Fair play to Rob Holding. Last summer he looked out the door. Set to join Newcastle on loan due to Arsenal having 8 central defenders. The deal fell through at the last minute due to injuries and Holding has gone from strength to strength since.
Holding may not be a superstar. Is certainly not world class. But he is solid. A solid play, a solid character. He is the type of person you need in a squad.
2020/21 is his 5th season at The Arsenal, and in that time he has played just 53 Premier League matches.
His time at the club has been disrupted by injury and whilst his mentality has never been in question, his ability has been.
Had Holding departed Arsenal in the summer, he would have left with his head held high, having been an outstanding performer in 2 FA Cup Final victories over Chelsea.
Holding is a solid mid-table Premier League centre back. He would start week in week out for most sides in the top 6. He is the level of Michael Keane, James Tarkowski, Conor Coady.
He is a basic player, lacks a bit of pace, but does not over complicate things.
Win ball, pass ball.
And that is what you need sometimes in a squad player. Someone that does not try to play above their level. Someone that puts in a solid performance, does not try and be a superstar, and does not make mistakes.
And Holding will very much become a squad player at Arsenal.
Whilst we have a lot of central defenders on our books, that will change between now and the summer.
Sokratis will leave within the next few days, whilst Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz will leave in the summer.
That will leave Arsenal with Gabriel, Pablo Mari, Rob Holding, William Saliba and Calum Chambers.
Gabriel and Pablo Mari look like solid options on the left hand side of defence, whilst Rob Holding is the only realistic option on the right hand side.
Chambers has suffered yet another injury and his time with Arsenal must be coming to an end – he has not reached the levels Holding has.
Whilst there are question marks over whether William Saliba will be ready.
What Arsenal need to do in the summer is recruit a right sided central defender who is the level of Mari of Gabriel. Rob Holding is then reliable back up to that purchase.
The hope would have been Saliba would have been that man, but it is obvious Mikel Arteta does not feel he is ready.
I would not be surprised if Saliba goes out on loan to a Premier League team, someone like West Ham, for the whole of next season.
Saliba is still just 19-years-old and has plenty of time on his hand. There is no need to write him off, likewise we should not expect him to walk straight into the first team.
Arteta clearly wants people of a certain character at the club. Holding ticks those boxes.
Hard working, humble, home-grown.
Fair play to Holding for getting his head down, improving, staying fit and earning his new contract.
(4-2-3-1) Bernd Leno; Cédric Soares, David Luiz, Pablo Marí, Kieran Tierney; Mohamed Elneny, Joe Willock; Nicolas Pépé, Willian Borges da Silva, Reiss Nelson; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Substitutes: Bukayo Saka, Alexandre Lacazette, Alex Rúnarsson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Calum Chambers, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith-Rowe, Granit Xhaka
VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Andre Marriner; AVAR Neil Davies
Attendance: A maximum of 300 attendees due to UK government coronavirus restrictions
And so, it’s that time again. Today is the third round of the magical FA Cup, and on this occasion, it is a wee bit different for us, as we are, of course, the current holders of the old tin pot (as our cup-winning captain Joe Mercer used to refer to it). Our adversaries at the Emirates this afternoon are Newcastle United, a club whom we have played against in the final tie for the grand old trophy three times at Wembley Stadium, in 1932, 1952 and 1998, winning just once, in our second league and cup double season of twenty-three years ago of course. Controversy appears to follow with our contests with the Magpies; who can forget the “ball-over-the-line” final of 1932 and twenty years later, the courageous last stand of ten-man Arsenal in those long-forgotten pre-substitution days? But that was then, and this is now, and all we can hope for is that our winning run in the Premiership transfers to this match in the unpredictable FA Cup this afternoon. Let’s go!
Sadly, Gabriel Martinelli injured himself in the pre-match warm-up, so young Reiss Nelson stepped up to the plate in his place; almost immediately he got into the action, firing a shot at the visitors’ goal within a minute of the starting whistle. We started in a confident manner, with several good attempts on the Magpies’ goal, all of which came to nothing, sadly. The match started to become one of major challenges in midfield, with neither side breaking out to create a scoring chance; however, having said that, there were opportunities that became available as the tedium started to break down after about twenty minutes. Reiss Nelson and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both had gilt-edged chances to score that were hacked away by the visitors’ defenders, whilst Andy Carroll and Miguel Almirón were creating openings to grab the first goal by hustling and bustling their way through the Arsenal defence. We managed to gain control of the match by the scruff of the neck, and in doing so, our forwards were finding advantageous space through the five-man-at-the-back system that Newcastle were playing throughout the half, mainly by pushing balls over the top of the defensive wall for our men to run on to. However, Newcastle United held firm, and we went into the break honours even.
The second half started in earnest with the visitors taking the match to us, and it has to be said that theywere extremely unlucky not to score, when Andy Carroll had a couple of chances that, on another day, may well have found the back of the net. Newcastle United pinned us back into our own half for the first ten mintues or so of the new half, but it all seemed to change when Emile Smith-Rowe replaced Reiss Nelson after fifty-six minutes. Suddenly, it was our turn to be in the ascendancy, and we had some excellent chances to score, the best of them coming from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when having beat the defender, he flicked the ball past the goalkeeper, and as it happened, the post as well. Mikel Arteta made a double substitution out of sheer frustration when Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka replaced Joe Willock and Willian after sixty-eight minutes. The new pairs of legs certainly changed things up front for us, as suddenly our passing became sharper, our work rate was quicker, and our opportunities to score became frequent. Bukayo Saka had a brilliant shot on the Newcastle goal that went over the bar, and it appeared to be that the more we tried to score, the harder it became to do so. Kieran Tierney crossed a fabulous ball for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to head wide, and both sets of defenders were just hoofing the ball away as tiredness was the king now. In injury time, David Luiz was unlucky not to score with a superb header, then seconds later, Elliott Anderson (and then Andy Carroll) almost won the match for the visitors, but fortunately Bernd Leno saved the day. There was more drama when referee Chris Kavanagh reached for the red card when Emile Smith-Rowe clipped Sean Longstaff (who theatrically screamed for effect), but thankfully, it was swapped for a yellow card after he consulted the pitchside monitor. And so extra time became a reality.
After a particularly poor game, both sets of players started the period of extra time with some trepidation. As is usual with extra time situations, both teams were looking for mistakes through tiredness, and sure enough, after two minutes, Granit Xhaka hit a beautiful ball from outside the visitors’ box that was acrobatically pushed over the bar by the goalkeeper. David Luiz did well in clearing the ball after some pressure by the visitors, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was denied a penalty a few minutes later when he went down in the opponents’ box after a messy tackle. Towards the end of the first half of extra time, we certainly had the better chances, but we still were unable to break down the Newcastle defence. Alexandre Lacazette replaced a tiring Nicolas Pépé at the beginning of the second period, and the entrance of our number nine certainly rejuvenated the boys. And finally, three minutes into the second half of injury time, Emile Smith Rowe’s superb right footed shot went from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner of the net, ably assisted by Alexandre Lacazette with a headed pass, after a clever lob by Bukayo Saka. The goal certainly put a spring in our step, so much so, that three minutes later, a Kieran Tierney cross from the left, near the byline found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose left-footed shot from point-blank range found the centre of the goal, to give us our second and final goal of the night. Although there was one or two further chances for both sides, the match was essemtially over and our path to the fourth round was assured.
Well, we got there in the end, and we certainly made hard work of it at times. After the cavalier manner that they disposed of West Bromwich Albion in the rain at The Hawthorns last week, we all expected more of the same, but boy, were we disappointed. The good thing about the performance tonight, was that they were dogged, determined and solid; some performances were truly exemplary. Emile Smith-Rowe, David Luiz, Bukayo Saka, and of course, the incredible Kieran Tierney. If there is a better left-back in Europe playing top professional football at his tender age, I have yet to see it. A real gem. Overall, it was heavy weather, but we are in the fourth round draw on Monday, and for that we should be eternally grateful.
Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Thursday, 14th January at 8.00pm (Premier League). Victoria Concordia Crescit.
Steve
Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon.
The rise of social media has confided with fans having an unhealthy obsession with young players who have achieved nothing the in the game.
Previously, “fan accounts” were for a clubs best players. Alexis Sanchez. Mesut Ozil. Aaron Ramsey. And so on.
However with fans now driven by “being first”, many any end “fan boying” young players. They can then say “I was a big fan ever since he was 1 if he makes it.
These sort of people probably run multiple account for every young player; in the hope one makes it and they gain thousands of followers. A fairy sad existence.
But what it has led to at Arsenal is the over hyping of Willian Saliba and Folarin Balogan.
Saliba has been overhyped since the day we signed him around 18 months ago. “The new van Dijk” or “the Mbappe of central defenders” they called him.
The reality is he was just 18 when he signed and had barely played senior football.
Fans then cried that Mikel Arteta was not playing him. They would post up videos showing one good tackle. One good control. One good clearance. But they turned a blind eye to his rashness and mistakes.
These people had not actually seen him play. They hyped him up for clout; and as an extension of the Mesut Ozil debate.
They hate Mikel Arteta over his treatment of Ozil, so automatically any player Arteta doesn’t play becomes brilliant, and any he plays is awful. It is very transparent.
Most of those slating Arteta for not picking Saliba are also firmly in the “Ozil is a legend” camp. They don’t really rate Saliba, they just rate any player Arteta does not.
But ultimately Arteta sees Saliba every day in training. He sees him alongside Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel and Pablo Mari.
Arteta is best placed to make a decision on young players. Not some kid who has never seen him player.
People seem to have forgotten that Virgil van Dijk was playing in Holland for Groningen at 18.
He then moved to Celtic in Scotland before coming to the Premier League at 24. Not to join a big club but to join Southampton.
It was not until he was 26 that Liverpool made him the most expensive defender in the world.
Van Dijk was not even a full Dutch international until he was 24. As a young player he was very much recognised as someone who was a fantastic physical specimen but rash in the challenge and error prone. A bit like Saliba.
From what I have seen of Saliba he reminds me of a young Rio Ferdinand. He strolls through games but is too casual on the ball.
Ferdinand, like van Dijk, did not become the worlds most expensive overnight.
He started at West Ham before joining Leeds United.
Manchester United signed Ferdinand at 24, by which time he had played nearly 200 Premier League games.
Saliba will become a very good central defender. But he has a lot to learn. He needs to get 100 appearances under his belt, improve his game awareness and grow. Even if we do not see him for another 2 seasons he will still just be 21.
He needs to be given the time to develop.
Like Saliba, Balogun has a fan base which is mystifying.
People are claiming that Balogun should be playing ahead of Eddie Nketiah, ahead of Gabriel. Ahead of Alex Lacazette.
This is a guy that has performed well at youth level. But it is way to wary for people to be writing him into starting XIs.
Compare him to Bukayo Saka.
Saka is 2 months younger than Balogun and has over 60 appearances.
I see some say “Arteta hates young players”; but Saka disproves that.
It is clear that Arteta will play you regardless of your age as long as you are good enough.
Saka is good enough, Balogun is not yet.
That does not mean Balogun will not become a good striker, but as it stands he is 5th choice – behind Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabriel and Nketiah.
The best comparison at the club for Balogun is Gabriel.
Born within days of each other, Gabriel has shown he is Premier League quality. Balogun has not.
A couple of goals as a teenager off the bench in the Europa League does not suddenly make him a superstar. It is no more than what either Gabriel or Nketiah have done.
The Balogun deal is reportedly held up either due to money or playing time.
On money; it is ludicrous to say “just pay him what he wants”. I have seen some say “sell Nketiah and pay his transfer fee to Balogun”. These people do not know much about football.
Chelsea paid Callum Hudson-Odoi a reported £120,000 a week to keep him. This would make Balogun one of Arsenal’s top 10 paid players.
The level below that is Saka and Gabriel.
Both recently signed new deals for a reported £90,000 a week. Both deserved their new deals after consistent performances.
Anyone who thinks it is logical to pay Balogun more – or even par – to Saka and Gabriel is a plonker.
We have enough disharmony in the squad without paying an unproven youth player more than establish youth players.
Even paying Balogun the same as Rob Holding (who will deserve his new deal) is wrong. Balogun has literally achieved nothing in football and some fans want us to tie up £25m in a contract for him.
If it is playing time Balogun wants, then he has a two options.
Sign a new deal and take a loan or leave.
The fact is Balogun has players ahead of him in the pecking order at Arsenal.
Even if you discount Nketiah (whose time is probably running out); he is still behind Aubameyang, Lacazette and Gabriel. He has not shown he is better than any of those.
So sign a contract and take a 6 month loan deal. Go smash in half a dozen goals in the Championship. Come back having proven that you can compete with Gabriel to be back up to Aubameyang (I think Lacazette will leave in the summer). But the key is go and prove what you can do.
We have seen good youth strikers before at Arsenal. Lupoli, Afobe, Akpom, Nketiah. Dominated U18 games does not mean you will automatically step up.
His other option is to leave. To follow the likes of Stephy Mavididi and Xavier Amaechi out the door. Where are those two now?
Of course, some will say he is the “new Gnabry” – something people put out every time a young Arsenal players leaves.
Mavididi and Amaechi have done little since leaving the club.
Donyell Malen has dropped a level and is now performing well in Holland. But Saka is levels ahead (and the same age).
I would imagine if Nketiah left for Holland, he would outside Malen.
A lot of people also point to Jeff Reine-adélaïde as “another Gnabry”.
“The Jeff” is now 22 and has yet to do anything to prove Arsenal wrong in letting him go.
He went to Angers, where after a good season he earned himself a big money move to Lyon. They have now loaned him out to Nice. He turns 23 in a week.
Is Jeff better than Saka? No. Is he even better than Willock? Probably not. And Emile Smith Rowe is not too far behind.
Balogun and Saliba are good young players, but they are not on the level of senior first team Arsenal players. Anyone that thinks they are is either deluded or agenda driven.
For every Cesc there is a Merida. Every Wilshere a Zelalem. Every Anelka and Afobe.
Bar Gnabry – who had not played for 2 years – Arsenal have not regretted losing a young player. Not been proved wrong in allowing them to go.
It will happen again. But we have to back the decisions of the coach. The management.
And ultimately back the players who are at the club. Who want to stay here. Not those that think the grass is greener elsewhere.
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 