It’s all very hush hush

Morning all.

It’s an Interlull Saturday so there’s not a lot going on. There are a few Arsenal players in action today, so hopefully they play well and stay healthy. That’s as much as I think I need to say about that.

Yesterday saw some info doing the rounds about a setback for Martin Odegaard, which understandably had everyone upset. My understanding is that this isn’t the case, and that he remains on schedule. The question is: what is that schedule? At this point, it’s not clear, and I don’t expect it to be either.

I know some people get a bit frustrated with Mikel Arteta’s reluctance to be a bit more open about player injuries and time-frames, but I understand it. First, if you are specific and a player misses that date, it creates some unnecessary drama. It happens, recovery is both medical/scientific and not always precise. A player can have a setback, they might tweak or feel something else in the rehab process. The human body is an unpredictable thing at times, so being a bit vague about a situation makes sense.

Then there’s Arteta’s reluctance to make public any kind of information that might be useful to the opposition. I don’t think there’s any significant advantage to doing this really, but it’s how he feels most comfortable operating and what he has done since he arrived at Arsenal has been overwhelmingly positive, so leave him be. I also think there’s a consideration of privacy at times, where reporting on an injury deliberately isn’t as specific as it used to be.

Compare and contrast the reporting on the official website with regards two players who suffered ACL injuries. First, Hector Bellerin in 2019:

Further to the injury sustained during our match against Chelsea on Saturday, we can confirm that Hector has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee.

And Mohamed Elneny in 2023:

Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has a significant injury to his right knee.

Same injury, different information. So, there’s clearly a policy at the club when it comes to providing information about player injuries. They want to keep it hush hush as much as possible. On the flip side you have fans who are desperate to know when someone is going to return, and when it comes to a player like Odegaard, it’d be soothing for us to know if it’s going to be 2 weeks or 4 weeks or 6 weeks or longer. But if they say 4 weeks and it turns out to be 6 weeks, people will lose their minds, hence the official ‘silence’ (so to speak, or not speak).

It’s why I’d trust very few people with information pertaining to the players. Some reporting you can absolutely take as gospel, the rest I’d take with a pinch of salt. It’s not to say there isn’t ever accurate stuff out there, but by and large I think that’s the best stance to have when it comes to this stuff.

Elsewhere, Celtic fans are seemingly excited by a picture of Kieran Tierney and Brendan Rodgers at a charity event. I have to say it wouldn’t surprise me at all if, come January, he went back there on loan. That’s based on zero information, by the way, just a hunch. He suffered that serious injury during the summer, from which he still hasn’t fully recovered, and at this point his place in the left-back pecking order is so low we’d have to have a major crisis for him to play.

So, a loan somewhere in January makes sense. He’s got to prove he can stay fit and play regularly before anyone will think seriously about making a permanent bid for him, and a return ‘home’ would certainly be the kind of environment where he would feel comfortable and hopefully get his career back on track. One to keep an eye on, I guess.

Finally, if you’re looking for an Arsenal fix today, we’re in action against Chelsea in the WSL at the Emirates this afternoon. The game is being broadcast on BBC1 too, if you’re in this part of the world. Tim’s preview is here. Good luck!

Right, let’s leave it there for now. Have a great Saturday whatever you’re up to.