at Lisbon before winning 3-0 at Highbury, and more recently in the Unai Emery honeymoon period of the Autumn of 2018 where we won away 1-0, thanks to Danny Welbeck, at Lisbon before drawing 0-0 at home on our way to the Europa final (sorry if that brings back traumatic memories).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that<\/em> Arsenal and this<\/strong> Arsenal \u2013 while unquestionably being the same club \u2013 cannot be any more different than Ricardo Reis and \u00c1lvaro De Campos, or Ricardo Reis and Alberto Caeiro, or Alberto Caeiro and \u00c1lvaro De Campos \u2026 as the great Lisbonian Fernando Pessoa\u2019s heteronyms, they are completely different poets but inhabiting the same imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, speaking of Lisbonians \u2013 unlike the doppelg\u00e4nger protagonists in Jos\u00e9 Saramago\u2019s \u201cThe Double\u201d, who, after being thrilled to discover their identicality decide to experiment with swapping their lives, only to realize the fluidity of what they thought to be their own immutable identities, that<\/em> Arsenal and this<\/strong> Arsenal are likely not to be mistaken for one another by their lovers, somewhat distant (us then) or unguardedly ardent (us now).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge for this Arsenal on Thursday would be to preserve the intensity of approach and the coolness of execution from their league performances, not the least because of the necessary rotations in the starting eleven. There are two schools of thought about the Europa league team compositions: one recommends that we rest as many first eleven players as possible without losing tactical coherence and keep our focus on the league, the other disagrees with such drastic changes and prefers to point out that the continuity of performance and result has a self-perpetuating force of its own that carries over from competition to competition, matchday to matchday. I find it quite natural to agree with both. Fortunately, the choice of the squad and the team are at the hands of a man much more decisive than me, and he also knows these players better than probably even they would ever know themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mikel\u2019s hands might be a little forced though because all our three main central striker options are nursing injuries of various degrees. If Eddie had regained fitness he was definitely going to start this match, with Martinelli and Saka most likely starting on the bench, and some combination of Nelson\/ESR\/Vieira\/Trossard on the wings. But now it seems at least one of Martinelli or Saka may have to start, unless Mikel feels comfortable playing ESR \u2013 himself just returning back from a long injury forced absence \u2013 centrally in the front three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My predicted starting line-up would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomiyasu \u2013 Holding \u2013 Gabriel \u2013 Tierney<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorginho<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vieira \u2013 Xhaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nelson \u2013 Martinelli \u2013 ESR<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We might see our new Polish defender Jakub Kiwior coming on for Gabriel later in the second half, especially if we have the match under control. The bench will also include Saka, Zinchenko, Partey, White, Saliba, \u00d8degaard and a few of the academy players. Enough firepower in that bench to provide inspiration or assurance late in the match, whichever is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sporting Lisbon coach R\u00faben Amorim has started to make a name for himself, especially after guiding Sporting to their first league title in 2021 after 19 years. Their recent form this season may have not been very good but they are still a strong side, especially at home, and led by the tough and streetwise Uruguayan defender Sebastian Coates. If you are interested, this is a thorough analysis of Amorim\u2019s tactical approach: https:\/\/www.coachesvoice.com\/cv\/ruben-amorim-sporting-lisbon-tactics\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opposition of course now includes the familiar figure of H\u00e9ctor Beller\u00edn, the Catalonian with a Cockney accent, the Barcelona-born Arsenal favorite, a very good full-back at his best who was part of three FA Cup winning Arsenal sides, loved and admired for his contribution to football but also to the wider society, a passionate, articulate, inspirational young man. H\u00e9ctor has a personal and emotional connection to Real Betis, a team he had also played for, so the green-and-white kind of suits him. We wish him all the very best in his time at Lisbon, and I won\u2019t at all mind if he even rolls back the years a bit against his former teammates (including Arteta in that list).      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I expect this to be a difficult match where we will not find it easy to establish control or rhythm. But I believe we have enough discipline to stay in the game and as it progresses the necessary cutting edge to outscore the opponent. A 2-1 victory would set us up nicely for the return leg back at the electric Emirates, and I would be happy with any win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come on Arsenal!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If, dear reader, you were to point out with your customary patience that the premise of a protean identity is paradoxical, I will not entirely disagree. To your surprise, I may even go further to suggest that the notion of identity itself, in an ever-changing world, may be inherently protean \u2013 \u201can architecture suspended over […]<\/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\/7551"}],"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=7551"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7555,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7551\/revisions\/7555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}