By Bulldog Drummond
Mikel Arteta has allegedly “drawn a line” under what we are now learning to call “the disciplinary situation” surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
What we don’t know is if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has “drawn a line” under the “disciplinary situation.” As the old song says, “It takes two to draw a line under a disciplinary situation”.
What the game in the late afternoon today does actually give is a chance to offer a run out to Martinelli, if not one or two others who have not had so much playing time of late. For after this match we have WHAM at the the weekend, but then all the players are off to be knocked about and get jet lag playing for their countries, with no more matches for us until 4 April.
By which time of course our wonderful record of an injury free squad will be but a dim and distant memory.
As is well known, Mr Wenger was not enthralled by internationals, and joined in the condemnation of international managers, suggesting they were like car thieves, except whereas car thieves take your car, run it into the ground and then abandon it, international managers take your player, run him into the ground, and then demand the club has him fit and ready for the next international.
Mr Arteta seemed to put the same point although more diplomatically, saying of international managers, and their ludicrous federations, “If anything, they will have to adapt to what we want. We’re not going to do it the opposite way around because we are the ones that have to look after our players here every day. We’re the ones who pay our players.”
Quite right too, and encouraging words. Let’s hope they come to something.
On the injury front Olympiacos are missing Ruben Semedo and Avraam Papadopoulos who are both centre backs and also out is winger Mario Vrousai. A third centre back Ousseynou Ba is also doubtful through injury.
But let us not get too carried away. Our record against the club is not that perfect over the years…
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 2009 | Arsenal v Olympiacos | W | 2-0 | Champions League |
| 9 Dec 2009 | Olympiacos v Arsenal | L | 1-0 | Champions League |
| 28 Sep 2011 | Arsenal v Olympiacos | W | 2-1 | Champions League |
| 6 Dec 2011 | Olympiacos v Arsenal | L | 3-1 | Champions League |
| 3 Oct 2012 | Arsenal v Olympiacos | W | 3-1 | Champions League |
| 4 Dec 2012 | Olympiacos v Arsenal | L | 2-1 | Champions League |
| 29 Sep 2015 | Arsenal v Olympiacos | L | 2-3 | Champions League |
| 9 Dec 2015 | Olympiacos v Arsenal | W | 0-3 | Champions League |
| 20 Feb 2020 | Olympiacos v Arsenal | W | 0-1 | Europa League |
| 27 Feb 2020 | Arsenal v Olympiacos | L | 1-2 | Europa League |
| 11 Mar 2021 | Olympiacos v Arsenal | W | 1-3 | Europa League |
So that is six wins for us, and five for them. But it should get to seven – five by tonight.
Arsenal’s history
- Still getting Arsenal’s history wrong, after all these years
- 100 years ago today in the midst of a pandemic, how were Arsenal doing compared to now?
- Arsenal’s anniversaries – published each day by the Arsenal History Society
