‘You got this’
Worst phrase to come out of America. We can all celebrate the big milkshakes, but at some point, someone is going to have to answer for that turn of phrase.
Turns out, England did not ‘got this’ at the World Cup yesterday. Thomas Partey’s Ghana team stole a point off England in a game where we certainly rode our luck with the crazy decisions. Pickford might have been sent off on another day for a woeful attempt at clearing a one-on-one. Konsa got away with a horrendous tackle in our box. Bellingham was also caught having words under a covered mouth with Jordan Ayew.
Some days, you just get that Man City x Michael Oliver partnership kind of luck.
The best player on the pitch, by a country mile, was Declan Rice. He created 6 chances, covered every blade of grass, and generally looked possessed. He’s a monster midfielder and I do think he’d be worth £160m in the open market right now. You don’t agree? Tell me with a straight face, Elliot Anderson is worth £130m after watching his two England performances. Oh, sorry, you don’t agree because you think £180m is closer to the truth?
The main downside to all of this is that Rice exited the game with a taped-up thigh and a limp. He’s already complained about nerve damage. This is a man who doesn’t know when to stop, and his body is quite incredible at allowing him to defy it.
I do worry though… next season comes around awfully fast, and if he’s not in our starting 11, we just aren’t the same. How is Arteta going to manage it this summer? He can’t simply ignore what we can all see, because the outcome will be a long-term absence with something serious.
Can’t deny that I am guilty of enjoying another Madueke performance. He was light on his feet, brave, and he created a couple of chances. He’s been quite a scary player at the World Cup so far. Just wish he could connect the good performances to output. This is the great weakness in his game. Great for comps, stretching defences, and looking the part… but goals and assists is how he moves out of Saka’s shadow.
The World Cup has had me on my stoner thoughts again… is the quality of World Cup football worse, but that lack of quality actually makes the game more entertaining? I think so. The England vs Ghana game didn’t lack quality, but it lacked entertainment because it was too much like a Premier League game between mid-table and top of the table. Ghana can defend and counter… England struggled to break the deep block.
Most average teams can’t master a deep block, so they fight. National pride also kicks in. You see great teams slogging. That tends to mean that the big teams beat the little teams… but there aren’t many Bournemouth little teams in the comp. So we’re all having a good time watching thrillers. It’s just pure cinema watching Cristiano beat up Uzbekistan and turn to the crowd to whisper ‘I’m back.’
Brazil easily beat Scotland, but Tierney was doing his best to ask questions. In the ‘which alcoholics do we love the best’ stakes, it would appear Americans generally like the keg killers of countries that are rubbish at football. Why did Boston fall in love with Scottish fans, then complain the vibes were off when England landed? We have nice accents and good songs? We drink in 14-hour shifts? But no twinned cities for us? Still rejecting us for something that happened 250 years ago? Come on… this is silly. Only one person in my office has claimed English as an American… and someone on my team is an Arsenal fan, and her family lives in Chelmsford. Are we a point of shame when other countries are around?
Maybe we’re just annoying. You know who isn’t annoying to Americans? David Beckham. Not one advertising exec in America said, hey David, before we give you £12m for this advert… are you working with anyone else? Man is in so many adverts, they back-to-back him across different brands. It is extraordinary how massive he is over here.
Arsenal have made a summer signing… and it’s a Technical Director. Andrea Berta is clearing out the old, and bringing in his trusted people. Javier Alonso will leave Granada to join Arsenal this summer.
Career path:
Youth coach at Real Sporting de Gijón (until 2013)
International scout at Sassuolo (2013–2016)
International scout at Atlético de Madrid under Andrea Berta (2016–2021)
Head of scouts at Atlético de Madrid (2021–2024)
Technical Secretary at Granada CF (January 2024 – June 2026)
Hard to really attribute much to him personally. His time at Granada was too short and his spell under Berta at Atleti was very much about Berta. I guess all we need to know is this… does Berta like him? If he does, then we just have to hope he’s a good judge of talent and that this guy’s thinking translates well into the Premier League.
The Julián Álvarez story hasn’t really progressed much since I wrote about it yesterday. But it is the hot transfer to cover. Arteta wanted him last summer, he knew of his reputation from his City colleagues, and Berta has come in and kept that flame going. Álvarez isn’t getting a move to Spain, I just don’t see how Barca can get the money, and I’m not sure how they recover from the massive public spat that has gone on because of their alleged conduct.
It’s Arsenal… or he stays.
More journalists are weighing in on the Gyokeres part of the story, because it’s clear to anyone who watched him last season that if Arsenal can escape that deal without a fuss, they will absolutely do that. Atleti selling Álvarez will hurt their fans, but if they can bring in one of the most deadly strikers in Europe… a man who slapped them up in the Champions League… I think they’ll do it. How Arsenal reconfigure from there is a more complicated question. But it’s essential that we have a number 9 who can run, control the ball like a Premier League striker, and do more than just shoot. Not sure who that’d be, but I heard Arsenal have been talking about this for a while. No one will understand the truth of Gyokeres’ limitations more than Arteta… and he’s not soft like you. The Bane mask won’t have him reaching for another season if there’s a good offer on the table.
We’re doing two games at the same time now. How will we cope without a game on at all hours of the day? That, I do not know. But stay strong.
Ok, that’s all I’ve got today.
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