Mesut Ozil Arsenal
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #MesutOzil trying to face tough times bravely after getting isolated by Arsenal #ArsenalFC

October 21, 2020
Mesut Ozil has released a statement on social media following his omission from Arsenal's Premier League squad. The German midfielder, who has not played for the club since March, was left out of the Gunners' 25-man squad after the closure of both the international and domestic transfer windows. Ozil's contract at the Emirates expires at the end of the season, but it is understood that Arsenal were ready to let the midfielder leave in the summer to get his £350,000-a-week wages off the books. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has remained tight lipped on Ozil's absences from match day squads, but the 32-year-old has now broken his silence on the situation. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel In a statement posted on Twitter, the midfielder wrote: "This is a difficult message to write to Arsenal fans that I've played for over the past few years. "I'm really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being. "Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles "As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays. I've always tried to remain positive from week to week that there's maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again. That is why I kept silent so far. "Before the coronavirus break, I was really happy with the development under our new coach, Mikel Arteta. We've been on a positive way and I would say my performances were on a really good level. "But then things changed, again, and I was no longer allowed to play football for Arsenal. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles "What else can I say? London still feels like home, I still have many good friends in this team and I still feel a strong connection with the fans of this club. "No matter what, I will keep fighting for my chance and not let my eighth season at Arsenal end like this. "I can promise you that this hard decision won't change anything in my mindset - I will continue to train as best as I can and wherever possible use my voice against humanity and for justice." Mesut Ozil's Arsenal career might be over (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the situation between Ozil and the club was deeper than just sport. On Ozil's situation, Wenger told Sky Sports: "I don't know what's happening on a daily basis. "I just say one thing, the creative players are the players who are perfectionists and they are a bit more sensitive sometimes and they need to be encouraged. "Because if I want to play a risky pass I need to be confident and creative players they create this pass that makes the team dangerous. Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for Gunners updates By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. "Mesut Ozil is an exceptional football player. What's happening at the moment between him and the club looks to be more confrontational, it's not [only] based on sport, I'm convinced. "This guy has won things. He's a world champion, he's an exceptional football player. "Why is he not at the moment playing? I don't know. When you're a football player you have to respect the decision of your manager and fight to get your confidence and get back into the team again. "He can fight, contrary to what people think, he can fight. And he's an exceptional football player, he has enough quality to get back into the team. So it's down to him to get his confidence back."
Leander Dendoncker
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #LeanderDendoncker thanks KevinDeBruyne for help in defeating Leeds United #LUFC #WolvesFC

October 21, 2020
Leander Dendoncker has offered a fascinating insight into how Wolverhampton Wanderers outwitted Leeds United tactically on Monday. Wolves defended deep in the first half as Marcelo Bielsa’s men laid siege on their goal before opening up on the counter-attack in the second period. And they were rewarded with three points with Raul Jimenez’s deflected strike the difference between the two teams at Elland Road. And Dendoncker, whose solidity in midfield was key to Wolves neutralising Leeds’ threat, has explained how they approached a unique opponent. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel “We knew that it was going to be a very tough game and we felt that, especially in the first 20 or 30 minutes we suffered a lot,” Dendoncker explained to Matchday Live Extra. “That’s just the way they play. They go man against man and I don’t think any team is used to that.” Dendoncker was also given a helping hand by international teammate Kevin De Bruyne after the Manchester City man shared information about Leeds while on Belgium duty last week. De Bruyne played for City in their 1-1 draw with Leeds before the international break in a game which became chaotic and end-to-end in the second half. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles Dendoncker added: “They (Manchester City) played them before the international break and Kevin De Bruyne told me that it will be very hard because they go man to man but he also said that after 30 minutes they leave spaces. “I think that’s what you could see. I know the first half wasn’t really good from our side because we were looking how to find the spaces, how to deal with them. “In the second half we managed it way better. To get three points here is really difficult and I don’t think a lot of teams will do it.”
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #JamieCarragher provides insight to #PepGuardiola strategy to beat Arsenal #MCFC #ArsenalFC

October 21, 2020
Jamie Carragher has explained how Manchester City got the better of Arsenal on Saturday evening. Pep Guardiola got one over on his former apprentice Mikel Arteta as City defeated the Gunners 1-0 thanks to Raheem Sterling's first-half effort. But the win took something special from Guardiola, who is, of course, renowned for his tactical genius. According to former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports pundit Carragher, City decided to play a number of different formations against Arsenal, ensuring the Gunners were in a constant battle to keep them contained. "I thought it was fascinating watching," said Carragher on Monday Night Football. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel "I don't think it was a great game in terms of chances and goals like we have seen in other games, but only Pep Guardiola knows how his team was set up and what he was trying to do. "But what I would say is that he was up against Mikel Arteta, who knows him inside out, Arteta obviously won the FA Cup semi-final, and we obviously know Pep doesn't do the conventional. "I was fascinated and didn't really know what was going on in terms of positions. "I looked at the game again this morning and tried to work it out, and City actually played different formation based on whether had the ball, if they were without the ball or based on where they were on the pitch." Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for Gunners updates By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. Revealing what he found following some in-depth illustrations on the studio touch screen, Carragher added: "It's a 3-3-4, going from a 4-4-2 to 3-3-4 and that was the difference. "They were not going to let them get out, and that's why he went with a front four - you never see that with Pep - this team always play out from the back, and we're going to push in, maybe leave ourselves exposed and I'm going to back my defenders." The defeat leaves Arsenal in fifth with nine points from five games, while Man City are up into 11th and within two points of the Gunners with a game in-hand.
Conor Coady
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #ConorCoady reveals #MaxKilman is the only player who dares to challenge #AdamaTraore in training #WolvesFC

October 20, 2020
Wolves captain Conor Coady has heaped praise on last night's star performer Max Kilman - despite joking about his man-of-the-match award. The 23-year-old made his second-successive start alongside Coady and Willy Boly as Nuno's men recorded their back-to-back clean sheets. The 1-0 victory over Leeds was Kilman's sixth Premier League appearance for the club and, afterwards, Coady was asked about his teammate's classy display. "Did he?! No he never!?" was Coady's initial response when told of Kilman's man-of-the-match gong, adding: "He's been brilliant, honestly. "He's been with us for years. He's a great lad. Tonight he was brilliant. He's learnt that role inside out for three or four years. He gives us a little bit of balance on that left-hand side as does Saiss as well. He's been brilliant the last few games and he'll keep on getting better. He's a pleasure to play with." Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles Coady was asked about Kilman's futsal background too with the defender representing England 25 times previously, and added: "Yeah, he shows it in training. He loves having battles with Adama. Most people don't go near Adama in training and he full on fights with him and he loves that side of it. "He's improved loads in the last few years and he was brilliant again tonight. He deserved man of the match, by the way!" Match-winner Raul Jimenez scored his third Premier League goal of the season for Wolves at Elland Road and, afterwards, Coady commented on the result: "It was a massive result for us. We knew coming here how tough it was going to be but we worked the game plan out over the last few days. They were fantastic last year and deservedly so got to the Premier League. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles "We watched their last game against Man City and they've got a certain way of playing, it's about 112mph but we stuck at it and it was a fantastic win. "It's always about managing a game and looking at how they play. We've never played against Leeds before with their manager. It's hard to get after them. They were very attacking. They play at 100mph and you've got to play with your brains. It's tough. They're very attacking with two wing-backs who are wingers. We needed to look at that. "Second half we knew we'd get more control and we knew they'd tire a bit. I thought we played fantastic second-half. A clean sheet is massive for us, we want one every single game and that's what we base our foundations off. We can't have it every single game. We want to manage the game as much as possible. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel "We want to improve and get better. We never ever put targets on what we want to do, we never done it in the Championship and we won't start to do that now. There's plenty to improve on. The manager's spoken a lot about evolving year on year and we'll keep on doing that. We've got a wonderful manager who we all listen to every day and, like I said, we're a team who lives for the present and we'll see how the next one goes." Wolves now have back-to-back home fixtures at Molineux against Newcastle United on Sunday (kick-off 4.30pm) and Crystal Palace the following Friday (October 30, kick-off 8pm).
Max Kilman Wolves
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #Nuno praises #MaxKilman contribution in Wolves win over Leeds #LUFC #WolvesFC

October 20, 2020
Nuno Espirito Santo was happy to single out Max Kilman for praise after his brilliant defensive showing in the win over Leeds United. The rookie defender was starting his second successive Premier League game at Elland Road and helped Wolverhampton Wanderers seal yet another clean sheet. Kilman was rewarded for his efforts with Sky Sports' man of the match award after winning 100 per cent of his defensive duels and providing the pass which allowed Raul Jimenez to win it for the visitors. And Nuno, who promoted to Kilman to the first team two years ago, was delighted with his defender on what was just his 14th senior appearance for Wolves. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel "I think he played well," Nuno said. "In the second half he started really well, reading the lines and anticipating well. It was a good pass forward for the goal too. "Max, I think everybody knows, he was with the under-23s. His professional career was very premature. I think he has something. He works very hard, he knows what he has to improve and he’s become stronger as the time has gone by. "I’m proud of the answer he’s given today but the credit is for him. When your chance comes you have to respond and Max did that. Two seasons ago Max was a back-up and now he is ready to compete." Wolves are the first team to defeat Leeds at Elland Road this season with Fulham and Manchester City previously failing to take maximum points. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles The hosts dominated the first half but a resolute defensive showing, plus some swift counter-attacking in the second half, allowed Wolves to clinch their third win in five league matches. “I think the second half was better," added Nuno. "Leeds started very strong and they were able to create situations. As the game goes, I think we keep on growing inside the game. The answer in terms of fitness was good. I think we defended well. The second half was better, with the ball and we created more chances. “The character of the team was evident. In terms of fitness and energy, it was much better.”
Conor Coady
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #ConorCoady replies brilliantly to a cheeky question by #JamieCarragher #LFC #WolvesFC

October 20, 2020
Conor Coady brilliantly brushed off a joke from Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher about replacing the injured Virgil van Dijk after Wolverhampton Wanderers’ win over Leeds United. Raul Jimenez bagged the winner at Elland Road to clinch Wolves’ third win from their opening five Premier League matches. Wolves captain Coady stepped up for media duties after the game and Carragher decided to go on the wind up. “Obviously you won’t be aware as you’re playing tonight but Jurgen Klopp has had his Champions League press conference and he’s mentioned you and two other players who could be a replacement for Virgil van Dijk," said Carragher. "Would that come into your thinking?” Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles Carragher was of course joking but Coady wasn’t to know and laughed it off live on Sky Sports. “I can’t believe you’ve just put this on me here,” he said. “Not at all, I love playing for this football club. We’ve just beat Leeds in an amazing game - so no!” Carragher added: “You must be honoured though with Klopp saying that?” But Coady, who is an avid Liverpool supporter having climbed through the ranks at Melwood, wasn’t falling for it. “You know what I’m like mate, I wouldn’t think of anything like that!”
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #DarrenBent believes #PierreEmerickAubameyang is dropping off in performance after Arsenal renewed his contract #ArsenalFC

October 19, 2020
Darren Bent has questioned whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has lost his intensity since signing a new three-year contract at Arsenal. The Gunners captain has continually proved his worth to the club since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2018. Aubameyang netted 22 goals in the Premier League last season, including twice in the FA Cup final win over Chelsea. But there were fears that Arsenal would have to sell their star player with his contract running down, but the striker committed his long-term future to the club by penning a new three-year contract worth in the region of £250,000-a-week - a whopping £36million over the duration of his deal. Since then, however, Aubameyang has only netted once this season - in the opening day victory over Fulham and there have been fears that the striker's performances levels have dropped off. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel Speaking on talkSPORT, former Tottenham and Charlton striker Bent said he is just as worried about the player's performances in general since penning the new deal as he is about his lack of goals. "It's not the fact he hasn't scored a goal, it's the performances," Bent said. "Before he signed his contract he was absolutely everywhere - running back, tracking back, putting tackles in, breaking forward. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles "There was a real hunger and intensity to his game. "At the minute, you can see there's been a massive drop off. I don't know if it's coincided with the new contract, but you can tell that he's not playing with the same intensity that he had before. "When you focus so much on getting a new deal like Aubameyang did, you'll run that extra yard and make that extra effort. Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for Gunners updates By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. "When he sits down now and analyses his performances before and after the contract he'll see that there's been a massive change." The 31-year-old will have two opportunities to get back on the scoresheet this week when Arsenal take on Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday. The Gunners then welcome Leicester City to the Emirates in the Premier League on Sunday, where Mikel Arteta's side will be hoping to bounce back from the defeat to Manchester City.
Jamie Vardy
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #BrendanRodgers confirms #JamieVardy will be fit to play against Arsenal #LCFC #ArsenalFC

October 19, 2020
Leicester City are set to be boosted by the return of frontman Jamie Vardy for this weekend's trip to Arsenal. The Foxes were without their star striker for Sunday's 1-0 defeat by Aston Villa and he is expected to sit out the Europa League clash with Zorya on Thursday evening as well. However, boss Brendan Rodgers says Vardy should be back for this Sunday's Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium (7.15pm kick-off). "Jamie will probably miss Thursday [v Zorya]", said Rodgers. "It's a recurrence of a problem he’s had for a number of years with his calves. "This isn’t serious so we're hopeful he’ll be ready for the next league game." Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel Vardy's potential return will send shivers down the spine at Arsenal with the 33-year-old having an outstanding record against the Gunners. In the 11 games Vardy has played against Arsenal during his career, he has scored 10 goals - including one in both games last season - and registered one assist. And it would take a brave person to go against him for the game in north London as he has scored five goals in four matches so far in 2020/21. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles That included a hat-trick in the incredible 5-2 victory at Manchester City at the end of September. One player definitely missing for Leicester against the Gunners will be Turkish defender Caglar Soyuncu. He faces around three months on the sidelines with an abductor tear. How to get our daily Arsenal newsletter Why should you sign up? In each football.london Arsenal bulletin, we'll be bringing you the latest breaking news, transfer features and comment pieces, as well as the key talking points for fans. We'll also send special newsletters when big stories break or there's a special event happening. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. Rodgers said: "Caglar is more serious [than Vardy]. The muscle has come right off the bone so could be three months out. "He'll be a big miss for us. "We got some game time from James Maddison and Dennis Praet (against Villa) but we're having to piece things together a bit."