Morning all.
I made an error. Thomas Partey hasn’t gone off on international duty. Neither has Gabriel as he’s withdrawn because of injury. If you say so Gabriel…. Not for one minute do I think Gabriel is injured, I think this is the player and Arsenal seeing the bigger picture. Same with Thomas Partey who I’d imagine doesn’t want to do anything to risk his chance of being involved in a title race or a big move in the summer. His last big move perhaps. It was Partey who asked to be excused from the game in order to gain full fitness following recent injuries.
Anyway, whatever the reason, it’s better for Arsenal to have both at the club.
France manager Didier Deschamps has been talking about William Saliba:
He hasn’t had a lot of game time with us. He is performing well for his club. At international level, he hasn’t always found himself in the best conditions in matches where I’ve rotated a lot. He isn’t in the same psychological situation with his club, where he doesn’t ask himself if he’ll play at the weekend. When he has game time with us, he tells himself he needs to play well because there are others behind him. He is not in a psychological situation that is the same as at his club. He has everything he needs to take the next step.
What an odd thing for a manager to say. I think we all know what goes on in PL football and how it compares with the international game. Well, when it comes to team/squad selection, there is little comparison really because an international manager doesn’t have to build a squad, he just gets to choose the best in whichever country he manages. He might have 10/15 players to choose from for one position whereas a club manager might have two. Maybe three if he’s lucky. An international manager can rotate, often without a drop in performance but a club manager doesn’t necessarily have such a luxury. A club manager’s job is tough, much tougher than an international manager in my opinion. If Deschamps doesn’t think Saliba is performing as well for France as he is Arsenal then that’s on him rather than the player. If he thinks Konate, Hernandez, Upamecano, and Todibo are better, fine, but there’s no need to throw Saliba under the bus is there?
I don’t really understand all the fuss being made after Ben White made himself unavailable for England either. It’s his choice and a choice which should be respected in my opinion. Why do ‘people’ believe every sportsperson wants to play for his/her country? You or I might see it as being an honour or a privilege but perhaps he just prefers to play club football and spend time with his family as much as he can. Perhaps he simply looks at this current England setup and doesn’t want to be a part of it. Arsenal fans should be delighted he’s rejected Gareth Southgate, I know I am.
To finish on a real high….
Photo from Arsenal.com
Talking to Arsenal.com:
I am so happy to extend my contract because Arsenal is the best club in the world. It’s a dream to play for this club, so I’m happy. When I’m on the pitch I feel the love and energy from the supporters. We are connected a lot so I want to give them something back. I am playing for Arsenal, and this means I’m playing for the Arsenal supporters. That’s why I dedicate my life to this club and the supporters. I want to give them something back. The connection between players and supporters is a different level and that makes it more special.
He’s happy and I’d imagine the majority of Arsenal fans are too. Yes, I know he’s had his injury problems but he’s such a wonderfully gifted player who I thoroughly enjoy watching every time he’s on the pitch. Talented, multifunctional and at 25 years old, he has many years of football ahead of him. Those years will be at Arsenal FC.
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico and all,
Rico I total agree that a club manager has a harder job. The club manager has to pick a team for the whole season and worry about managing injuries and to a lesser degree keep all the players happy and under the salary cap. on the other hand the manager who coaches his country side has the world to look for his best country players and does not have to worry about payments or injuries.
Good morning Rico, great news about Tomiyasu.
Didier Dechamps? I’ll est un cochon especiale.
Morning Geoff, Cicero.
I’ve no idea why Dechamps feels the need to speak about Saliba. Pick him or don’t, it’s as simple as that. No need for throwing him under the journalists bus.
Chuffed to bits re Tomi. Juventus will be disappointed 😃
It’s really refreshing to have an Arsenal board which gets contracts done. We must be on the last leg of players leaving for free this summer with Cedric and Elneny. Elneny of course was a club decision to keep.
Gerard Houllier’s thoughts on the matter international football echo mine. He thinks that 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 ten 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.
Arsene Wenger .
It’s not just the physical but psychological too , Deschamps will only get Saliba thinking and possibly distracted by his comments . It’s noticeable that Henry wants him for the Olympics , I wonder if Deschamps is looking over his shoulder and wondering about his job . After all if Henry brings home gold with the games being in Paris he would be in pole position to replace him.
Dechamps has history of knocking Saliba
Most of these international games are “friendlies” with little or nothing at stake. Unless a player’s got little or nothing else going on in their life there are lots of reasons to give them a miss. It’s funny how some players for top clubs have suddenly developed “injury concerns” when called up for them. Credit to Ben White for his honesty.
I like that from Gerard Houllier. He’s right. These international managers doesn’t seem to give a hoot about what they are doing to players. I bet Southgate doesn’t think about Saka or Rice and what’s going on at Arsenal. These friendly fixtures should be about mixing up the squad, giving the entire squad players time on the pitch, not flogging the senior players to death.
Ai, says more about him than the player. Anyone who watches football knows Saliba is up there with the best centre backs in the game right now.
Yep, only Ukraine and Poland are qualifiers I think as far as Arsenal are concerned. Southgate has selected the Utd youngster so play him. Give him his moment, other squad players too.
Apologies, accepted Rico. 😂
🤣 Kev.
Good post Rico, just catching late after a busy day.
Deschamps is a right tosser, I’d love to see him in club management because he’s just the kind of hypocrite who’d been whining about his players getting called up at inconvenient times for him and whatever crap club would employ him.
I’m delighted with our players, the ones putting the club first, it makes a change but the bigger picture is what they could achieve this season and I’m sure that Arteta is in their collective earholes about that…
I see our 3rd keeper Karl Hein is claiming he wanted to go out on loan and he had clubs that were interested but Arteta blocked, I wonder if he stick around when his contract expires in 2025 he is 22 years old, and only played once in the senior side, and with Ramsdale struggling to get game time I see Hein hanging around.
Geoff that one appearance was in the League Cup vs Brighton if I recall, last season and he had a mare.
He looked nervous, jumpy and must have made his, albeit makeshift, defence feel quite edgy. I can’t say that there was anything about that performance that made me think that he had a future with Arsenal.
Kev, I can’t even recall him playing any matches, and if he was that bad, and what he says is true, then why didn’t we loan him out or sell him
Karl Hein answered the question himself Geoff.
What I will say, is if Arsenal saw Hein as a long term prospect, then he would have had a new contract sorted out by now. He’s out of contract in the summer…
Hello you two. lol
I think Ramsdale might stay you know..
Arsenal beaten 4-0 by QPR in a friendly today. 🤔
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13099269/ben-white-arsenal-defender-under-scrutiny-after-england-snub-but-he-is-a-victim-of-mischaracterisation
Well I’d be happy to see Aaron stay if I’m honest…
Sky Sports have got some brass neck, I mean who the bloody hell has been driving the ‘White is a disgrace’ narrative
Saka has withdrawn from the England squad for the two friendly internationals, he has been unable to train due to an existing injury.
Ben White left the England squad after Steve Holland made a disparaging comment to to him in front of all his teammates. He accused Ben of “not liking football”. Ben was misquoted some while ago as saying this, but in fact the operative word “watching” was left out by the interviewer. White has said that he loves training and playing football but once the game is over or the training session is finished he is happy to go home and be with his family. Cesc Fabregas has defended Ben saying that not every footballer is obsessed with the game and there is nothing wrong in that.
Good news that Saka has withdrawn from the England squad,well we don’t want him to be injured,but these games should be for trying new players anyway.
I see Zinchenko is playing in midfield for Ukraine and Kolasinac is playing for Bosnia.
As would I Kev.
Excellent news re Saka as long as his injury is something of nothing.
Re White, I think it depends on who is doing the reporting/writing, this guy clearly has first hand experience of chatting with White, unlike other buffoons who just make it up as they go along.
The media should be happy Ben White or any other player has turned down the opertunity to play for there country no matter what the reason is, after all if they don’t want to be there, they are not going to give 100%,
I believe the bigger picture needs to be looked at, (1) the amount of games played (2) the time of the season when this international matches are played especialy the friendly one’s.
maybe the answer is to change selection rules and make it that all international teams can only select 1 or 2 players from any team.
Southgate can do one
Southgate and Man Utd could be the perfect match up. 😂
More woke nonsense and virtue signalling from Nike? Who authorised the change of colour of the Cross of St George, which has adorned the English flag for a thousand years, on the new, grossly overpriced, England kit? They should be ashamed of themselves.
The FA should take a stand against the money grubbing American sportswear giant and order the England team to wear kit that carries the revered red and white emblem.
The new kit is a disgrace. Red and white, just red and white!
New post up.