Arsecast Extra Episode 689 - 05.04.2026

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0:44James McNicholas: Hello and welcome to another Arsecast Extra. As always, we're James from GunnerBlog. James, good morning to you. Good morning, Andrew. This is not what I asked the Easter Bunny to bring me this morning. The Easter Bunny is a bit more like the rabbit from Donnie Darko. Yeah. That's what he is. We're sitting in the fucking cinema and he's there behind us with his big evil eyes and teeth and shit. It's the bad Easter Bunny this time.

1:15Andrew Allen: I'm unwrapping what I believe to be chocolate eggs. And let's just say they are not chocolate eggs. It's a different brown substance.

1:26James McNicholas: Is that what you're... Easter Bunny's cackling away to himself. This demon. Yeah. No, not ideal. Not ideal. Not the way we had hoped it would have gone last night. I looked, I sort of went to bed after the game pretty quickly because I was tired and annoyed a bit. And I looked this morning at your video. I saw the title. I said, I'm not going to watch it until after we record because, you know, cross-contamination, all that kind of thing. Sure, sure, sure. But it said to melt down or not to melt down.

2:03Andrew Allen: Where are we now? That's actually specifically about Gabriel Jesus. Should we just melt him down for scrap? Or... Into the bad Easter eggs. No, yeah, to melt down or not to melt down. So do you want to know what my conclusion was?

2:19James McNicholas: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will watch it later, but, you know, give me the.

2:22Andrew Allen: It's just 20 minutes of a man melting down. Just full tears for 20 minutes. No, I mean, meltdown would be too strong. What's sort of like I'm being held over a fire, you know, but I've not quite melted yet. Right. Okay.

2:41James McNicholas: How about you? I think, you know, the conclusion that I reached this morning is that the reaction to this has been quite intense, right? And obviously losing a game, never good. Going out of the FA Cup to lower league opposition, like it's not the lowest of lower leagues, but certainly Southampton are in the championship. They're in good form, all that kind of stuff you take into account. And, you know, it's not good. You're looking to bounce back from the last game where we lost a final at Wembley. This was a chance to get back to Wembley, as Mikel Arteta said. But I feel like the reaction to this game goes beyond this game and this result and the fact that we're out of the FA Cup.

3:30James McNicholas: I think what it did or has done is sort of play into some not particularly latent fear that we have in general about how we're playing and our ability to get results in the Premier League. So I think people are looking at this game as a poor performance. There wasn't a great deal to like about the way Arsenal played. Obviously, we're on the wrong end of the result, but I think what it has done is really put the shits up everybody for what's to come in the Premier League. Do you think that's fair?

4:04Andrew Allen: Yeah, I think some of it is about the FA Cup. You know, I don't wish to be dismissive of the FA Cup. And I think the sort of speed at which our winning potential has halved from four competitions to two has definitely had an emotional impact on people. But like you, my gut is that sort of most of the responses I'm seeing are sort of worried for the ramifications of this and worried at, I suppose, the signs they're seeing in the squad and in performances that they worry could derail the Premier League, which is of absolute paramount importance, as we've said so many times. But yeah, I mean, look, bad results will do that to you.

4:48Andrew Allen: And I'm just scanning through our season now. I mean, I think this is the first sort of like shockingly bad result we've had. You know, we haven't lost many games. We got beaten the league by Liverpool at Liverpool. That can happen. Villa Park in the last second. That can absolutely happen. Manchester United at home wasn't great. Don't get me wrong, but it was a surgent Manchester United team. There are kind of explanations for that. City in the Carabao Cup final. Well, look, you know, we've picked the bones out of that. You know, that can happen. this is the first game that Arsenal have had this season where they really shouldn't have lost it and yet they have.

5:27James McNicholas: Do you think it's close to maybe the Wolves result? Wolves away? It's a draw, yeah. It's a draw, but it was a draw that we talked about. It felt very much like a defeat because of the late goal and because, again, it was in the Premier League. So maybe it's a bit more aligned with that Wolves result. Yeah, I think so.

5:47Andrew Allen: I think as well, I mean, you know, thankfully it's kind of not in the league and that's the sort of one saving grace. But I feel like a lot of what I'm seeing and hearing, and again, it could just be my algorithm, my echo chamber, is people saying like, Aha. You know, we are seeing flaws in the team that we as a fan base have been discussing for some time, sort of borne out. And I think that sort of adds to people's angst, the idea that it's not necessarily isolated as much as it might be isolated as a result. As a performance, there are certain hallmarks that have become a little bit familiar in recent months.

6:33James McNicholas: I think that's fair. I mean, the discourse around the cup competitions as well has been quite interesting, isn't it? Because you have people saying, well, you know, fuck the cups. It's all about the league and we have to prioritize that. And Arteta has gone too strong in cup competitions. I mean, this was, I think, a team selection which had some logical pieces in it because, you know, you want to get Martin Odegaard back on the pitch, etc. So, you know, start him. I can't help but think that this was a team selection, perhaps informed more by injury than by Mikel Arteta's desire. but it's also one I think where you can see pretty clearly that he is prioritizing the Premier League when it comes to team selection.

7:29James McNicholas: And maybe the Champions League. Maybe the Champions League. But I think that is evident in the team that he picked yesterday. You know, Odegaard back in. You know, there wasn't a great deal he could do. Right back, Jureen Timber is out. Miles Lewis-Skelly, you can make a very logical case for him to get minutes. Christian Norgard, you know, when you don't have Declan Rice or Martin Zubamendi is on the bench and no Mikel Moreno, who else is there? You want to get Odegaard back in the team. Jokeres played a whole load of minutes for Sweden during the interlull. Sit him down. Gabriel Jesus, can you squeeze something, anything out of him at all so it makes sense to play him there?

8:13James McNicholas: Max Downman on the right. But, you know, I can't escape the feeling that if this is a game you really want to win, he probably not that he didn't want to win that's the wrong way of putting it but I think there was maybe scope for him to pick a slightly stronger team than the one he did for example if you really really really really are prioritizing or really want to win this game you pick your

8:33Andrew Allen: best goalkeeper again right yeah maybe I mean I'm usually I actually predicted the starting 11 for this game correctly um and I think that's because like it was as you say quite logical you You know, there were certain players who I thought were never really going to be in contention, the likes of Saka and Rice. Others who it felt probably needed this opportunity to play. Odegaard, you might even make a case for Darman as this being an opportunity for him. And you've got to think about the week Arsenal have coming up, going to Portugal, huge Premier League game against Bournemouth. he kind of has to pick this team with those two games in mind as well.

9:16Andrew Allen: So yeah, I would concur that it wasn't necessarily a starting XI that said this competition is our absolute priority. What I do think though is that I'm sort of loathe to point to that too much as a kind of excuse or explanation, because I really believe that the XI he picked ought to have had enough to win the game. yeah I think it was a strong enough group to obtain a result and get us through to the

9:44James McNicholas: semifinal I don't disagree with that I don't disagree with that and I think you know there were things that Arsenal could obviously have done better but you know immediately it became clear this was a cup tie right this had real cup tie vibes to it I think in the opening minute Gabriel had to make a brilliant tackle in our box. They had a player who went down in the box. You know, Mascara sort of hung out a leg and they were looking for a penalty. It didn't happen. There was another block from Gabriel. There was a Martinelli shot, which I think came from a short corner and it's actually a really good piece of defending because I think the goalkeeper is beaten.

10:27James McNicholas: And that's all in the opening 10 minutes and it felt very open, maybe because it was a cup tie, maybe because of the occasion, maybe because it's 8 o 'clock and it's after the interlull and games are weird or what have you. But I think pretty clearly, or pretty early, it became clear this was going to be, you know, not an easy night for Arsenal and cup ties, as we know, have their own kind of dynamic, don't they?

10:52Andrew Allen: Yeah, and also Samson played in a style that was super direct. I mean, whenever they could, they were looking to hit those raking passes in behind, you know, looking to hurt us on the counter-attack. And they were quite effective at it. I mean, I suppose one consequence of the changes that we made or the team that we picked is a certain degree of unfamiliarity. And I have to give Southampton their due. I mean, they looked like the well-oiled machine, really, out of the two teams. They look like a team playing with clarity and confidence and, you know, that sort of mutual understanding that develops between starting players.

11:30Andrew Allen: Whereas we, I don't think our first half performance was especially poor, actually. I think there were some encouraging moments, some decent combinations, but there was that slight sense of a team kind of finding its pathways, finding its connection points. because it all felt quite fresh.

11:52James McNicholas: There was a brilliant chance for Southampton when Gabrielle, I don't know if it was the wind because it was quite windy. I don't know if it was as windy there as it was here last night. We had Storm Dave. Yes, it sounds ominous. Yeah, I mean, they really need to think of better names than Storm Dave. They're running out. They're really running out. Come on, you know, we could have a referendum on that. But Gabriel, like you very, very rarely see him miscue a header that way. I think it's Sienza was the guy who went through. It's a really good piece of defending from Christian Mosquera, but I also think he just dallies, doesn't he?

12:30James McNicholas: Takes his time to get the shot away when he could have done it much more quickly, and that allowed Mosquera to get back and defend very well.

12:37Andrew Allen: Yeah, great recovery sprint to close that off. I mean, there were at least a couple of moments where I thought Sienza was going to take the shot on, and that could easily have been 1-0 Southampton. And I suppose the win definitely was a factor. I think it was a factor in the goal we conceded in this half too. But we should also talk about the fact that there were just individual errors across the team throughout the game. I mean, uncharacteristic ones. Gabriel really whiffed at that clearance. There was one where Muscara just gave the ball away. there were like sort of several instances of players falling short of the standards they generally set themselves.

13:19James McNicholas: The first half, I think, before they scored, Arsenal had kind of settled into a pretty okay groove. I don't think it was brilliant by any means, but I think we were definitely on top. And I don't know what channel you were watching on. I was on BBC.

13:33Andrew Allen: I was on TNT. I didn't realise it was on BBC.

13:35James McNicholas: Yeah, I didn't realise it was on BBC. Yeah, I turned over because the commentary on TNT was just too loud and shouty. And somebody said it's on BBC. But they were talking about, well, you know, Southampton will be pretty pleased to go into the halftime break at 0-0. That's the way it stands. Because Arsenal, I think, were on top and were playing quite well. And obviously, Max Downman, who we'll talk about in a bit, was standing out. But there was a great chance for Martin Odegaard. And Gabriel Martinelli cut it back and he just sort of miskicked. And it's maybe a consequence of the fact that he's been out for a while, a little bit rusty.

14:13James McNicholas: I think you could see that with, for example, Miles Lewis-Skelly, who hasn't played a great deal. He was quite rusty as well yesterday. But that's a really good chance for Odegaard to score. it's sort of mad to me how a player of his technical ability has this sort of kryptonite with the ball being cut back to him on the penalty spot, on his left foot as well. Yeah. How many times has he missed that chance? I mean, I think he's probably missed it, like, against Aston Villa about five times alone. I don't really, because he's just such a technically gifted player, to sort of sky the ball, to put it wide, to do what he did yesterday.

14:57James McNicholas: I think he just kicked the ball off his own leg. It almost looped up and in anyway, but that's a big chance for Arsenal to go 1-0 up and maybe change the trajectory of the game at a moment when I think we were probably on top.

15:11Andrew Allen: It was such a strange effort, actually, that the commentators on TNT assumed it had deflected and gone behind for a corner. But actually, as you say, he kicked it against himself. That was part of a little spell of 60 seconds or so where we had a number of good chances. I mean, Odegaard had a shot safe in the edge of the box, then down and flashed across goal over Kai Havertz. And then Martinelli makes that chance for Odegaard. I understand the temptation to sort of call it rust. And I've seen a lot of people saying, oh, a bit of rustiness there. But like you, I've got a lot of memories of him missing chances like that prior to his injury too.

15:52Andrew Allen: You know, he obviously had that really good goal scoring season, didn't he? A few years ago where he really capitalised on those opportunities. But it feels like now it's almost, it must be a psychological thing, really. The fact that he doesn't have the composure and the technique in those moments. Because we all know objectively he kind of has the ability, he has the talent. But converting in those instances is a bit of a problem for him. And that is a huge moment in the game. A huge, huge moment. I mean, if we score there, I think the whole pattern of the match changes, right? And yeah, it's a bit of a sliding doors moment for me.

16:33James McNicholas: There was another chance, I think, for Havertz, where a shot that he had deflected just wide with the goalkeeper beaten. and not long after that, they go ahead. How do you view this goal? I've seen a lot of people be critical of Odegaard for giving the ball away. And I don't think it's a particularly clever piece of play, but we're, what, 80 yards from our own goal and we give the ball away and it ends up being a goal. So I guess that that's kind of the catalyst for it. Yeah, I also think I've been a bit critical at times of maybe like a lack of imagination in the final third

17:07Andrew Allen: or sort of improvisation. And so I'm not going to kill a guy for trying to back heel on the edge of his opponent's penalty area. I don't think the response is great from an Arsenal perspective. I mean, I almost feel bad mentioning it because he was so good on the night. But I do think you see Max Dowman defensively, some of his shortcomings here. He's quite sort of, kind of ambles back a little bit. But Southampton play their game really well. I mean, they had a very clear game plan and they executed it here. And, of course, we get another big individual error from Ben White. Yeah, it is.

17:49James McNicholas: Yeah, I mean, listen, they come forward. It's, you know, three on four and we just don't get back quickly enough. Yeah, I think you make a good point about down and there.

18:02James McNicholas: Yeah, I mean, that's learning, you know, that's learning. Yeah, absolutely. I'm not going to kill the guy or anything like that. But I do think it's just sort of a small error at the top end of the pitch compounded by a bigger error at the back end of the pitch with Ben White because that's the sort of meat and drink header you expect him to make, a player of his experience and quality. You expect him to make that. Maybe it's the wind. Maybe he just misjudges it, whatever it is. It's just a bad moment and it obviously falls for the Southampton player who tucks it away very nicely. So, yeah.

18:31Andrew Allen: He was a handful, Stuart. I mean, during that first half, I was thinking, like, you know, physically this guy's difficult to contain, even for Muscara and Gabriel. But what we didn't need is us gifting him an opportunity like we did on that goal, and you finished it well enough too.

18:48James McNicholas: Yeah, so look, half-time then. Southampton are 1-0 up. Rather than being happy at going in 0-0, they're very happy at going in 1-0 up. Second half, I mean, we never really felt like we got going in that opening period of the second half. Loads of poor passes. I can remember Gabrielle just lumping one out for a throw. Lewis Skelly as well just sort of played a cross field ball to nobody. Out for a throw. There was a lot that wasn't right about what we were doing on the ball. And things you expect these players to be able to do as a matter of course.

19:28Andrew Allen: No, indeed. And actually Southampton had the moments, didn't they, in that first 15 minutes or so after the break. Mosquera gave the ball away and fellows fired over the bar. And then I think it was about a minute later that Sienza cut in field and struck his shot against the woodwork. So it was, I mean, at that point, I felt like we were slightly clinging on in the game, which was very much not what I'd anticipated or hoped for. I thought we would see an improved Arsenal after the break, but I'm not sure there was much improvement. And Mikel Arteta obviously then sort of pulled on the slot machine, didn't he?

20:10Andrew Allen: Made triple change, hoping for improvement.

20:15James McNicholas: I mean, it was there a little bit. You know, he took off. Jesus, Odegaard, understandably, I think, because of, I mean, he's the sort of player you'd want to leave on, ideally. But I think because he's been out for so long, they didn't want to risk him. I don't think it was because he was playing especially poorly. I think they're just managing him there. But Lewis Skelly and Jesus, I don't think, can have any arguments about being taken off for Calafiore and Jokka Rezon. Madueke was the other player who came on in that triple sub. But like you say, Southampton hit the bar, could have been 2-0.

20:51James McNicholas: And then we get a goal, and it's actually a nice bit of movement from Kai Havertz, a good pass from Gabriel. I was sort of astonished that Kai Havertz didn't go for goal. Yeah. Given the space he was in and the angle he was on with his left foot. But look, he made a decision, cut it back and Jacarese is there to make it 1-1.

21:14Andrew Allen: Yeah, I mean, look, nice pass from Gabriel. I thought Califuri's movement added something in the final third and kind of did enough to confuse the Southampton defence. Havertz gets in and puts it on a plate for Jacarese who turns it into the net, continuing his strong form from the international break. And I think I said this in my video, but it's kind of all football logic would suggest that Arsenal would now be in the strong position to finish the game on top. You know, having got that equaliser with some top senior internationals coming off the substitutes bench with the momentum in the game, Southampton tiring.

21:55Andrew Allen: I think any sort of objective analysis this would lead you to think, well, Arsenal will take control of this now.

22:02James McNicholas: How much do you think the withdrawal of Gabriel had an impact on our ability to create that kind of momentum? Because it was like a minute after the goal, more or less, where he sat down, he's pointing to his knee, we have to make a change, William Saliba comes on, Moscaira shifts over. I don't know, man. I hadn't considered that. Why? Do you think it was a big factor? I don't think it was a big factor. I was asking you if you thought it was a factor at all. I'm not sure it was. I mean, I think it's obviously a blow. You've got a player of the calibre of William Saliba coming on. Yeah, yeah. No, I know, I know.

22:35James McNicholas: I mean, it's not like I think we were massively weakened or anything. I just did wonder if, you know, trying to sort of understand why it was we weren't able to kick on properly from there. Is that a factor or not? Maybe it's just a measure of our overall performance, really.

22:52Andrew Allen: Well, I think it can obviously, like, slow your momentum. and even that little sort of breathing space while you make that change can afford an opponent time to regroup or reorganise. They also started using their substitute bench. I mean, they made three separate substitutions between the 70th and 76th minute, which I think kind of re-energised them and gave them a fresh impetus in the game. And, you know, in fact, it was one of the guys who came off the bench who ended up getting the winner for them. But yeah, I just felt that we never kind of capitalised on our equalisers to turn that into, I guess there was pressure, but whether that pressure generated real chances, I'm not so sure.

23:42James McNicholas: There was a down and shot, which the keeper saved very well. And there was also a chance for Martinelli, a short corner routine. I did see people talking a lot about the corners and why we were taking short corners. Maybe the wind was a factor. Maybe the pregame analysis suggested that, you know, that's what we needed to do. Because I think we did make some half-decent chances from these short corners. You know, the Martinelli one in the first half where the defender just sort of got his head in the way. That was in the 10th minute, the one I referenced earlier. That came from a short corner. And there was a short corner this time after the downwind shot was saved.

24:18James McNicholas: Mattaweke, I think, laid it off for Martinelli who dragged a shot wide. I think he's got to get that on target, really. I'm not saying he should score, but I think Arsenal, like you say, it wasn't real pressure, but we're sort of knocking gently on the door rather than banging it down. But from the goal kick that they got, I think it's sort of a microcosm of what we saw last night from Arsenal, where the efficiency wasn't quite there in the final third. And defensively, we just weren't as well organized and solid as we know this team can be. We didn't win the header from the kickout. They won the second ball.

25:03James McNicholas: They brought it forward. The guy ran off Zubimendi, who sort of lost track of his man. And once he gets the ball in the box, it's a very well-taken goal, I have to say. But I think defensively, you're looking at this from an Arsenal perspective and saying that's not really good enough.

25:19Andrew Allen: No, I think that's true. The intensity in terms of our recovery and getting back and tracking runners wasn't at the expected level. It's well worked and well taken. and Arsenal were complaining about a potential offside. Did you think they had any case there?

25:37James McNicholas: I never even...

25:38Andrew Allen: It's the guy who is head of the ball. I think, is he wearing number nine for Southampton? The suggestion that he is blocking Kepa's line of sight.

25:52James McNicholas: I'm just going to watch it again here and I'll have a look. Here it comes. Ball comes into the middle. No, no, no, no, no. I wouldn't want to see that. I would be fuming if that was ruled out. If that was an Arsenal goal and it was ruled out,

26:11Andrew Allen: no. Yeah. And to be fair, like, no goalkeepers getting to that finish. Do you know what I mean? Well, maybe a good goalkeeper might.

26:22James McNicholas: Yeah.

26:22Andrew Allen: I mean, I'm not saying he should save it,

26:26James McNicholas: but I can understand maybe why a Donnarumma, for example, might have a chance of saving something like that. Perhaps.

26:32Andrew Allen: Perhaps. I mean, it's a decent finish. What I'm saying is I don't believe that the Southampton player particularly impeded. No, I don't think so.

26:39James McNicholas: I don't think so either. And look, I mean, it's at our expense,

26:45Andrew Allen: but I do have to give some credit to Southampton. I thought that they played brilliantly. They executed their game plan to perfection. They made it. The cup tie needed to be for them. And they adapted and they, you know, they made a success of it. And we didn't handle it. So, yeah, really disappointing. And, yeah, I never really had. To be honest, 2-1 down with so little time left to play, I didn't have a great deal of hope that we would get back into it. And I'll be brutally honest and say I was also thinking I'm not sure I want extra time.

27:26James McNicholas: I was just going to ask you that. I was going to say, what was your gut feeling when they scored? Was it like, oh, I really want us to go and get another goal here? Or, you know, a bit like you, I was sort of like, this is not great. But if I'm really thinking about, and I never want us to lose or anything like that ever. But I just thought the idea of another 30 minutes, potentially a penalty shootout, you know, do we really, did we really need that? You could argue yes, maybe we did.

28:01Andrew Allen: No, nobody needs it at this stage of the season. Like it's a disaster for everyone probably I would imagine.

28:04James McNicholas: And for Southampton as well. Yeah, exactly.

28:07Andrew Allen: No one wants that outcome. Yeah, I was relatively philosophical about it in that moment. I sort of thought, well, you know, that's probably that. And I've got to make my peace with it. To be honest, I had felt throughout the game that there was a kind of vulnerability about us and that this might be on the cards. As you say, from really early on, it was just evident that Southampton were going to make this difficult. and unlike you know we've had some some interesting cup ties in this competition and a couple of away trips where the opponent from a lower league has sort of made it awkward for the first 10-15 minutes and then it kind of settles and changes and we gain a measure of control and that never really happened in this game you know even in the spells where we did play a bit of football we did make some chances they always carried that that threat and it just meant yeah it never really felt like it was going to be our night and there you go we're out

29:20James McNicholas: yeah yeah I mean I don't think we deserved to go through I don't think we deserved to win this game I don't think we did enough from an attacking perspective I mean you can look at the stats and say wow Arsenal really sort of took it to to Southampton because I think in terms of the stats It's something like 23 shots to eight. But, you know, the lack of quality in the final third is an issue, I think, you know.

29:53Andrew Allen: Yeah. And of those 23 attempts, nine were from outside the penalty box. And, you know, a lot of these sort of near misses that we're talking about were shots from kind of 20, 22 yards. As I say, it wasn't like we created a succession of clear goal scoring opportunities. No. So yeah, really, really disappointing. And sort of, I just think obviously we went into the international break on the back of a defeat. We come out of it with a defeat. I'm not sure if that fortnight in between makes it better or worse, really.

30:31James McNicholas: It makes the preparation, I guess, for a game like this a bit weird, you know. So it's sort of bookending a weird international break where so much was sort of going on and not going on in terms of Arsenal and Arsenal players. And the disappointment of Wembley, you want to bounce back, you want to be positive, you want a good performance. You know, the ideal situation, regardless of how you prioritize the FA Cup or the team selection, the ideal scenario is that in a game like this, the, in inverted commas, fringe players come in and do really well and give the manager something to think about.

31:15Whereas too many of them, they gave him literally nothing to think about.

31:22James McNicholas: in terms of how he thinks about his team selections going forward for the rest of this season, for the games that are going to be so important now in the Champions League and in the Premier League. And I think maybe it's an indication as to why, when people say, why hasn't there been more rotation this season? Why haven't we used the full depth of the squad as much as people would have liked? I think for me the answer is because we have a big squad, a large squad, but I think there are drop-offs in certain positions that are just too big. I think last night was evidence of that in certain positions.

32:08Andrew Allen: Yeah, I think that's fair. Does it remind you at all of 2004?

32:16James McNicholas: A little, yeah. I said that to Jim, the man from East Lourdes this morning. It does feel a little bit like that.

32:24Andrew Allen: For those who don't remember, we went out to competitions in the space of a few days, that was, wasn't it? Yeah. Champions League against Chelsea and FA Cup against Manchester United. I think at the semi-final stage of both. and our next league game was that Liverpool game at Highbury where we're behind at half-time. Thierry Henry turns it around, scores a hat-trick and we go on to win the league as an unbeaten champions. But it does remind me a little of that in terms of kind of the sudden, you know, Arsenal being talked about as potential treble winners in 2004, although that may be a long time ago now.

33:07Andrew Allen: and the sudden narrowing of focus, you know, feels reminiscent of that.

33:14James McNicholas: I don't disagree with that. I think I sort of bring it back to a more recent moment. It does remind me a little bit of where we were post-Wolves, where losing those two points very late on did create a similar kind of angst, you know, but it's more final, obviously. When you lose a final, you're done. When you lose in the quarterfinal of a competition, you're done. So there's still a chance to sort of make up for those lost points in Premier League terms. But I can remember after we drew with Wolves that time, there was a lot of very similar reaction about, okay, where do we go from here? How do we react?

34:03James McNicholas: What is this team made of? And when you looked at the fixture list, it was North London Derby away. It was Chelsea at home. It was Brighton away. And we won those three games. And I feel like if we're going to try and draw parallels, it's probably a little more useful to draw them to, this season and how this team has reacted this season rather than sort of 2003-2004. I think the feeling is the same, but the reality I'm sorry to say is I don't think, and I could be wrong, and I'll be more than happy to eat the humblest of humble pie if somebody proves me wrong in that regard. We don't have a Thierry Henry who's going to turn up and score a hat-trick like that.

34:49James McNicholas: I mean, maybe we'd be better off if we didn't need that. Maybe we just go for a nice routine 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday. That'd be very nice rather than have to rescue a game. But it does feel in that sort of vein, doesn't it, where the spotlight is really shining very, very brightly on this team and this manager because the fear that this has engendered, I think, is quite real and valid and understandable. but the only people who can respond to it are the aforementioned players and manager.

35:25Andrew Allen: Quite right. Quite right. And it's a huge week for them now across two competitions, Champions League and Premier League. They need to respond. They need to bounce back. They need to steady the ship. And, you know, I have to be honest and say that you mentioned notierier Henry. That would be very nice indeed. But it's not like, for all we may talk about this as a sort of weakened team or a less strong XI, I'm not necessarily sure I see, there's not a ton of cavalry coming back in that will make an enormous difference, in my eyes at least. You don't think it's of Rice and Saka and... Not how Saka's been playing.

36:15James McNicholas: No, that's true.

36:16Andrew Allen: To be honest, I've not seen Saka play as well as Max Dalman did last night for quite a long time. So I don't have, I think Miklite has to lift these players and these players have to lift themselves as well. I think Rice will make a massive difference if Gabriel's fit. Having him alongside Saliba makes a difference. David Ryan makes a difference, sure. But I don't know. Yeah, I'm a little worried. I'm a little worried. I just think that there's a, there was a kind of lethargy in the performance last night in some respects, you know, lack of intensity that's very difficult to, difficult to understand.

37:00Do you think this stuff is obviously subconscious, right?

37:05James McNicholas: Because I don't think any football player goes out on a pitch and thinks, well, this game doesn't really matter. but surely there must be something in their minds where they know Bournemouth next weekend is in the grand scheme of things more important and that's not to make an excuse or to say that's what happened but the psychology of the final few weeks of the season is often sort of unique, right?

37:34Andrew Allen: Yeah, I think that's probably true. I mean, I've said for a couple of months that I could easily see the FA Cup falling by the wayside And if we'd won at Wembley a couple of weeks ago, I think we'd all be shrugging our shoulders at this. But that isn't how it works. And that isn't how it's happened. And so, you know, two consecutive defeats in any competition against any opposition for a team of our calibre and with our ambitions is not good.

38:07James McNicholas: No, it's the first time it's happened this season, though. It is the first time that Arsenal have lost two games in a row this season. Yeah. They're both cup games, which I suppose is one thing. Can you, this morning, look at the way we played, maybe some of the issues that we have, some of the players that we have on the fringes, some players that we have out injured? Do you have it in you to sort of look at elimination from the FA Cup as useful or in some way beneficial for our chances in the Premier League? Is that just cope? Or is there something to be said for like, okay, we've got to play Man City in the league and then we could have an FA Cup final or FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City as well.

38:59And those are very demanding games at the best of times.

39:04James McNicholas: It could be Chelsea. It could be somebody else, of course, in the other quarterfinal that takes place today. But the idea, I think for me, if I am trying to find some silver lining in the cloud that is going out of the FA Cup and losing this game, it's avoiding a potential humdinger of a game against a team we probably don't want to play again above and beyond the league game at the Etihad. Yeah.

39:34Andrew Allen: And by the way, you mentioned City there. I mean, I do wonder how much of the Arsenal angst is related to their performance and their result against Liverpool. And Erling Haaland back amongst the goals. I mean, that will set people worrying for sure. I can see that. I can see that. I think even as the game was going on last night, it was kind of in the back of my mind, this idea that as frustrated by this performance as I am and as disappointed by the result, I can kind of be philosophical about it and say it may actually benefit us. That clarity of focus and purpose may help us get over the line in the league.

40:22Andrew Allen: And who knows? who knows what will happen in the Champions League. I mean, that's still in play as well. I will say I do think this squad had the depth and the quality to win multiple domestic prizes. I really do. I think we were within a game of winning the Carabao and I think had we got through last night, who knows, we might well have been with a chance of winning in an FA Cup too. I don't think it was beyond us per se, But I think, and I don't think it was wrong to sort of attack the cup competitions in that fashion. But I do think that sort of simplicity of sort of two less games in the calendar, the clarity around focus on the league, what's required, the number of wins we need to get over the line.

41:18Andrew Allen: I do think that may be beneficial. Especially when I look at this group and as you say, some of the issues they're having, some of the fatigue that's creeping in,

41:28James McNicholas: I think, yeah, I think it may end up helping them. They have to make it help them, right? They have to because, you know, there's no hiding place really when you lose in the cups. You're gone, you're out, you're finished. Whereas there is still a lot to play for in the league. And listen, I'm not going to say the magic words of how we have to turn the pain into motivation, all that kind of stuff, you know, but they have to make it work. And I think there are players coming back who could make a big difference to this team. So hopefully that will be evident on Tuesday. And more importantly for me anyway, certainly next week in the Premier League against Bournemouth.

42:14James McNicholas: Because I think that's a huge, huge game in terms of our season. It's massive. It really is. But there's plenty of time to talk about that. I realize that we're sort of 45 minutes in and we've given sort of passing mention to the one real positive from last night, which is Max Downman. But I have questions about him. So is this a good time to go and eat some of the muddy Easter eggs and then come back and do some questions? I think so, Andrew. Yeah. All right. We will be back with those questions and more in part two right after this.

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44:09James McNicholas: Welcome back to the ArseCast Extra. This is part two of the show where we answer the questions that you send to us on BlueSky at gunnerblog.bsky.social and at arseblog.com. Also on the Arseblog Discord chat server, which you get access to if you are an Arseblog member on Patreon. I mentioned Max Downman, and I think we can talk a little bit about his performance and what you liked about it. But I thought this was a good question to get into it, if I can find it, which I can't. What the fuck? Where's it gone? I had it right here.

44:46James McNicholas: It was right here, and now it's gone. It's disappeared. It has dis... Oh, there it is. That fucking Donnie Darko rabbit is fucking around with my stuff here. Sean P. WHI on the Discord says, with Eze injured, Havertz still building back up and Ife in midfield in general, and Odegaard building back up as well. Do you think serious responsibility and opportunity rests on the shoulders of 16-year-old Max Downman during this run-in? So that's a question, but there was a lot to like about what he did yesterday on the ball and in the opposition half. There was.

45:31Andrew Allen: There was for the second FA Cup tie. succession i thought he was our best player um the stats are telling i saw this from billy carpenter most dribbles max downman most touches in box max downman most jewels won max downman most fouls drawn max downman wow um yeah i mean and by some distance in some of those and i think it is commendable from him. I think it's a little bit embarrassing for some of his teammates, to be honest with you. I think it's a concern that we looked so, in the context of this 90 minutes, dependent on this 16-year-old. I mean, when Mikel was preparing the triple change, I, without really sort of thinking the logistics through kind of assumed max would be one of those players withdrawn just because of his age and just because you know that's typically what happens with a young player like that they get the last half hour of a game or the first hour and then they're protected and and not only did Mikel not take him off he switched him inside moved him in field to players the number 10 to get on the ball more and more and more, which tells you, I think, what he thought of what he was producing out there.

47:06I thought he was great and probably didn't deserve to be on the losing team.

47:14Andrew Allen: In terms of what it means for him moving forward, I think it's really interesting. I mean, Noni Madueke was back sooner than anybody anticipated, right? obviously was injured while away with England and I think had been expected to miss this game but was back on the bench and came on. But Kairosaka, we hope, not too far behind. But I think Downwind's putting himself into the conversation. I mean, we've got to remember this is a cup tie, it's a championship team, but he stood up and was counted in a game in which I'm not sure too many of his senior colleagues can say the same.

47:49James McNicholas: Yeah, I think I said to you last night, it's sort of a bit ridiculous, but also a bit worrying that the gap between his performance and some of the other players was so big. And it's not just about, you know, what he did, where he picked up the ball, what he tried to do with it. I think it's the intent with which he played. Now, you might say, okay, this is like the freedom of youth, right? You're starting off. Fearlessness, yeah. You're fearless. You just want to express yourself. But I looked at some of the other players. I mean, I think Gabriel Jesus up top was really, really disappointing.

48:30James McNicholas: Maybe it's not disappointing at this stage as much as like just the reality of who he is after all the injuries. But I still think you can expect more from a player of his experience. If Max Downman is prepared to do what he did, and I know they're not playing in the same position, I just think it's crazy that a 16-year-old should have been an example to some of the other players around him. And maybe for physical reasons, they can't do it. But that gap was obvious. And it was worrying from that perspective. It's positive, obviously, because Downman was as good as he was, you know, and I think what he was, was brave and dangerous and willing to try things when other players weren't.

49:26James McNicholas: And, you know, you go back to that Odegaard moment in the first half that we talked about where a lot of discussion of late has been about how Arsenal players are a bit risk averse, too risk averse, right? We're not trying to make those passes in the final third. We take the safe option. You know, I think we need more of what Damon gives this team, more of what Odegaard at least tried to give the team. and for me, Daman and the way he played yesterday, I would be very surprised if he spends any time out of the matchday squad between now and the end of the season. I don't know how much he's going to play or how often he's going to start.

50:14James McNicholas: I think it's too much to say that a 16-year-old has responsibility, which is, I think, the way the question was posed. But I think the other part of the question was opportunity. And I think he took his opportunity in this game. And I think as well, it's got to be something that Mikel Arteta pays attention to because his team needs something. And if it comes from a 16-year-old, it doesn't really matter once you recognize that that's where it potentially can come from.

50:46Andrew Allen: Yeah, yeah. It's going to be really intriguing to see. I think seniority will play its part. I think, you know, if Pukaiska, when he gets back to fitness, I imagine he'll take up that position on the flank and Miklartek will hope that he can find some form. But I think Downman's going to be someone at the forefront of his mind, really, when it comes to changing games. And I think Downman could well be someone who makes a big impact in that respect. I don't think, as good as this was, I don't think it's like he's a nailed on starter now. He's in the starting 11, you know. He's not going to be able to do homework between now and then the season because he's playing every three days.

51:31Andrew Allen: I don't think it's going to be quite that drastic. But equally, I expect him to be increasingly involved. And I thought, by the way, it was interesting, like Martin Odegaard and he had quite a nice chemistry, I thought. There clearly was a lot of trust between them and from Odegaard about Dowman's ability and, you know, positions where he could receive the ball under pressure. And that always tells you about a young talent is the extent to which senior pros trust them. And I thought both Odegaard, Ben White, Kai Havertz at times, they gave Dowman the ball in situations that told me they rate him incredibly highly.

52:14Andrew Allen: Sure. so yeah I mean hats off to him it's a really great performance and I think he'll be gutted obviously that it's not ended with the right result for him but encouraging signs for sure yes for sure

52:31we've sort of covered that in terms of you know was last night actually potentially a good outcome

52:37Andrew Allen: I mean this is a very very strongly worded question but I think sometimes it's good to lean into that. It's from Colloman25 on Blue Sky and they say do you think this game ends the Arsenal career of many on the pitch last night? I personally think this defeat means we will never see Kepa, Norgard, Jesus, possibly Ben White and Lewis Skelly in an Arsenal shirt again.

53:04James McNicholas: I mean that is strongly worded that's for sure. I think I said to you last night right if we win this game when we face Manchester City or somebody in the semi-final of the FA Cup he can't play Kepa so I don't see any

53:22Andrew Allen: We won't be facing Man City in the semi-final now

53:24James McNicholas: so we're assured of that We're assured of that you know unless there is an absolute emergency or we're in completely desperate measures I don't see any reason why Kepa would play again this season what happens with him during the summer we'll have to wait and see if he left I don't know that that would be a big surprise. So yeah, I go with that on Kepa. With Jesus, I'm in a similar mindset, to be honest. I just think he is utterly diminished by the injuries and is not at the level required. So unless we're sort of throwing caution to the wind and absolutely trying to get a goal from somewhere, anywhere, or there's an injury crisis of some kind, I don't really see how Jesus starts games or gets time on the pitch.

54:24James McNicholas: Lewis Skelly, I thought was disappointing, is a bit unfortunate. Ben White, I think if Timbers fit, he's going to play more often than Ben White will. and there's talk about him going in the summer as well, isn't there? Was there one more? Christian Norgard. Christian Norgard. I'll go back to what I said in the first half of the show. I think, listen, he's a tidy enough footballer, but I think that's an area where going into next season, if you're really serious about sharing out midfield minutes between your senior players, you know, Rice and Zubimendi, you need a stronger option in that position than Christian Norgard.

55:14James McNicholas: You know, I don't think he was bad per se. I just think that you can see why when push comes to shove, Mikel Arteta will choose Rice and Zubimendi over Norgard in games in the Premier League that Arsenal have to win.

55:32Andrew Allen: yeah I don't agree with the premise of the question in terms of never seeing these players in an Arsenal shirt again I think Kepa if David Raya remains fit that's very plausible but I think the likes of Norgard, Jesus, White, Lewis Skelly especially if we're carrying injuries they may have moments where they're required or they contribute or they're a last roll of the dice from the bench, whatever it might be. In terms of do I think last night may have solidified Mikel Arteta's opinions about some of those players? And do I think it means that come the summer, they could leave the club? I don't think you'd find too many arguments about those names on that list in terms of possible departures.

56:23I think Kepa, I think there's a recognition

56:25Andrew Allen: that, you know, number two goalkeeper is a difficult one to fill. And in some ways we have a, you know, we have a decent one, but whether he'll stick around will be sort of, I think, more on him than on us. And the others, I could see Norgaz, Jesus White and Lewis Kelly all leaving this summer.

56:51James McNicholas: on the discord i think it's tafkad.g says morning chaps which is more damaging an ignominious exit in the early rounds of the cups or an ignominious exit in the later round

57:04Andrew Allen: of the cups it's interesting isn't it i mean when you don't win the effort cup you feel like we might as well gone out of the third round do you know what i mean like we've been tracking around the country doing this. What was the point?

57:21Andrew Allen: I mean, there's never a good time, to be honest with you. I think back to like when we went out in the fourth round at the Etihad. Do you remember that one? And it felt like, I think it was a one nil defeat. Oh yes, I remember that one, yeah. And it was sort of frustrating, but also kind of expected and you just sort of brushed the FA Cup under the carpet. Like it didn't really happen.

57:47James McNicholas: Was that the season of the first title challenge?

57:51Andrew Allen: I think it may have been. Yeah. And you sort of just go, that's fine. We can live with that. I think the problem is that like we have sort of unofficially deprioritised the cup competitions quite a lot in recent seasons as we've gone after the Premier League. and this year the messaging from the manager and i think the capabilities of the squad when you look at the summer expenditure and the depth is that we ought to have sort of been able to have a real go at it across multiple fronts and i guess we have right we've reached a final and a quarter final um but this one this exit definitely feels premature and we had a pretty kind draw in the competition up until this point um so it really is on us you know previously as we've been able to say well we've fallen foul of the the warm balls of the fa yeah the powerhouse of nonningham forest yeah thanks for reminding me i mean i don't know the answer to the question what do you what do you think when's it what's the the optimal exit from this company i guess because you put so much

59:05James McNicholas: into the progression in the Cups, particularly the EFL Cup, the Carabao Cup, because we've got to play a two-legged semifinal, typically against a very good team. I suppose if you were going to argue for going out of the Cups as beneficial to our Premier League campaign, you might as well go out the third round. But at the same time, it just isn't that binary, is it? You can't say, we're going to throw this game. We're just going to lose on purpose. It doesn't work like that. so as soon as you go out everything that you've done feels wasted all that energy all those sprints and kilometers run what's the fucking point of it all you know we could have saved ourselves we could have eased ourselves back into action in the the premier league next week or whatever it is so i don't know it's it's difficult i think the closer you are to the finish line when you go out the more damaging it probably feels psychologically yeah because you're on the cusp of success and on the cusp of of achieving something a silverware medal whatever it might be when you don't have that that's an extra level of disappointment to contend with isn't it um yeah and again we'd all rather have silverware than silver linings but if you are looking for a silver lining i would rather go out although it's technically a worse or more embarrassing

1:00:30Andrew Allen: result i'd rather go out to a southampton than a manchester city or chelsea at wembley in a semi-final i genuinely would um that sounds quite harrowing yes an experience i agree with that um

1:00:47Andrew Allen: well nikil says good morning gents tuesday against sporting was always going to be a big game But after two defeats, is there even more pressure on the team to deliver a big performance and result in Portugal?

1:01:03James McNicholas: Yeah. Yeah. That's it. I don't know that that needs to be expanded on, really, does it? After two defeats, you've got to bounce back. You've got to... I think what obviously we'll be looking for in Lisbon is a result. But a performance would be very, very useful, wouldn't it? to sort of galvanize the players themselves and maybe to restore a little belief and confidence among the fans as well. It has been a real feature of this season, and we've talked about it before, and I don't want to go into the nuts and bolts of it as to why exactly this is the case. But every time anything goes wrong, And thankfully, it hasn't really gone wrong that often this season.

1:01:53James McNicholas: It sort of feels like the sky is falling. You know, there is, and I'm not saying anybody is wrong to feel that way or anything like it. It's just another part of the experience of this season for us, where for all the reasons that we know that we're desperate for success, that when it doesn't go our way, our glass becomes immediately half empty. Catastrophized. Yeah, there is an element of that, you know? Remember the episode of The Simpsons where they made that car, it was called the Canyonero, and it would just roll down the hill and then burst into flames and explode. Every small time Arsenal do something wrong, it's like we Canyonero our season, you know?

1:02:40James McNicholas: Oh, there it is, and now it's exploded. So for the sake of what remains over the coming weeks, for the players and for the fans, a good performance, playing some decent football, scoring a few goals would be absolutely ideal on Tuesday. Whether we get that or not, I'm not 100 % sure. But I think that is the added bit of pressure for this now. Like if we ground out a win in the final against Man City, and we ground out a win over Southampton, you'd say, right, we can just go grind out wins between now and the end of the season. But I do think there is something to be restored within the whole Arsenal ecosystem.

1:03:28James McNicholas: Does that make sense? Yeah, it does. Yeah.

1:03:34Andrew Allen: I think it's a huge game. Huge game and it's got all this added pressure and context around it now. Generally, the Champions League has been good for us as a competition this year. And we've seen some of our stronger performances in Europe. And this is a ground where we have had one very strong performance of late. So I'm hopeful that we can turn a bit of a corner here. I think we definitely need that. I almost can't bring myself to say it, but the idea of going into Saturday lunchtime against Bournemouth off the back of three defeats across three competitions, I don't need that, Andrew, in my life.

1:04:19James McNicholas: No, none of us do. None of us do. But I mean, it's even, you know, the game against Leverkusen, away from home. Like, we didn't play well in that game. We came back with a draw. And objectively, you think, okay, a draw away from home in the first leg of a knockout round in the Champions League on its own, not a bad result. but because we're so I don't know I think we are waiting for the ground to crumble beneath us you know because it's sort of happened in previous seasons where when it's when the chickens have come home to roost the chickens have been dead or something I don't know

1:04:59Andrew Allen: I think if we produce a performance like we did at Leverkusen in isolation you'd be like well way leg not bad you're in a strong position for the home tie. But I think off the back of these two defeats, I don't think that will, that level of performance will do much to what they feared. No.

1:05:16James McNicholas: So hopefully, you know, with some players back and sort of regrouping, we can do the business there. What about this one from the Discord from Marin? G'day, lads. Obviously one of our Austrian listeners. Feels like Arteta has been positive in his post-match interviews about the players for the whole season. I think even last night he did the whole, I can't love my players anymore. And I loved them the last time you criticized them. I said, I loved them. And now I love them even more again. But the question is, do you think it's time for a little bit of when I lose a jewel, I am upset Arteta? I mean,

1:05:56Andrew Allen: I would say just because he's not doing that in public doesn't mean it's not happening. And I think there have been games this season when he has kind of given than the hair dryer treatment, as it were. And I don't know whether last night would have been one. I suspect it might well have been. I think he would have been really frustrated, really disappointed. If you read between the lines of his press conference where he's talking about the goals Arsenal conceded and the manner of those goals, he's not a happy bunny, to continue the rabbit theme.

1:06:33Andrew Allen: And what a manager says publicly and what they say privately can be poles apart. So, you know, that when I lose a duel, I'm upset. We only saw that because of a documentary. That's true. He didn't come out and do it in a press conference.

1:06:54Andrew Allen: So, but also he'll be wrestling with the question of whether that's the right move. You know, is that what they need? that's his that's his task that's his job is to identify what these players need at this point in the season at this point in their kind of confidence in their cycle what you know is is that what they need to be made to feel worse about themselves i'm i genuinely don't know the answer

1:07:24James McNicholas: i don't know that it's productive really to do that in public no you know i think you can be critical of a performance. I think you can be critical of your players, but you can do it in a way that doesn't backfire or explode into something that you really don't need it to be. However, you might view that as a distraction or whatever in the final weeks of the season. I think we've seen the way this season sections of the media or the press or the sort of wider footballing supporting media landscape have jumped on the smallest little thing to have a go at Arsenal right not saying it's everyone but it's certainly been there and I don't think anyone can deny that and I think if Arteta gave anyone that kind of ammunition at this point of the season regardless of how we as fans might appreciate the idea that he is going to you know lay into them you know give them extra homework and you know whatever it might be we can appreciate that as fans because we feel like well they're not doing their job and we want to see you know the manager take them to task I think doing it publicly would be really counterproductive at this moment in time And as you say, just because he's not doing it in a press conference 10 minutes after a game doesn't mean that on the bus home or on the training ground today, tomorrow, whatever, that some home truths are not spoken.

1:09:08James McNicholas: You know? So, yeah. And also the players are older now, more mature now.

1:09:19Andrew Allen: They know many of these things. themselves you know and um sometimes it's the players who can take ownership of these situations a player might speak up at a meeting or put their point of view across and i'm sure there's an extent to which michael probably encourages and wants that to come from them too um that's what great teams do right they self-police in that fashion yeah ultimately though you know it is the job of

1:09:52James McNicholas: the manager and he the book stops with him and he'll be the first to say that you know so i think you know it goes both ways obviously i think you can as we said with reference to max down and look at certain players and expect more from them you know um i don't think it's sort of the manager's instruction that causes a certain underperformance with individuals you know you can have a discussion about the the tactical setup and the way we play and whether that inhibits players or whatever it is I think that's perfectly valid but I also think once you go out on that pitch you as a player have a responsibility to do to do more if your performance has been lacking in the way that certain players were well may I ask you a difficult question Andrew

1:10:39Andrew Allen: Of course. Thank you. It's from T Harvin, who says, hello from an ex-Dubliner in Atlanta. As you analyse our declining play over the last 10 or so games, can you pinpoint the main driver without pointing to injuries? My concern would be our midfield play, our engine room, specifically a lack of aggression and incisiveness versus earlier in the year. Tired legs aside, any combination of our midfielders increasingly seem to over-prioritise caution and ball retention versus driving forward to create breaks and mismatches. Why so different from earlier this year?

1:11:22James McNicholas: I think you can't escape the tired legs element of it. Fatigue. I just don't think you can. Particularly with Rice and Zubimendi, who've played more than any other Arsenal players, outfield players this season. We haven't had Mikel Moreno since when? January. Martin Odegaard's been injured a lot. Ezzer didn't play maybe as much as he should have played.

1:11:50Andrew Allen: Do you think people have underestimated the impact of Moreno's injury?

1:11:55James McNicholas: Maybe a little, yeah. And I think what's really interesting about Marino is that he is a, or demonstrated, didn't he, you know, over the last 12 to 18 months, an ability to sort of just pop up with a goal, a really important goal. Think about Newcastle away. You know, that we were 1-0 down. It was 83 minutes, whatever it was. And who's there to score like a brilliant header, sort of out of nothing, and that's Mikel Marino. I think he has that ability that we've missed in certain games, but as well as that, just the ability to take minutes out of players who have had to play a lot. So I don't think you can discount the fatigue element.

1:12:40James McNicholas: I also think you have to take into account the... I mean, he has been accused of just playing the same players over and over and over again, But in that sort of midfield role, sometimes it's been Odegaard this season. Sometimes it's been Eze. Sometimes it's been Havert. Sometimes it's been Wernherr. We've discussed over the last couple of weeks, haven't we, about the sort of shift from a six and two eights to sort of more of a double pivot and a 10. I think that might be part of it as well. But I also think in general, I think for me, the bigger issue is the front three and not really finding a combination in that front three that really works.

1:13:26James McNicholas: Some players have blown hot and cold this season. You know, I thought Trossard started the season very well, but it's sort of fallen away. Jokic has come into form, but I don't think the first four or five months of his time at Arsenal were easy for him or for the team. But Kiyosaka, we've talked about. Odegaard's been missing. Matuweke, you know, he can produce something amazing. And at the same time, he can produce something terrible, you know? So I think it's those things for me that I think if you had a, like if you had a real stellar talent doing it at a high level week in, week out in that front three or even one or two of those players, you offset quite a bit of that midfield issue for me.

1:14:12James McNicholas: So I think it's more than the midfield, but I do recognise where the question came from.

1:14:16Andrew Allen: Could that stellar talent be 16?

1:14:18James McNicholas: I mean, I hope so. I hope so because, you know, listen, it's early days. I don't want to put too much on him. It could be, but I think there are players who are capable of more as well, you know, And I'm thinking of Bakaio Saka and it's not to sort of single him out because I don't think he has been like really, really terrible or anything like that. I don't think that's it. But certainly in terms of the numbers, they haven't been where you would expect them to be from Bakaio Saka. Maybe the Diamond emergence lights a rocket under a couple of arses. And that's what we need. I don't know. That would be great.

1:15:00James McNicholas: Yeah, it really would. It really, really would.

1:15:06Andrew Allen: I mean, yeah, we had also this question, Odor Guardians of the Galaxy, good name, says, morning gents, how can we explain the amount of individual errors or poor decision-making we're seeing across this squad? Again, I'm tempted to say that fatigue must be a factor in that.

1:15:23James McNicholas: Yeah, there was another question. Ed W on the Discord says, Can you believe it was this season where we were so annoyed at conceding a shot on target after a bunch of games without doing so? Why do we now look so porous?

1:15:39Andrew Allen: Wow. Yeah, that does feel a long time.

1:15:40James McNicholas: Do you remember that? Like everyone's going, oh, it's been four games. Arsenal haven't had a shot on target or David Rye hasn't had a save to make. I just think as the season goes on and the demands get higher and the pressure ramps up, I think the...

1:15:54Andrew Allen: The variance of games just increases, doesn't it? It does. A bit more chaos, maybe.

1:16:02James McNicholas: But I think as well, there's a pressure and there's a psychological element to this part of the season in particular, you know, and the pressures that exist within the minds of these players because, you know, to have come so close three years in a row. I know last season wasn't particularly close, but, you know, it's got to be there. And I think that that is a lot to deal with. It is a lot to deal with. I mean, is it a coincidence that after nine years without winning a trophy, when Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2014, we won it another two times in the next two years? I don't think so. Once you, once you rid yourself of that kind of psychological pressure, you take that burden away.

1:16:53James McNicholas: I think you're better able to deal with what it's like at the business end of a competition. I know it was the FA Cup rather than the Premier League or anything, but... Well, let me ask you this. Okay.

1:17:07Andrew Allen: Mr. Snrub on Discord says, Morning, gents. How inevitable do Man City now feel? To me, they feel like I'm wearing an incredibly tight hat.

1:17:22James McNicholas: they've had a couple of very good results, haven't they? They have. They have. They've beaten us in the final, which, you know, you can look at that as a psychological boost or not. But, you know, they beat us in the final and they deserved to beat us in the final. They beat Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup this weekend, which I think you're right in saying has had an impact on how we viewed our result and the ramifications, as you said. But before that, they lost two against Real Madrid and drew with Manchester or drew with West Ham. They also drew with Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks ago as well.

1:18:05James McNicholas: So I get it. I think it's the history of what they do and how they do it and when they do it, that is, you know, you'd be a fool to ignore it, right? But yeah, listen, we've got a lot to do to beat out this team to the Premier League. There's no two ways about it.

1:18:29Andrew Allen: Yeah, I mean, look, that's certainly true. And I admit they looked good against Liverpool as they did against us. I still think they've got some tough games in the Premier League. I mean, their next game in the Premier League is on Sunday the 12th, the day after we've played Bournemouth and they go to Stamford Bridge. And that won't be straightforward, you know, in my mind. They've got to go to Goodison. They play us. They play Aston Villa on the final day. Typically, Unai's seasons have sort of, they're over by then, usually. Yeah. I hold out no hope for that.

1:19:12James McNicholas: I mean, what about this one from Ebeza Scrooge on Discord? Some say that to become the best, you need to beat the best. Given current form, would you take a draw at the Etihad if it was offered now?

1:19:30Andrew Allen: Let me just look at the table. Yeah, I would, yeah. Yeah, I would too. Yeah. In fact, I don't even know why that was a deliberation. yeah I'd take that all day long yeah me too

1:19:46James McNicholas: me too you know prefer a win but if you're offering me a draw I guarantee I'd take that

1:19:52Andrew Allen: well the gap is nine points now

1:19:54James McNicholas: yeah

1:19:55Andrew Allen: by the time we play in the Premier League again by the time City play again it could be 12 could be hopefully and if they then slip up against Chelsea I'm not going to say I think for City to make that game at the Etihad what they want it to be they need to beat Chelsea to my mind and we have to slip up against Bournemouth kind of yeah I mean I think if we beat Bournemouth and they beat Chelsea they'll still feel it's possible but I think if they drop any points at Stamford Bridge a little bit of the air goes out of the balloon for them I think and that will work in our favour at the Etihad. But yeah, if they come through Chelsea and beat us at the Etihad, I think they'll feel it very much on.

1:20:52Andrew Allen: All to play for. I don't like those words. I don't like those words you just said. No, sorry, mate. Do you have like a figure in mind? I know we haven't done like predictions, but you know, Arsenal got seven games to go in the league. Have you sort of put a number on what you think, how many of those you think they need to win?

1:21:19I think at least five.

1:21:23James McNicholas: At least five. And all the mathematicians out there will be now going, well, if they win at least five, then, you know, but it depends which ones they win. Yes, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I'm really, really in sort of one game at a time territory right now, though.

1:21:37Andrew Allen: Yeah, yeah. I'm somewhere between, I flip between four and five. I can see four. I can see four happening because I don't think City are going to take maximum points. You can all come to me at the end of the season when they do. I apologise. But I, yeah, I still think this is a different City. as you say they drew their last two league games speaking of draws, Bournemouth are the draw specialists right now in the Premier League five consecutive draws for them we don't want one of those

1:22:16James McNicholas: we don't no, we don't there's only one result we want you know what's Rhys Elson up to? why is he

1:22:28Andrew Allen: these days is he a Brentford bring him back I think I saw his back in training he knows he senses it

1:22:34James McNicholas: you know yeah his moment approaches right well look I think we should just just beat them and make life less complicated for for us and for everybody listening if we would just play well and win some games is that a lot to ask yes starting in Lisbon starting in Lisbon where we will be. We will be? We will be. Is that a good omen? I hope it's a good omen. I hope it's a good omen. But yeah, we can chat about it all in Portugal. How about that? Yeah, exactly.

1:23:09Andrew Allen: We can tell each other what we really think.

1:23:13James McNicholas: Yeah. Well, listen, I think we should leave it there and get this podcast out to everybody. And there is, of course, a big game against sporting on Tuesday night, after which then we can start looking ahead to Bournemouth. But fingers crossed we can do better than we did against Southampton. Right. I don't know what else there is other than to say thank you to everybody so far who's helped donate and sent a donation towards the fundraiser for April for the Arsenal Foundation, which of course is part of the Arsenal Vision podcast. fundraiser, which we're really, really happy to support because it's such a great cause.

1:23:56James McNicholas: And as you know, in the month of April, Arseblog will donate everything that we make from Patreon to good causes and to help charities. We'll give you some more details of that later in the month. If you want to join us on Patreon, it's patreon.com forward slash Arseblog. For now, take it easy, folks. Enjoy your muddy, dirty, bastard rabbit Easter eggs on this horrible Easter Sunday, and we will catch you on the next one.

1:24:22Andrew Allen: Bye-bye.

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