Can’t you take up sowing?

...wild oats?

Or knighting?

Actually Özil often used to be top or near the top of the 'km covered' stats, whether playing for us or Germany. So it isn't that.

....or croquet?

I'm sure if we sweetened the deal and offered Özil a bigger pay packet, he'd be willing to stay on, no ?

So Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for Covid19!
He seems fine so far. This pandemic keeps reminding you it respects no one.

PS Send a doctor over to check on Mustafi, please.

The implication from that is sick. You should feel ashamed of yourself.

Eddie misses a pen then scores a lovely goal England U21s 2 - Turkey 0

Watching Chile Columbia live and you have to say the drama and niggle in South American qualifiers is always fun to watch.

So, I just read that the reason we aren't playing Özil at all is to save money on appearance and performance goals add ons. The Arsenal are a slick operation.

I’ve no idea if you already aree, but if you’re not I’ve little doubt that’ll get you blocked by our friend from across the Atlantic as soon as he sees it.

eery

DeBruyne being out is a big help. I hate that Tierney is out. I want to be at full strength defensively and not having, without question, the best LB since turncoat Cole is a big set back.
I'd love to leave with a draw. Doable. If we can somehow manage a goal first and open up some space between van Dijk and keeper for Aubameyang when they press for an equalizer, to run at, that would be great as well.

We’re playing Manchester City; van Dijk plays for Liverpool.

So Eddie has become the record goal scorer for England at U21 level with 14 goals in 12 appearances. Whatever one's view on him as a player at Arsenal, that's a mighty impressive record. He takes over from Shearer who got 13 in 11, and Jeffers with 13 in 16 games.

I know everyone will point at Jeffers' failure with us but he was absolutely dogged with injury and he was competing for a place with TH14 and Wiltord. On the other hand, Shearer didn't do badly.

I personally have high hopes for Eddie.

Well, no-one's perfect. A couple of weeks ago, I remember a forumite posting that Willock is a 'fox in the box', which was even more baffling. Hang on, that was AG as well.

Is De Bruyne definitely ruled out? I read he'd returned to the club from international duty and was 'a doubt'. Which whenever that occurs for a player about to face Arsenal means he will turn up fit as a fiddle.

Jeffers, our reputed 'fox in the box' didn't work out, as DHD said, due to injuries so we will never really know how he would have done. I recall a match he got sent off and Wenger seemed to be cold towards him since, despite the injuries.

A trip down memory lane has me thinking of some 'what ifs'

Eduardo. The injury killed his Arsenal career. I really liked him and thought had the injury not happened he'd have had a pretty decent career with us.

Rosicky. Like Jeffers, if only he didn't have recurring injuries.

Santi. Must be the water in London because he recuperated pretty quickly back in Spain. Who was taller, him or Arshavin?

Diarra. We went from starting the season with perhaps the best defensive midfielders as a collective we've had in years to ending the season scrambling to hold on to one.

RvP Had he stayed healthy his whole career, I think we'd be talking about him being near or catching Henry's record.

Henry. Arguably the best PL striker (Arguero and Rooney might disagree) ever and had he not gone to Barca lord know how many goals and assists he'd have amass.

Cole. Left in his prime. Legendary status certainly to come. Had he stayed, I envision arguments between forumites about who was better, him or Sansom.

Anelka. Could we have had 2 players with 200+ goals each playing on the same squad?

Hmm...you're right. Not certain. And its just like Pep to have that story out there to change our XI.

I wasn’t sure about bubblechris. But I’m pretty sure you are already blocked.

Seems we got even an better deal with Gabriel that was known prior. Our payments are spread over a few years. Edu is doing a bang up job. I wonder if he grew into the role or he was hired because he had shown some skill for the job?

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/10/14/edus-done-it-again-sensational-some-arsenal-fans-buzzing-after-transfer-details-emerge/

I don't believe this reason for a second. It's a very convenient reason but I suspect its the reason Anelka, and similar other players weren't welcomed back. If you push to leave when you are needed, you can't come back. This time, I didn't want him back. (Anelka I did). A lot of cheek van Persie has to ask for a return.
You helped our hated rivals win a title after you spent your years here injured and we stood by you. F off.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/14/arsenal-news-arsene-wenger-robin-van-persie-man-utd-13419650/?ito=newsnow-feed

‘My relationship with Alex Ferguson and Manchester United had improved by then, but every transfer is a polite game of poker where you attempt to give not anything away. ‘Van Persie had a fantastic first six months at Old Trafford: he put the team on track for the Premiership title and made it even more difficult for us. But after three years of the four that he signed for, he was injured and Ferguson (sic) sold him to the Turkish club Fenerbahce. ‘He called me because he wanted to come back, but it was impossible: he was at the end of his career and we were investing in young players.’

Ainsley starting and Saka on the bench for England tonight.

AMN subbed off after 30 mins - sacrificed because Harry Maguire got himself sent off, buffoon!

Maguire must be the worst 80 million quid ever spent.

Most expensive defender in the world. Mad. English + Leicester player = absurd transfer fee.

Man U have spent some crazy money on ordinary players in recent years.

I said so at the time, but I wouldn't have signed him for 25m. Leicester was the absolute peak of what he was capable of, but he gets all these extra points for being English and thus being perceived as having "the right mentality" or something dumb like that. Just a terribly mediocre defender, and it didn't weaken Leicester one bit to lose him.

The England team were the more attacking side and after the sending off in one of the first few Danish attacks they give up a penalty.
England didn't seem to have anyone who could score after the final pass. Weak shots, etc.

Yes, I think I am blocked, Bernard, but I'm not 100 per cent sure. It'd be helpful if AG provided us with the complete list of his blockees.

I didn’t watch a single second of the England vs Denmark match. How did AMN play before he was taken off?

Look, I rate AMN and am glad he stayed, but if he’s now a full England international it just shows how much easier it is to win England caps these days. George Armstrong and Peter Simpson didn’t win a single cap between them. And now AMN has, I find it amazing.

Rob Holding is now 25 and as far as I’m aware, still hasn’t won a cap. Considering England’s alleged problems in central defence, if I’m right and he hasn’t does that raise the question ‘how bad must Holding be not to have won an England cap’?

Chambers and Jenkinson also have England caps. It's a funny old world.

Good point. I’d forgotten them.

Much tougher back then. Fewer games and no substitutes.

Now caps get given out for just a tiny bit of contribution.

Interesting that after Maguire's latest terrible display to gauge the general reaction in the media vs someone like Luiz when he has a bad game. After getting through the basics of Maguire didn't play well, was clumsy etc there has been general sympathy from the media calls for him to be given a break, taken out of the limelight, there's still a top player in there, feel sorry for him. I get that some of that is down to the incident in Greece - but that is his own fault he was caught up in that. Yet someone like Luiz (and there are plenty other non Arsenal player - Pogba for example) tend to get it with both barrels whenever they play badly or make a mistake, there is no mitigation or feeling sorry for them - but good old english slabhead CB Maguire is treated differently.
The media will have their heroes and villians and no matter what happens the narrative is already written. How many articles or even comment was made about Luiz at the back end of last season, having fantastic games in the cup run and being a true leader and mentor for so many young Arsenal players? Most tended to focus on that 1st game back v City and that his contract was extended by another year. I'd wager Maguire has been directly at fault for more goals than Luiz since he signed for Man U.......and he cost £79m more!

The future appears to be a Saliba/Gabriel partnership. Until both are fully ready, Luiz is needed. If I could only keep one defender of the ones we currently have on the books it would be Luiz for a myriad of reasons.

Arsenal fans are tough on him and others. I certainly have been very tough on one of our defenders in particular.

Luiz was always a stop gap till we could get the defense Arteta wants.