Morning all.
With our subsequent recreation not till Monday, I think that is going to be a fairly quiet week. Until there’s some unexpected drama, however at this stage, that’s one thing we might do with out. We might do with out that at any stage, to be honest.
That is the consequence of profitable properly. You speak about how good it was for the 24 hours or so afterwards, and that’s principally all there may be to say. Dropping, after all, often requires extra introspection, extra evaluation, as a result of one thing has gone fallacious and you must speak about what it was and methods to repair it. Opinions are likely to diverge extra about that stuff.
We don’t want to do this after dispatching Newcastle 4-1. We simply have to lie again and consider the beautiful three factors, sipping our cocktails, whereas Eddie Howe’s assistant takes out his frustration by sending sick children in a hospital a message about it being their final ever Christmas, or one thing. Sure, even in February.
One of many issues that was so pleasing to me concerning the win on Saturday was how we made them look so meek. We all know what they’re about, how they wish to play with power and aggression, and so they couldn’t do it. It wasn’t that they didn’t wish to, it was that we didn’t allow them to, and as a lot as scoring targets and profitable video games and glorious performances are markers of this crew’s improvement, so too is that. It reveals we’re maturing, which is kinda apparent given the age of most of our key gamers, however the means to not simply rise to the event, however grasp it augurs properly.
Earlier than the sport on Saturday, Sporting Director Edu did an interview on TNT Sports activities, and was requested concerning the summer time plans, and whether or not or not a striker was prime of the checklist. For pretty apparent causes, he didn’t go into a lot element about that. It would properly be one thing Arsenal are on the lookout for, however as you head into probably the most essential a part of the season, you don’t publicly undermine the gamers you will have in any means. Even when the message we’re after a goalscorer may be properly acquired by followers, he has to consider how it might go down within the dressing room – particularly in a interval once we’ve scored 25 targets in our final 6 matches.
What he did broaden on a little bit was how they assess potential signings, not simply by way of their high quality, however on their character and persona too. He stated:
Many instances in sure conversations to recruit the gamers you don’t see the character of the participant, or the character of the participant doesn’t match properly with what we are attempting to do after which you need to transfer on and attempt to discover what we’re actually on the lookout for.
In case you see all of the signings we’ve made since we began collectively, everybody is sort of the identical, younger, energetic and passionate, and good skills with large, lovely futures forward of them.
Sure, there’s a stability. Supreme expertise can generally offset some attributes you won’t at all times need, however to my thoughts there’s no query there’s a through-line between how properly this crew has been constructed and the way good it’s now, and the varieties of individuals we’ve introduced into the membership. Reaching that was a tough course of, as we skilled with among the departures and the style of them, and I don’t assume it’s fairly as straightforward to take care of as some folks assume.
I’ll admit, it’s a part of why I’ve actual doubts about Ivan Toney regardless of the persistent hyperlinks with him, and his seemingly availability this summer time. As I stated, in some circumstances you may, and doubtless ought to, prioritise a participant’s expertise over what sort of particular person they’re, however these are fairly uncommon – and I think these guys often find yourself at golf equipment the place there’s a extra settled chaos, if that is sensible. The place turmoil and drama is constructed into the very essence of the establishment, and I don’t assume that’s what this specific iteration of Arsenal is, in any case.
Time will inform, after all, and there’s much more to do between now and Could, however I’m so curious to see who our targets are this summer time, and what positions. Midfield, striker, fairly apparent, however the place else and who else? We’ll discover out quickly sufficient.
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Lastly for right this moment, February twenty seventh marks 22 years to the day since I sat down at my desk in Barcelona and wrote the primary weblog on Arseblog. To say it’s been a journey is one thing of an understatement, in order ever, I simply wish to thank all of you a lot for studying, listening, commenting, coming to our dwell reveals, subscribing to our Patreon and the whole lot else. It is a actual neighborhood, which has all of you on the coronary heart of it, and to have the ability to do what we do right here stays a real privilege.
An enormous thanks too to Andrew, James, Tim, Tom, Jeorge, Lewis, Phil, Jon, Jason, Hatta, and Billy who’re half of the present crew, and to folks like Scott, Tim B, and so many others who’ve contributed a lot down the years. And apologies for forgetting somebody as a result of I nearly definitely have (which is what occurs whenever you do that for thus lengthy!).
Thanks 🙏❤️
Andrew
