Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, and England

Morning.

A quick Saturday round-up for you. There’s been a lot of talk around Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri’s emergence this season, and with an Interlull on the horizon, there’s the possibility that they could be called up to Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad for World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.

It was something Mikel Arteta was asked about at his press conference yesterday, specifically in relation to Lewis-Skelly and he said:

Knowing Thomas and his coaching staff and the environment they have created in the England camp, I think it would be an incredible experience for them if that is the case, whenever that is. That’s not my decision; how we manage him here is in our control, but there they will be coached by people that are super experienced, far more experienced than me!

He wouldn’t expand on whether that was something he’d like to see at this point in their careers, and I can imagine he might just have some reservations. With Nwaneri, he’s talked a couple of times about how the sharp increase in his playing time has come with some physical issues. Nothing particularly serious, but he’s suffered cramp as a consequence of being thrust into regular first team action, and ideally during the Interlull you’d like him to have a little downtime.

Instead, he might be training with full intensity on his first international call-up, eager to impress an international manager and experienced players from across the Premier League. I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing by the way, but it’d just give me a little pause for thought. We have all these discussions and debates about load on players, particularly those who start very young, and Nwaneri is definitely one of those.

England’s injury problems at left-back make it more than like MLS will be included, and again it’s a situation I’d like to see managed carefully. He’s currently in spotlight for disciplinary issues, having been involved in three red card adjacent incidents in the last few weeks. I don’t think he’s any more rash than any other player of his age, but that focus is definitely on him – and it’s worth remembering much of it is down to Michael Oliver and VAR getting a decision wrong, then doubling down on it via some PGMOL friends in the media, before it was overturned.

After getting lucky on Tuesday night when he escaped what was a clear second yellow, Arteta revealed he had a little one on one chat with Lewis-Skelly having let a bit of time pass, saying:

Today I did. When the dust settled, that’s what you say in English, yeah? And talk openly, you know? What can we learn from that situation? How can we expose the team? What are the things that we have to try to avoid without losing his essence. That’s what we have to do, understand where that line is. Because he’s a superb player. He has attitude, he has courage, what he transmits…certainly we have to maintain that. And just understanding the risk-reward. What part of the pitch you are in and when you have to bet certain things that can give you big reward. And sometimes, guys, stay away from that bet because it’s not good for us.

For some players, wearing the England shirt gives them a kind of ‘hall pass’ for want of a better phrase. They can do things on a football pitch that are overlooked and excused. That doesn’t apply to everyone though, and the reality of being a full England international for some is that the spotlight shines even brighter on you. Nobody is perfect, but will they focus on the good things in your game, or the flaws?

What I’d say about Lewis-Skelly is that I know he’s got good people around him. Aside from his family, the people tasked with managing his career understand all the aspects of how players are treated – at club level, international level, in the press, and beyond – so I don’t worry about that aspect of it and his ability to understand it. I think he’s got the kind of quality that means, if he continues on this trajectory, he should be involved in international football for years to come, and it’s got to start somewhere. It looks like now could be that time.

From a purely selfish Arsenal perspective, I’d be cautious about them going away with England this time around, but obviously understanding that this is a great thing for both of them. Their quality and performance levels will have earned them the call-ups if they get them, and for all the worry about the physical aspects of it, this could be another key step in their development. The Hale End Academy has unearthed a couple of gems, and if you were Thomas Tuchel, why wouldn’t you include them? I just hope that there are open lines of communication with Arteta and Arsenal about ensuring that development is managed as well as possible.

Right, that’s it for this morning. If you’re looking for something to listen to, we have a Man Utd preview podcast over on Patreon right now, and we’ll look ahead to that game in more detail on tomorrow’s blog.

Until then.

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