Morning guys.
Life can be hectic at times, I’m having one of those times so a new post each day is unlikely. You’ve gathered that eh. There’s not much going anyway really, other than international fixtures and the only reason I check those is to see if we’ve suffered any more injuries.
Arsenal are in the Far East right now enjoying some sunshine and warm climates. Yesterday they trained in temperatures I’d certainly welcome here in England. The photos taken and published on the official website revealed something I didn’t expect to see again this season and that’s Danny Welbeck training with the rest of the players who’d travelled. apart from Hector Bellerin but even he is back doing fitness work on an indoor bicycle. Rob Holding is with the squad too but I can’t find any news about his recovery status.
So who has joined our now not so long term injured.
Arthur Okonkwo, midfielder James Olayinka and winger Xavier Amaechi are three youngsters who join the first team. First time for all three I believe. Amaechi and Tyreece John-Jules had expected to be involved with the England under 18’s but Arsenal had other ideas and withdrew them from the squad. Joining them is Jordi Osei-Tutu, Dominic Thompson, Ben Sheaf, Charlie Gilmour, Julio Pleguezuelo and Zech Medley.
Old boys Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette, Denis Suarez, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Shkodran Mustafi, Carl Jenkinson, Bernd Leno and Petr Cech make up the rest of the squad.
Just the one match for the players which is on Tuesday at 1pm and it’s being shown live on the Arsenal Player. It’ll be a good chance to see more of our younger players hopefully. With the temperature as it is in Dubai, I’d imagine they’ll be a lot of rotation during the game.
Perhaps we’ll get to see Dennis Suarez start for the first time since arriving in January on a loan deal which looks more of an odd move as the days go by. Rumour is we won’t be making the deal permanent in the summer because Unai Emery hasn’t been overly impressed with what he’s seen from the Spaniard in training. Rumours can tell lies though.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something financial related to this loan based on appearances, starts and other stuff clubs include when thinking about their pockets. It’s stupid, but it goes on at most clubs I’d imagine. Apart from the rich ‘money doesn’t matter’ ones. Suarez had a tough time at Man City, equally as tough at Barcelona but his hasn’t been all bad. Anyway, he’s at Arsenal until the end of the season and has only one thing on his mind:
My aim is to be a success here, perform well and feel important. I’d like to become an important player at the club. I joined Arsenal to get a lot of playing time, to be an important player and feel important.
I’m determined to perform well and be a success at this great club.
He’s got about ten weeks and at least ten games to prove he could be.
Finally, Granit Xhaka has hinted that he might be on the move. He wants to take the next step he’s been quoted as saying, Arsenal don’t have to be his last stop he added.
I doubt many Arsenal fans would stand in his way…
Have a good weekend guys.
Afternoon Gooner’s
Afternoon Rico.
Tuesday @ 1pm it is then, thanks for that Rico.
Yeah, Xhaka thinking about his next move, aren’t we all, then there’s Torrieira’s Father hinting that he might return to Italy, so who knows what moves we have in store next summer as Raul/Unai juggle their available resources, Lichtsteiner has also hinted that he may not stay, que sera sera, maybe Emery will move for Declan Rice?
We might get a glimpse this Tuesday at the possible internal solutions we have in the academy to replace any of the above?
I don’t get too attached to Arsenal footballers anymore, this week they could be an Arsenal hero, next week they’re playing for some other mob and the beat goes on.
As Jerry Malone would say ‘show me the money’….
Hi Kev, the only football I’ve seen Declan Rice play was last night’s cameo. I was totally unimpressed.
Lichtsteiner was only ever going to be a stop-gap, with Bellerin approaching fitness and AMN looking more comfortable at right back, it’s likely he will depart.
I quite like Xhaka, I think there’s more to come from him.
Thanks for the post Rico, I’ve missed the dose of Daily Bits and Bob’s.
Welcome back Rico. With them all leaving we’ll need a new team. Or could it just be a few unimaginative writers talking cobblers?
Perish the thought Adam…
Tbh Cicero, the kind of fee West Ham would no doubt demand for Rice will put him well and truly outside what Arsenal would pay or could afford, so it was wishful thinking, he’ll probably end up at one of the Manchester clubs.
I did not realize this trip except for promotion and economic reasons. They are not zones to “oxygenate” the team, quite the opposite. Players will come more worn, the opposite that I think should have been the goal.
If Xhaxa does not continue, I hope that with his sale we can get Ruben Neves.
Liechteiner is no longer a season. It remains to be seen if Belleri stays. In any case, it is necessary to renew the full backs.
I doubt that many, if any of the senior players will play more than 45 minutes to an hour at most.
It’s a change of scenery, a chance to get some sun on their backs and to build some team spirit.
None of the distractions they’d get if they stayed in the UK, no agents or PR rubbish just training and some football…
It’s also a chance for Emery to coach and watch some of our youngsters in a 1st team environment, it makes perfect sense to me, especially as we haven’t got a game until Monday week…
Afternoon Kev, guys. Thanks Adam.
I’d love to be in Dubai with them. My old bones could do with some sunshine… 😜
I hope we see a lot of the younger players on Tuesday, especially the young keeper..
Morning Gooner’s
Morning Rico, and so, the Interlull drags on and on and onzzzzzz.
There’s always NewsNow I suppose, once you’ve negotiated a billion adverts and pop ups, personally I skip through that tosh pretty rapid like…
One piece of info that’ll alert Rick and those who enjoy an interest in our youth, is the visit of BFG to his old club Werder Bremen and the possibility of some link up with the German clubs academy, a move that could see both clubs’ coaches spend time on exchange visits and more pointedly the prospect of Arsenal youth prospects being loaned out to Werder in the near future.
According to Per, the gap between U23 and Premier League is just too wide a chasm in most cases, spells at Championship and League One clubs just don’t prepare our youngsters for the EPL it seems and thus a season or two in the competitive Bundesliga could, and has seen to be, the answer. The Bundesliga is a high quality and very technical league with excellent coaches – some of the best around – but without the obsession with money and the excessive pressure you find in the EPL. It seems an obvious move as the FA and Football League will never sanction ‘B’ teams in England as we see in Spain.
It’s a beautiful sunny day out here in the wilds of Essex, sadly I’ll be in London soon sitting in a Transport for London constructed traffic jam, aided and abetted by London’s corrupt and complicit Mayor Khan…
Happy days.
Sorry for you Kev , I am off for a hour or two on the boat,a drink at The Thurne Lion and back for a late dinner . Sun’s out and no football to worry about.
Have a good day all.
Afternoon old gits and Rico from tropical Cornwall. 🙂
Arsenal Classy Women have beaten Scouse Thieving Women 5-1 away and too make it even better Sheff Utd Women beat Spud Slags 2-1 away !………………………….I wouldn`t normally use such derogatory terms about females but we are talking about Tottenscum Shitspuds………………….apollogise if anyone is offended.
Afternoon Kev, Lc, all.
What a beautiful day it is. Very warm and a day tidying up the garden is much better than reading all the poppycock about how Giggs hated some of our players, or anything else on NN.
Great result for the women.
Re your comment a day or two ago Lc, are Crystal Palace a top division side, and did they field a full side? I think it’s harsh to judge the standard of the womens game against an ex pro men’s team.
Hi Rico.
C Palace are in the second tier with Spuds and ManU.
I dont know whether it was the Palace`s 1st team but presumed it was, if it was I expected them to wipe the floor with the obese ex-pro`s as imo Palace at that level even though in the league below Arsenal Woman, I would expect them to be full time players and using the same technical training methods as men.
It may have come out the wrong way as I intended, but I was mainly disappointed as I wanted Palace to show the ex-pro`s up .
I look at some of the Arsenal Womans games with excitement as the skill level to me is just as good as many mens players, maybe it is down to physicallity, but I honestly wanted the women to show how good they are and in a way they were probably on a hiding to nothing by playing some old unfit men. As I said before, if a 14/15 year boys side could beat the old men then I expected a professional womans team to be even better !…………………….shame they didn`t play a top womans super league team, but then again if they had played Arsenal`s Woman 1st team and beat them what would it had said ?……………………if you (Rico) had seen the programme and I`m summising you did, you would have seen how unfit those ex-players were !……………………….I`m assuming pro women do the bleep test and are much fitter than Razor Ruddock !
But the kids just won on pace Lc. Razor didn’t get beyond the first ten minutes did he? The rest were still pretty fit I reckon, especially after the training.
I think the Arsenal women’s side, or City would have beaten them though.
They definately got fitter (except Razor) by the time they played the Germans, but the Palace game was in the second week, so were far from fit.
Absolutely hope the Arsenal Womans side would have beaten them. Palace had their chances and on any other given day may have beat the ex-pros .
Ruddock is as the programme said, a heart attack/stroke waiting to happen, something like 49% of his body weight was fat !………………….I honestly dont think he cares though and even though he looked concerned when told I doubt he has done much about it , infact I thought the programme makers should have not even let him play 10 mins as that could have done him some damage, wouldn`t have gone down to well if he had had a stroke trying the beep test !………………..quite a likeable eccentric character though even for a spud.
Ruddock cheesed me off. Given a great opportunity to get fit and be monitored safely whilst doing so, but laughed in their faces. I’d have been really peed off if I was Arry.
God the international break is dull,it’s not just me because others have told me the same,this one seems even worse than usual.At least it’s halfway through now.
The trip to Dubai can only be good.Denis Suarez looks like this year’s Kim Kallstrom,I wish him well though,if he could pop up with a goal as important as Kallstrom,he will doing fine..
Morning all.
What a boring bloody two weeks!!
Hi Scott, dreadfully so.
This must be the longest break since last season ended……………………………..it`s longer than the whole of January ! hahaha
Agree about Ruddock, Rico, but I liked the way the banter went with him, it`s something I miss about playing for a team…………….going down the pub after a game and going to a night club after evening training, all the piss taking !
Afternoon Gooner’s
Afternoon Rico
Stop moaning Scott. 😄
Afternoon all.
Interesting article in the Guardian today about the kids at Hale End and two gifted girls too!
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/mar/25/arsenal-under-12-girls-boys-equal-footing?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Enjoy. A little ray of sunshine in a gloomy two weeks of unfootball.
And, the BFG seems to have considerable influence and by the looks of it a cracking philosophy and plan for the future of our young talent. One of the few that Wenger left behind and probably a very shrewd choice.
Bright, sunny but strangely cool here.
That was interesting Wavy.
5 – 1 to England, a decent result against a National side for a country with a population akin to that of Bristol, just the sort of match-up that has caused embarrassment to England ties in the fairly recent past. My enjoyment of the game was enhanced by a bottle of St. Emilion and a packet of dark chocolate and ginger biscuits. 😉
Seriously though, the highlight of the match was young Calum Hudson-Odoi. What a talent, a joy to watch!
England teams, not ties! Spell checkers! I ask you!
New post up now.
Morning guys.