Short and hard | Arseblog … an Arsenal blog

It’s an Interlull Saturday. Nothing much happens. This will be a very short blog. Will there be short sentences throughout? I can’t say. I can’t see the future. It just happens.

Spain beat Denmark 2-1. Starred David Raya and Mikel Merinos. Poland lost 5-1 to Portugal. Not a good night for Jakub Kiwior’s team. Okay, I’m tired of short sentences, I need to throw a decent sized one in here to find my rhythm. It’s a shame there isn’t much to write about this morning.

Today, Kai Havertz will probably play in Germany’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina; Netherlands face Hungary, which could see Jurrien Timber play; Ukraine and Oleksandr Zinchenko will face Georgia.

One of those ‘teammates’ videos popped up on my YouTube the other day and asked Zinchenko which teammate was best dressed, who was the funniest, etc. There was a question asking the same old questions like. There was a question about who was the ‘hardest’. and chose Timber. I know we’re a pretty big team and I wouldn’t want to mess with Gabriel or William Saliba, but Timber’s choice made sense to me. He looks just like that, and one of the characteristics of his game is the way he makes close physical contact with his opponent; especially in duels around midfield.

Of course, the ‘tough guy’ thing has become a bit of an anachronism these days. There were players who built their reputation around this, and in many cases it was a way of trying to balance things out. They did not have the technique or quality to live with the opposition, so they used violence and intimidation as a way of dealing. There were some very good players among them, as well as some who were complete bastards, but in this day and age, they cannot get away with what they did in the past.

First of all, Timber is a very, very good game and obviously not ‘tough’ but I can see why Zinchenko chose it. I like a bit of bite in a player, someone who doesn’t get pushed around but can also make the other team wonder for a moment if they’re going to go 50/50. That moment may be all you need to win the ball.

Now I’ve gone astray. Speaking of tough guys and fights, here’s a great write-up on last night’s ridiculous Mike Tyson fight by our friend and Arsenal fan Donald McRae.

27-year-old social media hustler Jake Paul defeated a 58-year-old man with longstanding health problems, both physical and mental, in the boxing ring late Friday night.

Read the rest here. I love how when you read an article the first line sings to you like a grand opera.

Meanwhile, Arsenal Women are playing away in the North London derby today. As always Tim has a full preview of the gameThere will also be the usual post-match coverage, including details on how to watch on TV Arseblog News more. Let’s hope it’s a good day for Arsenal and a terrible day for their opponents.

Okay, that’s all I have to say for you today. Sentences are getting shorter again. This is it. Goodbye.