Morning all.
The internationals are over, with the last clutch of Arsenal players involved last night. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Eberechi Eze both started for England, and played the full 90, of a 3-0 win over Czechia. I didn’t watch but it seems like Myles had a strong performance in midfield, while Eze out on the left was joint second for England in terms of shots (3). Maybe those will prove to be useful minutes for those two as we head towards Leeds on Saturday.
In Croatia, David Raya was back on the bench for Spain, while Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi were second half subs. The former, coming on with his side 1-0 down, made a big contribution, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win. The first, as we’ve come to expect from him, was a classic striker’s goal – when the ball broke in the box he was in the right place at the right time to sweep the ball home (watch here).
The second comes from a quite beautiful take from a Zubimendi pass, before he thwacks the ball into the top corner. The alternative angles are worth a watch, it’s a hell of a finish. His goalscoring record really is quite something. Having scored something like two goals in first 30 games for Spain, he now has 13 in his last 24 – a record that coincides directly with Arsenal’s need to play him as an emergency striker when we were beset with injuries and absences. Without a doubt that move unlocked something in him, a latent final third ability that will hopefully manifest itself throughout this season for Arsenal.
At a time when we are questioning so much about football, hyper-focused on the grotty exploits on those who deliberately and strategically decided to cheat their way to success and stature, something like this is a reminder of what makes the game beautiful. Why we invest in it, why we can’t just give it up. We all think we know everything, who can do what and how well they can do it, and then someone like Merino comes along and reminds you there’s still wonderful and surprising unpredictability that we haven’t even considered.
Of course the manager’s hand was forced at that time. Everyone else was unavailable, he had to find a solution, and necessity is the mother of invention etc etc, but what was probably seen as a stopgap for a brief period has become something more concrete. It’s also added layers to his game as a midfielder too. As we saw in the summer he made a telling contribution to Spain’s progress to the final and ultimately winning the World Cup, and I just love how a guy of 30, heading towards the September of his career, can enjoy this kind of impactful flourish. Not to mention he just seems like such a good guy too, you can’t help but be happy for him.
So now, with the games all played, and the players arriving back at various intervals, the manager can take stock of how everyone’s feeling and make his preparations for the games ahead. Leeds, then Lille, then Nottingham Forest away, before a Champions League trip to play Bayern Munich, so things are going to get hectic with four games in ten days. Then five more in quick succession before a November Interlull (which is shorter than the one we’ve just had). He’s had three weeks to stew over that Brighton game, and to consider how he elicits the right response from his side – not just against Leeds but beyond, and I’m sure he’s itching for the football to start again.
I also wonder if we might hear something pretty soon in relation to his contract extension. There were reports, overshadowed a bit by the Man City stuff in the days that followed, that it had all been agreed. It does feel like an Interlull is the best time to announce something like that, so with the games all done and the focus back on Arsenal, maybe we might get an announcement on that. Let’s wait and see.
Ok, it’s a bit short today, but that’s all there is. We’ll have any stories today over on Arseblog News, and we’ll have an Arsecast for you tomorrow as well. Until then.