Morning.
In yesterday’s Interlull action Riccardo Calafiori didn’t play at all for Italy which I think is good but it’s also something that has me a bit worried. There’s no report of any injury, but he played the 90 minutes of the previous game so a complete lack of involvement has my spider senses tingling a bit. He was on the bench, but that doesn’t always mean anything. Let’s see.
Viktor Gyokeres had one shot on target as Sweden were beaten 2-0 by Kosovo. I hope my theory that he’s saving up all his shots and goals for us is true. I guess we’ll find out pretty soon. The only other Arsenal player in action yesterday was Ethan Nwaneri who scored the opening goal in England U21s 2-0 win in Kazakhstan. It was a nice hit from the edge of the area, exactly the sort of position you want him to be in, he’s such a clean striker of the ball.
I’m really fascinated to see how it goes with him this season. After signing his new contract he spoke about being ready to play ‘anywhere across the front 5’, but a bit like Myles Lewis-Skelly with the arrival of Piero Hincapie, there’s real competition for all of those places. The two Hale End boys are both facing real challenges for minutes, but maybe that’s why we’ve built this squad out. On the one hand, it takes the pressure off a couple of 18 year olds who still have a long way to go in their careers, but on the other it’s a reminder that nothing comes easy at this level. If you want it, you really have to work hard and demonstrate the will to fight for your place.
Speaking of competition for places, it was something Gabriel Martinelli was asked about while away on international duty for Brazil. The arrival of Eberechi Eze has many predicting there might be a change on the left, and for Martinelli – whose form has been iffy of late – that might be a problem. I liked his response though:
Regarding Arsenal, it’s like here in the National Team. If you ask me if it’s good to have Vini or Rodrygo in the National Team, I’ll definitely say yes. Because he’ll help the team to win titles. And if we want to win, we need quality players.
It’s the same with Arsenal. I’m very happy with Eze and Madueke’s arrival as well. Trosarrd also plays on the left side. So, we’re very happy when we have quality players by our side. We have a lot of matches in the season. A lot of things can happen, injuries, etc.
So, we’re happy for the club to be looking for the best players in the league so we can try to win.
Can’t fault the attitude, and while I have expressed some concerns about his form and his development, I feel like some of the discussion around Martinelli makes him out to be a completely busted flush and I don’t think that’s the case. Let’s see where we are in a few months time, when hopefully some competition for places raises the level for everyone, and if he has some useful goals and assists under his belt, the conversation will be a bit different. It’s up to him to produce though, and the sooner he can do that the better.
Away from Arsenal, and ahead of this weekend, we may be facing Nottingham Forest with the dreaded new manager bounce after they parted ways with Nuno Espirito Santo overnight. It’s not particularly surprising given how critical he was of the summer transfer business, and how openly he talked about how his relationship with Marinakis was not the same. The catalyst for that appears to be the arrival of former Arsenal man Edu, with whom it was reported he had a significant relationship clash.
The Guardian report suggests they’re looking at Ange Postecoglou as the replacement, but whether that happens before the weekend remains to be seen. It feels as if they’ve waited to line up a successor before pulling the plug on Nuno, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they had the new man in place before their visit to North London. I can’t say for sure, because I’ve only ever experienced this from the perspective of an Arsenal fan, but it does feel as if this happens to us a lot. More than other clubs? I dunno, but down the years it seems like it’s been something we’ve had to deal with more than most.
Do Opta have the stats on how Arsenal fare every time their next fixture is against a new manager? Do I even want to know if they do? I just want us to beat Forest, regardless of who is in charge. Make life simple for all of us.
Righto, I’ll leave it there, and there’s a new Arsecast Extra below, dealing with all the big stories from the Interlull (haircuts and beards) if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet. Till tomorrow!
