Morning all.
Transfer window shuts tomorrow. Again.
This time it is the domestic window that shuts. Not sure what the point of the extension was?
Arsenal still have too many non-home grown players. But as do so many other Premier League clubs. It means the likes of Sokratis and Sead Kolasinac will not move out on loan.
The January transfer window opens in less than 11 weeks time. Expect the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers, Sokratis and Kolasinac to move out on loan then. If they ever get fully fit.
What it basically means is that Arsenal will have to not register 2 non-home grown players. One will be a German that we are no longer mentioning.
The other will be a toss up between Sokratis and Mustafi. Probably all dependant on Mustafi’s injury progress.
Mustafi got the nod in the Europa League, so there are two schools of thought.
The first is that Mustafi is rated higher than Sokratis by Mikel Arteta, so will be resgistered ahead of the Greek.
The other is that Sokratis might be registered in the Premier League, so that they “share” the loads – one on the bench in the league; the other on the bench in the Europa League.
Who knows? And who really cares?
England were typically dull last night.
How Gareth Southgate is taking an exciting bunch of young players, from Jadon Sancho ,Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Mason Greenwood and more and getting them to play so boring and defensive is beyond me.
Southgate is a boring, bland individual. A safe bet for the FA. And he sets up his team in the same way.
Boring. Bland. Safe.
5 defenders with 2 defensive midfielders is just overkill.
He also clearly has his favourites regardless of form. From Mason Mount to Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker.
Maguire had a stinker and got sent off.
Why Southgate then took off Ainsley Maitland-Niles for Tyrone Mings is baffling.
Surely it would have made more sense to take off Kyle Walker or Reece James, and leave the bloke who actually plays left back at left back – and go into a flat back 4 in the process.
1-nil down and down to 10 mean and Southgate still has his 5 defenders and 2 defensive midfielders on the pitch. He then brings on Jordan Henderson.
Dull as dishwater and it ruined Maitland-Niles’s first start for England.
Good job Gareth.
Just been announced that London is going into lockdown. This means no mixed households indoors and will ruin many peoples plans to watch the football in pubs on Saturday.
Without going too political, the Government is making a mess of this, and whilst its actions might save a few an people from dying of COVID19, thousands more lives will be lost due to the restrictions.
It is easy to say “businesses can be rebuilt” but the lives associated with these businesses collapsing may not be.
Anyway, just be sensible.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 