With several Arsenal players on international duty, there’s a mix of updates floating around – some more noteworthy than others, but none quite deserving of a full news story.
So, we’ve gathered everything we could find and wrapped it up for your enjoyment below…
Mikel Merino on working with Mikel Arteta…
He is a coach who is very passionate about what he does. He loves the tactical side of the game and also the emotional side, managing the group. I am also passionate about what I do and when you see others like you, it rubs off on you.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
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Riccardo Calafiori on a whirlwind few months…
A lot has changed for my career and life over the last three or four months, without warning. I do feel some extra responsibility, but I like that, because it means I am doing well and people expect a lot from me.
Source: Italy press conference
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Leandro Trossard on his form…
I feel great in my skin. I’ve been at Arsenal for two years now, and so far I’ve had pretty consistent performances. The team is also running well at the moment, then it’s easy for me. You can see that on the field.
Source: HBVL.be
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Norway manager Ståle Solbakken on Martin Odegaard…
I spoke to him yesterday, and I actually take that as a good sign. It indicates that he will train a bit, whether it is one way or another.
Source: Norway press conference (via Nettavisen.no)
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Riccardo Calafiori on adapting to England…
The Premier League is very different to Serie A, so it’s always good to learn to play with a different style and tempo. I hope that I can set an example for other young players to follow. The biggest thing I noticed after the Euros was without doubt the difference in the intensity of training and games. Every game is hard-fought, nobody thinks about defending and that makes it more entertaining.
Source: Italy press conference
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Mikel Merino on players being asked to play so much football…
There’s a lot of talk about injuries and the number of games, and within the profession we all have a very similar opinion. I love playing football, but when you do it so often there comes a time when your body doesn’t keep up with your head and that’s when the danger comes. [Sorting football’s calendar] has to be a joint effort. Everyone has to feel that the players are 100 per cent fit because there will be more entertainment, a higher level of play and that is something that FIFA, UEFA and the fans want. It is everyone’s responsibility to reach a neutral point and resolve all this.
Source: Spain press conference (via Tribal Football)
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Erling Haaland on throwing the ball at Gabriel’s head after City’s equaliser in last month’s 2-2 draw…
In the heat of the moment things happened in that game. What happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch. That’s how it is. I don’t regret much in life.
Source: Norway press conference
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Bukayo Saka on playing in front of Jurrien Timber…
He gave me a lot of confidence that when he’s one vs. one with an attacker he’s going to win the ball back and give it to me. On the ball he’s so composed, so calm and confident. He’s a top player, I’m happy he’s showing it. It must have been hard for him, knowing that he had that much ability but was on the sidelines for a year. He always kept his head, stayed humble and worked so hard. I’m happy that now he’s getting the praises he deserves.
Source: CBS Sports
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David Raya on whether Mikel Arteta or Luis Enrique (former Spain boss) has a bigger temper…
I think they are on par. When they get angry, they both have character. In Arteta’s case, when he has to get angry, he does. Sometimes, we players have to wake up, it’s normal because it’s good for the team.
Source: Radio MARCA
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Ian Wright on Gabriel Jesus needing some love…
Can I just say something about Gabriel Jesus because I feel the need to support him right now. I really, really do. I know there’s a feeling that we may have outgrown him but remember when Gabby came, he was a leveller, he levelled us up. Arsenal are at a certain level now but we will definitely need him at some stage so I think it’s important in this moment for the Arsenal fans to support him. They have to get behind him. Don’t be frustrated with the way he’s playing. He’s trying so hard at the moment and we’re going to need him.
Source: Wrighty’s House podcast
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And if you missed it last weekend, here’s Aaron Ramsdale’s full interview with BBC Football Focus…
Death to interlulls!
If it’s on the pitch then apparently anything is fair game… would hate for someone to stab haaland with a corner flag or something, because they have no regreats in life.
I just know Gabriel has NOT forgotten about that and he will revisit it the next time we play Citeh.
What I don’t get is how the FA saw that and decided to do nothing about it. No fine, no charges, just radio silence. Would be interesting to know how they and the biased media would have reacted if that was Havertz or any of our other players.
FA said no retrospective action because VAR had looked at it & not considered it to be an issue.
The FA are right. It’s no issue. Certainly not one that can’t and won’t be addressed in the next game.
Haaland is a child with ideas above his station typical of children who are yet to reach maturity. Let’s see what our boys can do to help him on his life journey when his band of cheats come to our gaff.
as long as he stays humble
“Yes, he got a forearm to the head/choke slammed/stabbed by a rusty pike, but VAR cleared it so our hands are tied.”
When I say we need a player like Grandad Pepe (former Real Madrid) or even Guendouzi on our bench, ready to take care of guys like Haaland, people don’t agree.
That rule they’ve imposed on themselves seems specifically designed to allow them to get away with corrupt choices. They can let a city player get away with something in a game, knowing they can also shutdown any possibility of it being addressed. The notion that something has to carry on being wrong because they got it wrong at the time is laughable.
Xhaka would have gotten a 2-season suspension, if it were him.
Here’s to teaching that baby-eating ogre a little humility this season.
Agree with Ian. Even if a player has become indispensable, as long.as they are still respectful to the club, then show them some respect, too. I absolutely DETEST what fans do on social media when they single out a player and start going on and on about that player. There is always someone to vilify. They did it with Martinelli and now they are doing it with both White (after those promising performances from Cala and Timber) and Gabby Jesus. Players see these things and they are NOT a great look for proper fans of the club. We demand loyalty… Read more »
Just remember that these people are NOT true fans – just “wannabes”
Wannabe very well off.
People on this very forum have said these things. It’s not fringe, or even especially nefarious. I felt twinges of frustration with GJ too. We all did. I think the divide comes in the RESPONSE to the feeling or emotion. Some embrace the primitive “lizard brain” where our emotions are generated and think, right, that’s my truth and I don’t care what anyone says, I know how I felt (translation: Jesus is shit, period end of story). Others try to use their higher processing cortex to add nuance, context and rationalize their impuleses. It’s a choice to do this or… Read more »
I like how you basically arse-plain emotional regulation and maturity 🙂 I generally agree but some people literally don’t have the buffer between emotion and response that you or I do, because as you say it’s something that needs to be trained and some of us maybe had better “trainers” for that in childhood or what not. So I try not to think of such people as complete cunts. But unfortunately they do pretty often manifest in the world as complete cunts. I think it’s often also down to a misinterpretation of what fandom means. Most of us here see… Read more »
You know who taught me a lot about fandom? Ian Wright. His unbridled celebrations while on national television are the stuff of legend, but he can also calmly and methodically discuss his club without resorting to hyperbole and keeping perspective. Top man.
Well said. I find it genuinely fascinating working out why a certain section of the support, usually only seen on social media, always seem to need to single out specific players to express their frustration. There always has to be 1 “baddie” that’s holding the team back & it doesn’t matter whether we’re struggling to finish 8th or challenging for the title, the same amount of anger/frustration is there.
I know this isn’t just an Arsenal thing but someone could seriously conduct a study on it
Yes so true we will sure count on them ( Sterling, zic, Jesus, )on a long run cox its a long season.. All the players have parts to play, I prayed it ends with the EPL, FA cup, champions league, carabag cup medals on the neck of all the Arsenal players. #COYG#
Haaland really is a dickhead.
Wish I could like this twice. From a Norwegian Gooner.
He’s extraordinarily self centered, narcissistic almost. It comes accross in this playing style. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player so singularly focused on scoring goals to the exclusion of all else, such relentless self belief to take shot after shot after shot. Most players experience doubt. He does not. The closest parallel I can draw is guys from the NBA like JR Smith who never met a shot they didn’t like and never seemed to care how much they missed. Except Haaland is like if you put JR Smith in Lebron’s body.
Do you think the sagely Roy Keane foresaw this terrifying future of Haaland offspring when he stared in Inge’s eyes, and decided “I’m not avin it” and aimed a lunge at his jewels? Only to miss and get the leg instead…
Quite literally.
Arrogant little rich kid. He’s like the blonde one from Karate Kid
A while back a friend sent me a picture of Haaland with a chainsaw. A tiny Stihl MS241 or something silly looking like that. Hardly a man’s saw. Just saying.
TBF the snow-beast from “Frozen” didn’t have a penis at all.
Loved the Ramsdale interview. I was skeptical about Raya at first, but now I understand that he suits current Arsenal better than Aaron would have. AR is still an excellent keeper and I hope he works miracles for the Saints (they’ll need it).
Yes 100% agree with Wright, Gabriel Jesus is puting in a lot of effort is just that things have not worked out. We as fans need to support him. Remember Kai Harvetz last season?
Haaland is a prick and I’m glad his a prick because he plays for a prick of a club, so it’s easy to dislike all of them!!