AFC Updates

The PL champions 25/26 🏆 | a passionate fan posting about arsenal fc, the players and transfer news ⚪️🔴

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All to play for against the world champions, Argentina 🙏

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Thierry Henry blames William Saliba's injury for France's World Cup collapse.

🎙️ Reporter:
Thierry, how big a blow was William Saliba's injury for France?

🗣️ Thierry Henry:
"It changed everything. Saliba is one of those defenders people only truly appreciate when he isn't on the pitch. He brings calmness, leadership and control to the entire back line. He makes the players around him look better because of how he reads the game."

"The moment he went off, France looked vulnerable. Upamecano suddenly had to deal with situations he normally wouldn't, and the whole defensive structure lost its balance. That's how important Saliba is."
"We've seen this before. Arsenal's title challenge suffered badly when Saliba got injured because his absence changes the entire team's level. The same thing happened here. France never looked as solid after he left the pitch."

*"People talk about goalscorers deciding matches, but elite centre-backs win tournaments too. Saliba is one of those players. Losing him in a game of this magnitude was a massive setback, and I believe it played a huge part in France's defeat."

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Thank you Trossard ❤️ forever a gunner

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Declan Rice on England’s approach to facing Argentina and Lionel Messi in a potential World Cup semi-final.

🗣️ “Let’s stop pretending everything Argentina do goes through Lionel Messi. If you let him dictate the game, you’ve already made your first mistake. Our job is to make sure he doesn’t get a second to breathe.”

“People can talk about Argentina’s squad all they want, but when Messi isn’t controlling the match, they’re a completely different team. He’s the engine, the creator and the player everyone looks for when the pressure is at its highest.”

“We aren’t walking onto that pitch to admire him or watch another highlight reel. We’ll be in his face from the first whistle. Every touch will be contested, every pass will be pressured and every yard will have to be earned.”

“This is a World Cup semi-final, not a tribute to Lionel Messi. If he thinks he’s going to stroll around and control the game, he’s in for a shock. We’ll make it as uncomfortable as possible because that’s what winning demands.”

“Respect is one thing, fear is another. We respect Messi because he’s one of the greatest to ever play the game. But once that whistle goes, reputation means nothing. We’re there to beat Argentina, and if we stop their biggest threat, we’ve given ourselves every chance of reaching the World Cup final.”

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let it all work out

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🚨 Leandro Trossard on Mikel Merino scoring the goal that eliminated Belgium.

“It’s really painful because I’ve scored goals like that for Arsenal before. Now I know exactly how those other teams must have felt.”

“But honestly, I’m not surprised it was an Arsenal player who did it.

At Arsenal, there is a mentality of believing until the very last second. Late goals have become part of the team culture, so when I saw who scored, I just smiled and thought, ‘Of course it had to be an Arsenal player.’”

“It hurts because it knocked us out, but I’m happy for Mikel. We’ll laugh about it when we’re back together at Arsenal.” ❤️🤍

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🚨 David Raya on whether he’s disappointed not to have played at the World Cup yet.

“Not at all. We have two very good goalkeepers in the national team, and it’s the coach’s decision who starts.

I respect every decision because we’re all here for the same objective—to help Spain succeed.

Personally, I know what I have achieved. I’m the goalkeeper for the champions of the biggest league in the world, and I’ve won the Golden Glove three seasons in a row. That gives me confidence in my own ability.

Whether I’m on the pitch or supporting from the bench, my focus is on helping the team win the World Cup.” ❤️🤍

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🚨 Mikel Merino on scoring another decisive late goal. 🇪🇸

“Last time I said this is what we do at Arsenal, and everyone thought I was joking.” 😅

“But honestly, it’s part of our mentality. We never stop believing. At Arsenal, you often see players coming on late and making the difference. That’s the standard we try to live by.

When the coach told me to get ready, I knew I had one job—to make an impact for the team.

Thankfully, it happened again today. I’m delighted to help Spain reach the semi-finals, but now the focus is on the next match.” ❤️🤍

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🚨 Martin Zubimendi on Mikel Merino saying Arsenal’s “club spirits” followed him to the World Cup. 😂

“Mikel keeps telling everyone in the dressing room that Arsenal’s club spirits followed him to the national team.” 😂

“I always tell him to stop being so superstitious.” 😅

“But then again, we all know scoring late winners has become part of Arsenal’s culture. So when he says something like that, you can’t really be surprised.” 😂

“The important thing is that he delivered again. He came on, changed the game and sent us to the semi-finals. That’s what matters most.” ❤️🤍

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Mikel Merino has only scored 3 goals for Spain at World Cups and the EURO:

- 119' winner vs. Germany (EURO QF)
- 90+1' winner vs. Portugal (WC R16)
- 88' winner vs. Belgium (WC QF)

Most clutch Spanish player ever

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🚨 Ben White on Riccardo Calafiori:

🗣️ Reporter:
“Ben, how's the first week of pre-season been?”

🗣️ Ben White:
“I thought I was getting in early.
Walked into London Colney and Riccardo was already there.

He just looked at me and said, ‘About time.’

That's when I realized he'd already been back for a few days.”

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🚨🗣️ Martin Odegaard on facing England and playing against Declan Rice:

"Yeah it's massive. He's been outstanding for such a long time, playing with him you can see all the qualities."

"It's such a pleasure to share the pitch with him, to see what he's been doing for such a long time it's just unbelievable. Looking forward to the challenge and to see them all."

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DID YOU KNOW: Merino retired both Kroos and Ronaldo from international tournaments.

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𝗡𝗘𝗪: Arsenal are willing to go as high as €70m for Bruno Guimaraes, but Newcastle only want upwards of €90m.

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🚨Martin Ødegaard on Norway facing England in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals:

🗣️ Reporter: “Martin, England are favourites. Many people already believe Norway’s World Cup journey ends here.”

🗣️ Martin Ødegaard:

“That’s perfectly fine. We don’t need the world to believe in us because the people of Norway already do. They know how hard this team has worked to get here. They know the sacrifices we’ve made. We didn’t come to the World Cup hoping to make up the numbers—we came here believing we could compete with anyone. Against England, we genuinely fancy our chances.

Nobody believed we could eliminate Brazil. Everyone talked about their stars, their history and their quality. Then we beat them by two goals. Before that, people thought the defeat to France would destroy our confidence. Instead, it forced us to look at ourselves and remember what wearing this shirt truly means. We stopped worrying about reputations and started playing with courage. Since then, every player has fought for the badge, for the supporters and for our country.

England deserve enormous respect. They have outstanding footballers, a top manager and plenty of experience. But history doesn’t care who the favourite is. History remembers the team that writes the story. This quarter-final is another opportunity for Norway to create something our country will remember forever. If we show the same spirit, discipline and belief we’ve shown throughout this tournament, then why shouldn’t we dream? Every great football story begins with people saying it cannot happen.

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🚨 Reporter: “Your players are performing at a high level. Any special inspiration?”

🗣️ Mikel Arteta: “I tell them to study Messi. That’s the standard. That’s what greatness looks like.”

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🚨 Mikel Merino on his goal against Portugal:

🗣️ “The coach wanted to sub me on in the 50th minute, but I told him to wait because I was studying the game and how the defenders were positioning themselves. It took me 35 minutes to analyze their defense, and I told Raya I would score in the 90th minute, and I delivered. See you next game.”

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🚨 🗣️ Mikel Merino reveals why David Raya was the first teammate he embraced after the final whistle.

🗣️ “Before I came on, I turned to David Raya and told him, ‘I’ve got a feeling I’m going to score the winner today. Those late moments are part of who we are at Arsenal.’

🗣️ When the game ended, he looked at me with a smile and said, ‘So you really saw it coming?’ I told him, ‘That’s the belief this club gives you. At Arsenal, we fight until the very last second because we know anything can happen.’

🗣️ That’s why he went straight to me after the whistle. He knew exactly what that moment meant.

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OUR CAPTAIN 😁🇳🇴

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Trossard made an assist for Belgium