Morning all.
There’s barely any time to course of the weekend’s soccer earlier than we face our subsequent recreation. Luton at residence on Wednesday night time 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 mentioned of Arsenal:
This can be a totally different workforce as a result of they’re extra skilled. Prime facet. Younger gamers with yet one more 12 months expertise, and at present they felt what it was wish to play right here final season and at present I feel they had been a lot better.
Man Metropolis have had it simple too usually in opposition to Arsenal, however this season is totally different. We beat them within the Neighborhood Protect (on penalties), beat them at residence within the Premier League, and stopped them scoring on the Etihad which few groups ever do. I feel you might see in a few of these post-game interactions that it has dawned on a couple of Man Metropolis gamers that this can be a totally different Arsenal, as Bernardo Silva mentioned. You don’t win trophies for mutual respect, nevertheless it 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:
Once we bought by way of generally they stopped us with the fouls. If there’s no motion to it from the referee, it’s onerous. There have been additionally some choices in opposition to them that I didn’t perceive why he gave a foul. There are some guidelines and I feel there are clear yellow playing cards the place it needs to be.
Hey Mr Pot, it’s me, Mr Kettle. Tactical fouling, rotational fouling, no matter you need 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 profitable possession and exploiting house.
To be truthful, I feel there have been moments the place if I’d been a Man Metropolis fan on Sunday, Anthony Taylor’s reluctance to subject yellow playing cards would have pissed off me, nevertheless it’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 scorching breath of their ear at quarters so, so, so shut it could be much more uncomfortable than the actual fact it was taking part in 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 at present and tomorrow, and determine on how finest to choose a workforce to beat Luton whereas doubtlessly giving a few gamers a relaxation. With all due respect to tomorrow’s opposition, one we can not take calmly as our first recreation in opposition to them this season confirmed, there’s extra chance of efficient rotation in opposition to them than a number of the fixtures that comply with this one. The supervisor meets the press this morning, and we’ll have to attend and see how a lot he is perhaps keen to try this, or discuss it within the build-up. My guess is a few, and never very a lot, respectively.
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Proper, that’s it for now. Have a great Tuesday of us.
