Viktor ‘THE KING’ Gyokeres, our Blonde white knight, only did it again… yes, he broke his own scoring record in the Nations League by banging a goal in for his 7th in a row. 10 goals in this wondrous comp. Just incredible.
So what do we have here? 4 goals, that’s what we have. Also, worth noting that his three-week break has included 4 games; now he’s about to go on a run of 4-5 Premier League games.
I saw Sports Science LinkedIn influencer, Raymond Verheijen, say this about the international break.
This FIFA break has been an injury nightmare.
National team coaches have tried to implement a new playing style in training with players who were still recovering in the 48-72 hours after their last club match.
Instead of first getting rid of their 'club' fatigue, national team players accumulated even more fatigue in training before having to play four matches in 11 days.
At club level, coaches would never plan more demanding/longer training sessions to implement a new playing style, when playing Sunday - Thursday - Sunday - Thursday - Sunday.
No need to keep complaing, it’s the same for everyone, it’s just desperately unfair that some club are getting whacked by this so early in the season. Bournemouth losing Alex Scott for 2 months is deeply unfair and could cost them momentum or an early season run.
Noni Madueke, back up to Bukayo Saka, and now it would seem Max Dowman has his agents placing stories with favorable media in the UK.
Atlético Madrid and Juventus are believed to be long-term admirers of Madueke, although other clubs would be expected to join the race for the former Chelsea winger who started in the World Cup quarter-final against Norway in the summer, one of his five appearances at the tournament.
Now, you’re never quite sure if the rumors are agent-fueled or Berta-fueled. Especially suspicious when Atleti’s name gets thrown out there. But, this is a winger who has pace, he’s played in foreign lands before, and he’s one of the most prolific corner winners ever to have graced the Premier League (true, it’s true). He’s also a baby at 24, which would give him potential sell-on value if he could click in front of goal. For Atleti, they must be looking at Ballon d'Or contender Anthony Gordon, ripping La Liga to shreds at the moment and wanting a piece of that action. My only ask, could we please, please, please recoup our money. Gordon went for a fat fee, was Martinelli output standard; I see no reason we can’t be asking for £55m here?
Does anyone have Mancini’s number? Or Sparkleglow’s hotdesk? I need to speak with him. I have to speak on behalf of all Arsenal fans.
PUT HIM DOWN, WRAP HIM UP, SEND HIM HOME.
What is Mancini thinking here? Putting him into 214 minutes of game time this early in the season. Is he not aware of the contradiction of a man who looks like a gladiator but breaks like a butterfly? My word, he’s played half the minutes he’s dropped at Arsenal in 3 weeks. A madness. I love that the world is waking up to his beauty as a footballer, but come on, can we show some common sense out here?
I thought it was funny that there was a story about Juventus being interested in the player, but coming to the final assessment, he was unattainable. Yes, Juventus, this is not 1999, you cannot take our players these days, and whilst you are there, yes we’d be interested in Kenan Yildiz for a very good price.
Back to Calafiori, watching his performances got me in the mood for this Arsenal game at the weekend. What a player. Mr Sparkleglow had this to say on our boy.
"He is a leader. Physically, technically and mentally."
Oooof…
Jurrien Timber wants you to know that he is VERY serious about not having a relapse, and no amount of cajoling will push him to overstep the minutes the medical staff are asking him to play.
“I have to be very smart about the steps we take. Otherwise, I’ll suffer a setback, and I don’t want that. I want to play every game and take part in every training session. However, the physios advise me on what is best for me. So, I need to listen to them carefully.”
No doubt he was very pissed at having to play such a large chunk of minutes after that Ben White injury. What I find interesting about going public with this sort of comment is it feels like a bit of a statement, and that he’s making a point about not going too far with his body. This was something I hypothesized might happen for Arteta this season. Less players willing to break themselves for the cause.
Well, players are already breaking, what ya gonna do?
Willian dropped a real, ‘that’s my coach’ comment on a podcast he did talking about his time at the club.
"I have nothing against him...He's a great coach inside the pitch, his ideas are great but he missed little bits on how to manage the team. The human part, he was missing it. It's important, but inside the pitch he is good."
"I always joke they sold me a dream and it wasn't a good dream."
Never have I been happier to see the back of a player than I was after the Willian incident. Good on his agent for getting him out of the club. I was told that the training staff were shocked by his lack of pace when he joined. This whole saga of a signing was one that I think convinced Arteta that older players weren’t about the carry his vision, and that there were limitations to thinking they’d be fit enough to do so even if they were dialled in. A small blip on the radar, but forever thankful Arteta has personality disorders that made a real human rip up a monster contract so soon.
Also, I did hear that Willian was more perturbed that he was being booed while warming up for an Arsenal game at The Emirates. That’s what pushed him out. Imagine being intimidated by a bunch of advertising yuppies yelling at you between gulps of merlot. Crazy…
Finally, let’s finish on a BIG positive. Myles has been nominated for a Golden Boy Award. Best kids on the PLANET. He is one of them. He won’t win, you have to be based in Spain or France to get these awards, but at least he’s in the mixer for his stellar impact at Arsenal.
Oh, Man City, a team so popular they amass £694m in commercial revenue at their last own read out… are selling Ipswich tickets, for a 3pm kick off, on general sale. How many Premier League clubs at that level sell on general sale? Go look and see yourself. x
P.S. Now is a GOOD time to get a subscription as we get back into Arsenal business. We have a Banter Era podcast recording tomorrow; we’ll have a Therapy Session on Thursday, a Before the Whistle on Friday, an On The Whistle on Saturday, and Ratings on Sunday. SOOOOO much content. PLUS all the primo writing you get over here. x
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Arsenal Opinion Podcast: International Break Debrief