Morning all.
With our subsequent sport 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 discuss how good it was for the 24 hours or so afterwards, and that’s mainly all there may be to say. Shedding, after all, normally requires extra introspection, extra evaluation, as a result of one thing has gone improper and you could discuss what it was and the right way 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 must lie again and consider the stunning 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 vitality 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 wonderful performances are markers of this staff’s improvement, so too is that. It exhibits we’re maturing, which is kinda apparent given the age of most of our key gamers, however the potential 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 season plans, and whether or not or not a striker was high of the record. For pretty apparent causes, he didn’t go into a lot element about that. It’d properly be one thing Arsenal are in search of, 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 method. Even when the message we’re after a goalscorer is likely to be properly obtained by followers, he has to consider how it could go down within the dressing room – particularly in a interval after we’ve scored 25 targets in our final 6 matches.
What he did broaden on just a little was how they assess potential signings, not simply by way of their high quality, however on their character and persona too. He said:
Many occasions 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 it’s a must to transfer on and attempt to discover what we’re actually in search of.
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 steadiness. Supreme expertise can typically offset some attributes you may not at all times need, however to my thoughts there’s no query there’s a through-line between how properly this staff has been constructed and the way good it’s now, and the varieties of individuals now we have introduced into the membership. Reaching that was a troublesome course of, as we skilled with among the departures and the style of them, and I don’t suppose it’s fairly as simple to take care of as some individuals suppose.
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 season. As I stated, in some circumstances you possibly can, and possibly ought to, prioritise a participant’s expertise over what sort of individual they’re, however these are fairly uncommon – and I think these guys normally find yourself at golf equipment the place there’s a extra settled chaos, if that is smart. The place turmoil and drama is constructed into the very essence of the establishment, and I don’t suppose that’s what this explicit 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 season, 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 at the 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 stay exhibits, subscribing to our Patreon and every part 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 individuals 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 virtually actually have (which is what occurs if you do that for therefore lengthy!).
Thanks 🙏❤️
Andrew
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