Morning all.
The boys are back in training, nearly all of them I mean. Kai Havertz, Jorginho, Declan Rice – who were expected to miss this Sunday’s final home fixture of the season, were involved in the clubs open training session. Leandro Trossard was snapped in his kit which hopefully means he’ll be available for selection too.
I so want us to beat Newcastle Utd because it’s something we haven’t managed for a while. Plus, second place and the few extra million pounds which goes with it is on offer. Arsenal need all the pennies they can get this summer because we need a few players through the door.
This weekend is the final opportunity for Neto, Sterling, Tierney, Jorginho and possibly Partey to say their goodbyes to the home fans. I think it’s fair to say that not many tears will be shed over the first two. Both Partey and Tierney have suffered with injuries throughout their time at the club but for Partey, this current season has probably been his best. He’s had his “off” moments but in the main, I think he’s been a crucial cog in our midfield wheel. Replacing the best version of him will be difficult but with someone different, who knows, we as a team might be different. Better even.
Then there’s Jorginho, who comes into the squad in his place? Perhaps that’s why the club are reported to be trying to tie Partey down for another season or two.
Lokonga, Vieira, Tavares, Nelson and Marquinhos are likely to be up for sale this summer. Hein too perhaps. I guess we could see one or two more from the first team/squad be sold along with the usual flurry of academy departures.
As well as expecting 3/4 signings this summer, I’m sure many Arsenal fans are hoping to see one or two of the academy players make the step up into the first team squad.
The under 21’s have a busy pre-season schedule:
- v Boreham Wood at Meadow Park at 3pm on Saturday, July 12
- v St Albans City at Clarence Park at 7pm on Tuesday, July 15
- v Young Violets Austria Wein in Vienna at 2pm on Saturday, July 26
- v Enfield Town at Queen Elizabeth II Stadium at 7pm on Tuesday, July 29
- v Chelmsford City at Melbourne Stadium at 3pm on Saturday, August 2
- v AS Monaco B at AS Monaco Performance Centre at 4pm on Saturday, August 9
Around about the same time the above fixtures take place, the senior squad will be going through their own pre-season training and fixtures too and I think it’s then we’ll get an idea of who might be considered for the first team squad next season. There will be a number of current under 21 players who will be hoping to play in the two domestic cups, especially the League Cup. If we get a ‘friendly’ first few round opponents, hopefully Mikel Arteta will actually use them. Not all obviously as that would be crazy but a good mix of experience and youth. Give them a reason to believe their career is at Arsenal rather than elsewhere.
Lastly, Arsenal have released next season’s new home kit which Gabriel, Timber and Saliba are modelling in the photos above. The players will be wearing it on Sunday. Maybe this one will bring us much better fortune….
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico
Arteta gets lampooned online and in the media for saying that Arsenal were the better team in our semi-final, Lampard says the same after his semi-final and we hear nothing!
Double standards, who would have thought it?
Arteta is deeply disliked by many in the media and online because he’s turned Arsenal around and made us competitive, we’re no longer the banter club, fit only to be laughed at and ridiculed.
Those bad actors in the media and opposition fans online would love to see Mikel driven out, you don’t want a bad manager driven out, we all want Ange to stay at Tottenham, but they all try to undermine Arteta and try to drive a wedge between him and the Arsenal fans, unfortunately some take the bait, not on here fortunately.
Nice post Rico, have you seen the new Arsenal shirt, it’s pretty much the same as all the previous Adidas shirts, only about £80.
I still have mine from 2005/06, that’ll do for me.
Morning Kev, I gave up buying shirts yonks ago, they never fit me well anyway. 😜
Let the haters hate, it’s their stress levels which will be affected.
Best way to silence them is by winning the league..
By the way Kev, photos of the new kit are in the post so yep, I’ve seen them 😜
From The Athletic:
Observing an Arsenal training session: Music, a large stopwatch and intensity
The Arsenal fans who attended Wednesday’s open training session at the Emirates Stadium were treated by a welcome sight: Kai Havertz in full training.
The German international has been absent since suffering a hamstring injury during Arsenal’s training camp in Dubai in early February. As Arsenal jogged out onto their home turf, with the club anthem ‘North London Forever’ playing over the PA system, the tall figure of Havertz was immediately visible among the squad — and the 25-year-old went on to be heavily involved throughout the session.
He was given a ‘guard of honour’, complete with playful slaps to the head, by his team-mates to mark his return to training.
Havertz was joined by Leandro Trossard, who went off injured during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Anfield, and Declan Rice, who missed the Liverpool match through injury. Jorginho also trained, having been absent since suffering a blow to the ribs during the final moments of April’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
More than 7,000 Arsenal fans accepted the club’s invitation to watch the training session at the stadium. There was no charge for tickets — the intention was to thank supporters and connect with the local community.
So what was it like?
The goalkeepers — David Raya, Neto and Tommy Setford — were out on the pitch first. They ran through a drill which involved claiming crosses, bowling out throws and diving to save long shots, while “Break My Soul” by Beyonce played over the sound system.
Music is regularly a feature of Mikel Arteta’s sessions.
“That is something we’ve done for many years, it is part of training,” the Arsenal manager said in January. “We use music as another element of our sessions to build energy and change purposes that we want in the training session. The players enjoy it. Depending on the day, sometimes certain players pick certain songs, it’s the same as in the dressing room.”
Watching the training session unfold, it was striking how much time the goalkeepers spend away from the main group. It is no wonder the cliche of the ‘goalkeepers’ union’ has come about — they are each other’s predominant support and social network. The relationship between No 1 Raya and goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana is clearly also of paramount importance.
David Raya during the training session at the Emirates (David Price/Arsenal FC / David Price)
At 10.55am, it was announced that “something special” was about to happen. “They’re announcing the Man City hearing verdict,” joked one fan in the East Stand.
Instead, it was the outfield players coming out to start training — with Havertz among them. Arteta was the last man out onto the field, receiving a hug and a high-five from Gunnersaurus on the touchline.
For the Arsenal players, there’s a certain novelty to training in front of supporters. Although commonplace in other European countries, it’s relatively unusual in England.
Back in 2022, then Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka approached the club about the prospect of holding more training sessions in public. The Swiss international believed it would improve relations between fans and players.
“The people who do not see us in the training, for example, do not see how hard we are working,” he explained. “They see us only in the 90 minutes. Everyone has a good and bad day. That is why I spoke with the club as well about, ‘Why can’t we bring the fans maybe once a week so they can see us how we train?’”
Arsenal’s outfield contingent began training just after 11am. Academy players Maldini Kacurri, Michal Rosiak and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji rounded out the group.
It was clear that, although Arteta’s title may be ‘manager’, he is a coach first and foremost. He plays an active role in the leading the session — but he is not alone. He is supported on the training pitch by around a dozen technical and performance staff.
Arsenal start with some simple activation, a bit of passing and some stretching. The latter requires the players to pair up with those of equivalent heights — Havertz was partnered by Mikel Merino, Trossard by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Every exercise is timed to the second: Arsenal trained with a large digital stopwatch placed behind the managerial dugout. The pitch is freshly watered (and assistant coach Carlos Cuesta at one point got caught by the sprinkler system).
After their initial warm-up, Arsenal broke into small groups for some familiar technical drills: dribbling round cones, passing into small goals and the now ubiquitous rondos. This training session was clearly a little different: at one stage, a group of children, present as part of Arsenal’s community programme, found themselves chasing a ball round a rondo.
Arsenal then moved on to the meat of the session; the part that closely replicates a match scenario. Two teams of 10 outfield players competed on a compressed pitch to win a single ball, Arteta tossing it into different zones to create transition moments. Having gained possession, the aim then appeared to be to create penetration, either in wide areas or through the middle. At first, there were no goals or goalkeepers — breaking beyond the back line was enough to end the phase. That would prompt another immediate restart from Arteta.
It was physical and intense. At one stage, Gabriel Martinelli went down in obvious pain but he was able to return to the field shortly afterwards.
Havertz not only took part, he was integral to the session. He wore a different colour bib to the rest of the group, signifying that he was actually operating as the centre-forward for both teams. Whoever had possession, he would change direction and assume the role of attacking focal point.
Eventually, goals and goalkeepers were added, bringing the exercise more in line with a conventional game.
Arsenal then moved onto a three-team tournament featuring groups of six outfield players. Neto and Setford played in goal throughout, with Raya continuing more drills with Cana in front of the North Bank.
There were eye-catching moments, including some sumptuous two-footed finishing from Ethan Nwaneri and Trossard. He may have fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium, but the close control and creativity of Zinchenko in a small-sided game was second to none.
The team in orange bibs seemingly came out on top: Michal Rosiak and Riccardo Calafiori at the back, Jorginho and Merino in midfield, with Trossard and Raheem Sterling leading the attack. He may not have scored in the Premier League this season, but Sterling did not look out of place in the training environment, showing a keen eye for goal. They celebrated their victory — Arteta demands a competitive environment, even on the training pitch.
Arsenal finished with a team photo in front of the assembled fans: a souvenir from an unusual, insightful day.
Afternoon Rico and all.
A tricky decision, do we bring back injured players or rest them to get fully fit for next season, I would start them on the bench against Newcastle and only bring them on if needed, and if we win then rest them against Southampton.
Morning Geoff, I doubt Havertz will start but make an appearance later in the game. Rice if fully fit is likely to start though imo.
Good afternoon Rico and others.
A slow news day? In fact a no news day as far Arsenal are concerned, not even a new rumour or two about the players we are going to sign.
Ah well, time to go and clean the starling s**t of the car I suppose.
Afternoon Cicero, very slow.
I guess with the season coming to a close, many of us just want the transfer window to open and Arsenal get on with whatever they’re planning to get done.
Come and do mine after please… lol
Just spent three days with a pick axe ripping out a garden pond after those nice cuddly otters decided to treat it like McDonald , KFC and Pizza hut in one tragic night of the long claws . 32 Koi carp scattered around the edge ( They only take the liver and leave the rest. )
Still one thing that I have learned is that Pick axe’s seem heavier at 77 years old than they did at 32.
Oh no, that’s awfully sad Potter. Nature is so bloomin cruel. 🥲
Morning guys.
Joao Pedro seems to be today’s player linked with Arsenal..
Good morning all,
Potter my neighbour’s Koi Carp have, in the past been attacked by a grey heron. Injured but not killed. You have my sympathy.
News today that Roma have made a nine million euro offer for Tavares on a season long loan with an obligation to buy. Sounds like good business to me.
Morning Cicero,
I’d snap Roma’s hands off for that deal…
It seems a no-brainer to me too Rico.
Surplus to requirement then take whats going
Absolutely.
We need all the money we can get imo.
Shame about Tavares in many ways with a bit of training he could have rivaled Martinelli for the left wing spot . I remember seeing a young, strong ,fast player not afraid to take players on .So naturally we played him at left back where his lack of defensive intelligence was exposed and it cost him .
He was good when he first arrived. I thought we’d signed a player with great potential, however…
New post up.