Morning all.
I’ve to say I’m most amused by the deal with Arsenal and the ‘darkish arts’ after the sport on Sunday. We’ve had a procession of Man Metropolis gamers come out to complain about it or, at the very least, reference it.
Manuel Akanji requested if Arsenal had mastered the ‘darkish arts’: “Sure, I don’t assume there are numerous higher than them at it.”
John Stones in his post-game interview: “You may name it intelligent or soiled, whichever method you need to put it, they break up the sport and it upsets the rhythm for everybody. They use it for his or her benefit.”
Bernardo Silva: “There was just one workforce that got here to play soccer. The opposite got here to play to the bounds of what was potential to do and allowed by the referee, sadly.
“The referee allowed a sequence of time-wasting occasions. The factor that bothers me essentially the most is having a whole lot of conferences with the FA at the start of every season. They inform us they may management this type of scenario and can cease them, however in the long run it doesn’t have any price. They are saying rather a lot however nothing occurs.”
Nothing occurs?! We actually had a participant despatched off for it! It additionally overlooks the truth that regardless of Metropolis going forward, we performed sufficient soccer to be 2-1 up on the break, and that second half promised rather a lot from us earlier than the Trossard crimson card pressured a change in techniques. Nothing occurs. Get outta right here.
What’s fairly amusing about all that is the truth that Man Metropolis, and each Pep Guardiola workforce ever, has had a cynical streak a mile lengthy. Even when he had gamers as good as Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta at his disposal, they weren’t averse the sort of nonsense you’d see from Sergio Busquets frequently. An excellent participant too, by the best way, however somebody who would dive, roll round, make fouls and disrupt the opposition’s rhythm at each alternative. Even at 11 v 11, not to mention enjoying a whole half half a person down.
And who do you assume instructed him to try this? A person sitting not distant from Mikel Arteta on Sunday. A chair kicker extraordinaire. A person whose spittle was so white he may as effectively have been Riquelme dealing with Jens Lehmann. Right here’s a pic I’ve shared earlier than, it’s our supervisor whereas he was a coach at Man Metropolis – underneath Pep, to be 100% clear, and working underneath his instruction – giving some pre-game directions to a few of their gamers:
I believe I noticed a quote from Guardiola afterwards the place he mainly mentioned he would have finished the identical as we did within the context of the sport. So, it makes it extra humorous that Metropolis’s gamers are complaining about one thing their very own supervisor would do if he needed to. Which is – to be clear – no matter it takes to get a end in a recreation of soccer. Arsenal didn’t invent these things, it goes on in each recreation at each stage each weekend of the yr, but it surely’s humorous the way it’s within the highlight due to our efficiency towards Man Metropolis.
Slightly than be aggravated by this type of stuff, we needs to be amused by it. We needs to be inspired by it, as a result of the best way Sunday went and Metropolis’s response to it, tells you that we’re not a workforce they take evenly anymore. Erling Haaland shedding the plot and telling Mikel Arteta to ‘keep humble’ may irk some folks, but it surely simply makes me chortle. I assumed the best way the supervisor did a double-take as if he didn’t fairly hear him, earlier than simply strolling off was hilarious and completely dismissive.
The Man Metropolis Twitter account clipping up a video of Haaland committing a few rugby tackles on Saliba and Partey (each of which had been extra deserving of a yellow than something Trossard did) tells you a lot about how this recreation went for them. He scored an incredible purpose the opposite day, however they highlighted the actual fact he’s a 6’5 battering ram, as if it confirmed how we’d been pushed round. Everyone knows we weren’t, as a result of it is a workforce you’ll be able to’t do this to anymore. Haaland, a superb goalscorer, beefing with a 17 yr outdated who had simply made his debut, spoke volumes to me.
I beloved Gabriel’s response to a query about Haaland throwing the ball in the back of his head:
I don’t even bear in mind this. It’s regular, they had been blissful after scoring within the final minute. It’s a battle, a struggle and provocation is regular in soccer. Now it’s over and we’ll be ready for them at our home.
Notice the distinction in perspective there. As Metropolis’s gamers lined as much as bitch and moan, their sense of entitlement pricked in a giant method, Gabriel simply shrugged all of it off. Having been a part of a defensive effort that nearly received us three factors, and been on the tip of the ball factor, he most likely had extra trigger to be bitter in his post-match interview than any of them, and he simply mentioned ‘Yeah no matter. We’ll see you subsequent time.’
And we’ll. I like that. Anyway, sufficient of them. They’ve their very own issues to take care of now, and now we have to look ahead and get on with the remainder of what this week brings. There’s a Carabao Cup recreation tomorrow (Arteta will meet the press later right this moment, in order that could possibly be attention-grabbing), and the workforce choice can be fascinating. We’ll have extra on that tomorrow, and press convention updates over on Arseblog Information.
Within the meantime, if you need one thing to hearken to, we put out three podcasts yesterday.
1 – Arsecast Further protecting the sport towards Metropolis.
2 – Arsenal Girls Arsecast, a brand new format for this present discussing the 2-2 with Man Metropolis on Sunday.
3 – The 30 over on Patreon – discussing all of the weekend’s Premier League motion.
Hopefully that’s sufficient to maintain you going for some time anyway. Proper, I’ll depart it there for now, have one.
