Hello everyone, or is it already afternoon?
Tomorrow morning in the wee hours, Arsenal plays Barcelona. I don’t think Barca will be as “rough” as Man Utd was the other day (UK time). Although I don’t believe Barcelona is as strong as they once were, they are still a quality football team. Unfortunately, most of us in England and other parts of Europe will be asleep for what should be a good and interesting encounter for the supporters of both clubs.
Because of the level we are playing at and the kind of opponent we will be facing tomorrow, as well as the large crowd in the stadium, it will be (different from the game on Saturday). Both they and we must be prepared for that. Therefore, I anticipate that the match tomorrow will be very competitive.
Mikel is subtle. Lol
Other questions were posed to Arteta and Jesus, but the one that stuck out to me concerned the vice-captain and who would fill the position now that Granit Xhaka had departed:
Just to make sure that the squad is clear, the duties are clear, and that when we make a decision, it’s the decision, we need a little bit more time. Because the market is so unpredictable, if we do it too soon, we may have to change it, and I don’t want to do that.
You can interpret that any way you want, but in my opinion he’s indicating that he doesn’t want to name a vice-captain in case that player later departs. Which one among Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, or even Jesus, Zinchenko, or Jorginho might it be if I’m right, I wonder? It won’t likely be one of our summer additions, and it must be a guy that starts games rather than just sits on the bench.
Eddie Nketiah, who has been referred to as more than simply a backup player, comes to mind while discussing bench players.
No, I don’t believe I have accepted that, and I’ll never accept it. That’s not how I think. I didn’t come here to be second best; that wasn’t why I signed up. I have the idea that I must play and strive to be the greatest. I am aware that I may not play in every game, and the coach makes that decision, but I will never have the mentality to accept not playing.
To have opportunities to demonstrate why I believe I should be playing and to trouble the manager, I will always push myself throughout training. That mindset ought to be shared by most athletes. There are various methods. It serves no purpose to complain all day long. There is no point in moaning while sitting outside the pitch since the manager’s door is always open, so you must express yourself on the pitch.
Interesting timing, in my opinion, given the reports that Flo Balogun was denied a second loan, a contract extension, and promises of first-team action at Arsenal. If I were a cynic, I’d assume that Nketiah is asking Balogun to be patient and wait for his opportunity, just like he did Lokonga, while also informing Arteta that he’s the one who will put the team/club before anything else. Despite his comments, he is admirable in some aspects and somewhat defeatist in others.
It’s difficult to decide who is correct in this situation; perhaps ambitious is a better term. Nketiah for being content with where he is, knowing that most likely he’ll only ever be a backup for Jesus, or Balogun for thinking he’s good enough, or certainly too excellent, to play second or third fiddle to Jesus and or Nketiah…