The Arsenal ventured to the heart of England yesterday to play the third in a run of four away games. Our hosts this time were Messrs Marinakis, Edu, and Dyche as we lined up against last season’s surprise package Nottingham Forest in exactly the kind of match we’d want to win for a successful title challenge. The blue half of Manchester had already amused my bouche by dropping all three points against their no-account neighbours but as we all know by now the main course, while not entirely bad, was not as satisfying as it could and should have been in the circumstances. Dessert was the appalling sight of a testicularly ginger blob grinning in an unpleasantly ugly fashion – I have already asked my broadcaster to blur his features in future as it is our duty in a caring society to protect the young and easily traumatized. It was 5AM so I was obliged to skip the digestif, but after a pleasant night’s sleep and what I must admit was a fairly cursory rewatch I find the only things I can positively report in the cold light of day are
• We are, as of now, 7 points clear
• We kept a clean sheet and didn’t concede a shot on taget
• Er… we didn’t lose
The game itself had kicked-off as a gorgeously fading winter sun set over the wine-dark and yet somehow picturesque River Trent (for those of you who haven’t been or weren’t watching he is employing poetic license or simply lying if you prefer — Ed.) and an Arsenal team sheet that showed three changes from the midweek win against Chelsea. Raya returned in goal as expected as did the slightly less expected pair of Martinelli and Madueke on the wings
Raya
White Saliba Gabriel Timber
Zubi Ode Rice
Madueke Gyokeres Martinelli
Plus, a rich bench menu that welcomed back Mosquera (the returnee that MA had hinted at in his press conference):
Kepa, Mosquera, MLS, Merino, Eze, Jesus, Havertz, Saka, Trossard
Norgaard was one to drop out of the squad for Mosquera’s return.
1st half
I suspect that very few of our gentle readers will want to plough through a detailed account of the game and as I don’t want to write one either, I will summarise a few highlights in a forgettable match as best as I can.
The game started slowly, but from about 15 minutes in we started to get on top and at that stage it looked like only a matter of time. The chances came and went, Martinelli’s miss just before the half-hour was the pick of them, but Forest defended reasonably well to be fair and finally got back into the game as half-time approached. Timber (I prefer him on the right) tested my heart function with a risky foul on Hudson-Odoi that the referee correctly called as just a pigeon’s foot outside the area but the free-kick came to nothing. Shortly afterwards Gyokeres was put clean through, but didn’t control the ball well enough and Murillo was able to get back and block the shot. It was then the turn of Raya to cause me a rush of blood with his rush of blood as he sprinted out to deny Jesus, just the once mind, mostly missed the ball but then recovered quickly to punt it out. The half-time whistle woke me from a gentle doze and I hoped Mikel would do the same for The Arsenal.
2nd half
Martinelli for whatever reason did not reappear for the 2nd half. Would it once again be Leo Trossard who made the difference? No, is the short answer. And neither would it be Saka, Jesus or Merino who came on about 10 minutes into the 2nd half when I think Mikel’s limited patience had run out. Off came Ode, Madueke and Gyokeres. Bukayo came closest I thought when he forced Sels into a very good fingertip save with a header, Merino, another regular saviour, should have scored, Eze came on for Zubi, we huffed, we puffed etc etc but we didn’t get a goal. There was a contentious penalty decision that is probably best summed up as 80% given in the CL but only 20% given in the PL. And that’s about it really.
In the aftermath, Mikel coherently explained why he thought it was a penalty and Dyche babbled nonsense as you’d expect. Mikel also summed up the game and I will, as is my wont with a deadline to meet, just steal some of his summary again.
“First of all, credit to them because they are really well-organised”
“But the reality is we created four massive chances (Gabi M, Declan, Mikel Merino and Bukayo) and on top of that a very clear penalty so the fact that we haven’t won the game is disappointing”
“We made a step, a smaller one than we wanted but it’s a step”
I can only agree with all that really, it was disappointing result and no doubt supporters will point to those they see as culpable (insert name of favourite whipping person) but the fact is we tried many players in attack during the game they all failed to put the ball in the net. Manchester City looked leggy and were outplayed yesterday and Liverpool drew at home to Burnley, it really isn’t an easy league!
Two away cup games and now an away day in the PL have been ticked off the list. On to Milan next and the final instalment of the CL group stage, be nice to round it off with a win though to be honest this Milan game is the away trip of least consequence in some ways. Regardless, the lads should be in good heart as there is still all to play for and the rest of the season to enjoy.
An accurate, succinct and dispassionate summary of a poor performance, Matt. Thank you. Would that our finishing yesterday had any of those qualities. The last two league games have been very similar, bloodless performances. I do hope that next Sunday we present in a rather more energetic form against an apparently rejuvenated United.
Interesting fact: Nwaneri played for the U-21’s yesterday against Liverpool. We were beaten 7-0.
Very fair, Matt, with a positive spin that would take wickets if employed at Trent Bridge. This was a game in which the Arsenal never quite managed to release the classic handbrake and remained solidly inside the speed limits rather than putting the foot down and speeding forward like a hungry, title-winning team.
Noni and Victor are potentially impactful players. At this point in time, neither would start for any other team challenging realistically for the PL, CL or even the Carabao Cup. With coaching, both may overcome their many flaws but starting either regularly to achieve that polish isn’t the route I’d choose.
It’s time to start Havertz up front and supplement his time on the field with Jesus, Merino and Gyokores. If Noni merits time to develop on the right, then so does Nwaneri, whose ability to discern exactly where he’s going with a pacy dribbling runs transcends Madueki (and he defends better).
Then to return to your positive vibe, Matt, – Yep, a point gained, a clean sheet and we didn’t lose, even although the most dangerous winger on the field wasn’t playing in our team.
Next week’s game against Manure will be a mega battle I suspect.
COYG.
Cheers Matt. I admire your ability to watch a match and write so well about it as such an ungodly hour.
I normally don’t mind Forest, but seeing Dyche on the touchline made the blood boil.
Despite the frustration, I am not sharing the doom I see in most other places, but I’ll freely admit that’s mostly based on everyone else being shit, after seeing 115/130ty yesterday.
If we don’t beat the Mancs on Sunday, I might just start to worry, mind.
Thanks, OM, you’ve made that report far more incisive and entertaining than the match to which it pertains. No lack of effort on the field and a nearly flawless defensive performance resulting in no shots on target but we had a slow and somewhat lacklustre attack. Sure, there were chances that should have been taken but in possession we looked slow of thought and heavy of leg. Forest defended as if their lives depended on it and earned their draw. On the penalty shout, I fully agree with the observation that, had the sleeve been of the Arsenal colour, that decision would very probably have been different.
I suspect we fans underestimate the emotional and mental drain that victory at the Bus Stop inflicted on the team. I can’t imagine that the trip to Milan will be a remedy. This fighting on four fronts does seem to take it out of the team. Courage, mes braves! A point gained and, while Villa will probably close their gap, the greater threat is a point further behind.
While I was really hacked off yesterday, not with the outcome, but with the aimlessness with which our players relatively ambled about the pitch, today is Sunday, designed for reflection and calm. Thomas Frank (he’s a Silver Member) is quite possibly going to be dismissed by Agents Levy and Vinai. Pep’s expensively assembled financial rule breakers were awful yesterday and, finally, referees seem to be prepared to book their players for the kind of tactical fouls for which they have been given leeway for far too long, certainly in comparison to the way we have been refereed over the same period. Liverpool, at home, couldn’t beat Burnley and the drums are beginning to beat for Slot. Finally, Glasner, who seems like a smart coach and manager and a pretty decent man, appears to have signed his own death warrant at Palace, and well done to him for putting principle above expediency.
It can always be worse. Happy Sunday.
Nice one OM. Smoothly done.
I’m not as concerned as some. I fully expect us to win the league this season, and this result gets us a point closer.
We have a world class defence and a pretty good attack. Both were on display yesterday.
Forest didn’t have a shot on target and didn’t really threaten. (BtM- which of the Forest wingers did you think the most dangerous on the pitch?)
We created some decent chances. Martinelli should score, maybe Merino too. Gyok had a decent chance. Sels’ save from Saka was excellent.
But we aren’t elite in attack and don’t create the volume of chances necessary to overcome the vagaries of poor finishing and good keeping. It’s another game where we dominated Xg. (2.03 to 0.34).
Obviously that isn’t a comfort to those concerned we dropped points in this specific match, but every week the stats show we are the best team in the league and, as a 7 point lead handily shows, that kind of consistency wins you a league title, regardless of the individual days when things don’t work out and the goal doesn’t come.
James McNicholas’ On The Whistle video made some good points yesterday, especially about the composition of our attack. Martinelli, Noni and Victor doesn’t quite work for me. Perhaps if you had Eze in midfield with Odegaard and one of Rice or Zubi it might work, but I dunno.
And we brought on Jesus after Martinelli was already off, when those two have an excellent understanding. Forest weren’t much threat, could Eze have had longer to make a mark? I’d have liked another twenty minute cameo from Havertz too but we used 5 attacking subs without bringing him on.
I didn’t see what CER alludes to that we ambled or were aimless, I saw us huffing and puffing but the combinations not being right. Rice was not influential in the game and the ball spent too long with our CBs but I saw that as I sign of how well organised Forest were rather than us being content to pop it around at the back without progression. They did a good job blocking our outballs.
I hope Arteta picks it apart and takes some learnings. He’s a brilliant manager but he isn’t perfect and whilst I’m not too down on the point we got I think he might wanna look at how he set us up and ask if the balance was right. If Adam Clery or some other clever tactics chap does a video properly explaining why we struggled then I’ll be keen to see it. My eyes told me our issues were tactical, rather than complacency.
I’ve recently been dismayed to see an increase not only in players faking injuries to get free kicks and see opposition players carded but also the rise of really extreme reactions that are cynical, dishonest and cowardly. Most games we now see players rolling around, waving their arms, hitting the floor with their hands and generally doing all the things that, twenty years ago, meant that the paramedics needed to get on the pitch ASAP with their oxygen mask and stretcher because someone had snapped a bone. If simulation (diving) is an offence, then why is simulation (blatantly faking injury) not? This needs looking at.
At some point we are going to see someone with a serious injury who’s treatment on field is unnecessary delayed because cheaters have normalised reactions that should only be seen when immediate medical intervention and hospitalisation is necessary. In the mean time, we have to watch millionaires behaving dishonestly with no accountability whatsoever. It’s a lose-lose.
Aina is a good player and he behaves well on the pitch. I like him.
I don’t think his teammate’s knock is what makes him handle the ball in his box. I think his volitional curving of his own arm does that. It is a moment of madness and one he is lucky to get away with. Under the rules, I think it is a penalty, and as usual, the lack of consistency and the nonsense used to justify it is infuriating. The rules should be correctly applied.
However, sporting fair play would not have been achieved if we’d been awarded a penalty from a situation where we had zero goal threat and the ball was on its way out for a corner, so I think the rule needs looking at. I’m torn. I don’t think that should be a penalty, but under the current rules I think that is a penalty and the explanation for why it wasn’t given is garbled nonsense invented by people who ignored the actual rules because, like most people, they looked at it and said “that shouldn’t really be a penalty, should it?”
Fans waffling on a blog have that luxury, but referees are supposed to apply the rules. Whatever happened to “I didn’t have a choice”?
While I’m on it, I want to see replays of the box action from our corners. In real time I thought Elliot Anderson should’ve given away at least one penalty, if not more. Holding with both hands and dragging our attacker away from the ball. No-one said a word, no replays were shown. Move along folks, nothing to see here.
I like your treatment of the game Matt . A blow by blow account wasn’t really what we wanted/ needed to read . A lot of players were off-form yesterday possibly because of fatigue and we have to prioritise. We need to rotate heavily against Inter . If a CL game can be said to be irrelevant this is it
I’d like starts for Mosquera , Norgaard, Havertz and Eze . I’d like to see how dangerous we are without Gyokeres . I don’t think he adds much but we’ve cut him a lot of slack and Arteta is no fool and continues to pick him . We’ve just drawn a blank in two admittedly difficult league matches and we need to be much more creative .
We are in much better shape than anyone else but it could have been better . We could be eleven points ahead of C115/130y. Let’s hope we can reset and go again in attack
Sorry I have been ill so not really involving myself in watching football or commenting on it. In as much as I can tell we can’t discount tiredness, small injuries and illness when playing every four days for months on end. This is elite sport and even though we have a better squad, we still rely on trying to play our best players every game. Form will drop off and pressure will tell. I’d like to park the Inter game and pour every ounce into the red Mancs/Devon lot. That us a must win game.
Thanks Matt – nice review of a not so nice game.
As for drawing at Forest – no, it’s not what we wanted or expected but playing teams who are fighting for their Premier League lives and sit in a low block is very difficult.
Forest were well organised in their low block and left very little space to work in. Despite that we should have scored twice – Martinelli and a very clear penalty – and cone away with a 2-0 win and three more points.
It’s hard to produce a free flowing, high scoring performance against a team fighting hard and blocking space. The handball could have been missed by the referee but there is absolutely no excuse for VAR to take unlimited time and decide that is not an offence.
This all after 3 away games in a week. My only criticism is really that we moved the ball so slowly for long periods which simply made the low block harder to break down.
Madueke played selfishly and Gyokeres again offered practically nothing. Madueke looked promising at the beginning of the season but needs to play more simply and defend better.
It does seem a bit odd that having been fit enough to make the bench Havertz is getting so few minutes on the pitch.
Thanks all, and SP I hope you are feeling better?
I am more or less with Dino’s 2nd paragraph @7,
which makes it much easier to accept when things
don’t go entirely to plan. I do agree thé home game against the
no-account half of Manchester has become more
important but I expect us to win that one too despite
their supposed reinvention. I would really enjoy us puncturing
their latest bubble
Thanks, OM, for the assessment of a game that a snowstorm prevented me from seeing other than the final 20 mins. It seems I didn’t miss much.
Our failure to score against a team that concedes an average of one and a half goals a game, while having an xG of 2.1, is something that would seem to demand a Lady Bracknell-like expression of disapproval. I am getting concerned about missing chances becoming a habit.
On the penalty shout, VAR saying that Ola Aina’s arm was in ‘a justifiable position’ sounds like a case of desperately seeking any reason not to give it.
@ ClockEndRider # 2, that was Ethan’s younger brother Emerson Nwaneri that played for the U21’s. The lad is only 15.
Not a good result yesterday but yet we are on track to win 26 games this season, same as that middling old team we had in 2003-04. The Invincibles had 0-0 draws with Man U (H), Fulham (H), Newcastle (A) and Birmingham (H). In a 38 game season not every performance is 1970 Brazil.
The Gyokeres – Chamakh comparisons are unfair. The latter had 8 goals in 40, the former has 8 in 20 – and has much better hair… 🙂
CER @2 it was Ethan’s brother Emmerson who played for u21s.
Anon@16 and SP@17- thanks for the clarification. It seemed odd given some of the other team members.
A reflection from the FT, which might have added resonance today, on the extinction of the omnipotent manager (eg, AW and Fergie). It makes a point about managers having become no more than departmental heads in the corporate structure of clubs, and how sacking them has become scapegoating that protects clubs’ C-suites from being held accountable for their own shortcomings.
https://www.ft.com/content/de6f1ea3-1c41-4ba6-9975-69e855cfc65e
The game against Forest wasn’t much fun but!
All the new players we have are on the learning curve. Even Madueke and Eze have to learn hoe to play in The Arsenal team. And I learned from you that this is not an easy task. So I might be more patient than most of you. Having 0.0 xg against us is someting to value. Playing twice a week against teams that want to define themselves against us…. it’s hard enough.
I beleive in Arteta, he knows why is it good for the team playing Viktor upfront.
Eventually it will click. Until then we are top of the league.
COYG
Hope you feel better soon SP.
Anonymous. We drew 1-1 with United at home ( a Henry worldie) and the Birmingham game came just after we’d won the title ( it was the game where Ray Parlour wound up Martin Keown about coming on as a sub. ) But your basic point is very fair. The season is long and almost every game is difficult . Villa were awful against a weakened Everton so we are one point better off against our nearest challengers and Liverpool only drew at home against Burnley . It really is a tough league and Dyche, love him or hate him sets sides up well not to lose . Moyes has just done a number on Villa who have a very iffy keeper !
We’ve missed an opportunity but no serious damage has been done . But I really would like to see Havertz starting against United after playing against Inter . He’s a thoroughbred , Gyokeres isn’t
I note the following comment from the Gruaniad’s minute-by-minute report on today’s game, a minute after they reported the final whistle: “After all that, Arsenal have extended their lead at the top this weekend – from six to seven points. None of the top three won.”
I raise my eyebrows at the last sentence mentioning the top three, rather than the top four.
COYG
Pangloss @ 22, I suspect it’s because Liverpool were already miles away and only the top 3 were potentially vying for the table so they were rather irrelevant to the point(!) they were making.
I meant ‘title’ not ‘table’.
Re: Pangloss @22. Assuming that article was written before Villa played, the author may be something of an idiot savant if truth be told.
Villa pegged back by Toffees as they fail once again to assert their “title credentials”.
Maybe Unai ran out of genius tactics?
Thanks Matt for your even handed match report on a game which looks a lot brighter in retrospect after Villa’s loss today. 🤣
Arsenal moving on, up, ahead and in front. 👍🏼
bt8@26: Unai’s post-match analysis nailed it: We are not a contender to be in the top four like we are now. How can other clubs cope when Villa has that 3D chess level of tactical vision at the helm?
SP@12: Hope you are on the road to recovery.
Yesterday was our 13th game since the start of December. We’ve won 10, drawn 2 and lost 1. 13 games in 6 weeks effectively. We play our 4th away trip on the bounce on Tuesday night and the Mancs on Sunday. Come out of those two games with a couple of wins and we won’t know we’re born.
Some need a break. We have squad depth, time to make use of it. Rice and Zubi need a break. Saturday wasn’t great. We had more than enough chances to win the game and were not remotely clinical enough. A poor performance by our expected standards. But we are not entitled to win every game. We hopefully don’t have that arrogance. On another day we score one of those and the game takes on a whole different focus. But as the old saying goes. If you don’t play well, don’t lose. That’s exactly what we did. Drop points? Ned is our facts and figures and stats guru, and I will happily stand corrected. But it appears we have gained a point on the chasers???
7 clear with 16 to go??? I don’t think we are in bad shape at all. If any so called Arsenal fan tells you otherwise, suggest they have a cheeky glance along the Seven Sisters Road just to see what shite really looks like.
Each game, one at a time. Take each as it comes. I believe a lot of this will come down to squad depth and fatigue. Look at our bench yesterday. That’s a bunch of players good enough to finish top four on their own. Everyone will be needed as the season goes on. Come March and April, you may just see that.
Onwards and upwards
I hope you are all well. Big love and hugs. Remember, nothing is won or lost in January. However, we don’t appear to be in too bad shape.
Just saying
Apologies, nice post Matt.
SteveT@29: You stand correct with no need of correction.
Another random stat, as the snow continues to fall, is that only three PL clubs have won at least three of their past five league games, ourselves, Brentford and Geordie Arabia. No team can take picking up points for granted.
Good work, Steve T. Good to see you.
What a pleasure it is to see Steve T drop into this fine forum after a long absence. True Holic royalty and still the same clear-sighted common sense. Not that that’s too rare a commodity around here. Yet we can all benefit from your ability to help us avoid hyperbole and keep our feet on the ground.
Haste yet back, Steve! Don’t be a stranger! There’s a half pint of best on the bar for you. After all – it IS dry January! 😉
Pangloss@22 and other subsequent posters
Oddschecker which monitors prices across all the main betting markets has us at 2/9 to win the Premier League, C115/130y at 5-1 and Villa at 50-1. Liverpool are 175-1 on a weekend where they gained a point on two of the top three so it wasn’t unreasonable to leave them out of the calculation
Steve T
Nice to see you here again !
I agree re resting players for the Inter game
My starting team would be
Kepa
White Mosquera Norgaard MLS
Eze Odegaard Merino
Madueke Havertz Jesus
I don’t think we will go with a team like that and we may see Gabriel starting . It will be interesting to see just how strong our second eleven is !
I’m forging my way to 50 but popped back to say that Zinchenko has cut short his loan to Forest and is going on loan to Ajax until the end of the season . They will meet all his wages but no loan fee is mentioned ( presumably Forest paid one?) . He is out of contract at the end of the season so yet again we get very little back for a player that cost us £32 million .
I wish him well but as in the case of Jesus we have laid out just over £80 million to a rival , seen both players injured for much of their time with us and seen slightly underwhelming results from the two deals . To be fair to Edu it did upgrade our squad and Zinny did have a purple patch inverting at left back in his first season with us
Hello Steve T, nice to see you in, a large whisky 🥃
on thé bar as I’m not doing dry January myself 😂
@28 tactical genius indeed Ned, I laughed but astonishingly there are some
amongst our support who prefer him to Arteta.
TTG @36, that’s a rather uncharacteristicly downbeat assessment of the contributions of Jesus and Zinchenko from you. Both provided an immediate injection of class and energy to what was then still a somewhat pedestrian squad with a somewhat utilitarian style. Indeed Pep soon stated that the deals were a mistake and that they would never again sell players to us, a direct rival as we quickly moved up the table. Their injuries were unfortunate particularly in the case of Jesus whose contributions were missed in his long spells out and Zinchenko’s contributions were eclipsed by the general increased quality of the players around him as his defensive frailty was magnified. I think we can be grateful for their contributions to the evolution of this team – and Jesus may still have important contributions to make. Personally, I think it was money well spent and in truth it was small change for C115y though may have helped them to meet fiscal rules (if they had decided to be honest, it probably wouldn’t have touched the bottom line!). Our failure to get value from departures is of course far wider than these two!
To help out TTG on his determined path to the 50…….
I liked the team for Milan but would play Nwaneri
and not Ode for that game and also start Martinelli,
He has done well in the CL this season and only
had half a game against Forest.
@38 agree with you Bath, the non-playing contributions
of Zin and Jesus are hard to quantify but we can’t ignore
the change in mentality from around the time of their arrival.
Best of luck to Zin at Ajax, it must be better than playing
for Dyche.
Talking of Dyche……
There was an article in the BBC recently pondering why no
English manager has ever won the PL.
Of course, the basic premise is
nonsensical as many English managers won the 1st division
and it was just a name change not a reinvention of football.
Anyway, it is an anomaly that no English manager has won
league in 30 odd years. The BBC asked some talking head
ex-pro halfwit whose name I forget, but who suggested that the
leading English managers most likely to break this run were Dyche and Lampard.
WTF
I wonder how Vinai is feeling about his move to the marshes.
Things sink in marshes and die, Vinai.
Also they get lost in forests too, Edu.
And to add to Ned @31, only seven teams have won 2 or more matches in the past 5. And 2 of those are in the bottom half of the table.
And thus begins to run to 50…
Lumps the ball into the box…
bangs it into the net.
that was for sp@12. illness isn’t something to be ignored. i hope you feel better! villa’s result today must have helped in some regard…
ecg, hell of a fine run and assist! and fun post, matthew, proving that blow-by-blow is often what ails us, rather than a balm…
Well in scruz after some excellent work in the build-up
by ecg
and welcome back steve T! how’s our width doing these days, in your opinion? 🙂
Opportunistic yet emphatic finish, scruz, after all that wonder work from ecg! Well in for the half-ton.
I agree with bath too on Zin & Jesus.
Bath @ 38
Neither player was remotely a disaster and Jesus has had good moments but neither was a huge success either . I’d give Zinny 6 out of 10 and Jesus just about a 7 and he may play an important part for us this season if he can stay fit . I don’t think C115y were too hamstrung by the deals as they lifted the title ( and more) afterwards but with a huge asterisk marking all their achievements
I think the point is that prior to their arrival the squad was a shambles. Those two clearly lifted the level and also gave backing to Arteta as he was trying to instil his method, playing style and process. As change agents, they were a huge success. The fact that we so quickly outgrew Zinchenko in particular is a paradoxical testament to just how they acted as a metaphorical defibrillator to a moribund side.
CER
A very good point . Culture eats strategy for breakfast as we know and the culture at Arsenal was not healthy . These two guys were/ are good professionals
TTG@57 – never heard that phrase before. Spot on!
Yeah, we don’t really have any players that I look at and think prima donna
or problem child these days.
So we have a throw in coach and a set piece coach. How about a banjo and barn door coach?
I hope you’re doing okay SP. Good to have you in. And great to see Steve T in the bar too (top post, well worth another drink on the bar). Some fine work from ecg for the half ton and well taken by scruz. Lots of good sense about Zinny and Jesus. Nicely done, everyone.
And I’m glad we now have a throw in coach as we bloody well need one! 😅
Everyting thst GSD said @61.
And so, Guehi has indeed joined C115/130y. So much for intelligent players spurning their advances because of the impending sanctions and widespread opprobrium:
Guehi said he is “really happy and incredibly proud” to become a City player.
“This move feels like the culmination of all the hard work I have put into my career,” he added.
“I am now at the best club in England and part of an unbelievable squad of players. It feels good to be able to say that.”
bath@63: Maybe the correct way to read the situation is that the intelligent players have a good inkling, or inside knowledge, of what the outcome is going to be.
I would also imagine that a lot of opprobrium slides off a £300,000-a-week salary pretty easily.
>>>>>>>