It's so nice to be heading back to proper football again. It feels like there's been something of a hole in my life without Arsenal being around to dominate my thoughts. As I've said before, I'm not an England fan, and aside from the World Cup and European Championships, international football really doesn't do anything for me.
Although it has been amusing to see the amount of England hype following their 1-1 draw with Ghana. You'd think they'd just comprehensively beaten Spain with all the excitement about their supposed improvement.
As well as that, our very own Jack Wilshere has been dominating the headlines with the news that he wants to play for the Under-21s this summer, despite a long and memorable season of becoming first choice for club and country.
I think it's interesting to note that one of the first players to warn him against it was his captain Cesc Fabregas (via Twitter). We talk a lot about young players getting burnt out from playing too often early on in their careers. It happened most famously to Michael Owen, and it is starting to look like it's happening to Fabregas.
The Spaniard rarely missed a game in his first three seasons in the Arsenal first-team, both because he'd become so important to the way we play, and because of his tremendous fitness and consistency.
However, since 2008/09, he's regularly been in and out of the team with various problems. He's not even 24, but he's been putting up with the demands of the Premier League, the Champions League and playing for his country for seven years!
Wilshere will be hungry to play as much as possible, understandably, and he wants to form a good understanding with players like Andy Carroll from the Under-21s for when they end up playing together for the senior side. It's fair enough, but I really think it would be for the best if he took it easy this summer after his first proper season as a professional footballer. Sure, I'm being a tad selfish because ultimately it will be Arsenal who suffer from his absence in a few years' time if he ends up like Cesc - important and brilliant, but out so often you start to question if he's worth waiting for.
Anyway, on a more positive note, Fabregas is one of many key players who will be returning to the side for tomorrow's game against Blackburn. Song, Walcott and van Persie are the others that look set to return, and you don't need me to tell you why that's great news. I was not feeling overly optimistic ahead of this game, but this news has certainly helped.
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