Morning all.
France being knocked out of the Euros by Spain last night means William Saliba will get a few extra days break before joining his Arsenal teammates for pre-season training. Hopefully by then, he'll have got over the disappointment of an earlier than expected departure. I don't think I've seen him pushing opponents as much as he did last night.
France could so easily have won the game had they been better in front of goal but that's football as we Arsenal fans know only too well. Spain's equaliser from Lamine Yamal was special. What a moment for the 16 year old. Reminds me of when Sven-Goran Eriksson took a just turned 17 year old to an international competition but unlike the Spain manage, Eriksson didn't have the confidence to actually play him. I don't think that decision did Theo Walcott's career any good at all.
Tonight it's England v Netherlands with a place in the final up for grabs. Whichever country wins will face a very good Spanish team on Sunday. Every player is available to Gareth Southgate tonight so it'll be interesting to see if he sticks with Trippier or opts for a proper left-back in Shaw. I'd love to see him drop Kane to the bench but I think there's more chance of seeing flying pigs.
The Athletic have an interview with Martin Odegaard who talks about last season and the new season ahead:
I am really excited. It has always been good going to the U.S. The support we have there is amazing and it is a great experience to travel around and meet different people.
Last season was Arsenal's second title race with Manchester City, albeit last season the race was much closer. 2022/23 saw us finish five points adrift yet last season, just two points separated the two clubs.
It was a good season. We made history and we have to be proud. We all felt disappointed with being so close but in football, it is small margins. It is easy to look at one game, but you have to look at the whole season. We didn't have the consistency to win it. We have to earn it. We know we can improve. That's what we are working for. It is just small details and how to deal with a long season. We were so close but we are going to come back even stronger.
Unlike the struggles Arsenal went through after Christmas 2023, 16 of their last 18 league games were won but we needed 17 but until the final whistle on the final day of the season, we, Arsenal were still hoping. Hoping City would slip up but knowing it was extremely unlikely.
We had the big dream. We had it on the last day and I really had the feeling something special would happen. After the game it was just disappointment when you are so close and you can see it there, the trophy was there. But it is important to think about all the good things. You learn something every day, especially when you are so close. You can feel it, taste it and you have it there on the last day. It gives us all the motivation we need to come back even stronger this year and to win it - that's the big goal. If you compare last season to the season before, we looked a lot stronger, especially towards the end of the season. We looked more mature, more confident. We are so connected. It was emotional to speak at the end of the season but it was a nice experience to share it with the fans.
The Athletic outline our captain's stats for the second half of the season. Individually, Odegaard's game was consistently outstanding from December onwards. He ended the season with 11 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, but his contributions went beyond that. From an underlying numbers perspective, the playmaker ranked first in the Premier League for open-play chances created (88), expected assists (11.1), shot-creating actions (220) and through balls (39). As captain, he was often the one to set the tone from an intensity standpoint too.
He's a great player, of that there is no doubt and he's had a good rest this summer.
Catch up in the comments.