In the second Interlull chitter-chatter round-up of the week, we’ve got snippets from three ex-players, including Cesc Fabregas who has just taken his first senior coaching role, and an emphatic description of Takehiro Tomiyasu from club captain Martin Odegaard.
Fill yer boots…
Leandro Trossard on dealing with the pressure of top-level football…
For me, luckily I’m a pretty relaxed guy. For me, it’s quite easy, I just focus on football and enjoying my game and that’s all I care about, if you can be on that pitch and give something back to the supporters, it’s the most beautiful feeling. My missus even tells me before the game that I wouldn’t even look up to see where my family is because I’m so focused on the game and enjoying that 90-95 minutes that I get, or if you’re on the bench, 20 minutes, that’s all I play for.
Source: Arsenal.com
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Granit Xhaka on comparisons between Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso…
I had a very, very good relationship with Mikel, of course. A young coach who had a first job at a big, big club like Arsenal, of course [like] Xabi now. I see not a lot of big difference between them. They think the same, they work the same. I’m more than happy, it’s a privilege for me to have Mikel before and Xabi now. First of all he [Alonso] was an amazing player. Secondly for me as a midfielder – like how Mikel was as well – Xabi is showing many, many small details on the pitch. For me that’s something special.
Source: CBS Sports
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Cesc Fabregas on his career regret…
I’m a very positive guy and I always look forward, I don’t like to look backwards too much but maybe if, when I went to Barcelona from Arsenal, I think if I would go back now on time I would wait a little bit more and I would have gone maybe a little bit later. But apart from that really my life was okay, my career was okay so I’m very happy.
Source: Web Summit (via Sky Sports)
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Martin Odegaard on Takehiro Tomiyasu…
The best thing about Takehiro is that he’s a warrior.
Source: Premierleague.com
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Ian Wright on when he started to think about retiring from football…
When Nicolas Anelka started playing, it was like watching Ronaldo turn up. I saw that and I was 31 or 32, I knew my time was short, and I could see that he was unbelievable. I wanted to retire at Arsenal and when he came, I knew that I was going to be leaving soon. When I started to see him play, I couldn’t find many faults with him at 17.
Source: Stick to Football podcast
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Gabriel Magalhaes on having three Brazilians in the Seleção…
It’s good for the club and for us. The three Gabriels in the national team is so good for us, for everyone and the fans. It’s good for the club and we work very hard to be there. To play for Brazil is a big dream. My debut was so special. When I’m there I’m so happy. I spend a good time with the players. It’s a good feeling to sing the national anthem. It’s better and better every time I go to the national team.
Source: Arsenal.com
Three Brazilian internationals, we are a very big club.
Three Brazilians in the Seleção… The rest are Italians…
3G
As a Nigerian, I started following Arsenal the year Kanu signed, and I have been hooked ever since…from afar you might say. I have seen many great players leave the club, and I have missed some of them. However, I can’t remember missing a player like I have missed Granit Xhaka. I am almost certain we’d be top of the table now with him in the team.
That ship has sailed, I know, but reading this interview brought back fond memories, especially of last season.
I miss granit too 🙁
he would be having the time of his (footballing) life next to dec and martin.
I agree Manny, such a shame he’s not with us this season.
Cesc and RvP were definitely bigger blows.
I was in my twenties when Fabregas left. Hleb, Rosicky, van Persie and Fabergas were such a group of players I had a very strong attachment to. Fabregas and van Persie taught me such an important and painful lesson. Never be attached to players. Enjoy while they’re there, support them, bask in their genius but always leave a distance. It’s the club you support, not the individuals.
Imo part of the fun is getting attached to players too. Sometimes they’ll break your heart but other times they’ll reward you with attachment of their own the club and a brilliant career playing for the Arsenal, like Wrighty, Adams, Parlour and co. Or even the ones who leave but cherish the opportunity to come back and are welcomed with open arms like Henry or Campbell (Cesc should’ve been one of those). It’s actually one of the best parts of rooting for a classy club like ours, the sense of community of everyone involved. You don’t get that at Chelsea… Read more »
You know what, I kind of get what you mean! I am probably a bit too faint hearted to endure such disappointments so I protect myself!🙂
I get ya, it’s not for the faint of heart. But I still follow the motto “it’s better to have loved and lost on a free transfer, than never to have loved at all…”
Never got over Charlie George going to Derby, still hurts, least he’s back now😁
Fat Frank was welcomed back to Chelsea twice, despite being a terrible manager.
This resonates a lot, could have written it myself. Still feeling feelings about Fabregas and RVP leaving, even now.
Man.. I still think it was a very special core. It wasn’t to be. Hit hard then, even thinking about it hits hard now..
I wish we never sold xhaka
That means we would have never bought Rice. Poor Partey, will be put on sale by many fans now.
That actually means we would never have bought Kai. Poor fans wouldn’t need to comb his every outing for the slightest sign of positivity. Now the burden of justifying Kai’s signing is becoming a yoke on everyone’s neck.
Nope, it probably means we wouldn’t have bought Havertz.
I mean, we tried to buy Rice in Jan even when we had Xhaka.
Dude cesc this is all what we wanted as well. How it all could have all worked…
We could’ve re-signed him, as well. I don’t think people would’ve cared about the end of his time with the club, if he had come back. I was annoyed with the way he acted in order to leave (especially as Barcelona screwed us once again on the transfer fee – he was worth way more than that, both in terms of ability and length of contract), but I didn’t have a problem with his decision to join Chelsea. I think he would’ve gone to us even if he was less likely to win something (and he might’ve done so at… Read more »
He had been replaced, most obviously by Aaron Ramsey. Perhaps slightly undermined by letting Flamini return but Wenger was letting the players know, no second chances – you leave us in a bind, that’s it. Of course he still had a great career but Cesc could have led Arsenal to title victory and then gone on to Barcelona at the point when he would have replaced rather than understudied Xavi – and then he’d never have picked up any of that Chelsea tarnish. Does still rankle a decade on, and is why im still hoping Barca do still end up… Read more »
damn all those years of playing in front of squillaci, senderos and silvestre really did a number on cesc’s hairline
I saw a statistric–which I think I might be screwing up–that Xhaka was first among all players in the top European leagues for passes into the penalty area. Whatever the specifics, it reminds me how good he was and how–through no real choice–he spent most of his career at Arsenal being forced to play too far back to get the most out of his abilities.
“The best thing about Takehiro is that he’s a warrior.”
Maybe he was part of the Marley Warrior programme?