Arsecast Extra Episode 663 - 20.10.2025

0:12Hello and welcome to another Arsecast Extra as always with James from Gunnerblog. James a very goodly morning to you. Goodly morning, Andrew. How you doing? Great. I'm great. Had a fab weekend, I have to say. Watched Arsenal win, watched other teams lose. Took a quick trip to Paris as well. By the by, if you know anybody looking for some jewellery for the missus for Christmas, just give me a shout. I can hook you up, you know. Will do. Good. Did you actually go to Paris? No, I didn't. No. I have to say that now. Cover my tracks. Sure. You never know who's listening. Exactly. It's interesting because I've been filming a lot on Mondays.

0:52We've done a lot of sort of weekend records, right? So I think off the back of this game, people were like, where's the podcast? You know, Saturday night or Sunday morning, where's the podcast? Guys, we were just waiting. It would have been remiss of us to record the podcast before Aston Villa's defeat of Tottenham and Manchester United's defeat of Liverpool. We were simply biding our time. Exactly. We showed patience. Patience, as they say, is a virtue. And that virtue was rewarded by a couple of results, which were both hilarious and useful, I think, from an Arsenal perspective. Brilliant results for us.

1:34For sure. The Spurs one, I guess, you know, probably less relevant to our ultimate position in the table, one suspects or hopes. But the Liverpool one, fantastic. And they, is it four now? Four consecutive defeats? Four in a row, apparently. Four in a row. It is a little bit reminiscent. I mean, I think it's a more spectacular implosion than when we lost our invincible streak, right? You know, you had this team that was seemingly impervious and then suddenly they lose a game and they're sort of scrabbling around trying to rediscover themselves. But I think our results were better than this in that period.

2:18And also we had the same core of a team to fall back on. So much of their problem seems to be quite how much change there's been. Yeah, we had a bit of a question actually, seeing as we're talking about this, on the Discord from Jedder's Mflunkify. He said, Liverpool have lost four games in a row in all competitions. I was struggling to think when Arsenal last lost four in a row. Do you know when this was? Here's the spoiler. Andrew, maybe you can ask this of James as a quiz question. Can you remember the last time Arsenal lost four in a row? Or did you look at this? I've not looked at it. Okay.

2:54Four in a row? Mm-hmm. Oh, man. I don't remember, Andrew. Okay. I'm going to say, I'm going to hazard a guess.

3:08I mean four in a row as an Arsenal fan would feel like an awful lot yeah we're very lucky we very rarely embark on that kind of run will I tell you or do you want to have a guess I mean it is you know I mean honestly the best I can do is three in a row which will start 2021 right it's just three games it's just three games Four, of course, is a whole different matter. Absolutely. You tell me. I'll tell you, it's 2018, according to the answer here, where we lost in the Europa League to Ostersund 2-1. Then we lost the EFL Cup final to Manchester City 3-0. You remember that one? The Mustafi thing.

3:52God almighty. Then the next Premier League game was also against Manchester City, which we lost 3-0. And then we lost to Brighton 2-1. apparently Arsene Wenger only lost four in a row twice and Mikel Arteta has never lost four in a row so there you go Wow, yeah Well that was the end, wasn't it? of the Arsene Wenger reign Yeah, it was very, very close to that it has to be said So look, a good weekend for us in terms of what other teams have done and actually we'll go into a bit more detail on all the Premier League action this weekend in our episode of The 30 a bit later on this afternoon over on Patreon We can really delve into the chuckles and the laughs that this Premier League weekend threw up.

4:37But from our perspective, a 1-0 win away to Fulham put us back on top of the table and meant that we could not be overtaken. And, you know, it's another one of those games, James, where last season we dropped points in this fixture. And this season we're well and truly up on what we did last season. It was, you know, I think I said this before, I put it in the same bracket as the Newcastle away and the West Ham at home games, where you're looking for improvement. You're looking for like, how do we do better than last season? And this was one of those games on paper that we certainly would have targeted in that respect.

5:15Yeah, we've made up some points yet again. I think coming back from international duty, there's always that doubt in your mind about what sort of state will the team be in, how cohesive will they be, how fit will they be. And, you know, we got the three points. I don't think it was kind of a classic or even a particularly vintage performance from this Arsenal team, but they got the job done and that's what's required. If you're going to win a Premier League, as we hope to do this year, there's going to be, you know, probably 10 games like this one where you grind it out a bit. And it's interesting because the data is sort of very in our favour.

5:59Like you look at the balance of play, the chances, the XG, the possession. This was a game which I think by most measures Arsenal really dominated. Equally, I think there was some sort of rustiness in the performance. I don't think it was a totally complete performance. And in some ways it's more satisfying when that's the case to see that we came through unscathed and with three points. Yeah. I mean, I did think early on we gave Fulham a little bit of momentum, you know, that there were a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes. Gabriel gave the ball away a couple of times. I think Eze lost the ball in midfield and it gave Fulham maybe a little bit of, yeah, like I said, momentum.

6:44They had some attempts on goal, not an attempt on target, by the way, but attempts on goal. And in that first sort of 15 minutes, I had to remind myself a little bit, hey, you know what? This is the first game back after an international break, where typically the first half of games like this can be a bit, it can be a bit sketchy or a bit scrappy or a bit, you know, under par. you know there was part of me going yeah I hope we just turn up here and absolutely turn Fulham over and score a couple of early goals and everything's hunky-dory but then you have to be realistic about you know how many players were away and a lot of Arsenal players were away on international duty you know Gabriel for example went from London to Korea to Japan and then back from Japan to London And, you know, it's a lot of travel, even if he didn't play that second game in Japan.

7:40It's still a lot of travel to undergo, albeit, you know, in more luxurious fashion than, you know, your average customer flying long haul. It's still a lot to contend with. And pretty much all of those players on the pitch were away on international duty and played international football during this time. So it was like, okay, I've got to reset my mind a little bit here in terms of what I expect from the Arsenal performance. But I do think early on that sloppiness in possession just gave Fulham a bit of wind in their sails. Definitely. Yeah, I mean, there were two giveaways from Gabriel, maybe feeling the effects of that jet lag a little bit.

8:22Just some sloppy moments, uncharacteristically sloppy. And it's funny because the narrative coming out of this game, I think understandably has all been about a clean sheet, another clean sheet, this amazing defensive record, no shots on target in each of the last two Premier League games, which is phenomenal. Don't get me wrong. But I did think in that first half, there were moments that could well have ended in a shot on target. You know, Harry Wilson curling a couple wide and over and, you know, just little opportunities for Fulham to counter on us or break on us that offered a little bit of threat.

9:00They didn't really, you know, I think make the most of those or weren't able to convert them. And actually, I thought the pattern over the first half sort of shifted in our favour. It was almost like the first half of the first half is when we looked a little bit ropey. But I think we began to find our rhythm after 15 minutes. We obviously scored an absolute wonder goal, which was sadly offside. Oh, my God. Honestly. I mean, what a goal this would have been. Because it's a long ball from timber from, you know, basically an advanced right-back position and a long diagonal ball which finds Trossard.

9:40Trossard's touch into the path of Calafuri is unbelievably good. And the finish is brilliant. It's just such a shame, isn't it? He was like a half a yard, not even half a yard, a few inches offside. It was a brilliant, brilliant finish, but I thought the build-up to it was incredible too. Yeah. It was actually a bit like Buendia's goal for Villa. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, wow, what a goal that was. Fuck yeah. Yeah, like great, you know, a long pass, brilliantly brought under control, and then a really good sweeping finish. The strangest thing about it all that, you know, I had absolutely no real sense of surprise when Calafuri whacked one in.

10:17From the centre forward position. Yeah, exactly. It's like, yeah, okay, fair enough. The only surprise was he hadn't timed his run to perfection, but there you go. I thought after that moment, you know, we began to threaten a little bit more and sort of start to control the game a bit better. And there were a couple of breaks in play, weren't there? A couple of lengthy breaks in play, which sometimes when you're the away team, you know, that can help you. It sort of dampens the atmosphere. They ended up playing, what was it, like eight minutes of injury time or something, six minutes, something like that.

10:56So, yeah, I felt that sort of slowed any momentum that Fulham had generated or that we had granted them. Yeah, and there were moments, I think, in that first half where, you know, we perhaps could have done a little bit better in possession in the final third. Calafiore, I think, was our most dangerous player. He had a volley, didn't he, from a sack across, which went just far or just over the bar. You know, it's like you say, you're not surprised when you see him pop up in the centre-forward position, but you're also not surprised when you see him crack a volley over from the edge of the box.

11:29He's just such a threatening player and loves to get into positions where he can have a goal. What else was there in the first half? Like you said, there were a couple of stoppages weren't there, But I thought towards the end of that first half, we were beginning to see how the game was going to play out, how the pattern of the game was going to go. And I think it was very much like last season where, you know, Fulham are not a team who set out to park the bus in any way. That's not the way that they play. and last season Arteta basically said that's how we made them play and Marco Silva more or less agreed with that, that it was the domination of possession by Arsenal in the opposition half which forced Fulham back.

12:13But you could see it, you know, towards the end of the first half or certainly as we began to assert our dominance that Fulham sat with 11 men behind the ball and that is, regardless of, you know, who you've got on the pitch, it is a tough thing to contend with. It is, yeah. And although it might not be the way they set out to play, you know, most teams, I think, certainly at this level, when they collapse into that sort of shape, they're pretty difficult to break down. You know, there's a certain security in that for them. And there were a couple of moments for Jokeres, weren't there? I mean, one quite early on, he went through on the left-hand side and his cutback was a bit miscued.

12:59and then towards the end of the half, he went through on the right. Quite a tight angle. I'm glad to see him shoot from there, though. You know, I think those are the positions where, you know, maybe he's been in those positions over the last couple of weeks and has not pulled the trigger instinctively. I think it was more instinctive this time. I know the angle was tight for that one, particularly in the first half where Leno made a decent save. But I think those are the things and the positions that he needs to get into with more frequency and we need to get him into those positions with more frequency because I think eventually if you give him enough of those, he's going to find his range.

13:37Yeah, I think the commentary actually on the feed I was watching might have said, oh, you know, would Arsenal have been hoping for Jokeres to cut it back there? And I was like, absolutely not. You know, that's not what we've bought him for. And even that one on the left foot in the early stages of the game, I almost thought to myself, I really want to see you hit it there. Yeah. I know it's not your strong foot, but rather than going for the cutback, if the shot opens up, take it on. That's what we've bought you for, having that cutting edge in the final third. But yeah, I mean, you know, there's an interesting game from him in some respects because I thought his hold-up play wasn't best.

14:15But in terms of actually getting him in behind and having shooting opportunities at goal, we arguably did that better than we have done in a number of recent matches. and there were chances for him in both halves. Yeah, for sure. There was a chance for Declan Rice towards the end of the half, which I absolutely could see hitting the back of the net. Yeah, just whipped it wide of the post, didn't it? Unfortunately not. Yeah, it was one of those where I think we've seen him score that kind of goal before and it was a decent chance. I think that was right at half time. him um second half again it was more like you know fulham sit back we try and find a way through i think we had a chance with trossard at the back post uh where he took a moment for the ball to come down and then dragged a shot wide there was saka going through do you remember that run he drove into the box yeah really good run really good run it sort of cleared not quite off the line but certainly close enough to going off the line.

15:18It was one of those where, when I looked at it again, if it had just sort of fallen in the right way, I think Zubimendi's there to just poke it home from close range, but it just sort of escaped his trajectory a little bit. But, you know... Saka started to really turn it on, didn't he? I think he was... They found it difficult to live with him. Yeah. We'll talk about him after maybe we discuss, you know, the goal and how the rest of it played out, because I think he was just unbelievable in this game. There were corners. We started to build up the corners. There was one, I think, just before maybe when we scored.

15:55I don't know if that turned out to be a corner. There was a moment, wasn't there, where Jokeres sort of turned his defender and some people might have thought it was a penalty. I don't think it was a penalty. I don't think there was enough contact there. But then it was Jokeres' presence in the box again, a smart little pass from Eze and they put it behind for a corner and from there, that's where we got the goal that won the game. Yeah, and we got the delivery right this time. Great leap from Gabriel who I think is smart enough to realise that I've just got to help this on towards goal. Did you see Sky, by the way?

16:32Did you see Bakayo Saka on Sky? No, no, I've not seen it. Right, so they did the post-game interview with him where he's standing there with the microphone And, you know, he said, yeah, I took, you know, four rubbish corners and thankfully got this one right. And the guy said to him, why do you call them rubbish corners? And he just kind of went, did you see them? They weren't his best. They weren't his best. You know, I was surprised, actually, the first corner of the game that we got was over on the other side. It was Declan Rice. and we took it short and that was maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes towards the end of the first half.

17:11It was the first corner that we had. I'm all for a bit of variation, but I do think, you know, the first corner you have in a game like this against opposition that have been tricky in the past, it's like, just get it in there and see what kind of problems we can cause them. This time, it was a brilliant run from Gabriel, wasn't it? Flicked on and Trossard at the back post as he generally is in these situations. And, you know, 99 times out of 100, the ball doesn't get there. But I can remember a couple of times where it has, and he's been in that position. That's kind of where he lurks. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

17:4822 Premier League goals now for Arsenal. The same number as Kai Havertz and Laurent Koscielny. That's why Robinho. Bit of a poacher, isn't it? Yeah. He had the poacher's instinct there, and it was enough. And I think that set piece delivery and execution continues to be, whether Arnest Lott likes it or not, a very potent weapon for this team. Yeah, I think I have a question about that. So why don't we sort of park that discussion of set pieces and our prowess and how strong we are until we can get around to that question. But that meant obviously that Fulham had to come out a little bit, had to play a little bit.

18:33We made changes pretty quickly after, or made a change rather, pretty quickly after we scored the goal. so Mikel Moreno came on to replace Eber Eche Eze who I don't think was brilliant on the night but you know had some moments here or there and I don't mean this to be like a referendum on Moreno or anything like that was that a bit surprising to you given the fact that Fulham were then going to have to come out and play a little bit that we took off you know somebody who is ostensibly a more creative player for somebody who's more functional. I like Marino, by the way. I do like Mikel Marino.

19:14I think he's a really solid pro and can bring a lot to this squad over the course of the season. It just surprised me a little bit that with Fulham needing to get a goal, there might have been more space for Eze to operate in. Yeah, I think I was more, I'd say I was a little bit maybe disappointed by that change more so than surprised. I think Mikel Arteta is still Mikel Arteta and I do think that he's a guy who has a preference for a certain type of structure in his midfield. Even disappointed is a bit of an overstatement really. I just sort of was like, yeah, I guess I would have liked to have seen us maintain a bit more attacking threat, but Marino had a brilliant international break.

20:10You know, I feel bad for him because as you've just sort of intimated in this conversation, it feels like, and in this ongoing debate, it feels like he catches a lot of flack. And it really is not intended in that way at all. Like it's purely a kind of stylistic or personal preference thing. I think Mikel Marino is a really fine footballer. But yeah, I did think that was a bit odd, the speed at which he made that change. I thought if it was 10 minutes later, it would have made a bit more sense to me. Yeah, same, same. But he obviously made a decision. Ultimately, we've come away with three points.

20:47So hindsight being 20-20, et cetera, et cetera. It was just, to me, a little bit surprising that we might have, I don't know. And it was before Fulham changed as well. So they'd brought off the injured Jocky Manderson for Jopp, but they were getting Smith Rowe and Kevin ready. Adama Traore came on later too, but it wasn't as if they'd made those attacking changes and we were reacting to it. It was almost like we were changing in anticipation of something. Yeah, or we were, Mikel Arteta decided to change in reaction to the goal. Maybe he thought this was like a one goal game. Maybe he did. You know?

21:25I could understand him having that instinct. And look, Eze didn't have a great game. Like, I'm not, you know, going to kid anybody about that. This wasn't his best game for Arsenal since joining. So what other options did he have if he wanted to change it? I guess the obvious answer is maybe Ethan Ranieri. Yeah. He went with Mourinho, who's a guy in form. Fair enough, I guess. But, yeah, it was a little bit, like I said, I think it was just felt a fraction early. Sure, sure. I get that. But Kaio Saka, who we talked about a few minutes ago, really started to drive this game from an Arsenal perspective.

22:08You know, that run and shot that he had, Leno made a good save. Leno had a good game, by the way, I think. He made some good saves. So he had that shot. You know, the way he made space to take that shot was superb. You know, in the sort of inside left channel, you know, he'd come over from the other side, which is something we're seeing maybe a little bit more from Bakayo Saka this season. I don't know if the sample size is very small, but I have it in my mind that he's popping up in that area more than we have seen previously. Like, I know that's an area in which he can operate because I can remember him scoring goals from there.

22:46And I think one of the goals he scored this season is from that position. I can't remember the game. West Ham? Can't remember. Right. I don't know. But anyway, it was... Yeah, a recent one, wasn't it, where he finished in that inside the channel? Yeah, and Leno made a good save. And then there was the penalty incident when Sacco was deemed to have been fouled by Anthony Taylor, who pointed to the spot, but VAR decided that the penalty shouldn't stand. Yeah. I think we're, you know, not miles apart on this one. And then certainly when I looked at it on TV the other day, what I was doing the live blog and they showed replays, I was like, oh, that is not going to stand because he gets the ball.

23:35Like he gets a touch on the ball. And I think I was trying to apply my own rule. Like how would I feel if Timber had slid in and the touch on the ball was ignored? But I think there's something quite interesting about this. I know that your feeling is he gets a touch on the ball. it's not a penalty like you wouldn't give that as well i'm not in in the strictest application of the law if you follow the letter of the law then that doesn't have to be the case they absolutely cannot choose to award a penalty i'm merely saying sort of in the when i consider the application of the law i'm not surprised this one was over to see this is one where i think having watched it again and this is where i think the discussion is quite interesting because Because when I saw Anthony Taylor go over to the screen, the screen that didn't work, by the way, and then when it did work, it's like watching an old SD TV, right?

24:36He's seeing a replay of Kevin getting a touch on the ball. Subsequent to that, we have on Sky Sports, Bakayosaka said, you know, yeah, I know he gets a touch on the ball, but he got me first. this is one of those where i completely understand why var checks because var checks everything right they're they're looking at everything through a fine tooth comb through what that's ridiculous i don't know what i'm saying they're not using that kind of directly no they're not but but you know the idea that something has to be clear and obvious etc etc as we all know is absurd because they look for any tiny thing that they can use to deny a penalty or a goal or whatever it is and it's not just applicable to arsenal even though it feels that way one of the replays that we saw on tv afterwards was really clear that before kevin gets a touch on the ball his knee makes contact with the knee of bakayo saka yeah and i think if anthony taylor had gone to the screen and said actually yeah he does get a touch on the ball but he gets the man before he gets the ball and that's a foul.

25:45I think that would be the correct use of VAR in this situation. But I think the technology available to the officials and referees is not the same as we're seeing afterwards. So we got like a super slow-mo HD replay, right? Which informs our view of that incident. Whereas the referees are getting this kind of grainy footage that they have to look at while some little urchin was gurning away at him there, distracting him, and he's looking at it on a screen that doesn't work, and then all of a sudden it works, and then he's got this voice in his ear, and, you know, it does create this kind of two-pronged narrative, if that's the way of putting it.

26:30Like, I kind of understand why Anthony Taylor, based on the footage that he saw and the information he was given, decided not to award the penalty. But I think subsequent to that, what we've learned is that that decision was wrong. So it's a weird one, isn't it? Where there's this sort of post hoc analysis based on greater information that only emerges well after the fact. Also, we don't know why he gave the penalty. So we don't know if he ever saw the knee. Do you know what I mean? Like he might have given the penalty because he thought he tripped him and not got the ball. Yeah. And so then he's not going over to the screen looking for that.

27:17So, yeah, there's all sorts of possibility for things to fall through the gaps. I mean, I still think it's not a penalty. Like I think if that was given against us, there would be murders.

27:30But I think the more interesting discussion actually is like, should it be re-refereed? Yeah. but everything is re-refereed we we can't have that discussion about like are they going to go into the minutiae of of every incident that happens in a game because yes they are like how many times do you do you hear during a game oh var looking at something maybe it's a foul on yorker as oh they've cleared it you know what i mean so every aspect of the game is being looked at at all times and we're aware of that um from time to time because of what the commentators say because the commentators as we know have got the var feed in their ears or they can hear that right so they're aware that like a corner comes in play goes up the other end and they can hear var saying yeah we're just checking something here might be a penalty maybe a handball blah blah blah blah blah but that's the level to which the game is being re-refereed for want of a better term so the concept of clear and obvious is not relevant in any way no and there's a different degree of scrutiny applied to different situations and decisions yeah and so a penalty that's awarded on the pitch is definitely examined forensically in a way that something which isn't awarded on the pitch is not in my view like so so that there are sort of like 50 50s where the referee doesn't blow that are kind of waved through quite quickly yeah whereas when an on-field decision is taken there's like a huge interrogation of it i guess because the author pgmol so there's such anxiety about a decision being wrong yeah potentially well they do it they do it with goals as well don't they they look for any any possible reason to rule out a goal and they will rule out the goal yeah and presumably it's because they are so conscious or concerned that those decisions have such swing impacts on games that they almost don't they don't quite want to take ownership of it i mean presumably the interest the reason they don't have access to the tv feeds is because they don't you know we speak regularly at the moment about how television coverage is increasingly biased i suppose or partisan and yeah i suppose they cannot risk the accusation that they're being steered by that um but it is interesting like given the level of coverage that we have that the technology that they're using does seem to be inferior.

30:20Yeah. Stop using Nokia phones to film the VAR, please, you know, invest in some 8K cameras, you know, I will just sort of slightly differ with you in terms of the penalty. I, like I said, I can understand why it wasn't given or why it was overturned, but I also think that if he had stuck to his on-field decision, I don't think there could be too many complaints because there is contact with Saka before this contact with the ball. you know, it changes from week to week, whether a contact on the ball is relevant or not. You know, if you're Nick Pope or you're Victor Jokeres or if you're Bakayev Saka or Kevin, whatever it might be.

30:56I just think it's one of those that if he'd gone to the screen and had the ability to see that replay in full and had said, actually, look, I can see he gets a contact on the ball, but he's kicked through the man first to get to the ball. Therefore, I think it's still a penalty. I don't know that Fulham could really complain too much, but look, it is what it is. That's fair. And also, before everyone sends it to me, I have seen the clip of Howard Webb at some point on television saying about a decision. I'm not even sure which one it was originally. Well, the contact on the ball is not relevant.

31:27So look, they do change their tune according to which way the wind is blowing at that particular time. I'm more speaking in terms of like less the written law and more like what I see applied up and down the league. I think that I'm fine with that not being a pen. But I think the process and the degree to which on-field decisions are being re-refereed or are subject to revision or subject to the influence of an off-field official who is as subjective or as capable of missing something as the on-field guy, I do think that is a worthwhile and ongoing debate for sure. We did have moments, I think, where we could have scored a second goal, particularly late on.

32:18There was another shot from Jokeres, wasn't there, and Martinelli on the rebound. Yeah. A double save from burned Leno. But how did you feel when it's 1-0, you're getting to 75 minutes, you're getting to 80 minutes, and it's like, well, we don't need to go for it. You know, there's no point in us trying desperately to score a second goal and therefore leaving ourselves open. You know, the analysis of Arsenal's defense is quite simple, really, in that it's fucking brilliant at the moment. And if you're 1-0 away from home and you have a defense like we have and you have the organization and the defensive discipline, which I think I watched Match of the Day and I think it was Micah Richards talking about it.

33:03it's not just the back four. It's not just the keeper. It is the entire team. There's a discipline, defensive discipline sort of baked into these players now, which means that as a team, we are really, really, really tough to break down and to create good chances against. If you look at the stats, again, the XG, not great. As you said, two games in a row, I think, where we haven't allowed the opposition a shot on target, which I think is the first time since the Invincible season. Is that right? Is that an Orbeño stat? I think it was. Could well be. You know, no big chances for Fulham in statistical terms anyway.

33:46Did you feel like, despite the fact a 1-0 is always a bit of a kind of knife-edge scoreline, did you feel comfortable that this was a game Arsenal could see out? like compared to you know go back a season or a couple of seasons where you know I can remember one nil games or games certainly where we had a one goal lead going into the last 10-15 minutes where I was more on edge than I was on Saturday I have to say yeah I think obviously you're wary of saying this because of the hubris attached to it but in honesty when Leandro Trossard bundled that ball in at the back post, I kind of thought, that's game over.

34:30I really did. I just thought, this Arsenal team are so structurally sound and so serious and so focused at this point in time that I was very confident they would see it over the line. Probably that confidence increased even more maybe when Mikel Marino trots on four minutes later. And I'm like, yeah, Mikel sees this as a one-goal game and, you know, he will make it so. And actually the changes, I think, tell you that. I mean, Martinelli came on for Trossard with 10 minutes to go. Martinelli, I think, is probably more defensively sound than Trossard. You know, a better runner going in that direction as well.

35:14And then even in stoppage time, he brings off Victor Jokeres and gives, I think, a Premier League debut to Christian Norgut, a defensive midfield player. so you know there was he didn't change the back four kept it in place didn't tinker with that at all brought on really sort of good hard-working defensive players and I think if Fulham lacks something it is probably that cutting edge you know they've got a lot of good players I suppose they're sort of typified in some respects by Alex Iwobi who I just think is a really lovely footballer who doesn't quite, he has improved in this respect, but isn't quite a goal scorer or, you know, serial assister.

36:01So, yeah, I did feel pretty confident, to be honest. The sort of wild card, the joker in the pack, of course, is always Adama Traore, who whenever he comes on, you're like, well, either he's going to fire a series of shots out of the ground or he might, you know, one in eight times do something special. Yeah, I mean, I thought it was quite funny when he came on, the commentator said, and this is Adama Traore's 15th or 16th game against Arsenal, and he's never scored. And I was like, I can remember games where I'm going like, oh God, Adama Traore, he could be a bit of a handful here. And look, you know, we know what he's about.

36:39He's very quick and very fast and very, very strong, but he never really seems to produce against us. There is that sort of jeopardy, isn't there, with a one goal lead. you never know, a mistake, a set piece. A foul in the box, anything. A bad referee decision. Something deemed to be a foul in the box. Something spectacular, you know, can always happen. But I felt about as secure as I could feel. Yeah. And there were moments, as you said, with Jocares, with Martinelli, where we might have extended that lead and made it a bit more comfortable. But I think it, and I'm trying to think back to those final few minutes.

37:19I don't think it was particularly uncomfortable at any point. No, I don't think so. They had a like, you know, there was what, eight, nine minutes at the end as well. But whatever they tried to do, we handled it, you know. They tried to get forward. We were defensively so well organized. They couldn't find a way through. there was a moment even at the end as well I think Zubimendi went through and tried a cut back where I think he probably should have had a shot which could have really sealed the game so I think realistically Arsenal were more likely to score again than Fulham were to get an equaliser to be honest that was yeah that was my reaction I described of sort of when we got the goal off the set piece thinking like the game is done I don't think players are immune from that feeling either.

38:10Like I imagine if you're Fulham, if you're one of those Fulham players, as professional as you are and as much as you have confidence in your own ability, you know the reputation of this Arsenal team and did they really have the level of conviction or belief that they would get a goal here? I'm not convinced they did. I sort of felt like they knew as well to a certain extent and I think that you earned that. You earned that by your performance your record, your reputation, your standing. And Arsenal have reached that point where there is a kind of inevitability about them when they get in front.

38:50I think that's a great point. And maybe we can tie it into the discussion about set pieces in part two, because I think it is linked, to be honest. But I did want to go back to Saka. And, you know, sometimes there are performances from a player where even though they don't score or they don't get an assist, you're going, okay, I see what's happening here now. And Saka, you know, he's had an injury hit a few months, hasn't he, towards the end of last season and certainly the start to this season has had a hamstring issue and he's missed a few weeks and it's not ideal. But I looked at that performance and I looked at the intent with which he played, particularly in the second half, and I thought, okay, Bakayo Saka is feeling himself again.

39:40This feels more like the old, in inverted commas, Bakayo Saka, old, given that he's, what, 24 still, you know? But there are aspects to his game and to the way that he was taking on players, to the way that he was just relentless in trying to make something happen. When you look at the stats, where have I got them here? I definitely had them there a second ago. I think it's six key passes, two shots, one shot on target, six dribbles, fouled five times. Sessegnon kept fouling and didn't get a yellow card because you don't get a yellow card when you foul Bukai Osaka. 14 crosses. You know, there is just, as we've often discussed about him, a volume level of product, which often leads to end product.

40:35And I thought it was really, really interesting the way that he played, particularly in that second half where he kind of knew somebody had to up the level a little bit for Arsenal to win the game. He upped the level with his set pieces, but in open play, the way he was trying to make things happen was really, really impressive. And I don't think Fulham could live with him, really. I don't think there was a player on the pitch who came as close to being as good as Bakayo Saka. Maybe Riccardo Calafuri in the first half, but in the second half, Saka was a cut above everybody else. Yeah, he looks back to his best.

41:14And if you look at his last five appearances across Arsenal and England, goal against Olympiacos, goal against West Ham, goal for England against Wales, assist for England against Latvia, and then the Fulham game in which he was sensational and might well have had a goal or an assist, if you count it as one, had that penalty stood. Pre-assist, he got a nice, lebby pre-assist from the corner as well. You're right. And, you know, if Jokeres puts, I think both those chances in each half were set up by Saka in the right-hand channel. The Calafiori one was set up by Saka as well. The volley over the bar was set up by Saka.

41:52Like, you know, and I think when he's at his very best, when he's really flying, he is basically good for a goal or an assist in every game. I think when he is on top of his game, he produces at that level and he is at the moment. So I thought he was fantastic. And I think we've been so blessed, by the way, on that right-hand side this season. You know, when Saka was out, we were here singing the praises of Noni Madueke. And now, with respect to Noni, you kind of forget that we ever had him because Bakayosaka's back and he's doing his thing. And the way in which we've been able to maintain consistency on that flank, despite both players suffering with significant injuries, is, I think, real vindication of the work that was done in the market.

42:45Yeah, for sure. I mean, my gut feeling on this season and our title chances or chances of success is, listen, I love what we're doing defensively. I think it's amazing and I think it's an incredible foundation on which to base a title challenge, a Champions League tilt, you know, a competitive team. There's no two ways about that. But I think if this is the season where we are to go the distance and lift a big trophy, someone like Bukayo Saka is going to, not that he has to do it, but someone like Bukayo Saka will do something, you know, incredible in terms of goals and assists over the course of the season.

43:29Because I think you really do need one player. Like we're spreading the goals around in the Premier League, et cetera, et cetera. And that's good. But I think you need one player or maybe two players to sort of exist in a higher stratosphere, if that's the right way of putting it. And when I think about the players that we have at our disposal, he is certainly one of the most likely candidates in that regard. So that's why I looked at that performance on Saturday and thought, oh, yeah, I like this. I like where this is going, what the potential is if Bakayo Saka can hit this level and then maintain that level consistently.

44:08like I'm not saying he's got to play brilliantly every single week, but if we get him into that run of form and certainly he's in the mindset where he's in that run of form, I think those are the, those are the things that sort of win you the points that elevate you above the other very good teams and help you win titles. Yeah, absolutely. And he was a cut above on Saturday. So I'm really excited by what we might see from him moving forward. Okay. Anything else on the game, on the performance? I think it's just one of those where, you know, in the first half of the season, you sort of look back on games like this.

44:47I think they are foundational to success, by the way, you know. Typically teams, I think, who go on to win a title or challenge for a title find their best form and their best rhythm in the second half of the season. But you've got to win these games. These are games where you've got to turn up and take the points and just sort of not routine, because I think that is too dismissive of a Fulham side that have been very good and certainly a tricky side for us to take points against at Craven Cottage over the last couple of years. But it is one of those where you look back at it and go, OK, not a lot of fuss, but job done.

45:23And we've got those three points under our belt. Yeah, and I think it's another big weekend, another really strong weekend for Arsenal. You look at that gap to Liverpool, you know, what is it? Four points now, stays at four points. Might have been even bigger were it not for an absolute wonder goal from Sobber's line. Yeah. Not too long ago that we could have feasibly been eight points behind Liverpool. And now we're four ahead, you know? Yeah, absolutely. So I suppose that's a little kind of warning shot as well that things can change quickly. For sure. You have to say it looks incredibly positive and an exciting week to come because there's a big game right around the corner on Tuesday night against Atletico and then obviously the weekend.

46:11So yeah, Palace we've got, right? Who had a crazy old game themselves. Wow. Yeah, amazing. We'll cross those bridges when we come to them. So let's leave it there for part one. We will come back with your questions and more in part two right after this.

46:37Welcome back to the Arsecast Extra. This is part two of the show where we answer the questions that you've sent to us on bluesky at gunnerblog.bsky.social, also at arseblog.com, and also on the Arseblog Discord chat server, which you get access to if you are an Arseblog member on Patreon. on so um let's start with a question about set pieces and arsenal scoring again from a set piece and winning a game and so arsenal cannon picks says on a scale of i don't give a fuck and i couldn't care less where do you stand on arna slot and rival fans comments on our set piece goals it seems we are boiling a lot of people's piss by being really good at a fundamental part of the game um i don't care about arnish slott's comments um or indeed the sort of what the kind of aesthetic criticism of other fans doesn't bother me particularly i do think that we have perhaps learned or seen in each of the last two years when lest we forget we have also been very good attacking set pieces i do think we have experienced uh a fact that that can kind of run dry that it's not necessarily sustainable over the course of an entire campaign and that you know it's dangerous to rely on it so that's the only respect in which i care like i think clearly it's a huge weapon for us and clearly it's a difference maker and it can break open games and we owe it a lot already this season.

48:20I think history shows us that to get over the line, we probably will need more and we'll probably need our attacking game to click in a way that I'm not sure it quite has consistently this season. There's certainly been games or moments when it has, but I'm not sure We've produced it week in, week out. I think we may have to get there to be champions. And that's kind of where I'm at with it. What about yourself? I don't disagree with that, actually. I do think that there is a need to improve in other areas. But in the meantime, while we're waiting for those things to click, whether it's attacking patterns or indeed other players, perhaps.

49:15I think this is an amazing thing to have at our disposal. I remember Arteta last season. It's one of those things managers say, and it probably comes back to bite them in the arse a little bit, but I don't know how anybody could really argue with the ambition of it. He said, we want to be the best in the world at everything. you know whether it's set pieces whether it's free kicks whether it's scoring goals from open play whatever it is we want to be the best in the world at everything that's tough you know i think that's a really tough thing to achieve but maybe what we have achieved right now is being the best team in the world at scoring from corners and set pieces and it's not because you know we're lucky or just because we've got big guys lots of teams have big guys we've got players who are you know extremely proficient in the opposition box through training and you know working on these things it comes from hard work it's not by accident at all and I think as well maybe to sort of take it in a different direction I was having a conversation with somebody on Blue Sky the other day and I can't remember I think it was his name was Damo um I can't find the the things now while we're recording, but it's sort of about how crucial set pieces are to us when we're facing teams who very deliberately set up to deny us attacking space, you know, or as we saw against Fulham on Saturday, the way that we play and the fact that they sort of sit back into a deep block means it's difficult to break them down.

50:51Therefore, corners become really, really important in cracking a game open, you know? There's maybe a scenario in this game where, you know, we score in whatever it is, 58th minute, Fulham decide, right, we've got to come out and play a bit more. Maybe we leave an Eze on the pitch and we've got a bit more in the final third to carve Fulham open and create a few chances, you know? So I do think there is something interesting in that aspect as well, that when games are tight, and when you're a team like Arsenal, who I think now everybody, when they go to play Arsenal, will say they're a very good team.

51:25We have to respect the quality that they have, and we're going to make it as difficult as we can for them in every aspect of the game. That having this as a sort of, I don't know, superpower is really, really important at this moment in the season because, like you say, we are waiting for other things to click and to gel and to mesh and for those attacking units to really deliver what I think they can. I think there is definite room for improvement from open play. But while we're doing that, having come through a summer where we've added eight new players and we're betting in a new striker who doesn't have any alternative at this moment in time.

52:07So we're asking a lot of him. Odegaard's not there. Eze himself is maybe having to learn to play in a slightly different way because of the way teams set up against Arsenal. I think this is really, really important. really important so I get it I think we do have to improve there are going to be times where we go through a period where we're not going to score from a corner and we'll go a while without doing that but for now it's really helping and um like I said it's no accident no I mean I seriously use the word superpower there what are Arsenal's superpowers I would say set pieces absolutely and probably the out of possession stuff, probably the defensive shape, solidity, commitment, athleticism.

52:54I think we want to be the best at everything. What are we the best at? We are the best at set pieces, certainly in the attacking half, and we are probably the best defensive team, the best out of possession team, potentially in European football. I'd say certainly in English football. so and funnily enough those are the things that we're criticised for but they are they may well be the kind of foundational pillars of Arsenal's title challenge this season yeah and I think if they're attracting criticism or jibes you know you can be sure if they're coming from opposition fans it's because they feel threatened by that or worried by that yeah I mean one thing you oh by the way as well I think we're trendsetters I really strongly believe that.

53:43I mean, managers have been talking this season about set pieces being back, you know, the return of the long throw, the percentage of goals being scored from dead ball situations is up across the league. And I firmly believe that comes from other clubs looking at what Arsenal are doing and seeking to emulate. Agree. And realising that there is a, you know, not an easy route to goal, but a whole element of the game that has perhaps not been sufficiently mined and exploited. Yes. And I think Arsenal are ahead of most in that respect. I think other clubs like Brentford, for example, have been really innovative and Arsenal have taken a lot from Brentford.

54:29Yeah, we took their set-piece coach for a start, didn't we, back in the day? We've taken two set-piece coaches from them because they, Jova was there at one time before he went to City and then Andres Jorgsen was at Brentford too. We took our goalkeeper coach from Brentford. I mean, Brentford as a model for Mikel Arteta's kind of coaching strategy and implementation at Arsenal is a really fascinating topic because they've lifted a lot and they've copied a lot. So I'm not saying we're unique or special, but I think with the tools at our disposal, the resource at our disposal, the players at our disposal, or we have become a leading club at this.

55:09And I think others are now trying to catch up. Do you think there's something, you know, in the whole discussion about, you know, set pieces maybe were viewed as the purview of less talented coaches? Yeah. You know, that it was a way to try and equalize against teams where, you know, if it was back in the day, if it was Bolton against Manchester United, Manchester United in terms of quality on the pitch would have had far more, right? But Bolton as a way to try and threaten superior opposition, I think there's no other way of putting it, you know, would focus on things like corner set pieces, long throws.

55:51How do you put these guys under pressure? How can you capitalize from these moments? So they're sort of associated with these coaches who are maybe viewed as industrial, maybe a bit dinosaur, etc., etc. I think there's something fascinating about the way that football these days is discussed about how prescribed everything is, how every aspect of the game is maybe overcoached, hypercoached. I don't know what way you want to put it. I don't want to go down the road of like, is the era of the expressionist gone? You know, where does a Ronaldinho fit into the modern game? That kind of thing, right?

56:37But do you think set pieces are now losing that element of snobbery, that there is a pragmatism with which everyone in football is looking and saying, actually, you know, why wouldn't we try and be as effective as possible from corners? You know, why wouldn't we try and maximize our throw-ins? If we've got a guy who can throw the ball under the opposition crossbar from, you know, inside the opposition half, why wouldn't we try and do that regardless of how people view it from an aesthetic point of view? Or, you know, is it something to look down your nose at? I don't think it is. You know, I really don't.

57:20but I know that there are people out there who will think, well, that's, you know, that's, yeah. How many times have you seen the, the, the Michel Arteta, Tony Pulis meme thing going around, you know, which, you know, I get it. I get it. But we just fucking won a game at the weekend because we're really good at this. Yeah. I mean, listen, maybe there is that kind of old purist idea of, you know, open play being superior way to go. And I don't doubt Arsene Wenger, you know, subscribed to that to a certain extent. And that was part of the kind of ideological battle that he and Pulis, for example, waged over the years.

58:01I do think that, yeah, OK, it's the domain of clubs. Historically, it's been the domain of clubs who are maybe lower down the table, looking to kind of claw something back. But actually, what do Arsenal have? Yes, they have great headers of the ball and size and athleticism and all those things, but they also have two tricky wing players on the pitch, usually. They also are facing teams that are in a low block, that are difficult to break down. Where does the ball circulate to? Where does the ball arrive? It arrives at those wide players. That means they're going to get corners. they're going to get 8, 9, 10, 11 corners per game.

58:46It's not like your Stokes or your Burnleys or whoever who might have a handful of set-piece opportunities they're trying or hoping to get lucky on. Arsenal create corners and the way in which the team play is going to generate those opportunities. So if you can really maximise the threat in those scenarios and this goes back to what we're talking about in part one about the sort of slight sense of inevitability, the tension, the pressure that ramps up when Arsenal have a corner. You know, we had a question saying, oh, can we get on with it more at set pieces? We take too long, we're too slow when we need a goal.

59:24I think that misses the point entirely. I think Arsenal are amplifying that pressure, that tension. I think they are exhausting and wearing teams out with it. and I think there is that growing sense of inevitability that if Arsenal get enough corners, they will probably score. So I think it's a solution that Mikel Arteta has found to a problem that we have and I think it's one that is proving to be really effective. I don't think it's one we can afford to turn our noses up at or should turn our noses up at and I don't think opposition can afford to turn their noses up at it either and I think we're seeing that now across the league.

1:00:06So I think it's really interesting. And yeah, I think it just comes back to that same point of coaches these days and Arteta is foremost among this, really mining every possible opportunity for any margin they can find. Yeah. Fair enough. Here was a question about set pieces that I thought was kind of interesting, giving it the big sell there, from Jeremy at Jazza81 on Blue Sky. and jeremy said goodly morning chants until the goal i thought sucker's corner deliveries weren't as good as usual or so did he the lack of space by the corner flag in craven cottage felt like a factor to me i remember some teams bringing advertising boards close to the pitch to try and stop rory delaps long throws how long do you think it will take for teams to corner flag in attempts to disrupt our corner routines and deliveries well this very short piece of turf wasn't it by the flag?

1:01:05Yeah, it did look like there was a short run-up. It's only like a, you know, in five-a-side where you allowed a one-step penalty. Yeah. It felt a bit like a one-step corner, which is probably why one or two of those deliveries weren't as good. Listen, if a football club decides that the way to stop Arsenal taking good corners is to, you know, move the entire stand a little bit closer to the pitch than Fairfax, you know, but I do think those are things that, you know, probably, I would imagine in the preparation for a game like this, that every aspect of our set piece prowess is taken into account.

1:01:45So is there going to be a shorter run up for taking corners at Craven Cottage? Yeah. So when we're practicing corners from set pieces in the week before we play Fulham, is that something they do? You probably think so, right? And the attention to detail with which we prepare for our games and everything else, it might be part of why it was more difficult because you get a few extra steps and it's easier to take a good corner if you've got a couple of steps as a run-up. But maybe it took Saka just a few goes to define his range. And when he did, bang. Bang indeed. Over to you. I had one here from fogginestandard.atx on the Discord.

1:02:34He says, goodly morning, gents. Trossard has been the subject of a lot of criticism lately, but it's undeniable that he has a knack of getting goal contributions when we need them the most. Is there an element of right place, right time at play, or are there tangible qualities to Trossard's game that you think are going unnoticed? I called him a poacher, didn't I, in part one. And I think that's what he is. I think a bit like, and I'm going to invoke the name of an Arsenal legend here, and I'm not saying that Trossard is the same level, but a bit like a Robert Perez or a Freddie Unberg, his timing and his finishing are of a really, really high standard.

1:03:19And it's interesting because in the summer, I mean I remember doing the story about his um contract pay rise and man oh man people were not happy about that I know that that's because there were certain deals that hadn't been done and people are concerned about the business and the summer is mental but there was a lot of hate out there um how representative that is of people's true feelings you never really know but I think already this season he's demonstrated that he has a part to play my understanding is Mikel Arteta always wanted him to stay and was one of the people really advocating for him to get that pay rise he felt he earned it, felt it was important to keep him happy and he repays that faith I know he can be a frustrating player at times because he has these great moments and you feel like you know can he produce that level of threat across 90 minutes but i almost think i almost think that's sort of asking him to be something he's not i think he is i think i think he's a finisher i think he's just a really really good finisher yeah and um you know he hovers at that back post and yeah look it's not exactly a clean strike that he buries it with but he just has the instincts and i think that's an attribute that's hard to define it doesn't really show up you know on on stats too easily um but the goal record speaks for itself yeah agree completely like yeah there's there's nothing that you're looking at in the stats and going oh yeah the underlying this or the whatever of trossard tells us x y and z it's the goal record though it is the fact that he has got end product and he's got experience and he knows kind of what's what I mean I went back because I remember having a discussion about this on one of the earlier episodes this is this is sort of mid-september I think from a previous Irish cast extra when Trossard was being linked with a move to Turkey and this was after the the transfer window closed in England I was quite surprised by how many people were like yeah take the money take the money for Trossard we've got to take the money and I'm like what the fuck good is 20 million euros now to Arsenal between now and January well I mean genuinely listen maybe the accountants have a different view on this than I would and that's fine but yeah they may do I think I think they might well do but you know when you look at the schedule you look at the games you look at the competitions we're going to be in.

1:06:10Leandro Trossard is far more useful to Arsenal than any amount of money that we're probably not going to be able to spend until next summer anyway. Fuck the accountants is what we're saying. Fuck the accountants, absolutely. Fuck the bank balance. You know, legs on the pitch, score goals and money in the bank really doesn't, you know. And I think Trossard so far this season has demonstrated why we should keep him. Does that mean that there's not a discussion to be had about, you know, going forward, what we might do on the left-hand side? Sure. Absolutely. I think that's a perfectly valid discussion.

1:06:47But I'd much rather have Leandro Trossard than not this season, you know? Yeah. I mean, if I told people in April or May how many games Trossard would be starting on the left wing in the early period of this season, they would have lost their minds. and if I'd followed it up with, oh, and we'll be top and going well in the Champions League, then I think there probably would have been some surprise there. But I've always liked him right now. And I know there is this idea of like, oh, he's better off the bench. I think a lot of attackers are, because I think invariably you're coming on in scenarios that sort of suit you.

1:07:27Either you're chasing a goal and the team are really going for it and you're playing in a really attacking way, so you're going to be heavily involved or you're coming up against a team who themselves are chasing a goal and there's more space and more opportunity to counter-attack on them. Yeah, I don't doubt he's a good sub but I just think in general he's got a real nose for goal and he can be a match winner. Yes, as he was on Saturday. Nine games this season, three goals, two assists. So five goal involvements in nine games. Very, very decent. and listen, I do get some of the frustration around Trossard generally.

1:08:07You know, sometimes he can flit in and out of a game and maybe what you're looking for in certain aspects or certain times of the game from a left winger isn't what he brings you. So I do get that frustration, but, you know, he can come up clutch with goals and I think the experience he has as well is really, really important in this team. So, yeah. And you say like it wasn't the cleanest strike to put it over the net, or put it in the back of the net, but it was quick reactions, quick instincts to sort of just get his knee on it and bundle it over. It doesn't matter really how clean a strike it is.

1:08:43That's a chance that maybe if a player is on his heels, it goes the other way. So I think he deserves a lot of credit for the goal he scored. We have this question I thought was interesting from Gordon, who said, What do you think of the relatively poor slash indifferent form of Izaak, Wurtz, Jokerez and to an extent Eze? Is it just hard for new players to hit top form? Is there any difference between so-called Premier League ready players such as Eze and Izaak and players from other leagues such as Eketike and Zubomendi?

1:09:23I mean, I suppose if you were going to draw a line or any kind of through line between Jokeres and Izak, it would be the fact that both of them had truncated preseasons, right? because of the situations that they were involved with. You know, Isaac going on strike at Newcastle and Jocharez doing something similar, I think, with sporting. But I think it was a slightly more... I understood it slightly more from his perspective, right? His situation was sorted earlier than Isaac. Isaac really didn't have much of a preseason at all, apart from training on his own. I don't think that's ideal. So maybe you could draw a through line there between those two.

1:10:06Yeah, maybe. Wurtz, I don't really know. He's one of those players who was outstanding in the Bundesliga. Just hasn't quite got up to speed yet at Liverpool, and maybe not all is as well at Liverpool as some might say. And I think that's quite interesting as well because we did have another question. Let me see if I can find it here. um fuck let me see i did have one i've got one if you want one well there's one here from wise mark lar who says is as a square peg in a round hole i'm one of his biggest supporters but he's done very little since joining and i find the difference between how he's being criticized compared to jokeres quite interesting but there was another question that i had and it might have been on blue sky i can't find it but it was basically about you know is as having to adapt to a team that is maybe more dominant than Crystal Palace, you know?

1:11:06Yeah, a couple of questions here from JW Stern. So far, I'm not convinced with Eze as a right-sided midfielder. Would we be better with him on the left and Ranieri in the Odegaard spot? Mbaella said, what's your reading of Eze through the middle so far? To me, he looks like someone who'll need a sizable number of games to be a genuine Odegaard replacement. Yeah, there was this one from Sam Elman, who's at Kuselman, I think, on BSky.social. He looks a bit out of his depth. Do you think this is because he's not used to playing the right eight role because he typically plays on the left, which is true?

1:11:38Or is it because he's rarely had to play against low block teams? And I think there's probably something to both of those things, to be honest. I thought Ezzet, by the way, was great against Newcastle. I thought he was really, really good against Newcastle when he was played there. So I just think players can take time to adapt to a new team, to new surroundings, to a new way of facing opposition. I think there probably is something to that, you know, Palace play in a very specific way. But are Palace going to dominate games with 65%, 68 % possession? Not typically, not usually. So there is something to learn, isn't there?

1:12:19When you're in a team that's facing a side that is sitting deep with 11 men behind the ball, you know, there's no question as it has huge creativity and craft, but it's difficult for even the most creative players to, to find a way through, you know? So I, you know, I think it's just a question of time for me on all of these guys. I don't know about Isaac or Virts. I hope they never come good, obviously for Liverpool. And Jokeres, I think, you know, as long as, as long as he doesn't score, I think the conversations around him are going to persist. You know, even if there were things about his game on Saturday that I thought were positive, you know, a greater willingness to sort of pull the trigger in certain moments.

1:13:09But other aspects where I look at him and think, can he really improve in that aspect of his game? Like the first touch sometimes is just a bit heavy. And I'm not sure what you can do about that when a player gets to 27. So that is something we're probably going to have to learn to live with a bit. But I think it is tied to, you know, putting the ball in the back of the net and nobody will really talk too much about his first touch. When he doesn't score, that is going to be a topic of conversation. And I think the question sort of suggests this really. I think they're all individual cases. Like it's tempting to try and apply hard and fast rules.

1:13:49Like Premier League players adapt quicker. and I think in general that proves to be the case but then you look at someone like Zubimendi come in, never played in England looks like he's barely missed a beat, right? Adapted within a couple of games

1:14:07I don't think Eze has been too bad to be honest with you I know he's maybe not sort of lit up things in the last couple of games in the way that you might expect but I do think he's learning a new role I think he's still had big moments notably against Man City of course I mean you know just to give credit where it's due it's him trying to link up with Jokka as it leads to the corner that you know that we score the goal from on Saturday I think as well what you get with a Premier League player is like whatever he may be having to adapt to tactically he knows the league he knows the intensity he knows the physicality he knows the grounds you know what I mean I do think there is a value in that.

1:14:54Isaac and Wurtz, yeah. It's funny enough, when you look around the league at the really big deals, Isaac, Wurtz, Jokerez, Sesko, and Bermow, I know he scored at Anfield, Cunha, Xavi Simmonds. Who has really produced? The obvious answer is probably voltamada at newcastle oh god what a goal this weekend fucking hell yeah the german crouch um is is delivering right he's he he's uh he's hit the ground running but aside from that the big deals haven't equity k did but now he finds himself out of the team as they try and accommodate ease act so yeah look long may those problems continue a langer's not caught light at newcastle so maybe it does just take a bit of time uh i think i think there's individual reasons and every case has to be assessed differently it's sort of the boring answer yeah yeah can i ask you this one of course um it's actually two so sorry about that that's okay so damian mcbride says if a magic genie granted you a wish to finish above one club this season who right now would you choose and Nathan just to throw into the mix says have we let our eye casually wander off city as a title threat I feel they may have had one down year but are just as much a contender as the seven seasons prior.

1:16:35I will say that I never dismissed Manchester City's title hopes or capabilities this season. You know, not for a bit. And who are you going to go for the one? Bournemouth maybe? I will say Man City. I'll say Man City. Yeah, I think, you know, they have an amazing squad. They spent a lot of money in January. They spent a lot of money in the summer as well. and they have a ridiculous striker. It's absurd what he is doing. You know, what was it? I was watching Match of the Day the other day. Eight league games and Erling Haaland is in double figures for goals. This is the third time he has been in double figures for goals in the Premier League after eight games.

1:17:34That's what the fuck, like? It's ridiculous. Like, you could make the argument, of course, that Manchester City are too dependent on the goals of Erling Haaland because he scores so many of their goals, which is true, I think. But as long as he's doing it, and the fucker seems pretty much indestructible physically, So as long as he's doing that and producing goals with the frequency and regularity with which he does, then they are going to be a huge title threat, I think. And I think with the experience they have, with the quality they have in the squad, the depth of the squad and the manager they have, anyone who sort of thinks Manchester City are also rounds is living in a fucking cloud cuckoo land, to be honest.

1:18:28And I genuinely think if we're going to win the title, we're going to have to finish above Man City. That would be my guess. Did he say a magic sandwich? Who? Sorry? Was that the question? No. Or did I read that? I don't think so. I think he said a magic genie. If a magic genie granted you a wish. Are you hungry, Andrew? Because there was no mention of a sandwich. I actually confess I am a little bit hungry. My mind might have been going. I was calling a magic sandwich. That's brilliant. You know, you get something tasty to eat and it gives you a bonus. I think today, this morning, you have to say City, don't you?

1:19:12Yeah, I think so. Like, you know, Liverpool are beset with issues. They're losing games left, right and centre. And I just think Haaland alone, to be honest with you, is enough for me to think they are a massive threat. I mean, I'm looking at the Premier League top goalscorers chart in as much as it is worthwhile. And it's totally absurd. Haaland has 11. Semenyo has six which is great I mean he is in the form of his life right and he's not a conventional centre forward then you're looking at Mateta who scored a hat-trick on Saturday to get him to five without that he wouldn't be in the running and then after that you're looking at people who are on four goals people like Volta Marder Anthony at Burnley Danny Welbeck who I still love as a player by the way Yeah.

1:20:12He's having a lovely little... Indian summer, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. He's a really good footballer. He's a really good footballer. Igor Thiago. I mean, they're miles off. I mean, you know, barring an injury, he's going to absolutely walk the golf boot. He's played 10 games this season and scored 14 goals. I mean... Yeah. It is weird. I mean, yeah. You know what, though? I think something people don't necessarily talk about when it comes to Holland is that, you know, when he first came to Man City, it was like, he is not as good as these guys, technically. You know, the way City had the Silvers, De Bruynes, Mahrez, these kind of brilliant technical players.

1:21:02and Haaland felt like a, it's ridiculous to say, a square peg in a round hole to go back to what was said about Eze there. But - Yeah, a bit of a blunt instrument. Yeah, a blunt instrument. Like he was at odds with what you expect the Manchester City philosophy to be and the kind of players that they buy. I will say that over the course of his time at Manchester City, technically, I think he has improved massively, massively. So not only is he now, or as he always was, a ridiculously prolific goal scorer, I think the technical level of his game is far better. And I think his game intelligence is way beyond what it was, which is kind of scary.

1:21:44And he is carrying Manchester City to an extent. But again, as long as he does that, you know, Barcelona with Messi, Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo, you know. Gives you a chance. These guys exist on a different plane. And as long as they're there and as long as they're in the team, everyone else has got to work so hard to keep up. So I think City are the ones, yeah. And we've not gone big on Victor in this episode because, frankly, I don't think we could do it every week. And as long as he doesn't score, that debate is going to keep being there. But is that – you mentioned Haaland's improvement.

1:22:27He was 21 when he joined City. Is the fact that Jocarez is 27 now, is that what gives you that slight concern that maybe some of those rough edges are less likely to be smoothed down? Yeah. Like, I don't think it's impossible that he can improve, you know? I'm not saying that he is what he is, you know, forever and ever and ever. I think all players can improve and they can add facets to their game and they can work on things which make them more effective as footballers. But I do think once you get to about 27, you know, you're not going to get a whole lot more out of a player on a technical level.

1:23:05Can they produce? Yes. Can they hit runs of form? Absolutely. But I think certain limitations within their game are probably always going to be there. Albeit, you can work on some of those and make them less, like make the edges less rough. Is that the best way of putting it? Yeah, for sure. Okay. Here's a question from jumppunchkick.bsky.social. Is that a Newcastle account? Anyway, he says, or they say, our defensive record has been brilliant this season, but I've not heard much about Gabriel Ainz's input on this. Has he been the extra piece to get the best out of our already excellent defence?

1:23:49Great question. and I think it wouldn't surprise me if Mikel Arteta is asked about that very soon. I'm not at all the press conferences at the moment because I'm filming, but if I was, I have a little notes file on my phone of things to ask Mikel about. And I've sort of been waiting for an opportunity to do that on his impact. I remember when we were in Asia in some of the sort of open training sessions or pre-game drills, you could see him working with the back four, often working with the left backs actually, to spend time with Califiori and Miles Lewis Skelly. Simple stuff like sort of dealing with diagonals into the corner, you know, playing the offside track, you know, moving back into position.

1:24:39I mean he is a defender by trade that was his that was his life that was his livelihood and he was very good at it as well so I think it's always dangerous to kind of correlate the type of player with the type of coach you know Arsene Wenger himself was a defensive midfield player but he might have had an impact why not he's got a wealth of experience yeah and I actually think even if it's not sort of the technical side of things or the tactical side of things, you can be pretty sure what his mentality would be. Yeah. And I think he may have instilled some of that, probably just reinforced things that were already there in Arteta's approach and in his coaching team.

1:25:30But the decision to appoint Ainzay suggests maybe that Mikel was always minded to lean into those strengths rather than, you know, it's not like he brought in someone who'd been an elite attacker. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's this publication, you might have heard of it, it's called The Athletic. Yeah, I don't read it, to be honest with you. Yeah, don't blame you. But anyway, they had an interview with Christian Mosquera during the international break. And he actually talked about Gabriel Ayncia and said he has a certain aggressiveness, that spirit that is so typical of centre-backs. And he is helping us defenders improve a lot.

1:26:14On top of that, he is Argentinian and he's helping me to compete. So I think there is an intimation there that some of that South American feistiness, for want of a better word, is part of what Gabriela is bringing to the defensive side of our game. And listen, I'm not averse to that at all. You know, I think our defensive record, it would be too reductive to say, you know, the defensive record this season, which by the way, is the best in the club's entire history after 10 games or 11 games or whatever it is, right? Is down to Gabriel Aynce and what he's doing. I think it's, you know, a lot to do with the collective.

1:27:01It's a lot to do with the quality of the defenders that we've got at our disposal and the form that they're in and the way that they're playing, etc., etc. But if there is something that gives you an extra 1%, 2 % over the course of a season, it might be the difference between one, two, three, four goals in games where the one goal margin is the difference between one point and three points. And I think the chemistry between a coach and a player is hard to anticipate, hard to predict, but can be so important. you know i remember back in the summer after i'd said been here a few weeks chatting with somebody and they were like gabrielle loves him do you know what i mean and like i you can absolutely see that like you speak about that kind of south american classic tenacity um they have that in common that competitive spirit and if that kind of brings that more out of Gabriel on the pitch, then fantastic.

1:28:05I'm also curious, by the way, that Gabriel Ainsay played a lot of his football as a left-back and there's been a change at left-back this season with Calafiore starting the majority of games ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for those conversations between Gabriel Ainsay and Mikel Arteta. And I wonder to what extent Ainsay's instincts or preferences might be part of that. You know, I know Mikel Arteta is his own man, but it would be odd if Ainsay didn't have a role in that. So I think he's certainly had an impact and maybe just gives Mikel Arteta that sense of assurance and confidence that he needs.

1:28:50I mean, this is a guy who first and foremost has been a friend to Mikel for a very, very, very long time. I know he thinks very highly of him and his football knowledge, but he is a confidant and an ally. And that has real value to the manager, too. Yeah, I think it's probably a good job that both of those men work in football. That's all I got to say. Good job for the rest of the world. Yeah, essentially, yes. And at least they're in one place now. Do you know what I mean? Well, exactly, yeah. We know where they are. You've got to bring your own water bottle. They're conspiring to make things better for Arsenal.

1:29:28Yeah, right. We want them against you. No, absolutely not. Right. I think we better leave it there for this particular episode. There is, of course, a big game tomorrow evening, James. Atletico Madrid at home in the Champions League. End-to-end thriller, no doubt. Well, yeah. I mean, I've seen all the memes doing the rounds. I mean, Simeone versus Arteta, it is one of those, you know, unstoppable force. Well, it's a movable object versus a movable object, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the way it goes. Maybe it will surprise us. Maybe so. Maybe so. It's mad to think we've only played Atletico once in competitive terms.

1:30:06So it will be very interesting, very interesting to see what way Arteta approaches it at home, what way. I think we know what way Simeone is going to approach it. But listen, they've got some great attacking talent as well. Atletico Madrid. So, you know, the perception that they're just about defending is not correct. So I think this could be very interesting. Corners versus Julien Averes' free kick. Don't give him any. That would be my recommendation. Anyway, we'll talk a bit more about the Atletico Madrid game on Patreon. Tomorrow we'll have a quick Atletico Madrid preview podcast for you tomorrow morning because Mikel Arteta meets the press I think later this afternoon.

1:30:42So with all that information and all the preview stuff, we'll do a little bit of a preview podcast on Patreon. We'll have the 30 for you this afternoon, looking back at all the fun weekends, Premier League action. If you want to join up, it's patreon.com forward slash arseblog to get instant access to that and everything else that we do on Patreon and all the other benefits that come with it. For now, though, take it easy, folks, and we will catch you on the next one. Bye-bye.