Morning all.
There’s barely any time to course of the weekend’s soccer earlier than we face our subsequent sport. Luton at house on Wednesday evening is the main focus now, though the mud has barely settled on the draw with Man Metropolis on Sunday.
I discovered the scenes on the finish of the sport fairly attention-grabbing, together with the feedback from Bernardo Silva who spoke to Sky afterwards. He stated of Arsenal:
This can be a completely different group as a result of they’re extra skilled. Prime facet. Younger gamers with yet one more 12 months expertise, and right now they felt what it was wish to play right here final season and right now I believe they had been significantly better.
Man Metropolis have had it straightforward too usually towards Arsenal, however this season is completely different. We beat them within the Group Protect (on penalties), beat them at house within the Premier League, and stopped them scoring on the Etihad which few groups ever do. I believe you can see in a few of these post-game interactions that it has dawned on a number of Man Metropolis gamers that it is a completely different Arsenal, as Bernardo Silva stated. You don’t win trophies for mutual respect, but it surely does display the notion of Arsenal is altering/has modified, and that may have an effect on the dynamics in these face to face video games, and past.
Then once more, I discovered it very humorous that Manuel Akajni complained about our ‘rotational fouling’ (not an April Idiot gag), saying:
After we acquired by typically they stopped us with the fouls. If there’s no motion to it from the referee, it’s exhausting. There have been additionally some choices towards them that I didn’t perceive why he gave a foul. There are some guidelines and I believe there are clear yellow playing cards the place it ought to be.
Whats up Mr Pot, it’s me, Mr Kettle. Tactical fouling, rotational fouling, no matter you wish to name it, has been a part of the Metropolis playbook ever since Pep Guardiola took over. Of their Amazon documentary, there’s actually a clip of Mikel Arteta – then an assistant there – telling gamers to make fouls if there’s an opportunity of the opposition successful possession and exploiting house.
To be truthful, I believe there have been moments the place if I’d been a Man Metropolis fan on Sunday, Anthony Taylor’s reluctance to problem yellow playing cards would have annoyed me, but it surely’s nonetheless a bit wealthy for a Metropolis participant to complain about one thing they’re taught to do themselves. Particularly as a result of they wouldn’t hesitate to do precisely the identical factor in these moments. In any other case, on the finish of the sport, they’d have Pep’s sizzling breath of their ear at quarters so, so, so shut it could be much more uncomfortable than the actual fact it was enjoying out on reside TV with an keen Sky cameraman simply inches away. I’d take ten yellow playing cards to keep away from that.
Anyway, Mikel Arteta will assess his squad right now and tomorrow, and determine on how greatest to choose a group to beat Luton whereas doubtlessly giving a few gamers a relaxation. With all due respect to tomorrow’s opposition, one we can’t take calmly as our first sport towards them this season confirmed, there’s extra chance of efficient rotation towards them than among the fixtures that observe this one. The supervisor meets the press this morning, and we’ll have to attend and see how a lot he could be keen to try this, or speak about it within the build-up. My guess is a few, and never very a lot, respectively.
It’s a sport we’ll preview over on Patreon later this afternoon. And as we now have executed for the final couple of years, we’re going to offer a bit again in April by donating 100% of our Patreon income to UNICEF to assist children everywhere in the world affected by conflict, famine, battle illness, and issues we’re all fortunate to reside with out.
Extra particulars right here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/april-patreon-101220589
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The preview pod will probably be accessible late afternoon, and we’ll carry you all of the press convention tales over on Arseblog Information. There’s additionally a bonus Arsenal Ladies Arsecast accessible now, wanting again on the Conti Cup Remaining win on Sunday, in addition to the Arsecast Additional under in case you haven’t had an opportunity to pay attention already.
Proper, that’s it for now. Have a very good Tuesday of us.
