Morning.
First up, properly finished to Arsenal Ladies who beat Rangers 6-0 of their Champions League qualifier final evening. Caitlin Foord went full Arshavin and scored 4, however this time in a sport we didn’t let the opposition rating the identical quantity. That was at all times the trick, you see.
Subsequent up Rosenborg on Saturday, and if we win that we go right into a two legged playoff to get into the group stage – the opposition for that might be drawn on Monday (thanks Tim!). You’ll discover the match report, purpose clips, and post-match response over on our devoted Arsenal Ladies part on Arseblog Information.
Elsewhere, 5 Arsenal gamers have been nominated for the Ballon D’Or this 12 months. New signing Mariona Caldentey has been given the nod for the ladies’s award, whereas Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and William Saliba are up for the lads. I suppose the popularity is sweet for them, however I’m probably not a fan of particular person awards in crew video games – past those you obtain on benefit like being prime goalscorer, most clear sheets and many others. These are primarily based on efficiency.
The Ballon D’Or is chosen by a panel of journalists, restricted to the highest 100 international locations from the FIFA males’s world rating (males), and the highest 50 international locations from the ladies’s world rating (girls, obvs!). Now, with out desirous to denigrate a whole career as a result of that may be foolish, there are some excellent soccer journalists, and a few not so good ones. That’s true the world over. You don’t want examples from me, however suffice to say there are some individuals’s whose vote I wouldn’t pay a lot consideration to.
Additionally, I don’t know understand how anybody can take the Ballon D’Or severely when Pavel Nedved was voted the winner forward of Thierry Henry in 2003. That’s like Fabio Vieira being voted the World’s Strongest Man forward of that massive Icelandic bloke who seems to be like he’s made out of boulders, or Fletch from TNT Sport successful commentator of the 12 months forward of actually anybody else on the planet who may make even a light grunting sound right into a microphone.
Okay, Nedved was an excellent participant, you possibly can’t deny that, however was he higher than Thierry Henry in 2003? The reply, in fact, is not any – as a result of I don’t suppose there was anybody higher than him at that time. Whereas stats don’t inform you all the things, he had 32 objectives and 25 assists in 55 appearances to his identify within the 2002-03 season, one which ought to have seen us retain the title, however then that Bolton sport after which Mark goddam Viduka occurred and … too quickly, too quickly, I do know.
In the meantime, Nedved produced a really common 14 objectives and 11 assists in 46 video games for Juventus who received Serie A (huge deal, they had been dishonest in all places because the Calciopoli scandal revealed they usually had been subsequently relegated), and misplaced the Champions League last to AC Milan. He didn’t even play in that sport, I feel he was suspended, and as I sit right here scripting this morning it appears clear that the entire thing was rigged. Identical to so many Juventus wins down the years.
Is that harsh? Probably, however then I’m nonetheless not over the Liam Brady factor, so all of it balances out in the long run. Expensive Lord, what a tragic little life, Pavel. You ruined Thierry’s evening, fully, so you would have the trophy, however I hope now you spend a while getting some classes in grace and decorum as a result of you will have all of the grace of a reversing dump truck with none tyres on.
And so forth.
Proper, I’m gonna depart it there for this morning. We are going to most likely have an Arsecast for you a bit afterward, however for now, have an excellent one.
