Photo from Arsenal.com
Morning guys.
Big Willy is back training. Does good news get any bigger or better? No, I don’t think so. He’s travelled with the squad for tonights game but I doubt well see anything other than a potential cameo in the latter stages of the match should circumstances allow. The last thing we need is him returning and France thinking about selecting him. I hope he returns gently, slowly, successfully…
People are still moaning about the way Arsenal defeated Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty. Well, forgive me, we know, but we do not care! Who’s to say they would have scored it?
Liverpool players over the last few years have used every trick in the book to win games, no one complained then did they? Has anyone forgotten the Sadio Mane assault on Takehiro Tomiyasu? No, me neither and there has been others. To break that 14 year run of negative results is just one more tick in the box for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
I find it quite bizarre that pundits on Sky Sports yesterday suggested that our win at Anfield puts Liverpool out of the Premier League title race. Right now there are a number of clubs in the race but as many of us have said on more than one occasion, November isn’t the time to talk about winning the league.
It’s been a good first three months for Arsenal, despite being knocked out of the league cup. Honestly, I’m not fussed about not still being in the competition but the performance bothered me somewhat. Losing to Brighton hurt although to see the players go to Anfield and play with such determination and steel kind of suggests a lesson might have been learned.
We’re actually two points better off than we were this time last season. That might not be much I know but considering the number of injuries we’ve suffered already, it’s a huge positive. Also, we’ve beaten clubs which last season, we didn’t. Forest, Villa, Sunderland and of course Liverpool spring to mind.
Photo from Arsenal.com
Tonight Arsenal face Slavia Prague away from home and unsurprisingly, Mikel Arteta was asked on the tragic passing of Jesús de Miguel after his collision with goalkeeper Jesus Owono.
The keepers challenge was rash but without intent to harm de Miguel I’m sure. I really don’t know how he will get over this, or de Miguel’s family will either. I doubt they ever really will.
Mikel Arteta:
Absolutely heartbreaking. Watching back the action, the incident, what happened. To see a colleague lose his life in such a manner, It’s beyond any words that I can put today. So, on behalf of everybody at the club, we want to send our condolences to the families of Jesús de Miguel, all his loved ones, and to Tenerife as well because it’s been a really difficult day.
I know this incident is somewhat freak with the most tragic of outcomes but this is exactly why fans get so frustrated and angry when rash and/or reckless challenges are committed. We all worry about our own players suffering broken bones, ligament injuries etc etc but all too often, challenges which overstep the mark are overlooked so players never learn because there has been no consequence for their actions. I think back to the days of Arsene Wenger and when he used to comment on the way Bolton, Stoke etc played against us. People laughed at him as his comments were simply seen as Arsenal being soft. No, he saw Abou Diaby, Aaron Ramsdale and Eduardo’s severely damaged by bad challenges.
Howard Webb might think it’s important to focus on time wasting, pushing and shoving in the box or some other little thing which seems to irk them but the reality is, all the time they are doing that, bigger issues are going unpunished. Regularly too.
Just thinking about our two most recent games, the challenge on Max Dowman was outside the rules and the two fouls committed by young Nyomi on both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz were bad too but both went unpunished which in my opinion sends out the wrong message.
I must reiterate that in no way am I trying to compare the tragic end of Jesus de Miguel‘s life with what goes on in football every weekend because there is no comparison but as the saying goes, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. In other words, stamp out the bad challenges and the reckless/ridiculous ones might lessen.
Sorry, I went off at a bit of a tangent there as today is meant to be about Arsenal’s fixture against Slavia Praha. We played them last season and came away from the Czech capital with a 3–0 win thanks to a penalty from Bukayo Saka and two goals from Mikel Merino. The first half wasn’t brilliant but after a stern talking to from Mikel Arteta at halftime, the second half was much better.
Max Dowman made history that night by becoming youngest player to feature in the Champions League at just 15 years and 308 days old. 75 days younger than the previous record breaker Youssoufa Moukoko of Borussia Dortmund back in 2020.
Max is available for this game of course, as is all bar Bukayo Saka. Slavia have a number of players ruled out for one reason or another. Tomas Chory hasn’t featured for his club since raising a middle finger to a referee. Defender N’Guessan and winger Schranz are doubts while Ogbu, Pitak, Kante and Ouanda are long term injuries.
Slavia are flying high domestically but have struggled to get going in the Champions League picking up just one point in their opening three games. Arsenal on the other hand are doing well. Hopefully, that will continue tonight…
Catch up later..