Morning all.
Thank goodness the international break is done and dusted.
After all the negative stuff Deschamps spilled about William Saliba, our centre-back played the full match for France last night as they beat Chile 3-2. Kai Havertz played 73 minutes for Germany as they defeated the Netherlands 2-1. Jakub Kiwior played 120 minutes of football before Poland beat Wales on penalties to secure a place in the Euros this summer and Oleksandr Zinchenko had 30 minutes on the pitch as Ukraine also secured a place at the Euros with a 2-1 defeat of Iceland. Martin Odegaard played all but 10 minutes of Norway’s fixture but Declan Rice played another 90 minutes as England drew 2-2 with Belgium. Leandro Trossard played for an hour.
I’m out of words for Gareth Southgate, well, polite ones anyway but to play Declan Rice in two friendly fixtures, both for the entirety of the game, beggars belief. Shocking man management in my opinion and totally disrespectful of Arsenal FC. He could have easily switched him for Henderson but we are talking about a manager who opted for Dunk over Branthwaite – an upcoming centre back who has been excellent for Everton.
Thank goodness Bukayo Saka withdrew from England duty because had he not, I’m sure Southgate would have played him in both fixtures.
I’d imagine all the Arsenal players who’ve been away with their respective countries will be back in north London this morning as Mikel Arteta prepares for Sunday’s huge fixture. Those who didn’t represent their country over the last two weeks were back training yesterday. Takehiro Tomiyasu, ESR, Thomas Partey were in action but Ben White had a few plasters on his right knee. No sign of Bukayo Saka in the photographs though, nor Gabriel or Gabriel Martinelli.
From Arsenal.com, taken by club photographer Stuart MacFarlane
It’s only Wednesday so we won’t know who is fit or not for Sunday’s game for a few days yet but it’s the same for Man City as Kyle Walker went off injured in the first England match before John Stones went off injured 10 minutes into yesterday’s game. Apparently Manu Akanji and Matheus Nunes are injury doubts for Sunday too after picking up knocks over the last week or so but call me a cynic, I suspect they’ll all recover within a day or two. Honestly, if any players have exaggerated a sore toe or feigned injured before or during this international break, I wouldn’t blame them at all. Obviously it’s been different for Zinchenko and Kiwior because their matches and results mattered.
.Southgate on playing time:
We measure everything. The first game wasn’t a game which was a high level in terms of intensity. We’ve done exactly what Holland did with Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake and what Norway did with Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland. It only seems to fall on us when there’s a question on that.
No, it falls on England because Southgate didn’t rest/rotate his players enough. Stones didn’t need to play in both fixtures, nor did Rice or Bellingham to name just a few. Friendly fixtures at this stage of the season are giving players an opportunity to push their way into their managers squad for the Euros. After all, Southgate should know what he’ll get from his preferred starting eleven by now. At least that’s my opinion on it.
As said though, the international fixtures are finished now and won’t resurface again until the summer.
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico and all.
I would not be surprised to find out that Southgate played Rice as much as he did as payback for Ben White refusing to play and Saka getting injured.
Morning Geoff. I doubt that myself it’s just Southgate’s lack of imagination imo.
Morning rico, all, Southgate bemoans Ramsdal’s playing time, then in 2 friendlies, he plays Pickford every minute of both. Guess he wants to know
about him, unbelievable.
Afternoon Rico and Co.
Forget Southgate, he’s a woke FA yes man who’ll win nothing and then move on back to club management where his lack of talent will be exposed.
I reckon our boys will recover by Sunday and the ‘injured’ are now probably training out of the spotlight and will be reintroduced to the group on Friday. It’s all a game and Guardiola is playing it as well.
In recent years the days leading up to a game with Man City has usually been filled with a mixture of dread and an acceptance of where we are in the food chain – but not this time.
I’m not over-confident as that would be stupid, but I’m not anxious or afraid I’m really looking forward to it.
Nobody in the media expects Arsenal to go up there and win although a small few think we can get a result but in general the likes of Sky & Co are expecting a Man City victory.
But this Arsenal team is a different animal, even from last season and it’s all to do with experience and confidence – and also Man City becoming anxious about us.
They don’t strut around anymore against Arsenal with that air of arrogant expectancy, they fight for their lives to stay with us.
If the referee and VAR are fair then I think that this Arsenal team can finally end that awful run of results at Wastelands.
Morning Andrew. Exactly. He chops and changes to suit his agenda.
Afternoon Kev, spooky. I’ve be scribbling something for later in the week and it says similar. We aren’t the Arsenal of old and we’re not a go 1-0 down and collapse team either. I think it’ll be close, very close.
We have come a long way over last couple of years, instead of excepting defeat by the top teams and happy with a 1 nil win against the bottom sides and finishing 4th on the ladder, we now have a side that is hungry for that 3 or more goal win and a clean sheet, while at the same time looking forward to playing the top sides.
I have said for ages that we need a killer instinct. now we seem to have it.
Ramsdale must be fed up with managers in general . First Arteta promises to split the playing time and then doesnt and now Southgate doesnt give him a chance either . He must be totally dispirited.
Put like that, I’d leave in the summer too. Ramsdale is too good to be a second choice keeper.
New post up.