Hey-ho, Friday again. Can it be just me for whom the weeks are flying by? You wake up on Monday morning fresh and invigorated for a new one, full of plans and ideas and stuff to do, and by the time you’ve had a couple of sandwiches and a cup of tea it’s over. What’s going on?!
Early team news to start this morning and there are doubts over a couple of players ahead of tomorrow’s game against Crystal Palace. Mathieu Flamini (detached sprocket) and Hector Bellerin (rusty hinge) are both doubtful, although it’s not as if either absence leaves us desperately short.
After some indifferent form, Calum Chambers was very good against Boro. Some of that might be down to him responding to the competition provided by the young Spaniard, but I suspect a lot of it is just down to being a rested a bit and being taken out of the firing line. He played a lot in the opening part of the season – by the manager’s admission more than he had planned to, and I think it caught up with him a bit.
Flamini wasn’t likely to start anyway, with new DM flavour of the year Francis Coquelin ready to come back into the side after sitting out the FA Cup win. Other than that we’re still without Debuchy, Ramsey, Arteta and Oxlade-Chamberlain, but at this point it seems everyone else is fit and well for the weekend and beyond, hopefully.
With Monaco on Wednesday it’s not as if the manager’s team selection will be hugely informed by the midweek action, but it’s something he’s going to have to consider over the next couple of weeks as the fixture list gets a bit more hectic. For a while now we’ve had little going on between weekend games, but our schedule is now Saturday – Wednesday – Sunday – Wednesday – Monday – Saturday – Tuesday – Saturday: so it’s a bit busier than it has been.
If we’ve been relatively ‘lucky’ (on our own terms) with regard to injuries, playing more often increases the chances of aches, strains and niggles which can keep players out, so there’s a balancing job to do over the next few weeks. We do have a decent, deep squad now, the key is going to be how we use it in such a way that we retain effectiveness on-field without playing certain players to the point of exhaustion. Anyway, I’m sure we’ll get more from the boss this morning when he meets the press.
Away from Arsenal now, and while I’d never call myself a fan of Stan Collymore, this makes for interesting reading. Not least because of something the BT Sport spokesperson says:
We did not agree with the nature of the debate on Twitter, and which BT Sport was brought into without prior agreement.
The implication there, of course, is any Twitter debating involving BT Sport should be run by them first. That there’s such a lack of understanding about how social media works, and how you use social media as an organisation, is astounding. If you make decisions that, in the past, might have flown under the radar, the people influenced by them now have a voice and a platform to express their feelings.
Of course as somebody employed by an organisation, you’ve got to be aware of what you say and there’s a perception that scrapping with idiots on Twitter doesn’t reflect well, but it’s also a reminder that broadcasters like to present things beautifully wrapped even though what’s inside the box might be a big bag of shit.
There are no problems with the game we pay so much money to cover. Fans behave themselves impeccably at all times. It’s a great day out for the whole family. There’s no threat, or atmosphere of intimidation or violence. The graphics swish in and out. It’s top class, state-of-the-art, refurbished, gentrified, sanitised entertainment for the masses. Come advertise with us. Sponsor us. Want some product placement? It’s good to be associated with this glossy package of sporting excellence and might. Look at these mighty athletes, dripping with sweat like Greek gods. And the fans, they’re ALL having such a good time and never sing anything they shouldn’t. No, you do not hear 60,000 people singing about a man being paedophile. Don’t be ridiculous.
And so on. The truth is not glossy with slick presenters, nice graphics and neon-lit studios. That’s not to say it’s a war-zone or anything, but there are things that are wrong and it seems the idea of addressing those things is to be actively discouraged if you want to keep your gig. Magnolia all the way.
Right then, time for this week’s Arsecast, and on this week’s show I chat with Adrian Clarke about how the team now appears more balanced and that’s being reflected in the performances we’re seeing. As well as that we touch on players like Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla. There’s a brief look ahead to Crystal Palace and the return of the Champions League, and all the usual waffle.
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News from the presser and beyond over on Arseblog News throughout the day. Have a good one.
