Crisis at Arsenal

The last week before leaving for the Christmas and New Year holidays turned out to be rich in events in the leading European football championships, and not only on the field, but also outside it.

So, the next defeat of London "Arsenal" made the voices of those who favor the dismissal of head coach Mikel Arteta sound even louder.

According to British media reports, due to setbacks, the team was divided into two camps, which further aggravates the position of the "Gunners".

It is noted that some of the players are extremely dissatisfied with the work of a specialist, which, in turn, negatively affects the atmosphere in the locker room.

In particular, they are not satisfied with the absence of playmaker Mesut Ozil and defender Sokratis Papastatopoulos on the field, who are not included in the team's application for the matches of the English Premier League (EPL) and the Europa League.

Specific names have not been disclosed, but it is known that we are talking about the leaders of Arsenal.

At the same time, experts also express concerns about possible discord within the team.

So, ex-England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor suggested that the Spaniard was doomed to be fired, since with every unsuccessful result he would lose control over the charges.

“In this situation, I feel sorry for Arteta, because he came and did a good job with the team, won the FA Cup, and now, due to poor results, the players do not want to fight for him.

You see how energetic he is in the technical area, how he tries to motivate them ... He does everything in his power.

But the players have done this with previous coaches and will do the same with him.

They will shift the responsibility onto him and will wait for the arrival of a new mentor, "Agbonlahor quotes talkSPORT.

At the same time, the mentor himself is calm about the current situation, since, in his opinion, it is impossible to please absolutely all players.

“I’m not saying that you need to be friends with football players, but you need to maintain a certain level of chemistry and mutual understanding, because they are the ones who ultimately have to embody what you have outlined and they have to believe in what you are trying to broadcast to them”, - quotes the words of Arteta Daily Mail.

At the same time, most of the players are in no hurry with conclusions and remain on the side of the coach.

In their opinion, changes are taking place at Arsenal at the moment, so Arteta should not be blamed for his problems.

The club's management also does not intend to part with the specialist yet, despite the unsatisfactory results.

Moreover, during the winter transfer window, he will be allocated additional funds to strengthen the squad.

In the first 14 rounds of the Premier League, Arsenal scored only 14 points, which is the worst figure since 1974.

Despite the fact that most of the season is still ahead, many people already assume that the 15th-placed Gunners will not stay in the top flight and will be relegated to the Championship.

Thuram's unsportsmanlike conduct

The scandal also occurred in the Bundesliga.

Borussia Mönchengledbach striker Markus Thuram had to apologize for unsporting behavior.

In the 79th minute of the match with Hoffenheim, he quarreled with defender Stefan Posch and spat in his face during a verbal skirmish.

After watching the video replay, the chief judge showed the Frenchman a red card.

“Today something happened that is completely inconsistent with my character and which should never happen.

I reacted incorrectly to my opponent and it happened accidentally and unintentionally.

I apologize to everyone: Stefan Posch, rivals, teammates, my family and everyone who witnessed my reaction.

Of course, I accept all the consequences of my action, ”wrote Thuram.

Marcus #Thuram vient sans doute de libérer sa place en Equipe de France pour l'Euro avec ce geste ... 😔 pic.twitter.com/sKyKnkipi7

- Club 1998 (@ Club_1998) December 19, 2020

Given the situation with the coronavirus pandemic and the safety measures adopted by many European championships, including a ban on spitting on the field, the attacker was expected to receive a wave of criticism.

Some social media users suggested not only suspending the player until the end of the season, but even arresting him.

Both Borussia head coach Marco Rose and sports director Max Eberl had to apologize for the ward, who assured that the culprit would be deprived of his monthly salary.

“We have known Marcus for almost two years now, we know his past and his family (the footballer's father is the world champion in the French national team Lilian Thuram. -

RT

).

His actions do not correspond to this.

He was devastated and assured me that he didn’t want to spit on Posh.

He said that in the midst of the skirmish, he unintentionally spat at Stefan, swearing at him several times in French.

He understands that this does not change anything [an apology for unintentional actions] and that the footage of the incident speaks for itself, ”the club's official website quoted Eberl as saying.

It is worth noting that in September of this year, a similar incident occurred in the match of the second round of the Bundesliga Schalke - Werder Bremen.

The defender of the Gelsenkirchen team Ozan Kabak spat in the direction of Ludwig Augustinsson.

The German Football Association disqualified him for four matches and imposed a fine of € 15,000.

Liberation of Promes

The story of the accusation of Ajax striker Quincy Promes of attacking a man with a knife was continued.

At the moment, the footballer has been released, although the charges against him have not been cleared.

“I am as shocked as the whole world.

This is my private life, and I cannot say more on this topic.

I'm free now, and I think that speaks for itself.

I am glad that the team supported me - for example, not only Erik ten Hag, but also teammates.

It’s good when people believe you, it helps a lot ”, - quotes Promesa Football-Oranje.

Ajax reported that the forward has already started training in the first team.

At the same time, ten Hag noted that the ex-midfielder of "Spartak" was given certain conditions, but did not specify what exactly was being discussed.

The specialist also noted the importance of the player for the team and stressed that at the moment there are no reasons for his exclusion from the application for matches.

The incident took place in July this year.

During a family holiday organized by Promes, one of his relatives was severely stabbed in the knee.

Law enforcement agencies suspect that the footballer is to blame.

Quincy completely denied his guilt and expressed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation.

According to the lawyer, he could not have been involved in the crime, since at the time of its commission he was absent from the premises.