Arsecast Extra Episode 717 - 18.10.2026

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1:34Hello and welcome to another Arscast Extra as always with James from Gunner Blog. James, goodly evening to you in the end.

1:43Andrew Allen: Goodly evening, man. I'm so relieved. I was for the first 70 minutes or so of that game. I was thinking I'm going to have to be telling you all about my trip to Beckinscott Model Village this morning. Oh my goodness. I was thinking, how much can I get out of Beck and Scott Model Village? Probably quite a lot, to be honest. I had a good time. I could talk about it at length, but it wouldn't be ideal if that was the entire part one. No, not really. I've never even heard of this place, but I assume it's, is it a village that is a model or is it a village filled with models like Zoolander and Cindy Crawford?

2:25It's populated exclusively by models.

2:28Andrew Allen: Yeah, exactly. No, it's a tiny village that you can sort of, you know, with all little miniature buildings and people, and you can walk around it like Gulliver, you know, pretending to be a giant. It's in Beaconsfield, I think. Right. I mean, that just sounds like the most generic English place that there ever could be. It's like the Bally something of Ireland, you know. Exactly. And also it's been there for like a really long time, you know. So like some of the exhibits are, I would say, fairly outdated in terms of sort of being PC or not. You know, like there's like in the zoo, they've got all the chimpanzees having a tea party.

3:27You don't do that in a zoo anymore.

3:30Andrew Allen: You know, there's a circus set with elephants performing tricks and stuff. I don't think we'd get that. But if you want to feel like a giant, get yourself down to Beck and Scott Model Village. Okay. They have not paid for this plug. I should let people know. No, I'm paying them just to try and fill the podcast, basically. I mean, I know where you're coming from. There was a brilliant moment in the game. There was a moment in the game. It was probably around, I should check my live blog because I referenced it in the live blog. It was probably around 75, 76 minutes, thereabouts. and we had I think booted the ball downfield and it just went out for a goal kick to Nottingham Forest and the camera obviously is on Matt Sells as he's about to take the goal kick and just to the left of the screen to the right of the goalkeeper I guess you can just see this Arsenal fan he's got the biggest yawn you have ever seen in your life He's like, oh, my God.

4:44And I think he spoke for all of us in that moment about what we'd all been enduring, I think, from this particular game of association football.

4:53Andrew Allen: And it's that kind of nonstop entertainment that fires you up to do a 90-minute podcast.

5:02Andrew Allen: It was turgid stuff, Andrew. This was real. This was for the connoisseurs of no-block football. Yeah. The people who loved the turge were well. An acquired taste, this game. The first half went by quite quickly, I felt. Despite the fact fuck-all happened, that it was potentially the dullest, most boring 45 minutes of football that I can remember for a long time. And listen, you know, we're not necessarily the great entertainers. We have experienced some difficult games, some poor games in the past, in the not-too-distant past. But this was, by some measure, the worst half of football that I can remember for ages and ages and ages.

5:55Let me tell you this, Andrew.

5:56Andrew Allen: Sure. Another diversion. I recently rewarded myself with a Switch 2. Oh, we were talking about this, weren't we, on the waffle, yeah, for the Patreon. Maybe I was contemplating it at the time, but I've since taken the plunge. And I've been playing Donkey Kong Bonanza, which is a game where you go around and you smash up the world and you collect bananas. It's quite a sophisticated and intellectual pursuit, as the game's name implies. And I will tell you, during that first half, I was watching alone on my sofa and I thought, the listeners won't know. The listeners won't know if I pick up my Switch 2 and hunt some bananas in the course of this 45 minutes.

6:52Andrew Allen: Sure. But it was calling to me like the sirens, you know, come and pretend to be a massive gorilla. Play me. Yeah. Find the bananas, James. But somehow... You resisted. I resisted. It was like Odysseus tied to the mast, you know? I somehow held on and continued to watch Nottingham Forest versus Arsenal. That's how dedicated I am to you guys. A true professional. A true professional. A true professional football journalist speaks. Yeah. But yeah, it was tough. It was a tough one. I mean, it wasn't unlike our last game away to Nottingham Forest. No, there's something about them and that ground and that place, isn't there?

7:45What was Sky thinking? Super Sunday, yeah.

7:49Andrew Allen: Yeah. We'll schedule this for Super Sunday. We'll go for that one. Yeah, past history tells us that this is going to be a classic. Two nil-nils in a row the previous two seasons. It's must-see television. Yeah. Oh. I don't know. I don't know either. We had our dramatic climax, our moment. In fact, the last sort of three minutes of the game were quite exciting. We're hanging on a bit there. We were a bit. I think we might have jumped ahead a little too far, though. I don't think we missed anything of note, though. Hang on. And that's part one. See you all in part two. Oh, my God. But it, yeah. Do we talk about the line?

8:34No one would complain, Andrew. No one would complain. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They've all sat through it. Now they're like, we've got to listen to these twats. Talk about nothing.

8:41Andrew Allen: And normally, of course, we have more time to think about it, to think of something, anything to say. But this is fresh. Was there anything about the, yeah, this is like a, well, we can't say instant reaction, can we? That's copyright. an instantaneous response podcast. I mean, is there anything about the first half at all that you think is worthy of any kind of discussion? I mean, he started Eberache Ayesa on the left-hand side and he'd obviously got the goal in midweek. So kept his place out there ahead of Nani Maduweke. Were you surprised about that at all? I guess it was kind of touch and go really, wasn't it?

9:24You know, if he'd flipped a coin and gone the other way, I don't think anyone would have been surprised. Maybe he just wanted, you know, for Eze to sort of build on what he did in the game against Lille. Because, you know, we were talking about it a bit. We had spoken about Matuweke on the left. For the Leeds game, and Leeds play a back five, don't they? As do Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest's back five was potentially the backiest five I've ever seen. like it was a back 11 at times.

9:59Andrew Allen: Well, I must say, I thought that was why the Eze selection was kind of interesting because if there's a player in that back five who has any sort of attacking ambition or intent, it is Munoz. Yes. Over on the right, a former teammate of Eze's, no less. And on the one hand, I was kind of surprised that Arteta would pick Eze on that side with Munoz potentially bombing on. I think it would be an exaggeration to say he was bombing on in this particular game. I also wondered, was that part of the thinking that a player like Eze may be inclined to go in field and dragging Munoz into areas where he's less comfortable and less dangerous in the transition moments?

10:48Andrew Allen: I don't know, but it was interesting. Yes. I'm just trying to compare, just going to look back at Nottingham Forest's game against Crystal Palace and to look at Munoz's, oh my gosh, the difference in the heat maps here is ridiculous. Yeah. His hideous patch, that's the technical term. Yes. The hideous patch is inside the opposition half. So over the halfway line, sort of between the halfway line and the opposition penalty area, that is his hideous patch in the game against Crystal Palace that they lost 3-1, crazily. His hideous patch today is not even very heady. it's a sort of tepid patch rather than a heat patch and it's inside his own half about halfway inside his own half so is that do you think an instruction from oliver glasner to sort of say well don't leave them any space even if it is as or do you think it is something to do with the way that arsenal played in this game that despite how turgid it was we did have a lot of possession in that first half.

12:02I think it was almost 75 % possession. So it was, was it a case that like Munoz was instructed, don't go forward? Or was it a case that Arsenal just had Nottingham Forest pinned back but couldn't really do very much in the opposition half because of various reasons, you know, whether it was the way they defended or whether what we're missing in the team or don't have in the team or what we didn't do with the ball when we did have it?

12:28Andrew Allen: I think it's the pattern of the game. I mean, Sky said at full time that 75 % possession is the biggest margin of possession we've had, greater than in any of our title winning Premier League games from last season. Blimey. So it's like, you know, huge ball dominance. But I think what most fans will be talking about after this game, apart from their delight at actually getting the three points, is our struggles to convert that into actual goal-scoring opportunities. The mad stat, I suppose, is that despite the fact we had nearly 75 % possession in the first half, Nottingham Forest had more shots than we did.

13:21Which is kind of, listen, you know, you can read into that what you want, but I do think that that is an issue, that our inability to create or fashion chances or dangerous opportunities is in some ways our problem, right? Because facing a team that sits deep and defends with all the men behind the ball, when you're champions, that is a challenge that you have to overcome. Right. Few teams are going to come out and play against Arsenal and say, you know what? Fuck it. We'll just go for it. We'll swashbuckle our way up the pitch. And if we leave some space, who cares? Nobody's, you know, they're not going to do that.

14:02And particularly, you know, Nottingham Forest after a difficult start to the season, they haven't won a game. Although they did win one game, didn't they, against Aston Villa, I think it was. But that's the only win they've had. And the start under Oliver Glasner has been a little bit difficult. So there was certainly no way that they were going to come out and do that. So then it's the balance as to is it effective organisation and discipline and defending or is it something to do with what Arsenal are missing and lacking? And I think it is probably a little from column A, a little from column B, isn't it?

14:38Andrew Allen: Yes, I think so. I think we know that this is a challenge for this team, but I think it's a challenge for any team to break down a low block like that. I think you need ingenuity, but you need breaks as well. So many times last season, set pieces were a real weapon in this situation. They were kind of the crowbar which would open up some of these defences. that is not functioning to quite the same degree well anything like the same degree in the early part of this season which I think is really interesting in itself why that might be but yeah I think we know this is something where Arsenal have had issues and did we make the signings in the summer that we hoped for to really unlock a totally different dimension.

15:40Andrew Allen: I mean, the only one you'd really think of would be Bruno Guimaris, perhaps. But in terms of the front line, you know, players who, additions who would really bring a different dynamic. There was no solace today. He was out. So I can't say I'm too shocked or surprised that we laboured a little. And I do think in our defence, it's difficult. Like, look how we made PSG work in a Champions League final. When you come up against a resolute defensive outfit, it's difficult. There's not a lot of space out there and you've got to be really on your game. And I don't think enough of our attacking players, particularly in that first 45 minutes, were.

16:31No, I think that's true. I think that's fair. You know, this is going to be a challenge that we're going to have to deal with over the course of this season over and over and over again, you know, to find a way through. And like you say, the set piece point is really good, really interesting because, you know, you break a game open if you score with the set piece and then the opposition have no choice but to be a little more expansive based on what we saw in the last few minutes. but maybe it's a good thing that Forrest weren't a bit more expensive earlier in the game. But, you know.

17:01Andrew Allen: Yeah, yeah, I think that's true. I mean, there were a few moments, particularly that one where I think Calafuri maybe turned the ball over in his own half, where they really threatened. And I found myself thinking, I'm quite glad Morgan Gibbs-White isn't playing because I feel like he's exactly the sort of player who would have capitalised on the space that they were able to exploit on the break. His ability to find a final ball is very, very good. And actually, he's a decent finisher as well, isn't he? You know, he can score goals that maybe some of the other players in this Nottingham Forest team can't.

17:41So, yeah, he was a big miss for them today. And maybe that also informed the way that they were going to set up for this game and the way that they were going to play. Like, again, I don't think they were going to come out and attack us. But maybe if you do have Morgan Gibbs-White, who pulls the strings very well for them in the opposition half, maybe that informs the way you set up. You decide to be a bit more disciplined, a bit more organized. You tell Munoz, don't go over the halfway line if you can help it, unless you absolutely have to. So, yeah, there were a couple of moments for them, weren't there?

18:13Well, a couple of moments for us in the first half. There was a Havertz header, and there was a Havertz near post chance. It wasn't really a big chance. and then I think they had a couple of free kicks. There was a free kick, wasn't there, just outside the D, a clumsy sort of foul from Declan Rice gave them a chance, but they hit the wall. Bruno Gimaraes got the ball in the head and had to go off, and we had to defend a corner with 10 men. To be fair, same thing happened to Forrest. I think this rule is bullshit, by the way. The removal of the player. Yeah. Go on. I'm sorry. Murray Murillo for Forrest.

18:54He, I think there was a free kick or a corner, whatever it was. And he headed wide and he got, you know, clatter in the side of the head and he was bleeding and he got some treatment. He has to go off the pitch for a minute. And Bruno Gimaraes took a ball right in the side of the head, like a free kick whacked straight into the side of the head. And he got some treatment and he has to go off for a minute. I don't understand why. Why should that player have to stay off the pitch for a minute? Just don't really understand the thinking behind that rule. You know, I know what they're trying to do is like stop players feigning injury and, you know, slowing the game down or disrupting the rhythm of the game or whatever it is.

19:41But when one guy's bleeding out of his ear and the other guy fucking gets the ball smashing the side of the head, there's no feigning going on here. They're injured. And it doesn't feel right to me that an injured player who's actually hurt can't just get some treatment and then come back on the pitch. Yeah. But that's maybe the most interesting takeaway from the first half of this game.

20:05Andrew Allen: Yeah, perhaps so. we did have one threatening moment from a set piece, didn't we? It was Konza, I think, backhealing a corner towards goals. Was Gabriel who actually backhealed it off Konza? Oh, was it? Yeah, you were trying to... I was hunting bananas at that point. You were hunting bananas with your giant gorilla. Yeah. But that was sort of it, yeah. And then the halftime comes around and... listen far be it for me to brag but here was my text to my football whatsapp group at 5 26 p.m okay prediction madueke comes on and makes the difference now some would say that's just a sort of you know facile brag but what's the point having a podcast if you can't bring stuff like that up yeah your text to me was a little bit different you're like i don't know what the fuck he's gonna to do or who's going to be able to do anything we're fucked yeah i i text everyone i know every possible outcome so i've got one that i can call out to be fair to be fair you did say to me as well well to be fair and to sort of diminish uh and undercut myself somewhat it was the obvious thing i think yes yeah i mean i think as a really struggled out there and he didn't seem to gel at all with uh with califuri the two of them just didn't really seem to to connect i don't think he was so terrible that you know it was the most obvious thing in the world to get him off at halftime because there is something about a halftime sub but i can completely understand why he made the change he did and why he decided to to introduce something a little bit different on that left, you know, maybe just stay wide, give us a bit more width, open up the pitch a little bit, because I think we saw Ezz's tendency was to drift inside.

22:05You know, when he got the ball, it was to come inside and try and combine there. And, you know, the bigger you make the pitch against a team that's sitting as deep as Nottingham Forest, the better, right? Yeah.

22:16Andrew Allen: I mean, I think Madueka on the left, for a player who can be prone to overcomplication, putting him on the left, I think sort of simplifies things for him a bit. You know, he's a left-footed player, playing on the left wing, capable of going on the outside, pretty straightforwardly, although actually his big match-winning moment comes from turning inside. And I think he was good against Leeds and I think he showed he offers us something a bit different in that position. I don't think anyone's claiming he's the answer or the solution, but I think his particular collection of attributes give us something that we lack in the XI at this moment in time.

23:06Andrew Allen: And, yeah, I was pleased to see him come on. It's a really disappointing day for Ebbs, and it feels like after his goal of midweek, It's a little bit kind of one step forward, two steps back, you know. But yeah, there's questions about Ezra, so maybe we'll come back to him in part two. We'll come back to that. But I think, you know, as you say, Matuweke made a difference. He did make a difference to the way we played, even if I think Forrest had some moments in the second half, the first part of the second half, I was going to say, you know, where there were a couple of chances, weren't there?

23:44They had another free kick for what I thought was quite a harsh handball against Kai Havertz. But Michael Oliver gave the free kick all the same. There was a de-lap shot, which went side netting, I think. And they did have corners and it did feel a little bit, or at least for a period, that they were building a huge amount of momentum. But they were playing the game a bit more in our half than they did in the first half. I will say David Raya, his handling from set pieces today, from corners and from free kicks, et cetera, was, and crosses rather, was really, really good. Didn't have a lot to do.

24:22Didn't know no real saves to make. But I think the assurance that he gave us from those corners, if one or two of them become a bit dangerous, then, you know, home crowd gets up and it becomes a bit more difficult. But I thought he was just impeccable in that sense.

24:38Andrew Allen: yeah he is exemplary and again it's becoming a bit of a bugbear of mine that i don't feel like we're able to fully capitalize on those moments where they're big swing moments in games he can regain the ball and we can break but i just don't feel like we do that sight of david raya kind of looking for the out ball but not being able to find it is becoming uh pretty familiar uh in arsenal matches at the moment. Well, the other familiar thing, which we didn't, I mean, was obvious from what we talked about, but the fact we didn't score again in the first half. Yes. It's a bit of a theme now. So. It is.

25:21And, yeah, it's a, on the one hand, it's a worry.

25:27Andrew Allen: On the other hand, you have to kind of give credit where it's due and say that the team are kind of solving the Rubik's Cube of these games as they play them. They are finding solutions. And Mikkel Arteta is finding solutions as well. And he's in a position of some luxury with the options he has on the substitutes bench who are able to frequently come on and make the difference, find the answer. we are a team who who know how to win and are demonstrating that yes but at the same time you feel like it could all be a bit easier you know yeah um you wish it would be at times you know genuinely I think there is something obviously to the way that we can win games even when we don't play particularly well and I don't think we played well today if you want to give Forrest credit for making it difficult for us I think that's perfectly fair but I think at the same time you can say that Arsenal didn't play particularly well the two things can be true that we lacked something in the way that we played in the way that we you know got the ball towards the opposition final third there were moments maybe where we could have done a little bit better there was a Gabriel header from a rice um free kick was it no it was a corner and he sort of headed over.

26:54And then there was, after a triple change, when he took off Ben White, Bruno Gimaraes, and Kai Havertz and put on Mikel Moreno, Jurian Timber, and Victor Jokerez. It was a nice combination play. I think it was Saka, Odegaard, Timber. And Timber pulled the ball back for Declan Rice, who's running onto it. We've talked about Declan Rice adding more to his game and adding goals to his game. I'm not sure he'll have a better chance than this in the next few weeks to score a goal. This was a bad miss, I think. Yeah, Sky did, didn't he?

27:26Andrew Allen: I mean, probably our best move of the game, I would say. The speed of the passing between Saka and Odegaard, I think that was the difference. And if you were looking for specifics in terms of what can Arsenal do better, can they move the ball more quickly, I think would always be one of the first things you would look at in a situation like this. They move it so quickly there. Forest can't live with them. Timbers fresh on the pitch, zips beyond his man, has the perfect pullback as well. And no doubt Declan Rice will feel he should have done better. That was about 72 minutes on the clock. And at that point in time, we were still looking for our first shot on target.

28:05Yeah. And you kind of thought in a game like this with chances so hard to come by, that might've been the big moment that we regret. But cometh the hour, cometh the nonny and 80 minutes in there or thereabouts. He picked up a pass, drove into the box. We see this from him quite often, don't we, that there is an intent to the way that he plays. And there's an imperfect intent, if I can put it that way, that he does try things a lot of the times. Or, well, some of the time it doesn't really come off. On this occasion, the step over is nice, actually, because it makes room for him to have the shot with his right foot.

28:45But touch fortunate maybe with the deflection off the thigh of the defender, slightly wrong-footed the goalkeeper a little bit, nevertheless flew into the back of the net. And I think it's a reward for his endeavor, I guess, in that moment, that when you are looking for somebody to do something on a day when you're struggling to make chances, struggling to make clear-cut opportunities, you are reliant on an individual. If the team, if the collective is not doing it, you are reliant on an individual producing a moment which can crack open a game. And, you know, it's not going to go down in history as, you know, the greatest piece of play that anybody's ever seen.

29:23But it was enough in this instance. And I think the introduction at halftime, the manager's decision was justified. And I think Maduweke made a big difference and ultimately has helped us to the three points. Yeah, I mean, nice step over, nice shimmy.

29:41Andrew Allen: Hits the ball with some power. I mean, you know, it means that when the block, the deflection gets on it, it can't do enough to keep it out of the net. It still absolutely flies into the back of Celso's net. It's quite satisfying to look at, even if it obviously did take a significant deflection on the way through. And as you say, Nonny is just one of those guys who is kind of prepared to shake the magic eight ball, you know. And it's not always going to work for him and it can make him incredibly frustrating to watch. But I think the intent and the willingness to sort of take responsibility and take the moment on is always there.

30:23Andrew Allen: And I think I get the impression that's something Mikel Arteta really values in him. Because Arteta is not blind to his flaws. You know, he sees the missed chances or the times he runs the ball out of play, but he does persist with this player and he does have faith in this player. And I think it's his ability and his willingness to kind of keep trying things that sustains the manager's faith. Yeah, a big, big goal for him. Maybe a big moment for him in his Arsenal career, in his Arsenal season anyway, because it has won us the three points. And then we have this sort of quite mad end to the game.

31:07It is mental, actually, because I was looking at Arsenal. I was watching Odegaard sort of dropping in. And we were doing that thing that we like to do, which is keep possession. And, you know, make sure that the opposition don't have the ball. Therefore, they can't hurt you. Yet at the same time, in the last three minutes, they had three incredible chances to score a goal. You know, the first one I think was Chris Wood. He got the ball in the box. Maybe he's a bit rusty. He's a big bloke, you know, a big tree of a man. And he didn't quite get his feet sorted out quickly enough. And Declan Rice was there to make the block on the shot in the box.

31:52It just sort of trickled through to Raya. But then Murillo. I mean, obviously I would have hated if that ball had gone in the top corner. But if it had, I think we would have to sit here today and say that is potentially one of the goals of the season, one of the best goals that we will see all season long. Even if it stings and hurts and we hated every moment of it, what he did was fucking unbelievable for a center half. And he's left footed as well, I think, isn't he? So to take that shot with his right foot. And did you see the way that ball, did you see how it curled as it whizzed past the post?

32:41Like it looked like he'd sort of hit it off his toe a little bit, but as it went past the post, it started doing that dip and curl that if he had been a yard further out, that was fucking top bins.

32:52Andrew Allen: Totally. I think if I'd gone in, I'd be on here arguing that the solution to our low block problem is in fact Nottingham Forest centre-back Murillo because he dismantled the Arsenal defence on that sort of bulldozing, slaloming run. It would have been an extraordinary goal. And it was definitely a heart in mouth moment for me. That Chris Wood chance, I think that was a really good opportunity. Not by the time he gets the shot off, but I think there was a kind of a weight of pass or a first touch from Wood that would have made it very, very difficult for Declan Rice to recover. And then, you know, we had De Lapp going through late on.

33:36Andrew Allen: A weary De Lapp by that point. He'd put some shifting up front for Forrest, but it took a really, really good piece of recovery defending from Esri Konza as well to shut that one down. That was a really good tackle from Konza. He read that very well and timed it perfectly. And we've seen that aspect of his defensive game quite a few times already this season, haven't we? The timing of his tackles, really, really good, but really, really important as well. Because I think what happened was we gave the ball away high up the pitch when we could have just and should have just kept possession. And they worked it down that channel and DeLapp obviously ran in.

34:16But like for Ryan not to have needed to make a save in the entire game and then for Forrest to have three chances like that in the last three minutes, sometimes I just don't really understand football or how it works or because we looked comfortable. We got the goal and we looked assured and we're a really difficult team to play against ourselves. You know, you can talk about how difficult Forrest made it for us, but, you know, you listen to any player or manager talking about what it's like to play against Arsenal and they're like, it's so tough. It's so difficult to make chances. It's so difficult to score.

35:00They're so physically strong. How do we explain those three minutes where all of a sudden we were just kind of, if not opened up, but those chances were there for Forrest to get a goal, which would have really felt like a serious sucker punch, wouldn't it?

35:19Andrew Allen: Yes, it would have been a cruel, cruel, cruel goal to concede. It would have hurt. I think it would have been up there with some of the more painful ones from last season, Villa, Wolves, name your poison. I know it would only have been an equaliser rather than a winner, but it just would have been, having worked so hard to get ourselves in front and been so dominant really in so many aspects of the game, it would have been a tough one to take for sure. Yeah, but thankfully they didn't go in. None of them went in. And, you know, combination of a bit of good fortune with that Murillo one and the good defensive work from Rice and Konza seeing off Dilap and Wood in the other two chances.

36:08It's a 1-0. I mean, if we broaden it out, right, 2-0-0s there the last couple of years, it's a step forward. yeah we've won a game again i think you can highlight and praise the the the character of arsenal the willingness to keep going in a game even when you're not playing particularly well finding a way to to get all three points there's a lot about this team in that sense that i think is is really admirable like we have found a way to win games um it's not always pretty though and I'm sort of curious as to how you, how do you sort of judge where we are, right? Because you look at the fixture list.

36:52We've played 11 games this season. We've won 10 of them. We've lost just one. And that was a real off day, as we said, against a Brighton team who, as we can see from what else they've been doing so far in the Premier League, are maybe a little bit of a force to be reckoned with this season. So I don't think that makes anybody feel any better about our defeat to Brighton. But when you're beaten by a good team, you can acknowledge that the other team is good. 10 wins out of 11. But I can't help but have some concerns about the way that we're playing. or maybe it's as simple as we aren't effective enough with what we have of the ball because we're lacking quality in attack.

37:44Is that too simplistic a thing to say? Is it a bit reductive to criticize a team that's won 10 out of its 11 games this season, that is this sort of powerhouse and can just find a way, however they do it, they can find a way. Or are those, you know, now that we have a reasonable sample size so far this season, are those reasonable concerns?

38:06Andrew Allen: I think they are reasonable. I mean, look, I'm, as I want to do, staring at the Premier League table right now. And I'm looking at the, this is a very simplistic take, but I'm looking at the goals for and the goals against after seven games. And we have the joint best defensive record in the league, just five goals conceded from our seven matches, a record we share, by the way, with Brighton. But while we have scored only 11 goals, the teams around us have all scored substantially more. Brighton's is admittedly somewhat inflated by their absolute hammering of Crystal Palace. But Brighton, like us, have conceded five.

38:51Andrew Allen: But while we've scored 11, they have scored 23. Chelsea have scored 17. Manchester City have scored eight more than us with 19. Even Brentford at this stage have scored more goals than us. So, of course, that's partly about opposition, game state, who you've played, where you've played. Yeah. But in very simple terms, yeah, we're not scoring enough goals to give ourselves the comfort and the margins to make these games feel easier. And actually, big, broad brushstrokes, like what can I take from that? What can I conclude from it? Sort of that we're kind of the same team. We look kind of to be the same team that we were for much of last season, I think.

39:41Are we better than last season?

39:47Andrew Allen: I think we are. I think what we have, we certainly have more depth and more player availability. I also think we have a kind of intangible thing of having, having one and the sort of confidence, the status, the swagger that that gives you. And when I say swagger, I don't necessarily mean stylistically or sort of creatively, but I think our presence on the pitch has been augmented by that. And we look winners, you know, We look every inch what we are, which is the champions. The phrase you'll hear in almost every game is, the mark of champions, this is what champions do. And I think we are delivering against that title in both senses.

40:35Andrew Allen: But yeah, I think a lot of us hoped that it would be, well, we've won the league, so it's handbrake off and we're a totally different attacking team. I think we've seen flashes of that with the return of Saka and Tavertz and Odegaard's form improving. But I think by and large, we still look like Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. And listen, that was good enough to win a Premier League last year. And it may well be again. Yeah. I don't know. Do you agree? I'm just trying, I'm trying to make some sort of sense of it and make sense of, you know, how, you know, I think what Brighton doing is slightly anomalous, really.

41:23They're the second most shots in the Premier League, 108. Do you know who's taken the most shots in the Premier League?

41:32Andrew Allen: I don't. Manchester United have taken the most shots in the Premier League, which is kind of mad. But Brighton have taken 108 shots with 33 shots on target. Arsenal have taken 78 shots with 30 on target. Brighton are outperforming their XG, I think, by something like five. We're underperforming our XG by something close to one. Right. I mean, look, it's a very top line. It is. It's coloured by today as well. Maybe it's unfair. But I mean, is it not a thing that we're kind of all feeling? And it is maybe a bit of a hangover from last season that one of the discussions that we had during the summer and as we prepared for the new season was, will this Arsenal team, now that the title is won, be a bit more liberated?

42:27will it feel like a team that's more cohesive from an attacking perspective? And I think we have seen signs of it. I don't dispute that there are certain aspects of our attacking play that have been better this season than last season. Yeah.

42:42Andrew Allen: Scoring a lot more open play. Scoring more open play goals. Yeah, absolutely. But so much of football is about how you feel as well when you're watching a team. And I felt at times last season like, Like it's hard going. It's hard to score. We find it hard to score goals. And I feel, you know, after 10, 11 games this season, that there's a little bit of that still there. I really think like our left-hand side is, if not a problem, but an issue, you know. None of the solutions there are particularly inspiring to me. and I say that on a day when obviously Nani Madweke scored the winning goal and fair play it was a big contribution from him but I sort of feel like I don't want to say we're like playing with one hand tied behind our back but that remains I think for me a problem and I think centre forward as well we lost Solis as well on that side which you know he had a promising start I think I think he's four assists does he?

43:53Something like that?

43:54Andrew Allen: Yeah. Albeit with some ups and downs. I think he's been encouraging. So losing him certainly was a blow. Yeah. Like for me, I think we look like a better version of the same team, you know, but we just don't look like a different team. And I think it was probably unrealistic to expect that. So some of our problems are also the same.

44:24so basically get ready for the grind is that what we're saying

44:30Andrew Allen: yeah i mean maybe i think there'll be games you know i i think there's still things to come in an attacking sense i think there's solace to come back there's bruno to properly bed in And, you know, I think there is cause for optimism. You know, might a player like Eze or Jokeres find a vein of form and bring a new element, a new dynamic? I think there's reason to believe we'll find more solutions. But I just think the idea that kind of the low block problem is just going to go away. You know, I don't see that. No, but that is in part because of how teams are going to set up against us anyway. Exactly.

45:21Because we are the champions and they know that even if we are an imperfect attacking team, if you do give us a bit more space, then I'm not saying we're definitely going to score, but we'll have a better go at it than we did today. You know, and I think that was Forrest's game plan today was to try and nullify Arsenal as much as possible rather than go and win the game themselves. I think it was about trying to just completely negate anything that we could do from an attacking perspective. Yeah.

45:51Andrew Allen: And Glasner's teams, they do break forward very quickly. And, you know, they look to make something of the scraps that they get. And in fairness to them, they very, very nearly did. But they didn't. They didn't. And we won and that's good. and obviously we've got a big game in midweek against Bayern Munich. It sort of feels like every time we win a game we're like, well, it's good, but I, you know, hopefully now, hopefully this, hopefully that. I don't know, maybe we'll sit here in May and go, you know what, we have just been this machine that's ground out all these wins and found a way to win games.

46:33And, you know, it's three wins in a week now, isn't it? After the return of the Interlull.

46:38Andrew Allen: Yeah. And Parmi thinks that is just the Premier League, you know, that's a Nottingham Forest team. Am I right in saying they're in the relegation zone right now? Three consecutive defeats. And they really, you know, they made a contest of it, a lopsided contest, but one that was close. And I just think, you know, I find myself saying like every team we play, I'm like, Broby was a bit of a handful or today De Lapp was a bit. I think every team you play have players who can give you problems. And to credit Mikel and the team, they are a formidable machine. And what they're doing is churning out these results.

47:24Andrew Allen: and I think that is what's required to win a Premier League. So, yeah, there is a little bit of concern, but there's also a lot of admiration from me too. No, I'm with you on that, absolutely. I think any team that can, you don't win 10 games out of 11 by accident, you know, off the back of winning the Premier League. It's because you're good. It's because you're capable of finding a way to win games And maybe, you know, we talk about some of the imperfect solutions that we might have in the final third. And I think maybe the temptation is to sort of look at the manager and say, well, this is what he wants.

48:10I'm not 100 % sure it is what he wants, but at the same time, he is finding a way to win games with these players.

48:20Andrew Allen: Yeah. And also, I wonder if our perception of like our Premier League campaign thus far is a little distorted by the fact that there is a team above us who have won seven from seven, which is good going. But if you delete them from the Premier League table, as we all hope happens, then it all looks much rosier. As absolutely should happen. Not that we just hope, but that is what should happen. Yeah, I mean, there's the sort of the thing that's hanging over everything, isn't it? You know, I don't know if that is an influence on how I feel about what we did today or how we did it today. But it is there until such time as we hear from the Premier League and they address the issue with the sanctions and the punishments that Manchester City absolutely deserve.

49:10OK, well, look, we've got to the end of part one. We've done all right here, I think. So will we take a little break?

49:16Andrew Allen: Yeah, come back for more about Beck and Scott Model Village. Right after this.

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51:17Welcome 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're an ArseBlog member on Patreon. Before we get into that, I just want to mention that on Friday, we announced something quite cool. Been working on it for a couple of months now behind the scenes. But we have put together myself and James Clifford Kent, who's an Arsenal fan, a friend of mine, a photographer, who's taken some amazing photos of the parade when there were millions of people on the streets of North London.

51:56And we've put together a very special book called The 22, which is going to be available really soon. you can find some details in the link in the show notes but basically you get this cool book with photos with words from me telling the story of the season the ups and downs and all the worries we had until finally we got it over the line and became champions again each book comes with stickers and a postcard and a bookmark and a print in this cool really nice box as well and it's very very limited edition. This is very special. There are only 2 ,026 of these available to buy. So we will give our Patreon members first dibs on those.

52:36We're going to have an event in London. We'll give you some details on that. I can tell you the date of the event is Friday, November 6th, but I can't give you the venue just yet. I'll reveal all as soon as I can. And then we'll put books on general sale as well. So something to look forward to. We'll fill the stockings for the Arsenal fan in your life this Christmas, that's for sure. We can talk about Christmas, can't we? It's only two months away.

52:59Andrew Allen: Mate, they're selling mince pies in the petrol station that was in today. They had the fucking tubs of Quality Street and roses in the supermarket three weeks ago around here. It's fucking insane. Christmas cards in shops. It's not even been Halloween. Have some respect for All Hallows' Eve. Yes, please. The pagan ritual versus the Christian festival, I guess. But no, the 22 looks amazing, to be honest, man. And forward by Ian Wright as well. Forward by Ian Wright, yeah. So it's a real collector's item. So like I said, there's a link in the show notes. You can have a quick look and peruse what this is going to be and stand by for more details is all I can say.

53:45Very, very, very exciting. Yes. now do you want to go first with a question or will i i will go first okay uh this is a question

53:57Andrew Allen: i don't think we necessarily need to answer but i enjoyed it from our all wayne 75 who said is nonny actually right-footed but doesn't know it um of course it was his right-footed cross for ben white that helped find the breakthrough against leeds that's true yeah a right-footed goal this weekend but actually the question i really wanted to attend to was this one from cat joseph who says does madueke's goal show why we should look to shoot more speculatively against low blocks i understand it's hard to manufacture the space for a shot at times but we also pass up the less clear efforts in order to keep the ball and keep probing one little nick on the ball through a crowd and the keeper has no chance yeah yes i would like to see us have a bit of a go from distance i mean we've seen it haven't we with Bruno Gimmarais, for example, at Newcastle, where it was a shot from outside the box.

54:54I think it was just inside the D, and he spanked that one in, and that's what cracked open another tight game, right, in the second half. Sunderland, yeah. Yeah. What did I say, Brighton?

55:04Andrew Allen: You said Newcastle. If he does that at Newcastle, I'd absolutely love it. Uh-oh. Yeah. I would say apologies to any Sunderland or Newcastle fans listening, but why would you be fucking listening to this? but yes at Sunderland obviously there is value if you've got people who can strike the ball well then I think there is value in that it is about finding the space and the time to have the shots though because I think there were moments today where it nearly happened you know a couple of times it nearly happened there was one for Marino I think there was one for Odegaard maybe one for Rice as well where you're sort of saying oh here it is here's the opportunity to have a go but they did close us down very, very quickly.

55:43And then it becomes pointless. You know, if the guy's a yard in front of you, there's very little point in having the shot. Whereas I think what Matueke's shot demonstrated was that if you have got a little injection of pace and skill, which I think he demonstrated in that moment, right? Where he's got that little bit of a burst that maybe some other players or we don't really have in the team. He is quick. and he did make space with a nice shimmy and a step over, as we said. So it's about finding that combination of those things, creating those opportunities through a little bit of quality rather than just sort of trying to shift a team from left to right to left to right to left to right to find the chance.

56:28Yeah.

56:29Andrew Allen: Yeah, we spoke about that, his kind of willingness to play the riskier, no words came out there. What I meant to say was, I think, make the riskier play. Okay. Something along those lines. Right. But yeah, I think when you are faced with those kind of mass ranks of defenders taking shots from the edge of the box, which might take a ricochet through, it's a good policy. I mean, Frank Lampard made a career out of it, frankly. No, it's true. It's true. Yeah, I think as well, there comes a point in a game, doesn't there, where you maybe have to assess where you are and how you're playing and what have you done so far.

57:14I mean, the Rice chance that we made was maybe the best chance of the game from Arsenal's perspective. I think it was a better chance than Matueke's. For sure. You know? But if that doesn't go in and you can only make one of those in 75 minutes, whatever it is, maybe you have to be speculative. You know, what is the age-old solution to needing a goal? You stick a center half up front, you just lump the ball into the box. There comes a point where you do have to sort of recognize that at times you need to just try something, you know, as industrial as it might be. Over to you, Andrew. Over to me.

57:55Okay, here is one from Skrinf, and they are skrinf.bsky.social. And they say, do you think Rice and Bruno Gimeraj can work as a pair? It seems to me, at the moment, Rice is running wherever he feels like, and Bruno is struggling to work out what space is left for him.

58:21Andrew Allen: Yeah, it was interesting in the first half. something I noticed was that Bruno, Odegaard and Eze at times were kind of all operating sort of in that 8-10 spot within the width of the penalty area. And I think that played its part in the kind of quite circuitous, congested football. Do I think Rice and Bruno can play together? Yes. They're really good footballers. Yeah. What Bruno, if Bruno has a weakness, you know, it has been said he needs someone to do his running for him. I can't imagine a player better suited to that than Declan Rice. Like, I think they are inherently complementary. I think that they have a nice balance of attributes.

59:13Andrew Allen: I think they absolutely can develop that understanding. It's early days, though. It's really early days. And I must say, I do feel at the moment, as a rule, I tend to feel a bit better about the football we play when Myles Lewis-Gelly is in that midfield. It's not to say I think he's a better player than Bruno Gimores, but I don't know. I feel like he's done really, really well when he's played. And when he comes out, I think I find myself missing him. What do you think he might have offered today that would have changed the complexion of that game? Because I think the... I don't know. Yeah, I mean, we just mentioned the Bruno goal against Sunderland.

1:00:07That's what cracked that game open. Absolutely, and I'm not suggesting Miles has that in his opinion. No, I don't think he does. But I kind of know what you're saying as well. but maybe it is just about building relationships and building connections and understanding where they're going to be. I thought at times in the first half, I thought Bruno was looking a bit crafty, a couple of nice bits of footwork and just trying to find the space to play the ball forward. I think the issue today was there was no space to play the ball forward. There were no channels to play the ball into because Forrest had them all blocked off and that might be down to our movement, but also I think, you know, they recognized where Arsenal might be able to hurt them.

1:00:52It was very, very difficult for us to get between the lines. It happened a couple of times in the second half, but not really in the first half where, you know, you want to see a player, let's say like Odegaard, for example, or maybe even your centre forward, find themselves in a little bit of space between the midfield line and the defensive line. And that space just was not there today because of the way Forrest set up.

1:01:19Andrew Allen: No, I think that's fair. I think Bruno, obviously, his inclination is to play higher than Myles. In terms of what Myles offers, though, I do think that the fact that he does play deeper, I think he's one of our better vertical passers in the group. You know, like I'd rather see Miles with the ball at his feet, 40 yards out, than Gabriel, Konza, maybe even Declan Rice. In terms of his ability to kind of find a pass through the line or beat a man in possession, I do think he accelerates our play from deep in a way that might enable us to find space further upfield. Don't know. To be honest, it's not something I've worked out.

1:02:08Andrew Allen: I just, I just, I understand where the question comes from, because I totally accept that the Bruno-Rice partnership is still meshing. Yeah. And for whatever reason, I think Myles and Rice seem to have a more developed understanding at this point in time. Yeah, which is interesting because they didn't really play a great deal together in midfield anyway. It happened very late. Yeah, maybe just not. Funny, James, I just went to the Arsenal website just to see what Mikel Arteta had said, because I haven't had a chance. We haven't had time yet because we've jumped straight on the mics to look at his press conference.

1:02:47I didn't see his postgame interview. Arsenal.com. Arteta, we're showing great attacking flow. Wow. Okay. David Raya, we showed maturity and desire. I connect a little bit more with that one than the great attacking flow.

1:03:06Andrew Allen: So I must, I've clicked through that link because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But bizarrely, when you click through, it's actually a reaction to the Lille match. Sneaky. Yes. Yes. So how that's ended up as the main story on arsenal.com, I suspect is some sort of coding error. Well, it's not like that website to have some issues these days. Sorry, that's an unfortunate Paul quote to have gone for. Yeah. Yeah. The PR is in overdrive. but yes that I don't think even even Mikel would try that one tonight

1:03:59yeah

1:04:00Andrew Allen: I mean you know I'm flicking through his quotes but he has spoken about the winning record sort of on a on a wider perspective and the ability to grind out the results grind out the the wins that is the big theme of the day yeah Yeah. I've got a question here. We spoke about Madueke, who was a substitute, came on, made a big impact. Evil Elvis said, can we give Jokerez some flowers? He may not have scored, but he won almost every long ball, relieving pressure on the team. Did the dirty side of the job well today?

1:04:43I mean, he did get the ball in the channels a couple of times, to be fair. I don't think Havertz was good today, particularly. I don't think Jokerez was, I mean, he wasn't bad. But did he have a shot? There was one moment, I think, actually, where it was about to open up for him to have a shot. He played it back to the edge of the box and I think he might have been Rice who had a shot or whatever. Yes, yes, I remember that. I mean, he was all right, but I, you know.

1:05:16Andrew Allen: I thought he was a bit better today I thought he was a bit more sort of physically engaged with the task at hand and you know it's one of those games whereas again I was watching De Lapp who I think is pretty limited forward to be honest with you in some respects and I was sort of found myself thinking the way he's kind of putting himself about like that's what you that's what we need to see from Victor when he plays I agree with that I agree with you about DeLapp being a bit limited, but he does know how to use his body and use his strength. Yeah. Very well. There was a moment he got away from Gabrielle down the right-hand side at one point.

1:05:54Thankfully, the end product is not there from him, but I think the way he sort of gave Conce and Gabrielle something to think about today. Yeah.

1:06:04Andrew Allen: And I thought in his cameo, I thought Victor showed more encouraging signs, I think, in terms of his ability to sort of, his willingness to kind of, you know, fight those duels and run those channels. If I think back to a few weeks ago, he looked so disengaged. Obviously, what he needs is goals. That's really what he needs. And I think and hope that could make a really big difference to him. It's like all of the players. And like we've, you know, we've said about him, we've said about Ezza, we've said about players who are maybe a bit peripheral who haven't really played very much. The ideal scenario for all of us as fans is that they find a way to contribute and they find a way to get some form and get some rhythm and give the manager problems to think about.

1:06:54I would like nothing more than for both of our strikers to be giving the manager a headache because of how well they're playing. Not sure that's where we are right now, but I would like nothing more than that. Same with whoever we've got on the left or in any position. you know

1:07:10Andrew Allen: well speaking of the left I had some Eze questions do you mind if I no of course pivot to that one so notorious AFC goodly morning or evening as the case may be is Arteta going to lose patience with Eze can't remember the last time he blew us away in a game probably Tottenham do you think him on the left is ever going to work it's not looking good for him at Arsenal and it's a real shame he's not lit up the place like we were hoping. Yeah. Did I say to you last week that I was worried about him? I think you probably did. Yeah. I think I did. And I think I am. I remain. I remain worried. I have to say.

1:07:56What's your worry, Andrew? What's your worry? Consistency. Like I saw him in the first half today and there was a, moment when he sort of took the ball nicely, turned, drove towards the opposition box, and then sort of overran it. And then Forrest got the ball. He really did try and sprint and close down. I can see him working. I can see him working hard. You know what I mean? I don't, you know, I know he's one of those players whose body language can be a bit what's the word? It gives you maybe the wrong impression of what they're doing, you know. But I thought there was something about the way he was trying to close down the opposition when he didn't have the ball or when he'd given the ball away or made a mistake that showed he is kind of desperate to contribute and desperate for the manager to see that, you know, even if it doesn't work, he will work to get the ball back, you know, that kind of thing.

1:09:04but I just don't know that the manager fully trusts him. I don't know. It's, it's a tough one. You know, there's so much talent there and so much ability and so much. We talk about individual moments and players who can deliver individual moments and the goals that they can score and the way they can strike the ball. He's one of those players for me that he has a lot of quality in that sense, But the consistency of being able to deliver that just hasn't been there. And I think we're, what, you know, 12 months on, a little over 12 months on. And as with, let's say, Jokka Rez, the fact that there are always questions about Eze is indicative that something isn't 100 % right there, you know?

1:09:54Andrew Allen: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if, yeah, if you were building a kind of word cloud of the questions we've had over the last 12 months, you know, Victor and Eze would have pretty big, pretty big words in those. And, you know, that's partly because of the interest in them and the excitement and the expectation and probably some disappointment really about their performance level since. I reflected today you know as it being sort of reunited with Oliver Glasner and I reflected on how alien kind of playing against this low block probably is for him you know we think of him as a very crafty technical player and is he going to pick the lock but actually a lot of his best moments in that Glasner team in that Palace team and you know I suppose it's kind of crystallised in that FA Cup winning goal, sort of the apotheosis of his time at Palace.

1:10:59Andrew Allen: It's a counter-attack, right? It's a breakaway. Running into space, arriving onto the ball, edge of the box. And I, yeah, it's interesting because we see him as a player who has those tools, but I just wonder how much experience does he have of that situation, of that particular setup and obstacle to overcome? Because he's not unlocked it for us in the way that we all hoped. That's for sure. No. No. And I think we're, I don't want to say we're at a tipping point yet because he's only a year into his Arsenal career. And things can change very, very quickly in football. and I really hope they do, you know, for him and for all of our players who are struggling a little bit to find their form.

1:11:49But it's a kind of nonstop conversation about, you know, where does he fit? What's his best position? Is it on the left? I don't think it is. Is it in the center? Well, is he going to play ahead of Gimaraes or Odegaard? Not at the moment. So I don't know. it's a tricky one I think it's a tricky one sometimes a good player isn't always a great fit for a team that's true and I kind of worry that that's where we are with him

1:12:24Andrew Allen: yeah I mean I must say for balance I like this contribution from Stethosaurus who said a frustration I have with fans is that we're too quick to decide a player who isn't playing well or fitting into a system is unhappy or has no future Do we need to be patient with players like Eze and accept we need very good players to have a role later in the season without it being a drama? But everything's a drama. Everything is a drama these days. That's the unfortunate world in which we live. And I think, you know, we do our very best here to try and look at things objectively. that if we have concerns, we can express those concerns, you know, while acknowledging there are things about this team or players that are positive as well, right?

1:13:11But I can't shake that feeling with Ezza at the moment. I hope in six months' time or in three months' time, I hope I'm sitting here going, what was I even worrying about? Look at what he's doing. I really hope that is the case. But I don't know. I just have like a sort of gut feeling that it's, something's not quite right. And I don't mean it's a lack of appreciation of his talent or a lack of work on his part or lack of effort or anything like that. I just don't know.

1:13:42Andrew Allen: This is what Mikel said, by the way, to Sky on Eze. He said, three days ago, he scored a goal. He should have scored three and we were all happy. So this is football. One day it's brilliant. the next day, especially with attacking players, to play against a team that defends with 10 players in and around the box, the nine dropping almost at the edge with that Christmas tree, it's extremely difficult to get in there and that's it. But that's why you need fresh legs, a different profile and try different things. Yeah, well, fair enough. And let's see what happens in midweek. You know, if he starts or doesn't start in Munich, maybe he comes off the bench and has an impact and we're having a different conversation about him.

1:14:22and I hope, you know, I hope so.

1:14:24Andrew Allen: I'd be very surprised if he starts. I would be very surprised too. I did enjoy this from once, twice, three times O 'Leary. That's great. He said, we seem to be going through a phase of not scoring in first halves and substitutes playing major roles in our goals. So should Mikel start making substitutions around 30 minutes? Well, yeah, maybe. Yeah. Maybe. That'd be the talking point. the old Unai roll of the dice. Let me ask you this one. Go on. GKMD on the Discord asks, does the fact that we don't win with enough margin worry you that Max will not get enough game time in the Premier League? I know he's young, but he needs to play, and if we can't get him game time, are we delaying his progress?

1:15:16Andrew Allen: Hmm. I must say that's not something that, has worried me thus far. I'm just going to have a look at Max and see where he's played. So he made one start in the League Cup, which went rather well, you'll recall. One Premier League substitute appearance, one Champions League substitute appearance, but a combined total of just 14 minutes across those competitions. I think that's okay. he is still 16 years old.

1:15:55Andrew Allen: I do wonder if as the season goes on, we'll see more from Max. And I don't know, maybe it's as simple as once he turns 17, maybe there's, you know, a bit more comfort, a bit more confidence to kind of use him in some of these situations. Because again, talking about the problems we have, And the low blocks we encounter, if you took age out of it and you just looked at who are the players with the talent and the skill set to counteract that. Well, Max would probably be quite high on that list. Because of the way he takes the ball into the box and dribbles. and... Yeah. Yeah. Wins penalties and all sorts.

1:16:49Andrew Allen: But I think... He just finds himself at the back of a... Towards the back of a pretty stacked queue at this point in time. In terms of the size of the squad. Is it stacked if Matuweke is starting to make an impact on the left and Saka is on the right-hand side who had a quiet game again today. Obviously had a big impact in midweek with a goal and an assist. but struggled. I was a little disappointed that after Williams got booked, he didn't sort of run him again and again and again, which seems to be like a thing with Arsenal players. I can't remember how many times I've thought, okay, the fullback's on a booking now, an early booking, get at him, just keep running at him and causing problems.

1:17:38Didn't really happen. But if Matuake is on the left and I don't see Eze as an option on the right, you know is there a point where where Max starts to come into the equation a little more easily

1:17:53Andrew Allen: I think so I mean Fleetwood on the 27th is probably his next start isn't it I think if he does well there again there's a game the following week in Prague you know he'd be looking at that thinking can I get some more Champions League minutes so absurd isn't it it almost feels like Champions League minutes might be easier for him to come by than Premier League at this moment in time

1:18:25but yeah I don't think

1:18:28Andrew Allen: it's a worry at this incredibly early stage both of the season and his career in terms of Premier League opportunities but I do understand the excitement and also the desire for there to be a pathway way but maybe a day like today as well where yeah on the one hand you're saying 16 years of age it's a tough game we're struggling you know it's just the right moment to put him in and then the other side of you is going well fuck it he's 16 he is really talented we are struggling to find a way through maybe this is what you need to do look at him as a kind of a sort of a wild card in some ways for situations like this when, you know, if it's a different day and Saka's tearing it up, I understand why you stick with him.

1:19:19But maybe that risk is there. But, you know, I think the point about winning with enough margin is an interesting one as well, because I think if we're winning that game 2 or 3-0, imagine such a thing. Crazy thing. Wild fantasy. Wild fantasies indeed. We had some questions. Can I ask another one? Do you mind? Because we had loads of questions like this. uh let's say ryan 105.bsky.social how good is consa arteta's had some really good buys but he may be better than gabby and then we had a load of questions about like um here we are uh zooby zooby doo on the discord consa's slotted in so perfectly it begs the question what happens when And Big Willie comes back and has on the discord as well says, how much has Consa surprised you since his arrival?

1:20:13When we were linked with him initially, I just thought it was on paper, another six out of 10 signing until Saliba returned, but he has been sensational, at least in my opinion. And a lot of people were, were asking that same sort of question is to like, what happens to Saliba when Saliba comes back?

1:20:31Andrew Allen: I think sleep will be okay. To be honest, Get off the fence! Yeah, I'm not too worried about Willie. But we don't know what he'll be like physically and we don't know how regularly he'll immediately be ready to play and to what extent he might have to be eased back into action. I'm glad we've got all these questions about Konza because I really, really, really like him. I think he's been excellent. And I kind of feel like I owe an apology, really, because I think he's just one of those players that when he's not playing for your team, you don't really notice his quality. But I think he's been...

1:21:22Andrew Allen: I mean, I don't think we could have hoped for any more, really, than what he's produced in his start at the club. um i i found it quite interesting that when the move was announced or when it was you know it was rumored for a while but then when it was going through a lot of the aston villa fan reaction was fuck yeah shit like and they were very one they really didn't want to lose yeah they were very very like not all of them but like most of them were like Like, well, you know, fair enough. He's given us loads of great years and he's going to join Arsenal. So fair enough. But like shit, you know, and I think the consensus on that was very, very interesting to me because like a couple of the questioners, I was like, you know, when we were linked with him, I was like, I don't know about this.

1:22:14but I will finish this podcast and go down and have a big slice of, of humble pie because I think, I think he's been defensively fantastic. And I think when we analyze the signing, right, when we looked at in what way can Esri Konza substitute for William Saliba, one of the things I remember thinking was the, the passing and I'm almost certain that in nearly every game this season, he's been in the 90 % for pass completion. I think today he was the highest Arsenal pass completion, 97.5 % pass completion. I'm not sure how many passes. I think Rice made more passes. I think that aspect of his game, his security in possession is what makes him such a sort of facsimile of Saliba and why he slotted in so well alongside Gabriel.

1:23:18Andrew Allen: Yeah, really, I've been so, so impressed. So impressed. He makes the game look simple and he keeps it simple. You know, I think there's a lot to be said for that. and we talk quite often about Mikel being ruthless and I actually think in some ways the signing of Konza was a bit ruthless. You know, we paid a lot of money to get him in. I think it was quite harsh really on Christian Mascara who hasn't put many feet wrong, you know, since he came into the club and arguably deserved to have that run and be that guy to step in. But Mikel determined that we needed someone who was more experienced, more kind of battle-hardened in the Premier League.

1:24:04Andrew Allen: And I think the value of that has been shown. In terms of what it means longer term, I just think it means we've got three super reliable options at centre-half. And I remember when Konza signed, like I was very confident he'd play a lot of games. And I think even once Saliba comes back, I think he'll still get a lot of minutes and play a lot of football. I agree with that. I agree with that. I don't see him sort of disappearing. Well, yeah. I think Gabriel has played every minute of every game so far, has he, or more or less? There was a Konza-Gabriel timeshare game. Was that the EFL Cup? Maybe it was.

1:24:51I think it was, yeah. Well, they did a half each. At some point, that man is going to need to have to sit down for a game or two, you know? So if you've got Saliba in Konza and you've got, you know, Saliba plays on the left, doesn't he, for France? So it's not out of his wheelhouse to play over there. Yeah, he's been very, very, very impressive so far. I like the way he plays. I like the no-nonsense aspect of his game and his defending and I think, you know, as I said, in possession, he's so good on the ball. He just helps us keep the ball in tight areas, particularly at the back. And does look sometimes for the adventurous pass as well.

1:25:33So I like that too.

1:25:35Andrew Allen: Yeah, yeah, he's really tidy. I mean, even the way he takes the ball off attackers, like it's often quite deft and quite skillful. He'll stick out a heel and bring the ball under control or, you know, just get his foot in front of somebody. It's just a really, really good defender. and yeah, he's been excellent. Yeah. I think the manager got it right, you know? I think so too. I think so. I think we've kind of done everything. Yeah. Listen, mate, we did well. We did pretty well. Nothing happened for 70 minutes. We did really well. So we've got Munich on Wednesday. That's a test, isn't it? It is, yeah.

1:26:15Andrew Allen: No Elisa, of course, who was sent off. but they're still yeah I mean they're one of the favours as are we for the competition so it's a big test Is it a bigger test for Arsenal or is it a bigger test for Bayern with all due respect to the other teams in the Bundesliga you know if they're turning you know mid lower table German teams over every week or every other week is this more of a test for Bayern as a way to gauge where they are? Or, you know, is it just taken as read that they're going to be one of the favourites? Well, invariably they're there or thereabouts, aren't they? But I think so.

1:26:59Andrew Allen: I think they're so dominant domestically, although I think they're not yet pulled clear of the pack in Germany. Give it time. Yeah, you give it time. But I think, yeah, it's sort of, It tells us a lot about their level, but I think it's big for us as well. I think it's not a game Arsenal need to win, given the nature of this league phase. But we know that, I think we know by now that Mikel Arteta puts a lot of emphasis on these big Champions League matches and wanting to put a bit of a marker down. So I think it'd be a really interesting one. Yeah, sure will. And we beat them, was it last season?

1:27:43I think we beat them last season, did we?

1:27:45Andrew Allen: Was the season before we beat them 2-0? I think it was last season, wasn't it? In the same week that we beat Spurs, beat them at the Emirates. That's right. Was there like a Gabriel Martinelli goal? Breakaway goal, was that? There was indeed. Right. Maybe he'll play. Oh. We actually had a question about Martinelli and Trossard, but I was like, I can't go there today. It's just not possible. Can't do that. Can't do that. We got to get on with our lives at some stage. That's it. You've got to get back to the model village. Exactly. All the models are waiting for you there. In their outfits or not.

1:28:23All right. Well, listen, thank you all for listening. We really do appreciate it. Don't forget to download the new Arseblog app, which you can get for iOS and for Android, packed full of new features, a match day center, all the stats and bits and bobs that you need. You can connect your Patreon account as well and play all the Patreon content through the Arse Blog app if you would like. So you can get that from the Google Play Store and the App Store for iPhones and Androids or iPhones and iPads. That's what I was trying to say. We will talk about the Bayern Munich game on Patreon. We'll have a preview podcast on Patreon on Tuesday.

1:29:01Tomorrow, we'll look back at all the weekend's Premier League action in the 30. So if you fancy joining us for that, if you're not already a member and you want to be able to get first dibs on the book, The 22, which we talked about earlier, patreon.com forward slash arseblog. For now, though, folks, take it easy and we will catch you on the next one.

1:29:18Andrew Allen: Bye bye.