La Rochefoucauld, the peerless master of world-weary aphorisms that cut your hand when you try to hold them close, had remarked, “We always have enough strength to bear the troubles of other people” (Nous avon tous assez de force pour supporter les maux d’autrui). If he knew about footballing rivalries among people who otherwise would find it in them to feel sympathy, if not genuine compassion, for each other’s pains, he would likely have added a further refinement or two to his pithy observation, noting that in certain cases the troubles of other people are what gives us strength.
I am absolutely certain that the Arsenal fans of otherwise impeccable character (or not) would have no reservations admitting that the pleasure of looking down at the old enemy, eight positions below us on the table, has a degree of glee associated with it that we would otherwise find unseemly in our daily lives. Especially those Arsenal fans like this scribe, who was introduced to the club in the heyday of our rivalry, with the opponent of the midweek fixture in the match week 14th of this 2024-25 Premier League season. That glee, I am equally sure, must also be mixed with more than a healthy dose of humility in recognizing that our current stability and footballing excellence are hard-earned, precious, and not to be taken for granted. And given that we Arsenal supporters – unlike supporters of some other clubs in English football – are much more interested in climbing the summit ourselves (and not looking upwards from our tattered base camp tent to vicariously find pleasure in seeing other climbers fight it out), we approach this matchday with our eyes fixed intently on reducing the gap on the top of the table.
And speaking of eyes staring at you with the searing intensity of steely determination, I find the way our Basque manager looks at the world, especially when he wants to convey his uncompromisable conviction, is inevitably going to become a template for some enterprising acting teacher to add in their Meisner technique class. The uncompromising fierceness that has characterized his transformative leadership in reestablishing the team as genuine title contenders renders a weighty gravitas to that outward demeanor. I find one of the most impressive aspects of his leadership has been the ability to transmit that intensity into his team. The Arsenal of current incarnation may not always win, or even play very well, but they never lack either the will or the discipline to be the best of the best. We Arsenal fans in recent times have suffered through teams where it was easy to spot lack of either or both, and that’s all the more reason for us to not take the qualities of the current team for granted, but cherish and celebrate those.
That intensity and discipline will be instrumental to control the tempo and ball possession in this Wednesday’s match against Manchester United. It is too early to say what lies in future for their new Portuguese manager, but Anorim comes to PL with a couple of years of superlative results in Portuguese football, and we should expect an opponent who are considerably revitalized, and prepare ourselves for an encounter where we would need to be at our best to make the relative gulf in quality count. Our recent record against them has been good – in last ten matches in PL, the record is 6 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, with the last three matches all yielding victories (1-0, 3-1, 3-2 in reverse chronological order) – and if we play to our full potential, cheered on by a vociferous home crowd, we should be able to continue that run. Given that we are chasing the league leaders Liverpool who are nine points ahead of us, we have very little margin of error at this stage and all three points in a home match is, to quote one of Mikel’s favorite phrases, non-negotiable.
Last weekend’s team selection away at West Ham may have been made with this fixture in mind, and I expect Partey and Martinelli to return to the starting eleven (assuming Thomas is back fit). Merino, even if fit, will likely start from the bench, which will also include the experience and nous of Jorginho, Trossard, Jesus, Zinchenko and Sterling. Young Ethan Nwaneri has been impressive each time he has been given a chance, and towards the end of this match he might be brought on to give a tiring United defense a different kind of examination. Hopefully, by then the game has been wrapped up convincingly. While Arsenal’s right side is unquestionably the primary source of our attacking verve, with Ødegaard and Saka reestablishing their telepathic understanding and being ably supported by the impressive technical and physical qualities of Timber, Partey’s passing through the lines and Martinelli’s tireless workrate on and off the ball can be two other key attacking outlets. Hopefully Gabriel has fully recovered from whatever that was bothering him last weekend, for not only he and Saliba together are central to our defensive solidity, but he has now become also an extremely effective weapon in our set-pieces and instrumental in executing the variations on our corner kick routine theme.
Considering everyone is fit, this in my opinion is our best eleven for this match:
Raya
Timber – Saliba – Gabriel – Calafiori
Partey
Ødegaard – Rice
Saka – Havertz – Martinelli
We really must win this one. And I think we will. There have been a few 3-1 results lately so the temptation is to predict one more 3-1 victory for Arsenal, but I think a solid, dominating 2-0 win at home will be perfect as well.
Come on Arsenal!
Damn right, Herr Doktor!
COYRRNBG!!!!!!
And I should add, a very impressively written preview at a late hour, hitting all the right notes. 👍🏼
Pep as quoted today by the BBC effectively admitting that his best years are in the past: “”I have lived my best years in Manchester. I love this club, this city and our fans. I am determined to make us better.”
Cheers Doc!
Come on you Arsenal!
Thanks Dr F, an admirably fine summary given the lateness of the hour. The truth of the XI will be upon us shortly but it looks close to me. Now that we have hit our stride let’s try to put them away with another flurry of goals. I was annoyed that the pest Rashford seemed to make a sudden return to form last week and would very much like him to get nothing out of our defense tonight.
Being a bit older I disliked Manure long before our AW/ Red nose rivalry, mainly due to their local support in Surrey being so irritatingly noisy despite supporting a club two hundred miles away from where they were born. Now my son supports a club 6,000 miles from where he was born 😂😂
Any win is fine but it’d be great to stick it to them 4-0
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Heaven, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Merino, Sterling, Trossard, Jesus
No Big Gabi or Calafiori
Thanks Esso,
A reshaped left side but with Declan and Gabi M to support it should be fine.
Good luck to Heaven and COYGs!
Cheers Dr! I think with the patched up defence we will concede.
So we’ll just have to outscore them!
Thanks everyone! Apologies to all of you for the late preview. My fault entirely.
Matt, I was born as far away east from London as the junior was far away west. We both love the club. The distance may have even intensified that love. 🙂
Gabi I suspect is following concussion protocol. Hopefully both him and Calafiori are back by the weekend.
Couple of seasons back Zinchenko had one of his best performances for us in the home match against the same very opponent. A repeat will be nice.
Enjoy watching the match everyone!
You could well be right Dr F!
Happily surprised that Rashford doesn’t start and happy enough with our defensive replacements. Good to see TP5 back, he has been playing well.
Timber scores.
I refer you to this drink in the previous drinks: “Timber is a useful player.”
Not a word wasted with that one.
Timber no doubt just trying to endear himself to c100 who loves it when we score on corners
Saliba!
Who put the ball in the Yannited net? Half our fucking back line did!
2-0, three points, clean sheet. Could of had about five from corners alone
Also the scousers dropping some points was handy.
Oh and a nod to Dr F for a 2-0 score line nailed nicely
Good prediction Dr F
Nice to see a clean sheet with a reshaped defence
C100 mus5 be a very happy man with the mode of our goals!
Just back from the game. I am in seventh heaven, but far from sated!
Best moment of the evening: Saliba scores off his arse and then celebrates like he’s knocked in a thirty yard worldie!
Courtesy of Poorly drawn Arsenal
Just home from the game. A very satisfying outing. Pleased also to read a very Impressive last minute preview, Dr F. You are indeed a deadline junkie and your virtuosity is probably to the fore under pressure. Good prediction on the score.
Two nice goals of which Big Gabi would himself have been proud, at the right end too. Hojland’s grappling on Saliba (which should have been a pen at least three times) didn’t prevent him scoring after all – divine justice. Although there wasn’t much between the teams in the first half, we carried far more threat and their time wasting from the off suggested both fear and ambition for just a point. 4-0 or 5-0 would not have flattered us in the end. The chant, “You’re fecking shit!” which rang round the ground several times was never so lustily sung nor ever so apposite.
A belated thanks for the preview, Dr F. I took my European bibliographic dictionary down from the shelf as soon as I learned that you were to be the author. 🙂 I guess Maximes is just 17th-century French for memes.
More seriously, congratulations on your prescience about the scoreline. Man U played the first half as if they had been given an early Christmas present — shape — which they weren’t quite sure how it worked and so played with it carefuly so as not to damage it. Second half, we got fed up with that and broke it for them.
For those at the game, great singing. It came through loud and clear on the broadcast. Will Saliba’s arse get its own song?
Also, a shout-out for Kiwior. He looked like the international-class defender he is.
Thanks everyone again for the kind words.
Bathgooner — I will try to be better at managing time. 🙂
NBN — I love that definition of maxims (17th century French for memes).
Happy though I am at my predicted scoreline being the match result, I would have been even happier if we scored a couple of more goals. On another day both Partey and Merino would have had two more goals from set-pieces.
Ned, it seems this is the first time in history we beat Man U in four consecutive matches. Do the monks agree?
My MotM is Saliba. Not so much for his goal (did he celebrate that! He started as a striker in the youth academy and he really loves it when he gets the odd goal) but his key contribution in playing out from the back, breaking through their pressing time and again by carrying the ball forward with impeccable close control or high quality passing.
I have been critical of Kiwior but he deserves credit for a very sound game yesterday . It must help to be in from the start rather than being subbed on with twenty minutes to go. I was concerned that the left side of our defence wouldn’t hold up but we controlled the game well enough for that not to be an issue . We had some very mature performances including Rice and Partey. Saliba stepped up even further . I felt Trossard added more threat than Gabigol who is a slight concern. At his very best he is a huge asset but too often he is a 6/10 and in the situation we find ourselves in that isn’t enough and leaves us having to create more through the right side .
Raya made a quite magnificent save
I thought Jurien Timber had a quite magnificent game, equally effective on left and right. And Declan Rice was imperious – his best game of the season. Totally agree about Saliba. He is so calm in play. That’s what made his totally loco celebration when he scored off his bum so funny.
Chant of the night
Set piece again
Set piece again
Set piece again Ole, Ole!
>>>>>>>