Good morning from London.
Obviously everyone’s focus is on tomorrow and the game against Everton, but I don’t want to write too much about that today. What happened on the final day was something Mikel Arteta has experienced before. Here he helps Rangers lift Celtic to the SPL in 2003, discussing a game in which he played a crucial role.
“They said we needed one more goal. Now we are fine. We needed another goal and in the 94th or 96th minute we got a penalty and we needed to score that goal to win the title.
“So I looked around and no one was picking the ball. I went and picked it up. The crowd turned away and didn’t want to see it. I scored and thank God I scored. And then we won the league and it was great.”
If a penalty kick to win the league was given in injury time tomorrow, my brain would literally melt. It’s probably going to cost you a lot of money, but it’s going to be terrible. My Garmin watch will call an ambulance because of my heart rate.
The manager talked a lot about faith in yesterday’s press conference, but I think the only thing we can truly believe in is the inherent, chaotic randomness that makes football great. Most of the time we know something, but sometimes we don’t know at all. 60% of the time it always works. You know yourself.
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Meanwhile, Mohamed Elneny announced he would leave the club in the summer, saying:
I am here today to send you a message, to say goodbye and to thank you for all you have done for me, for your love, support and kindness. I’m really going to miss you so much. You will be in my heart forever. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you, how much you mean to me, and I will never forget the way you supported me.
His playing time this season has been minimal to say the least, and for someone who turns 32 this summer, he’s entering the ninth month of his career. However, he is currently the club’s longest-serving player with 161 appearances. His playing career overlaps that of Mikel Arteta, but the current manager spent most of his final season injured. They played together on the final day of the 2015-16 season, and Arteta’s brief cameo at the end of the 4-0 win over Aston Villa was an emotional moment for him (particularly when he thought he had scored, but the game Because it collapsed). own goal).
I wonder if his injury issues at the time influenced the decision to extend Elneny’s contract after suffering a serious knee injury. I know Arteta can be seen as a ruthless figure, but his new signing, aimed at giving the injured player the security and support he needs during this difficult time, has shown another side. Your mileage may vary depending on the decision, but when asked what kind of commitment Arteta has to his players, I think those things help create the environment he wants in the dressing room.
Good luck to Mo. No matter what happens in the future.
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Other than that, I think I’d like to leave it at that. You might want to take a walk to the stadium this morning to enjoy the atmosphere for a bit before the busier atmosphere arrives tomorrow. Maybe you can buy a shirt, a lucky keychain, or a lucky hat. First of all, I’m glad. Or if City have bad luck, I’m not picky.
If you join Ally Pally’s live podcast in the future, we look forward to seeing you there. Before I turn my full attention to tomorrow, I hope you have a great night.
We’re offering a preview podcast for tomorrow’s showdown on Patreon right now. It’s a detailed look at where we are at and what the details of tactics and team selection mean, so focus on that if you want.
For now, have a great Saturday.
