But one thing stood out and that one thing was a player, playing in the defensive midfield role for Brazil - of course, Gilberto Silva...
Hands up if you think we miss him? Hands up who would have liked to have seen him stay another year. Hands up if you watched the interview with Gilberto Silva after the game. He's a player who understands what it is like to wear the red of the Arsenal. A player who understands what it's like to play at the Emirates...
In the evening standard yesterday, Gilberto spoke about his departure from Arsenal:
“I never fell out with Arsene, whatever people say. I had to respect his decision even if I disagreed with it. We had good conversations but, when it came to talking about whether he still saw me as part of the team, it wasn’t the conversation I expected. Maybe, I thought, it was time to leave Arsenal. I understood what the manager’s idea was; he had so many good young players and, if I was in the team, they wouldn’t have the chance to develop.”
“It’s only my opinion, and I could be proved wrong, but I think Arsenal made a mistake letting some of the more experienced players go. It would be good for the development of the younger players. They’re having to learn for themselves and that’s hard. These players need to find that killer instinct. They can get there but it takes time. I hope it comes quickly.”
Does this something make you think that Arsene is too sentimental, or too trusting with the youngsters? Would it have really prevented anyone getting into our team this year who was better than Gilberto?
Okay, I’ve been called into a meeting, so better go – will update this entry again later today.
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