Morning all.
Ahead of tomorrow nights North London Derby, Mikel Arteta has been talking to the media. Although he did not confirm it, Gabriel Jesus is likely to be ruled out for the rest of the season with suspected ACL injury. Should that injury be confirmed, I think we can forget about seeing him in an Arsenal team for the rest of the year.
Our injury situation this season has been awful but then we are not the only club who have had to have suffered a similar fate. It’s not so much the injuries which have been a problem but those who have had them. Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, Bukayo Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino have all been missing at some stage. One or two in that list might not be your favourites but I’m quite sure they would have made a difference to how and when Mikel Arteta rotated his players.
I don’t feel sorry for Arteta of course, because going into a new season with a small squad which included a few injury prone players was always going to be risky, especially after such a long season as last season was.
With Jesus added to an already long injury list, Arteta was again asked about the clubs intentions during this transfer window to which he replied:
My answer doesn’t change. My answer stays the same. We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad. We would be naive not to do that. There is an opportunity to improve the squad. We are looking and trying. Let’s see what we are able to do. When you recruit a player there are three parties. We also have our limitations, we can do what we can do.
When pushed for an answer on whether or not a forward was the number one priority, he added:
In any position. We have other issues as well. A player can bring things to a team in different ways. That is what we are trying to do.
Yes, it would be very naïve of the club and him to just accept the situation and carry on for the four and a half months with who he has. I’ve not heard him mention the word “naïve” before although looking and buying are two different things.
Also, in my opinion Martin Odegaard isn’t his old self and hasn’t been since his return from injury. A slow and steady return might have helped him but because we were short in midfield and with Arteta’s reluctance to give Ethan Nwaneri minutes in midfield, he’s not had that. To a degree, it’s been similar for Kai Havertz after his illness, which as we all know, a sickness bug or flu, can knock the stuffing out of someone for quite a while. Riccardo Calafiori has been in and out of the team ever since he arrived so is he playing with a niggling injury?
I’m guessing of course and I’m sure the medical team have forgotten more about health and fitness than I’ve ever known in the first place but there must be an underlying reason so many of our players get injured. Unless the simple answer is the number of minutes they play is too many. With every injury we suffer, it means other players increase their own playing time which of course is far from ideal.
Goodness only knows who will be fit tomorrow let alone fit enough to play.
Catch up in the comments..
Good morning Rico and all
Cicero, I understood you as you said it mate. I just asked you what makes you think that Arteta will not rush him. Although you and I and probably everyone knows, the chances of Arteta rushing him back are high imo. Especially with injuries and with Odegaard seemingly functioning only when Saka is on the pitch. Usually he plays the ball to Saka, but with our number 7 out of the team MO08 looks a bit lost and his performance has dipped.
So yes I agree with you
Morning Devil.
As suggested on the last post, leave Saka away from the England camp and the first team until he’s 100% and only then bring him back slowly.
A winger and striker this month would help.
Saka has been overused for the past three years at least. I am surprised he lasted this much considering his young age.
Me too. Poor management from Arteta and Southgate really.
I guess Sterling will start tomorrow..
No Premier League clubs have been charged with Profit and Sustainability breaches for the three-year period between 2021-2024. – Sky Sports.
Get spending Arsenal. 😜
Afternoon all.
Looks like Zubamendi is coming at the end of the season as per the Mirror.
With Partey and Jorghino likely to leave and his ex midfield partner already here, that could work out well and bring the best out of Merino.
Well, that would be pretty special if he did Berg.
Afternoon Kev. I guess I’m dumbfounded by the clubs inability to get a striker deal over the line and if it was obvious they wouldn’t/couldnt, why didn’t we just keep Biereth? I don’t get it, same with Nelson, we needed a winger and so far, Sterling hasn’t exactly proved he’s a better option to him.
Afternoon Rico.
I can’t think of any manager, even Wenger, who wouldn’t add players to his squad if the opportunity was there for him to do it and they were of course of the right quality, so it’s a bit AFTV to suggest that Arteta wouldn’t sign a striker even if the right one was available. Strikers are also the most difficult players to sign, defenders and midfielders less so, therefore bringing in defenders and midfielders doesn’t mean he’s prioritising them over a striker. It’s just easier to do.
He tried to get Vlahovic, he’s tried to get Sesko and I’m sure there have been others, the guy at Sporting is still at Sporting, the guy from Napoli was so absolutely amazing that he’s now in Turkey and as for the guy from Brentford, I didn’t see any of our top teams falling over themselves to get him, why was that?
I thought that Stirling was a good punt last summer, we all laughed at Chelsea for having to supplement his enormous wages and predicted another Havertz type career resurgence, but it’s not happened, maybe he’s a late bloomer, I do hope so!
Saka played as much football as Rodri but I don’t see anybody in the media digging Guardiola out, so don’t fall for that narrative.
Everyone was losing it over Nwaneri not starting more games and when he did he picked up an injury, now don’t tell me that that’s Arteta’s fault…
The injury to Jesus is just unbelievably unlucky for the club and the player, not least the year’s salary the club will have to pick up and that’ll affect our PSR.
Yeah, I get it about taking risks with injury prone players but who’s been our best midfielder this season? You just don’t know what hand fate will deal you, ask Bakayo.
Look, I’m as pissed off as anyone else that the season is unraveling but don’t listen to the bad actors online, we have had all the bad luck you could imagine this season and we’re only halfway through it. I think it’s a miracle we’re still holding onto 2nd in the table given the injuries, sendings off and fixture pile up.
Let’s smash the Scum and go again.
Kev, apparently Toney was interviewed but it was felt he had an attitude problem which I suppose would suggest why nobody seemed interested in him, and Arteta doesn’t do ego’s (Auba) and rightly so, there again Wrighty was cocky so maybe a little bit is OK.
The Gunners are one of the clubs keeping an eye on PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani this month, according to Sky in Italy.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/13288591/arsenal-transfers-gunners-closing-in-on-deal-to-sign-martin-zubimendi-from-real-sociedad-in-the-summer
AFC.com
Further to being substituted during our match with Manchester United on Sunday, Gabriel Jesus has received extensive assessments, scans and specialist reviews which have confirmed that he has sustained an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme.
Afternoon rico, all, good summing up rico, and Kev – was looking for the ‘like’ button because agree with everything you just said.
Thought Sterling looked our best offensive player against ManU, and best cross came from TescoT. Sounds like Timber hopefully ok, need him at right back until White back, don’t want Partey there again.
Afternoon Andrew, as did I but it wasn’t long before he was stuck for a pass or cross. He made one really good move on the outside of their defender, crossed and then it was fluffed. Probably our best move without scoring.
Cramp for Timber and Jorginho according to Mikel.
So much for the Randal Kolo Muani story, he’s going to Juve on loan apparently.
Villa have confirmed Malen, £20m
Jorginho – Flamengo?
Zinchenko – B. Dortmund?
Liverpool and Forest draw so that’s 2 points each dropped. Now it’s down to us . A win tomorrow puts us 4 behind Pool , 2 up on forest , 6 up on Chelsea , 8 up on City and Newcastle.
Admittedly Liverpool have the game in hand but they can start to feel the pressure and a bit of hot breath behind them.
But knowing how we react when the chance is in front of us we will probably foul it up.
Agreed, I doubt we’ll get too many opportunities to close the gap at the top but when/if they come, we have to take them. Easy to say, hard to do with an injury hit squad which can’t seem to score goals..
Afternoon Rico and all.
what is worse a player with a big ego or a manager with a bigger ego that will not listen to fans / commentators who keep saying we need a true goal hungry striker, but keeps looking at a new keeper or defender.
Yeah Berg, I’ve heard that story, it kinda makes sense and might explain why despite all the rumours Chelsea didn’t move for him either despite them needing a centre forward as well. One bad apple and all that…
Andrew, hopefully Sterling can actually step up, he’s going to get minutes now so I guess we’ll soon find out if there’s still a baller hiding inside?
Rico, you only have to look at Man Utd and the money they’ve thrown at forwards to see it isn’t an exact science, that’s what is so disappointing about Obi Martin selling out, because that kid wouldn’t been in and around the 1st team now!
I was also disappointed about Biereth but I guess we’ll see how he does in France because that’s a big step up from Austria. I hope he does well.
Geoff, are you saying you want a manager of Arsenal who is influenced by the fans and by commentators, seriously?
The Zubimendi story is interesting, the cynic in me is suggesting that Arsenal have leaked that rumour to placate the fans…
City, Chelsea and Liverpool all drop two points, a win tonight will help close the gap on the league leaders and create a buffer over the the others.
At the moment our transfer efforts seem to be centred on a deal to sign midfielder Zubimendi in the summer. What about our desperate need for a striker in the here and now?
£51 million for Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and we may be getting Robert Olabe their Director of Football to replace the departed Edu Gaspard.
Kev, no I am not, but you cant keep blaiming big headed players all the time, after all if we can see we need a striker then so can the players and it’s only time before the players in the back line say enough is enough and look as we are doing our job but the forwards are not doing there job and wan’t to leave.
Geoff, I think that there is a difference between big headed players and those with a bad attitude/bad baggage. Ronaldo is big headed (and how) but his attitude and baggage are spot on. We had our usual amount of players with a bad attitude, players who dont care about the club and the rest of the team. I feel that Kev was referring to the latter who are the ‘bad apples’ as he says. I dont think he was referring to big headed.
with regards Zubimendi his release clause is €60m, but Arsenal might look to pay a bit more to so that they can stagger the payments and that would allow them to do other business next summer.
And yes, I go with Kev, in the suspicion that Arsenal leaked the story to placate the fans. Which is a shame as supporters want a striker who scores (Although that is never granted). We know that in summer Jorginho, Partey and Tiernety will be leaving because their contracts are up. MLS will go into midfield after his baptism as emergency LB So we will have a midfield of Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Merino, MLS. That means we will need another defender as well.
plus as has been pointed out…..a winger and a striker. Trossard might be sold in summer seeing his contract talks have broken down. Sterling will go as he’s on loan….and that will leave us only with Saka, Martinelli and Nwaneri. Only Havertz will be striker. Jesus will come back around December January (like a new signing…..mind you even if he came back miracolously in October, Wenger, sorry Arteta would say he is a new signing.) So yes we do need a top notch striker and winger.
And yes if Arteta opts to play 4-2-3-1 Havertz can rotate with MO08 since he is more of an CAM than a CF.
26 years ago today AW made one of the most successful January bargains we have ever had….KANU.
Personally, I don’t think we have any big headed players and I don’t think Arteta is that way. You can see during a game he’s always talking to his coaches so it clear they bounce off each other. Arteta might be stubborn and naive perhaps, but I think he honestly believes there’s nothing wrong with our football.
New post up.