Squelchy and Diabolical are back!
12 comments January 28th, 2011
At last: we have more than two centre-backs
Don’t get overexcited: we haven’t signed anyone. Instead, Sebastien Squillaci is back from injury. It ought to be good news, but memories of some of his timid displays prior to succumbing to hamstring knack mean it fills me more with trepidation than triumphalism.
Abou Diaby will also make his customary ‘comeback appearance’, look quite good, then limp off clutching a random part of his leg.
In seriousness, it’s good to have them back. I hope we don’t need to see Squillaci out there too often, but Diaby could have an important role to play and give Jack Wilshere a vital breather every now and again.
Arshavin: It’s All In My Head
Various quotes from Andrey Arshavin have been floating about the internet over the past couple of days, like those bits of cellular debris you sometimes see in the corner of your eye. The diminutive Russian has spoke out about his form, which has been at best about as patchy as John Terry’s strange unfinished haircut.
The first thing to say is that it’s apparent in the Russian original article that the comment about “getting old” is intended as a joke. Though he may have mistakenly hit the nail on the head – in the attacking third of the field, that half-yard of pace is absolutely crucial.
I think, however, that this decline has been too swift for it to be physiological. It’s all in his head. His confidence is shot and he needs something to kickstart him. Perhaps his two assists in the week could provide something of a fillip. It’s no secret that I am in love with a big fan of the little Russian, as is Arsene. I think he’ll get more playing time at the weekend – Arsene did talk about using ‘shorter rotation’, after all…
More Loan Rangers
With the serious business approaching, Arsene has let several more fringe members of the squad go out on loan. Craig Eastmond has joined Millwall – if that doesn’t toughed him up nothing will – whilst Benik Afobe has extended his spell with Huddersfield Town. According to this article on Arsenal.com, he hasn’t been given permission to play in this weekend’s FA Cup tie, which is odd because Sanchez Watt was allowed to do so when we faced Leeds. A suggestion, perhaps, that we rate Afobe as a brighter prospect than Sanchez.
Young Guns has a story about Ryo Miyachi joining Feyenoord on loan. That’d be a good move for him, assuming he got any game-time. We’re still waiting for Carlos Vela to choose between Bolton and sunny Spain. I’ll repeat: if he leaves England now, he’s probably gone for good.
Arsenal’s Twitterati
What with it being 2011, which is basically The Future, more and more Arsenal players are now over on Twitter. In recent weeks, Bacary Sagna, Robin van Persie, and Samir Nasri have all joined the mass ranks of chattering.
However, one man is conspicuous by his absence: Emmanuel Eboue. Reportedly the dressing room’s most natural entertainer, the public should not be denied the presence of this man in their social media landscape. Yesterday I gave birth to the hashtag: #eboueontwitter. Let the campaign begin.
Cesc You Can
Hop on over to Gunnerblog’s elder, swearier brother arseblog and you can have a crack at winning one of the new Cesc We Can t-shirts. Watch out though: the questions a real head-scratcher. Alternatively, if you are a) impatient, or b) famously unlikely to win anything ever, then why not just buy one by clicking the fancy banner below?
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That’s yer lot for today. Happy Friday, Gooners.
