Morning all.
Why in life do we look for problems when there are none? Why do we oft look for a negative instead of making the most of a good situation and why is it, the “what if” often looms large? The human brain is a complex thing but it’s always busy, perhaps wondering what’s next. Why else would we look left and right before crossing the road? I think the older we get, the more cynical we can get too, especially if life has dealt us a few tough hurdles to climb over.
As far as football goes, the last 10/15 years or so has certainly made me more cynical towards the game. The PGMOL and the decisions made both on and off the pitch, who is and isn’t allowed to own football clubs, the way the fixtures are drawn before each new season and then there’s Arsenal. The club with more false dawns than I’ve had hot dinners. The club which for goodness knows how long, seems to start the season with a squad looking short of a player or two. Even this season, after two really strong summer transfer windows, we look short in midfield and that’s because our brains are in the ‘what if’ mode, or at lest mine is. What if Thomas Partey gets injured? Mikel Arteta hasn’t even got Mo Elneny to turn to because he’s injured.
But what if Thomas Partey doesn’t pick up another injury all season? Sadly, it’s unlikely, especially as the older we get our bones and muscles take longer to heal.
Right now we’re top of the League after seven games but it’ll never last. I don’t know about you but that’s how my brain works. Not because I’m negative about Mikel Arteta, the club and the squad but because as the old saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, then it usually isn’t’. If every player was available for selection in every match between now and the end of May, then yes, I’d be extremely confident of Arsenal finishing in the top four and even give Man City a battle for the title. After all, they’re the club expected to win the Premier League again. Saying that, if Haaland picked up a long term injury, such expectation might fade somewhat.
Arsenal always have injuries, I can’t recall the last time we went through a season without at least one player out with a long term injury. Last season it was three I think, Partey, Tierney and Tomiyasu. Before that I think it was Martinelli, Tierney and Partey, before that, Tierney and Partey, so it’s understandable that many fans, if not all, hold little hope of Partey and Tierney not missing more games this season. In fact, since the start of the 2011/12 campaign, a grand total of 2,347 (give or take a few) fixtures have been missed if one is to count up all the matches individual players have been ruled out of through injury. That’s 270 (give or take a few) more than the next club on the list. Staggering isn’t it and annoyingly, it has so often been the players who are key to the team who’ve suffered. Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu – the list goes on and apart from Diaby, I don’t think many, if any have been as a result of a bad challenge. Eduardo and Ramsey aside that is. This season we’ve already seen ESR, Partey, Zinchenko, Elneny, Soares and Odegaard injured and yet we’re just seven games in. Only Liverpool have more players currently injured than Arsenal at this time.
The Europa League hasn’t really got going yet, nor has either of the domestic cups but they do after this international break. We play nine fixtures in October, four in the twelve footballing days of November and then it’s the World Cup. The Premier restarts on Boxing Day, eight days after the final.
Still, that’s a way off yet. I just hope every single Arsenal player returns from this international break unscathed because when it comes to not picking up injuries, Arsenal need a whole lot of luck.
See you in the comments.
Morning Rico and all.
The reason why we are so cynical about Arsenal is because we have been promised so much, yet never delivered until now.
Morning Geoff, spot on.
Morning Rico
Injuries are like the No.19 bus. 3 come along at once.
I just checked the .com website for tickets. Very little available, even for the Europa games. Last season you could easily get a ticket up until the last minute for most games.
There’s been a big shift in fan expectation. Familiar faces that haven’t been for years looking for spares. Glory hunters getting their scarves out of the cupboard.
Something is brewing and it’s not the tea.
Good morning Rico and all.
Top of the league, will it last or will it not? There are too many variables to make any sensible predictions.
In life itself I take it day by day and try to enjoy every minute. The same with football, enjoy the moment!
Morning Pete, Cicero.
That’s good news re the tickets. Unless you’re the one trying to buy them. Lol
Afternoon Rico and gang, that was a really tasty post as tasty as salmon tikka.
October is going to be a tough old month, but it’s going to be tough for all the top teams and we just have to deal with it as we certainly will.
Garth Crooks really is a knob, he most certainly isn’t a journalist of any regard, but he couldn’t help himself, much as Gary Lineker can’t. The sooner the BBC move on some of these coaching nonentities the better.
I don’t want to hear your juvenile opinion I just want analysis, something to muse over, but I guess being a talking head is more important than being someone who can impart knowledge…
Agree Cicero, just because we have injuries now, who’s to say other clubs might not have them later. The biggest concern I have is the officiating because if there is a real bias against us, that’ll be damaging.
Afternoon and thanks Kev. I’ve not eaten it for so long, I’ve forgotten. Lol
I’d be pretty happy if when the WC comes along, we still around the clubs at the top and not many points adrift. I’d be elated if things stay as they are though.
What are the odds on a Jesus booking against Spurs so that he misses the Liverpool match .
He seems to have the Arsenal target on his back having I believe as many bookings here than he got in all his time at Man City.
This as dangerous as injury as the naysayers will be out in force should Eddie have a hard time against VVD.
Afternoon one and all, a very enjoyable day, good food, great conversation, meeting up with good friends, all the things we missed during many periods of the last few years, normality is unbeatable.
Talking of unbeatable I simply cannot wait until October 1st when Royal Arsenal dish out a harsh lesson to those vagabonds and fried chicken herberts from Middlesex. Whilst not wanting to tempt fate and as long as we have a fully fit squad to choose from but I’m so looking forward to that game…
With a bit of luck, Jesus will pick up his booking in the Liverpool game but if it’s Eddie up front, I’m sure he’ll cope just fine.
Spooky that Kev, I’ve done the same today. Lol
I too am looking forward to the NLD, I hope we give them a lesson similar to the one Brentford one.
I see Liverpool have a nice five days of rest before we play them. This is when Thursday/Sunday fixtures are a disadvantage.
Big game tomorrow, the WSL version of the NLD. Kick off 13.30 at The Emirates. General admission £12 concessions £6. Tickets on general sale now.
I’ll be watching Cicero. Excellent that Chelsea lost their opener.
New post up now