Eze eases fears + Havertz injury hope & Nwaneri's struggles continue

0:00Hello, everyone. Charles, we'll see you. Welcome back to Inside Arsenal. It is Monday. I hope the week is started. Well, wherever you're watching or listening to this around the world as always. Thank you very much for joining me. The start of another big week. Of course, they are all big, big weeks. Champions League semi-final week. Of course, this time of all. The. The. drama and the tension and the anxiety of the Premier League title race is easy to forget that. I certainly have to keep reminding myself that Arsenal got the very small matter of a Champions League semi-final. Kicking off this week away in Madrid that we fly out there tomorrow, got open training in the Mordwell around lunchtime tomorrow. Then they fly out to Madrid and McCale was doing his press conference in the evening over there for the game on Wednesday night. So we're going to talk about that game, of course, in today's show. Look at the. The latest with the injuries. Have us as a. Obviously, look at as it's been saying after the game.

1:00Again, new castles, some interesting stuff I thought from him as well. Got lots of comments and questions for you guys to get stuck into. So plenty. Plenty to go over today on this Monday morning, just a quick update on my wife running a marathon yesterday that so many of you have so kindly donated for over the last few weeks. If you watch on YouTube, you can see some of the pictures there. I've heard doing it. She's an absolute warrior yesterday. Myself, my kids are up there watching. I felt like we've done a marathon. Just sort of follow. We're going around the route. I think I've done about 20,000 steps. You're saying my feet were hurting. So God knows how how she felt at the end of it. But she did it. She was a warrior. There she is with her medal at the end. A couple of pictures on route as well. And yeah, just unbelievable. So so proud of her. And she got through it. And she's a bit stiff today walking around aches and pains as you would expect. But she's actually pretty good. She's off to a massage from massage world as a massage today as well. She's got the day off. So thank you everyone.

2:00Everyone who has donated and helps sort of basically push Michelle around that course because he did the money that we raised over it, which at the moment stands at 8,885 pounds so far that she has raised for children with cancer UK doing this run and so much of that has come from you guys. And we really, really do appreciate the support. I know as she was going through those really painful miles from around mile 20 onwards or 18 onwards yesterday. She was thinking about all that money and how it was going to be spent and how it could be spent and how it can help people. Help get over the lines. So thank you very much. The link is still down below. If you do want to and I know so many of you have already, but if you haven't yet and you do want to, then you can still donate below be amazing if we get over 9,000 pounds. Okay, let's talk about tomorrow or sorry Wednesdays game. Obviously, I think a lot of the build up to it's going to be dominated as usual when it comes to Arsenal by injuries and whether anyone who missed out at the weekend or limped off at the weekend could be back. And that's going to mainly revolve around Ezra and can I have us, of course, you both went off, have us in the first half as in the second half.

3:07The hope is with Ezra that it's not anything too bad. I mean, he spoke after the game and he did say, and this is the quote he said in the mix only said, yes, I'm okay. It was just precautionary. Obviously, that sounds good. He said similar when he did the Sky Sports interview as well. He was out and about laughing and joking on the pitch afterwards. He looked fine. But then and obviously these, you know, him saying it was fine. It's precautionary. That's great. But then I do just go back to he said exactly the same thing after the Labor Cuisine game and we'll thought, oh, he's fine. He's good and then he didn't play again for a few weeks and he missed a cup final and all that. So we'll have to wait and see. I mean, obviously we've got open training tomorrow. So get a bit of an insight down there in terms of whether he is okay and will be available for this week or the weekend. So we'll have to wait and see on it. Kai have us obviously looked worse at the two when he went off early on in that first half and given the sort of injury record. Kai has had this season. That's never, never positive again.

4:07I hope is that it's not too bad. A hand of Arsenal put out some some news yesterday that the initial signs are, you know, he's escaped anything. Particularly bad, which is positive. Obviously given the games that Arsenal got coming out and we don't know if he I'd be surprised if he's going to be available for for tomorrow or Wednesday. Sorry, we'll have to wait and see again. It's a bit of a clue. I suppose during a during open training, but it's a it's a worry and it especially can't actually both in a worry because at the moment I look at I look at as a at the moment and the sort of stress levels. We're all feeling the players, the fans, everyone. I think the one player who seems pretty unfazed by the situation asked or in at the moment seems to be as a, you know, this is the player who it took him a while to settle. I don't think he will look at the sort of first six months of his time and asked one thing, you know, that was really me. But I think what we've seen from him in the last couple of months is a player who's beginning to find his feet, beginning to understand how things work, beginning to understand the players around him. They're beginning to understand him a little bit more and trying to get him into dangerous positions. Look at all the work they did on short corners against Newcastle just to get.

5:21As they're into a shooting position, which ultimately paid off, but he just looks like the player who's totally unfazed by by the situation at the moment. And you kind of need that. I think you want that at the moment because everyone else seems so fraught with tension that to have someone who can still play a freedom in all of that. It's fantastic. When you have a player like Ezra as well who in a team who is struggling going forward at the moment, he's just one player seems to can make something happen out of nothing as he did it to get the three points against Newcastle. So that's going to be key and have us is obviously really, really important as well, just because the other options are still have up front at the moment. It's just not really working. I think that's pretty obvious. And and you kind of need have us around. So we'll wait and see again. We'll see what the what open training brings up tomorrow, but the hope is that neither are too bad. And they will just be sort of more precaution than anything else, whether that still means they sit out Madrid and come back for fuller more come back for the second leg against Madrid will after way and see. Ezra's also been talking about sort of the form that he's finding at the moment and the kind of the mood that he's in.

6:25And he said when he was asked about the goal and the position he got into in the finish, outside the box in the mix only said, look, I think the type of player that I am when I'm in positions like that, I just try my best to create and be as effective as possible. My job is to help the team score and create goals. So the more I'm in those positions, more confident I am, it's definitely something that I tried to do. I tried to take responsibility whenever I play football for me, it's part of it. And again, I sort of go back to what I was saying there and everyone else kind of seems a bit. Well, certainly going forward, everyone seems very robotic in his arsenal team at a moment. There's no one really playing who can play with that sort of freedom that Ezra can maybe sack a wheel when sack comes back and any any, you know, we saw signs of it with substitute appearance in the weekend and hopefully we can build on that going forward. But as it just he's kind of the outlier from the rest of this arsenal attack at the moment in terms of the way he's playing the freedom of everything about it, it just seems like there isn't a weight on his shoulders. Everyone else, it feels like a plane with a massive bag of cement around their shoulders at the moment, he doesn't, he just looks totally free of that. And that's fantastic and I don't do need to try and make sure he gets in positions that he can hurt teams as much as possible as we saw the weekend, which is why they need him back from this injury.

7:38And it's not, it's not going to be anything serious when sort of talking about the big moments and the pressure moments at the end of the season. As I said, this is football at the highest level I enjoy playing in the biggest moments. I try my best to be there in the biggest moments. This is what the team has been pushing for and working for now that we're here. You have an opportunity to give everything it's about everyone, everyone in the team to do what they good out. We've got different strengths and weaknesses. So it's about working hard to put yourself in a position to be the best version of ourselves. As time goes on, the players understand each other more, the boss understands us more and how it goes about enjoying it as much as we can. And it makes me laugh there, he's saying it's about enjoying it as much as we can as we can. Again, he feels like at the moment the one player who is enjoying it and he did this last season of Crystal Palace at the business end of the season, the FA Cup run, the goals to win the FA Cup for Palace. He seems to come alive in these big moments. He doesn't seem to freeze or panic or feel any sort of pressure. He seems to come alive. I think that's something that Arsenal absolutely have to feed into. I think it's something they're trying to feed into as well.

8:43But again, he needs to be on the pitch and that's a big thing. So fingers crossed with this injury, fingers crossed. We get some good news when we head down to the training ground tomorrow for that open training session. What about Ethan Runnery quickly, whose lone spell at Marseille is really sort of fizzling out in a very disappointing way. A new sub, yes, say, but they were missing a lot of players through injury, much like Arsenal yesterday, but he didn't even feature as an unused substitute for Marseille yesterday in their one one draw with niece. Interestingly, happy Bay, the manager, the head coach was speaking afterwards and he was asked about the lack of game time for Ethan and why he's not getting more opportunities under him. And this is what he had to say. He said he's a quality player, but he has to give us way more in his day to day commitment. Other players gave way more. That's not a great comment that is it says clearly implying that what Ethan's not really doing it behind the scenes to earn himself a spot in this team and that's disappointing.

9:48Really, because you know, as much as I'd want Ethan to go in January, once he's gone once the decision to be made, you're like, okay, this is going to be better for his development than the not playing much at Arsenal. So it is a big opportunity, the big club, you had a great start of the squadron this day of you. You kind of wanted him was what once it got us out for take advantage of his loan spell, learn a lot, and it is going to be difficult and it is his first thing. His first, his first loan spell is first time away from Arsenal. So it is difficult, of course it is. But he needs to, you know, you want that work, you don't want to hear comments like that from a manager that this sort of commitment behind the scenes isn't happening, whether he's struggling, whether he's homesick, we don't know. And you'd hope that Arsenal in contact with him to find out exactly how it is, but it's disappointing to hear that and it's a shame that this loan seems to be fizzling out because it was a really good opportunity for him. As I said, it started where I only thought, okay, as much as I didn't really want it to happen, I didn't want him to go. It was going to be a good thing for him to learn and develop and it still might be in terms of life experience and all that, but in terms of football, it just doesn't seem like it's.

10:53He's really been able to come from that positive start and that is a shame, especially when the head coach starts to kind of question your commitment publicly. It's never a great look for for Ethan. Right, so moving on now from Ethan, let me know your thoughts on that anyway. On Ethan and his loan spell on how you think he's getting on over there and whether that has sort of changed your opinion on the loan or anything like that. Let me know in the comments below interested and get your thoughts on that just quickly on the women big win for them yesterday in the Champions League. So if I didn't get to watch this obviously because I was up in London for the for the marathon support and shells, I didn't get to watch it. I've watched the highlights this morning looks like a really, really good second half, fantastic comeback from the women to give themselves an advantage over Leon going into the second leg of your smith getting the winner. Obviously, I'll give the first goal to to Caldenta, whether or not it actually goes down officially to where I was still not sure as a bit of a goal keeping a howler, but a really good comeback from the women. Yeah, fair play to them because it's never easy, especially when you're going to go behind the team like Leon to come back and fight back and give yourself a chance in the second leg's fantastic for them.

11:59And I deserved it as well some good opportunities in a second off they did get away one when when Leon hit the bar just after the equalizer they. But good result for them obviously very, very happy. Renée Slegg is afterwards as you can imagine so with all the players, but job only half done for them if they are going to get themselves into the final for a second successive year big, big second leg coming up for them. And again, it just shows the quality of this Arsenal, the Arsenal squad and teams at a moment two teams in the semi finals at a Champions League two teams pushing to make the final what a brilliant achievement that would be the women have got their got the job after a good start. Let's see other men get on on Wednesday at the Emirates AFC count take Cape Town was watching the women yesterday says amazing come back in that second half absolutely dominated the Leon teams special shout out to Wubemoy she was excellent and couldn't put a foot wrong my player of the match. So yeah fantastic fantastic win for the women right moving on to some of your other questions and comments that today we got one from Simon here on the discord says high Charles outside of 89.

13:03Is this the tightest Arsenal challenge in living memory admit it with the board with the board if it was all wrapped up. Yeah, not sure board is the right word if it was all wrapped up is that a tight as Arsenal challenge in living memory. I mean, I think so since 89. Yeah, obviously we ended up winning that by a point, but that was because we'd already got the job done with a couple of games to spare and then we lost the games against Liverpool and. An Aston Villa so is a lot tighter in the end in terms of the table than it actually was the time it was wrapped up a long way before that you go back to 2002 very very you know that was a fairly confident. Confident Arsenal win and 2004 as well obviously once we got the sort of the little Easter. Spel over and done with and the comeback against Liverpool once that had been done it was all sort of wrapped up done and dusted so yeah I'd say so yeah 91 as well not really too tough. So yeah, I think it is I think it is definitely the tightest as from challenge in living memory I mean for four games to go 11 on points, 11 on gold difference it just doesn't really get much closer than that does it so yeah I think it absolutely is.

14:08Is it fun not not really not sure funds the right word that I call it but but at least we're there you for in it. Just get the job done now asked not absolutely we go on from Francisco here says Charles greetings from California I hear what you're saying about the priority being to simply win the game as opposed to scoring multiple goals and I mostly agree however when the opportunity presents itself to score a second or a third I believe we have to make the most of it your course passing the three on one breakway was absolutely criminal I worry that one new wins will not be enough to stop surpass city in the running just my two cents love the show cheers yeah no I agree look well I don't want five one new wins between now the end of the season I think Arsenal. Need to do more than that because there is every chance every chance of Manchester to go and win every single game between now the end of the season absolutely the form they're in the runner on every chance they go and win every single game so I do think you can't you know you can't just rely on five wonder wins. I still think you'd probably take it if it was offered but and then hope because you could really think guaranteed 15 points on the board but yeah look I think Saturday was just the important one that was just win.

15:16Get this horrible run over and done with find a way to win remember what it feels like to win a game in the league and then build on that so that that was the one from this point onwards I think obviously yeah and especially if you do get opportunities like Arsenal had. Even though they didn't play well against Newcastle when attacking sense it was still chances in that second half you know I highlighted the two the two chances the your careers pass that you talk about I mean. Oh blew my mind when that happened I generally want nearly rip the. See off the off the brackets at the Emirates when that happened I was so angry and also the older guard moment he went through and he should have played your careers in that which probably would at least it wasn't a great you wouldn't have been a great chance but it probably would have released. Resulted in a shot for your careers who might well have scored who knows. You know those two opportunities there you got to get that pass right you owe to God I don't know why I didn't see that past why didn't pick that pass. And then and then your crystal late one you've got to get that pass right you've got to make that past to at least then get a chance again a shot away so yeah I get what you say in Francisco. You know with the opportunities present themselves you've got to try and push on and take those because every single goal could be absolutely crucial from this stage but I just I do just feel on the new castle game on its own.

16:27Given where asked the word going into that match. That one was just about win just win but did that and now it's about building on from that over the next four games double down forever says hi Charles I hope your wife won the marathon she didn't quite win it one hour 59 minutes there see how I did that guy run that I saw I heard someone I'm not sure if this is true I haven't checked it out but I heard someone on the school run this morning. And that that averages out as the guy who won that marathon in one hour 59 30 running 100 meters every 17 seconds or something average in 17 seconds per 100 meters for an entire marathon which is just mental like crazy crazy man how fast is that. Anyway, you say if Kai is out for a match or two i'm at the point where I would rather see jesus ahead of your careers especially a sack of can start that is a pair in the show and success in the past let's finish strong come on you gunners i'm yeah I don't think you'll do that I think your crystal star I think your crystal star against that let's go for example.

17:28I just think jesus has been so kind of out out in the cold a little bit with the old substitute appearance i don't see a michelle suddenly bringing him in at this point and seeing them as a sort of a proper starting option for these final games of the season i think if it if Kai is out i think it will be your careers. Do i worry what that's going to mean for us when attack i do in terms of how the team's going to play and how it's going to keep the ball and how it's going to progress from a technical level but. You know your crazy arson striker at the moment when have it around and so i think he will he will go with that and you'll try you know hope some chances pop up for your Chris because whatever your feelings about your careers and how he how he plays and what sort of technical level technical level he is compared to pretty much everyone else in this this team at the top level then. You know he can score goals he's showing that he's got 18 this season. So he can score goals if a chance does pop up and so yeah i think that's going to be got to be kind of the focus if it is going to be your careers against against that let's go but i see what you mean when you're talking about jesus nothing that's quite a few people that will probably.

18:35Kind of agree with you in that situation as well shadow throwing 89 says hoping to see some excitement. About the Champions League in the next few days i understand people are under 30 being so wrapped up in the Premier League but i've been privileged enough to see us when it's three times with me the Champions League is the biggest trophy in world domestic football. I feel like I'm one of the number genuinely more excited by the semifinal draw and the real chance to be in the final it is a weird situation i was talking about this. And my what's that group with Sam and Simon from the Arsenal press bar show this morning it's like it's so mad so even with the injuries you like we have us and Jay have us and as a. In my mind what i'm kind of like well you know if they don't fit for a let go that's fine you know just play whoever against that let it go but as long as they fit for full and again that's just kind of my feeling about it and how i'm just so. It's focused on the Premier League that i'm just like i don't it doesn't really matter who plays against that let go let's just make sure these players are right for the Premier League and i know i shouldn't feel like that because it's a massive thing and you know we're i've never seen us in the champ no one's ever seen us in the Champions League we never want it.

19:35And we've had such a mixed record in this competition we're not even mixed we've had a such bad record in this in this competition for a team of the size of Arsenal and the success we've had over the years. And it'd be massive to win it and i really want to see us win it but i'm just so. Focused on the Premier League and i try and remind myself about this about the Champions League how important it is i'm really really try but i keep just falling back into the same thought process of. But the Premier League is all that matters but it's not obviously not and i tell you what it doesn't really matter what i think what other people things max want to play a thing and then players. I'm desperate to win the Champions League I know that and so they won't be thinking like that until and they will be up for it and i tell you what by the time the by the time the games roll around the certainly by the time the second leg of the ever it rolls around then. There's going to be very very lots of big excitement for it providing the first leg goes okay in mid week and that is it today everyone thank you for watching thank you for listening appreciate your time as always i'll be about later on to do it all over again i think i'm doing James doing extra time with James benches afternoon actually.

20:36Should have said that at the start the show so if you've got any questions for that that you want included. Then I do let me know down in the comments i'll pull some notes together and get them included in the show and yes i'll be back in the morning with the usual show as well as we start to really look ahead to that. That game against Athletico start looking at the decisions facing me color teta when it comes to his team selection tomorrow take it easy enjoy the start to week everyone will speak to you soon bye bye.