Morning all.
The second Monday of an international break is always better than the first. William Saliba’s duty is done after helping France defeat Italy 3-1 last night. I’d normally be writing about Riccardo Calafiori and Jorginho too but neither have been away during this break. Belgium played last night and lost 1-0 to Israel with Leandro Trossard needing to be replaced 37 minutes into the game after picking up an injury.
Poland and Spain play their respective final fixtures of 2024 tonight before Ukraine, Netherlands and Germany play theirs tomorrow. Brazil play in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
So let’s have a look at the remaining Arsenal fixtures of this year.
November:
Saturday 23rd – Home v Nottingham Forest 3pm
Tuesday 26th – Away v Sporting Lisbon 8pm (CL)
Saturday 30th – Away v West Ham United 5.30pm
December:
Wednesday 4th – Home v Manchester United 8.15pm
Sunday 8th – Away v Fulham 2pm
Wednesday 11th – Home v Monaco 8pm (CL)
Saturday 14th – Home v Everton 3pm
Wednesday 18th – Home v Crystal Palace 7.30pm (LC)
Saturday 21st – Away v Crystal Palace 5.30pm
Friday 27th – Home v Ipswich 8.15pm
New Years Day – Away v Brentford at 5.30pm
Amazingly, only once between now and the end of the year do Mikel Arteta and his players travel outside of London and that’s for a Champions League fixture. Even so, we have a vast amount of fixtures to fit in between Saturday and the end of the year. 10 in 34 days if my maths is right which is roughly a game every 3 days. So yes, not having to travel outside of London is a good thing. Not that the fixtures will be any easier of course.
The period between the last international break and this current one was awful as far as results go. Some of the performances have been well under par too but at least now, our squad depth is looking better. Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu are expected to make an imminent return to the squad which is much needed with Ben White expected to be out for a few weeks, Oleksandr Zinchenko is back fully fit as is Martin Odegaard and hopefully, this two weeks of rest will have greatly helped both Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice to recover/repair. Whatever injury Leandro Trossard has picked up, hopefully it’s nothing serious.
Right now, Arsenal sit 9 points off of Liverpool who top the league table. It’s a big gap I know but, it’s catchable, overtakeable even. (Yes, I’ve made that word up) Liverpool have had the new manager boost and they’ve had to fight hard to win games by a fine margin whereas we’ve not been able to. Playing with ten men and having had many players in and out of the side through injury hasn’t helped, nor has the inconsistency from the officials but now is the time to get going before it really is too late for a league title challenge.
Having captain Martin Odegaard back will hopefully make this Arsenal team again. I’m not suggesting he’s superior to any other player in the squad but even at Sunday morning level of the game, if a player as crucial to team as Martin Odegaard is for Arsenal, is out injured, it makes a difference. Mentally as well as the way a team plays. It’s all very well him being involved with the players before a game kicks off which I read he always has been, but it’s on the pitch where he’s been missed. Look at Man City’s struggles without Rodri. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
I think we’ll miss Ben White too, especially the partnership he has with Bukayo Saka but as said earlier, at least Takehiro Tomiyasu and Riccardo Calafiori are soon returning because they will help soften the blow of losing one of the best right-backs in England. Hopefully one or both will be fit enough to play a part in Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest.
We’ll find out later in the week when Mikel Arteta holds his pre match press conference. Until then, keep your fingers and toes crossed that the Arsenal players playing between now and Wednesday, come through unscathed…
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico and all,
Some tricky fixtures coming up, however on the bright side at least our first game after the break is at home.
Good post Rico, still a couple more days and games to go before we can relax about our players being on Interlull duty.
An intense period coming up but the prospect of the team finding some overtakeable form from a footballistically point of view is strong.
Get off to a good start against Forest, a win, any win, then we go from there, get some momentum, score some goals and rotate as much as we can to keep legs fresh.
Time for a few of the fringe players to stop sulking and come to the party because everyone has a role to play during this run.
Narrow the gap to the lucky scousers and go again in January, hopefully in four competitions?!
Yes Cicero, England, from the ridiculous to the sublime. Carsley from hopeless to hero.
Metro running a story that Gilberto silva is interested in replacing Edu.
I hope we don’t go for him, we need someone out side the club, who has fresh ideas and a different view on any possible future signings, so we don’t wind up being a job for the boys club.
Morning Geoff, Kev.
Yep, can’t get overly optimistic just yet Kev which is why my fingers and toes are crossed.
I’m hoping for positive news on Rice and Saka.
Good morning all.
Gilbert is an ambassador for both F I F A and Arsenal, his only experience of football management was for Panathiniakos where he was Technical Director between May and December 2016. I don’t think that qualifies him to take the role at Arsenal.
The Metro aren’t renowned for being a fact reporting newspaper…..
A new Director of Football or whatever title you want to give them is obviously quite important but maybe a new signing in January, a couple even, on loan perhaps, is kinda more of a stimulating subject to me even if the club are playing it down…
How about taking Mudryk on loan or Pogba?
Good afternoon Rico and all
Good post Rico. I would take winning all the remaining games 1-0 for the rest of the season. Yes, everyone would say that we only win 1-0 but who cares. I love the 2-0 the most, but 1-0 will suffice.
But, although you are right about missing MO08 and White I feel that if the rest of the players available pull up their socks and work hard they will not be missed even though we would grind out just 1-0 results.
There was something else missing besides MO etc. It is something mental and maybe also luck. However, I feel that if we dig in deep in every game we would win.
Kev, Mudryk and Pogba carry too much baggage. Its the same I felt with Toney after his betting scandal and also one of the Italian players who I really liked and admired, Tonali. I would always steer clear of someone who has a baggage. (Except for one person…Cantona. I would have loved to see him in our shirt)
Mudryk would be a good addition I think. Not so much Pogba though as he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. I’d rather we focussed on forwards in January..
Afternoon Devil, I don’t think there’s a player in this current squad who doesn’t give 100% when they play. They want to win games just as much as we want them to. We’ve just gone through a bad patch with every stroke of luck being bad luck. Oh, and some dreadful refereeing.
Mudryk? No thanks! Pogba? Not with a barge pole!
Only on loan Cicero.
I would give both a miss and save our money to buy a striker, untill then pray we can stay in the top 4.
Signing either on loan in January will look panicky, Rico.
Arsenal said to be preparing £75 million bid for Barcelona’s twenty-seven year old striker Raphinha although Barca want £83 million.
But if that player gets us goals Cicero?
Permanent signings are tricky in January I think unless a player is out of contract in the summer..
Please no re Raphinha
Jonathan David is out of contract next summer..
That’s a lot of dough to be spending on a guy who’s basically on his last, or at best last but one, contract.
Now I’d definitely take him on loan with an ‘option’ as he should make an immediate effect but £75m or is it €75m…?
I kinda see January as a time to be taking Odegaard type loans with options rather than big financial commitments? But I guess they know what they’re doing…
Going for Raphinia probably means the end of any interest in Leroy Sane?
Rodrygo would be one I’d be looking to take on a loan.
Vlahovic is name that keeps on popping up, probably via his agent as I’d guess he’s close to negotiating for a new deal?
Dušan Vlahović Is quite good isn’t he Kev? 😝
He is by the way, 2026 contract expires
There ya go Rico, he has a very active agent has our Vlahovic.
Is there any truth in the rumour?
Highly unlikely.
I’d imagine that Arsenal would have cut all ties to that agent just as they would have cut all ties to the agent of Mudryk. Both come across as quite unreliable with an element of the gangster about them…
I wasn’t hugely impressed by Raphina when he was at Leeds (?) but players can develop and get better I suppose.
Out of those 9 fixtures we need to be winning most if not all. It’s all about points tally so 8 wins 1 loss is better than 7 wins 2 draws.
We’ve been unlucky with injuries and ref’s decisions but mostly our form has been way off.
Agreed Kev, and rightly so imo because an agent should only mess us around once.
I’m hoping with the return of our injured, our performances will vastly improve.
Surely this group of players which were so good last season, can suddenly be poor.
Good Afternoon Rico and all
I guess Raphinia, Mudryk, VLahovic are all smokescreens or agent fuelled rumours. I dont think any of them will come. The real targets are known only to Arteta and those on the Arsenal board who are concerned with transfers.
Atm Arsenal are ‘rumoured’ to be in the chase for SHEA CHARLES, a 21 year old, of Southampton and WILLIAM GOMES, an 18 year old from Sao Paolo. Both are midfielders.
Afternoon Devil, I don’t believe any player will arrive until he does.. lol
Rico is still getting over the emotional bruising of Saloman Kalou not joining Arsenal.
I share your pain… 😄
And Chris Samba…
Then pain never goes away. 😀
Hi Kev
Just read that top European clubs have asked about Gabriel Martinelli & Mikel Arteta is very relaxed about the situation.
Reports are stating that Mikel Arteta believes Martinelli is replaceable if sold for large amount (£60m +).
I hope he stays.
Gomes is a winger with a reported value of £60m…
Charles is a centre-mid who began his career at Man City, joined Southampton and is on loan at Sheff Weds.
Hi Dev, £60m for Martinelli to me is at least £20m light on his true value.
I don’t want him to leave but if Arteta is set on the Nico Williams boy from Athletic Bilbao then we might have to sell Gabby to finance it.
Personally I’m not that excited about Williams, I quite like the winger Dibling
Ha anyone seen the statue Kane? They are pictured sitting next to each other, They’re difficult to tell apart but the statue looks more alive than than the, supposedly, real thing. 😉
I’d hazard a guess and reckon that the statue is better at pressing that the real thing…
Was it made by the sculptor who did that David Beckham statue a few years ago?
They said that it’s been hidden in a cupboard for a few years because they could.t find anywhere to put it . They did not say if the cupboard was Spurs trophy one so they ended up sticking it outside a cricket sports centre in Walthamstow named after a cricketer that played for Surrey..
Imagine the sculptor asking the Tottenham directors who commisioned the statue whether or not they wanted any trophy next to Kane. 😅😅😅😅
Ha ha Kev re Kalou. Who is he by the way 😜
The Kane statue is awful. Mind you…… 😜
Another one to add to the “nearly signed list….
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14099725/Real-Madrid-star-reveals-meant-join-Arsenal.html
PRIDE OF NIGERIA: KANU NWANKWO’S SON FOLLOWING IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS!
By Abdul A Kaugama
History repeats itself as Sean Kanu, son of Nigerian football legend Nwankwo Kanu, takes his first steps towards stardom!
The young prodigy has officially joined the Arsenal Academy, echoing the legacy of his iconic father who proudly wore the Super Eagles jersey.
Nwankwo Kanu’s illustrious career:
– 2x African Footballer of the Year
– Olympic Gold Medalist (1996)
– UEFA Champions League winner (1995)
– Premier League winner (2002)
– 87 caps, 12 goals for Nigeria
Sean Kanu’s journey begins:
– Signed to Arsenal’s feeder team
– Showcasing skills, speed, and determination
A new generation of Kanu excellence emerges!
We celebrate Sean Kanu’s promising start and honor his father’s enduring legacy.
Nothing official relating to that Devil.
24/10/2024
Kanu Nwankwo 19-year-old son joins European club
Kanu Nwankwo 19-year-old son Sean Kanu has secured a move to Górnik Polkowice in Poland
Wish him luck , first stepping stone.
So is he on loan in Poland from Arsenal?
They can’t put the Kane statue in the Tottenham trophy cabinet,as no one remembers where they put the key.😉
I’m sensing the United hype train is about to leave Piccadilly. The media have missed their darlings competing and under the King of Cockburns those pundits can feel it in their water – United are back!
Either that or they’ve been on the lager…
How about putting Kanes, statue in front of a goal with the number written on top of the penalties he was given.
Morning
New post up.