I must really apologize for my lack of consistency in recent times. Work has been overwhelming as always and there’s no one to hold the fort, but hey, I’d live.
Gooner Daily has been with me for the last eight years and it’s been great serving you with fresh content concerning the greatest club in the world. Enough about me, and my boring stories of not blogging regularly as well as subtly looking for available sport writers to assist a Gooner.
It’s been a great World Cup for a neutral like me but it was pretty sad to see how my Nigeria failed to come to the party against Croatia. However, that’s not going to stop me from enjoying the spectacle while playing some fantasy football while I’m at it.
VAR has taken center stage and I have been impressed with the way it has been handled so far. Referees are not ashamed to seek the opinion of their VARs and I also love how they go to watch the clips which aids in better decision making. However, there have been loads of penalties so far and I think we have reached double figures on that stat.
I feel sad for Mohamed Elneny and of course, everyone’s sweetheart, Mo Salah, as their loss to the hosts last night ended their dreams of qualification to the next round. All they have will be a dead rubber match against fellow Arabs, Saudi Arabia, in a game where pride will be at stake. At least, Elneny will get an extended break when he returns to England with his shiny #4 jersey.
Moving over to things Arsenally in nature, it has become evident that we will no longer have Jack Wilshere with us after he confirmed that he will be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the month. I really loved how he was mature about the whole thing and he made it clear that it was after his discussions with the new manager that he made his decision to leave the club for pastures anew.
I have some very fond Wilshere memories, from when he broke out in 2010/11, winning the Young Player of the Year award to that amazing goal against Norwich in the 2013/14 season. The injuries were well publicized but Wilshere was and will always be a Gunner through and through. A player of his talent will surely have several offers and I’m sure he will make the best decision for himself and his family.
Good bye Jack and thanks for the memories.
Moving on from sad memories to happier ones, the club announced the arrival of Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen. Arsenal needed massive improvement in the goalkeeping department and I’ve very delighted that Unai Emery identified this gap with the Arsenal hierarchy and closed it.
For all Petr Cech has done since his arrival from Chelsea, he showed his frailties last season and we suffered terribly from his shortcomings as well as the entire defense, but he’s reaching the twilight of his career and it’s time for a younger and energetic goalie to take his place.
Leno’s arrival will clearly mean that it’s the end of the road for David Ospina but the stories surfacing that Napoli want Cech, the Colombian shot stopper might still hang around for a bit. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s linked to another move to Turkey, as he has been in the past three seasons or so.
I’m bracing myself for another round of World Cup games and I hope to enjoy them.
Till then,
Sayonara
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