Bac says, Arshavin stays, & Arsene prays
867 comments September 7th, 2012
Hello all. Â That is, if there’s anyone out there, and you haven’t all turned away from football entirely during the dark times that constitute any international break. Â Unusually, there is actually some Arsenal news to report, although not all of it is good.
Gooners will have been slightly alarmed to read the comments of Bacary Sagna yesterday. Â He told L’Equipe:
“I expected Robin’s departure, but Alex, that was a surprise. He’s 24 and had three years on his contract. Â When you see your two best players from last season leave, you ask yourself questions.
In the street, supporters sometimes come to see me. I can understand that they’re annoyed. I’m like them – I don’t understand everything.”
In some ways it’s reassuring to see that the players share our sentiments. Â However, it’s not ideal for the club to see those thoughts emerge in print, especially when it calls the decisions of the manager and the board in to question. Â It’s surprising these words have come from Sagna, though – a guy whose brilliance on the pitch is underlined by a stoic professionalism off it. Â If anything, that lends the words more gravitas. Â The departure of Song in particular will have hurt him as the pair were close off the pitch. Â However, I’m confident that once Bac is back and playing his concerns will fade. Â What I do hope, however, is that Arsenal don’t let the mistake of allowing Sagna’s contract to run too far down. Â We won’t find a better full-back.
One player who isn’t leaving is Andrey Arshavin. Â The Russian transfer window slammed shut last night, with the player still firmly on English soil. Â Both Dinamo Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg claimed to have reached agreement with Arsenal to take Arshavin on a free transfer, but in both instances he turned them down. Â His motivation, as far as I understand, is simple: he doesn’t want to leave London. Â When he joined Zenit on loan last year, his family remained behind. Â His kids are in school and he’s hopeful of getting them citizenship. Â I have to say, I’m a little bit glad he’s stayed. Â We saw glimpses in EURO 2012 of what he’s capable of, and he’s not a bad squad player to have around. Â I’d still choose Arshavin over Gervinho in most circumstances. Â The little Russian’s desire to stay for off-field reasons is clear; now he has to earn it on the pitch.
Tonight sees a host of international games kicking off, and Arsene will be anxiously watching on, hoping his players return intact. Â No-one will cause more concern than Abou Diaby, who is set to be involved for France in their game against Finland. Â Ahead of the game, Diaby has been talking to Le Parisien about his injury nightmare:
“I have revenge to take over the time I lost but I want to prove to myself that I can go higher.
All I wanted was to play again. I am born with a strong temper. I never give up. Maybe some people would have given up in my position but it was out of the question for me. Â It was my destiny, it was written [to come back].”
There’s some lovely translation in there, that makes Diaby sound like the revenging swordsman from The Princess Bridge.
“My name is Vassiriki Abou Diaby. Â You broke my ankle. Â Prepare to die.”
In seriousness though, it’s great to see him back, but I think we should sound a note of caution. Â The chances of him being able to play every game this season – even if he avoids injury – are slim. Â After that long out his body will need rest and recuperation, and hopefully the return of Jack Wilshere will allow Arsene to lighten the load on both injury-prone midfielders.
It’s been interesting to note that our start to the season has seen our title odds significantly shorten. I don’t think we’re candidates – I envisage a familiar fourth-placed finish. What can’t be denied is this: the bookies and online casinos such as www.bellerockentertainment.comobviously recognise the potential of Arsene Wenger’s new-look team.
Till next time…