Morning all, joyful Friday to you.
There’s an early Mikel Arteta press convention forward of our recreation towards Nottingham Forest tomorrow night. At this level the video games include such frequency, so shut collectively, it’s onerous to assume what he may be requested this morning that he didn’t extra much less cowl after the win towards Chelsea.
I assume there’s all the time one thing to talk about, all the time some nuggets to try to uncover. Maybe that unbearable man from Sky Sports activities can be there, making an attempt to glean any damage updates from Mikel Arteta by arriving with a group of balloon animals formed like gamers who’re doubts, ostentatiously popping every one that the supervisor confirms absent with a 3 foot lengthy pin.
Sky bloke: *Holds up a Calafiori giraffe* – “Eh? Eh?”
Arteta: ‘He received’t be accessible.’
*POP*
Arteta: *Does that smile the place there’s part of his mind that’s considering very darkish ideas however the smile is sufficiently smiley to present believable deniability*
Anyway, let’s see what information emerges. I did discover some chat on social media and past about an incident caught on digicam the place, because the staff have been popping out for the second half, Declan Rice and Albert Stuivenberg appeared to be having some tense phrases. There’s such a lust for drama lately that moments like this may be fully over-indexed. As you may see from in the present day’s header picture, the pair shared an excellent hug when Rice got here off in direction of the top of the sport, and in the end issues like this occur on a regular basis – it’s simply that this one was caught by Sky’s cameras.
I’ve seen it mentioned about this Arsenal staff that we’re ‘too emotional’, an odd criticism for me, however one I feel you’d extra simply apply to us a few seasons in the past. After we had that shock title problem, adopted by the season the place we have been pipped to the title by some extent, there was most likely a component of reality to that. The staff was youthful, we have been studying how you can cope with the stress – inner and exterior – of competing on the prime of the Premier League after so a few years not being part of that.
I don’t assume that’s relevant anymore, and you’ll see a fierce willpower to go the gap this time round. For instance, William Saliba speaking after the Chelsea recreation and responding to a query about whether or not or not profitable the Carabao Cup could be gas for the Premier League race:
“I’m drained to complete the season with out nothing in my pocket. So now we’ve 4 competitions to win. My pocket was empty final yr and now we wish to win every part. Carabao, FA Cup, Champions League, Premier League. After all it’s not simple to say it however we wish to show it on the pitch and we are going to give every part to win each title.”
And on whether or not he and Gabriel have been one of the best central-defensive partnership on the planet:
“I feel we’ve one of the best partnership on the planet however after all we’ve to show it with the titles, as a result of if we are saying we’re one of the best and we win nothing, it means nothing.”
No messing round. So if Declan Rice’s willpower to win that recreation, or Albert Stuivenberg’s need to get extra from certainly one of our gamers, leads to slightly little bit of an argument within the tunnel, that’s effective by me. Perhaps you name it aggressive pressure, however one of the best groups have it, cope with it, use it, and succeed due to it (or despite it). It’s essential that there’s a deal with the collective, and I feel you may see that this can be a good group who’re all pulling in the identical path in pursuit of a standard objective/targets, however slightly row within the tunnel is not any large deal, and definitely nothing for anybody to clutch their pearls about.
Consider Lauren having an almighty row with Patrick Vieira on the staff bus again in 2004. A Guardian report on the time mentioned, “Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira and Lauren needed to be separated by team-mates once they squared up to one another on the staff coach after the 1-1 Champions League draw with Rosenborg on Wednesday, in accordance with stories final night time.”
Squared up is a pleasant approach of placing it. Reportedly they ‘got here to blows’, or Lauren whacked him. 2004 was a fairly profitable yr, if I recall. Suppose additionally of Aaron Ramsey allegedly decking Robin van Persie after a recreation (towards Man Metropolis, I feel). Not essentially as a result of it sparked success, however as a result of the thought Aaron Ramsey giving Robin van Persie an excellent dig is a very nice approach to begin your Friday.
We reside in a time the place each tiny factor is amplified, however that is traditional storm in a teacup stuff. And as I mentioned, if that need to succeed and win issues means gamers and workers alike really feel as if they’ll push one another, then I feel we’ve obtained a significantly better probability of ending this season with silverware.
Proper, I’ll depart it there for now. For some additional studying, Tim’s column seems to be at how we would get extra out of the assault within the second half of the season, and we’ll have a preview podcast for you on Patreon a bit later in the present day.
Have an ideal Friday of us.
