Morning all.
Yesterday saw some good news come out of Arsenal Football Club as Stina Blackstenius signed a new contract. Stina might be 30 years old but there’s a lot of goals left in her legs yet.
On the men’s side of the club, to be pedantic, the academy, Marli Salmon has signed a pre-contract agreement with the club that will lead to him signing professional terms when he turns 17 in August.
After signing, Marli said:
It’s a very big moment for me, for my family as well. I’m very proud. I’ve been at the academy since I was nine and I just want to give everything to the club.
I’m an Arsenal supporter, and I’ve had some great memories so far. I’m so proud to have made my debut this season, I just want to keep pushing on still, keep my levels high and try to get as much experience as I can in the first team.
Securing the future of our young players, especially someone like Salmon who at just 16 years old has already shown signs of being a cool and calm defender, is crucial. I’d imagine others in a similar position to Marli will follow suit over the next few months.
Man City face Burnley tonight and a win will see them nudge us off of top spot on goal difference. Pep Guardiola has spoken about the comments made after the incident between Haaland and Gabriel on Sunday and whether his striker could/should have gone to ground:
I would not play that game right now. I don’t have much sympathy for the referees’ world in this country so what am I going to say? I know Erling has behaved as he did. I know my experience with Nolito in the first season and I remember perfectly Rodri with Morgan Gibbs-White and Nottingham Forest. Both had three-game bans because the other player was a big artist. Erling has not done it. But this is a decision for the referees. I’m really pleased I get another yellow card [for my team].
Asked about pundits calling for Haaland to show more play-acting in those circumstances, Guardiola he added:
That’s nice! Referees still believe Jeremy Doku is a diving player, when there’s no less diving player in the planet. Every time they believe he’s diving. Now the pundits encourage to do that! Erling behaved like he is: an extraordinary player. I’m really proud what Erling has done.
Whilst I’m not at all bothered about what City or Guardiola says or does, obviously I’m glad Gabriel didn’t get sent off and glad Haaland didn’t try harder to get him sent off but the reality is, if referees weren’t so selective about what is and isn’t a foul, a player wouldn’t need to go to ground to have a chance of getting a decision. In many cases nowadays, it seems it makes little difference because what happens one day, doesn’t often happen the next.
Football London have this photo on its website.
The first action was a tug on Gabriel’s shirt by Haaland. Had the free kick been awarded, no winning goal for City. Isn’t that the rules? I know Arsenal get away with a lot of shirt pulling, pushing and shoving etc but two wrongs don’t make a right. I get it, the ref perhaps didn’t see it, but VAR would have had they bothered to do their job properly.
As said though, this kind of thing goes on every week and involving all clubs in the league but again, that doesn’t make it right or acceptable. Just because the decision went against us on Sunday, it doesn’t make it any worse than other mistakes throughout a season either.
Haaland took his chance, Arsenal failed to take theirs and that alone was the reason for Arsenal not taking at least a point from the game. Injuries aren’t an excuse either, not in my opinion and certainly not when Mikel Arteta has a squad as deep as ours is. The saying, “use it or lose it” couldn’t be more true, Arteta hasn’t really used his squad to its maximum in my opinion. Those who haven’t played much have lost their edge, those who have continually played have lost their energy at best, their playing availability at worst.
That’s why I think we’ve been off in too many games post Christmas and it’s not just this season we’ve seen it.
Catch up in the comments.
Come on You Clarets……
