Without doubt, the worst day of my Arsenal supporting life was the 3-3 draw at home to Southampton at the back end of the 2022/23 season. That does make it sound like I’ve led a charmed life as an Arsenal supporter and you would have to say, like any Arsenal fan under the age of 25, I probably have.
At the conclusion of that game, we were top of the league, albeit having played two more games than City with about five games to go. But it was probably the context of the events that occurred in the weeks leading up to that game that made it even more traumatic. We all recall that Saliba season-ending back injury in March which ultimately derailed our title charge that season. A draw at Anfield wasn’t a bad result despite being 2-0 up in half an hour. It was still in our hands. Then the same thing happened at West Ham the following weekend and Arsenal fans began to accept our fate was slipping out of our hands. But if we won all our remaining games (a tall order) we would still be in with a strong chance. Rock bottom Southampton at home on a Friday night? That’s what you want after letting a 2-0 lead slip in consecutive weeks. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, everything. Following a poor Ramsdale back pass, we were a goal down after 15 seconds. Well, this is a disastrous start. But we do have 89 minutes and 45 seconds to turn this around right guys? 1-0 became 2-0 inside 15 minutes and The Emirates was in a state of complete shock and disbelief. Going into injury time we found ourselves 3-1 down and miraculously clawed it back to 3-3 and very nearly won it when at the death as Trossard clipped the bar from a long-range effort, but the damage was too great to reverse. Not just that night but the last couple of weeks. In the end, it was all just a step too far for our young team. I’ve always reflected on that game as the final nail in the coffin. Going into that game we still had the faintest glimmer of hope that anything can happen. But Southampton extinguished whatever little bit of faith we had and for that reason I strongly dislike them.
Truthfully, Southampton have been a bogey team for us for some time now. We also drew at St Mary’s earlier that season but despite the four points The Saints took from us, they still finished bottom and were relegated shortly after that match much to my grim pleasure. I hope those meaningless draws made you very happy, lads. I had hoped they would fade away into obscurity like so many others but to my disgust, Southampton made an immediate return to the Premier League via the playoffs. Whilst many were celebrating the demise of Leeds, I was sympathising with them. Despite their insufferable fanbase, Leeds are a proper football club with a proper stadium with a strong following. Southampton play in a soulless bowl which they often don’t fill and have rubbish fans. I realise I’m being quite disrespectful to Southampton here, but they should’ve thought about that before they decided to be a tinpot yo-yo club.
Southampton’s resumption of life in the Premier League has so far been an unhappy one as they remain winless in their first six games with just a solitary point to show for their efforts. Manager Russell Martin was particularly unhappy with his side’s capitulation away at Bournemouth on Monday night as the Saints went down 3-1 to their South Coast rivals. Saturday will see the return of a familiar face in Aaron Ramsdale who departed us only a few weeks ago for a fee in the region of £18mil with various potential add-ons which could score us some extra cash in the future. Whilst The Saints have been shipping goals left, right and centre in recent weeks you can hardly blame Ramsdale for that as their back line is particularly shocking.
In terms of team news, Arteta has not yet given his press conference at the time of writing, but it should be noted that neither Timber nor White were pictured in training yesterday. It could mean nothing but who knows. If both are absent it leaves Arteta with a bit of a headache because it seems as though we are still sweating on Tomiyasu’s fitness so if none of the trio can play Arteta may need to find an unorthodox solution. Kiwior at right back perhaps? All will be revealed in due course.
The good news is Merino is now fit so we do at least have plenty of options to call on in central midfield. There were rumours circulating yesterday that Odegaard is very close to fitness. I would be shocked if he makes the squad for Southampton, but it does at least sound like he is very much on course for a return after the international break which would be very welcome indeed.
You would expect Trossard to continue deputising in the absence of Odegaard and assuming Timber makes it in time I think we will see an unchanged backline from the win over PSG. Merino is probably not yet ready for a start so I think Partey will play with the former getting another 20–25-minute cameo from the bench and the same for Ethan Nwaneri scoreline permitting.
Southampton are without Jack Stephens through suspension, but they appear to have a clean bill of health otherwise with the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz and exciting youngster Tyler Dibling expected to start on the wings. Southampton generally play in a 4-3-3 formation with a view to play on the front foot, a gameplan they will certainly have to significantly compromise for their visit to N5.
We really ought to win this one comfortably although we said that about Leicester and that was certainly no cake walk despite our dominance. We will have to be more alert on Saturday. I’m going for a handsome 4-0 win as we look to continue our title push whilst contributing to Southampton’s likely relegation in May.
What could possibly go wrong?
Cheers 21CG! I actually don’t mind Southampton much, perhaps because they are a rare club from that part of the country (in the PL). Obviously I won’t like them tomorrow…
I wouldn’t be too optimistic about Ødegaard given Arteta’s presser (even if he is not always ‘reliable’ about injury news….).
Hopefully an easy win, but expect Ramsdale to play the match of his life.
Cheers 21CG. I’m not entirely sure I enjoyed that vivid reminder of such a crap day, but, as you observed, the Saliba injury was what did the damage.
Anyhoo, I like your scoreline for tomorrow. It would be good to stamp our authority on the game and put a few past them (sorry Rambo!)
UTA!
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/that-1980s-sports-blog/2024/oct/04/paul-davis-arsenal-punches-glenn-cockerill-coventry-1988
Just in case anyone missed this article about Paul Davis, a very fine player I thought.
Returning to the here and now many thanks 21CG for what I thought was a very fair assessment of Southampton.
I’d guess we stick with Calafiori on the right and Kiwior on the left but I am little hopeful we will see Benjamin back. 4-0 would be fine with me too.
Good going, 21CG. A preview with a bit of snap to it. The first two sentences of your final paragraph say it all. If the team does as you suggest, the third sentence should be achievable, even if Rambo plays a blinder, as Ollie suggests, and returning keepers often do. He’s let in 10 goals in four games for Southampton while reportedly playing well, so clearly has a porous defence in front of him.
Even though our travels to their gaff have provided plenty of banana skins of late, our home record in the league against them shows no defeat since 1987, with the only other home league defeat being in 1968. That said, we’ve drawn three of our last four league games at the Ems against them, plus lost twice in the League Cup (2014 and 2016). A good paddlin’ would be in order.
The ECJ ruling in the Diarra/FIFA case that we were discussing in the previous drinks seems more limited in its implications for transfers than is being suggested by Diarra’s lawyers and other legal talking heads whose comments have been uncritically reproduced in the press.
Although the court’s full opinion has been released only in French so far, the English abstract that is available makes it clear that, for reasons of sporting integrity, FIFA can have rules that say players cannot rip up their contracts at will and walk out to other clubs whenever they please; what FIFA cannot do is prevent a player signing for another club after his contract has been terminated until any dispute between the player and his original club over the contract termination has been resolved, or hold the new club liable for any compensation in settlement of that dispute. Those two issues are the nub of the Diarra case (which is continuing in the Belgian courts; the ECJ gives its opinion on the applicability of EU law to the case; it does not try it).
I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice, as they say, but my reading of the ECJ’s opinion is that it was the unnecessary severity of FIFA’s sanction against players terminating their contracts without cause, not the rules preventing it that was found at fault. Likely, FIFA can amend its rules pretty easily to deal with both those points by allowing a player to sign for a new club while any dispute is being resolved and by indemnifying the signing club of any liability for a dispute to which, after all, it isn’t a party. It could make both those changes without pulling down the transfer edifice.
There is also the small point that under EU employment law, a worker cannot rip up a fixed-term employment contract at will. If they do, they are obligated to compensate the employer for any losses the employer incurs.
I also suspect that disputed contract terminations are relatively uncommon and that most early terminations are ‘by mutual agreement’, so the player is free to sign for another club.
Thanks for that analysis Ned. We probably need time for all the details to emerge . Certainly if Cole Palmer wants to rip up a 9 year contract at Chelsea where he is paid £150 grand a week, he might find it difficult to compensate Chelsea appropriately.
21CG
I think the title had gone by the time that game came around even if the maths still made it look possible . We lost our mojo at the end of that season and never replaced Saliba .
Tomorrow is a game we should win . I hope Ramsdale plays a blinder and lets in several! He will get a wonderful reception .He is not considered one of the top three in England any more and he has let in some saveable goals this season .
I think we will probably play with Calafiori at right back and Kiwior at left back ( MLS could be a contender ) . Merino will start and we might see Sterling playing wide instead of Martinelli .I think we will prevail 3-0
Ps- I think Odegaard is nowhere near being ready . Don’t believe all you read on Twitter .
@7 thanks from me too Ned. FIFA certainly seem to think it’s no big deal but then they mainly deal in lies and propaganda so that isn’t particularly reliable either. It does seem on the surface to be quite limited in scope and mainly the court telling FIFA you aren’t God you just think you are.
I wonder if Nwaneri might get his first league start. It seems like a good opportunity. And if Odegaard is out for awhile, it would be good to have creative midfielder filling the role.
Thanks 21st – fine preview.
Southampton? Meh – although have featured some decent players over the years :
Shearer – top player, crap pundit.
Le Tissier – top player, face that always looked like it needed a smack or had just had one.
Etc. etc.
Also, kudos for the picture of King Charlie (the original one). The ref looks suitably admonished, not like any of them would today.
3-0 today, all of them worldies so that the Ramsdale debate is not re-opened.
UTA.
Thanks for an entertaining preview, 21CG. Like Ollie, I don’t share your vitriol for Southampton though, having seen us stumble against them far too often, fortunately not in the FA Cup Final in Cardiff, I have no great love for them either. A full hierarchy of hatred takes many years to develop as it is built gradually on such experiences and feelings. It took me a decade of watching English rather than Scottish football for my own PL hierarchy to mature and after over 30 years of rarely watching the latter the lower reaches of the Scottish hierarchy has become rather woolly though the Ugly Sisters invariably continue to jockey for top and second. The Hierarchy is not immutable and can be influenced by fan behaviour, managerial appointments and player signings. Chavski under Moaninho climbed rapidly up the table and were followed shortly afterwards and swiftly surpassed by C115y who were once well down the list. A parallel to your feelings about Southampton for me is Derby County who hold a surprisingly high position in my personal hierarchy due to a particularly wet afternoon at Highbury when Smith’s side condemned us to a 0-0 draw by barely crossing the halfway line and playing for time from the first minute while my son and I got soaked in our seats near the front of the North Stand Lower.
I digress. I hope Aaron gets a hero’s welcome but that we then brutally put his side to the sword with a statement victory that boosts our goal difference (which may prove important). 4-0 would do nicely but I am greedy for more. Unusually these days, I shall be there (thanks again to TTG) and look forward to seeing another consummate centre forward performance from Kai, another thunderbolt from Calafiori, the monstering of midfield by Merino and Rice and the dancing feet of Saka, Martinelli, Nwaneri and Sterling.
Boarding time in sunny Paris. Looking forward to being back where the action is.
Great piece
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/05/euston-you-have-a-problem-train-travel-to-football-and-the-basic-futility-of-hope
Several holics in attendance today and it
will be nice to get pitchside view as I
doubt I will be able to see the game while
wandering around Florence. The city that is
of course.
Buona passagiata a Firenze, Matt. Una Bella città!