It may have been different if not for the injury and fitness problems suffered by some of the Arsenal players, but this summer’s Euro 2016 tournament did not see as many Gunners involved as we would have expected, with England especially light on Arsenal stars.
The only Gunner that Roy Hodgson did take was Jack Wilshere and the consensus is that he really was not match fit and probably should have stayed at home anyway. After the three lions’ disappointing performances, yet again, and early exit it was no surprise to see the FA dump the manager but more of a surprise is the decision this week to replace him with Sam Allardyce.
What will this mean to the Arsenal players and their international careers? Well it could spell bad news for Wilshere and others for two reasons. Big Sam and his style of football management is just about as different from Arsene Wenger as you can get and so the type of players that fit in well with the Arsenal style might well be seen as too lightweight by the new England boss or as luxury players rather than regulars.
I also wonder whether the well publicised and mutual antagonism between the two managers could play a part in England squad selections as well. It might sound petty but every manager has his favourite players and those he is not so keen on. Do you think this England change will be bad news for Jack, the Ox, Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs and all?
Bob.