Will Gio Reyna continue to be Mauricio Pochettino’s great contradiction?
26 minutes. That’s all the game time Gio Reyna has played in 2026. He hasn’t played at all for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the last two months. For any other player, this surely would’ve kept them off the US roster for the upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Portugal. US manager Pochettino’s has consistently repeated the point that club form matters when building these squads. Reyna, however, isn’t any other player.
He is, despite the lack of minutes, still the United States’ most naturally gifted creative player. While injuries have certainly affected the 23-year-old’s physical level, he gives the national a different dimension that it otherwise lacks when he’s not on the field. This was clear in how Reyna played against Paraguay and Uruguay in November, when he similarly joined up with the USMNT having played very little at club level. He still managed to produce, notching a goal and an assist over the two games.
Reyna, then, is Pochettino’s great contradiction; the player he is willing to make an exception for. Some might say he’s the player who most threaten Pochettino’s cultural reset of the last 12 months considering what happened at the last World Cup, when issues with his attitude and effort level in training limited his involvement, and kicked off a long-running soap opera. Reyna still hasn’t completely shaken off the baggage heaped on him after Qatar. There are those who believe he hasn’t done enough to earn another opportunity.
Crucially, though, Pochettino isn’t among them.
“I think we really know that he’s a very special talent and a very special player,” said the Argentine about Reyna. “And I think to give the possibility, even if it’s not playing too much in his club, it can be very useful for us.”
‘Gladbach might not consider Reyna special enough to play him, but Pochettino is clearly still convinced.
Are the intercontinental playoffs a welcome distraction?
Iraq arrived in Mexico on Sunday, more than a full week before their intercontinental playoff for the World Cup. Given the trouble their players had in getting out of the Middle East, it was understandable that manager Graham Arnold wanted his team on location as far in advance of their match against Bolivia or Suriname next week.
War in Iran has become yet another defining story of a World Cup that is still 78 days out. Nobody really knows if Iran’s national team will take part in this summer’s tournament. If they decide to withdraw, or Fifa makes the decision for them, Iraq might have been in line to take their spot having come through AFC qualifying. What happens if Iran withdraws after the intercontinental playoffs have been played?
Only a few weeks ago, it was doubtful Mexico would even be able to host the intercontinental playoffs after cartel violence erupted in the country. The situation seems to have settled somewhat since then, but global geo-politics are intertwined through this World Cup and its final round of crunch qualifiers.
In a sense, some soccer amid the chaos might be a welcome distraction. Two of the nations involved in the intercontinental playoffs have never qualified for a World Cup before (New Caledonia and Suriname). The other four (Bolivia, DR Congo, Jamaica and Iraq) are aiming to reach the tournament for the first time this century. There is great potential for euphoric celebrations, the sort of joyous scenes we could use at this moment. That need, however, only further underlines how farcical this whole thing has become.
Has Mikel Arteta been shown what Arsenal need to make their next evolution?
Sunday’s Carabao Cup final was meant to be Arsenal’s chance to show how far they have come. Instead, Manchester City served them a reminder of where they must improve in a comfortable 2-0 win. The result added further support to the argument that Mikel Arteta’s side don’t do enough to impose themselves on the strongest opponents in the biggest games.
Things may have been different had Eberechi Eze or Martin Ødegaard been available. Without them, Arsenal desperately lacked a creative midfielder to get on the turn in the half spaces. They also struggled badly to play out from the back, failing to register a single progressive pass between the start of the second half and the 71st minute as City took a grip of the game.
Plenty has been said and written about Arsenal’s relative weakness as an attacking force. They rank only fourth in the Premier League for expected goals (xG) this season while even Brentford have created more big chances (as Opta defines them) than the team at the top of the table. The Gunners’ strength lies in defence and set pieces where their metrics are much better.
That strength could ultimately get Arsenal over the line as Premier League champions for the first time since the Arsène Wenger era. It may also see them go even further in the Champions League where the Gunners are the only unbeaten side left in the competition at the quarter-final stage. The next evolution Arsenal must make, however, is obvious.
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