Daily Bits and Bobs

A Classic From Arsene Wenger. Three pushing for the first team return..

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Jack and Tomas

Team news is out for Sunday’s match against Crystal Palace:

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla could be back next week, well maybe but neither are involved in full training yet and according to the manager, they are still undergoing fitness work.

Better news on Jack Wilshere, Serge Gnabry and Tomas Rosicky who after helping the under 21’s to victory a week ago, had another run out for the same team last night although their presence couldn’t prevent them from losing 3-1 to Swansea. The youngsters have one remaining fixture left which is at home to WBA which they really must win if they are have any hope of automatic promotion. There’s a full report on the match on Jeorge Bird’s website for those interested.

It does make you wonder where Arsenal would be now had all the injured players been fit for this season. Tomas always does something special in midfield, as does Santi and when Jack plays, he certainly has a bit about him. Serge Gnabry too, and he’s a player who isn’t afraid to shoot as last night and a week ago proved. Danny Welbeck is a far better option to Olivier Giroud imo. A fully fit squad all season may just have made an enormous difference, but as we all know, fully fit squad and Arsenal are not words that belong in the same sentence. Expecting such things was very naive of the manager, just as not signing Elneny back in the summer was….

But that’s what he does and it’s been a long time since we’ve had a squad which makes fans believe that we look ready and able for the new season because Arsenal are always just an injury away from being in trouble. Losing Santi and then Coquelin was what we all feared would happen, and you just knew it would, eventually.

Even now though with players coming back from injury and the inclusion of our super January signing, it’s all still a bit of a mess. Two good performances against Everton and then Watford was followed by a pathetic collapse at West Ham similar to the one at Anfield before the season went into a steady decline and the hopes of winning the league faded quicker than a torch relying on a Tesco Value battery to keep it shining…..

It’s all a bit too easy to blame injuries alone for our failings though because this is Arsene Wenger’s squad, he believes in each and every one of the players he has, so when he fielded those who had to come in for the walking wounded, he alone should have them organised and up for each and every battle as soon as the referee blew his whistle and until the same man blew it again for the last time on match day.

But as the saying goes, you can polish a stone for as long as you like, but you are never going to turn it into a diamond…

Talking of which, I wonder who will be tasked with marking Adebayor on Sunday….

Finally, Kevin Friend has been removed from officiating the Totts match against Stoke because he’s a Leicester fan.

Arsene Wenger isn’t impressed:

I am completely against it [the decision].

The referees are professional and you have to be impartial. I have always been against the rule.

Social media does not dictate what happens.

People have the responsibility to make the decision and I am very surprised.

I’m with Arsene over this, as when did the PGMOL care who refereed which matches?

Fergie picked his for years….

I’ve nicked this from Twitter, it’s funny..

Journo:

“Arsene, you’ve had a problem in the air…what have you been working on this week?”

Wenger:

“On heading the ball.”

rico

68 thoughts on “A Classic From Arsene Wenger. Three pushing for the first team return..”

  2. Adam says:

    As with much great comedy, there is a tragic element underlying it. Wenger highlighted, after the WH game, that our problems in the air in and around our penalty area, have been with us all season. It’s lovely to see that we are practicing headers this week.

  5. scottfromoz says:

    Mertesacker, 12 foot tall and can’t leap to head a ball at 6 feet.
    Still, I reckon our biggest failure was not stopping the delivery to Carroll.
    Our guys don’t get the time on the ball to stop, check the playing surface, wind direction ne humidity before crossing.

  10. Lee says:

    Brudder was that after he found out Carroll was playing?

    On a side note, beneath every pony-tail there’s an arsehole! #justsaying.

  12. Adam says:

    Brudder. It was a case of double bluff. In allowing Carroll the freedom of the penalty area he lulled the Hammers into a false sense of security.

  16. Intolerant Kev says:

    Rico, I hope that the Arsenal fans, especially those raucous types sitting above club level, ignore Adebayor…

    He really isn’t that good anymore…
    A bit like Andy Carroll… ?

  18. rico says:

    Kev, I wouldn’t waste my breath on the old has been either, but I bet he’ll be up for the game. He’ll be wanting to run the full length of the pitch again…..

  23. Wavy says:

    Morning all.
    Real v citeh. Well, well, well. The mancs could actually reach the final and then win da ting! As could Looserpool! So long as we finish third were in for another season of CL footie? Hurrah! But if we finish in our usual position, fourth we’re Europa bound on a Thursday night! At least for a couple of months. Deep joy! Stan will be pleased!
    What a woeful season this has been, and for no good reason, other than the best squad ever assembled” has turned out not to be! He thought “we have enough” and plainly he was wrong. Even after thirty years as a top, top manager Wenger manages to get it all wrong. Rather he mismanaged his and the club’s best opportunity in years to win the EPL, and couldn’t even get the team prepared properly to beat a very poor Watford side.
    Same old, same old. Wash, rinse dry and, do it again and again and again!
    Sunday’s game? Does anybody care? Can anybody accurately predict the score? No! Who knows what will happen? Yes, Arsenal should win quite comfortably but………?

  24. scottfromoz says:

    Brilliant article.
    Thanks Rico.
    Cruyff nailed it…..winning without playing attacking football is boring, but playing attacking football without winning is pointless.
    It really sums us up, generally speaking,

  25. rico says:

    I too thought it was very good Scott…

    Kind of find it ironic that City could face Bayern in the CL final. Football fixed? Of course not….

  33. Micko says:

    Fcuk me, I know I’m late to the party but anyone would have thought the mickey mouser’s had won the European Cup last night lol.
    Having said that I do like Klopp, in his first season at Dortmund he sold 17 players and brought in 12, he’s a winner and not one for reputations, if you don’t pull your weight your out…..simples.
    Arsene, take note, how about sending some of our prima donna’s to boot camp this summer.

  35. scottfromoz says:

    Morning guys.
    Would we prefer a mass clear out, with plenty out and in, or 5-6 players he replaced by similar numbers?
    Maybe the latter, for mine.
    Bring in guys with a winning mentality, and it may well rub off on the others.
    Maybe 🙂

  39. rico says:

    But we’ve been saying for years Scott, but still nothing changes….

    He’s too stubborn to change and I don’t think he knows how to…

  40. rico says:

    Asked if he expected to make lot of changes in the summer, Wenger said:

    “No. If you look at the top three teams, you will see they have not changed their team a lot.

    “We have to strengthen our squad but it’s not obvious to find the players despite the money the English clubs will have. Of course we will work very hard to do that. We are already working. But we have to find the players and that is not easy.

    “The core is not good enough? That’s an outside point of view. We have again to analyse it in an objective way. And this team has won many games and the quality of many games was at top level.”

    That’s so naive imo because the teams below us are the dangerous ones, they always are. Chelsea, Utd, City and even West Ham will strengthen in the summer, as I expect will Leicester and Tottenham.

    Meanwhile, we’ll probably stand still or get even worse…….

  44. Intolerant Kev says:

    Scott, I think that Wenger will focus initially on young players already at the club and if he can solve a problem from within….

    So Willock, Toral, Bielik, Maitland-Niles, Gnabry, Crowley, Martinez/Macey, Hayden, Akpom are all gonna come under his consideration before he spends in those depts I reckon…

    Where he’ll have to spend, is defensively, because the Arsenal Academy is so hopeless at developing defenders and a goalscorer if he goes down that route…

    That’s how I’m seeing it atm…

  45. scottfromoz says:

    Kev, you could be right and some of the kids deserve their chance.
    The “Arsenal way” is not conducive to defensive football, so maybe you’re spot on-our kids aren’t coached properly in defence and that’s why they don’t go on with it.
    A few defenders and world class striker could see us set.
    Then again, same old annual conversation.

  46. Intolerant Kev says:

    Yes Scott, it’s pretty much same old same old this summer, so ignore the rumours, you’ll only wind-yourself up…

    I guess that selling Giroud and replacing him with Morata looks a possibility?

    After that going for Chilwell of Leicester if Gibbs leaves, then that Swiss geezer at Borussia M to replace Arteta/Flamini, but I can’t see any Alexis/Ozil type deals myself.

    Then there’s that Greek defender, Manolas isn’t it, who could come in to improve the defence.

  48. Joaquim Moreira says:

    Morning all.
    no post
    Next season? We will see at the end. I think one thing will be very important for everybody: if we will be up or down Totts.

  49. scottfromoz says:

    Kev, I love reading the rumours, but don’t waste too much time or energy hoping they’ll happen.
    If he sold Jack, Merts and Theo, let Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky go, but bought some quality replacements, I’d be happy.
    I’d also be surprised.

  54. Intolerant Kev says:

    I wonder if Kroenke and Co can feel the cold artic blast of the Europa League swirling up their jacksies….?

  61. Wavy says:

    FOURTH!
    At last. We’ve arrived at target one.
    “We have to offer our deep thanks and appreciation to our manager Arsene Wenger for reaching his and the boards expectations this season. The result of which will be the renegotiation of the manager’s new and extended contract.”
    I hope you will all join with me with the traditional three cheers and a rousing chorus of “for he’s a jolly good fellow”

    This message popped into my mailbox earlier and was,signed, PHW.

    The old ‘uns are always the best! Allegedly!?

  64. Wavy says:

    Nah! I made it all up! I just couldn’t attribute it to Sir Chips, he is more of a knob than the old chap, Peter (to my friends) Hill Would!! (If he were able). Gone but not forgotten!

    Ah, happy days.

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