
Tierney IN, Kolasinac OUT: The mathematics behind the deal

The Good
Mohamed Elneny
Egypt 2-1 Congo
Mohamed Elneny played the full 90 minutes of Egypt’s World Cup qualifying win over Congo which saw his country to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1990.
Egypt to win the World Cup: 150/1
Alex Iwobi
Nigeria 1-0 Zambia
Alex Iwobi came off the bench to score Nigeria’s only goal as the Super Eagles became the first African side to secure qualification for the World Cup. A 1-0 victory.
Nigeria to win the World Cup: 150/1
David Ospina
Colombia 1-2 Paraguay
David Ospina featured as Colombia lost 2-1 to Paraguay, with the visitors scoring twice in the final minutes to snatch the three points.
Peru 1-1 Colombia
David Ospina and Colombia will play at their second successive World Cup after securing a 1-1 draw against Peru.
Columbia to win the World Cup: 33/1
Alexandre Lacazette, Olivier Giroud
Bulgaria 0-1 France
Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud both featured in France’s 1-0 win over Bulgaria. Lacazette started in an exciting front three with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, Giroud was an 85th-minute.
France 2-1 Belarus
Olivier Giroud became France’s joint-seventh top goalscorer as he helped France to secure their place at next summer’s World Cup with a win over Belarus in Saint-Denis. Giroud charged through to double Les Bleus’ advantage just after the half-hour mark. Giroud played the entirety of the game, with Alexandre Lacazette an unused sub.
France to win the World Cup: 5/1
Nacho Monreal
Spain 3-0 Albania
Nacho Monreal was an unused substitute as Spain hit three past Albania in World Cup qualifying.
Israel 0-1 Spain
Monreal helped Spain keep a clean sheet as the former world champions saw off Israel 1-0 in Jerusalem, courtesy of a late goal from Asier Illaramendi.
Spain to win the World Cup: 7/1
The Bad
Sead Kolasinac
Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-4 Belgium
Sead Kolasinac played the duration of Bosnia’s World Cup qualifying defeat to Belgium, where he was booked.
Estonia 1-2 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Sead Kolasinac played the first half in Tallinn as Bosnia-Herzegovina’s World Cup dreams were dashed despite them finishing Group H with a win in Estonia. Greece’s home win over Gibraltar meant it wasn’t enough to reach the play-off round.
Aaron Ramsey
Georgia 0-1 Wales
Aaron Ramsey won his 50th Wales cap and assisted Tom Lawrence’s winner in his country’s 1-0 win at Georgia.
Wales 0-1 Republic of Ireland
Aaron Ramsey was on the losing side as Wales were beaten 1-0 by the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff, ending their World Cup qualification hopes.
The Ugly
Shkodran Mustafi
Germany 5-1 Azerbaijan
Shkodran Mustafi started Germany’s World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan but was substituted after just 36 minutes through injury as Germany maintained their 100 per cent record in World Cup qualifying.
Germany to win the World Cup: 5/1
Alexis Sanchez
Chile 2-1 Ecuador
Alexis scored the winning goal in the 86th minute against Ecuador to seal three points for Chile, who are now on the verge of automatic qualification to the World Cup.
Brazil 3-0 Chile
Copa America winners in 2015 and 2016 – but Alexis and Chile won’t be at next summer’s World Cup. The result that saw Chile fail to finish in the top five qualifying spots in South America as a consequence of other results. Alexis played the full 90 minutes.
The Neutral
Granit Xhaka
Switzerland 5-2 Hungary
Granit Xhaka opened the scoring for Switzerland in their World Cup qualifying win over Hungary. The midfielder capitalised on goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi’s slip to slot in from close range are just 18 minutes.
Portugal 2-0 Switzerland
Granit Xhaka’s Switzerland could still make the World Cup in Russia next summer – but his Switzerland team will have to qualify through the European play-off round after losing their decisive qualifier in Portugal.
Typical Wenger signing. An unknown on a free transfer. #WengerOut was what I saw a lot of people tweeting when we had confirmed the signing of left back Sead Kolasinac on a Bosman from Schalke. How wrong they are.
The signing of Kolasinac is a perfect example why it is not about what you spend, but about who you buy.
When you look at Manchester City spending £150-odd million on full back this summer, we have got the best of the lot in Kolasinac. And he is quickly becoming a fans favourite.
Even if you did not have half a brain, it would not have been too tough to realise that we were getting a quality player in Kolasinac.
Last season he was named in the Bundesliga team of the year ahead of the likes of David Alaba. His numbers were brilliant.
12 interceptions in a single game; the most in Europe’s top 5 leagues and the most assists by a Bundesliga defender in 2016/17. His 5 assists for Schalke was also more than any other player for the club.
Since his arrival at Arsenal, he has grown in stature every game he has played. A tank of a player who battles for every ball, you imagine in another life he would have been a Bosnian War General. He can clearly handle himself.
He has already made his mark for the club this season, with 2 Premier League assists. And last night he scored a fabulous goal. He is an all round defender. He can cross, shoot, tackle, intercept, and bully opponents.
And it is not just his football that speak loud, it is his attitude.
After scoring against FC Koln on Thursday, he raised his shirt to show a Schalke t-shirt underneath. It was to wind up the Koln fans. It is stuff like this that fans love. It is stuff like this that put someone like Lukas Podolski in the fans hearts so quick. It is stuff like this, alongside his performances on the pitch, that will quickly make him the new terrace cult hero.
Just as long as his performances on the pitch are high and not overshadowed by the over stuff, we could be seeing one of our greatest ever left backs slowly develop in front of our eyes.
Sead Kolasinac – It is not what you spend, but who you buy.
Great attitude.
Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC