Category: Football

Mikel Arteta has warned that players at the highest level are “cracking and cracking” under the strain of the fixture calendar and believes football will suffer a dip in standards if changes aren’t made quickly.

In a staggered week of FA Cup fifth-round football Arteta’s Arsenal side visit Portsmouth on Monday night; the ties are opened up until Thursday thanks to television requirements and therefore the lack of weekends available due to the introduction of a winter break. agen sbobet online terpercaya maxbetsbobet.org

On Sunday afternoon his previous employers, Manchester City, face Aston Villa within the final of the League Cup, a contest Pep Guardiola has said should be scrapped to ease congestion. Arteta was asked whether he agreed thereupon view and, without aligning himself thereto precisely, he said the present schedule was unsustainable.

“I think there are tons of the way around it,” he said. “We’re not getting to please everyone with the choices that need to be made. what’s needless to say is that, for players, it’s a huge amount of games. The intensity is raising every single year, the extent of pressure too, and sometimes it’s an excessive amount of for them. If [there is not any change], we’ve to be allowed to possess 26 or 28 squad players, which we aren’t allowed to try to to , and even more players on the bench.

“But something has got to be done, because you’ll see players are cracking and cracking every season. you’ll sustain that for one season, two seasons, but after three or four seasons you finish up paying the worth and that i think the standard at some stage will drop. But we’ve a history, a huge culture, here with the cup games and to travel against that’s difficult.”

He suggested the consequences of an unexpected development like the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused high-profile postponements in Serie A this weekend, could stress the matter . “It’s very condensed and if any event happens that’s not considered, like for instance the coronavirus, then it’ll be even more complicated.”

The tie at Fratton Park are going to be Arsenal’s 40th game of a season whose demands admittedly look less onerous given their surprise Europa League exit to OlympiakosArteta refused to seem upon the very real prospect of a 2020-21 season without European football as a possible blessing in disguise – “It’s been nonstop but i feel this club has got to play four competitions per annum , that’s the demands” – and referenced the efforts he has made to lift his players’ spirits then disappointment. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cut a very devastated figure at full time after missing a last-gasp chance to avert disaster, although his earlier bicycle kick had appeared to salvage the tie.

“He was gutted,” Arteta said. “Obviously he scored a wonder goal that [almost] put us through, and with the last kick he had the simplest chance of the sport and he felt very responsible that . We’ll attempt to be right behind him. He’s been phenomenal all season for us and now the players need to support him, we’ve to support him.”

Alexandre Lacazette expects to remain at Arsenal despite reports suggesting he are going to be allowed to go away if the club don’t qualify for the Champions League.

The centre-forward who cost £52.7m has two seasons remaining on his contract and there’s not an equivalent urgency to tie him right down to a extended deal as there’s within the case of – among others – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It has been suggested Lacazette and club are willing to part ways within the event of an unsuccessful season but the striker said on Wednesday he had no reason to depart. “I didn’t realize this. I even have a contract with the club, so there’s no point to go away – everybody is proud of me at the club.”
Lacazette admitted this season had been “difficult” on a private level, with the manager, Mikel Arteta, also saying the player has been “a bit down”.

Goals have arrived in irregular bursts, his recent effort against Newcastle ending a nine-game drought, and he has recently been kept out of the Premier League side by the academy product Eddie Nketiah.

Lacazette is probably going to start out within the Europa League last-32 game against Olympiakos on Thursday and, having scored a late winner to make a decision the primary leg in Piraeus, hopes he and his team have overcome the worst of a fraught season. judibolaterbaik.co judi bola terbaik

“In this moment we improve tons , mentally and that we can keep big confidence now,” he said. “I went through this and know I are often better now.”

Arsenal’s two senior strikers were the first topics within the pre-match news conference and therefore the briefing held by Arteta afterwards. Arteta had spoken extensively about Aubameyang after he scored twice in Sunday’s 3-2 home convert Everton, saying he thinks the 30-year-old would really like to remain . Aubameyang’s figures in two years at Arsenal are remarkable, bringing 60 goals in 95 games; the TV pundit Gary Neville has been among those to suggest his quality is underrated and Arteta agreed a centre-forward’s worth doesn’t need to be measured in trophies.

“Harry Kane has scored 30 goals and never won the Premier League,” he said, with a touch of mischief. “There are tons of excellent samples of players that do phenomenally but unfortunately there are tons of top teams during this country and just one win the league. So you can’t have everything in life.

“What I can say with Aubameyang is that he’s right there with the simplest of the scorers during this league. within the last 10 years if you check out his record and what he’s done it’s phenomenal. In my opinion he’s up there with the simplest .”

Arteta will name another strong side in an effort to end the work against Olympiakos, with consecutive Premier League wins not masking the very fact Europa League success remains Arsenal’s best chance of a return to the highest table at now . He will need to do without Sead Kolasinac, who was expecxted to ascertain a specialist on Wednesday about the shoulder injury sustained against Newcastle. “It’s a difficult area and that we aren’t very positive about it,” he admitted.

Bukayo Saka will probably start at left-back and Lacazette, sitting next to a manager who has attempted to calm the excitement round the 18-year-old, was effusive about his teammate. “I think he’s maybe the simplest young player within the league,” he said. “He must improve during a few things but you’ll see the standard he has and he’s humble.”