All eyes are on the Arab world right now as teams play for the biggest prize in football. Nothing can beat the prestige and glamor of lifting this particular trophy, so congratulations to Mikel Arteta and his boys in red for winning the Dubai Super Cup yesterday.
The 2-1 win over AC Milan came via a beautiful free-kick from captain Martin Odegaard, and a second from Reiss Nelson who hit the Norwegian on tackling. I think it was much more Nelson’s goal, he’s certainly claiming it, and who are we to steal a strike from him in a game of such magnitude?
Milan rallied one back in the second half, but we held on and then won the ensuing penalty shootout. Poor Matt Smith. He missed one in the last game and missed the chance to win it in this one. He will always have that FA Cup winner’s medal, though.
General thoughts: We played some good stuff, we hit the ball with a bit of speed and the Italian side seemed a bit off the pace. They were a bit physical at times, and there was a funny moment when one of them hit Ben White on the touchline, and just before he took the resulting throw-in, you could see our right-back considering shooting. . the ball in the neck. Nice to see you back.
His return, along with Thomas Partey, saw him play 45 minutes to gain playing time to his credit, and then Mikel Arteta said:
I am very happy, everyone has been giving him a lot of support and love, which is what he needed. You know why he had to leave camp, and we’re delighted to have him back and in great shape.
I winced a little when I saw Gabriel coming down late, and there was a suggestion that Kieran Tierney had a problem late as well. With no sign of Oleksandr Zinchenko yet, that could be a bit worrying, especially since we’re still not sure how close Takehiro Tomiyasu is to 100%. Still, with his fingers crossed on that, and on the return of more players, the manager told the official site:
It also happens in summer when there are European or World Cups. You know you have players all the time that come in at different stages and we have to adapt. We knew it, we tried to plan for it and hopefully we can have the rest of them very soon.
Then Juventus at home on Saturday, and after that we can start thinking more clearly about West Ham on December 26. So far so good on this preseason 2 though, re-seasoning and a majestic trophy to boot.
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In the World Cup we got the first semifinal and Argentina is classified after a 3-0 win over Croatia.
I thought the Croats were the better team, albeit a bit forceful from an attacking perspective, until the penalty incident. Much has been said about that, but I don’t know if it could be anything other than a penalty. The goalie absolutely beats him up, and I don’t think the ‘couldn’t get out of the way’ argument is much water. If he comes and wins the ball, that’s one thing, but he didn’t do it. Applying my scientific method to this: if Arsenal didn’t take that penalty I would be very angry, and if we did give it I don’t think I would have any complaints. Messi took it and buried it to make it 1-0.
There was definitely a touch of good luck, along with poor defending, for the second goal, but it was a reward for Julián Álvarez’s effort, and it’s not the first time I’ve found myself questioning Croatia’s decision-making from set pieces. The pièce de résistance came late as Messi’s dazzling footwork and speed of thinking proved too much for Josko Gvardiol, who I believe has been one of the best defenders in this World Cup. Messi deceived him and made it look easy when it was the opposite. Álvarez’s nutmeg assist to score his second put the icing on Argentina’s cake.
Croatia just didn’t offer enough up front, and it was a game too far for some of the older legs. It sets up the romantic possibility of Messi finally lifting the World Cup in what will surely be his last tournament, so today all eyes will be on France v Morocco. Either way, he’ll set up a riveting final on Sunday. Messi’s first victory; an African nation that wins it for the first time in history; or France retaining it, becoming the third team to do so, and the first since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
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Well, I’m going to the vet with Lana this morning. She’s expecting her final checkup after her hip replacement, and they just need to make sure everything is as it should be. The go-ahead will mean she can run properly and not just ‘endure’ leash walks. Fingers crossed.
See you tomorrow.
