Arsecast Extra Episode 711 - 07.09.2026

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1:06Hello and welcome to another Arsecast Extra. As always, with James from Gunnar Blog. James, a very goodly morning to you.

1:13Andrew Allen: Goodly morning, man. They don't get much more goodly than a weekend where you beat Chelsea. No, that is true. There's something very special about inflicting pain and damage onto that noxious, toxic organisation. Did you watch with your brother? I watched the first half with my brother, actually. And then he fucked off. He was like, fuck this. He knew what was coming. I actually fucked off, to be honest. So we were watching it. We were at like, my sister got married here in Mallorca on Saturday. And on Sunday, there was a pool party type event. And basically the whole day of the Saturday of the wedding was different people kind of sidling up to me and saying, how are we going to watch this game then at the pool party you know what's the deal so we had in the end we had a laptop um with quite a low res low brightness display of the first half which a number of people were gathered around right um about eight uh people huddled around a sun bed and then at halftime i thought i i can't do this anymore and i went home well not home that would have taken i would have had to catch a plane but i went back to the villa and watched the second half alone there so i was able to enjoy that without having chelsea fans over my shoulder every turn so yeah but well worth it well and then you final whistle came racing back to the pool party in full kit and danced around in front of them for the rest of the night i hope i climbed atop an enormous fountain and danced a merry jig yes fair where did you watch it andrew well i was i was at home just sitting on my sofa doing doing the live blog as normal so nothing out of the ordinary um any dancing involved slight um slight butt wiggle when odegaard scored you know when you see like a video of a dog you know and it's just like that the rump is sort of moving and they're so happy but yeah that's as much as I could muster really because you know I'm sort of dedicated to my to my live updates to the craft of live blogging if you can call it that but no I I did certainly enjoy what we saw and made some some noises during this game which you know were at the expense of Chelsea quite a lot.

3:41I will say the Esri Konza tackle definitely elicited a, like, get the fuck in from me while I was sitting on my couch.

3:51Andrew Allen: Yeah, that was a good moment. That was a good moment. I also enjoyed Esri Konza kind of picking up and body slamming Morgan Rodgers at another point in the game. It's slightly reminiscent of that Ben White, Mark Kukureya moment. Do you remember that, where Ben White just sort of picked him up and then just threw him into the goal mouth. And Kukurea was like, what's going on? What are you doing? Same with Morgan Rodgers and Esri Kanzer, who obviously have a previous or a good relationship, I would say, or at least used to have a good relationship when they were teammates at Aston Villa. But I like that, the idea that we're too big and too strong and we can just throw Chelsea players around with abandon because that's what they deserve, let's face it.

4:36Andrew Allen: It is. It is. And, you know, our record against them in recent times is very, very good. Tim Stillman, I think, had a stat. Was it saying that the last time they beat us, Jorginho and Kai Havertz were playing in blue rather than red, something to that effect? Yeah, it's been a while. It's been a while. And long may it last, you know, long may it last. because as a club that has inflicted plenty of pain on us in the past, I enjoy very much inflicting pain back on them. So let's get into it then and talk about Mikel Arteta's team selection. I was a little bit surprised that Christos Solis started this one.

5:24Ezri Konza in for Christian Mosquera seemed obvious because of the injury that Mosquera picked up against Villa. I did wonder, though, if Eze might get the nod in this one because he did come on at Villa Park. He was good. He was involved in the goals. Solis had a difficult first half. I don't think he was particularly bad, but I think he found it hard to be effective. And Eze, when he came on, was certainly effective. But a show of faith, I guess, for Mikel Arteta in the summer signing.

5:53Andrew Allen: A show of faith. And I wonder as well, a little bit of a concession to Chelsea and their attacking threat, which I think is generally perceived to be the strongest part of their game. They do have this slightly unusual 3-4-3. They play with a very attacking wing back on that right-hand side in Pedro Neto, currently playing that position. So maybe Solis' dependability and his work rate from that left-hand side was a factor in Nico Arteta's thoughts. But like you, I was a little bit surprised. I thought Eze might get the nod after his contribution at Villa Park. it didn't begin in ideal fashion, this game, from an Arsenal perspective.

6:35There was a free kick given in midfield, which, you know, felt a little bit soft, but you see them given all the time. And from there, Chelsea clipped the ball into the box. And I think we missed two headers. This was just something, or it is something maybe that I've noticed a little bit in the opening games of the season, where we're not quite, for a team as big as we are, not quite as dominant in the air as we have been in the past. I think, is it Calafuri slightly gets pinned by Lacroix, who heads it back across, and then eventually it falls to Morgan Rodgers, who finishes from inside the D, just inside the near post.

7:11It's kind of a strange one, because I don't think Raya does anything particularly wrong. I think he takes a little step to his left, and then the ball just a little bit too quick, a little bit too precise. If that's exactly what he's trying to do, then fair play to him. but I just think he's slightly wrong-footed. You know, he doesn't make a huge mistake, but I think he'll look at that and feel a little bit disappointed that it went in.

7:35Andrew Allen: Yeah, I think it's one of those that always looks bad for a goalkeeper, but like you, I'm not sure Raya does very much wrong. It's just a sort of strange cue ball shot that ends up skidding into that near post, but I don't think his positioning or his reactions were particularly poor. and certainly I think he had a good game around David Rye. But yeah, I mean, I suppose Morgan Rodgers' goal, particularly after the discourse off the back of the transfer deadline, was inevitable. Maybe it was just a good thing that we got it out of the way quite so early as we did. Yeah, well, listen, then it was all about how Arsenal would react to that.

8:16You know, it can be the sort of thing that gives you the jitters. is that it can shake a team, maybe a different kind of team than the team we are right now, where I think, not that it's water off a duck's back, but I think the experience and the confidence and the belief they have in each other individually and collectively meant that it wasn't going to be, you know, heads go down kind of situation for this Arsenal team. But I thought the way we reacted was just superb. You know, it was a case, okay, that happened. Deal with it, get on with it, and let's take the game. to Chelsea, which I think is exactly what we did.

8:52And, you know, we started playing in their half. I thought some of the football we played was really, really excellent. Some of the combination play on both sides, albeit typically down the right-hand side, which is where we were targeting Chelsea. You know, we talk about the triangle of Martin Odegaard, Bakao Saka and Ben White, but it's noticeable how often Kai Havertz comes out into that area as well to play. So it's more of a, I don't know what you call a shape with four sides, if only there was a name for that. But it really was effective and it really helped to sort of get control of the game after they went ahead.

9:32Andrew Allen: You're thinking, of course, of quadrilateral. I'm sure that's the word on the tip of your tongue. Yes. But it is a little quartet, isn't it, over on that right-hand side. Kai Havertz loves to drift out to that flank. And I agree, the football we played was really good, really positive. The chemistry is back between those players. So many of them look like they're playing with fitness, with confidence. It's really, really, really exciting. And I continually sort of find myself considering these two possibilities. One is that we do look a little bit like a team who, certainly in our home games thus far this season have taken the handbrake off a bit you know we do look like a team maybe liberated by relieving the pressure of having finally won that Premier League title and then I think is that just sort of the romantic in me is that me just leaning into narrative is that is the very simple reality that we just have our best attacking players back fit again and able to contribute at their appropriate level.

10:43A little from column A, a little from column B, I guess, you know.

10:46Andrew Allen: Yeah. Before we get into sort of how the goal came about or how we put enough pressure on Chelsea to sort of make that goal happen, there are a couple of bits. There was an incident involving Gabriel and Emi Martinez. There was a bit of a scramble in the box. It was a really smart free kick, actually, from Martin Odegaard. We had the free kick from not far outside their box in a wide area, and he played it in low to the near post, and it's Calafuri running on to try and guide it home. And then there's a bit of a scramble, and Gabriel, I think, tries to kick the ball, but ends up kicking Emi Martinez in the head, which, listen, I don't know that there's too many Arsenal fans this morning who are going to be feeling a great deal of sympathy for Emi Martinez.

11:30I did wonder what you thought of that in terms of whether any disciplinary action might have been forthcoming, because for all the jokes about Emi Martinez getting kicked in the head, I do think if it was up the other end and if, I don't know, Morgan Rogers kicked David Raya in the head, our view of what should and shouldn't happen from a disciplinary point of view might be slightly different. Yeah. Yeah.

12:00Andrew Allen: I think it was reckless. I mean, obviously the ball is there, you know, so he's got the plausible deniability of the ball and he may well have been going for the ball, but there is a duty of care to your opponent, isn't there? And I think that's implicit. So, yeah, I think you raise a good point there. I think if that had been at the other end and David Rye had been on the end of that kick, we might have seen that incident somewhat differently. Of course, it wasn't Andrew. It was Emi Martinez. and therefore will be eluded as he should be but you know it's an interesting sliding doors one potentially.

12:35It is he's doing the world a favour there by doing what many people would like to do but you know it's not one of those where I think he absolutely tries to just boot him in the head and get away with it but I think it's essentially he does kick him in the head not particularly hard. He certainly doesn't

12:52Andrew Allen: he doesn't pull out because of the proximity of Henry Martinez's head does it? That thought doesn't go through his mind. Yeah, maybe Emi Martinez's head is just too big. Maybe that's the problem. If he had a smaller head then this wouldn't have happened. So maybe they're just looking at it as a freak of nature type of situation. But I did think it was a little bit interesting. I was kind of worried when I saw the replay and then they didn't seem to make much of it. So play went on. We did have the ball in the back of the net. There was a free kick. I think Chelsea made a bit of a mistake there was a scramble at the back post and ricardo calafiore poked it home um were you watching on sky did you have a sky stream or was it like no it was a spanish da zone right um so i don't i know i didn't have the benefit of sky right benefit is that the right No, no, no, no, no, it's not.

13:54It was weird because like you could see very clearly from the first replay that Esri Kansa kicks the ball off the post. It comes back to Calafuri, who then puts it in the back of the net. Right. And the whole discussion on Sky with Gary Neville was like, well, he was going Kansa's there, but I don't think he's interfering with play at all. You know, maybe he's in the way of the goalkeeper and he's like, oh, I can't believe they're going to disallow this. And like about five replays later, he went, oh, Konza kicks it, even though it was like obvious from the first replay. There was another moment like really early on.

14:29Do you remember the foul on Havertz? I think it might have been the one that led to the free kick that led to Gabriel kicking Martinez in the head. It's a really obvious foul. And Neville says, oh, Kai Havertz, he's dived there. And then they showed the replay and they showed Fofana's knee clatter into Kai Havertz and he went, yep, he's just gone down too easy. I think he might be going blind, Gary Neville, because he's missing things or he's choosing not to see things anyway. But for all the disappointment of that, I think it's the right decision to disallow the goal because Kanzer is obviously in an offside position when he kicks it off the post.

15:04Andrew Allen: Yeah, it was one of those where it was a bit of a scramble at the back post and as soon as the ball was in the net, unfortunately it was that kind of post-VAR thing of I didn't really dare celebrate it because you sort of thought they're going to have to unpick this a bit. I think Chelsea were looking for obviously the offside, but I think Martinez had come under a bit of physical pressure as well. So there were a few different claims, but obviously it was clear cut in the end. Konza is off. So the goal is rightly disallowed. But I suppose it was a sign of Arsenal's increasing pressure and sort of the manner of our response to going behind, which was very, very good all in all and ramped up across the course of that first half.

15:48Yeah, Chelsea did have some moments though. It felt like the last 20 minutes of a game rather than the opening 20, 25 minutes of a game. We don't usually see Arsenal games quite that open, but it was entertaining stuff, I have to say, and it was played by both sides at a really high pace, really intense kind of a game. I think we had a sack of chance that was saved at the near post. Martin Odegaard pulling the strings there. Ben White was overlapping all the time. There was a Havertz shot set up by Solace, which went behind for a corner. There was another one when, I think we played, I can't remember, was it Calafuri played the ball across to Havertz?

16:26And I think it was there for him to have a shot with his left foot. He tried to flick it behind him to Odegaard, whose shot was blocked away. You know, there were moments where I think we could perhaps have done slightly differently or done a little bit better. But also Chelsea had that, I think it was Rhys James had a shot, which Raya dealt with. And then there was a low ball to the back post, which João Pedro just about missed, which could have been, you know, a really dangerous moment for Arsenal. But then we go up the other end and score an equalising goal through Kai Havertz. Again, it came from that right-hand side And it comes from actually Havertz being out on that right wing a little bit, you know, where he picks up the ball from.

17:11I think it's Declan Rice who plays it into him and then he drives inside and shoots inside the near post. It's a good finish. It's a good goal. But I think if you're looking at the two goals that were scored, the Raya one, you know, beating at your near post, I think, Emi Martinez, there's probably bigger questions to be asked of Emi Martinez for this goal than there are of David Rye for the Arsenal one.

17:37Andrew Allen: Yes, definitely. I mean, it's that classic thing. It's one of those goals where as soon as it goes in, you kind of know it's gone through a defender's legs because the goalkeeper's reaction seems too slow. But I still think he should anticipate that and get down to it. I don't know what they're working on in Chelsea goalkeeper training, but after Robert Sanchez against Fulham and this one, the near post needs to be a focus for them. But Kai Havertz doing what he does and scoring against Chelsea, I think that's now 50 bajillion goals for Kai Havertz, Chelsea, in his last six games or something like that.

18:15Andrew Allen: So credit to him. He's making his point. Yes. He loves a goal against Chelsea, doesn't he? He really does. And listen, he's in some very good form or his importance to this team, I think, over the last six months. If you were ever in any doubt about his importance to the team, you know, the goal against Burnley, a goal in the Champions League final, goal in the Community Shield, goal against Coventry on the opening day, a goal yesterday, a big goal to get us back into it. And, you know, I think his status as the number one striker at Arsenal is obvious, right? And the fact that it came against Chelsea will be, you know, something he enjoys a great deal because I don't think he hides how much he enjoys it.

19:06That's the right way to put it, perhaps. What else?

19:11Andrew Allen: There seems to be some, certainly some feelings about the end of his time there and the way that came about. But he's had a fantastic start to the season. And what's been really pleasing has been seeing him get his flowers from people outside of the Arsenal community. You know, for the first time in a long time, I'm starting to see neutrals and independent, you know, analysts and pundits really talk about what Kai Havertz offers as a centre forward for this team. I think people are starting to get it now, get what Mikel Arteta has got for a long time and has had to cope without for a long time as well.

19:56Andrew Allen: so yeah really really pleased he's starting to get the credit and just delighted that he looks fit you know and he looks sharp and he looks like he's moving freely and he's enjoying his football um I won't say it I won't say no don't say it don't say it yeah yeah yeah he's he's in a fantastic vein of form right now I was watching the uh the highlights on DAZN well I download the full match on DAZN, the Spanish DAZN. I was listening to them talk about his role in the second goal. And we'll talk about that goal in a moment. But they were talking about what an intelligent footballer he is, his movement, his awareness, the way that he sort of brings other players into the game, even with something as simple as a step over or a dummy, which was a big part of the second goal.

20:46But we'll come to that. There were some other moments, weren't there? I think Cole Palmer was quite lucky to get away without a booking on Miles Lewis Skelly. And then a couple of moments later, or not a couple of moments later, a few minutes later, he did get a booking for a foul on Kai Havertz. And then the question becomes, is Cole Palmer stupid enough to make that foul on Kai Havertz if he'd already been booked? I think we have an answer for that one, don't we? I think we know that, yes. Yes, he is. So that's maybe a little bit of a missed opportunity. Morgan Rodgers had a shot which he curled wide.

21:23There was like the one slight error from Esri Konza in this game was letting a long kick from Emi Martinez bounce. He didn't deal with the aerial ball and Chelsea made a bit of threat from that. And then right before halftime, they hit the post. Pedro Neto curling a shot off the bottom of the post. whether Raya had it covered or not. I'm not 100 % sure, but a slight let off from that perspective.

21:50Andrew Allen: Yeah, and just scouring back through my iPhone notes from that sort of second half of the first half period, I've twice written very open. I do think this was an unusually open Arsenal game, whether that was because of the attacking threat that Chelsea carry. We know Mikel Arteta has enormous respect for them in that part of their game, or whether it was because, you know, we were playing with that bit more freedom and with that comes that bit more risk. I don't know, but it was uncharacteristically full of chances, I think. I was going to ask you about that because I do think there is something to be said about, you know, the idea that without the pressure that was sort of slightly crippling in the second half of last season, right, that there is more freedom to our football, that there is more panache to our football.

22:40And I think there is 100 % something to that. The other thing, though, that occurred to me is that you've got a front three or maybe a three behind the striker, right? Where Havertz is the striker, despite the fact that he roams around and he pops up on the right. He does pop up on the left as well. But you've got Havertz and you've got behind him, you've got Solis, Odegaard and Saka. And then you have Ben White overlapping. And you also have Ricardo Calafuri, Ricardo Calafuri-ing. You know, we need a name for what it is that he does, but the movement from this guy is unbelievable. He operates so much in the opposition half and he has a job to do there, right?

23:29Because I find the Califuri thing fascinating, right? Because of this perception that Mikel Arteta wants, you know, really hardworking, maybe slightly functional players, right? Who will do the job, who will do the running, who will be, you know, experts in positional play. And they'll make sure they're in the right place at the right time all the time, right? The collective is the most important thing. And I think there's maybe an argument about, you know, some of the forward signings that we've made. Are they, you know, over the course of his tenure, have we added enough flair? Have we added enough individualism?

24:05And we've talked about that before, right? And then you have Calafiori, this sort of left back who's given, not given license, but is instructed to do certain things in the game, which are completely at odds with what you think a left back should be doing. And it's so effective and he is so good at it. And Mikel Arteta clearly loves this guy, like loves him. He was the one, I remember you saying it, that like there were concerns when we signed him about the injury record. And I understand that. But Arteta was a guy who was really pushing for this guy to come into the team. And he has this sort of streak of individualism, which is kind of unique in the Premier League right now.

24:45And I can't help but think when we talk about the game being more open, it is because we are committing all of these players forward, right? not just our front three, not just our striker, but the two fullbacks as well, which leaves more for Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Galley to do and also more for the central defenders to do. So is it a trade-off that if we want to see Arsenal playing this kind of exciting, attractive, slightly swashbuckling football, that our games are going to be more open and that's something we're going to potentially have to learn to live with a little bit.

25:22Andrew Allen: I think so. And I think you've got to remember that the opponent in this as well. I mean, Chelsea are not a side who are just going to come and sit in and park 10 men behind the ball. And that contributes as well. But I think you're right. I think Mikel Arteta, he is taking some risk on the pitch. And that's what we want to see. We want to see teams go and get the game, go and win the game. And yeah, Chelsea may have opportunities. The opposition may get the chance to break. But when you look at the data from the game yesterday, they didn't actually create a great many chances of significant value.

26:01I mean, even the Rodgers goal, it's a one in a hundred shot, really,

26:06Andrew Allen: that he hits from the edge of the box. In terms of clear-cut opportunities, we still weren't giving up too many. Yeah, the XG, sorry, just to give the XG like 2.05 for Arsenal, 0.39 for Chelsea. Exactly. So heavily skewed in our favour. And the other thing I was just going to add was that, you know, we have had this excellent start to the season. And I think it's a huge testament to the manager and the team that we're doing this podcast and we haven't mentioned William Saliba and Jurian Timber, who are two of our better players, two of our better one-on-one big space defenders. And I think their absence as well might be contributing to the feeling maybe that these games are slightly more open, just because I think they have qualities that mean we can take risks and you almost don't notice it because they're so good sweeping up and dealing with those man-to-man situations.

27:06Andrew Allen: but you know we're winning without them and I think that's that's down to the squad that we've built and the way in which they're being coached Alright well let's talk about the second goal what turned out to be the winning goal it begins with Arsenal winning the ball in our half and as we mentioned earlier on Morgan Rodgers ending up on his arse because Esri Konza is just too strong Odegaard plays to Havertz Havertz to Calafuri Calafuri to Solis on the left hand side and from there it's it's kind of reminiscent of the goal we scored in the community shield isn't it that solace comes inside plays a pass Havertz I'm sure he got a shout from Martin Odegaard to to leave it or step over it um Wesley Fofana is standing there like uh-oh and Odegaard in front of goal made absolutely no mistake I think his first touch here is brilliant with his right foot and the finish is excellent beyond Emi Martinez for 2-1.

28:04And this is the Martin Odegaard that we have missed, right? Not just wanted to see, but a Martin Odegaard that we have absolutely missed because the quality that he has for me has never been in doubt. And it's been a really good start to the season for him. And as soon as he got the ball in front of goal there, there have been times, I will admit, There have been times when I've seen Martin Odegaard in front of goal or have chances in their box and I haven't felt 100 % confident, but I had no doubt in my mind that he was going to score.

28:37Andrew Allen: No, I agree. This is the Odegaard that we've waited for and yearned for. And I will fully admit, I did not have great conviction that he would return to this level. I was really concerned that after some injury hit years, some difficulty finding his best form, I didn't know if we would see Odegaard playing quite in this fashion again in an Arsenal shirt. And so I'm very, very, very happy to say that he is doing precisely that. He looks sensational right now. And this was a beautiful goal. There is a lovely sort of side-by-side video of this in the Community Shield goal where you can see some really neat parallels.

29:22Andrew Allen: You mentioned Calafiore's movement. I think it's important here too. Yeah, it is. He gives that ball out to Solis, but he doesn't stop there. He keeps driving on, driving infield, taking runners away, taking markers away. The shout from Odegaard to Havertz, I think must come really late because Havertz looks for all the world like he's about to control that ball. And then at the last second, just leaves it. And of course that outwits the Chelsea defender. Odegaard takes it on. And what I love is how different this finish is from the community shield. You know, that variety in his finishing is what makes a player dangerous and unpredictable.

30:00Andrew Allen: And a goalkeeper is not going to know how to deal with that. And I think it shows a player full of confidence as well, that he's just feeling it in the moment and applying what he considers the appropriate finish. Brilliant, brilliant goal. And I'm so delighted to see Martin Odegaard playing at this level. Yeah, I think you can see Emi Martinez join the dots very slightly about that moment because he goes down to his right. He kind of thinks that Odegaard is going to apply the same finish that he did against Donnarumma. But he sort of clipped it over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

30:33A really, really brilliant goal. You know, and I think we've been accused and maybe not unfairly at times of not playing the most attractive football, but I think we're seeing signs this season that that could be changing and it could be about the emphasis. As I said, it could be about the pressure being off, could be a combination of those things. But as a goal to win a game, it was absolutely brilliant. And I think there were more chances for Arsenal in this one. And there was a really good save from Martinez, wasn't there, from Saka. We almost got a set-piece goal as well when Emi Martinez was just sort of falling and the ball kindly, I think, fell into his arms on the line and he kept it out.

31:16And Chelsea's efforts were more or less speculative. I think there was a couple of shots from Palmer and that was about it. There were some changes in Kapiain Zubamendi on for Calafuri and Miles Lewis-Skelly.

31:32Andrew Allen: Do you think that the Zubamendi introduction was maybe a bit of a response to the fact that we have been a little bit more open than we're accustomed to prior to that? Maybe, maybe. I think Zubamendi was interesting in that he's quite snappy in the tackle. It just appeared the referee didn't like any of the tackles that he made. yesterday and kept giving them free kicks. But I guess it was about adding a bit of experience, some fresh legs. You know, the Calafiore in Capier won. In Capier probably a little more robust defensively, even if he did get caught out a bit for the Estavao chance, which we'll come to in a moment.

32:15But I think, you know, this is a game when Arsenal could easily have scored more goals. I have to say, before we get to Raya's save, I thought he was just so good yesterday in terms of his handling when it came to crosses, when it came to set pieces. He was catching them. He was punching them away. There was an assurance in his game with his handling that I think was really important to Arsenal in a period of the game when Chelsea were obviously trying to get themselves back into it. They were spamming crosses in. But pretty much every time Raya was there and he just like plucked the ball off the head of a defender or get there first.

32:53The way he read those crosses was superb.

32:57Andrew Allen: Yeah, I totally agree with that. I spoke about it in my YouTube video, tried to articulate my feeling of comfort about David Raya coming off his line. But what I was saying is that it's like he knows the advantage he has. You know, he's the guy who can use his hands. And he just comes out and catches those balls as if it's nothing to him. It really is quite extraordinary. It's almost like he's sort of discovered some sort of cheat code for coming out and picking off crosses because he's so, well, you know, we speak about some of our previous goalkeepers in the past as being flappy in those circumstances.

33:33Andrew Allen: And he is totally unflappable. Nothing seems to put him off his stride. No amount of pressure, of marking. he's just like he's like a kid catching a ball in his garden you know it's the easiest thing in the world to him and how must that feel as a centre half the sigh of relief you must breathe every time you catch in the corner of your eye David Raya coming off his line must be enormous so it's huge I think you make a really good point there though you know not just as a centre half but as a team when you know you've got a goalkeeper like that It is something that gives you a sense of calm and assurance and confidence defensively.

34:15Because I think what happens if you do have a goalkeeper who is a little bit error prone or a little bit flappy or a little bit scattergun in terms of, you know, when they come, when they don't come. And Raya, you know, will come for the ball most of the time. It really does spread a kind of calm throughout the team. Whereas if you've got that guy, I think your instincts subconsciously or whatever are to kind of default to a more defensive shape or position or whatever it might be because you're not confident of the guy behind you. You want to make sure that, well, they don't get crosses in and they don't get shots in.

34:59I think what Raya does for this team in terms of, it sounds counterintuitive, that by having a really brilliant goalkeeper, we're more confident going forward. But I think that's absolutely the case.

35:12Andrew Allen: I bet that's true, Andrew. Yeah, that's what I mean. I bet if you watch, as David Raya comes off his line, I bet there are guys on the edge of the box who already start running, You know, waiting for him to claim it and release it because they know he's going to get it. And yeah, it's a huge, huge part of his game. Another part of his game, I think, that deserves commendation is his concentration. And that's what he needed in the final minute of this game when Esteval cuts inside. You know, it's 2-1 right at the dying moments. Are you going to be able to keep it three points rather than one? What a save.

35:49what a save this is because the ball traveled so far my heart was beginning to sink you know when I was watching it and then all of a sudden you know this hand goes up and tips it over the bar honestly I thought for all the world that was in you know he he did cut inside very well Estevão and he got away from Incapier a little bit too easily I think but the save from Raya is is unbelievable and I know you know I went through one of his compilations last week or the week before um from last season and you kind of forget how many brilliant saves he made over the course of the campaign but this is going to be up there when the when the compilation drops at the end of this season this is going to be up there as one of his best yeah and really important really important I mean as I say dying moments of the game Estevão does everything right really you

36:41Andrew Allen: Drives in field, hits a great shot off his weaker foot and Raya plunges to his right and pushes it away. Brilliant save and a difference maker. He was a difference maker so many times last season for Arsenal, he was a difference maker again yesterday. What about the little coming together between Declan Rice and Morgan Rodgers as Chelsea drove forward? I think it was Palmer who hit a shot over the bar. You know what? It was funny, and I understand actually why Rodgers was a bit annoyed, but I think he should be probably more annoyed at the referee than Declan Rice. He knows exactly what he's doing there, doesn't he, Rice?

37:21He makes it kind of look like, almost look like, ooh, a little coming together of legs, accidental, et cetera, et cetera. But I think we all know that he knew exactly what he was doing, and Rodgers didn't care for it one bit.

37:35Andrew Allen: No, it was a very clever piece of play from Declan Rice, And even in a video review world, he got away with it. And Morgan Rodgers wasn't happy about it. His face changed, Morgan Rodgers. It was a bit like that moment in Lord of the Rings where Bilbo's holding the ring and then he goes all Gollum-y for a second. But there was a bit of spice in the game, you know, and I don't mind that. Obviously, it's a London derby, champions against a team who are being floated by some, as potential challengers. Morgan Rodgers against the club that, frankly, he probably wanted to join and didn't end up joining.

38:17Andrew Allen: And yeah, a bit of spice in the mix, but I don't mind that at all. I don't mind that either. There was the first half bit, wasn't there, between Ben White and Lavia. I'm not 100 % sure what Ben White took exception to, but he wasn't letting it go. And I enjoyed that. Because you sort of look at Ben White sometimes and people look at Ben White and think, well, here's this guy, you know, he's got his golden tan. Is he a bit soft or something? And he's not. He absolutely is not. And when he gets it into his mind to take exception about something or to have it out with an opponent, he's top class at that.

38:58Can I ask you what you thought when you saw Danny Welbeck come on? because my thought was, don't you dare, Danny. Don't you fucking dare. He didn't dare. There was nothing in the performance in the final few minutes, which, by the way, I think Mikel Moreno played an important role in the last five, ten minutes. When Chelsea were trying to build ahead of steam to get an equalizer, there were moments when we could perhaps have gone forward, but Marino turned around, played the ball backwards, and we keep possession for 60 seconds, 90 seconds, and take a lot of the heat out of what Chelsea are trying to do.

39:46That experience, I think, is really important. It is. It is.

39:50Andrew Allen: I mean, I would say it's difficult to be critical, obviously, when you've won such a big game. If I did have a minor criticism of the second half, I do wonder if we sort of seeded a little bit too much of our technical control. You know, so when Hincapier and Louis Skelly, sorry, Hincapier comes on for Calafuri and then Zubimendi comes on for Louis Skelly. I felt we lost maybe a little bit of Kraft in those moments, particularly in the left back area. and then Jochrez and Marino came on for Havertz and Odegaard, I think I'm right in saying. I just felt that maybe we lost a little bit too much control.

40:32Andrew Allen: Havertz and Odegaard have been so central to everything we had done. Equally, I accept they can't play every minute of every game. But yeah, it's an interesting puzzle that, isn't it? How do you make the changes, keep people fresh? You've got a big Champions League game in midweek without disrupting the patterns a little too much. And I felt maybe we went, maybe just one substitution too far in that second half. Fair, fair. I think with Havertz and Odegaard in particular, they were just so influential in this game. They were like the driving force behind the performance and what we did in the final third, really.

41:15You know, I thought Saka, by the way, was good. Nobody had more shots than Saka yesterday. Nobody had more shots on target than Saka yesterday. I thought Solis, after what was a difficult game at Villa Park, was really, really good again. He did the 90 minutes, of course, did he? He did, yeah, it was Saka who came off then from Madueke towards the end. So he did 90 minutes, got 90 minutes under his belt. Thought he was really good. Rice and Lewis Gelley, very good in midfield. But Odegaard and Havertz and the relationship that they have and the way they can interchange with pretty much everyone around them, it just, they feel so important to what we hope we might be able to do this season.

42:01Andrew Allen: Totally agree. Totally agree. Just crossing everything for the fact that we can keep using them. And, you know, the fact that they were protected in that final, what was it, 13, 14 minutes or so, I think shows how important McLarteta knows they are to him he's probably got designs on them both playing in midweek in the Champions League I imagine so yeah I thought they were fantastic and naturally with them off the pitch I didn't think we were quite as dominant but we did enough we did enough and there's no better team I don't want to say grinding out of one goal margin or single goal margin win but we've got plenty of experience of that from last season.

42:43And I do think that plays a part in how relatively comfortable we looked, you know. And I think it's probably just worth noting the fixture list because when we saw we had Coventry at home on a Friday night and then you've got Villa away and Chelsea at home, those two games in particular are a real test. This early in the season, following a World Cup, and I know that applies to other teams as well. It applies to Villa. it applies to Chelsea, but the way we've navigated these two fixtures, two very tricky fixtures has been really, really impressive. You know, we've conceded just one goal this season.

43:25All the goals we scored of, I think all six goals have come from open play. Jova out, et cetera, et cetera. But on paper, those look like tough games for Arsenal and to come through both of those, I'm not saying Coventry was one we should take for granted or anything like that, but I think the expectation was that Arsenal would win that game at home as champions to a newly promoted team. Then you're going, well, how do they cope away to Villa, a difficult place to go? And how do they cope against Chelsea, who, you know, are a good side, I think. And I think under Xabi Alonso will probably be a better Chelsea than we've seen in recent years.

44:09Like the club itself is a weird, horrible place. And that can be the undoing of any manager. But I think if they give Alonso time and they give him space to work and to build a team, I think he's smart enough and good enough where we're going to transition from the, oh, Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola meet again to the, well, it's Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta now. That's the conversation. Those are the stories we're going to get, you know. So I think on that basis, I'm sort of happy we played them this early in the season before he can get his feet really well and truly under the table, you know.

44:49Andrew Allen: I think that's a good point. I mean, they've got work to do in the defensive part of the game. Seven goals already conceded in their three Premier League matches. I think their last 19 Premier League games, they've kept one clean sheet. So it's pretty clear what area they need to improve. there's no doubt there's a lot of talent in that front line I mean when you've got a player like Estebao not even starting games coming off the bench you know there's clearly quality there and they're not going to have the distraction of European football which I think will allow them to stay the course maybe more so than other teams but there's a lot of work for Xabi Alonso yet to do and I agree I think we played them at a good time and it's a great result I mean you mentioned the fixture list if we'd looked at those games, Villa Park and then Chelsea, taking maximum points from those is a really, really fantastic return.

45:42Andrew Allen: And it's been a really, really strong start from the champions. Yes, the champions. I think, you know, we talked about a little bit on the preview podcast with Lewis last week where he said, you know, at Bayer Leverkusen, it took him a while, took Xabi Alonso a while to just sort of sort out the defensive platform, the defensive foundation, which I think is something in line with Mikel Arteta as well, right? that was something he had to put in place, or he felt he had to put in place, first and foremost, to be able to build a team and to improve his team. And I think that's going to be the focus for Xabi Alonso.

46:14So I'm kind of glad that we played them when we did. So three points. Manchester City won at the weekend. They're top of the table by virtue of goals scored, I think. Goal difference is the same, but it's goals scored. But three games, three wins for Arsenal, the attention turns to Champions League now. in midweek. So I don't think there's anything else from this. Is there before we go into the break?

46:38Andrew Allen: I don't think so, mate. No, no. I think job very well done. Yes. Impressive stuff from Arsenal. Okay. Well, look, we'll take a little break. We'll come back with your questions and more in part two right after this.

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49:52Help protect your family with life insurance through Ethos. Get your instant free quote at ethos.com. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com. Application times and rates may vary. Welcome back to the ArseCast Extra. This is part two of the show where we answer the questions that you send to us on Blue Sky 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. James, as you're in Spain, you get to go first because you're an hour ahead. Thank you. Yeah.

50:28Andrew Allen: I'm an hour ahead. It makes sense. Yeah. Well, not so much. It's quite rhetorical, this one, really. But Hien Quynh on Blue Sky said, should I resign myself to never finding someone that will love me as much as Kai Havertz hates Chelsea? And with so many questions like this on the Discord, Mr. Snrub asks, How can I learn to use the power of hate to make myself better at the level that Kai Havertz does against Chelsea? Yes, it's very sort of Sith Lord of him to allow the hate to flow through him to such devastating effect. Well, look, I don't want to give the game away on the 30, which I presume is also coming today.

51:11Andrew Allen: But I had to ask, Deputy Oncho said, goodly morning. How much did you enjoy Ainsley Maitland-Niles' absolute screamer to deny Man United the victory in Fergie time, no less? Oh, my God. That was such a brilliant goal. I was watching this game because it was obviously before ours and I was doing some bits and bobs on our Splug News. I was watching this game and Everton had got themselves level 1-1. And then Jordan Pickford, the old T-Rex arms, played a part in United going 2-1 up. and I thought United were going to win it. And then Ainsley Maitland-Niles, his first Premier League goal in God knows how long.

51:50It's like somebody, as the ball was coming to him, said, imagine if you're just taking a penalty from really far out. Oh, what a finish. I thought at first it got a deflection. First thought, when I saw it in real time, I thought it got a deflection. But when you look at it from behind, one of the angles from behind, it's just such a great finish. Top corner, keeper can't move. Manchester United fans absolutely distraught. What could be better?

52:19Andrew Allen: Loved it. The bird catcher is back. And yeah, I saw a nice interview with him afterwards, actually. And obviously, I've not seen Ainsley Maitland-Niles interviewed probably for five or six years, something like that. So yeah, it was quite striking seeing him sort of as a grown-up. Yeah, I'm happy to see him back in the Premier League. I think he's had a pretty good time in France with Lyon and been a good player for them. So what a reintroduction for him. Amazing. Yeah, we'll talk about that goal a little bit more in the 30 later this afternoon where we round up all the weekend's Premier League action.

52:57But that was certainly one of the more eye-catching moments. A couple on midweek. I know it's only Monday, but like you said, we've got a big Champions League game on Wednesday. So I've got two on this. One from King Thierry who says, how much rotation do you think we'll see for Napoli? What's your predicted 11? And then NM51 says, who do you think will start up front against Napoli in midweek? What does it mean for Jokeres' future if it's not him on Wednesday?

53:30Andrew Allen: Yeah, that's a really fascinating couple of questions because we've got a big Premier League game on the Saturday night, right? away to Sunderland and a decent trip as well in terms of travel up to that one. So, I mean, my suspicion is probably less rotation than any of us imagine. That's usually the way with Mikel Arteta, isn't it? That's usually the way with Mikel. And I kind of feel like, you know, when he has these couple of games before the international break, sometimes it does feel like he just sort of squeezes what he can out of the best 11 before releasing the players. I think he'll stick with Kai for this one.

54:15Andrew Allen: I think it's kind of a tough enough game away in Naples that he'll want to go strong. I think there will be rotation, but I would imagine I'm looking at the fullback positions potentially. Obviously, we don't have a great deal of options at right back, but if Muscara was back, maybe you'd have an option of putting one of him or Konza out at right back. I think left back, he'll change it. I think Nkappie will come in. I think he might go with somebody else next to Declan Rice from the start. Sit Myles-Lewis-Skelly down for a game, give it to Bruno or potentially Zubimendi. Maybe the left wing, maybe the left wing.

54:57Andrew Allen: But I think he'll want to keep the kind of creative hub of the side intact. And I think that will mean Saka, Havertz, Odegaard, and it might mean Ben White as well. What do you think? I think it's a really interesting one because, you know, we have all these options available to us. I thought it was telling that Bruno didn't come on yesterday because obviously there's an issue with his fitness or a doubt over his fitness. And I think if it had been 2-1 to Chelsea, we would have seen him. but the fact that it was 2-1 to Arsenal, we didn't. It remains to be seen how fit he might be for midweek. If they can, you know, do the same again, maybe have him there just in case we need him, but make sure that he does get up to speed and does get fully fit.

55:48I think you're right about in Capier.

55:53Wouldn't be surprised to see Mikel Moreno in the manager's thoughts to some extent. maybe Ezzet on the left, but I do think it is going to be Havertz, Odegaard and Saka on the, you know, as that triumvirate with Ben White overlapping, because, you know, I just don't think we have the option at right back and it would be good. I know the noises are a bit more positive about Jury and Timber, but it would be good to get him back and maybe get some minutes. But I do think it's interesting because he has to be able to rotate. He has to be able to trust in the other players in the squad because there might come a point where you need them and they're just cold.

56:40I think you could see from Victor Jacare's performance yesterday that he is rusty. I think is a fair description of what we saw from him yesterday. And if you want to get better out of him, then he's got to get more minutes. But I also understand why when you see Havertz, Odegaard, etc. combine the way they did against Chelsea, when you go to a difficult away game in the Champions League, you're going to default perhaps to something that is working rather than risk something which might not, you know. So it is a tough one.

57:20Andrew Allen: Yeah, I thought it was a pretty rough cameo from Victor. I think you give him the appropriate mitigation, which is that he's barely featured this season. And sometimes these players who are kind of bigger units, bigger engines, take a little bit longer. They need a little bit more warming up to get up to speed. And I think in Victor's case, that would appear to be the situation. But it was not a cameo that would have filled Nicolaito with confidence about starting him. against Napoli on Wednesday night. I know he typically had a better time in the Champions League, got a little bit more space, I think had the physical advantage over some of the centre-backs in that competition.

58:02Andrew Allen: But I think it will be Kai on Wednesday night. Well, we'll see how it goes. It is a big game. It's not an easy game to kick off your Champions League campaign. Does that mean that if it is Kai on Wednesday, you think it might be Jokeres against Sunderland?

58:25Andrew Allen: No, not for me, to be honest. I'd be hoping to kind of keep Kai's minutes to an hour or so, if I could, against Napoli, because I think we'll need him at Sunderland as well. Right. Yeah, I just don't think Jokeres looks like a player who's in that rhythm, and I accept it's problematic. How do you get him there without giving him the games? But I think Nicola Teta will choose to kind of stay with the momentum that we've got at this moment in time. But I might be wrong. I might be wrong. We'll have to wait and see on Wednesday night. Georgia Metal Dad requests, let's talk about Konza's performance, since, you know, he's apparently going to be starting at centre-back for a while.

59:13I was very happy with it I have to say apart from that one moment which I mentioned in the first half where I think he's got to deal with the long ball from Emi Martinez and Chelsea created a little bit of danger from that but in terms of what he did with the ball I think he passed at like 96 % success rate which is basically what you get from William Saliba and I accept nobody can be William Saliba apart from William Saliba but I thought Konza especially when we were in possession did a very good impression of of Saliba because he's he's very very assured in possession I like the pace at which he uses the ball as well even something as simple as like the pass from the center half out to the right back you know when Ben White is on the wing the pace of that pass is important.

1:00:07You know, the half second, the split second it gives Ben White, you know, to move the ball onwards and shift it forward to Saka is important. I liked it. And obviously the tackle on Morgan Rodgers was, was, you know, a big moment for him. You know, for a central defender, there is nothing better than making that tackle. And I include scoring a goal or whatever it might be. You know, your job as a center half is to get in there and do things like that. I mean, that tackle had people off their feet. You could see the replay from behind and people are literally jumping up out of their seats as if we've scored a goal.

1:00:47And I know that can be maybe not unique, but it's something that is really, really appreciated in English football, right? That crunching tackle. And you don't see a great deal of those anymore. but that was a proper old school crunching tackle. Timed it perfectly. It was fair. It was strong. Not only did we, you know, win the tackle, we kept the ball as well. So a really good home debut for him.

1:01:20Andrew Allen: Yeah, excellent. I mean, that's what you want. You pay big money for a Premier League ready defender. He steps into a big Premier League game and delivers. So really strong start for him. And yeah, what exactly did Michel Arteta say on Christian Mascara? It's just that he had a muscular issue. So we'll have to see how that develops. But it looks like Konza is likely to play in midweek as well as he beds into the team. Yeah. What about this one? Just sort of going back to the striker thing that we mentioned. Johnny Upton, who's at johnnyu.bsky.social, who says, stylistically, we're miles better with Kai Havertz as the number nine.

1:01:59if he is out, is it now obvious that Marino should be the replacement? Do you think that's a consideration? Do you think that's something Mikel Arteta would consider? Or are there aspects to making that decision that might be, you know, a little bit damaging for a player who I think looks like he needs to be a confidence player, you know? Joachrez

1:02:31Andrew Allen: well I've been an advocate of Marino at nine quite strongly over the last 12 months or so I mean you know there was a moment last season where I felt that we should go back to it and we didn't that was kind of in the winter of last season obviously we had some of our better performances last season with Marino at nine you think of that week against Bayern Munich and Spurs and when you said earlier I wonder if Mourinho will be in Mikhail Arteta's thoughts for this one that did cross my mind could he start at nine does he give you the combination play the hold up ability that is closer stylistically to what Kai Havertz does I mean Victor is a very very different profile of centre forward to Kai and from what I understand And Mikhail Teta likes that.

1:03:23He likes having that kind of optionality in his squad, the ability to go with a different kind of centre-forward.

1:03:34I sort of, I mean, you mentioned it there.

1:03:38Andrew Allen: I worry that picking Mourinho as the nine at this moment in time feels pretty bad for Vixi Okerez. Not necessarily unrecoverable. All we know about him, he's incredibly mentally strong, resolute, determined. But yeah, I think that would be a body blow. But I understand the question because I do think stylistically it allows us greater continuity in the way that we play. Yeah, I think there's something to be said for a variance in styles, but there seems to be quite a gulf in those two styles. Yeah. You know, and it's, you know, you can... Like, it's maybe a bit too reductive to just make it about Jokeres himself, right?

1:04:31Because if you do have a player whose skill set requires something different and the players around you don't necessarily play that way, then there are other elements to it, right? But I just think...

1:04:45Andrew Allen: Yes, it's not his sole individual responsibility. No, no, absolutely not, yeah. In a team that was set up to play to his strengths, I think he would look probably a very different player. But this isn't that team and it doesn't seem to be growing into that team. If anything, we're moving almost back towards the team we used to be, which is a team constructed around Ava, Zodegaard, Saka. And I'm not sure Victor is much of a fit. I mean, there was a moment yesterday when he came on very early on in his substitute appearance where I think Saka had the ball or someone had that ball in that kind of right channel.

1:05:20Andrew Allen: And he made a really good diagonal forward run into the penalty area. But I think the pass was delayed in coming. And I do just think he's a bit of a square peg in a round hole. You know, there are teams and there are players who would play that pass. but we're not necessarily that team. That's not the way we build our attacks. And the problem is the stuff that we do demand of a centre-forward, the defensive side of the game, the press, the ability to hold the ball, link the play, bring others in, combine. I think Victor's way off on that stuff, to be honest, from what Kai gives you. And Kai's one of the best.

1:06:06Andrew Allen: Kai's one of the best at that. So, you know, again, I don't say that to be overly critical, but, you know, I just don't think Jokeres can do that job. No, I mean, it's, you know, that moment where he sort of overhit the ball as he's running down the left-hand side is kind of what defines what people thought of his performance yesterday. Because it's, you know, technically it stands out from everybody else that was on the pitch yesterday. And to be fair, Lacroix, the Chelsea defender, had an equally heavy touch and gave us a throw. So he kind of got away with it a little bit. But those things stand out, I think, a little bit when it comes to Jokic.

1:06:48This is an issue I think that Mikel Arteta is going to have to consider quite carefully and think about how he's going to use both of these players. Because as much as I really, really like Kai Havertz, if we talk about we have to keep Kai Havertz fit, playing him for 90 minutes in every game is not going to do that, you know? You're bang on and, you know,

1:07:12Andrew Allen: God forbid we get to a period where we are without Kai Havertz. Victor Jokers will become very, very important again. So we do have to integrate him. We do have to help him shake off this rust. And I think he needs to be playing with confidence again. I think you're right about that. I think strikers thrive off confidence and he looks a little bit short on his at the moment. But yeah, it's an interesting situation. Somebody had a question about pace in the attack. Here you go. Jordan 14 said, goodly morning. Love the podcast. Sorry, but a slightly negative question for you. Was today the evidence for our lack of pace up front?

1:07:55Andrew Allen: I understand the sale of Gabi, but after 70 minutes, it screamed for a pacey attacker, which we didn't get with Jokerez or Marino. It looks a little like we've lost our counterattack now. Yeah, the only one with really blinding pace is Nani Matueke. I think he's very quick, but he only came on. He did get on. Yeah, well, what, about three minutes to go? So, you know, it was sort of, yeah, use up time substitution rather than we're going to use him to exploit the space in behind Chelsea. I mean, I did, you know, with the departure of Martinelli, that was one of the slight concerns that I had was that as a team, we are pretty one-paced, you know, aside from maybe Matueke.

1:08:40And I don't mean we're slow per se, but I don't think we have that injection of real pace either on the ball or, you know, somebody who can break from deep and, you know, score the kind of goal that we saw Martinelli score quite a few times in his Arsenal career, right? Just get into the wide open space behind the opposition defence and either finish beyond the goalkeeper or into an empty net when the goalkeeper has gone up for a corner that he wasn't allowed to go up for, like Emi Martinez, if you remember that.

1:09:14Andrew Allen: I remember it very well. But yeah, I do have that concern. I didn't really worry about it too much in the context of yesterday's game. but I do think you know when they and I'm sure this is an ongoing process when they assess the squad when they assess the qualities that we have and the qualities that we need pace has got to be pretty high on the list of whatever or whoever else we might bring in whenever else we might bring in another forward I agree I think you know that would be the criteria I'd be looking for. It's such an important attribute. And we are a little light on it. We are a little light on it.

1:09:57Andrew Allen: Give me a second, Andrew. I just need to shut the door because... Sure. While we were podcasting, Rocky barreled into the room, into the ensuite bathroom, did something in there that has not been flushed, whatever it may be, and walked out again. Okay. So I better go and shut that door and make sure all is well. Okay.

1:10:35All right, what about this one from Matt Factor, who says, fuck off Chelsea morning, lads, which I think is fair. We haven't told Chelsea to fuck off anywhere near enough in this podcast. And I know we've talked about these before, But he says, seeing them in action during the opening games of the season, are you, like me, even more impressed that we managed to win the league without a fully fit Saka Odegaard or Kai for most of last season? Does that sort of change your perception of what we actually achieved? I think so.

1:11:08Andrew Allen: I think it does. It has to. Now, we talked about it. We did talk about it last season, what we were missing, what we were without. But obviously seeing it, seeing it changes everything. And Mike Arteta told us, he very explicitly told us, look, I had to lean into the team's defensive qualities because I didn't necessarily have faith that they could deliver a hundred goals or whatever it might be. But yeah, I think they've made a brilliant start and it was great hearing Arteta talk about that yesterday and the rich vein of form these players are in and what they're able to bring to the team. I think it would be fantastic if we could retain the league but do it in a very different fashion and manner and style and show a different face to this team.

1:12:05Andrew Allen: I think it would be much more enjoyable for us as well. So, yeah, I think particularly the manager, but the team too do deserve credit for coping without these players for such long spells last season and we did undertake a lot of squad building in that summer to ensure we had a group capable of doing that but my god it's great to have them back Oh yeah big time big time they had a little show on after the game last night on Sky Sports the Arsenal Champions show and they sort of went through the season they had interviews with Odegaard and Saka and Rice and Arteta and that kind of stuff. And, you know, that period where maybe we could have gone nine or ten, maybe 11 points clear at one point, we didn't quite make the most of that.

1:12:53And then there were, you know, the Wolves game and the Bournemouth game and the City game and all that kind of stuff. You know, in the midst of time, it just becomes part of the lore, right? Part of what made winning it so incredibly satisfying. but I did get slight PTSD and flashbacks watching it, even knowing how it turned out, you know, it was like, Oh my God, we really went through some fucking shit, you know? And I do think that with Havert-Saka-Odegaard properly fit for more of the season, I think some of the games that we dropped points in, we definitely wouldn't have, you know? So it does sort of add to the achievement a little bit when you put it in the context of what they're doing this season.

1:13:44Andrew Allen: Can I put a question to you, by the way? Yeah. I was watching, I didn't watch the Sky coverage, but I watched a few clips over on YouTube and there was a bit of a debate pre-game about the front threes of the two respective teams. And Gary Neville said, if you ask Mikel Arteta, he would swap his front three for Chelsea's. So I guess that being Solis, Havertz, Saka for Rodgers, Parma and João Pedro. And Ian Wright said, I'm not having that. I'm not sure that's right. I just wonder what's your view on that? Did you have a position on that debate? I don't think Mikel Arteta would swap Bakayo Saka for Cole Palmer.

1:14:31I guess you could make the case for Morgan Rodgers ahead of Solis but I think maybe Arsenal wanted Morgan Rodgers and Solis rather than one or the other. Yeah. And I'm not sure that Mikel Arteta would swap João Pedro for Kai Havertz but it feels like João Pedro is stylistically, you know having talked about the two strikers that we have João Pedro is stylistically more aligned with Mikel Arteta's football than Victor Jokeres is so would he swap Kai Havertz for João Pedro? No would he swap Victor Jokeres for João Pedro? I think he probably would just because it you know it fits the style of the team a little bit better and there was such focus on the Chelsea front three but it was the Arsenal front three or front four or front five, however you want to put it, front six, if you include Calafiore and Ben White, I think we demonstrated that they have quality, but so do we.

1:15:39So do we. And I don't think, for all the furore around the end of the transfer window, what we didn't do in the transfer market, nobody, I don't think too many people were saying Arsenal are terrible up front. but it was a case of, well, numbers based on last season with no Trossard, no Martinelli, no Jesus. That's a lot of appearances and a lot of goals and a lot of assists. And we're asking a lot of Christos Solis to fill that gap. And, you know, I've always said, I think, you know, if you keep those players fit, you've got a better chance of being more effective in attack. For me, it was never about like transfer market greed.

1:16:19You always want more and more and more and more in the transfer market. It just felt like we hadn't quite done enough. But the players we have, you know, Fitba Kai, Osaka, Fitba Kai Havertz, Fit Martin Odegaard, well, look at what they're doing, you know? But the concern, I guess, or the fact that people might not be reassured by even the performances is based on what's happened to those guys in terms of injury. And do we have the ability to cope if they're not around? That's the sort of question. And that's where I think a lot of the desire to add something more in the transfer market came from.

1:16:59But as usual, Gary Neville is wrong.

1:17:04Andrew Allen: yeah I think it's an interesting debate I mean my reaction and you kind of alluded to this is that comparing front three against front three is only so valuable when for me at Arsenal it's so clearly at present a front four and the fourth player in that Martin Odegaard he's kind of absolutely essential to unlocking the others and actually I think that's the player Chelsea don't have like Chelsea would trade any of their midfielders, I think for somebody like Martin Odegaard. 100%. Because having sold Enzo, they don't have that attacking midfielder who can link the play between midfield and attack, who can get forward and score goals.

1:17:47Andrew Allen: And I think Odegaard is really the key. So yeah, front three versus front three, I think you can debate it. You can go player by player, but it's the fourth player there for me who is the difference maker and was the difference maker on the day. I thought this was an interesting one. I know we've talked transfers and there's no real point in talking transfers until January, but I just thought this was quite interesting from Sagi on the Discord, who says, I know I'm a bit late, but I wanted your opinion. When you look at some of the great attackers of the Premier League, Salah, De Bruyne, Drogba, Hazard, Mane, Ronaldo, they didn't come from big clubs as stars.

1:18:26The data suggests that Premier League clubs rarely sign superstars from other leagues like Barcelona or the way that Barcelona and Real Madrid do. Should Arsenal take a bit more risk in that area rather than trying to get the one, the big high-profile Vinicius, Julian Alvarez kind of player? I actually think that's absolutely right.

1:18:45Andrew Allen: I mean, I think it would have been incredibly exciting to sign a Vinicius or an Alvarez, but really it's much more in keeping with kind of the way the club has always been run and maybe sensible business to go and try and find the next one. Whether that's a junior croupie or somebody else that you identify, but that requires scouting and that requires analysis and rigorous work to arrive at those conclusions. And it's still competitive then it's not like the old days where you know if it was a player emerging from the african continent arson bengar had the tip off before anybody else these days everybody knows and you need to be on it and there needs to be a focus on that and your recruitment needs to be structured around that so i think that's a great shout i think it's kind of um it's appealing to imagine these established stars crossing over to join your team and wear your shirt but it's cheaper it's more effective to find the next one and I think that's where our emphasis probably should be um but but you also need buying from the manager on that you also need a manager who is prepared to accept some development you know you look at a player like Esteval who's clearly very, very talented, but maybe not quite seen as ready to be a regular starter in a Premier League title-winning team.

1:20:27Andrew Allen: I don't know. Is that what Mikel Arteta wants? Or does he want someone who he feels is ready to contribute immediately at this moment in our trajectory? I think that's probably why Vinicius Nalva has appealed, the idea that they would kind of almost plug and play. But I would like to see us trying to unearth the next generation of superstar. And I think it's a more, maybe slightly more realistic approach to the market as well. Yeah, I know the pressures are different at other clubs, but you see, for example, Bournemouth unearthing a Kruppi or a Ryan. You know, Semenyo, I know, sort of came through in a different way there.

1:21:09um estevão the kind of signing i always felt like with a brazilian sporting director we should have been making you know under edu we didn't quite do that i did like this from hensel arsenal on blue sky who said we have a habit of pinching chelsea players granted it would be hard but do you think we'll make a play for xiao pedro or estevão in the next 12 months um i'm not sure that would be I'm not sure Chelsea would let Estevá go, but there's always a risk with a signing. But I think you can slightly live with that risk a little more with a forward signing than with midfield or with defense, right?

1:21:46Where I think I read over the weekend, it was a piece in the BBC about the transfer business. And they looked at the young Spanish guy, Ivan Fresneda again, but decided Konza had the experience and that's what they needed. And I understand that. And I think that's probably the right decision to make in that context. But when you're signing forwards, you know, can you take that slight gamble on potential and allow that to develop? Maybe it costs you a little bit less. Maybe it does cost you goals. I don't quite know. But maybe it needs as well a sort of a broader strategy when it comes to the players that you identify and the players that you target.

1:22:29And I don't know, you know, how much in this article where it's sort of intimated that a lot of the deals were sort of agent, not agent led, but based on the relationships that Andrea Berta had with, you know, agents in the game because of his longstanding business in the game at Atletico Madrid. he knows a lot of people and then it becomes easy easier maybe to facilitate deals that way but is there sort of a a balance where you need to look at your scouting a little bit more i think so and

1:23:02Andrew Allen: it's also about age group so look at look at the first team signings that we generally are making over the last two years it's players in their mid-20s right who are kind of ready to come in and contribute immediately. And that's what Mikel Arteta specifies and wants. Now, where we are improving is the kind of under-18 category. So the signings of the likes of the Ecuadorian twins who are coming over, Quintero twins.

1:23:39Andrew Allen: I'm not going to attempt to pronounce his name, but the Georgian boy who's signed and will join next summer. a Bartishvili, something like that. And the Irish midfielder, Victor Oshamuna. A couple of lads from Man United as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, they're more sort of to come straight into the under-21 team, I think, and strengthen that group. But I do think it's the high-value investments between the ages of 18 and 21, where Arsenal, I think, could improve and could push the boat out a bit more. And where I think there is a bit of a job for the sporting director, for the ownership to persuade the manager to take a bit more risk in that age profile and take more kind of development opportunity on board, which is not an easy conversation because Mikel is right that this is our moment to win things.

1:24:40Andrew Allen: and you know it's understandable that he wants players who are ready immediately but yeah I think I think that 18 to 21 area is where we could be picking up more emerging talent and developing them into potential stars maybe as the team and the club evolve over the next couple of years we'll start to see that but I think if you want to be building the next the next superstars that That is the age group where you really need to be active and on it and prepared to spend money. Sure. Sure, sure, sure. But yeah, interesting. It's interesting. You got one more? What did I have? I had a question. Yeah, yeah.

1:25:22Andrew Allen: This is a more general one, really, around ownership. And Nestor on Blue Sky said, with what's happening to the Nuggets, and they summarize here, no investment since title, bad results despite greatest player in the world. and the buying of a new baseball franchise, are you worried the Cronkies could turn their money away from Arsenal soon? I've got enough to worry about, to be honest, without worrying about that. You know what I mean? It was unfortunate timing, the baseball franchise being announced on transfer deadline. Yeah, I know, I know, I know. But the idea that we didn't buy a winger because, well, actually, we've got to save that money for a baseball team.

1:26:05I suspect those two things were very, very distinct, very independent. You know, I know this summer the transfer window ended with frustration over one thing we didn't do. But at the same time, I think the things we did were good. You know, Bruno and Kansa was good. You know, overall, I was a bit underwhelmed that we didn't bring in a new attacker. I was a bit disappointed and frustrated that we didn't do that. But at the same time, you can't really argue too much about what we've spent over the last number of years, about the quality of the players that we've brought in, and ultimately where we ended up last season, which was winning the Premier League after 22 years.

1:26:50You know, I could be wrong, but I don't think they're just going to go, right, job done at Arsenal, down tools, and they can fend for themselves from now on. I just don't think, well, mostly because I don't think Mikel Arteta would allow that to happen. And if it did happen, Mikel Arteta would be out the door. He'd just walk. So I don't really worry about it from that perspective. Do you?

1:27:13Andrew Allen: I don't either, I must say. No, no, maybe I'm naive. But I have the impression that the ownership share Mikel Arteta's view that this is a period to really build on for Arsenal and go and win more. Maybe at the end of this five-year cycle or whatever it might be, three-year cycle. Maybe I'd have some of those concerns at that point in time about, you know, would the team slip back a little bit before they come again? But I think when I'm sitting on all my trophies at that point in time, I won't be too worried about that. And the other thing I was going to say is that having had a little tiny bit of time with Josh at the end of last season, you know, the pride with which he talked about finally winning that Premier League title was matched, I think, by his desire to add a Champions League to the KSC portfolio.

1:28:12Andrew Allen: If that's not too ugly a description, I really think that they perceive that as something missing, something they want to be the first to deliver. And almost every conversation about the Premier League was followed by a conversation about the Champions League. I think that Mikhail Arteta will see it that way as well. And so I think they don't consider this job done. I really, really don't think they do. Maybe that's the perfect tee-up for Wednesday night in Naples. Yeah, maybe so. And listen, they can add it to the KSE portfolio if they want. We'll add it to the Arsenal trophy cabinet because it's long overdue.

1:28:51It's all about how you're looking at it, I guess. A couple of quick ones to leave. RK on the Discord, some iconic memories from Arsenal history are shithousery bordering on violence. Think of Lauren throttling Phil Neville, Keown in the face of Van Nistelrooyd, Konza flinging Morgan Rodgers to the ground was delectable. And while I don't approve of Big Gabby kicking Emi Martinez in the head, I also don't disapprove. I would rather watch Ben White kicking the ball into McGinn than half the goals we scored that season. What are some of your favourite Arsenal moments like that, past or present?

1:29:26Andrew Allen: just pick one the one that springs to mind immediately is intentional or otherwise Abu Dhabi attempting to decapitate John Terry in the Carlin Cup final fair enough that lives long in the memory the one that immediately sprang to my mind was at Highbury playing Manchester United that Lauren tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo which sent him about 20 feet in the air and he only got a yellow card. I suspect that might be dealt with slightly differently these days. But, you know, if there's ever a guy you want to see get kicked 20 feet in the air, it's Cristiano Ronaldo, even back then. So that one lives long.

1:30:09Indeed. And if there was a guy to do it, Lawrence was probably the man. Before we go, I just want to mention something. Sky Sports are running a discussion this morning, three games into the new season, about whether or not Arsenal can go unbeaten. And I just want to call that out for the complete load of just engagement farming bullshit that it is. And the sort of nonstop dumbing down of football discourse is really quite depressing. I know we shouldn't expect better necessarily from Sky Sports, but they are the sort of the cornerstone broadcaster of the Premier League. They are most of the games.

1:30:47I know they've got a job to do. I know they've got to get engaged. I know they've got to get clicks. I know they've got to get conversations going, but it's just so unbelievably stupid that three games in, they'll be talking about Arsenal going unbeaten. And what happens with stuff like this is that when we don't go unbeaten, because it's really, really, really fucking difficult to do it. And only one team has ever done it in the modern era. Us, by the way. the way it'll play out across the sort of idiot contingent of youtubers is like oh arsenal said they were going to go unbeaten and now look they've lost the game it'll be presented as a failure as if we were the ones presenting the idea that we were going to go unbeaten and it's actually a fucking crap discussion on a monday morning with tim sherwood i mean i just find this stuff so painfully crap that it's just worth calling out.

1:31:43There's so much that football can give you to discuss, to talk about, whether it's the tactics, the emotions, the games, the incidents, the contentious decisions, all of this stuff. Why they have to invent bullshit like this, I just don't get.

1:31:57Andrew Allen: It's weird, isn't it? We've done a 90-minute podcast about this game, and we didn't once discuss whether we would finish the season unbeaten. How remiss of us. um well all we can do really for our part is just be uh categoric that we probably aren't going to go unbeaten uh i get that on the record but yes it is uh frustrating and you're absolutely right it will just be farmed it's content to be farmed for more content and the machine keeps feeding itself um but hey listen what can we do thank you for being here i guess Yes, that's it. Thank you to everyone who downloads and listens and subscribes.

1:32:35And hopefully we can insulate you from a lot of the bullshit that's out there. You know, we're not perfect. We don't get everything right all the time. Don't think anyway. But we really do. We really do appreciate you being here and we hope you've enjoyed this particular episode of the Arscast Extra. We'll leave it there for now. Take it easy, folks, and we will catch you on the next one. Bye bye.

1:33:25Andrew Allen: I'll see you next time.