Tag Archives: She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

Arsenal youngster set to be breakout World Cup star

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I have been thinking about this blog since Alex Iwobi’s delightful performance for Nigeria against England.

In that game he came to the fore in the second half.

From the pass he played in the lead up to his own delightful finish, he ran England ragged, dictating the game.

During that game, I turned to a friend and asked “if he was English, would he be going to the World Cup”. The consensus was probably not, but then Gareth Southgate did pick Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

It was not just the play in the led up to the goal, but his entire performance in that second half.

Given a freedom that he does not get at Arsenal due to Mesut Ozil, he drifted around the pitch becoming Nigeria’s version of Arsenal’s German.

He dropped deep to pick up the ball, was on the left wing, the right win, and in the middle. He did not shy away from dictating play, the same way Ozil does for Arsenal.

Without the liability to defend, or track back, he revelled in the freedom putting in one of the best performances I have seen from him.

Moving forward to the World Cup, he will be given the same role for Nigeria. The freedom of being the creator. The main man.

Often short of confidence, playing like he is in awe of those around him at Arsenal, almost as if he does not believe he deserves to be in the red & white, he looked comfortable in the Green of the Eagles.

This World Cup could make him believe in himself. Beleive that he does belong. That he is good enough. It might lead to the end of his timid performances.

If (and it is a big if) he is one of the break through players of the World Cup, dragging Nigeria through to the knock out stages, he will return to Islington a different player. A more confident player. A player that finally realises how much talent he is.

It is easy to forget that he is still just 22. He is 4 months younger than Loftus-Cheek.

Whilst the media and fans are still talking about the on-loan Chelsea mans potential, they are writing off Alex Iwobi.

The same people saying that Loftus-Cheek should be given a chance next season to compete for a place in the Chelsea squad are also saying that Alex Iwobi should not be anywhere near the Arsenal squad.

Now I know some of you will immediately say “but Loftus Cheek was at Crystal Palace” and you are correct to bring that up.

Being at Palace is why Loftus Cheek got through move defensive work than Iwobi.

In terms of attack, Loftus-Cheek was Crystal Palace’s main creator, whilst Iwobi was usually number two (or at times number 3) on the pitch behind Ozil and Alexis Sanchez or Henrik Mkhitaryan.

I wonder how many more goals and assists Iwobi would have got if play went through him at Arsenal like it will for Nigeria?

It is also interesting to note that Alex Iwobi got the same amount of goals (3) and just to assists less (5 v 7) than Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Nigerian also had vastly better passing than his former team mate.

Iwobi averaging 48 completed passes per 90 minutes at 87% completion rate against Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 31 passes at 81%.

So Iwobi – who many will say had a poor season – had a similar season in terms of output as OXlade-Chamberlain – who many said had a good season; His best season ever.

I am not saying he will become world class, nut he is still young and still has some improvement ahead of him, but he could be one of the break out players of the World Cup. He wil lcertainly go into my Fantasy Football team.

If he is given a staring role for Nigeria this summer, he will come back to Arsenal a more confident player.

He is more than good enough to be back up Mesut Ozil, Henrik Mkhitaryan and perhaps one more.

Keenos

https://twitter.com/SheWore/status/1004768318639575040

Winter break for 2019/20 and transfer window closing

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Winter Break

I have never really understood why we have been so desperate for a winter break in England, but one has now been agreed for the Premier League in 2018/19.

Winter is about football, summer about cricket.

Going up north in the wind, rain, cold and snow is what football is about. Keeping yourself warm on the terraces, ensuring you have had enough beers to battle against the cold pre-game. And getting back to the warm boozer post-game is rewarding.

Clubs have pushed for a winter break under the guise that it will enable sides to perform better in Europe in the second half of the season, and that will give England a better chance of success at major tournaments.

The reality is they just want to go on money spinning mid-season tours to Dubai or America. Australia or Singapore.

From the looks of it, the break is only actually going to give teams a single weekend off – so two weeks in total.

The break in February will be staggered across two weeks, with five matches on the first weekend and five the following weekend.

The FA Cup fifth round will also be moved to midweek to accommodate the break, with replays being scrapped at that stage – it will just be the beginning of all FA Cup’s being played mid week

They moan about the magic of the FA Cup diminishing, then do this crap.

What are odds that clubs will go to Dubai for their weekend off, and play each other?

It just seems a load of rubbish.

Transfer Window

The transfer window shuts 8 weeks today.

Despite us still being a week away from the World Cup starting, we are already in the final month countdown for English clubs to sign players. The deadline being at 5pm on Thursday August 9th.

This is due to Premier League clubs voting to close the window at before the first match of the 2018/19 season.

Fifa rules dictate the window must be open for 12 weeks which has meant the date clubs could start to sign players was also been brought forward.

In a move designed to end disruption and allow clubs to focus on their football, Premier League clubs agreed to close the summer transfer window before the start of the 2018-19 season.

The change came after a number of Premier League managers and club officials complained about the negative impact of transfer uncertainty and speculation on their players. Diego Costa, Philippe Coutinho and Virgil van Dijk were just four of a list of players who did not play for their clubs as they pursued exits.

14 Premier League clubs voted for the window to shut before the season starts, starting this season.

Clubs in Europe did not follow the Premier League’s lead (although I suspect that they will), meaning that  transfer windows in Spain, France, Germany and Italy will all remain open to the end of the month.

This creates a situation where they can sign players from English clubs, but English clubs will not be able to sign replacements.

It will create an interesting stand-off.

With the World Cup final on July 15th, English clubs will have just 3 weeks from then to the beginning of the new season to negotiate signings. It makes this tight and could result in a lot of deals for players who are not at the World Cup.

Keenos

Danny Welbeck fails to score a new contract

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We have all seen the joke going round on twitter;

Leroy Sane not included in Germany’s World Cup squad.

Martial and Lacazette not included in France’s World Cup squad.

Icardi not included in Argentina’s World Cup squad.

Meanwhile, England are taking Danny Welbeck.

Whilst it is incredible that Sane, Martial and Icardi are not going to the World Cup – highlighting just how strong those nations are – it is an ignorant ending to the joke to dig out Welbeck.

The truth is, for England Welbeck is a very reliable goal scorer.

Last night against Costa Rica,

Welbeck scores his 16th goal in 39 appearances. Not a bad record what so ever.

When you compare that to the combined record of Sane, Icardi and Martial – 1 goal in 34 appearances between them, you can perhaps see why Welbeck is going to Russia and those 3 are not.

But what for Welbeck’s future at Arsenal?

He joined Arsenal 4 years ago from Manchester United. Fed up of being a reserve for his boyhood club, he hoped moving to London would reignite his career.

Throughout his Arsenal career, he has shown why he never broke through at Manchester United.

Physically he is brilliant. Tall, strong and quick. It is technically where he struggles. He simply does not score enough goals that his size and pace gives him the chances to score.

27 goals in 112 appearances in not a record to be proud of.

He turns 28 in November and has found himself once more in the fringes of the Arsenal squad, behind both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

With all the talk about Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere’s contract situation, it has gone unnoticed that Welbeck is also entering the last year of his contract.

At his age, and if he has any ambition in him, he will be seeking first team football. Like with Jack Wilshere, he will probably have to find it lower down in the Premier League. Therefore I would be very surprised if he signs a new contract with Arsenal.

But I also do not think he will leave the club this summer.

With Arsenal having quite a large squad turnover this year, having already lost Per Mertesacker and Santi Cazorla, and with Jack Wilshere set to leave at the end of the month, Arsenal need to try and keep some players.

Welbeck comes across as a professional guy. Professional enough to play even if he knows he is leaving.

Arsenal would unlikely be able to command a large fee for the Englishman this summer, so would be happy enough to lose him on a free transfer next year – his transfer feee being fully amortised in the club accounts.

A new young attacking wide man will be signed this summer, who along with the lies of Alex Iwobi and Riess Nelson will compete to replace Danny Welbeck in the future. But with Welbeck you know what you are going to get already, so it will be important to keep him around for one more year just in case the new lad does not settle, or Iwobi and Nelson fail to kick on.

Next season, even if it is his last at Arsenal, Welbeck still has important role to play, being the link man between our past and our future.

Keenos