Morning all.
Well that was a big fat ‘welcome to the World Cup’ wasn’t it? Spain and Portugal dished up what I thought was a great game of football. For a while it was Costa v Ronaldo as the two players dominated the scoreboard at 2-2 but by the end of the match it was the latter who stole the headlines. There are no words to describe the skill behind his free kick in the dying minutes of the game to secure a draw for Portugal and as much as the pundits tried to suggest the Spanish defensive wall could have lined up a little better, Ronaldo would have probably bent his kick just a little bit wider with more curve. Can’t stand the guy myself but as a footballer, cheating aside, he is simply in a class of his own imo. But it was Isco who impressed me for Spain, he was everywhere, doing everything and was very unlucky to score from a stunning strike which battered the underside of the crossbar only to bounce on the line instead of over it. As said, a super game to watch and if that’s the standard set for the rest of the tournament, we’re all in for a real treat. de Gea, well what a bad time to cock up.
I watched some of the Egypt v Uruguay game, looking forward to see Elneny and are reported new summer up against each other but it didn’t happen. Elneny played and rather well I thought but Torreira only made it onto the pitch for minutes at the end of the game. Never mind I thought, they’ll be other matches in which he’ll play.
Whilst that was going on, the club snuck out some news, good news I think but I don’t think many other fans will be over excited about Granit Xhaka signing a new long term deal. Ok, he’s not been outstanding in the centre of midfield for Arsenal but then who has? Not only in midfield either in fact all over the pitch there is serious room for improvement and now is the time to see who will improve and who won’t. Wenger couldn’t get the best out of Xhaka, to be fair, he couldn’t get the best out of many of our players and as we’ve often knocked the Frenchman for his training, tactics, lack of game plan, motivation etc etc, only now and over the next few months will we see if the changes made by the club will bring a change in the players attitude and performance. We’ll know that if Mesut Ozil starts ‘turning up’ in all matches and not just those he fancies, we’ll know things are on the up. Just as if we play the game looking like a team who knows how to defend, we’ll know things are getting better, and if that last pass which ends up losing possession is no longer as a player takes a shot on goal, we’ll know. As Emery said, Xhaka is still young, he can still develop into a much better player and my guess is the Spaniard believes he and his coaching staff are the ones to prove that.
New Arsenal man Lichtsteiner spoke to the Arsenal Player:
“I’ve known Granit now for more than six or seven years, so he’s just an amazing player. He’s very good and he’s still young. It’s not easy for him to be the direct leader at 23 or 24 years old, so I hope I can help him to become bigger and bigger.
“He had a very good season and I hope next year he will do even better. Off the pitch he is just a great person, a great character, very calm, he knows when he can joke and he knows when to concentrate. A top professional player on the pitch, great passing and just a great player.”
High praise from his international team mate…
Today we have a treat with four fixtures hitting our televisions.
11am – France v Australia
I wasn’t too sure about the free kick that led to the equaliser , and it was not played too often following the match . I just thought that he was looking for it.
Great goal but !
Me neither Potter, the penalty too, I think he looked for both and his second was surely offside..
That aside….
‘morning all, ‘looking for’ a foul or penalty is, sadly, all part of the game now. It’s a skill in itself, players such as Ronaldo and Hazard are well versed in the dark art that used to be called cheating.
Make the most of it rico, only another 60 games to go and that’s it for another 4 years ! Your Saturday’s will never be the same again.
I know the fair weather supporters won’t be happy but like you I think Granit signing a new long term deal shows we mean business, add to that the unpronounceable Greek philosophers like Papablablabla Sokratis, Uruguayan journeymen and 4th tier German goal-keepers on the radar, I’m gonna stick my neck on the block and say a top 4 place and Champions League football is coming home next season.
Morning all.
Hi Rico, all.
By his standards De Gea had a bad day. Nerves?
I like Xhaka contract extension. To me it seems like a message by the club to Ramsey and Wilshire who might want to gain upper hand in their own negotiations.
Kane must be rubbing his hands at how easily penalties are awarded at the WC.
Good morning all.
The only item of Arsenal news that I can find is that Mesut Ozil is fit to play for Germany this afternoon. He is available for selection despite the furore over him meeting the Turkish president. Apparently Recep Erdogan is disliked in Germany even more than Donald Trump is in the rest of the World. ?
Afternoon all.
Watching one of my favourite players I want us to buy………..Sergej Milinković-Savić of Serbia.
Are you watching Serbia Vs Costa Rica in a Costa, Rico ?
🙂
Jonathan Pearce and Phil Neville must be one of the worst commentary teams ever.
Funny enough Adam, we here are just having the exact same conversation..
Dreadful pairing.
Hi Marshall.
If Germany keep playing like they are then we have a great chance of having Ozil back for the season start refreshed !
Is that a good thing Lc?
Yes imo, Rico.
You know if Germany go far he will miss the first two games !………………………………………………………Oh, I forgot, we dont have Wenger no more, maybe Dick will make him come back for start of season and not have an extra two weeks holiday !
I’m not so sure Lc, he’s been poor today, just as he has been for us. I’d rather players who really want to be on the pitch than Ozil..
Rico. Both of them and their whole thing about Arsenal and the ‘Ozil debate’, as they call it, is incredibly tedious. How many times will they mention Sane in the second half ffs?
Agree Adam, Neville was crap in a great Utd side, he forgets that. Both just make themselves sound really stupid. I really dislike Pearce..
Pearce reminds me of Russell Grant. 🙂
? but bigger….
🙂
Another really enjoyable game to watch with a fantastic result…
Good result but Germany were awful.
They missed Sane. ??
True. And the ‘Arsenal effect’ really told on Ozil. 🙂
??
I reckon this German team is like the Invincibles in 2005… lol
They remind me of the team in Escape To Victory.
In all seriousness, they were like us, dreadful final ball, caught on the counterattack and couldn’t score…
Agreed
New post up.