Friday Take-Away – April 14, 2023
Welcome to Friday Take-Away! In this weekly column, I offer my take on five Arsenal-related topics. These topics be anything from match tactics to transfers to a player’s dancing ability; it just depends what I’m in the mood for. Hopefully this Take-Away isn’t too spicy for you. Without further ado, let’s tuck in.
The point at Anfield was a good one. Despite how badly they’ve performed in the Premier League this season, Liverpool’s home form has actually been among the best in the league. At the time of writing, they are averaging 2.21 points per game on their turf. The pair of goals scored by Arsenal are actually the first Jurgen Klopp’s men have conceded at home since January, and only one team has traveled to Liverpool and beaten them: Leeds. Yes, it is highly disappointing to come away with only one point after going 2-0 up, but that was an end-to-end match in which each side had plenty of chances. Liverpool ended up winning the xG battle convincingly, so one could even say Arsenal were fortunate to leave with anything. In any event, the reason for the disappointment is not the result itself, but the result in the context of the title race and in light of City’s worryingly imperious form of late. But if you’d asked most Gooners back in August if they would take a point at Anfield, the answer far more often than not would have been a resounding “yes”.
Two of Arsenal’s three reported kits for next year are great. Those two in particular are the alleged home kit and third kit. The home kit is easy on the eye, has a straightforward design, and is reminiscent of the shirt from the Invincibles season. The gold trim is a nice touch, especially if Arsenal enter next season as reigning Premier League champions. The third kit is also pretty good; it pays homage to the away kit from the 1982-83 season, but does a great job of balancing the forest green body and dark blue sleeves with some silver trim. The cannon on the chest and the “AFC” on the collar also add to what a surprisingly classy design Arsenal’s alleged future third kit looks to be. The supposed away shirt, however? Well, it’s just plain awful. The neon yellow body with the electric blue trim are offensive, especially with the black stripes that look like a radar map in a cartoon show. Fingers crossed that one is just a training top.
Arsenal should sell Folarin Balogun in the summer. Yes, this is a different take than before on the subject. But new information is available, and thus a change in opinion. Reports have emerged this week regarding Balogun’s future at the club, and they are not encouraging. According to David Ornstein, Balogun does not want to go on loan again or extend his contract with Arsenal. According to Football Insider, the young striker also wants to be guaranteed first team minutes next season, which at best means he does not want to compete with Eddie Nketiah and at worst means he feels he should start over Gabriel Jesus. These demands unfortunately put Arsenal in a tight spot. With the likes of RB Leipzig, AC Milan, and Inter Milan all reportedly interested, perhaps the time has come for the club to capitalize on a hugely impressive loan spell and the high regard that Balogun is held in across Europe. The fact of the matter is, receiving £40 million or more for an academy product, no matter how high their talent ceiling may be, is always a success story.
Granit Xhaka did nothing wrong in his confrontation with Trent Alexander-Arnold. Following the 2-2 draw at Anfield, many laid the blame for the tide of the match turning at Xhaka’s feet due to a 41st-minute run-in he had with the Liverpool defender. After a nasty tackle by Ibrahima Konate, Xhaka put in a physical challenge on Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool man took issue with Xhaka’s contact and initiated an altercation. Soon after, Liverpool made it 2-1 before the break and obviously went on to equalize. But here’s the thing: Xhaka didn’t do anything wrong. He left his shoulder in when attempting to get the ball and then started tracking back. Alexander-Arnold grabbed his arm and got in his face. What was Xhaka supposed to do, in the midst of a monumentally important and emotionally charged match at one of the toughest grounds in the country? Football is an emotional game and we can’t expect players to be robots. And for what it’s worth, that moment didn’t get the crowd riled up. If you watch it back, the Liverpool faithful did not get excited until Mohamed Salah scored in the 42nd minute.
William Saliba should not be risked against City unless he’s ready. Earlier today, Mikel Arteta indicated that while unavailable for the West Ham match, Saliba could return within the next few weeks. With an away trip to Manchester City only 12 days away, it feels like a race against time to have him fit for that match. Given the likelihood that whatever transpires at the Etihad could swing the title race one way or the other, many Gooners have advocated for deploying Saliba for that match, even if he isn’t 100% fit. And that is understandable. Rob Holding, as decent as he has been, holds the team back. His lack of pace prevents Arsenal from effectively playing the high line they do. It also forces Ben White to play more conservatively, which has a knock-on effect on the buildup ability of Arsenal’s right-hand side. The last time he played against City, Erling Haaland openly targeted Holding. The idea of the Englishman featuring on April 26 is terrifying. But there will be five matches left after Arsenal leave the Etihad, and potentially losing Saliba for those games (and perhaps even longer depending on the specific nature of his injury) just doesn’t feel worth it. Hopefully Saliba is available for City. But if he isn’t, it’s better in the long term to figure out another way around using Holding.
And that’s the Take-Away for this week. If it suited your tastes, follow me on Twitter @Shamsdale. Until next time, COYG.
