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Good Monday to you all.
All in all a good weekend for Arsenal. I watched Match of the Day yesterday, and was flummoxed by Man Metropolis’s draw with Nottingham Forest. Sure, I do know – that’s soccer. Some days you’ve got probabilities they usually simply gained’t go in, however nonetheless. It was a bit mad.
How do you even classify one thing like Erling Haaland smashing the ball over the bar from 6 yards? When a striker has scored as many objectives as he has in a season it’s exhausting to be vital of him, however isn’t it simply as massive a mistake as a goalkeeper letting one slip between his arms? Perhaps there isn’t a proper reply, I’m simply glad he fluffed his traces.
Behind them, Man Utd maintain profitable. I do know we’ve had a tough little run in the previous couple of weeks, however within the context of United’s kind with eight wins within the final eleven Premier League video games, our win over them appears much more spectacular. And probably essential. They might have performed a recreation greater than us, however the hole is now simply 5 factors. This isn’t a two-horse race for the title, there’s a 3rd runner. An outdated acquainted horse certainly.
What else? Nicely, now that the mud has settled and we took three factors off Villa, can we discuss concerning the therapy that Bukayo Saka continues to obtain? On Saturday, simply earlier than half-time, he was on the tip of a sneaky, nasty foul from Coutinho. Should you watch the replay, you may see he does a very fast ‘scissors’ with each ft, leaping into Saka’s ankles from behind.
The Arsenal man reacted, which I used to be glad to see as a result of I really feel like a part of the answer to that is for him to be perceived as a participant who gained’t simply take the kicks. Nonetheless, within the subsequent pushing and shoving, Saka ended up being yellow carded, whereas Coutinho acquired away with out one. The sly factor about this foul was that earlier within the half, Saka acquired studs down the again of his Achilles, a lot so his boot flew off, and the referee simply performed on. Coutinho knew he was sore there, and went in at him once more.
If you see Michail Antonio booked for a ‘foul’ on Harry Kane during which he actually didn’t contact the person, you need to ask questions. I’ll say it has been a bit higher of late with regards Saka, and when requested about this earlier within the season, a part of Mikel Arteta’s answer was to switch the best way he’s given the ball. Now we have minimised the quantity of occasions he’s fed together with his again fully to the defender, which then makes it tough for that defender to steam by way of him with impunity.
It’s not all the time potential although, and the incident I discussed within the Villa recreation was a type of. The ball broke, the defender caught him, it ought to have been a free kick. A easy determination. No one’s asking for the participant to be despatched to Siberia, these items occur, however letting them go with out something in any respect simply emboldens gamers to be extra bodily. In some unspecified time in the future, certainly one of these crunchers on Saka – certainly one of England’s finest gamers – goes to essentially harm him, and each Arsenal fan will say ‘We informed you this was going to occur’.
Requested about it afterwards, Arteta mentioned:
He acquired kicked quite a bit once more, however he’s going to need to take care of that, not each week, however each three days. Generally in coaching as nicely. It’s his recreation – groups usually are not silly they usually need to cease him. We have to shield him.
And requested if he wants extra safety from the officers, he mentioned:
We’ll focus on that. We’ll have a look at the pictures once more and report it if it’s vital.
Please report it. That is an ongoing problem and given Saka’s ever-increasing significance to this crew, it’s exhausting to not fear. I realise that it’s the nature of the beast to an extent, Saka is hardly the one skillful attacking participant to be on the tip of challenges that vary from determined to consider to try to cease him, however when he’s kicked from pillar to put up then roundly booed for it by the opposition followers, the substances are there for the referees to bake their cake of nothingness and inaction week in, week out.
It occurs within the Premier League. It occurred within the Europa League. It occurred on the World Cup. As I mentioned above, I used to be glad to see Saka let the opposition know he wasn’t going to take it, and I used to be simply as glad to see the Arsenal gamers have his again right away.
Little question that can result in one more FA cost for failing to manage our gamers (we’ve had extra fees for that this season than Sp*rs have had trophies within the final 60 years), but when Saka isn’t getting any safety from the officers, then his teammates can do their bit. He had the final snicker this weekend, his superb purpose contributing to an Arsenal win, however there’s an inequality in officiating phrases which is each apparent and problematic. If the membership can do their bit to focus on that, even privately, then I feel they want to do this. It’s not asking for particular therapy, it’s nearly equity.
Solely the England captain will get particular therapy.
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Proper, that’s it for now. James and I might be recording an Arsecast Additional for you afterward this morning. Maintain a watch out for the decision for questions on Twitter @gunnerblog and @arseblog on Twitter with the hashtag #arsecastextra – or if you happen to’re on Arseblog Member on Patreon, depart your query within the #arsecast-extra-questions channel on our Discord server.
We should always have the podcast for you round lunchtime. Till then.
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