Rather than blather on about what happened in yesterday’s internationals (as if I watched them!) and babble about how my fingers are crossed over injuries, I think I’ll just link all the videos I could find of Arsenal’s players in action. I’ll be back to prattling on about Arsenal tomorrow after Wenger’s press conference.
First off we’ve got Cesc scoring for Spain. A wonderful little 1-2 with David Silva ends with Cesc (wearing the number 10!) calmly picking out the far post and slotting home. Also, please note the beard. That’s a serious beard and indicates a seriousness and maturity. Don’t doubt the beard.
Eduardo gets a consolation goal against England in the World Cup finals. Congratulations to England, you can go ahead and sew that coveted second star on your shirts now that you’re World Cup Champions!
Andrei Arshavin is a genius, but we already knew THAT.
Aaron Ramsey is the guy who took this corner which led to the Welsh goal. I hope that was a designed corner, because what Arsenal don’t need is more players who can’t put in a proper corner.
Thomas Rosicky played 56 minutes for a rampant Czech squad who beat someone 7-0. Here’s the video highlights of all the goals and shots, as far as I can tell he isn’t in this video, but maybe you have better eyes than me.
Here’s a video of some blobs in white strips who took on some blobs in red strips. One of the blobs in white strips scores an incredible looping header, then a blob in a red strip scores a goal, and then some people set fire to stuff.
And finally, here’s Los Estados Unidos scoring against Trinidad & Tobago. Technically it’s not an Arsenal goal but since so many Americans read this blog, I thought I’d include it. Plus, it’s a damn fine goal! The U.S. squad only won 1-0, but I still wonder if it isn’t time for the World Cup to split in the same way that UEFA split the Champions League into two tournaments: the real one and the Zenit St. Racistberg Cup. I mean T&T have no hope of ever winning the World Cup. EVER. Their best hope is to qualify and get crushed in the first round. Same with Faroe Islands, San Marino, etc etc. Why not have a Heineken Lite Cup for the smaller countries?
Ok, that’s about … injury news is leaking out and there’s a Sky story that Arshavin will be out for a week, with an aggravated groin.
I’m sure Wenger will be ecstatic upon hearing that Andrei Arshavin aggravated an existing injury playing 90 minutes for Russia ahead of an important game against Manchester City — which Mark Hughes is already predicting will be a 3-0 win for them.
ECSTATIC
The early news is that Arshavin aggravated his groin injury and will be out up to 2 wks. Thank you Gus Hiddinck, ex-coach of Chelsea for that knife in the back.
Okay, so the Arshavin injury leaves us all with disappointment.
For me, at some point, for Arsenal to truly be contenders, we must learn to win without Arshavin. There is never a better time to start than NOW.
The interlull has seen many of our player’s give good accounts of themselves for their national teams: Song, Bendtner, Ramsey, Sagna, Cesc, RvP, Eduardo, Arshavin, & Rosicky. I apologize if I left anyone out.
It appears that Theo will be returning soon. We should field a strong team against City and have no excuses for not playing well.
And to think that Arsene wenger actually likes & respects Gus HiddenNonsense. He is a slimy bastard.
@LRV, Agreed….I’ll always wonder what the “back-story” was about having Arshavin as a sub for the FA Cup semi and his “virus” for the late league match vs. Chelsea last season…
Beard bad but very nice goal.
Arshavin is just fucking typical (though in fairness to Russia they did need to win). But no excuse at all for playing Rosicky AGAINST SAN MARINO when he’s been out for most of this millennium and is liable to twist his ankle getting out of bed: OK, so maybe he’s survived without pulling a whatever again, but knowing Wenger he’ll feel two games in three days is too much. Why did we allow players who weren’t fit for the game against United even to go? We’re not obliged to, as far as I know.
I’ve heard City are without Robinho as well as Tevez – could someone confirm? And at least Denilson and Almunia will be thoroughly rested and unjetlagged. What have been doing all this time – playing scrabble together perhaps?
I loathe internationals to the depth of my being, but good luck to the Arsenal Ladeze – sorry, the England women’s team – in the final today.
Why is it that players can go 50 games a season for their club but can’t survive 1 week on international duty? The international staff is clearly doing something wrong.
Why should the international coaches give a toss when there isn’t another game till October and their jobs, their popularity is on trial? They’re going to use their best players even if it disables them for the rest of the season. We’ve seen it over and over again with the French who have to hobble around the pitch for 90 minutes to keep Domenech in his job. I don’t see why we release players for international duty when they were not fully fit the previous week, as was the case with Cesc, Arshavin and Rosicky. Did Vela play for Mexico?
@Mia, Clubs are mandated to release their players. National teams in Africa have threaten to report clubs for failing to release players. Sometimes National teams will take the injured players anyway if only to prove that they are injured and not be kept in hiding.
Russia’s behavior was despicable but the player is also to blame for wanting to play after coming through unscathed after training.
Vela did not play because we have put his ankle in a cast 🙂
You’re not mandated to release them if they’re carrying an injury. And how does Fergie get away with it time after time? Thing is, Wenger treats the players as adults whereas Fergie does not.
@ctpa, Could we have put Andrey’s groin in a cast? :’-
Good thinking. That’ll teach him who’s paying his wages.
Updates and some retractions.
Yesterday I mentioned Matt Cooke from Man City in the same sentence as Frank Arnesen of Chelsea and implied that he was in the same league as Arnesen, a known ‘tapper-upper’ of other teams players. I would like to correct some things concerning that association. First of all it is Garry Cooke and not Matt Cooke. Garry Cooke responded today to the charges from Bates of Leeds U concerning young players transferring from Leeds U. While digging around, I came across this about the Leeds player name Sanders who just signed on at Man City:
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/leeds/Swan-14-left-Leeds-United.5635883.jp
This story goes someways to support the contentions of Tim and Wenger that good young players should not be ‘enslaved’ until 18yo in a poor academy situation.
This is the same as parents being against gifted child school programs (unless their precious is considered one of the gifted) because gifted programs will inevitably drain off the best teachers and a sizable chunk of the resources. Unfortunately you cannot nor should one leave gifted children in an academically impoverish setting. Wenger argues that the best young players should be allowed to go where ever they can get the best training at whatever age provided that the compensation is fair.
The injury situation is this: Arshavin 9/26 return. Fabregas (hamstring) , Walcott (back) are possible for 9/12
Tevez, Robinho, Roque Santa Cruz, Company and Benjani will not be playing 9/12.
If you go to News Now: Man City, that board contains all Arsenal stories. Rocky News Now: Arsenal barely ‘notices’ Man City 🙂
@ctpa, That’s George Swan, son of former Leeds player Peter Swan who signed from Leeds U to Man City.
You too can be up to date w/ all the latest injury news:
http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php
Wenger is now saying 3 wks for Arshavin.
Walcott needs training before he can play so maybe the CL game.
Nobody panic, I’m working on the site design
Cpta, Thanks for all that info. Humph, yes, Cesc with a hamstring, just like before.
@Mia, Wenger will probably mix and match a bit with Andrey out–Maybe Eduardo, RVP, Bendtner up front with Cesc, Denilson & Song in the middle or Diaby in for any of one of those guys. Personally, I’m “boiling inside” to see Rosicky play, and a little Theo pace will be nice as well…
Also, IMHO, from personal experience, a groin injury deserves full rehab–rest, followed by slow stretching & strengthening–And you can still keep moving (jogging) instead of eating blintzes and drinking vodka–just no sprinting, etc. We need to show we can cope without the genius of our little giant (Andrey) and have him a full strength as the season moves along.
I hate that CSS will only allow one image per background
There will probably be a hybrid line up from what we’ve seen already. I’d have to assume that Denilson, Song, and Diaby the middle three, with Van Persie, Cesc and Eduardo/Bendtner up front. Wenger could even go through Eboue in. Rosicky off the bench.
On a side note, good work on all the videos. Regarding the US goal, I wish I could get one of those Spanish announcers to narrate my life in real time. I swear, just walking down the street would be the most interesting thing ever.
Questions:
Why is Cesc questionable for Saturday 9/12? He played for his country and scored. He should be included for good. It’s not like we are playing a lower team.
This is a question i have been asking fro the last couple years. Why at one point or another, is every one of our players get hurt (significantly) I wonder if it’s the training that Arsene has them do? Is it that our players are weak? i feel that other teams just don’t have the same injuries.
@TXGun, I don’t think Arsenal have any more injuries than any other team it’s just that, up until this year, they lacked depth.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/sep/11/arsenal-property-deals-digger
An update on the Highbury Square sales.
http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/2009/09/englands-youth-development-system-handed-over-to-arsenal/
This is the answer to my question to the British media: why isn’t Arsenal’s name being dragged through the tapping up scandals which have become so prominent of late. (We know why but I want the British media to acknowledge us in a positive way.) This also explains the vociferous denunciation that Wenger made today about an 18yo transfer restriction.
Lost in this hub bub is Young Guns scoop that Arsenal head of youth scouting has resigned. “In hose politics” is being blamed but I think that is BS. Look for him to turn up in another club’s youth set with a big raise real soon.
You know it is a real drag to see Arsenal constantly being having to fend off all manner of attacks from the FA, FIFA, UEFA, media, pundits, idiots, “doom and gloomers”, and “Wenger lost the plot”(ters). We have our structure. We have our history. We have our culture. We have our supporters. We have Wenger. We will prevail.
@ctpa, so so true. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a England World Cup squad in 2014 and 2018 made up almost exclussively of Arsenal lads.
@Xabier, Yes since we have now become the DE FACTO England National Youth Academy of Excellence a la Clairefontaine for France.