
You may have heard that Arsenal’s under-16s scored 10 goals on Saturday, but it’s worth putting some context on the headlines.
Liverpool U16s were beaten 14-3 by the Gunners this weekend, with striker Chido Obi-Martin hitting the headlines by scoring in double figures in the game. Obi Martin, who previously trained with Arsenal’s first team, has struggled through the pace of his young career, scoring 10 goals and scoring for Liverpool.
This is an impressive and rare achievement for any football player, but at first glance, the story doesn’t matter. Despite being only 15 years old, Obi-Martin is already showing signs of significant physical development and skills above U16 level.These types of youth games often feature a mix of players at different stages of their careers, some of whom have progressed to bigger things faster than others.
Arsenal U18s were also in attendance on Saturday, with many of the players who played against Norwich available for the U16s against Liverpool. This is often the case in younger age groups.The international suspension has also affected academy matches, with many players selected to represent their country at youth level, leaving the club temporarily out of selection.
A player scoring 10 times will probably always catch the eye, but the reality is that such unusual situations can arise at U16 level and at 14-3 there is little benefit in reading too much into the game being played in these circumstances It ends.
Obi-Martin is undoubtedly talented, as evidenced by Mikel Arteta’s decision to call him up for senior training with the Gunners, but there are too many variables to allow slightly unusual scores to emerge. Let’s hope it doesn’t bother us at Anfield for years to come. We surpassed Andrey Arshavin’s 4 goals in 2009!
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