Morning all.
After Tuesday’s win, we wait. Await information on Gabriel. Await information on Jurrien Timber. Await information on Ben White. Given the way in which this season has gone to date with regards accidents, you wouldn’t be in any respect shocked if the information was unhealthy. Excellent news has been in brief provide, so why would something change now?
Even when, for all three, it was a query of weeks, it’d nonetheless be unhealthy as a result of time is tight and inside that interval we have now to play two Champions League ties in opposition to a facet with a number of the most potent attacking expertise on the planet. Mikel Arteta was placing a courageous face on issues after the Fulham recreation, however inside he should be gutted/screaming/weeping – delete the place applicable.
The query about why we’ve had so many accidents is an apparent one, however one with out an apparent reply. I believe if it was actually easy, we’d simply repair it. As an alternative it’s a mix of things, from enjoying time to the schedule that calls for a lot of gamers, to the depth of how soccer is performed lately, to some ill-fortune. Are our coaching pitches too exhausting? They weren’t final season. Did our medical and physio workers all graduate from the Dr Nick Faculty of Muscley and Tendony Stuff? Clearly not.
Does it require some investigation? Completely, however whereas our points are particular to us, I don’t suppose we’re distinctive in that we’ve suffered lots of accidents this season. It’s been a major issue for plenty of groups within the Premier League this season, and round Europe too. And for me, there’s a form of vicious circle at play. For those who lose an essential participant, you want others to take up the slack, due to this fact you lean into probably the most dependable performers – normally your greatest gamers – and thus the burden on them turns into form of relentless.
Followers speak on a regular basis about how we have to rotate and shield gamers, and I fully get that. However, put your self within the supervisor’s sneakers for a day. It’s a must to choose the workforce to play an essential Premier League recreation – they’re all essential, it’s simply the diploma of problem that modifications a bit – and also you’re sitting down to jot down the names on the teamsheet. You HAVE to win. You’ve received a giant European recreation developing the next midweek. You’ve had a tough recreation three days in the past which required everybody to dig deep. The upcoming opposition are first rate too. You’re feeling such as you’d like to provide a few gamers a relaxation forward of the Champions League tie however you want these three factors.
After you jot down ‘David Raya’ in purpose, are you courageous sufficient to place out a central defensive partnership of Ben White and Jakub Kiwior to provide the principle males a relaxation, or do you, as I most actually would, write William Saliba and Gabriel? Do you actually go together with Raheem Sterling on the precise forward of Bukayo Saka? No you don’t. You can also make the strong argument that higher squad constructing can alleviate the calls for on a few of these gamers, however you may’t have two Salibas and two Gabriels as a result of gamers that good could be someplace else enjoying first workforce soccer each week. Getting picked for each recreation as a result of the perfect gamers play.
Are there issues Mikel Arteta and different managers may in all probability do a bit higher? Certain. I believe maybe this season goes to be one from which classes have to be realized about squad depth and the way you employ gamers, however when it boils proper right down to it, most managers choose their greatest gamers probably the most usually, and that goes from the highest to the underside of the league … each league, each supervisor. It’s extra about the way you deal with absences, and sadly for us, we’ve had a season the place accidents have are available in clusters.
The one ones that kind of got here on their very own had been Martin Odegaard – when he suffered that ankle drawback, a problem exacerbated by the actual fact we let Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira depart and had no cowl; and Ben White requiring surgical procedure in November. In that case, we had Jurrien Timber who has accomplished an amazing job, however perhaps he too has now fallen sufferer to the bodily calls for positioned on him as the one out there proper again.
The Saka/Jesus/Havertz/Martinelli cluster occurred across the finish of 2024/early 2025, and that principally value us our likelihood of the title; and if we’re going into the Actual Madrid video games with out White, Timber, Gabriel and Calafiori (in addition to Takehiro Tomiyasu whose absence is a bit more distinct however nonetheless an element), it’s exhausting to not concern that it’ll be a part of why we battle to get past the quarter-finals. In each these cases, our capacity to deal with harm has been diminished massively.
Dropping Gabriel alone would have been an enormous blow, however with the others full suit you’d be assured you possibly can cope to an extent. With out them, if that’s the case, it’s gonna be an enormous, large problem. So, let’s wait and see, maintain fingers crossed and all the remaining, and we would get an replace sooner or later right this moment or in Arteta’s press convention tomorrow.
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A ultimate factor for right this moment, and it’s one thing I’ve written about greater than as soon as this season, not nearly incidents involving Arsenal both. As soon as once more VAR and PGMOL abjectly did not do their job correctly final night time within the Merseyside derby. James Tarkowski completely ought to have seen pink for a brutal and pointless problem on Alexis Mac Allister.
I do know he performed the ball first however there’s no want for him to observe by means of the way in which he did. It was harmful, reckless, endangered the opponent, and he received only a yellow card. Possibly it’s a type of the place perhaps the ref doesn’t see it properly sufficient, however that’s what VAR is for and as soon as extra they pay quick shrift to violent conduct and let him away with it.
PGMOL’s observe report with incidents like this can’t be a coincidence, it’s received to be coverage, and it’s simply not adequate. After they’re joyful throw round pink playing cards that aren’t pink playing cards or second yellows for trivial nonsense, however fail to officiate the sport correctly relating to incidents like this, then questions need to be requested. Sadly, these questions maintain getting ignored, and it’ll in all probability solely take a really critical harm for others to take a seat up and take discover. What a disgrace.
Proper, I’ll depart it there for this morning. Have a very good one people.
