Arsenal
As a lot as I hate to be the bearer of dangerous information, Andrew really isn’t again till tomorrow, so I’m again within the chair for one final dance at the moment. I’ll simply provide you with a second to roll your eyes and let the frustration sink in.
OK, come to phrases with issues? Good. Let’s crack on.
Not that there’s hundreds to crack on with, thoughts. With no worldwide event this summer season, not less than none with any Arsenal curiosity, there simply isn’t a lot happening. As Tim touched on yesterday, this does appear to create a form of angst for some individuals, the place the dearth of stories is interpreted as an absence of motion. So I believed I’d attempt to put issues into a bit of little bit of a perspective by zooming out.
Tomorrow is fixture launch day, with the opening day of the season nonetheless nearly two months away. Two months! Have you ever any concept how lengthy two months is? Two months in the past at the moment, Andrew opened the weblog with this:
Arsenal are into the Champions League semi-finals for the primary time in 16 years, having accomplished a well-known double over Actual Madrid with a 2-1 win on the Bernabeu final evening.
The purpose is, two months is an eternity. Andrea Berta was two weeks into the job at that time. His ft needs to be firmly below the desk by now and he’ll be on the cellphone continuous, little question ruining the household vacation. The identical goes, I’d think about, for Mikel Arteta.
Personally I don’t see the dearth of stories as an absence of exercise, I simply assume Arsenal are speaking to varied events and, as issues stand, there are nonetheless numerous methods for the summer season to pan out, so it is smart for the membership to be holding as many irons within the fireplace as doable. Do the preparation on numerous offers so that you’re not ranging from zero if one thing falls by way of due to value, competitors, and even harm.
We’ve turn into so used to getting day by day updates on each information story on the market, it turns into tougher and tougher to modify off in the course of the summer season, however an absence of updates doesn’t imply an absence of labor. The earliest first crew summer season signing I can discover in recent times is Kai Havertz, and that wasn’t till 28 June two summers in the past. Most — Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Sambi Lokonga, Jurrien Timber, Ben White — have been introduced in July and been greater than obtainable for the opening sport of the season.
Anyway, tomorrow is fixture launch day! All of that will likely be lined in these pages tomorrow. I believe Andrew’s of the opinion that, mainly, none of it issues. And whereas I believe he’s in all probability proper, I nonetheless can’t assist however be enthusiastic about it annually.
It’s not simply the primary landmark that basically signifies one season is over and one other is on the horizon, however I believe you possibly can actually see a season start to take some form of form in your thoughts. Typically you see Newcastle and Chelsea away with a Champions League sport (which ended up being Inter away) squeezed between them and also you assume, eesh, that gained’t be enjoyable, and also you’re proper. Typically you see a troublesome begin to the season — journeys to Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester Metropolis — and also you assume, eesh, that gained’t be enjoyable, and also you’re proper however not as a result of Arsenal really find yourself dropping any floor.
A season clearly doesn’t take form simply with the schedule there for all to see. Final season it appeared like we had a extremely nasty begin to the season and we got here by way of it properly, solely to drop factors in among the ‘simpler’ fixtures that adopted. Liverpool had one of many best begins to the season on paper however misplaced to Nottingham Forest earlier than anybody knew Forest would really beat lots of groups. After 5 video games there wasn’t a lot of a spot between us and Liverpool. By the point 10 had been performed — and our run had eased, their’s had picked up — the hole was seven.
However by way of meaninglessness, I nonetheless assume it’s fairly fulfilling. I’m wanting ahead to scouring the 38 dates, making a psychological word of when the derbies in opposition to them lot are, when Liverpool will likely be on the town, who we play on Boxing Day (if we play on Boxing Day — my fingers are crossed), and once we can lastly beat Fulham at residence and Newcastle away once more.
By then we’ll have a brand new striker, a brand new midfielder, a brand new backup goalkeeper, three new left-backs, new contracts for half the crew, and no purchaser for Oleksandr Zinchenko. Plus ça change.
There was an announcement yesterday that Renee Slegers will likely be on the BBC’s punditry crew for the Girls’s Euros — one thing Jonas Eidevall additionally did as Arsenal supervisor — and I’m wanting ahead to seeing her insights. Usually I believe managers in these conditions can provide a lot extra that former gamers would miss or not likely recognize, and that form of number of voice is extremely welcome.
Additionally on the ladies’s facet of issues, the WSL yesterday introduced a transfer from 12 to 14 groups for the highest flight beginning with the 2026/27 season, which actually does sound to me prefer it’s manner into the long run however, properly, clearly it’s only a 12 months away. You possibly can learn extra in regards to the particulars right here and hopefully it means extra golf equipment throughout the nation make investments increasingly more into their girls’s groups.
There’s additionally an Arseblog Information round-up on among the newest switch stuff from Andrew Allen if that tickles your fancy.
You (and I) will likely be again within the most secure of Irish arms tomorrow. I’m positive Andrew will return properly fed, tanned, and delighted to be again on the keyboard. Till subsequent time!
