Morning all.
The lads are out in Dubai, enjoying the sunshine. I saw some video footage yesterday of Mohamed Elneny turning up to have a chat with his old mates, and the Arsenal players were doing their work – thumping dance tunes playing in the background – and seemingly having a very nice time.
Some of this, I suspect, is the presence of that sphere of fire in the sky, known as the sun. It’s not something I’ve seen much of in the last while. The other day here in Dublin, it went from night to sort of lighter grey to darker grey to a grey no human has ever witnessed before due to the rain that came with it, then back to night-time again. I will admit I’m one of those people who suffers a little with winter, it’s called SAD for a reason, and I much prefer the longer days and weather which doesn’t make me feel like I’m the main character in The Road. So, at the very least, the players will have a bit of that going for them before they return to England to take on Leicester on Saturday.
There was also a sight of Bukayo Saka stepping up his rehab and recovery, with eagle-eyed folks noting what looks like a very serious scar on his hamstring – presumably from the surgery he had. Is it worrying that it looks like he was attended to by a Victorian medicine man who used a rusty saw to open up his leg before applying a tincture made from nettles and acorns he puts together in his own apothecary? Sure, but let’s hope for the best.
In the meantime though, I really am excited to see more of Ethan Nwaneri on the right of the front three. That feels fairly inevitable as options are so limited, but I’m curious to see how he can deliver over a run of games. What’s been so impressive about Myles Lewis-Skelly this season isn’t just the standard to which he has played, but the consistency with which he has done it.
It’s obviously a little different for attacking players, because they are so heavily judged on end product. Did they really play well if they didn’t get a goal or an assist? Of course they can do that, but when it comes right down to it, that’s how the primary assessment is made. So far this season, Nwaneri has 23 appearances in all competitions, and 7 goals to his name. But when you consider those 7 goals have come in just 700 minutes of playing time, it becomes a much more impressive tally.
In comparison, Leandro Trossard has 5 goals (and 6 assists) from 2101 minutes (36 appearances), and Gabriel Martinelli has 7 goals (and 5 assists) from 2378 minutes (35 appearances). It’s not a sure thing that Nwaneri will keep scoring at that rate, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think he could get well into double figures between now and the end of May – and for a player of his age that’s a hell of an achievement in your first season as a senior player.
Even last week, Mikel Arteta revealed he can’t even get changed in the first team dressing room yet, and he and Lewis-Skelly are still listed in the Academy section on the official website. So, to have that kind of impact so young really is exciting, and until such time as Saka is back and 100% again, he’s got a big part to play in what remains of this season.
Meanwhile, I had switched off from football so much, I didn’t realise the Champions League knock-out rounds were on this week. There are some interesting games in there with Man City taking on Real Madrid the obvious pick of the bunch. Arsenal fans should also be keeping an eye on Feyenoord v AC Milan and PSV v Juventus, as our knock-out round opponent will come from those ties.
For some extra reading this morning, here’s our friend Philippe Auclair in The Guardian writing about the new Champions League format and where all that extra money is going: hint – it’s UEFA looking after the big boys. Which is not at all unsurprising, but typical of how football – and the world – works these days.
Right, I’ll leave it there for this morning. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet there’s a brand new Arsecast Extra below, and there’s an Arsenal Women Arsecast on the main feed as well. Have a good one folks, stay out of the grey.
