It was a very overcast and humid morning in Dublin, where the unfortunate excuse for summer continues.
I am sure that this kind of weather will not be experienced in Marbella, where Arsenal have been working hard for pre-season. Of course, this includes players who are not participating in European competitions this summer, whether it be the Euros or the Copa America. I Comment from Martin Odegaard The content about him was very interesting.
From our perspective as fans, it’s a good thing that he and other players like Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Jesus haven’t trained or played competitive games over the summer, but the mindset of the players is different. The captain says:
I wanted to go to the Euros but I was disappointed that we didn’t qualify, so I want to be there but that’s the situation. The amount of intense games we play and how hard it is to play football on the biggest stage is always good to have a break. It’s really hard so it’s good to have a break but I want to go there and play.
The discussion about player welfare, what clubs, countries demand and the associated demands that, for the biggest stars, should always exist as a mixture of footballer, human and brand, will never end. The genie has come out of the bottle, the horse has run away, and if there is more, it is hardly less, and I think we have to accept that professional football is basically an 11-month job a year. If they can be alone for four weeks, they are lucky. Because with domestic leagues, European competitions, international matches, pre-season tours and everything else, it is now essentially a non-stop job.
Yesterday on Arsecast Extra we were asked whether it would be a good idea to delay the return of players like Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and William Saliba, given how far they have come in Euro 2024 (and the extra-time mess they were involved in). The answer to that question is, of course, yes. It would be a good idea to give them a few weeks off, recharge (physically and mentally) and get them back in action. Arsene Wenger has often spoken about the need to be mindful of players who have been involved in international competitions and how important rest is.
But the reality is that it can’t be. There’s more than a month between the Euro 2024 final and the Premier League opener. Two weeks off (they won’t be peeing and eating fish and chips before they return to training, looking like Norm from Cheers). Then another two weeks to prepare for Wolves. Look at the opening game of the season. You want to add quality and depth to the squad before then, but you can’t play that game without that trio. Sure, you can, but you don’t want to. And so the cycle continues.
Odegaard’s comments on last season:
It’s easy to look at just one game, but I think you have to look at the whole season. We haven’t been consistent enough to win, and we have to work to win, and we know we can improve and get better, and that’s what we’re working on. We were very close, but I’m sure we’ll come back stronger now.
This is also reflected in comments made by manager Mikel Arteta last week.
Analysing all the stats and everything the team has done in the Premier League over the last 11 months, we should have won. That’s what the stats say. The reality is we haven’t won and there are things we haven’t managed as well as Man City or other clubs in the past. I think we know where the gap is. I think we’ve come a long way. We’ve been really consistent in terms of performance and the level we want to achieve over the last 24 months. But the gap is very small. One way is to get 90% of what we want and actually the 10%, 5%, 1% defines success and winning major trophies. Now we just have to keep doing all the right things and make that small difference to win the tournament.
It’s a challenge enough in itself, but he has to do it in the summer of the tournament, which affects many things, including the players and recruitment aspect. He could be working with Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, who walked on air after England won the title, or two players who have given so much to the cause but are looking tired and lacking. The same could apply to William Saliba, the French team that plays Spain in the first semi-final tonight.
Nobody said it would be easy, but in addition to trying to improve on what we did last season – a game that Arsenal never won in the Premier League – these other factors will test Arteta and his management skills. But what I’m saying is that this is the kind of thing he likes to do. So we’ll have to wait and see how it goes. It’s going to be a more complicated season than last season, but I think that applies to everyone, not just us.
Okay, that’s all for now. Enjoy the game later.
