Morning all.
I’ve to say I’m most amused by the concentrate on Arsenal and the ‘darkish arts’ after the sport on Sunday. We’ve had a procession of Man Metropolis gamers come out to complain about it or, at the very least, reference it.
Manuel Akanji requested if Arsenal had mastered the ‘darkish arts’: “Sure, I don’t suppose there are a lot of higher than them at it.”
John Stones in his post-game interview: “You possibly can name it intelligent or soiled, whichever method you need to put it, they break up the sport and it upsets the rhythm for everybody. They use it for his or her benefit.”
Bernardo Silva: “There was just one workforce that got here to play soccer. The opposite got here to play to the boundaries of what was doable to do and allowed by the referee, sadly.
“The referee allowed a sequence of time-wasting occasions. The factor that bothers me probably the most is having numerous conferences with the FA initially of every season. They inform us they’ll management this type of state of affairs and can cease them, however ultimately it doesn’t have any price. They are saying lots however nothing occurs.”
Nothing occurs?! We actually had a participant despatched off for it! It additionally overlooks the truth that regardless of Metropolis going forward, we performed sufficient soccer to be 2-1 up on the break, and that second half promised lots from us earlier than the Trossard pink card pressured a change in techniques. Nothing occurs. Get outta right here.
What’s fairly amusing about all that is the truth that Man Metropolis, and each Pep Guardiola workforce ever, has had a cynical streak a mile lengthy. Even when he had gamers as sensible as Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta at his disposal, they weren’t averse the type of nonsense you’d see from Sergio Busquets regularly. A superb participant too, by the way in which, however somebody who would dive, roll round, make fouls and disrupt the opposition’s rhythm at each alternative. Even at 11 v 11, not to mention taking part in a whole half half a person down.
And who do you suppose instructed him to do this? A person sitting not distant from Mikel Arteta on Sunday. A chair kicker extraordinaire. A person whose spittle was so white he may as properly have been Riquelme dealing with Jens Lehmann. Right here’s a pic I’ve shared earlier than, it’s our supervisor whereas he was a coach at Man Metropolis – beneath Pep, to be 100% clear, and working beneath his instruction – giving some pre-game directions to a few of their gamers:
I believe I noticed a quote from Guardiola afterwards the place he principally stated he would have executed the identical as we did within the context of the sport. So, it makes it extra humorous that Metropolis’s gamers are complaining about one thing their very own supervisor would do if he needed to. Which is – to be clear – no matter it takes to get a lead to a sport of soccer. Arsenal didn’t invent these items, it goes on in each sport at each stage each weekend of the 12 months, but it surely’s humorous the way it’s within the highlight due to our efficiency in opposition to Man Metropolis.
Fairly than be irritated by this type of stuff, we must be amused by it. We must be inspired by it, as a result of the way in which Sunday went and Metropolis’s response to it, tells you that we’re not a workforce they take calmly anymore. Erling Haaland dropping the plot and telling Mikel Arteta to ‘keep humble’ may irk some individuals, but it surely simply makes me snigger. I assumed the way in which the supervisor did a double-take as if he didn’t fairly hear him, earlier than simply strolling off was hilarious and completely dismissive.
The Man Metropolis Twitter account clipping up a video of Haaland committing a few rugby tackles on Saliba and Partey (each of which have been extra deserving of a yellow than something Trossard did) tells you a lot about how this sport went for them. He scored a terrific aim the opposite day, however they highlighted the very fact he’s a 6’5 battering ram, as if it confirmed how we’d been pushed round. Everyone knows we weren’t, as a result of it is a workforce you’ll be able to’t do this to anymore. Haaland, a superb goalscorer, beefing with a 17 12 months outdated who had simply made his debut, spoke volumes to me.
I beloved Gabriel’s response to a query about Haaland throwing the ball in the back of his head:
I don’t even keep in mind this. It’s regular, they have been completely happy after scoring within the final minute. It’s a battle, a conflict and provocation is regular in soccer. Now it’s over and we’ll be ready for them at our home.
Be aware the distinction in angle there. As Metropolis’s gamers lined as much as bitch and moan, their sense of entitlement pricked in a giant method, Gabriel simply shrugged all of it off. Having been a part of a defensive effort that nearly received us three factors, and been on the tip of the ball factor, he in all probability had extra trigger to be bitter in his post-match interview than any of them, and he simply stated ‘Yeah no matter. We’ll see you subsequent time.’
And we are going to. I really like that. Anyway, sufficient of them. They’ve their very own issues to cope with now, and we have now to look ahead and get on with the remainder of what this week brings. There’s a Carabao Cup sport tomorrow (Arteta will meet the press later at this time, in order that may very well be fascinating), and the workforce choice will probably be fascinating. We’ll have extra on that tomorrow, and press convention updates over on Arseblog Information.
Within the meantime, if you need one thing to hearken to, we put out three podcasts yesterday.
1 – Arsecast Additional masking the sport in opposition to Metropolis.2 – Arsenal Girls Arsecast, a brand new format for this present discussing the 2-2 with Man Metropolis on Sunday.3 – The 30 over on Patreon – discussing all of the weekend’s Premier League motion.
Hopefully that’s sufficient to maintain you going for some time anyway. Proper, I’ll depart it there for now, have one.
