Morning all.
I doubt there’s an Arsenal fan anywhere who is looking forward to seeing Jarred Gillet officiate an Arsenal match for the second time already this season. This is a man who thought it was kind of ok for Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera to grab Kai Havertz around the throat on the opening weekend of the season. Yes he booked the Wolves player but what he should have done is send him off. Will he have learned from that? Probably not.
Other than the fact that Gillet has already officiated an Arsenal match this season and that he’s an awful referee in my opinion, why on earth is an Australian born referee managing a game in which the manager of Totts is himself Australian? It’s ridiculous!
Thank goodness this international break is now over and the Arsenal players can get back to their club and Mikel Arteta, or rather Arsenal’s medical team can assess the damage. Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard have already returned of course and not good reasons as both suffered injury whilst away but we need the rest to be fit.
Oleksandr Zinchenko played 85 minutes for Ukraine, Bukayo Saka played just over an hour for England, Declan Rice played the full game, as did Kai Havertz for Germany in the 2-2 draw with Netherlands. Jurrien Timber came off the bench at halftime to replace Nathan Ake who was carried off on a stretcher.
Mikel Arteta is not known to mess about too much with his first team but now he’s forced to do so. Declan Rice is suspended for the NLD as we know and Marin Odegaard is a big doubt. But, this is where managers earn their money. Injuries are part of the game and it’s how Arteta deals with them which matters. Partey and Jorginho in midfield is likely to be partnership on Sunday but as many of us have written before, Timber, White and Kiwior are options too as I think I’m right in suggesting all three have played midfield at some stage in their career.
The big loss is Martin Odegaard. Who can come into the team and do the kind of things he does?
Short one today.
Catch up later…
Good Morning Rico and Housers
Good post with things to ponder about. Do I want Gillet as referee?? I can assure you a big fat NO. Infact I dont like any English referee. Just remind me how many English refs get selected for Euro, WC and big European Cups and International matches??? 2 maximum?? Most of them are Uefa/Fifa Referees, but they often get overlooked. Refs have to earn the respect of the players before they can be seen more often. And they are professional refs supposedly.
I saw the following post on FB with regards Odegaard………..
The doctor of the Norwegian National Team to @vgsporten about Martin Ødegaard’s injury:
– Injuries like this takes minimum 3 weeks. Everything else is bonus. And it can take longer time
– Both Ståle (the national coach) and I know that next national games (10th of October) he will be very doubtful.
– They are investigating the MR now. There is probably no breach in his foot.
– Ancle- injuries are very painful straight away. Martin had extreme pain. He was very worried
Australian ref for an Australian mananger ?
Nothing to see here as everything is fair and the courts are on the level , after all he can’t ref a Liverpool match but he can influence all of their rivals.
Odegaard is likely to be out for a couple of weeks , no doubt we will get him fit again in time for Norway’s next match on 10th October.
Can’t help thinking back to Wenger’s quote about borrowing your car .
Save you looking it up
what the national coaches are doing is like taking the car from his garage without even asking permission.
“They will then use the car for 10 days and abandon it in a field without any petrol left in the tank.
“We then have to recover it, but it is broken down. Then a month later they will come to take your car again, and for good measure you’re expected to be nice about it.”
Morning Devil, Potter, all.
I think it’s shocking that Gillett is the ref again. Agenda, what agenda?
Does it matter were Gillett is from after all there are a lot of English ref’s that don’t like us as well.
The Arsenal fans have to be load and if Gillett starts going one side like he has before then boo him and keep the pressure on him.
As for Ange, when in Australia he upset many ref’s.
I think it does when Ange is Australian Geoff. Plus he’s a rubbish ref who we’ve already had once..
Apparently though, he leans towards away wins… 😜
Arsenal fixtures Martin Ødegaard is expected to MISS through injury:
Tottenham A
Atalanta A
Manchester City A
Bolton H
Leicester City H
PSG H
Southampton H
Tbh I don’t think that being Australian is an issue at all although I understand the Ange thing, to me it’s all to do with having a feel for the game, even-handedness and competency and not many of Webb’s wobblers, maybe a couple, fulfil any of the above criteria.
The officials are beyond our control but what we do isn’t and how we set out to approach the game, the line-up, the tactics, substitutions, our finishing, our discipline and determination, that’s what counts.
I see the PGMOL have told Arsenal they can’t wear the red and white home shirt this weekend against Toots as it has too much white on it and it clashes with Toots all white shirt. so it looks like the pizza shirt is coming out again
Despite the injuries, an unavoidable part of the game, we still have a very accomplished squad of players, lots of experience and quality.
Yeah it’s going to be a difficult period whilst the injured are missing, it’s just bad luck, it happens and we’ve just gotta deal with it.
Tbh the visit to Man City worries me more because they have the manager and the players who can do us some real damage.
I still feel we can beat Tottenham, as most of this side are from last season and Toots have been shakey, it will come down to the attitude of the players and how Arteta managers the subs during the match. I just hope VAR are the ball
VAR = Stuart Attwell , the very same that didn’t intervene on the Havertz throat hold and Jesus’ goosing . On the list as a Manchester City fan I believe.
Kev, I always say that if we don’t give the ref a decision to make, he can’t make one. I think Gillett is one of the worst but none of them are particularly good, not for the top league in England.
I guess they come as a pair Potter.. lol
I think we may see Trossard in the Odegaard role at the weekend. He’s played as an attacking midfielder prior to joining Arsenal, and has said it would be his preferred position anyway.
Our potential line up would be:- Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber. Jorginho, Partey, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli. I think it’s important to keep Havertz in the middle of the front three rather dropping him back into midfield and probably having to play Jesus in the number nine role.
Ooh I forgot to put Trossard’s name in.
Exactly Rico, don’t give the referee the opportunity to be a pillock, let them be pillocks in their own time…
Good morning everyone/
Hope you had a good night’s sleep and dreamed of Arsenal hammering spurs.
Sunday will be a nostalgic one for Tottenham fans. They will be seeing their team in white and their opponents, Arsenal, in black. And that is why its so nostalgic for them…they will reminisce that the last time they won the league was when TVs were black and white. For 90-100 minutes they will feel that the beginning of the swinging sixties are back.
The final whistle will bring them back to reality.
Mikel Arteta signs a new contract, well an extension to his current one, up till 2027
Good morning all, I see that Southgate, the former England manager, (in case you had forgotten him) has said that his next job could be outside football. If he’s quick he could apply for the position at our G P surgery as a driver delivering prescription medications to the elderly and infirm. It should suit him down to the ground, as its only two days a week roughly what he worked in his last job..
Afternoon all,
Fantastic news about the new contract for Arteta,technically it’s only an extra two years. By the end he will have done over 7.5 years,hopefully we will have won the Premier league or champions league and some more domestic cups !
Nobody expects Odegaard to play for a while,to be honest I would be relieved if it’s a matter of weeks rather than months.
I would rather leave Havertz as the striker/false 9 too.I guess the other options are Trossard or Jesus if he is available,and move Havertz back to the Odegaard role.
Maybe Arteta has other ideas,either way this international break has seemed extra long.
Limey, both Havertz and Trossard can play in the Odegaard position. Ideally Havertz can stay up top, no one else, neither Jesus, nor Martinelli, nor Sterling can do what Havertz does to the team.
Personally I would love to see Trossard in that position. Wildcard dream would be Nwaneri and he plays a super game. but its too risky imo for a 17 year old. It might destroy him as well.
Good to see Arteta signing an extended two years. Whether we win a trophy or more is not only up to us. Its also up to the PGMOL etc etc. I still doubt whether the FA have the balls to mete out the correct punishment to City. Not holding my breath except for a slap on the wrist or a ridiculous sentence. So unless City get relegated and some of the trophies taken back and given to us/dippers etc expect City to win this league as well.
The English Football Association has accused Rodrigo Bentancur of misconduct against his teammate Son.
During an interview on a local channel in Uruguay, Bentancur was asked about Son’s shirt, and he responded, ‘Maybe from his cousin,’ because ‘they all look alike.’
Rodrigo Bentancur could face a ban of 6 to 12 games if the charge is confirmed.
That is soooo hilarious I mean him getting the ban for a comment on a team mate and not on his racist comment. Pity it didnt come two weeks earlier.
Afternoon guys..
New post up.