Category Archives: Arsenal

Thomas Partey ready to return following birth of child

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Morning and Happy Friday!

Not really much happening in the world of Arsenal today. Not weekend game due to being out of the FA Cup, and the transfer market is dead.

The only really news kicking about was that Thomas Partey has returned to full training.

It is interesting that this news has broken just a couple of days after it was announced the birth of his child, and also after Ghana were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations.

Partey has certainly been missed by us this season.

Whilst Declan Rice is comfortably the best defensive midfielder in the league, Thomas Partey is not far behind (when fit). His injury has meant we have not been able to go with the double destroyer option in central midfield.

Take the game against Liverpool in Anfield. The option would have been to play Partey central, and then Rice in that more advanced left handed position. Rice would have solidified that side of the pitch and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah would not have had the freedom they did.

I am not going to start moaning about injuries, though.

Manchester City have had their problems, as have Liverpool. Like us, they have just got on with thin things.

It is only Spurs and Newcastle fans you hear bleating on about their injuries and, backed by the media, use them as an excuse for poor performances. A top Premier League side has the squad to maintain performances. They don’t moan.

Partey adds another dimension to our midfield with his ability to take the ball on the half turn. He is quicker at turning defence into attack than Rice, and this has certainly been missed. If he stays fit for the rest of the season, it provides Mikel Arteta with another world class option in midfield.

Less than a week left in the transfer window. I do not expect Arsenal to sign anyone. Nor Manchester City (bar some random fella they are loaning back) or Liverpool.

Are we seeing a shift in transfer policy by clubs this season? They maximise their spending in the summer, leaving them nothing to spend in January.

This philosophy does make sense. If you get the summer right, there is no need to make signings in January. And likewise, why hold money back and sacrifice having a player for 6 months of the season just to make a January signing.

Arsene Wenger was one of those against the January window. He took the stance that you should have your squad for the season set in the summer. If this season is anything to go by, we could be entering that era!

Enjoy your Friday.

Keenos

Martin Zubimendi, Kieran Tierney, Aymeric Laporte and More

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Martin Zubimendi

Long term readers will know that I have been a fan of the Spanish defensive midfielder for a while.

Last February, I made it clear that if we were priced out of deals for Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice, then the Real Sociedad midfielder should be the man we go for.

Whilst we ended up with Rice, we have to assume that Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny will all leave in the summer. That opens up a squad place for a new defensive midfielder.

Zubimendi is a class act.

He is a calm presence who reads the game exceptionally. He does not need to cover a lot of ground, or rely on pace and power due to his fantastic positioning. And in his passing range and ability to create from deep and you have a Xabi Alonso regen.

I think Zubimendi would compliment the more “all-action” Rice in games where we want to play two defensive minded midfielders. He also has the talent to be the sole defensive pivot if Rice is out for any period of time.

That £53m release clause is still rumour to be active. His recruitment would be a no brainer for me this summer.

Kieran Tierney

The Scotsman has picked up his second hamstring injury whilst on loan to Real Sociedad.

I know many an Arsenal fan still hold a candle to the short sleeve wearing former Celtic player, but it is time for Arsenal to cash in.

Prior to signing for us, he missed a lot of games for Celtic. His injury issues continued at Arsenal, and his loan spell in Spain shows they are not going anyway anytime soon.

Cash in on him whilst we can.

Aymeric Laporte

With all the noise coming out from Saudi Arabia, one mans interview caught my eye – Aymeric Laporte.

Firstly, his interview is a really good insight to the struggles that many players have faced in Saudi Arabia, and highlights just how unprepared players were, and how amateurish the clubs are.

It is all well and good being Cristiano Ronaldo, constantly rubbing shoulders with the who’s who and treated like the royalty he is hanging about with. But for other players who do not have his profile, the struggles have been real.

As for Laporte, I wonder if Arsenal will be sniffing around him.

We were heavily linked with Laporte last summer before he made the decision to go to Saudi Arabia. He has the Premier League experience and is used to the demands of Mikel Arteta having spent 5 years with Pep.

Soon to be 30, Laporte could be an option if we are looking for quality, experienced cover for Gabriel and William Saliba. Keep an eye on this one.

Atmosphere issues

Yesterday’s blog led to a lot of discussion on the She Wore Facebook page.

As always, I just try and write as a fan that goes home and away, drinks in pubs before and after game, and tries not to be too reactionary and without agenda. I know this upsets some people.

The Facebook page is a brilliant community of Arsenal fans that we have built over more than a decade. We have rooted out many of those that try to divide the fanbase and try and reflect their negativity onto others.

Whilst views, both positive and negative, are welcome from all, we have tried to create a platform for reasonable discussion rather than attention seeking and abuse (of both fellow fans and the club).

If having a good, proper chat about Arsenal if your thing, give the page a follow.

UTA.

Keenos

Is Arsenal’s declining atmosphere just “second season syndrome”

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Last season the atmosphere at the Emirates was electric.

It was best it had consistently been over the course of a season for decades, and this coincided with our best on-pitch performances in decades.

This season the crowd has been more subdued. Many fingers have been pointed towards the club for the change in ticket philosphy and the reduction in Ashburton Army allocation. We have written plenty on these two factors. But is the change in atmosphere also a bit of “second season syndrome”.

Over the years, I have done hundreds of away games, and teams always follow a similar pattern.

The first season a team is back in the Premier League (either for their first time or for the first time in a while), the atmosphere is electric. I am thinking Portsmouth in the early-mid 00s, Leeds United more recently and Luton Town this season. But each year after, the stadium noise tapers off.

The fans at these clubs remain the same, yet from the second season the atmosphere declines. After that first season, they are no longer as excited. Being in the Premier League has stopped being special. And they become more demanding.

In that first season, the fans are just “glad to be back” in the top flight. They could lose 5-0 and still be cheering their team in. Give it a year and that same 5-0 defeat and performance is met by boos and discontent.

And the same happens further up the table.

When Manchester City first became competitive, their ground was a bit of a cauldron. With their narrow away end, it felt like the home fans were on top of you, and it was a fairly intimidating place. A decade on and it is now one of the worst atmospheres in the Premier League.

The more succesful they have become, the worse the atmosphere has become. Whilst this can be pointed at more “day trippers” turning up, 70% of the ground (like Arsenal) is season ticket holders. So a few thousand “new fans” should not have made that much of a difference.

Reality is with success – whether that is at the top of the league, battling at the top of statying in the league – comes expectation. You are no longer excited to be in a title race, you just expect to be in it.

And with that buzz of excitiment of being in it diminishing, the atmosphere also begins to decline.

Manchester City fans now turn up and expect to win, expect to be entertained. And they sit and await that victory and entertainment, like an opera go’er waiting patiently for the performers to hit the big notes, at which point they erupt.

After last seasons exploits and excitment, this season was always going to potentially see a natural decline as second season syndrome kicked in.

Last year saw us return as title contenders, and it is a position we are still in this season. But whereas in 2022/23 we were excited to be in the title race, this campaign we expect to be in it. And that rise in expectation will naturally lead to a decline in atmosphere.

The only way we would have maintained (or built on) the atmosphere is if we had have kicked on again.

For a newly promoted team, kicking on again is transititioning from “happy to be here” to “competing for Europe”. For us, considering the start we had in 2022/23, we had very little room to kick on. The only way the atmosphere of last season would have been replicated this would be if we were running away with the league title. Cantering towards it and double figures clear after 20-games. It is a fairly unreasonable expectation.

And even if we had have done that this season, the atmosphere would have simply dropped next season as that bar of expectation would have risen again. It would no longer be exciting to just win the league. We need that next hit.

It is a bit like your childs excitment declines over Christmas and birthdays over the year, the 2nd time on an airplane never quite generates the excitiment as the 1st, that first game at football is always the most exciting, as is the first away game, first North London Derby, first Euro away trip. The 2nd time around is never quite as exciting.

Yes, I do think that the club have played a huge impact with their decision making, and they have perhaps sped up the decline in atmosphere, but second season syndrome is also a factor.

My final point is to the social media warriors – instead of complaining online that the atmosphere is not as good, why not do something to change it? Stand up and start a song yourself. Do not leave it up to others then complain with they do nothing.

Keenos