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Routine Home Cup Win Required vs Mid-Table Makeweights

Jan 11th, 2025 by

A deeply traumatic recent memory for the Manchester United defence.

TWTWTW 

(for our younger readers ‘That Was The Week That Was’, just an old people TV program that you needn’t google)

Happy 3rd round FA Cup Day to all you Holics far and near!! This weekend sees us take on an utterly useless a recently resurgent Manchester side for a place in the 4th round of our favourite cup competition. No, no, not the cheaty ones, it’s the other ones with the leaky roof and even leakier defence. And that obelisk* that was nicked from in Greece.

As you may have noticed in the media it has not been the best week so far for The Arsenal with our unbeaten home record for the season gone after losing to an in-form Newcastle in the 1st leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Fair play to them, they were certainly better than in the dreary 0-0 of a while back. And congratulations to Norman, the 93-year-old Geordie father of a good mate, he hasn’t been in best of health recently but watching the team he’s supported for 85 years win cheered him up no end and that I could never begrudge. We’re only halfway mind, Norman!  A 2-0 defeat was certainly not what we wanted, especially in a semi-final against the recently-coined Spuds of the North. However, a month is a long time in football and all is not lost, form is temporary and our class is permanent, and even clichés are sometimes true!  Having said all that, if our home record had to go then the Carabao would have been my first option, no one really remembers if you do win it and it does not make for a successful season at the highest level. Just ask our opponents today if you doubt the accuracy of that sentiment – I had completely forgotten they won it in 2023 until I was doing a spot of research for this piece. It certainly wasn’t a stepping stone to anything for them, unless it was one of those trick ones, beloved of comedy movie directors, nothing underneath and the hapless Ten Hag actor plunges head first into a muddy pond. Anyway, enough of Hardaker’s tawdry folly for now and let us turn our minds to the World’s greatest cup competition. The one and only FA Cup.

The FA Cup

I have summarised the current state of affairs below for you in a handy table style format that cheerfully shows we are the winningest ever. 

Most FA Cup Wins

The Arsenal                –  14

All the other clubs       –  Less than 14

There have been a couple of changes to the format this year, the first being the decision last April to scrap all replays. This blog is home to many who remember the epic cup-ties of our youth, and although it has been coming slowly but surely for many years, there is still a certain reflective regret as we contemplate this replay-free new reality, I raise a glass to you all, here’s to us. The smaller clubs too are obviously displeased, though mainly for more commercial reasons in their case I suspect. However, in the wider battle between FIFA, UEFA and a reprobate cast of outstretched hands the FA Cup had about as much chance as the concerns about players health or the wishes of the match-day support. It would take a far longer article than this one to define just how wrong that is, and so I will move on to the second change. VAR will not be used at all in the 3rd and 4th rounds from this season but will be used for all matches from the 5th round onwards. In past years VAR has been used at Premier League club grounds from the 3rd round onwards but not at non-PL clubs – I honestly wonder who made such a decision and thought it fair and reasonable. Mr Dunderhead I suppose. Anyway, the new system is fairer all round and a welcome change. 

Our XI

Back to The Arsenal, and as we take our first faltering steps on the long and windy road to No 15, what will Mikel Arteta decide is the best approach to this game? Well, his options of the youth-blooding variety are fairly limited I think, and so I expect a similar mix and match XI, with the possible exception of Neto being handed the gloves, for however long our cup run lasts, and just maybe a rare sighting of Raheem. But first, there was good news for Benjamin White this week (congratulations to you sir and don’t worry TMS isn’t a real thing) and good news for us too as his recovery appears to be going very well and his return could be sooner than expected. Not yet however, the end of January was the optimistic suggestion mooted in the wilder fringes of the national press. As Tomi and Bukayo are still out that would leave us with something like…………………

Neto

Timber Saliba Kiwior Calafiori

Partey Merino

Sterling Ødegaard Jesùs

Havertz

Sterling is something of a wild guess, I must admit, as he wasn’t even called upon off the bench in midweek. However, young Ethan Nwaneri is out and Gabi / Leo haven’t particularly convinced on the right. There are always other options of course, an obvious one is for Leo / Gabi to start in one of the wide roles and Jesùs to start up front. In other news, we have many, many options at LB – Zin and MLS played against Newcastle and KT / Calafiori were unused subs. I have plumped for Calafiori on the assumption he was being rested midweek and also because strategically we will want to flood the Man Utd area with as many CBs as possible – see photo atop this article and the league game in December for the reasons why – we could honestly have had four or five from corners that day. It has only been a month or so and I see no reason why we shouldn’t do it over and over again…… Perhaps Declan might start after all as he does deliver a mean corner on his day and you’ll certainly see no absurd twaddle from me about set piece goals. If they can’t defend properly then let’s punish them. 

The Opposition

Many of us at GHF of a certain age know all about Manchester United, however it occurs to me a brief historical review may be necessary for the younger Gooners. Manure, as they are often known, were once upon a time, like Preston, a powerful football force in Lancashire. I know, I know, it seems fanciful but it’s true! Nowadays, as we all know, they are just the Mancunian equivalent of what we could loosely describe as Spuvertonian – in many ways a lowly fate, worse than a fate worse than death. Much like the Ottoman Empire of old they no longer have a seat at the table when the adults sit down to discuss the fate of the major trophies, their last two captains, known as the Thick Man of Europe and the D**k Man of Europe have been powerless to prevent their continuing fall from grace. And then…. in their desperation their support have latched on to a new saviour, the billionaire Jim Ratcliffe of Ineos fame. Sir Jim is apparently a very likeable fellow, if your tastes run to hypocritical, bullying, tax dodgers, and has promised to restore the fallen giant to it’s rightful position, Manure I think he means, not Preston. Regardless, Jim has set about putting things right by cutting costs and stiffing the less fortunate to ensure his maximum return on investment in that typical charmless billionaire way. To be fair, I think even the good folk of Surrey have started to smell a rat. I am inclined to be understanding of their initial gullibility as surely any sane person would be desperate to escape the ravenous maws of the parasitical Glazer brood. And yet just when the night was at it’s darkest a previously abject team suddenly grabbed a point at Anfield and hope has arisen anew that turning points have been reached etc, etc. I very much doubt they have turned a corner or even defended one competently, come to that, as it looks the same meh bunch as before to me. A point at Anfield sounds good until you note that in their next game Liverpool actually lost to the eternally out-of-form Spuds! As usual against this sort of mid-table shower I don’t much care how they line up and the headline to this piece pretty much describes how I expect the game to go. 

Conclusions

We will win again, another 2-0 looks easily doable. It would be ironic to see Raheem and Jesus stick it to their old Manchester rivals but it’s the cup so any old how will do nicely! However, as I just said it is the cup after all and, every now and again the minnows do have their day, so who knows. Whatever way it goes, I would like to finish by stressing that for me, and much as I love the FA Cup, our season is not on the line here. We have bigger games to come in the next few weeks, our next three here at home for a start and my biggest wishes would be firstly a safe trip there and back for our Holic friends and secondly no more bloody injuries! Enjoy the game wherever you may be and come on you Guuners!

Posted in Match Preview | 23 Drinks »

A Disappointing Night in N5

Jan 8th, 2025 by

On a cold night in north London, an Arsenal side recently ravaged by viral illness and still learning how to play without its creative genius, Bukayo Saka, took on a vibrant and confident Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. 

We were delighted to see that Ødegaard had shaken off enough of the lurgy to start and so too had MLS and Havertz (Jesùs dropping to the bench) and that we started with our first choice midfield:

Raya

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, MLS;

Ødegaard, Partey, Rice;

Trossard, Havertz, Martinelli.

The Codes started much more briskly than we did and moved the ball quickly through our ranks in contrast to the way in which we seemed usually to ponderously built our attacks throughout this match. Our defenders passed the ball mainly laterally to beat the high press, midfielders regularly dropped deep to receive the ball then passed laterally as if to allow the Codes’ high press to drop back then when the ball eventually reached our wide men, they usually stopped, danced a bit, allowed the opposition defence to set themselves and then either passed back to a teammate or swung the ball in to meet the head of one of the Codes’ big stoppers. A friend described the experience as akin to watching David Raya plus ten Ray Wilkins playing. Perhaps I exaggerate a tad, but this was a very frustrating game to watch.

Of course, the efficiency of Newcastle’s high press and low block did slow down our attacks but our desire to pass the ball to feet facilitated that block as midfielders sought out a clear pathway for a pass to feet and opposition players sat on or in front of possible recipients. Our midfielders turning from right to left and back again, then choosing a square ball or a back pass became a frequent feature of this game. This Newcastle team proved a hard nut to crack.

After Newcastle’s early vigorous start in which Joelinton skied the ball over after 3 minutes, we played our way into the game and began to dominate possession. There were several near things. After 13 minutes, Timber headed a Rice corner wide from a decent chance. A Rice free kick from wide right, caused bedlam in the box with a Martinelli shot blocked by Tonali, a Saliba shot blocked by Burn near the goal-line and Havertz’s toe-poke smothered by Dubravka. A taste of things to come, sadly! Timber then met another Rice corner that he sent over and this one really should have hit the net. Our set pieces were getting closer! At this point we looked a good bet for the opener.

Yet Newcastle remained dangerous on the break. Isak beat Saliba and cut a ball back from the byline which reached Hall whose shot, blocked by Gabriel reached Tonali via a poor MLS clearance and the Italian blasted a great opportunity over the bar. A warning! 

Then, after 30 minutes, a sumptuous one touch ball out of our own half from Trossard gave Martinelli a one-on-one with Dubravka. Sadly Martinelli’s shot hit the post and rebounded. Another Arsenal corner followed leading to another scramble in the box which ended with a superb block by Botman to another close-range Havertz effort.

Shortly thereafter, their goalkeeper lofted a long free kick to the edge of our box, Botman nodded it on, we failed to clear the ball, it bounced to Murphy who got a lucky touch to Isak who had lost his marker, Ødegaard. The on-form Toon striker thumped the ball high into Raya’s net.

A foul on Partey at the edge of the D offered the chance of a swift equaliser but Ødegaard’s effort hit the wall. As 45 minutes loomed a close-range Gabriel effort was blocked by Dubravka.

Half Time: Arsenal 0-1 Newcastle United

An Opta stat that Newcastle had blocked eight Arsenal shots in the first half was ground for half-time optimism that we could wrest this tie back under our control but the vision of Barcodes throwing themselves in the path of goal bound shots in Keownesque fashion was the abiding image of the half. We had 58% possession, 14 shots vs 5, 3 on target vs 2 and 19 touches in the opposition box vs 10. Surely the second half would see us finish the job?

We started the second half on the front foot and had Newcastle under early pressure but after 6 minutes the shit hit the fan. A Murphy pass found Isak inside our box. His shot was parried by Raya diving to his right but fell to Gordon who put it in his net at the far post.

The rest of this half was a siege, albeit often in slow motion as described in the opening paragraphs. On 58 minutes, Havertz missed a sitter, the ball looping from a deflected cross to him in the 6-yard box with only Dubravka to beat but he shouldered it wide. That could have changed the complexion of this match and the scale of our task in the second leg.

On the hour, Arteta then put Jesùs and Jorginho on for Trossard and a tiring Partey. Interestingly, there was no attempt to add Sterling to the mix despite our need for a goal. Five minutes later, another excellent Rice corner was headed wide by Saliba from a few yards. ‘Nice Eddie’ then put Kelly, Barnes and Longstaffe on for Murphy, Willock and Isak, adopting a 5-4-1 by adding Kelly to the back line and leaving Gordon up front on his own.

The siege resumed and was met with stolid, brave, last ditch defending. A Jorginho strike from 20 yards was blocked by a diving Joelinton before Almiron replaced a flagging Gordon and joined the midfield line to make their formation 5-5-0. 

Arteta’s last throw of the dice was to replace MLS with Zinchenko who took up an ‘inside left’ position in the absence of any attacking threat from Newcastle and got a yellow card on 80 minutes for a magnificent challenge on Joelinton. The game played out with more pressure and more blocked shots. Jorginho fired a beauty just over the bar as 90 minutes came round.

Full Time: Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle United

Match stats show 70% possession, 23 vs 7 shots, 3 vs 4 on target and 47 vs 15 touches in the opposition box. The key difference was that they had an on-form top class striker who scored the first and ‘made’ their second. For all my hyperbolic criticism of our pedestrian build-up in the opening paragraphs, I must credit the team that their heads didn’t drop, their efforts never flagged and they kept trying right to the final whistle but it just wasn’t our night. Newcastle put in a superb defensive performance without displaying many of the dark arts we have seen from them before and took their few opportunities well. They deserved their win.

I thought that Saliba, Ødegaard and Havertz in particular played as if they were still suffering from post-viral malaise and none of those three, despite much effort, showed the quality that we have come to expect of them. I have seen much angst, anger and criticism in social media but in truth we have played less well this season and taken the points. The effort was there, the crispness, the final ball and the finish just weren’t and at the other end we had two unlucky bounces of the ball.

I am optimistic that this Arsenal team, when we throw off the viral lurgy and get a few of our wounded back, can win this tie in the away leg in Newcastle.

Believe!

Onwards.

[This was originally scheduled to be Lonestar Gooner’s review, but life moves pretty fast and Baff had to step into a temporary breach. Nonetheless, here’s LG’s piece as a fillip to Baff’s. — eds.]


We Must Save Ourselves…

Jan 8th, 2025 by

Dr. Zoidberg as Jesus from Futurama, courtesy of https://morbotron.com

Let me establish a couple points from the start: (1) Newcastle are a good team in very good form. The barcodes brought a substituted line-up (no Guimarães) to the Emirates, rode their luck, finished their chances, and established a solid (but not insurmountable) lead for the Carabao Cup second leg. (2) The Arsenal are a very good team in fair-to-middling form. Of course there are numerous explanations, we’ve recounted them ad nauseum, but, even if the team is not serving up scintillating fare at the moment, we produced enough to win our match.

Alas, make no mistake, we’re in the washing machine right now…

The Lineups
Less than seventy-two hours from a mentally and physically draining trip to the South coast, Mikel Arteta once again drew-up the ranks, this time to welcome the Geordies to North London. Undoubtedly, the team had been running on the thinnest gruel, paracetamol, and Biofreeze, but the gaffa fielded perhaps the strongest side available (which was almost perfectly predicted by Bath’s quality preview). Given our squad’s current fitness levels and rotation needs, I thought it was quite a strong line-up (perhaps I would have gone with Bath and started Jesús, but, hey-ho), and Arteta clearly penciled a team designed to give it go:

Raya
Timber—Saliba—Gabriel—Lewis-Skelly
Ødegaard—Partey—Rice
Trossard—Havertz—Martinelli

Gordie, I mean, Eddie Howe also fielded a team designed for a protracted skirmish. Fair play to them, Newcastle did not sit back and low-block us from the off; rather, they came to play. With height at the back, swift thuggery in the midfield, and top-level finishing leading the line, Newcastle would be no mugs, and much like Alexander’s phalangites squaring off against Darius’s Immortals, quality “finishing” would make all the difference. Deploying in a 4-3-3 formation, the visitors looked thusly:

Gordon—Isak—Murphy
Joelinton—Tonali—Willock
Hall—Burn—Botman—Livramento
Dúbravka

Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 1
Although the visitors deserved credit for coming to the Emirates in a mind to play football, and this could be down to their lack of fear (interesting Orbinho statistic: Arsenal had failed to score in four of their last six matches against Newcastle), Arsenal played some dominant and very good attacking football for the first thirty-five minutes or so. Attacking the Clock End, the Gunners produced wave after probing wave. Havertz was denied a point-blank attempt, Timber spurned a presentable chance from a corner, Gabriel shot wide, and Ødegaard blasted over. Newcastle attacked when they could and Isak’s cutback really should have forced Raya into action. One rare Newcastle foray into our half produced Arsenal’s best chance of the night when Partey and Trossard combined to set Martinelli free on goal. Trossard’s first-time pass split the Newcastle midfield like a hot knife through butter, and Martinelli’s control and pace left him with just the keeper to beat. Shaping for the near post, Gabby’s shot seemed poised to ripple the back of the net only to cruelly smack the post and rebound into touch. I melted into my couch…this felt like it could be one of those nights. And so it proved. From what appeared to be a foul on Rice, Newcastle were awarded a freekick, and the keeper’s ensuing offering was nodded down, split Saliba and Gabriel, and was rifled home by the in-form Isak. It was poor from our red Twin Towers, but, not for the first time this season, the margins had broken against us, and the Geordies were enraptured.

HT Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 1
Although Gabriel forced Dúbravka into another brave save from close range, Newcastle had the lead they craved and began to settle into a low block. Arsenal would have everything to play for in the second half.

Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 2
Truth be told, many of the Emirates support (the criminally quiet crowd was rumored to be heavily populated with tourists) had barely returned from their halftime snacks and constitutionals when Newcastle’s strike force extended their lead. Somewhat against the run of play, Isak was allowed to receive the ball in the Arsenal final third and rifled a cross-cum-shot towards Raya’s far post. Raya was only able to parry the ball, and Gordon beat an uncharacteristically inattentive Timber to the rebound. Once again, the Magpies had breached our defenses.

FT Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 2
The traveling horde in black and white could scarcely believe their eyes (neither could I). Newcastle had played for a smash-and-grab, snaffled it up, and prepared to sink back into their lair like a satiated badger. And they defended their lead like a badger protecting its hard-won carcass from a marauding bear. Arsenal pressed. Newcastle sank back. Arsenal replaced the ineffective Trossard with Jesús, the again impressive Lewis-Skelly with Zinchenko, and Partey with Jorginho. A quick word for the eighteen-year-old MLS, we really have a good one on our hands here. At least twice, he received the ball under pressure in our eighteen-yard-box and either rode the challenge into space or drew the foul. He plays with moxie, intelligence, and maturity…get him on an improved contract please.

Arsenal continued to probe and dominate possession, and, on about sixty minutes Havertz contrived to “head” a deflected cross…with his shoulder. Newcastle responded with fresh legs (Harvey Barnes, Almiron, Kelly, and Longstaff) and curled up into an obstinate 5-5-1 formation. The Geordies made block after block as the Gunners alternated between peppering the Newcastle goal and blasting shots over it. In the end, the good guys were unable to convert chances into goals, and Newcastle galloped off our pitch and into the second leg with a two-goal cushion.

Conclusion
In many ways, this result has been in the post. We’re a tired team. Losing our skipper for more than ten weeks (along with Benjamin White’s absence) placed a heavy mental and physical burden on the team. Losing our best player for likely the remainder of the season has poured water on a drowning man. Our attack, at times, looks stunted, but, if you study the stats… (well, I’ll just leave that there and observe that we simply got varianced, we got footballed). Critics abound, and many, rightly either question how the team has found itself in this predicament or, more importantly, ask what the Board and front office can do to remedy our offensive malaise. Loud voices clamor for January attacking signings, but, unless these folks know some form of sorcery, I haven’t seen a list of gettable names (it takes two to tango…)

No, I’m afraid the team will be on its own to grit out nine games in January (last year, Arsenal had three January competitive fixtures). I think Mikel has done a yeoman’s job of keeping this injury ridden, snake-bitten, and physically and emotionally depleted side second in the Premier League (within six points), third in the new and improved Champions League, and into the third round of the FA Cup. Lest we forget, this Carabao Cup semifinal is far from over, and, if any team can go to St. James’ Park and steal a result to go through to the final, I’ll back us to do it.

So, I’ll not tell anyone how to support the lads, and I have no idea whether we’ll receive any January reinforcements. But I do think it’s time for Arteta to tell the boys to break the pots and pans, sink the ships, and burn the tents. We’re on our own, and at the end of the season, either we’ll sleep in our opponents’ tents, or we’ll just (metaphorically) sleep. Take care, ‘Holics.

MCMBD.

Posted in Match Report | 45 Drinks »

Can We Match the Hunger of the Magpies as we Wade Through Treacle?

Jan 6th, 2025 by

Games are arriving so thick and fast that it’s hard to keep up with the schedule from a diary point of view – Heaven knows what it must be like for the players! The dust (snow?) has barely settled on the strange events at the Amex – can it really be yet another blow in a postulated, but to my mind unlikely, PGMOL pay-back conspiracy (MA8 called them a disgrace last season and ‘got away with it’ when carpeted, now it’s payback), a malign alignment of stars or are we just the unlucky victims of an astonishing series of bizarre decisions that you will never see again? Now, with minimal recovery time, we must go toe to toe with Newcastle for a place in the League Cup Final.

One thing I can confidently predict about the forthcoming match is that Newcastle will be well up for it. Which strategy they adopt remains to be seen. Will they adopt a two-leg strategy and put in the kind of away performance we have seen before from ‘Nice Eddie’s’ teams at the Grove: dig in with an eight man defence, waste time from the first minute onwards, foul rotationally, disrupt play, kick, elbow, shove, hit and barge with the objective of getting a result in this game that makes the SJP leg decisive, or will they, with their new found confidence, go for a win at the Grove against the weakened and potentially off-colour Arsenal side that will face them to put the tie beyond our reach?

Newcastle are on a great run of form at the moment, having won six games in a row in all competitions and Isak currently can’t stop scoring – he has now netted in seven consecutive premier league matches, matching a club record held jointly by Alan Shearer and Joe Willock. This season’s League Cup is their biggest opportunity to win silverware for the first time in a very long time and ‘Nice Eddie’ who was under a bit of pressure when their results were iffy at the beginning of this season, will be desperate to deliver a trophy to the Sheik of Araby. 

It’s been a long time since a Barcode lifted a cup. Their last kosher trophy (we exclude the Intertoto Cup of 2006, Anglo-Italian Cup of 1973 and Texaco Cups of 1974 & 1975) was the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (predecessor to the Europa League) in 1968-69. Their last domestic trophy (excluding three second tier championships) was the FA Cup in 1954-55. So the Geordies will have a huge hunger to win this tie and I expect that there will be no unenforced changes from their first choice eleven for this game.

Newcastle have never won the League Cup, in either its unsponsored or sponsored guises. However, they have reached the final twice, losing to Manchester City (predecessor to C130y) 1-2 in 1975-76 and to Manchester United 0-2 in 2022-23. The PL title this season is far more remote for Newcastle than it appears to be for us and the League Cup represents their best chance of silverware this season. They will have a huge hunger to win this semi-final.

Once reaching this stage, Newcastle’s record in League Cup semi-finals is actually better than ours, though their appearances have been much less frequent. Both times they have reached the semi-final of this competition, they have progressed to the final. They will be under pressure to maintain that record. 

Actually, we should be every bit as hungry as Newcastle in this tie. The Arsenal have played in seventeen League Cup semi-finals, since the competition’s inception in 1966-67, and have progressed only eight times and only gone on to win the silverware twice. We last appeared in the semi-final in 2021-22 when we went out to Liverpool following a goalless draw at the Grove and a 0-2 defeat at Anfield. Our last semi-final success was in 2017-18 when we beat Chelsea 2-1 after drawing 0-0 at the Bus Stop in Fulham only to be well beaten 0-3 by a confident C130y in the final – to deliver Pep Guardiola his first trophy in England. 

You will doubtless recall that Arsene Wenger tended to use this competition as an opportunity for youth development and we often didn’t progress far, regularly falling at the first moderately difficult hurdle. However, Arsene did lead us to three finals – most recently that damp squib against C115y and before that a deeply disappointing 1-2 defeat to Birmingham City in 2010-11 (I still cannot believe that we didn’t win that game) and another disappointing defeat in 2006-7 to Mourinho’s Chelsea where we succumbed 1-2 in Cardiff to two Drogba goals. I attended all three of those finals and swear that I will never attend another League Cup Final. Holic would periodically lament the experience of attending our League Cup Finals against Dirty Leeds in 1968 and Swindon Town in 1969, so I guess that we may have a long tradition of misfortune in this competition.

There appear to be so-called Arsenal supporters out there currently suggesting that, after five years in the hot seat and with ‘only an FA Cup’ to show for his expenditure, Arteta should be replaced if he doesn’t win silverware this season. I would like to see us win this trophy as well as every other competition we enter, but the very same morons would undoubtedly dismiss it as ‘only a League Cup’, and continue to demand Arteta’s head. Arsenal are, of course, committed to diversity and equality, hence there appears to be room in the Goonersphere for morons along with normal people. Fortunately, however, Arteta’s employers have a few more neurones to spark together and recognise the transformation he has achieved within the club and the prospects for the team that he has been building. I am confident that whatever the outcome for the trophy cabinet this season, Mikel Arteta’s job is secure.

As already noted, Newcastle come into this tie in great form which coincides with the return from exile of Tonali and ‘Nice Eddie’s’ discovery of his best team. Dubravka has deputised well for the injured Pope, their backline has been stiffened by the replacement of an ageing Trippier by the energetic Livramento at right back and the emergence of Hall at left back while they have had a rich selection of giant and aggressive centre backs – though injuries and suspension have struck this department and it remains to be seen whether the knock that forced Botman off at the Toilet Bowl, on his return from a year out after an ACL, keeps him out tomorrow. If so, he will probably be replaced by Lloyd Kelly unless one of their more experienced centre backs recovers in the interim to partner Burn as Schär is still suspended. I suspect that the biggest factor in Newcastle’s recent good form is Howe’s decision to deploy a midfield of Guimaraes, Tonali and Joelinton that looks strong and competitive off the ball and mobile and silky in possession. (STOP PRESS – as CER points out in the Drinks and I had overlooked, the sneaky, rabbit punch bandit, Guimaraes is suspended for this match and I expect he will be replaced by Longstaff – who brings as much muscle but hopefully less vision to their midfield.) Murphy has featured lately in the right sided attacking spot with several recent goals and assists while Isak and Gordon, likely to be fit after his facial reconstruction at the Toilet Bowl, are nailed on to start up front.

The Arsenal are undefeated in nine games since Isak’s winner at SJP in early November but we don’t come into this game in great shape. The team looked lethargic in the second half against Brighton. Havertz has missed two games due to a viral infection and was clearly suffering from an upper respiratory tract infection (a.k.a. ‘a cold’) when interviewed after the Ipswich game. It seems likely that Ødegaard who was unable to train before the Brighton game, was playing through flu-like symptoms. Apparently Merino, MLS and possibly some others were also suffering from the viral symptoms. The second half lethargy at Brighton may reflect widespread viral infection rather than merely a hangover from a tough game against Brentford only a couple of days earlier with several days less rest than Brighton. Just when it looked as if we had found a promising replacement for the injured Saka, Nwaneri’s substitution at half-time due to a ‘muscular issue’ was a sickener with Arteta observing that this injury was ‘really bad news’. Hopefully, Arteta was talking of really bad news for the team rather than for the lad. Time will tell. Fingers crossed that was another example of Arteta hyperbolic misdirection.

Although we are still in four competitions, the points gap to the top of the Premier League and our accumulating, and no doubt not yet ended, misfortunes at the hands of PGMOL apparatchiks, means we should probably also regard this tie as our best chance of silverware this season. Thus, if it was an option, we should also be selecting our first choice eleven. However, team selection will probably be determined more by who is fit enough to play than about choosing ‘horses for courses’. Walking wounded may also be eligible.

Timber will hopefully return rested, flu-free and raring to go, allowing Partey, who acquitted himself reasonably well at Brighton until tiring late on, to return to his most effective role in central midfield with Rice alongside him as I can’t see Partey coping against that Newcastle midfield as a single pivot. Hopefully, Ødegaard will have thrown off the lurgy though his 30 minutes running around in a blizzard at Brighton will almost certainly have set his recovery back, otherwise we may have the relatively solid but unspectacular midfield trio of Partey, Rice & Merino. Perhaps Havertz has also recovered sufficiently to make the squad if not the team and hopefully no others have succumbed to the virus. However, I suspect that our choice of a starting forward line is entirely restricted to the trio who finished against Brighton unless Sterling has made a recovery from his knee injury. 

Hence, assuming Ødegaard’s youth facilitates a swift recovery, I would select the following starting eleven:

Raya

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori;

Ødegaard, Partey, Rice;

Martinelli, Jesùs, Trossard.

If neither Havertz nor Sterling recover, heaven knows who we can put on the bench to call on if a forward substitute is required. I can’t name an academy prospect whom I can see potentially being thrown in against Newcastle’s defensive monsters. Perhaps, given the circumstances, Arteta may adopt a Gorgeous George tactic and choose to add extra cover in midfield from the off, MLS or Zinchenko for Trossard, perchance? I can’t see it myself but if I was in the hotseat, I would certainly consider that. It worked several times for George.

The Holic pound? Well at the time of writing, the bookies have us favourites at 7/10 with the draw at 16/5 and the ‘Codes at 4/1. You can get 2-1 to the good guys at 15/2 and 1-0 at 8/1. Their shortest odds are 7/1 for a 1-1 draw. Be lucky, punters.

I expect a tight, physically challenging, angst-ridden contest but if we can’t throw off the lethargy from that second half at Brighton we are going to be in trouble. There really should be no ‘saving our legs’ for the FA Cup tie against Manure on Sunday. Nor, on the other hand, should we take foolish risks to win this home leg. As a minimum, we must ensure that the tie is not out of reach after this leg. We should have some reinforcements back by the second leg, perhaps even a new signing, and we are quite capable of winning the tie in the second leg, PGMOL permitting.

Enjoy the match, Holics.

Posted in Match Preview | 80 Drinks »

A Melancholic Sussex by the Sea

Jan 5th, 2025 by

A trip to Brighton, to jolly old Sussex by the sea. The Amex stadium is in Falmer, in the middle of the facilities of the University of Sussex (where, once upon a time, my old University, including me, used to play an annual two day cricket match, with a night of revelry in Brighton between). As Ned’s excellent preview told, this stadium was built after a long history. From the visiting fans’ perspective, Brighton Council was led by the Greens, and it also had a Green MP. This led to a determination that all fans arriving at the ground should travel by public transport. They backed this up by putting their money where their mouth was. There is a railway station at the ground, and a match ticket gives you a free ride in from either Brighton or Lewes stations. They have also set up two Park & Ride stops. We checked out one of these, conveniently placed at the end of the A23 dual carriageway. It was very well organised, easy to use, free and about a 10 minute ride from the ground. Bravo. 

So after arriving at the ground we checked out their footy scran. No Harvey’s bitter unfortunately (a crime in this part of the world) but a very acceptable pie and a hot dog, both at prices well below that of the Emirates.  Into the ground, about which I have to disagree with TTG. It is, as Nessa would have said, tidy. It’s also a joy for visiting fans as we get the whole of the South stand behind the goal (unfortunately this is planned to change in the 2026/27 season to a set up more akin to ours, where the visiting fans are around the corner flag). 

The team caused some consternation. 

Raya,
Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori,
Jorginho, Rice, Merino,
Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus.

Subs: Neto, Tierney, Lewis-Skelly, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Odegaard, Kabia, Butler-Oyedeji, Martinelli.

Some flames, a chorus of Sussex by the sea and we were off. And it wasn’t long before a delightful chip forward by Merino found Nwaneri in space. He drove into the penalty area and forced a shot past the Brighton goalie into the net. That boy does love a goal.

However that was the best of Nwaneri and for the rest of the half he kept giving the ball away. He was hooked at halftime, with Arteta later saying he had picked up a muscular injury. And for the rest of the half we didn’t really create a chance. We were smothered by the Brighton press and indeed our own errors gave Brighton several good chances.

Nwaneri was booked for taking too long over a corner. All around me the Arsenal faithful were asking “Why do we do this?” It gets the home crowd into it, it puts pressure on us and it invites the ref to brandish a yellow card. Of the five yellows collected by Jurien Timber which led to his suspension for this game, two were for time wasting at throw ins. Now, we can argue about the refs but how about we just get on with the game?

The second half began and we went from bad to worse. On the hour, Merino had a great chance from a clever free kick from Rice which he completely miskicked. Brighton then immediately went up the other end via a long ball, there was a scrum in the box and Saliba caught someone on the head and Taylor gave a penalty.

Taylor, the Brighton manager and VAR were totally convinced it was a penalty. Arteta and the entire MOTD punditry team were convinced it was not. Pedro stuck it away and it was 1-1.

Now I am, frankly, bored with discussions about referees and an agenda against us. Because for the whole of the second half we were, quite simply, just not good enough to win this game. We brought on Ødegaard and Martinelli. Neither performed well. The whole team seemed to be infected with lethargy. We gave the ball away and lost most 50/50s. We gave up on chasing balls. We were indecisive, constantly turning backwards when there was green grass in front of us. We totally lost creativity. Set pieces looked to be our best chances, but Brighton left three up at corners, which emptied the box of players and left us unable create our normal chaos theory. That said, a free kick late in the game left Partey completely unmarked, eight yards out. He ballooned his header over the bar.

Was this due to injuries? Or maybe the lingering effects of a flu bug in the camp? Or perhaps the fact that Brighton had two additional days rest? Who knows? But it was palpable.

This a game to be long forgotten. TTG is calling for reinforcements. It is difficult not to agree. 

The rain/sleet swept in as we entered the second half. At the end of the game it was only a short walk to the buses. Both sets of fans had stayed until the end, hopeful of a late winner (which, to be honest, looked more likely to come from Brighton). That meant a 40 minute wait to get on the bus, all in the icy cold, pouring sleet. This was not my most enjoyable afternoon following The Arsenal. 

We finally got to our car and were quickly away. We had planned a curry on the way home but neither of us were in the mood and the weather forecast suggested a difficult journey home. So it proved as proper snow began five miles north of Brighton and stayed with of most of the way home. 

So we now have a cup semi final against a resurgent Newcastle on Tuesday and then an FA Cup third round against a not so resurgent Manchester United. Our season is on the line here.

Finally, please, accept the fact that we were not robbed. We just weren’t good enough to win the game. 

Posted in Match Report | 25 Drinks »

Albionising the Amex and a Kocky, Kaos Kult Wunderkind

Jan 3rd, 2025 by

Brighton’s Old Goldstone Ground, 2024

And so to the Falmer Stadium, better known as the Amex, for a late Saturday afternoon encounter with Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Amex site, although not the stadium, sits astride the Lewis-Brighton border, a geographical inconvenience that delayed by at least five years the ending of the Seagull’s 14 errant years after their old Goldstone Ground was sold from under them to developers in the 1990s. 

It gave the good burghers of Lewis, once the home of Thomas Paine, ‘Merkan ‘holics may be interested to know, the excuse to indulge in old-fashioned Nimbyism by opposing the construction of a football stadium under the guise of protecting designated open countryside. The boundary-straddling field, used as a temporary stadium carpark until 2021, is now set to be turned into student housing for the Falmer campuses of the Universities of Brighton and Sussex. So much for green intentions!

Meanwhile, the football club continues to develop its compact stadium. A new ‘fan zone’, The Terrace, will open towards the end of this season. Fan zones are the US concept of plazas at sports venues where folk can congregate pre- and post-match so the club can sell them more overpriced food and drink. The stadium also gets a new event space to monetise on non-match days. Kerching all round!

A two-story club shop will be next in the ‘Albionisation’ of the Amex. The existing one will relocate to the space now occupied by Dick’s Bar and the club’s museum. Both those close after our game on Saturday to let the refurbishment start. In the unlikely event that either is on your bucket list, last chance, and all that.

Some travelling ‘holics may also like to know that from 2027, away fans will be relocated from behind the goal to the southwest corner of the South Stand, which will include an area of safe standing.

Hürzeler 

In addition to property development, Brighton has a sideline playing football. Chris Hughton led the Seagulls back into the top flight in the 2017-18 season, 34 years after their relegation from the old Division One. However, it is his three successors—Graham Potter, Roberto De Zerbi and Fabian Hürzeler—who have solidified the club’s position there.

Each appointment was bold and imaginative, but none more so than Fabian Hürzeler, who became the Premier League’s youngest-ever manager at 31 and the first to be born after the competition began in 1992. The Texas-born Swiss-German had been a talented enough player to be on Bayern Munich’s books as a teenager and progress through Germany’s youth teams to the Under-19s. However, he played his senior football for Bundesliga B teams and gave it up in his early twenties to become a coach. 

He arrived at Brighton in the summer from Hamburg’s anti-establishment ‘kult’ club, FC St Pauli, which he had just steered to promotion to the Bundesliga.

As when he took over at St. Pauli, Hürzeler has mostly maintained his predecessor’s formation at Brighton but adapted it to his philosophy of high-intensity attacking football that uniquely straddles the Juego de Posición system favoured by most top European teams and the emerging controlled chaos of Relationalism coming out of Brazilian football (see: Diniz, Rydstrom et al). Both approaches focus on building from the back to break the opposition press and then creating overloads in attack; however, in the latter, the overloads are generated by players, particularly midfielders, swarming the ball, with the team not beholden to a rigid structure. 

While Hürzeler used an inherited 3-4-3 at St Pauli, he has built on De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 at Brighton. In the build-up, his and De Zerbi’s Brighton look similar: the goalkeeper makes a back three with the two centre-backs. The full-backs go wide and two midfielders drop to create a line of four in front of them. It is once the opposition’s press has been broken that the differences emerge. Hürzeler has his midfielders moving the ball and themselves rapidly upfield to create a fluid attacking six or seven. 

The midfielders’ freedom to hunt in packs to create fast overloads that stretch opposition defences out of shape, and especially pull them wide, frequently means vacating central midfield. This requires the defensive line to play high. This high-risk attacking gambit leaves Brighton vulnerable to counterattacks. This season, it has conceded a league-high four breakaway goals.

Opposing managers may be starting to work out Hürzeler’s novel approach. After a five-game unbeaten run to start the season that had Brighton second in the table at one point, his side has slipped to tenth. Monday’s draw with Aston Villa extended Brighton’s winless streak since beating Bournemouth on November 23rd to seven, even if so far this season, only the Mugsmashers and ourselves have lost fewer games than the Seagulls.

The opposition

A ball-playing keeper is the starting point for Hürzeler’s system. The young Dutch international Bart Verbruggen is first choice. In front of him, club captain Lewis Dunk partners another young Dutch international, Jan Paul van Hecke, in the middle. Compatriot Joël Veltman has been playing right back, although Tariq Lampety is now back from injury and will be seeking to cement his return, having scored the equaliser against Villa. Ecuadorian Pervis Estupiñán has been on the left, with Ferdi Kadioglu, a left-back bought from Fenerbahce in the summer for £25 million, gone in the fetlock.  However, Estupiñán missed the midweek game against Villa because of illness and is 50/50 for Saturday. Brazilian centre-back Igor Julio or the long-serving Adam Webster would deputise.

London-born Danish international Matt O’Riley and the 20-year-old Carlos Baleba, another potential gem unearthed by Brighton’s recruitment department, will likely occupy the crucial ghost midfield roles — shape-shifting sixes-cum-eights-cum-false 10s. Look for them to play quickfire ‘third man’ passes to make the rapid attacking transitions Hürzeler wants. Injuries have hindered the highly-regarded Dutch international midfielder Mats Wieffer, who joined from Feyenoord in the summer for £25 million, from nailing down a starting place. He again is unavailable for Saturday. The young Swedish international Yasin Ayari is Plan C.

The dangerous and rapid Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma and one of Solly March, newly returned from injury, Brajan Gruda, a 20-year-old Albanian-German brought from Mainz in the summer for £26 million or Yankuba Mintech, a £29 million summer buy from Newcastle, will offer the width that is crucial to Hürzeler’s high-intensity attack. Another left-wing option is Simon Adingra, a 22-year-old Ivory Coast international and another who exemplifies Brighton’s astute talent spotting.

Julio Encisio, the prodigiously talented 20-year-old Paraguayan who has struggled for playing time under Hürzeler, has nonetheless recently been deployed as the third false 10. In October and November, Hürzeler opted for an even more attacking 4-4-2, with Georginio Rutter, a £37 million summer buy from Leeds, the versatile Brazilian João Pedro and Evan Ferguson, another promising 20-year-old struggling for form and minutes, playing alongside leading goalscorer Danny Welbeck, formerly of this parish. All three have also played as the single striker in a 4-2-3-1. Crocked ankles mean neither Welbeck nor Ferguson will make even the bench on Saturday.

The Arsenal

Timber will miss the rematch, having picked up a soft fifth yellow against Brentford. This will likely require moving Partey to right back, which, in turn, could mean Martinelli replacing Nwaneri on the right wing to help deal with Mitoma, even though Nwaneri did enough against Brentford to retain his place. 

Calafiori might well be rotated. Rice should return after being rested for most of the Brentford game. Arteta expects those stricken with the lurgi to be available, including the worst affected, Havertz, but the German may be eased back in from the bench. Thus:

Raya
Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly
Ødegaard, Rice, Merino
Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard

It is unnecessary to repeat that every game now must yield three points. Additionally, there is the ridiculous Rice red card home draw to avenge. Beating Brighton would close the gap at the top of the table to three points by the time Liverpool plays on Sunday, putting a smidgen of pressure on them. Unfortunately, they have a home game against a team in the bottom third of the league that hasn’t scored a goal at Anfield since 2019.

Hürzeler, who displays the cockiness of youth (Matron!), says his team will win if it plays with its signature high intensity and courage in possession and deals with our set pieces. He is neither the first to say that nor to see such ambition blunted by Arteta’s counter tactics of dominant control. The gentlemen of the turf think a 2-1 away win is the most likely outcome, but any win for the Arsenal will do.

Enjoy the game, ‘holics far and wide.

Posted in Match Preview | 54 Drinks »

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