Morning all.
Arsenal’s women battered Liverpool yesterday afternoon at their place. When any Arsenal team beat that lot it’s a reason to be happy in my opinion. Vivianne Miedema scored her first goal since returning from a long spell out injured and what a goal it was too. Admittedly, her shot from distance took a slight deflection but even so, it was a strike of beauty. The second was a tap in for Caitlin Foord after Alessia Russo had hot footed it down the right before playing a lovely ball across the box. Arsenal should have won by a greater margin but Liverpool, well, they never really looked like scoring.
Just like the mens team, they’re in the race for the League title. The men are 5 points adrift of Liverpool, the women, 3 points behind Chelsea. Plenty of time for both teams to catch up or better still, overtake them.
David Ornstein has suggested that Arsenal are interested in Brighton’s transfer target Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Leicester City are rumoured to want £30 million for their English midfielder but Brighton are already deep into negotiations. I’m sure we’d all like to see Arsenal bring a player or two in this month but do we really need another midfielder at this moment in time?
It was only a matter of time before a journalist somewhere linked Mikel Arteta to the upcoming managerial vacancy at Barcelona and the Spanish press have done just that according to The Mail, The Express and probably every other newspaper by now. Well, he has no plans to leave Arsenal at the end of the season Sky Sports News has been told.
Xavi on his Barcelona exit:
To explain a bit better, the feeling of being Barca coach is unpleasant, it’s cruel. You feel that often there is a lack of respect, you feel they do not value your work, and this wears you down terribly. It affects your mental health. I am a positive person but the energy goes down to a point where you think that there is no sense.
Why on earth would Mikel Arteta even want to consider a job at Barca right now? Honestly, he wouldn’t last five minutes in my opinion. Not because he’s a bad manager but expectations would be very different there. Fans demand silverware, the board too and if things get messy, no, not Messi, he’d be out the door. A bit like Graham Potter at Chelsea. There’s no promising jam tomorrow because it has to be on the table by teatime today! A five year plan at Barcelona probably doesn’t even exist because only yesterday’s result matters.
I strongly suspect Mikel Arteta’s pre Nottingham Forest press conference today will be different to what he might have expected 24 hours ago as the Barca rumours will be put to him. All eyes will be on his response and how he delivers it. Regardless of what he says, someone will twist his words I’m sure. Or perhaps his right eye will twitch when he says he’s staying at Arsenal because doesn’t that involuntary eye movement indicate a person is lying? Or is it the left eye, I’ve forgotten.
The only thing I’m interested in ahead of Mikel Arteta’s press conference is whether or not Declan Rice and Gabriel have recovered from their injuries because I couldn’t see either of them in the training photographs. Also, will Thomas Partey be in the squad having been involved training this week. Partey must be desperate to get back out on the pitch again. I know I’m really looking forward to seeing him play again because he’s such a big presence in the team.
It’s non stop football now until the next international break in the middle of March. 10 fixtures in just over a 6 week period starting with Nottingham Forest tomorrow night. More on that and Mikel Arteta’s press conference tomorrow.
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico, one paper that hasn’t taken up the Arteta / Barca rumour is my favourite for sport reporting The Telegraph. Neither in actual print on paper or on-line. 😉
Balague has come down on the not leaving side and he is usually fairly accurate re Barca however all that means is that they haven’t tried YET. I am off to Carnaval next week and will keep my ear to the ground talking to a number of “Culers”and reading the local papers that will be more accurate than the international scandal sheets.
Morning Cicero.
I like the Telegraph but absolutely refuse to pay to read it or any other paper. Well, apart from The Athletic for a £1 a month. 😂
I’m envious Potter, Carnivals in Spain, certainly Catalonia are a joy to watch.
I think Barca will go for experience because they’ve not exactly gone through the best of times. I very much doubt Barca fans would welcome Arteta with open arms right now.
Morning Rico, good post and a good goal by Viv although Arsenal should have won by 5 or 6 goals, it was one-way traffic and I only saw a few minutes on YouTube. I thought that Arsenal had signed this top striker from Man Utd, Russo isn’t it? She needs to start scoring.
No Gabriel or Rice?
That’s a worry, but maybe Arteta is saving them for Liverpool? Forest hasn’t been a lucky ground for Arsenal teams in recent years, Kiwior for Big Gabby seems ok, then we’re looking at Jorginho for Rice, maybe Partey even?
Morning Kev, thanks.
Disagree re Russo, she’s been good for Arsenal. Both her and Mead had slight off days yesterday but usually, they’re excellent. The cross from Russo for our second was inch perfect. The game was good and the women play in a similar fashion to the men. Sometimes though, they move the ball quicker. 😂
Rico, I didn’t know that you took The Athletic, that’s very posh… 😉
I have the Tune In app on my phone, it give me access to all the Podcasts I enjoy and a couple of them are Athletic productions.
Quicker are they Rico?
I bet they can multitask as well… 😁
Jorginho imo if Rice is out, unless Partey is fully fit but he’s not played for so long, starting a game might be expecting a bit too much.
Ha ha Kev, it’s good for sport whereas the rest just have an agenda and the rest of the news is so depressing so I try and avoid the front pages.. plus, me and woke don’t exactly make good bed fellows.
Women will surprise you Kev, they don’t fall over after the slightest of contact either. Lol
Partey on the bench perhaps Rico, give him a 15/20 minute run-out at the end depending on the game state. Elneny coming back as Egypt are out of the ACoN.
And I bet they tidy up the dressing room after a game Rico? 😉
I reckon so re Partey Kev.
No need to clean the dressing room though as they wouldn’t have made it look like a pig sty in the first place. 😜
Egypt are out of the ACON, which means if Salah is fit, he’ll play on Sunday. Shame…
1.30 pm Arteta’s press conference live on arsenal.com
Salah has been back in Liverpool for best part of a week now. He is not expected to be fit for two to three weeks.
Good Cicero.. We need all the help we can get… lol
From the presser. Are you leaving Arsenal in the summer Mikel? Laughs and says no I don’t know where that came from. It’s fake news.
That was a bit below the belt Rico 😁
Dewsbury-Hall, nobody is really talking about this player but if Brighton are in for him you’ve gotta take notice….
£30million seems a lot but we’re a bit light in midfield, Partey is good but unreliable, Elneny gives you 100% but he’s just not good enough anymore, Jorginho is ok in short bursts but if we had to rely on him for say 4 or 5 games on the trot then he might struggle and that leaves Declan and a bunch of academy kids…
True though Kev. 😂
I guess we knew that was coming Cicero..
If we’re replacing Partey this summer I hope it’s for a tall and strong midfielder who has pace too. Probably why I liked the idea of Onana…
Presumably one who doesn’t walk with a limp. 😉
Preferably 😀
let’s hope the boys are switch on, and a nice a win to keep the pressure on the other top side’s
This is turning out to be the most boring transfer window since the whole thing was invented.
Just to add to the gloom, it’s a cold grey day with drizzling rain here in Norfolk. 😕
A busy two days perhaps Cicero… 😂
Morning to you, Geoff and all.
New post up.