Arsecast Extra Episode 720 - 09.11.2026

0:01James McNicholas: You know, you don't have to wait to shop Black Friday at Lowe's, right? Save up to$150 now and select power tools, equipment and accessories. Got gifts to get? We've got plenty under$50. Plus, My Lowe's Rewards members get same day delivery for free. Shop Black Friday deals before the rush at Lowe's. Valid through 1118. $25 minimum and loyalty membership acquired. Order eligible items by 2 p.m. Subject to weight and size restrictions and availability. Terms at Lowe's.com slash shipping terms.

0:45James McNicholas: Hello and welcome to another Arsecast Extra. As always, we're James from Gunner Blog. James, a goodly morning to you.

0:52Andrew Allen: Goodly morning to you too, man. I'm getting in the rhythm of these goodly mornings now. Yeah. I'm enjoying this goodly morning life.

1:00James McNicholas: There is that guy who doesn't like him, but, you know, Mikel Arteta's free-scoring Arsenal team keep causing him a problem in that sense.

1:11Andrew Allen: Exactly. We're the Harlem Globetrotters of football. Lorded by all, loved by all. Oh, gosh. Well, we keep winning, that's for sure.

1:22James McNicholas: We do, we do. And you came over for the game. I did come over, yeah, a weekend over. We obviously did the book launch of the 22 in the Big Red on Friday night, which was really good. Great to see some people. Congratulations, by the way, on that. Thank you very much. Everyone seemed to like the book and the package and everything else. So that was really great. That's been a fun project to work on. And, yeah, that was good. And then went to the game on Saturday, which was, yeah, I don't know. It was a little frustrating, I have to say. I found that game quite frustrating. but maybe it's because maybe it's because there were moments I think in this game where we we didn't really turn the screw in the way that I think we could have you know it's quite funny this ongoing debate or ongoing discussion about style versus end product and you know we've been through some dark times on this podcast over the years if someone had said to you like if Arsenal were maybe not the most entertaining team in the world but kept winning games like 1-0, would you take it?

2:28James McNicholas: I think we probably would have said absolutely. Winning is all that matters. We were probably calling for exactly that, I would imagine. Yeah, I'd say we probably did at some point in the past. You know, just win some games and stop the nonsense. So we're low nonsense, high winning, low scoring, very effective. That's the world we live in now.

2:51Andrew Allen: But are you saying, Andrew, that we maybe could have made this a little easier for ourselves? Was that your feeling on Saturday?

2:59James McNicholas: Yeah, that was my feeling. I felt like there was a sort of a slight lack of precision in many of the things that we did in this game in the first half. You know, the passing wasn't quite there. The pass is not quite finding the target, you know, quickly enough or in the path. You know, when they play a pass in the path of a player rather than him having to stop and check back and take the ball, things like that. I was a bit surprised by, not surprised by Hull, but I kind of envisaged them playing with much more of a deep block. And it was a deep block. And at one point I was sitting, looking across the whole back line, and they had six players in the back line.

3:40James McNicholas: It wasn't a back five. There were times where it was actually a back six. But they also combined that with some sort of high pressing at times, which was, I guess, part of their plan. And it seemed to work for quite a while.

3:55Andrew Allen: Yeah. I mean, he kind of trailed it in his pre-match press conference, the whole manager, where he said, look, if we come to the Emirates and we just sit in and we just play in a low block, we'll get beaten and handsomely beaten. Which is interesting, I think, given that we often, as fans, feel that a low block can be something that we struggle with. I think it shows that we've got much better at that. And the opposition view is, nah, that's not a good place to be. But he was as good as his word, really. I think that they came out with, as you say, a bit of a hybrid system that enabled them to get up the pitch at times too.

4:33Andrew Allen: And as frustrating an afternoon as it was for an Arsenal perspective, it probably felt a bit cruel for Hull, who I think acquitted themselves pretty well on the day.

4:43James McNicholas: I think so, but I was sitting right above their fans. I've got no sympathy for them whatsoever. No way. They didn't get to do their little tiger mime, tragically. No, they didn't. They didn't, did they? There was a moment where they got a goal kick and they were all in unison singing Same Old Arsenal, Always Cheating. I was like, you've got a goal kicker. What are you talking about? Like they sang it when Havertz went over at one point and they were singing it there, but they had a goal kick and they were singing it. So they were quite irritating, I have to say. So I've got no sympathy whatsoever for Hull.

5:21James McNicholas: I guess the team we could talk about a little bit. Mattaweke, Solis Havertz was the front three. Rice, Gimaraes, Odegaard. The midfield trio again, which now seems to be the sort of, I guess, the go-to for Mikel Arteta at this point.

5:40Andrew Allen: Yeah, the A1 lineup, it feels like, you know. That for me was sort of the only real significant selection decision. Assuming Konza was fine and fit to play, it was about who would be in midfield alongside Odegaard. And of course, Declan Rice. And yeah, Bruno, he seems to be Mikel Arteta's preferred choice at this moment in time. I think it's as much about trying to get him bedded in and acclimatised and build those relationships. It was very interesting, just to fast forward to the post-match press conference, you know, Mikel was offered an opportunity to praise Bruno and his performance in this game, which I think was an improvement on some of his previous starting games.

6:28Andrew Allen: But he immediately was like, we want more, we need more. And I think there is a feeling that we need to extract what this player is capable of and that we're not quite getting it. And I think I share that feeling.

6:44James McNicholas: Yeah. He said he's much better. He had a massive impact. He's hitting serious levels now, but we can still take him to another level. That's my conviction. I told him that in the dressing room. He owned a lot of moments in the game, but there is still much more to come. Do you think that's technical or physical or maybe both?

7:03Andrew Allen: I think a bit of both. We said physical a little bit last week. But I also just think it's relationships. It's interesting. I think he kind of came into his own a little bit once Declan Rice went off, strangely, and he sort of became the senior man in midfield and the guy that everything went through. So I think it's balance, relationships, understanding, that side of it. I think, you know, individually, there's no doubt he's got all the assets to be a top midfielder in this team. But I think, yeah, he's not quite hitting the level that he attained at Newcastle yet. And maybe that's to be expected.

7:48Andrew Allen: You know, what did you think of his performance?

7:51James McNicholas: I thought he was better in the second half than the first half. Yeah. I don't know if it was quite to do with Rice going off or not, but maybe with Rice off, he takes a bit more responsibility. I like the fact he tries certain passes that not all of our midfielders will try I do feel sometimes he looks for that pass a little too much if you know what I mean where I think at Newcastle they were quite dependent on him weren't they you know he was that guy who could make a difference for Newcastle because of the quality he has whereas I think at Arsenal you know he's much more of a cog in the wheel or the machine or whatever you want to say rather than the main man which I think he kind of was at Newcastle so that's probably an adjustment for him but I thought he was better in the second half than in the first but I'm interested to see you know how Mikel Arteta gets more out of him and what more he's looking for from him because I think there probably is a physical thing you know there's no question Arsala are the fittest team in the league or one of the fittest teams in the league i think we regularly outrun our opposition in pretty much every game that we play and we know that michael arteta demands a lot of his players in that sense as well but i think a lot of it maybe is to do with decision making too and you know how you use the ball and um you know if you've got odegaard with you and you've got declan rice behind you you know you don't have to try it every time that might be the the way to look at it so um an encouraging performance though i think you know based on the second half anyway what was I going to say the moments I guess you would say that we had in the first half were kind of few and far between weren't they in terms of goal scoring where we had that chance for Gabriel at the back post I think it was Konza headed a Matueke cross on there was a Declan Rice free kick which was easily saved there was a Declan Rice header towards the end of the half which he probably will feel he should have done better with rather than head directly at the goalkeeper.

9:58James McNicholas: Yeah. The big moment for me, though, that nearly made me lose my mind was Kai Havertz. Because, listen, Hull are playing with this deep block, back six, back five, whatever you want to call it. There's a lot of talk about how much Kai Havertz is offside this season, and maybe we'll have a question about that later. But the pass from Odegaard is really, really good. I feel like he has to shoot there. I know it's not on his strong foot, but I feel like he absolutely just has to pull the trigger first time there. I don't know quite what he's trying to do, whether he's trying to come back on his left or whether he's trying to, you know, lay it off for somebody coming in behind him.

10:34James McNicholas: But that was a frustrating moment.

10:37Andrew Allen: It was. I think he is trying to come back onto his stronger foot, but there were howls of frustration all around the press books, to be honest. Like it was a very, very audible, instinctive response from the Arsenal fans who were very, very disappointed in Kai's decision there to check back rather than push on and shoot. And, you know, I think in some ways it kind of encapsulated some of the frustrations of the first half, failing to have that cutting edge in the key moments. And a little bit, I mean, I know Kai obviously, he's coming off the back of a winning goal at Anfield. So it's important to give context.

11:19Andrew Allen: But I think if you look at his last month or two, I think that moment sort of encapsulated some of the frustrations with him.

11:28James McNicholas: Yes. Yeah, I mean, we can talk about there's a really interesting quote about Mikel Arteta and or from Mikel Arteta rather talking about how he wants the team to be more chaotic. I think, you know, that might be a moment that he's thinking of in that sense where it's not necessarily chaos, but hit the hit the ball first time. He really has to hit the ball for his time there, in my opinion. But there was obviously another incident involving Kai, which was when he went down in the box and he seemed very, very sure that he had been fouled. Sometimes, you know, when a player is just sort of chancing their arm a little bit.

12:05James McNicholas: But the way he reacted, I was looking at him, you know, from the stands thinking something here. But play went on and play went on for some time. and then the referee stopped the game and was told to go to the monitor to have a look.

12:23Andrew Allen: Yeah, I mean, presumably Kai had in his mind what happened to Alexander Azak when he didn't react. Maybe so. I'm not going to make that mistake.

12:30James McNicholas: Yeah, maybe so. Maybe so, but when the referee went over, I was like, okay, well, we're going to get a penalty here because they generally don't tell the referee to go over unless it's a penalty. And then the after review announcement was that there was a holding offense and everybody was cheering at that point. Everybody started cheering. And then he's sort of like, however, the red 29 is in an offside position. So it's a free kick to Hull. I mean, it just felt like a complete and utter waste of time in, you know, at the game. And I'm sure for everyone watching, it just felt like a waste of time.

13:08James McNicholas: Like, what are you doing?

13:10Andrew Allen: yeah it was a bit of a um a panto announcement wasn't it because it was like after review those famous words um there is a holding offense and everyone cheers and it's like however uh kai habits is offside and then you know i've i'm lucky enough to at least have a monitor in front of me so i'm looking down and i'm seeing oh yeah he's offside and and to be honest at that moment in time, my frustration was, surely they should have checked the offside before they called him over to have a look at it. So anyway, play goes on. And then I think it was at halftime that somebody first flagged to me, well, by the letter of the law, it's a penalty.

13:58James McNicholas: Yeah, that he's not offside until he makes a move for the ball or something. Is that what it is? And then the actual foul on him is the thing that happens first. So that's what should have been given. I mean. Yeah.

14:14Andrew Allen: So he's not committed an offside offense. He stood in an offside position, but he's not committed an offense. Therefore, the foul takes precedence. I think it's law 11.2 in the FA's laws of the game. Now, I've got to be honest with you, Andrew, and say, I don't think that doesn't sound sort of in my, in my internal football ethics. I don't know if that sounds right to me.

14:40James McNicholas: I know what you mean. I know what you mean, but if, but if it is the rule, if it is the law, it is the law. How have the referees or the, or the VAR, you know, got it wrong. I don't know. I mean,

14:54Andrew Allen: I heard somebody saying there's a degree of interpretation involved. It doesn't seem that interpretation. No, I think the venerable Dale Johnson, I think, came down on the side of it being a penalty. It's one of those where I'm like, I'll be very interested to hear the audio on that if it's released, because surely somebody in that conversation has to know that law. That's their literal job, right? It's their literal job.

15:28James McNicholas: to know the laws of the game and apply the laws of the game to incidents that happen within the game.

15:35Andrew Allen: Yeah. So, yeah, like, I think it's a curious law and I'm intrigued as to why it is worded the way it is. But by that wording, it should absolutely be a penalty.

15:50James McNicholas: Yeah. It's a, yeah, it's a weird one. It is a weird one. It just, you know.

15:55Andrew Allen: The reason it exists, apparently, is that otherwise, if you think about it, a defender can just boot an attacker when they're in an offside position without repercussion. But I have to think there's maybe another way of wording that, you know, where it's like described as a serious off the ball offense or something like that. Sure. Yeah, I don't know. But we should have had a penalty and maybe it would have been a much more straightforward afternoon's work had we got it.

16:29James McNicholas: Yes, it might have been, but we didn't get it. And then, of course, you're into the second half and you start to get a bit nervy, a bit antsy, a bit worried about, you know, how we're going to find the breakthrough. I mean, this is a game we kind of dominated, right, in terms of possession, in terms of shots, in terms of territory where the game was played. but it all it still sort of felt like how are we going to find a way through here where is the goal going to come from it did seem probably the best avenue for a goal was going to be via Nani Maitowiecki who was given the ball a lot particularly in the second half and asked to to sort of drive at the defenders and and try and make something happen he I think was probably the most effective Arsenal outlet on the day, even if there were moments where, you know, the final ball or the final decision wasn't quite 100%, but he was willing, wasn't he?

17:29James McNicholas: He was always looking for the ball. There was a moment, I think, when himself and Martin Odegaard got in a bit of a, not a scrap, but certainly, Matawake wanted the ball. Odegaard took it off and Matawake was like, he sort of threw a little bit of a strop for a few minutes or a few seconds anyway. But he did want the ball. He was willing and he was willing to try and try and try and try again.

17:53Andrew Allen: He was, yeah. I think he was probably Arsenal's best attacking player on the day. I mean, it's a bit like being Manchester United's best defender at the moment. But I think he's had a really good period, Nonny. I think if you look at kind of this run of games between the two international breaks, I think he's been one of our best performers throughout that. And Mikel Arteta has been very quick to praise him and his attitude and the way he's worked at it and the way he's responded to disappointment at international level, at least, by being left out of England's squads. But it seems to have been to Arsenal's benefit thus far.

18:32Andrew Allen: And he definitely looked the man most likely. Mikel changed it as well pretty early. Yeah. I think it was about an hour gone and he got Jokeres and Marino one. Was that right?

18:46James McNicholas: Jokeres and Marino for, it was Havertz and Rice. Declan Rice, yeah. I was looking at this one going, right, now you take Declan Rice off? I know, me too. I'm sure many people were. I did, though, you know, after the game, remember that there was a challenge on Rice in midfield where he kind of went flying through the air. The ref just sort of played on a bit. I did wonder if that was a reaction to that challenge more than anything else, because he didn't seem, based on what he'd said about how much Declan Rice had played over the last couple of games, you know, he wasn't sort of worried about how much he was using Declan Rice.

19:32James McNicholas: So I don't think it was a case that this was, I'm concerned about the amount of minutes he's got all of a sudden halfway through a game or three quarters of the way through a game where we still haven't found a goal. You don't just take Declan Rice off there, I don't think, you know, particularly when maybe a set piece could be a way of finding a goal. So I have to think it was maybe something to do with that tackle.

19:53Andrew Allen: Yeah, very possibly. It did seem a bit perverse to me that he'd stayed on in the week. I was thinking, you know, I would kind of rather have him out there for the last half hour of this one. But in fairness to Mikel Arteta, Arsenal won both games. So, you know, he will feel justified in the approach that he took. And maybe that factor, maybe that tackle, as you mentioned, kind of forced his hand.

20:18James McNicholas: Yeah. Yeah. Not long afterwards, maybe 10 minutes afterwards, we get the goal. We sort of kept plugging away down that right-hand side. Mattaweke has a shot. The keeper saves it, pushes it away from him. Every time I watch the replay of this, I'm like, how does Odegaard get there before the defender? I know. How does he get there before the defender? I just don't really understand it.

20:43Andrew Allen: It's an incredible reaction. It is, yeah.

20:46James McNicholas: To get that rebound, just be on his toes and be aware that something like that might happen. It's fantastic.

20:55Andrew Allen: It's almost like he sees it happen before it does. It's almost like he knows, right, well, Nani's cutting in, he's going to shoot towards that corner. And if I get there early, I could have an easy chance on the rebound. But brilliant anticipation, awareness, and just great reaction times too. I think if that was our keeper, we would be looking at him to push that around the post and get it away from danger. But fortunately, he doesn't. And I had the exact same response as you. I couldn't believe the alacrity of Odegaard's response.

21:30James McNicholas: Yeah, it was great. And the way he sort of squeezed the ball in between the goalkeeper's arm and the near post, etc., etc. What's that now? Five Premier League? Is it five Premier League goals? No. So five goals so far for Martin Odegaard this season. That's good.

21:47Andrew Allen: Yeah, I saw that he's now, I think he might be Arsenal's second top Premier League goal-scoring midfielder, something like that.

21:55James McNicholas: I thought you were going to say this season, then I was going to say, you know, you're probably our second top scorer.

22:01Andrew Allen: No, I just mean of all time. I mean, obviously he's hit 250 games in all competitions, but I think he's up in that company with the likes of, you know, Cesc Fabregas and... Patrick Vieira. And Ramsey. Yeah, exactly.

22:16James McNicholas: Well, esteemed company to be keeping. We probably should have scored again in this game. Oh, I would think so, yeah. There was a chance for Nani Matueke, wasn't there? Where I think he tried to go outside the goalkeeper. Again, it's one of those where I think you've just got to go with it first time, right? When you've got that space. I know the keeper is rushing out and you want to maybe just go around him, but shoot, shoot, please don't be too clever. That felt like someone trying to be just a little bit too clever. I know they have to make these decisions in like a split second and he's like going, oh, I'll just chop it back in and then I can, you know, finish up my right foot, whatever it is.

22:55James McNicholas: But yeah, he should score.

22:58Andrew Allen: I think when Mikel talks about efficiency, you know, that's probably a moment he's thinking of. It's almost like, I remember watching Arsenal's Arsenal teams and the beauty of the pass from Marino, it almost plants the seed of the idea in Nonny's mind. You know, can you imagine if I get this back flip pass and then I go around the keeper, it's going to be the sensational goal. Whereas really, in that situation, you just need to, you know, stick it away. Yeah. But good for Mourinho. I really like the way he managed to work that out. Yeah, yeah. He's a smart player.

23:34James McNicholas: He really is. Were you sort of worried at 1-0? Was that a concern for you at all? You know, we play and have done so many games on the margins, you know, with these single goal leads, whether it's 1-0 or 2-1 or whatever it might be. Like, I do wonder if, well, certainly, you know, Hull weren't that threatening. There's no real threat from them during this game at all. I think Raya had to make maybe one save in the first half, and that was about it. But, you know, even if it is on a knife edge, even if it does only take a moment, I felt pretty comfortable that we were going to be able to go and see this one out.

24:13Andrew Allen: I think so. I mean, actually, Hull's threatening moments were more early in the game. They had a header at the back post off a very early corner inside the first two minutes. that was a decent opportunity. And Calafuri, I think, made one very good block in the box in the first half as well. But other than that, I think we looked very, very comfortable. I remember Raya sort of plunging low to grab a cutback that came into the box, but not much beyond that. I mean, Mikel Arteta was still running at quite high intensity on the touchline, but that is his want, I guess.

24:52James McNicholas: Yeah, I have a question about that for part two, so I might change it for there. But that was certainly something, seeing him kick the shit out of a chair. You know? Yeah. But, you know, these are his foggy standards, as we know. It was very foggy in London this weekend, by the way. It was. Very foggy. Still is. Is it? Okay. So that's it. It's 1-0. It's sort of, okay, job done. I think it is. We've won eight out of nine. Is that it? Or is it nine out of 10? What is this?

25:31Andrew Allen: It's nine out of 10 now, Andrew. I think it's 13 of 14, perhaps, stretching back to the run in last season in the Premier League. An outstanding record.

25:41James McNicholas: It really is. 27 points, five ahead of Brighton, six ahead of Manchester City, who don't count, obviously. And who lost, of course.

25:50Andrew Allen: Yes. There was, the Hull manager was doing his press conference. I think it was 1-0 to Forrest at that particular moment. And during the press conference, there was this huge roar from somewhere in the bowels of the Emirates Stadium, like people cheering and celebrating. And I checked social media and lo and behold, it was 2-0. I don't know exactly where that roar came from, But I would venture, given the geography, a decent chance that the players' and families' lounge was the source of that delight.

26:30James McNicholas: They would have had the game on. Who knew that they were all such fans of Liam DeLapp? Quite.

26:37Andrew Allen: Well, I mean, to be fair, it was a very celebratable couple of goals that Liam DeLapp scored.

26:43James McNicholas: Was the 2-0 one the one where he broke upfield and hit it with his left?

26:47Andrew Allen: Yeah, runs half the pitch, exactly. And then the 3-1 goal is a hell of a hit off his left foot. So I've given him plenty of stick, Liam De Lapp, over the past 12 months, but he was superb.

26:59James McNicholas: See what happens when you put your foot through the ball, when you pull the trigger, when you just give it a fucking smash. Good things can happen. I mean, even the Matuake goal, to an extent, is an example of that, you know? I thought, right, yeah. Well, I mean, this was Arteta's quote. Let me get it up here. basically saying sometimes we try to score the perfect goal against low blocks, but we need to be much more chaotic than that. If we open the scoring much earlier also, it changes the game. I mean, yes, that's true. I mean, we did against Everton, for example, score early and it did change the game a little bit.

27:37James McNicholas: But to what extent do you, what do you think he means by being more chaotic? Because that is not something I'm against, by the way. Conceptually, I like it. I like the idea of a little more chaos in this Arsenal team. But it does also feel at odds with what Mikel Arteta does and how he does it and what he expects from his players.

28:01Andrew Allen: Yes, it does. But I don't know. Does he want them all to be a bit, be more nonny? Is that the message? Be more nonny, yeah. He's writing that on the whiteboard in the dressing room. Well, it's interesting that he is clearly really happy with what Non is providing at this moment in time. And he is fundamentally a more chaotic player than many of our front line. And I think it was interesting as well to hear him talk about Declan Rice recently and the way in which he wants his game to evolve. And one of the things he cited was his shooting from range and from the edge of the box, which is not something you necessarily think of Mikel Arteta's teams as doing a great deal off.

28:49Andrew Allen: He was saying he has that capacity and we need to make more use of it. So, yeah, I feel like he's almost willing or instructing his team to kind of take more chances in attacking positions in a bid to earn those advantages that open up games much, much more.

29:09James McNicholas: I mean, do you think it's linked even to the Bruno Gimeraj thing where I don't think he's chaotic per se, but he's certainly more willing to try things that maybe other players don't where their natural inclination is to be a bit more conservative or to sort of recycle and go again, whereas Bruno looks to make things happen a bit more quickly?

29:33Andrew Allen: Yeah. And if you don't mind, Andrew, if I just smash the format briefly. Sure. But you had a question you mentioned about the offsides, right? Because Arsenal, I think I'm right saying lead the way in the Premier League for offsides. And Kai Havertz is kind of, he's on for sort of the offside golden boot. What would that be? The golden flag. The golden flag. Yeah, the golden flag. but I don't know if you wanted to squeeze that in now, because I think maybe that's no coincidence, you know, maybe in looking for that chaos or looking for different ways to break down defenses, maybe we are, you know, playing these more direct passes, be it Bruno, be it Ben White, be it Martin Odegaard from deeper positions.

30:25Andrew Allen: And that's resulting in some of these offsides, because we're just looking to break that trap a lot more frequently than we have.

30:31James McNicholas: Yeah, the question came from Johnny Brower on Blue Sky, johnnybrower.bsky.social, who says, we're caught offside more than any other team. Is this poor running by our forwards, late passing from midfield, or just the team trying to learn how to play more vertically? I think a bit of poor running,

30:52Andrew Allen: because ultimately that's your job as a forward, is to stay onside and time that right. But I think predominantly it's the team trying to play more vertically. That's my interpretation. And actually, like, this is sort of guesswork for me, but I reckon if you went back and looked at the most offside strikers in the league, you'd find some of the most prolific centre forwards at the top of that list. It is my guess, you know, because they, when you make enough runs in behind, offsides are an occupational hazard in some respects.

31:32James McNicholas: I mean, it is interesting as well to sort of put in the context of how often we play against teams that sit deep. Yeah. You know? So, yeah. It certainly feels deliberate, right? I think it must be, yeah. And look, that's not to say Kai shouldn't be able to hold his run

31:53Andrew Allen: But again, I suppose what you'd say about Kai Havertz is he's not Thierry Henry. He's not Nicolas Anelka. So maybe the timing has to be that much more tight, that much more fine for him to get in behind. He's not a sprinter who can give his man three yards and still get there. And actually, we're not a team who have many of those, you know.

32:18James McNicholas: Yeah.

32:18Andrew Allen: um so maybe people are having to play right on that line right on that margin to give themselves a chance of getting there but it does feel like it it must be by design and i'm not sure it's as inherently negative as it may look yeah yeah the way it sounds or the way it's presented when you

32:39James McNicholas: get those sound bites or little snippets on social media it sounds like well we're really bad at beating off side traps. And there may be an element of it to that, but hopefully it's something they can sort out. And obviously now we go into an international break, players going away, and Mikel Arteta can think over the course of this interlull, how does he implement the chaos? How does he add that little bit of extra something to his team? Because, listen, I think we're a really good team. We win a lot. We know how to win games, which is not something you can say about every team in the Premier League these days, right?

33:22James McNicholas: But I think he would like his life to be a little more comfortable from time to time so he doesn't have to kick the shit out of a chair.

33:31Andrew Allen: Yeah, for the chair's sake, if nothing else, there's room for improvement. There is.

33:38James McNicholas: Did you watch any of Aston Villa Man United last night?

33:41Andrew Allen: i didn't actually i was watching um other things blow up uh in the sky above alexandra palace firework display but uh yes did you watch it i mean it was incredibly i watched the highlights and it was about half an hour long um so yeah and umai's uh post-match uh sermon was also Oh my God.

34:08James McNicholas: Oh my God. Like, he really does like to throw a bit of a strop, doesn't he? You know?

34:16Andrew Allen: I'd say Mikel wouldn't get away with that.

34:18James McNicholas: No, I think it's very, very, very fair to say he wouldn't get away with that, to be honest, the sort of going down the whistle. I actually looked today to see how many games Unai Emery had managed in his career. I think it's 1 ,093 games. And he was like, I thought the game was over. it was six minutes and then they scored in six minutes i thought they i feel like you should know when the final whistle goes that that would be my thinking on that but uh it does feel like

34:45Andrew Allen: one of the one of the basics doesn't it yeah but i sort of am loving this uh well speaking of chaos this version of united that clearly are quite quite seriously bad but just sort of doing enough to give their fans some semblance of hope. I don't know whether it will give Carrick another stay of execution. I desperately hope so. But even as badly run as United are, surely that they see through these couple of comebacks.

35:21James McNicholas: Yeah, maybe so. But then it's a question of who do they get in? And are they capable of making the right decision? Saw they were linked with Unai Emery. There was a bit of a brouhaha there, wasn't there, the other week with Jamie Carraher and stuff. Oh, yeah, indeed. When Villa threatened to sue him because of something he said on a podcast, which is a dangerous precedent. We don't need football clubs to start suing people for what they say on podcasts when it's just opinions. Well, I was going to say it. Whatever. If you're libelous or if you're slanderous, fair enough. But if it's just an opinion you don't like.

35:57James McNicholas: well did you see all this business around Tottenham as well I saw it over the weekend but I'm not 100 % sure what exactly happened I know that it it's to do with the the Brazil ESPN reporter who's an Arsenal fan right Jaar yeah

36:18Andrew Allen: that's it yeah but I didn't

36:19James McNicholas: I couldn't I didn't get into the nuts and bolts of it I just was looking at it going

36:26Andrew Allen: well the Spurs filed a complaint to the Premier League to who to the Premier League yes right um over a broadcaster Zhao in this case joining in chance uh uh calling Spurs shit is is there is the simple fact of it who does this man think he is Jack Wilshere well I was yeah i mean i was gonna say wait till they hear our show fucking hell though but i do think this is a mad uh precedent and but i think also it's a consequence of kind of this these blurred lines in in media now where impartiality is less of a thing. And listen, I don't disapprove of that. I'm a beneficiary of that. I'm literally an employed journalist, very public and clear support for one team over others.

37:33Andrew Allen: So, you know, I'm not going to say I think it's wrong per se, but it does create these conflicts.

37:43James McNicholas: Well, I mean, it would do if you were having to cover other clubs. But, you know, yes, but I know what you mean, though, that the the way the media landscape is now that there was, for example, it has permeated, let's say, into Sky Sports, right, where previously, even if it's Alan Smith or I'm not saying Alan Smith is guilty of this, but, you know, Alan Smith as an Arsenal player or Gary Neville or Roy Keane or whoever they might have on. And there was an expectation of impartiality. And now they're more comfortable than they used to be in nailing their colors to the mast. I mean, you know, righty, for example, as somebody who is very obviously connected and supports, connected to rather and supports Arsenal.

38:31James McNicholas: But I do think it does sort of cause a little bit of an issue, you know, with, I don't know why football clubs are so precious though anyway. You know, why are Spurs getting so precious? I think, I think it's bigger things to be worrying about, James, than whether a reporter is, you know, who is an Arsenal fan is singing songs about Spurs being shit. One, one, they are.

38:59Andrew Allen: Well, he could merely argue that this is simply his journalistic ethics. You know, he has a calling to find and illuminate the truth. Yeah. He's just doing his job. I would say very well.

39:13James McNicholas: Yeah. And then two, like, do you not have other things to, like, try and figure out as a football club that's been languishing towards the bottom of the Premier League for, what, two seasons, two and a half seasons? You're really going to go fucking public with that kind of thing? It's nonsense. It really is.

39:31Andrew Allen: It is kind of bullshit from the clubs. And I have to say, like, Arsenal get a lot of stick. And we're all aware of that. But I think the dignified thing to do as a club is to really rise above wherever you can.

39:49James McNicholas: Well, I mean, that's evident as well, isn't it? And Mikel Arteta, whenever he's asked about anything contentious, he will not rise to the bait. Before and after every game, he is typically really complimentary of the opposition. you know uh he he i think there's a perception of arteta as a sort of a public figure who's spiky and who says things about teams and players which just isn't true you know it doesn't really exist in the way that some people think and i think that's a very deliberate strategy you know he's used those things in the past you know the nice kick about with the boys etc etc you know he's used those things in the past and i'm pretty sure that uh he has sort of i'm not saying that's an edict from him across the club but but certainly the example that he sets when he talks about the opposition pre-game post-game whatever it might be is to ensure that there is zero scandal or zero controversy i guess you would say never give them anything to create a headline yeah you know some

40:55Andrew Allen: of the things he says quite frequently are everyone is entitled to their opinion i'm not going to comment on that i feel respected you know he never rises to bait about his own reputation or criticism that he faces so yeah i think he sets the bar really on to sort of how a manager and a club should handle a situation like that but i think it's a i think it's really kind of petty and a bit of a bad look on behalf of the clubs. And yeah, the Xiao one, I'm like, well, you know, he's a correspondent, you know, reporting across the Premier League. Maybe he should not have sort of worn his allegiances quite so publicly.

41:44Andrew Allen: I can understand that argument, even if I don't myself agree. The Carragher one, he's just sort of having an opinion. about Manchester United's next manager and the likelihood of Unai Emery taking that job.

41:57James McNicholas: Again, he's not wrong, is he? You know, that like whatever shambolic, ridiculous, hilarious state Manchester United are in right now, that, you know, as a club, as an institution, an organization, you know, they're bigger than Aston Villa. There's just no two ways about it. It's in the same way that like Real Madrid is bigger than Valencia, who are also a successful club, you know, or Real Madrid are a bigger club than Atletico Madrid, who are a successful club. You know, you don't have to take umbrage at somebody speaking the truth. You might have an objection to them or coming after your manager, right?

42:35James McNicholas: But that's something you can deal with privately. It's just ridiculous. Just really. I think we've got a lot of very fucking thin-skinned people in positions of power in the world these days. And that's permeating into football now. Yeah, yeah.

42:49Andrew Allen: I mean, I think, to be fair, Carragher, he probably shouldn't have told Villa fans to shut the fuck up. But I can certainly understand why he felt motivated. Yeah, he definitely shouldn't have apologized. I don't know. No, I agree. I think it's sort of a troubling precedent. Even if the apology, I think, also lays bare the sort of stupidity of the whole situation. You know, he, you know, he didn't mean it, did he? But yeah, he was obviously advised to do it.

43:23James McNicholas: Yeah. Don't back down, double down, as the famous Scotsman says. All right. Well, look, why don't we take a little break here and we will come back in part two with your questions and more right after this.

43:48James McNicholas: You know you don't have to wait to shop Black Friday at Lowe's, right? Save up to$150 now and select power tools, equipment, and accessories. Got gifts to get? We've got plenty under$50. Plus, Milo's Rewards members get same-day delivery for free. Shop Black Friday deals before the rush at Lowe's. Valid through 1118,$25 minimum, and loyalty membership acquired. Order eligible items by 2 p.m. Subject to weight and size restrictions and availability. Do you snore? Did somebody hand you a CPAP and did you quietly stop using it? The mask that never quite seals? The hose tugging at you every time you roll over?

44:29James McNicholas: A machine sitting abandoned in a closet? Excite OSA works a different way. It treats a root cause instead of managing the noise, and you use it while you're awake. 20 minutes a day, while the coffee brews, while you set your fantasy line up. An FDA-cleared prescription device for primary snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea. Then you go to bed like a person. Nothing strapped on, nothing plugged in. In clinical studies, 90 % of patients saw a reduction in snoring. No sleep study required. Prescribed online, shipped to your door. ExciteOSA at springsleep.com slash sleep20. Code sleep20 for 20 % off.

45:16James McNicholas: ExciteOSA is an FDA-cleared prescription-only device for primary snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea. Not for everyone. Individual results vary. Risks and benefits at springsleep.com.

45:30Andrew Allen: This message is brought to you by today's sponsor, Walden University. Set a course for change. Now is the time to make a real change in your life, career, and community.

45:40James McNicholas: At Walden University, we give you the support and flexibility to get the W. Walden's online programs are designed for working professionals like you. You'll gain hands-on skills to take on real-world challenges and succeed.

45:53Andrew Allen: Your future is waiting, and Walden is here to help you achieve it. Take the first step to make your impact. Visit waldenu.edu. Walden University. Set a course for change. certified to operate by Chev.

46:33James McNicholas: Mikkel Arteta kicking the shit out of a chair. But there seemed to be somebody else involved in the sense that it was frustration, it appeared to be anyway, with Eberici Eze that caused him to kick the chair. And Kevin says, or asks, Arteta really lost his rag with Eze during the game on Saturday. What do you think that was about? I did not like to see it myself.

46:59Andrew Allen: Yes, I have seen this. I suppose just to frame it all within a caveat, I do think that it's sometimes risky or dangerous to kind of take the actions of someone who is like in the heat of competition as indicative of their true feelings or their sort of more, you know, how they may feel in their more sane moments. And I think that about what happened between Arteta and Max, for example, that, you know, I think you always have to apply that context of the stress of the situation, the amount of adrenaline pumping through him in that moment. And, you know, both instances were like quite close competition in one.

47:56Andrew Allen: I think he was especially frustrated because, you know, we were drawing Fleetwood and potentially on our way out. And here it's, you know, we're defending a 1-0 lead. We're into the final few minutes. Every action feels a little bit life or death if you're that manager, because you will have to face and live with the consequences. So to be fair to Mikel, I think I just want to sort of give him that, you know, that sometimes you do things on the touchline and I'm sure he does things on the touchline that he'll watch back the next day and think, oh, what got into me there? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That said, the Eze thing, there is a clip circulating, but there's also a longer clip which shows the full kind of two, three-minute passage of play.

48:44Andrew Allen: And in that, Eze is involved in kind of two or three less than ideal moments, you know, like maybe dribbling into his man, giving the ball away. And the final... Makes a kind of silly foul, you know. Yeah, the final straw is this sort of silly foul. But I think when you look at it in context, it feels like maybe Artex Frustration's been building a bit there. And yeah, it's an interesting moment because it's kind of... Some of the stuff that you sort of imagine that might drive Mikel a bit mad about Eze. It's sort of realised it in that moment. Essentially, though, because I thought Eze, you know, was good in Prague.

49:41Andrew Allen: I thought he had some nice moments even coming off the bench at the weekend. But I think what Mikel Arteta expects and demands from his players is it's a very complete package. and when you look at the squad, you'd say, and ask yourself, like, is Eze naturally attuned and suited to all of those demands? Probably not.

50:07James McNicholas: Is that a worry given that he's been here a year? Like, whatever it takes, you know, to adapt to a new club, a new manager, a very demanding manager, if, you know, over 12 months down the line, what you're doing or not doing or how you're doing it, maybe even more pertinently, if that's a frustration for the manager, that is a little bit of a worry, you know?

50:34Andrew Allen: What did you make of it, the incident?

50:36James McNicholas: I didn't see it in real time because it was way over the other side of the pitch and I was just sort of watching the game and I didn't really pay attention to it. And I've seen the replay since. I mean, I think he is absolutely incandescent, just at that moment where he knows his team has got a 1-0 lead. He wants maybe them to score another goal. He certainly doesn't want them to give Hull a free kick where they can launch the ball into our area.

51:03James McNicholas: I do wonder if there's another player at this club that would make him react like that. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I do wonder. like I wasn't listen it's all come out in the wash and maybe he was right maybe he was wrong it doesn't really matter I wasn't mad on the Max thing to be honest no but you know it is what it is and maybe it was tough love from a you know a kind of father figure to a 16 year old maybe that's what you got to do and if you want to be a 16 year old play men's football maybe you got to get it I get it but I still wasn't keen on that I just find it hard to separate everything that Mikel Arteta is in terms of the passion and the intensity that he brings to his work, whether it's on the training ground or in a game.

51:53James McNicholas: I don't think you can really separate that from your online or your touchline behavior. Online behavior is very different, obviously. But I did wonder, having watched the replays, if that was Christos Solis who did that, would Mikel Arteta react in the same way? Not 100 % sure.

52:13Andrew Allen: No. No. And also, as I said, do Arsenal have a player whose natural inclinations are so different to what Arteta might expect or demand? I don't know. He is kind of an anomaly, I think, in some respects, within the Arsenal squad. And you can see that sometimes in those moments. I was chatting to Amy Lawrence this morning on Handbrake Off and she posited the theory, not just about this moment, but about a few other moments, that it might be a case of Mikel Arteta being sort of doubly determined to sharpen minds and, you know, provide friction in a season where everyone outside the club is kind of declaring the Premier League.

53:12Andrew Allen: league over you know what i mean and i thought that's i i have some time for that theory for sure um but in this case it does feel quite individual yeah yeah it does a little bit

53:26James McNicholas: it does a little bit like i think he i think he clearly loves ezra the man but i think there are aspects of ezra the player which drive him absolutely mental

53:37Andrew Allen: you know yeah it's interesting if he can sort of distinguish between those two things you know

53:42James McNicholas: well i mean they are separate you know they are separate but i mean maybe as a the man uh fully informs how as a the player behaves or does what he does you know but i sort of wonder if it's a case that you know since he arrived they've tried i'm sure they've had conversations you know this is what I want from you. This is what I think you're capable of. And if he doesn't do that, then that's the frustration. Because I think he thinks he's capable of doing better in those moments than he did, you know?

54:18Andrew Allen: 28, though. I mean, to players change at 28? Not really, I guess. Not really. You know, in Eze's defense, I feel like you buy him knowing what he is, you know? Sure. I don't think he did anything too wrong either, you know. No, no. Let's be clear. Like, it's a bit of a needless foul or whatever.

54:42James McNicholas: Yeah, it's a bit untidy, but it's not like an egregious mistake or anything. No.

54:47Andrew Allen: It's not like he's given the ball away on the edge of his own box or, you know, failed to track a runner. um it's we have seen that last one before but um yeah it's it's a it's interesting i suppose when michael was angry at max the explanation he gave was what we spoke about it before yeah and i do wonder how much that might apply here too yeah before he comes on don't do anything silly don't

55:18James McNicholas: give any silly free kicks away blah blah blah or over the past 12 months you know yeah yeah of course i think it's cumulative more than just specific to that particular game to be honest

55:29Andrew Allen: um but it's interesting you know was it by munich away where as they're coming on and michael says something to him and they share a sort of smile and a joke just before Or, you know, it's not all bad in that relationship. I just think he drives Mikel a little bit mad. Yeah. That's all.

55:51James McNicholas: I think so too. I think so too. And listen, these things, when we look at them in real time, you know, we, I do wonder if we as fans tend to over-index them as well because Arteta has generally, right, he's been a sort of protective figure for his players, right? It's a bit circle the wagons. That's who he is, which is, you know, I think the right way to do it. But maybe the last couple of incidents that we've seen, it's a bit unusual for him to react in the way that he has. You know, with that one and the Max one, that's unusual. That's why they stand out. But maybe we're just over-indexing them and they just put it down to, well, this is what happens in football.

56:28James McNicholas: You know, you do something wrong, your manager goes crazy at you. It's all good the next day. You just get on with training and go again.

56:35Andrew Allen: You mentioned if Christos Solis had done that. There's been a few questions about Solis. Have you got one to hand?

56:44James McNicholas: I had a couple. Just W. Bennett on the Discord. How do you rate Solis' start overall in an Arsenal shirt? I thought he looked bright early on and was perhaps unfortunate not to have got his first goal. But I wonder if his hamstring injury has knocked his confidence yesterday. Yesterday, he seemed more interested in getting free kicks than getting on the ball. I felt he misread the Premier League playbook for what will constitute a foul, much less a booking. Does he just need one to go in off his derriere? Or should he be doing better with the time that he's had? And there was another one which I wanted to read out from Blue Sky.

57:20James McNicholas: Mazzaruni says, is one solace worth a Martinelli and a Trossard?

57:30Andrew Allen: um one solace doesn't make a summer or something like that i yeah i so i found this interesting actually i maybe i've not been sufficiently tuned in to the temperature of the arsenal fan base on this but i was a bit surprised after the game to read as much criticism online of solace as i did partly because when he came in i feel like you couldn't move for people telling you what brilliant signing he looked um and if i'm totally honest i felt some of that was a little bit overblown you know i i and i don't judge anybody for that we do it every summer whoever comes in come august you know they're the best thing since sliced bread.

58:21Andrew Allen: And that's why a new signing wins player of the month every August or September, you know. And it's the nature of being a football fan to get excited about the new players. You step back from it a bit, what's his record now? Premier League, he's played seven games, seven starts, no goals, one assist. It's not a great return at all. Yeah, I guess I'm sort of somewhere in the middle, personally. Like, I think he's a good player. I think he's clearly got ability and works really hard. Doesn't make Mikel smash his chair too often, which goes a long way. Is he worth a Martinelli-Anitross art? No. No.

59:11Andrew Allen: I don't think he is. Do you?

59:14James McNicholas: No. No. Not yet. You know, maybe he'll come good. I hope he does.

59:19Andrew Allen: I'm not convinced he's worth a Martin Elliott, personally, at this point in time. I think he's got a lot to do to prove that.

59:25James McNicholas: I think so too. And this is my first time seeing him live. So I was watching him quite a bit. I didn't think he had a good game at all, really. I thought his decision-making wasn't great. I thought his execution with his final ball was quite poor, to be honest. He did seem to want to go over quite a bit and get free kicks. Maybe that's what he's been asked to do. I don't know. but 11 games, no goals, four assists, you know, and two of those assists came in the community shield, right? So 10 games, no goals, two assists. It's not a great return, as you say. And I hope he can come good. And I do think there is talent there.

1:00:06James McNicholas: And I've spoken a couple of times about how I think there've been moments where he could have been more decisive, a little more selfish, you know, and taken a shot on. He's trying to set somebody up because I think he's a new player. He's trying to integrate, you know. So I do think there are moments where, you know, we could be looking at him in a slightly different way. But I think it's, you know, it's now November. And I think it's time he starts delivering some end product because we're not really getting any from our left wing, from him.

1:00:40Andrew Allen: No, no. And, you know, when you talk about the two options, you've got the guy who isn't scoring and the guy who makes Mikel smash his chair. So it's not ideal. But I do think with Solis, you know, it's important to remember that he's just coming back off injury. It's natural maybe that he wouldn't be at the same level of sharpness that he was prior to that. And yeah, none of this is to say that I think he's a busted flush. I still think it was sort of an interesting signing, but we said on deadline day, we were short on the left and, you know, nothing that we've seen since has really changed that position.

1:01:25Andrew Allen: No, no.

1:01:29Andrew Allen: Okay. What have we got here?

1:01:37Okay.

1:01:38Andrew Allen: Yeah. What about this? Williams Lieber came back. Oh yeah. For the under 21s played 45 minutes. And Charlie on Blue Sky, Charlie YON5 says, Do you see a world where Mikel tries a devastating three at the back with Konza, Saliba and Gabriel? You could have Timber and Ricky as wingbacks. Surely this is the ultimate cheat code as we could field an extra outfield player as Raya wouldn't even be needed.

1:02:07James McNicholas: I've seen this posited a few times, actually, but I don't really see that happening at all. I don't see the manager changing his ways in that regard, changing his formation. So much of what he does is how, you know, based on how we build up and the positional play. But I don't worry, you know, too much about whether or not William Saliba is going to play or not. Of course he is. He's William Saliba and he is one of the best defenders in the entire world. So, listen, I think Konza has been great. But Konza and Gabriel can't play every game of the season. Same way, you know, Saliba and Gabriel could barely play every game of last season as well, you know.

1:02:46James McNicholas: So I don't stress about it. I just feel quite lucky that we have those options. That as and when we need them, we can rotate. And, you know, Konza and Saliba can play on the left as well, I think. So, yeah. But I don't see a formation change at all. Do you?

1:03:05Andrew Allen: No. And it's interesting, when Konza joined at that time, I thought minutes at right back looked pretty plausible, but the manner in which Ben White has kind of come back to the fore this season and been fantastic, I think, when he's played. I think as long as he and Timber stay fit, touch wood, I don't think there are necessarily going to be loads of opportunities for Konza there. So I think it will be two from the three at centre-half. And, yeah, it'll be interesting to see how Mikel handles that after the break.

1:03:43James McNicholas: Yeah. What about this one from King Thierry? Morning, gents. What do you make of Miles getting no minutes across the last two games?

1:03:52Andrew Allen: Yeah, I saw a few questions about that. It's a bit curious, I must say. A bit curious. Obviously, Zuby started, didn't he, in Prague, and he came on as well. here for the last couple of minutes. I mean, a little cameo. Myles, I think he can afford to feel a bit, not necessarily hard done by, but a bit frustrated to not get on in either game, given the way he's played thus far this season. Presumably it's a question of game state and what Mikel felt was required. But yeah, I mean, I think he would have got decent money a few weeks ago on him getting zero minutes this week, given what he's produced already this season.

1:04:43Andrew Allen: What do you think?

1:04:45James McNicholas: I don't know. I mean, it's two games is not enough of a sample size, really, to sort of start looking at a pattern or anything like that. So it could just be, you know, as you say, game state or whatever it is. I don't worry too much. He's in the England squad, isn't he?

1:04:59Andrew Allen: he's in the England squad yeah so he might get some minutes there I mean Golden Frown on Blue Sky was quite direct with it they said goodly morning is the Rice MLS Odegaard midfield the best configuration of midfield we've seen in the Arteta era if so why does Arteta seem so resistant to it and if not which midfield trio is your favourite

1:05:25James McNicholas: oh my gosh

1:05:29James McNicholas: I mean, you know, listen, I'd even say that we have a too small a sample size with Rice, MLS and Odegaard. You know, we haven't seen them play a great deal. There was a few games towards the end of last season, a few games during this season where it's happened. But I think if Mikel Arteta was convinced that was the right configuration, he wouldn't have gone out and spent£75 million on Bruno Gimaraes in the summer. Like, I think there are probably games that suit Miles maybe a bit more than Bruno. But, yeah, now I'm trying to think about midfield configurations. It's hurting my head. I can't really do it.

1:06:07James McNicholas: But, again, it's another one where I'm not really that worried. I think Miles will get plenty of minutes. Yeah, I think Mikel tells us, you know, in his press conference

1:06:19Andrew Allen: why it's Bruno, because he thinks he has this level to hit. He thinks he can be a hugely impactful, decisive player. And as you say, that's why he parted with all that money to buy him.

1:06:35Andrew Allen: Is Rice MLS Odegaard the best midfield three? It's too early to say. Too early to say. I like you. I think we need more of a sample. In terms of continuity and consistency, You know, Partey, Odegaard, Xhaka was pretty good for a period of time. But again, they weren't always on the pitch together. So on paper, on paper, you would think Rice, Bruno, Odegaard could be absolutely fantastic. I just think it hasn't quite clicked yet.

1:07:14James McNicholas: No, it hasn't. But again, you know, it's still early days, you know, in terms of building those relationships. So we'll see what happens. We had some questions about sustainability, James. Okay. And I don't mean that in the environmental sense. All right. Danny Nick 8 on the Discord. Goodly morning, gents. How long do you think playing like this and winning is sustainable? And Hale and Harula says, Arsenal have won nine of their first 10 Premier League matches while scoring 15 goals. Is this sustainable? Can the Gunners realistically expect to win nine of their next 10 while scoring 15 goals again?

1:07:54Yes.

1:07:55Andrew Allen: And to throw this into the mix, Giroud said, which outcome do you think is more likely going forward? A, our attack starts to score more goals and we win games comfortably. Or B, our defence starts to allow more goals and some of these arch clenched wins turn into dropped points.

1:08:14James McNicholas: I can't help but think of you remember that period last season when like there was like a run of four or five games maybe where the opposition barely had a shot or they didn't have a shot on target do you remember that? It was about this time last year wasn't it? Yeah yeah something like that and we were all like yeah this is going to be easy now but inevitably you will concede goals inevitably the opposition will produce a moment of brilliance there's a lot of good players in the Premier League a lot of good teams in the Premier League not Manchester United by the way or Tottenham but there are others um you know and you will concede goals players make mistakes the organization is not there maybe you get a dodgy penalty given against you which has happened already to us this season you know there are things that are sort of um not quite out of your control but there are external factors that you have to be ready for so I think we will concede goals I think some of these one goal margin games or single goal margin games will go the other way as we saw a couple of times last season you know Sunderland for example Wolves for example you know I know that we were 2-0 up in that game but you know we got it back to they got it back to 2-2 in the end so I think what I would like to see is I have full confidence in our defense full confidence in the players, in the system, in the organization, in the way that everybody knows what they're supposed to do.

1:09:43So I can kind of live with a period in the season

1:09:48James McNicholas: where things don't quite go as well. I don't feel like there are systematic issues with our defense, whereas I do feel like we're nowhere near as good as we should be up front. We talked about Solis. Havertz has been, you know, hit and miss this season. Jokere's hit and miss. Nani has been impressive of late, isn't really scoring goals. Bakayosak is not there. Max Dowman is very young. Ezra's making Arteta kick his chairs. You know, I think that if you were looking for one of those things to happen, it would be the score more goals because ultimately you've got the foundation. You've got the foundations of your defensive platform to get you through the season.

1:10:38James McNicholas: So I really do feel like we need to start scoring more goals.

1:10:44Andrew Allen: So you take a few three ones, that's what you're saying? Sure, sure.

1:10:49James McNicholas: Like score three, they get one in the 80th minute and we just go, yeah, whatever.

1:10:54Andrew Allen: Give them something to cheer. Exactly. Everyone goes home a winner.

1:10:56James McNicholas: I would prefer that, you know, I have to say. And listen, I love the fact that we can do it. You know, everyone loves a 1-0 to the Arsenal, etc., etc. But I love a 3-0 much more than a 1-0.

1:11:07Andrew Allen: You know, I really do. What about a 3-1 versus a 1-0?

1:11:12James McNicholas: Yeah, give me a 3-1. Okay. I think the 3 is more valuable.

1:11:17Andrew Allen: I do too, yeah. I want to see some of those 3s in that column, you know?

1:11:22James McNicholas: Yeah, I mean, for me, that's what it boils down to. We've got the best defence in the Premier League, maybe if not Europe. We've also got the best midfield, maybe not the best midfield, but certainly in terms of midfield depth, you know, you're looking at the players we have in there and you're thinking, there's not really much more we could do in that area of the pitch. You know, from Rice to Gimaraes to Lewis Kelly to Odegaard to Marino to Zubimendi. You know, you can play Eze in there if you want as well. You've got a wealth of talent in there. But we have forwards who are way too inconsistent, way too inconsistent.

1:12:07And that, I think, is an issue that will come back to bite you at some point.

1:12:15Andrew Allen: I've got a question here about kind of attacking football that people might want. Hienquin on Blue Sky says, When people say exciting football, do they mean transitional? We've had some of the prettiest passages of play. Some have not ended in goals, but I enjoy them still. Just like I enjoy seeing Nonny sprinting back to stop a transition. What I enjoy most is a week of peace from three points. But when it comes to sort of the critique of the football, is there something in that? Do people mean transition? Are we actually playing quite good football, but just not putting the ball in the net?

1:12:53James McNicholas: I think it's more that, yes. We are capable of dominating games and dominating opponents. And I think there was a time where we were maybe a little, we weren't making chances, and that was a worry. Now I feel like there are moments in games where we're not making the most of the chances. What did we have against Hull? 22 shots, I think. Was it 22 shots? I'm just looking it up here. 21 shots, 10 shots on target, one goal. And Mikel Arteta spoke, used the word efficiency. That's what I spoke about in the blog over the weekend. Our attacking efficiency is terrible. It really is. Like we're very bad at counterattacking.

1:13:39James McNicholas: We really are. The decision making, the final pass, it's just not good at all. But I feel like there are moments in games where we could certainly play or certainly make more of the chances that we have. And then I think that has a knock-on effect on how people perceive the football that you're playing. Because we're very difficult to play against. We're very difficult to score against. and if you sort of just become a ruthless 3-0 machine, then people can't argue too much about that because you're scoring the goals. I think the idea is that we don't try and score goals, that we just, oh, we'll nick a goal and then we'll sit in.

1:14:20James McNicholas: And that's not true, you know. We do try. We're just not very good at it at the moment.

1:14:26Andrew Allen: Yeah, that's it. I think the aesthetics debate is a bit of a red herring because, you know, the reality is we're not scoring offset pieces anymore so that they can't beat us with that stick anymore and some of the goals we have scored have been really pretty and at the end of long sequences of passing moves um so i think that we are a better on the ball team than we are professed to be but we're not devastating no we're not loaded with attacking firepower and the reality is we are not scoring many goals um And I think you can have all the approach play that you like, but the ones that stick in people's mind, the ones that people remember, the ones that, you know, that we'll talk about in the future are ones that end in the back of the net.

1:15:15James McNicholas: Yeah.

1:15:15Andrew Allen: And that last piece of the kind of football jigsaw is often said to be the most difficult, you know, to be, to actually beat the last man or beat the keeper and put it away. there's a reason those players cost a fortune and why they're often the most talented in the team. So we have this kind of inverse situation at Arsenal where it feels like our talent is in the other half of the pitch predominantly. Our really, really, truly, truly elite talent.

1:15:46James McNicholas: Sorry, I was going to say, there's a sort of an interesting question here from Cheech on the Discord who said, did we miss an opportunity to sign Nicholas Jackson from Chelsea? His price is seeming like a bargain with how he is performing this season. And I don't mean to say that, like, Nicholas Jackson is the missing piece. But does it not feel to you maybe that a striker in the mould of Nicholas Jackson is kind of what we're missing?

1:16:09Andrew Allen: I think so. Although, in fairness, I think if Arsenal had bought another player on the way out Chelsea…

1:16:13James McNicholas: Listen, I know, I know, I know, I know. It would have been riots. It was more about what we're missing from a stylistic point of view in terms of the profile of the player, the way that that centre forward plays the game. Do you know what I mean? or even the way having a centre forward like that allows you to play the game.

1:16:33Andrew Allen: I think so, yeah. I mean, and credit to Jackson. Credit to my brother, actually, who every time I took the piss out of Nicholas Jackson was always like, there's a player there. He sort of does everything. He just didn't. And to be fair, the piece that he was missing was the clinical edge and the goal scoring numbers, which he seems to be adding right now. but yeah I do think yeah I think we'd still need devastation in the front line and listen I think Nani's been good and there are some very promising flattering statistics about Nani I mean you know he's created I think more chances per game than than any other player in the Premier League certainly an open play But I also think the fact that we're looking to Nonny to kind of lead our attack at this moment in time, I think is also not ideal.

1:17:35Andrew Allen: For a club of our size, stature and ambition, you know, as good as Nonny has been, I sort of think it's telling that we're having to speak about him every week.

1:17:46James McNicholas: Yeah, I think that's fair. Yeah, no, I think that's right. I think that's right. And listen, the striker debate goes on. There was another question from Kenyon Fjordkarst, who just said, are we ever going to have a striker who isn't infuriating to watch? But, you know, those discussions and debates, you know, will continue about Havertz and will continue about Yaccaraz. because, you know, that's what it is. And I think you're right, you know, to say about Nani that, listen, I think he's done well. I think he's improved aspects of his game. We saw that. There was a good piece by Nick Wright, I think, in Sky Sports or on Sky Sports where he sort of delved into the numbers and showed the improvement.

1:18:28James McNicholas: And Arteta's talked about the way Nani is trained and what he's tried to do and how he's tried to sort of improve aspects of his game. I think that's absolutely right. But like, if we're looking at Nani Maitweke as our kind of attacking savior, there's something missing. That's all.

1:18:44Andrew Allen: Totally fair. Well, here's a bit of a different perspective for the sake of discussion. Here's JMO, who's Dr. Jimmy P on Blue Sky. And they say, you're going to get a lot of questions about attacking efficiency and the January market. To be fair, more on the attacking efficiency than the market. Still only early November. But should we take a moment or even the whole next interlal to pause and reflect on just how good we are? Won 14 of last 15 in Premier League, 20 out of 25 in all competitions, five points clear, etc, etc, etc.

1:19:21James McNicholas: I mean, I think we've said that, though. I think we recognize how good we are, how this team has the ability to win games. I'm not blind to that in any way. I think my point was just that when it is marginal, as often as it is, well, maybe it doesn't make a difference if everyone else is crap. I don't know. But, like, to me, it's not about being critical. It's about looking at this team and thinking goalkeeper is brilliant. The defense is brilliant. The midfield, even if there are some teething issues, you know, with Gimaraes and Odegaard and Rice, et cetera, et cetera, it's brilliant. The talent and the depth we have in there is absolutely outstanding.

1:20:06James McNicholas: Is the attack brilliant? Is the attacking personnel brilliant? No. So that's really what frames that discussion for me. I'm not in any way blind to the idea that, you know, we're a really good team. Of course we are. We're the fucking champions. We won the league last season. We've won nine of our 10 this season. And we're extremely difficult to beat. And even when we don't play particularly well, we can win games. But as a point of discussion, I think you're always looking at your team and thinking, well, how can it be better? Is that not what Mikel Arteta says? You know, what's the goal? is to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday.

1:20:49James McNicholas: A little bit better tomorrow than we were yesterday. And that's what I think these discussions about the forward line are about. For me, anyway. I know some people are just like, I never want to see that guy again, or I want to get rid of this guy, and I want to get somebody good in. I get that too. But for me, it's really about recognizing that, you know, we're 10 out of 10 in three of the four areas, you know, goalkeeper, defense, midfield, and we're a bit 7 out of 10 up front. so is there room for improvement yes that's all i think so and i think the sort of lack of

1:21:24Andrew Allen: firepower and the manner in which arsenal winning games is is something they while we could be critical of it at the same time they deserve credit for because they the way they are negotiating this problem the way they are kind of managing the games and doing enough just enough it feels like sometimes, is absolutely the mark of winners. And I think having that Premier League title has kind of strengthened our conviction about our capacity to do that. But what is interesting, and we had questions about this earlier, is we do know that variance is going to come into play. Like at some point in time, someone's going to pop one in the top corner 30 yards against us and what do you do then?

1:22:14Andrew Allen: How do you respond then? Exactly. That's what's really interesting.

1:22:17James McNicholas: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and it could be one of those days where we struggle again in front of goal and it becomes more and more difficult. Right, we've got to maybe call it quits, but I did enjoy this question because this is, I think, the real danger to our title hopes. Andy Burridge, 81, on Blue Sky, asks, Are you concerned that Grand Theft Auto 6 may affect our team due to the players gaming late into the night? NBA player Stephen Adams has warned that there will be a drop off in performance all across the NBA. This may also be the case with the Premier League. Wow, that's big.

1:23:01Andrew Allen: I mean, yeah, it's a big month for games. the Zelda Ocarina of Time remake has dropped as well. There's a lot at stake here. I mean, I imagine Mikel Arteta will be on it. I don't know if you saw those reports emerging from some of the fantasy football blogs and the like about did you see this about Christos Solis? So Christos Solis had I don't want to say given the game away but he's a big fantasy football guy. He spoke about that when he first joined and he always picks himself and captains himself. Right. He's a confident lad, to be fair. Yeah. Well, he put himself back in the team ahead of Anfield.

1:23:47Andrew Allen: And so people were sort of inferring that, ah, perhaps he's going to play, perhaps he's going to start. And this has been quite a big topic in football recently. Xabi Alonso was asked about it with regards to João Pedro, because a number of Chelsea players whose fancy teams are known or in the public domain sold João Pedro, thus telling the press effectively that he had sustained an injury before Chelsea had made any kind of public statement about it. So interestingly, this week, Solis wildcarded his team and removed all Arsenal players. so the inference is that perhaps somebody's had a word about you know the the use of giving team news away via a fancy team or perhaps Solis just knew how he was going to play against Hull and thought time to offload this guy

1:24:48James McNicholas: yeah yeah

1:24:50Andrew Allen: so anyway all that being said the club appeared to be across gaming and the like So they'll be keeping an eye, won't they, on the what's full eye on all the sleep data and the likes. Yeah, that's it. That's it. The aura rings and what have you.

1:25:07James McNicholas: I saw William Saliba when he came back. He looked like, you know, a man who hadn't slept a great deal. Maybe he got an advanced copy of Grand Theft Auto 6. And that's why. Well, yeah, I mean. Not even time for a haircut.

1:25:18Andrew Allen: We know we're prone to muscular injuries. I just worry about all the thumbs. How are the thumbs going to hold up?

1:25:24James McNicholas: Their thumb strings have all gone at the same time. So we'll see. We'll see if that derails our title challenge. Right. We're going to leave it there for now, folks. Just want to say thank you, as always, for being here, and thank you for listening. We'll talk to you a bit later in the week, obviously, but for now, take it easy, and we will catch you on the next one. Bye-bye.

1:25:55Andrew Allen: Good news for anyone who's bad at waiting. Black Friday deals at Lowe's are already on. Get up to three free select DeWalt, Craftsman, or Cobalt power tools

1:26:04James McNicholas: with the purchase of a select battery kit. Three for free? You better believe it. Plus, select ladders are up to 50 % off. So go ahead, get in there early. Shop Black Friday deals in-store or online now at Lowe's.

1:26:18Andrew Allen: Valid through 1118, while supplies last. Free tools vary based on battery kit purchase and location.