Arsenal Women Arsecast Episode 147: Gunners make heavy work of the Eagles

0:13Hello and welcome to the Arsenal Women Ask Cast on Askblog.com with me your host Tim Stillman looking back on Sunday's Subway League Cup quarterfinal win over Crystal Palace at Sutton United. Another marathon for me. I went to the men's game away at Everton on Saturday evening, got a bus at midnight from Liverpool, got to London Victoria in central London just before 7am, had a coffee and something to eat and then went straight to Sutton to cover the game.

0:45So I of you who recognize the Beastie Boys reference. But anyway, here to discuss that on almost certainly our last podcast of 2025, as ever, our co-host Jamie Spanger from, I presume, sunny Melbourne. How are you doing, Jamie? Tim, I'm good. I can't believe 2025 is drawing to a close. Sunny Melbourne, you would have thought. Last week, 38 degrees. Today, 17 in rain. So that sums up anyone that knows Melbourne Australia four seasons in one day I'm experiencing that right now but I feel like uh I'm good I'm good to be honest the the domestic cup it's a bit of that kind of time of year where between like December 20th and January 1st I have no idea what day of the week it is and I feel like the uh the subway cup kind of sums up that feeling so yeah disjointed but fine yeah no I've I've had that massively today because I was away for the Lurvin game last week so I was away like Tuesday to thursday came back had one day and then basically lost my whole weekend and like when you miss a night's sleep it's really discombobulating i've just been like in the whole day i've been like oh yeah it's monday isn't it and like and yeah obviously going into that time of year where it's going to lose even more meaning now and particularly like with the men's schedule it's just going to be like oh god and usually i do my like weekly column for the site on a thursday and that's christmas day so how am i going to do that and the men's schedule is so insane like we're looking at when we're going to record podcasts and stuff and yeah it's just just like the general insanity of Christmas um but it's Christmas it's Christmasy in my house you might hear presents being wrapped in the background but we're going to keep that in because tis the season and we very much believe in on this podcast in letting life happen how are you gearing up for the festive season Jamie yeah I'm not too bad actually I am work a casual job at a pub so last Last night I was a bartender for a Christmas function of like 200 people and it was crazy, but I finally got in the Christmas spirit.

2:45And I think because I've spent the last two Christmases in England, like it doesn't feel Christmassy here because it's warm and no one really like you don't really get into the spirit. So I'm officially as of what is it this morning, December 23rd in Australia, I feel like it might be Christmas. So gearing up, excited to be back home, family, friends, all that shenanigans. But, yeah, it's the Christmas season, Tim, and who can't be happy when you've won five games in a row at Christmas? well indeed and let's crack on with that so um you know good win in Leuven um on Wednesday night and going back there again in February that's nice but we were a star on basically on the way back from Leuven which was nice unfortunately same hotel is not available so we'll have to do that a bit later but I think we always knew Jamie that there were going to be changes to the starting lineup that that was that was going to be necessary for a number of reasons so Mariana and Russo don't even get on in this game and let me tell you there was never any intention of bringing them on unless things had gone really wrong basically I think pretty much all the subs were pre-planned to some kind of extent but like Adina coming in Emily Fox coming in after being rested against Lerven Leah Williamson's first start since the Euros final Victoria Pilova Frieda Mornham Caitlin Ford Steiner Blackstenius I mean any surprises there for you I mean I'd have been quite worried on a number of levels if this hadn't been rotated.

4:09Rotation was perfect. I'm glad Alessia Russo finally gets a break. She's playing every single minute for club and country right now and this is a great game. I'm so happy that Leah Williamson can come back for this game in particular. Perfect way to kind of just bring her in before Christmas so she doesn't go off and have the three, four weeks without competitive football. So yeah, get her in the sub cup. That's really good opportunity. So I'm glad she was fit for that one. And otherwise, yeah, no concerns, no surprises I think this is exactly what needed to happen yeah definitely that I guess the only thing that might have given Rene pause for thought on starting Leah was just the pitch was it was dry it was bumpy um you know it's a non-league pitch I think Sutton United went down again I can't remember but it's it's you know it's a lower league uh kind of pitch anyway and you know Palace Rene had said in the press conference on Friday that they're a direct team they get the ball forward as quickly as possible.

5:05They press. That's what they've been really good at. They're flying as well. They'd won their last five coming into this after a pretty indifferent start to the season. Their tails were up. I don't think they had anything to lose. I think it was probably quite a deliberate choice and that's not a complaint. Every team has the right to do this. I suspect it was a deliberate choice not to put any sprinklers on and leave that pitch dry and bobbly, particularly because they were planning to be direct. But I think at the start of this game, I think when you make so many changes, it often takes 10 to 15 minutes for things to settle down.

5:42And actually Palace, I think, started quite well. I think they were testing Arsenal in behind in that back line and on a very, very bobbly pitch. What did you make of a pretty, I'd say, underwhelming? I think the whole game was underwhelming really, but like the first 10 to 15 minutes, especially so I think. Yeah, certainly a sluggish start. I do think Palace, like to give them credit, they did read the pitch well. They know exactly what they need to do in this opening 10, 15 minutes. It's probably the best window of the game for them to get on the front foot and maybe the only window of the game.

6:15And they do that, like they force the pitch, they go long, they make sure that the Arsenal back line can't play out the back the way that they want to, because the ball's not settling and they're having to chase back a lot. So to Palace's credit, I think they had to come out strong at the start of this game. It was probably the only window they could do so. And I think, look, from an Arsenal perspective, it's hard because these are the kind of games that I consider outliers. And I think that when you've got a bad pitch, you're playing against a WSL 2 side, you're heavily rotating after an away day in Belgium midweek in the Champions League where they needed to win and they needed to win by a little bit.

6:45Obviously, the scoreline didn't make much difference in the end, but it needed to be a statement victory against Loven. I don't think there's a lot I can take from this slow start. Like I wasn't watching it and saying, oh, these are the issues that I'm worried about progressing for the rest of the season. And I also think like the last game in December is always a bit mayhem. Like last season was that Bayern Munich game where it was just like that kind of football is not something we saw for the rest of the season. So I think the start from Palace's perspective, they had to do that. They had to be aggressive and they had to go long, just use the conditions to their advantage.

7:14And from an Arsenal perspective, I did expect this. Like seeing the starting lineup, I expected this. It's in Sutton. So, yeah, I didn't take a lot away from it, but certainly I thought, yeah, Palace were on the front foot. But to their credit, they did exactly what they needed to do. Yeah, definitely. You know, I kind of put something on Twitter about this a little bit earlier today, like just kind of saying these domestic cup games, they happen a lot. You know, I put it to René afterwards that this was very like the London City Lionesses home game in the cup last year, where it was actually played at Boreham Wood and the Boreham Wood pitch was very dry and bobbly and we had that game against Liverpool and it reminded me a lot of those and she was like, yeah, it was.

7:57And I think what kind of happens as well is because these games are so forgettable, we literally forget that they've happened. So when they're happening in front of us, some of us can be a bit like, oh my God, why do we look so rubbish and all of that? But actually in the, I know this is a quarterfinal, but it's the first time we've played it in these kind of early rounds of domestic cups basically you chop and change the lineup you just try and get through and don't get injured and I think this is another game that will not live long in the memory so the next time we do this in a domestic cup game everyone will forget that this palace game happened just like they completely understandably forgot that the LCL game happened and all manner of other and Bristol City last year I think at home like these are all just like very forgettable games i do think though at the same time jamie i do think there was like last day at school vibes um you know where they do press at palace right it's like right by the pitch right by the dugout players went and as they should thank the supporters massive turnout again record uh crowd again for a women's game at sutton breaking the record from the last time Arsenal played there but like they were off the pitch pretty quickly and and in good spirit somehow like it it was very you know leaving the office at you know 4pm on Christmas Eve it had that kind of vibe to it as well one of the things um Renee actually talks about Jamie was um she felt that one of the things Arsenal didn't do well in the first half was from Palace's goal kicks and she was talking about how Palace were getting like flick-ons and and transitions and and that that did happen a lot but after about 15 minutes or so I do think Arsenal got into it a bit I mean the words shot deflected wide come up a lot for me when I look back so we've got Frieda gets a shot wide gets a shot deflected wide from a Caitlin Ford pullback on another day I think Caitlin walks out of this game with a couple of assists because it happens again a few minutes later caitlin ford probably well suited to a slightly scrappy pitch like this gets another pull back frida with another shot again it deflects wide a pattern we saw quite a lot but one route where arsenal were quite creative and dangerous was corners and set pieces and um i do wonder if having different center backs um maybe helped that a little bit but Laia Kadina who incidentally scored in that LCL game I was talking about earlier scoring from a header and that was at least one way because Arsenal didn't look great in open play but from corners they look dangerous all day.

10:45Yeah certainly I think we have to look at the Palace lineup in this perspective as well because Justine van Hevermij I think a couple weeks ago maybe it was against Ipswich Town or something got injured very early on so she's not been playing She's obviously a towering figure. Like you don't want to be putting the ball high. 6-1, 6-2, I think. It's insane. Whereas in this game, it's like Amy Everett, who's not at all told. It's a very small Crystal Palace team. So I do think it's a conscious tactical decision from Arsenal to go high because Leah Williamson is not the biggest aerial threat in terms of just like overall women's football.

11:16But in this game, she's probably the biggest one. So putting it on Leah Williamson's head, we've seen what Laia Kadina can actually score from a corner or at least force something on the back post from a corner. So I think that that's a really good tactical decision from Arsenal to be able to look at that Palace team and be like, you're all short, put the ball in high. And if not score from it, at least make it scrappy because you do count on the Arsenal players to just be more quality, be more proactive and get on the end of the ball before Palace. So I think that's strong. I do think there's a lot of in this game, though, where the creation is there.

11:45And like you said, the finishing is not there. But I'm not panicking like I was a couple of weeks ago where it felt like, OK, the strikers and the number 10s, they're not in the right positions. They're not finishing their chances. in this game, they are in the right positions. Like, Frieda Monham is always going to, like, whack one the wrong way, but she's getting deflected shots. The pitch is bobbling. The ball is probably going in a different direction. So in isolation with, I don't think there is, I think they're quite wasteful in this game, but I think this factor is contributing to that.

12:09So I don't really, I'm not dwelling on it. And I'm looking at this game alone in isolation, and I'm not looking at that as a reflection of what's been the issues recently, because I think Arsenal have gotten better at that, got better at it in Lowe and got better at it against Everton as well. and Twente, a bit wasteful, but the shot creation was there. So in isolation, I'm not worried. However, in terms of the aerial threat, I think that's good knowing that there are teams and there are oppositions where the dugout can look at this and say Arsenal can dominate in the air, even if they're not a particularly aerial-threatening team.

12:39But yeah, this is one of the occasions where they pick out that weakness without Van Habermen and they say, yeah, let's go high and it works to their advantage. Yeah, definitely. I want to do a piece on this. I think Arsenal have really improved from set pieces since Chris Bradley came in as set-piece coach and sometimes they go very low. Sometimes they go along the floor. They're very creative with their set-pieces actually, but you're right, all of these were lofted. In fact, the goalkeeper, Yanez, took a few because they were getting lofted kind of towards the back post or under the crossbar.

13:09So it's very clear. And Laia Kadina is actually very good in those situations, it must be said. So good goal for her. And at that point, I thought, okay, here we go. this is going to be 2-3. We'll kick into the gears here, but Palace should have equalised immediately. They hit the post. I mean, you look at the build-up to this goal. I know people always kind of resist when you talk about the pitch and all of that. And I think we should say, we're not saying that is entirely responsible for absolutely every single thing that happens in the game or an excuse for... Undoubtedly, Arsenal can play much better than that, even regardless of the pitch.

13:49but it just is a big factor. It's a huge factor when you have to take two touches instead of one. It's difficult to get the length of a pass right. The ball's bobbling and you look in the build-up to this. I mean, it's like they're playing with a rugby ball because I think Emily Fox has about three nibbles at it and it just bobbles all over the place. But Palace getting down Arsenal's right-hand side, Ashley Verdon with the cross. And again, it's just like a little ricochet and it falls right to Abby Larkin. I mean, she really should score and hits the post. And then Larkin has another shot a few minutes later, which Anna Kaborba saves well.

14:28And I think for me, the lack of creativity, I can hand wave in this performance. But in the first half, Palace had a few too many chances for my liking. Certainly, certainly. And I think when a game's 1-0, especially given this season, he starts to panic as an Arsenal fan watching this team because it does feel like you know they change gear and they almost just take the foot off the accelerator and this is what happens in this game I do think there's still a proactivity I just think it feels like nothing's going right and maybe that's a product of the starting 11's change okay how do we work ourselves out of this press because I think that Palace did really really well at pressing and I don't think Arsenal did a very good well way of what job at pressing sorry I thought that they sat back a lot I think that they gave Crystal Palace far too much time in the buildup and that was maybe a product of the pitch but I also think that that is just this team we don't trust their output as much we can sit back a little bit we can hope to retain the ball in the midfield and then work forward whereas I think they gave Palace too much respect and I think when you're allowing them to work in the buildup they have quick forwards like Ashley Vierden is a very very good player that I'm surprised actually went down with Palace and stayed in the WSL too I think she creates a lot in this game and Abby Larkin is in good form.

15:39She's been scoring a lot, creating a lot for Palace. So I do think that it comes as a product of maybe a bit of a complacency and just giving this opposition too much respect and not too much, maybe too much disrespect, just expecting them to make more errors than they do and just sitting off a little bit too much. So I do think that's, again, it's a bit of a product of Arsenal's downfall rather than take foot off their accelerator. They're kind of just relying on Palace's mistakes. And I don't know if that's a tactical thing. And I think, I do think there's times in this game where that changes and it's a bit of okay they're working a lot better at working out the back we then need to adjust our press and how we're going to attack that but I do think in this game there's far too much space given to Crystal Palace assuming that the midfield or the defense can retain it because that's not always going to happen in these games on the momentum swinging so yeah a little bit worried but however some great saves made I'm sure we'll come on to that and yeah all get snuffed out in the end yeah I think I think you're right to point out the press kind of went and that's probably a little bit what Renee was talking about afterwards when she said we adjusted she said positioning um but I'm sure because if you think of Arsenal's best pressing players Beth Mead not playing Mariana not playing Alessio Russo not playing um and I don't think it's because the players that came in can't do it it's just those players are always there pretty much particularly Mariana and Russo like who play every second of every game and and That's part of the disruption to the overall rhythm.

17:07Palace hit the bar as well. They get Abbey Larkin in down Arsenal's left side, perhaps some concerns over Laikadina's recovery pace there. I think we saw that against Leicester as well. But yeah, you're right. I think someone we should pick out is Anika Borba. Tom was there for the halfway line and he asked Rene about her. Rene had talked about perhaps the first game, Liverpool at the Emirates coming in cold, you know, wasn't easy for her. Rene also talked about the challenge of all our other goalkeepers are injured. So she knew she had to play, had to stay fit and there's a pressure there. But this was a good game for her.

17:46And I think we've seen her grow into things during this block. Certainly. I think that, yeah, you were right on the first judgment. I think I was a little bit hesitant after that Liverpool performance because there were things that we saw in that performance that we saw in that preseason game as well. It's not coming off her line, looking a little bit, almost timid to just be the playmaker at the back. And I think in this game, like there's two ways to look at it. Tom asked Renee and Renee was very, very like complimentary of her. She said like there has been a lot of, it's not been an easy situation.

18:16She said all of a sudden she goes in, plays her first competitive game. She knew she was going to play this block the entire five games. And then she, yeah, so she said all credit to how she stepped up. And it's exactly that. It's five games that Arsenal should win on paper. So you don't almost want to like applaud and celebrate the victories, but you want to applaud the head and the way that they've been able to maintain that after a tough block and come in. And I think that comes from the back and that comes from a younger professional keeper as well. Like Borba's young. She's younger than the rest of our goalkeeping union and she maybe needs a little bit more time to integrate herself in this squad, but she's really positive in this game.

18:49I just think it's the fact that she absorbs the pressure at all times. I think Leah Williamson really helps her in this game as well because I think that, yeah, her leadership, but also I thought Leah did really well to just kind of nullify when that is happening. Like she's played on these bad pitches before. She's been around for a while in the development of women's football. So I thought her transition to be able to be like, okay, this is how the game's going to be, let's fix it, was a lot quicker than the rest of the Arsenal team. I think that helps Borba as well. When you have that experienced centre-back in front of you, that helps her settle.

19:16But she was really, really impressive in this game. She made some great saves, but also I just thought she was in the right position. She was offering the centre-backs what they needed when the ball was maybe bubbling or running longer. I thought she was coming out a lot more confidently as well. So positive. The only thing I will say is against the WSL 2 side in the cup, I would have loved like the statement player to just be like a forward that wants to bang in five goals. That would have been nice. But when there's a question mark over a goalkeeper and she kind of ticks that off, it's very positive, especially heading into we don't know what's going to happen with Van Domslaar and her recovery.

19:47So, yes, very, very pleased for her and very, very impressed with how she's held her head. Yeah, absolutely. And I think people would have spotted she wasn't in the training pictures on Friday. I think a few players were like Russo, and that was load management, really. I think they came into this game knowing they really wouldn't bring Russo on unless they absolutely had to, and ditto Mariana. I think the Kim Little one was a bit pre-planned that they'd give her half an hour because she's still kind of coming back, recovering, or whatever you want to call it. But yeah, with Borba as well, I think that was about protection as well.

20:26You know, she got a right old whack in the face, didn't she, as well? In the, which game was it? The Twente game. Yeah, and obviously that like she cannot get injured at the moment. So I think they kind of looked after her and you think about Manu did her ACL in training. So did Katie Reid. So no risks taken there. So halftime, 1-0, Palace very much in it. In fact, really, Palace deserved to be level, I think. Were you expecting substitutions at halftime or did you think Rene would give it 10 or 15? I mean, I think it's clear the plan before would have been 60 minutes, those changes, but in view of how the game went, were you expecting them to come earlier or did you think it was justified to give it 15?

21:13I think it was justified. I think if this is a league game and you're performing like this against a team that's probably expected to be lower in the table, I do think you make those changes earlier because you need to put it to bed as soon as you possibly can. I think in a game like this, these players that have been brought in to start this game, like Pilova, obviously, Freed have missed the game with a knock as well. These players need as many minutes as they can possibly get right now and they need to be able to integrate themselves into the squad as much as they can. So I was very expecting it to be unchanged at halftime.

21:41I also think you need to take into account WSL2 sides like Palace. and we didn't actually see this transpire in the end, but you expect them to run out of legs a little bit earlier because their depth isn't strong. Like they put out a really, really strong team in this game. They're almost missing no one in their starting 11 other than those injuries and obviously Risha Littlejohn's red card, which was heinous. So I do think that like this is a game where Arsenal kind of need to come out. They need to have a chat at halftime, but they need to come out with the same team and see what they can correct.

22:07Then you make the changes after 10 or 15 minutes, correct then, but just expect that Palace are to break down. And to be honest, I know the scoreline doesn't suggest that, but I do think, obviously coming to the second half, Palace do take their foot off the gas. They create a little bit less and they look less attackingly threatening. So yeah, I wasn't expecting changes and I think it's the right call in this scenario. yeah definitely I think it would have been a bit panicky to be honest to do anything else particularly because they wanted to make some of those positional changes which they did and the players did it well enough again it didn't create a huge amount again there are a lot of deflected shots Caitlin had a couple Katie McCabe had a couple and I think that speaks to I mean how well Palace defended but also how many players they had back that's I mean I don't think I've ever seen so many deflected shots in a game before like this one probably a regret from the game I guess because there were so many deflected shots like Yanez wasn't worked that hard during the game it did feel like Arsenal always had control and it was kind of notable that Palace really the the threat kind of stopped the Arsenal kind of shut the tap off there and they bring on Kim, Lotta and Steph on 60 Minutes.

23:24Again, all pre-planned, I think, for fitness reasons as much as anything. Because Laia Kadina hasn't played a lot and actually she'd been out very recently. Lille was always going to come off after 60. I think they wanted to give Kim half an hour. Has to be said, not a fantastic pullover performance either. No one was great in this game, but she looks a little bit lost in this team to me at the moment. but you know those players come on they calm things down it does feel a little bit kind of nervy but then Beth Mead comes on with a few minutes to go and Arsenal do get the goal I mean what did you think and and it's you know it's good like Steiner Blackstenius forces the turnover Friedem Mournem with a nice pass they both stayed on for the full 90 and Beth goes through and does her kind of Ozil versus Ludogorovic's impression with four feints and shimmies.

24:20I mean, I think it's brilliant play. And then tucks the ball back to Steena. What did you make of that little sequence? I think sequence is the right word. I think that Beth Mead, it's an interesting talking point of this entire first half of the season, I think, because I think the fans are very divided on Beth Mead right now. And look, I see kind of both sides of this, but I do think we've seen in the last couple of weeks, probably Beth Mead at her best that we've seen maybe since her ACL injury. I personally think that she's had some really, really strong games. I thought she was underrated in the Everton win.

24:51I thought that she was really, really strong down that right flank. And this game is like an example of Beth Mead, maybe vintage Beth Mead, I would say. I would say maybe Beth Mead coming on in like the Jonas Eideval era when she's maybe like played as more of an attacking winger and she kind of like she's in 2022 England Lioness mode and she knows what she needs to do. She knows how to get the ball to the back of the net. So she does exactly what she can do best. I do think that this is a game that suits Beth Mead and because Stina Blackstini kind of struggles in a game like this. And I think from the starting 11, like it had to be Stina playing this game because Alessia Russo needs to rest.

25:25She started every single game for club and country, like I said. But obviously, if this was a different fixture, if it was later in the cup, if it was a WSL fixture, you play a team like Palace who are going to play such a deep block Alessio Rousseau is the player that you want to be playing in this game, not Stina Blackstinius. And I do think that has an effect on Arsenal's buildup. I think that has an effect on how they lack creativity in the second half. And I think that Beth Mead's the exact player that needs to come on to help Stina in this game because she's going to provide the service because she's going to break it open.

25:52Once that Palace team have been broken down, Beth Mead is probably the perfect winger, I would say, out of the wingers in this Arsenal team to exploit that space and then put Stina Blackstinius through on goal. So yeah, I think that it's a bit of both. And I think we can talk about Beth Mead a little bit in terms of just the whole season as well. I think there's a lot to say there. But, yeah, I do think she comes on and she changes the game just in terms of Steena Black-Sinnius as well. So, yeah, a great goal, a vintage Beth Mead, little run-up and dribble and a little trickery. And I love to see it because, yeah, it's always a player I'm going to kind of push for and support.

26:28Yeah, absolutely. Her eighth assist of the season, which puts her miles ahead of, like most players in the country at the moment. I mean, Russo's on four, I think. And that's about par, by the way. I think Chelsea and City, their second kind of assisters, are on about three or four. So that's like, it's not a low number. And for Beth Mead to be on eight, but she hasn't scored a WSL goal this season. I think that just marks like a little bit of transition. Not in her quality, because she's always had playmaking, creative quality, but just in the way that Renee Slakers is using her qualities. And I think you're right.

27:02I think in the last couple of weeks, a bit of a switch has flicked there. I think even the fact that she comes in field a lot at the moment into that number 10 position, which Olivia Smith isn't necessarily going to do, perhaps against the team who've got so many back, like Palace just having that extra central presence. It felt like, ah, yeah, this is what Arsenal have looked like recently with like two number 10s instead of one type thing. And if you look back at the clip, she's right not to shoot because Yanez, to her credit, never takes the bait. She never sits down. She stays on her feet.

27:39There's players on the line. I don't think the shot's ever on. And I think Meade has great presence of mind to realise that and kind of tuck it back to Steiner, especially on that pitch. But Arsenal got the win. Everyone was happy. Everyone got down the tunnel quickly to their Christmas parties. we did the post-match just as the rain started pouring down spoke to Lotto Wubhamoy as well I didn't ask her any questions because I was just like it's pouring down with rain going inside and Arsenal are through a little bit of Instagram drama as well last night with Victoria Pilova posting a slightly confusing caption well not a confusing caption but one that maybe could be interpreted not as she meant I quite like this.

28:27She changed it three times as well. So the people that didn't see it, like all of the players did, like they all do like a goodbye kind of message or thank you or like end of 2025 before they go off. It's not a coincidence that they all kind of happen at the same time as well. There'll be a bit of a steer from the club, like can you all do like a message or whatever. and victoria pilovas just said bye which which led to which led to some uh online panic then she posted by 25 and one of the pictures is with of her with stina blackstenius which um i think caused a secondary frisson of of panic before she changed it to by 2025 so um yeah not expecting her to leave in the january transfer window whether she extends her contract you know we'll see but not expecting her to go in January but anyway um will that do for part one that will do that will do drop it drop it and run absolutely we'll be back in part two with your questions submitted uh all on blue sky I think on this occasion we'll be back right after this okay welcome back to part two of the Arsenal Women Askcast and Askblog.com with Tim Stillman and Jamie Spanger looking back at Sunday's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Subway Cup quarterfinal.

29:55Now, as ever, most of the questions aren't really about the game, which is entirely understandable because there's not really a lot to look at. Just look at the scoreboard, look at the final score and you've pretty much got it. And obviously, January transfer window coming up. Massive month in January as well, Jamie. Manchester United, Aston Villa at home in the cup that could have been a bit kinder i think manchester united at home again in the in the conti cup the subway cup semis i'm not going to get my free sandwiches if i carry on like this um you know the champions cup as well which is which is all going to be in london man city in early february i think there's there's there's going to be a lot going on in the next five to six weeks so obviously a lot of the questions are angled that way um but well yeah Yeah, let's take a question first, Jamie, that kind of looks at both those things.

30:49So this one's from Shane Thomas at TokenBG. While I understand lots of changes contributed to the fitful performance for Palace, is it still a worry given our difficult run of games post-winter break? We can't rely on the same 11 for all of them, and a few of the players that came in hardly pulled up any trees yesterday. Your views on that, Jamie? I completely agree that that is a concern. I think that, yes, we can take the pitch. We can throw away what we say about the pitch because I do think that has an impact in this game. It's, again, not an excuse because I think a lot more transpires if that is the nice carpet of the Emirates.

31:27It's a different game under that circumstances as well. However, in terms of the players coming on, and I think the performance of Victoria Pilova, as one example, isn't affected by the pitch. She's really, really unsure of where she needs to be in this game. She seems like she doesn't really know what she needs to be doing. And that's a change that is going to need to happen with this busy block coming up. Like there's the Champions Cup as well. Like there's a lot of gains coming up. So I do get concerned still by this rotation and the fact that Renee does have a preferred 11 or she has maybe a preferred 14 where she likes to play that 11 and then bring on those standard subs that she likes to change.

32:03So I get a little bit worried about that because if an injury happens and then you've got a change in the cog, we saw what happened when Kim Little was out. like that midfield really, really struggled without her because the players behind her or the players behind anyone in the starting XI aren't completely equipped to come in and do the role because they're not given the opportunity to do that in these games. And I think like this is probably the first opportunity where Arsenal have had to be like, okay, put out a rotated team as much as you can and go just try to get the three points because to be honest, there's been a lot of blundered results by Arsenal's best starting XI, so to speak, that have then caused them to have to go and win every single other game and then put out a best starting XI.

32:38So, yes, it's almost like you've created your own downfall there because, you know, you've dropped points where you don't need to be dropping points like the Aston Villa result and obviously that close win against Brighton. So then Renee kind of has to play her best team. But I do think the lack of rotation and just maybe like 10 minutes here and there to those players that are going to be needed when the block gets tough. And also like last season was so good for Arsenal injury wise. Like everything felt like it was like a fairy tale up until that Champions League final. Every player that we needed was available.

33:07Daphna van Domstel made this heroic return even though she wasn't ready. It felt like the stars aligned for Arsenal to win that Champions League. The injuries were great. Look back two seasons ago, half the team was injured and it was the starters that were injured. It was the key players in that squad. It was Beth Mead, Lea Williamson. It was Viviana Miedema. These were the starting players. And if that happened now, I don't think that the team in 2022-23 season would come back. I think that Arsenal would struggle a lot more than they did in that season where Katie McCabe is kind of like tying them through because I don't think the bench players have got their role yet.

33:40Look, the one thing I'll say is like someone like Kyra Kuni-Cross, she's been reintegrated into the squad. That's really important because maybe she can try to emulate Kim Little if, you know, God forbid Kim Little gets injured. But I'm still worried by this rotation thing because it does feel like there is such a lack of cohesion and it's not like this is a complete new squad. Like these are players that have played together for a while. I understand it's a new manager, but Renee's had a year now. Like what is the description of each player? What do you want them to do when they come onto the pitch, come into the starting 11?

34:06So you can try to go through this block and play the same 11 and make your three, four subs. However, like that is, that is very like you crossing your fingers and your toes, hoping that nothing happens. So yeah, I can see the concern. I'm still concerned because it does feel like you're almost just really, really hoping that you can just slide through and hope that loading isn't an issue. Fair enough. Do you have a question for me? I do. This is a big one. This is from Becca Darby. A month or two ago, you mentioned on the podcast that you're not sure you would renew René's contract yet. Still the same opinion after this block, or would you want to see continued improvement against better competition?

34:43Yeah, I had this one down as well. So when I went on Counterpressed a couple of weeks ago, I was asked this. And my answer was and is, I am okay with the club committing to René, but they have to commit and they have to commit to the model that she wants and supporting her in any way that she needs to be supported whether that's through recruitment contracts or or whatever um you know better alignment on recruiting and things like that like i i'm i'm okay with that i like renee as a coach i do have like a wonder in the back of my mind about do we need a coach or do we need a manager just because of the amount of turnover we're about to see like that kind of it reminds me a little bit if you'll indulge me on the men's side um you know Unai Emery is a good coach but you know he inherited a situation where the squad needed mass turnover and it needed a manager and he's not really a manager if you know what I mean whereas Arteta came in and he's a manager he will wield the axe the broom however you want to call it so essentially the job of the current Arsenal manager is is a rebuild job it just is because of the age of the players and the contract situation so I'm okay with that being Rene I do not like protest to that but it needs the support and the structures around her to to make that work because whoever whoever is manager on June the 1st or whatever is going to be replacing a lot of big players and is going to be buying players who we are going to want to be our big players for the next four, five, six years and that being the case it has to be right so for me it's almost less a question about Rene it's more like Arsenal the club the whole club in whatever way this needs to happen are they best set up to do that that's what i think so i i'm not against it at all um but there's other stuff that has to be done essentially um how about this one then um i spoke all right okay all right it seems as if this one's from emily brown um it seems as if renee isn't particularly interested in having a natural six in the squad despite seemingly everyone else disagreeing what do you think her thinking is here?

37:24That's a really good question. Let's talk about this together, Tim. That's a really good question. I don't know. To me, it seems like, I don't know, I think like, especially just as a fan, I really do like a traditional CDM. So maybe that's why I kind of like rack my brain when I look at Renee and she likes this kind of attacking double pivot. To be honest I really think that it's a personnel thing and I think it reflects on the entire like squad and the way that she's probably managed the squad and her disappointing the summer transfer window for a lot of fans where she didn't make a lot of big changes and I do think it comes from a manager and it's like echoing what you just said Tim she wants to coach like she wants to be a coach and she wants to be a tactical coach she wants to go out there she wants to coach her team she wants to like win games and she wants to just be that kind of tactical head and I don't know if she really loves the recruitment side.

38:16And I do think that a lot of the like, okay, she doesn't want to play with a traditional CDM. I don't think that's the case in terms of the fact that she hates like a natural six and she wants to play an attacking midfield. I really think she's making do with what she can with her personnel. And I think last season that kind of fell and clicked into place with that Kim Little and Mariona where this team was scoring so many goals. Like there was something clicked in this team where they were winning 4-0, 5-0 against these middle like mid WSL teams, Brighton, Villa, putting away these teams. And it was kind of like, okay, this is working.

38:47We're going to roll with this because it's working. And these two players can do the job in the double pivot. And then when we really need to bring on Lievolti, we can bring on Lievolti and she can kind of anchor the ship. I don't really know yet. And I don't think I've seen enough of a sample size with Renee and a big transfer window. She needs another transfer window to like, not like I'm giving her grace to have that transfer window. I'm just saying like, she needs to take this transfer window and like use it, like give her one so that she can actually use it this time. Because I do think right now it's kind of like, I'm just going to coach and make do with what I have.

39:19And then once she has another transfer window, maybe in the summer, and she's like, I don't want a six, then I'll look at it and say, okay, there's a tactical implication here where she doesn't want to play that kind of style of football. She would rather have an attacking midfield where they kind of more transition their fluid. And I think a big part of her philosophy is like this fluid football. And I think that we've seen that Arsenal perform their best when like people are dropping into pockets. And that happened against 20 and it happened against Everton where almost no player had a set in stone position other than the centre-backs.

39:45Everyone was kind of moving around. And maybe that has something to do with it. She kind of like, she's a Dutch coach. She likes to play total football. Maybe like the players are moving. And that could be an element of it. However, I still don't know if we have the sample size to say she doesn't like a six or she's just being complacent in the transfer window and she's kind of making do with what she has. So a bit of both. I think there is a total football element, but I also think like, I do think she's taking, she's just taking a squad and saying, oh, this will do for now because it's worked before.

40:12Yeah, for me, it's almost, it's not just like a quote unquote six question. The real question is, how do we make a midfield without Kim Little work? That's because you put Kyra next to Kim, all good, all good with me. I just think kind of Kim solves everything. You put her next to someone and they're okay. And that's obviously, it's going to be so difficult. It really is to try and do that because we're talking about one of the best players in the history of the sport, let alone in the history of Arsenal, certainly in the modern history of the sport. So it's going to be so difficult because Kim does so many things so well.

40:56and I guess in letting Lea Valti go, I think Arsenal should have let Lea Valti go because that's what she wanted and some players just earn that right to choose and it's the same with Kim. The club want Kim to stay another year but she'll make that decision and that's completely right. Some players just earn that basically but I guess in keeping Wally, I just would have, instead of like the midfield being little and Valti, like Kim and Lear swapping that position and perhaps taking a little bit of the strain from one another would have actually worked quite nicely this season. I think the issue, obviously we've got questions about the January transfer window.

41:48I think the issue is going to be, I might be wrong about this, But I kind of think the targets, the names I've heard, I don't think any of them are going to be available in January. I think the summer, they're probably all going to be available, but not in January. So, you know, I asked Renee in the Friday press conference about the January transfer window saying, you know, you've already said a goalkeeper's coming in. We know a right back's coming in. And she was saying, yeah, it will be around that, which is not, she's not saying that's all it will be. but I you know I think the midfielder thing in January and I might be completely wrong about this there might be stuff going on I don't know about I think it might be difficult because I kind of think the three names I've heard are not one of which we've reported on are not going to be available in January I don't think so but I kind of think they all are in the summer so it's a bit like what do you do do you wait do you move down the list a bit for someone who's available in January.

42:51I'm not so keen on that idea. I think Arsenal have done that a lot and it hasn't worked. I kind of think you should wait for the right player. And the weird thing about our midfield is we don't have a numbers issue. Like Pilova can barely get on the pitch in WSL and Champions League. There's not a numbers issue there. It's a profile issue. So yeah, I don't know really. I don't know what her vision of midfield is going to be and I don't think we're going to know just yet. Let's let's keep it there um for a second this question is from uh matt pain at matty p07 who is your number six dream transfer someone semi-realistic if we push the boat out with a fee or someone from the academy maybe i feel like our midfield of little mariana and carrie cooney cross works well but kim as amazing as she is can't be relied upon forever dream number six signing I think I used to always say Sam Coffey because I harp on about the NWSL like there's no tomorrow I do think like a player like Sam Coffey is a great number six probably one of the best in the world but she's very very like she likes to move around a lot and I think that this team maybe need more of an anchoring player I would say Ruby Mace if we're gonna like be bringing back players if that's the new theme like I why not keep going because she's young she's like she's played she's really made her way around the WSL already she's almost played up and down the country but But I think that her role right now at Everton is very, very senior.

44:16And I think that she's like a lot of trust is put into her and she's almost told to fill some gaps. And obviously she played for Leicester, obviously played like being at City as well. So I think that's a player that she should work her way into the England squad as well because there's a pathway there. If we're talking CDM, like Kira Walsh and then who? Because I don't think Laura Blink-Hilda-Brown is an out-and-out six. So I think I'd go in for Ruby Mace. I think it's maybe a player you need to nurture a little bit more and that's the one thing I'm a bit concerned about because Arsenal have done a lot of nurturing over the years.

44:45In the last three to four years, it's okay, let's bring in a midfielder. She will be ready soon. I would say that Ruby Mace is more equipped to be a ready CDM than Kyra is though. I think that there's less of a transition period for her because she's been starting for WSL sides for a long time and she's still so young. So if I'm talking realistic, it has a bit of Arsenal all over it because it's a bit comfortable. It's someone that you know, but that doesn't always mean that it's a bad thing because, yeah, I've always had my sights set on Sam Coffey. I'm just not sure her profile is the best. I know a lot of Arsenal fans would disagree with me, but I think Ruby Mace is a player and I think she's going to be someone we really, really see a lot for the Lionesses in the future.

45:19So, yeah, I'd go her. Yeah, like the player a lot. Obviously, she was with Arsenal when she was 16, 17, didn't play and went to Man City, which was always a very baffling decision to me that didn't solve the problem. Do you have a question for me? I do. This one is on a particular player in squad. This is from Nick's Clips 72. This says, how do you rate Ford's form this season? A lot of discourse on X about her single goal, but do you think that accurately reflects her contribution? Being pivotal in many of the own goals and being unlucky at times not to be credited when she's found the net. Are her stats giving the full picture?

45:56Yeah, this is a really good question. I had this. I don't think her stats give the full picture, no, for the reasons you point out. I kind of had this question in mind as well when I said earlier, Like on another day, Caitlin walks out of this game with a couple of assists and maybe even a goal. Like she gets a lot of shots off, creates a lot of chances and things like that. However, however, I think like over a long period of time, you can't entirely hand way. You've kind of, you know, if you're going to be a winger for Arsenal, you've got a G and you've got an A, basically, in some kind of short order.

46:33Like Beth Mead hasn't scored a lot of goals this season, but she's racked up the assists. Obviously, you know, Russo's kind of doing both. You know, like you're absolutely like totem pole players will do that. And I think it won't be lost on Caitlin either. And I can't explain it, though, because it just seems to me that she's in really good positions a lot. maybe less so in terms of scoring herself but she's always getting to the byline and she's creating chaos like i do feel like she should have more assists like maybe that's just a bias talking in terms of um her goal threat fewer touches that that's the thing for me like there's always like two setup touches before pulling the trigger and it's like no no no one one maximum kind of thing.

47:27I feel like there's a slight hesitation for her to pull the trigger sometimes. But the question's right as well. When you look back at a lot of Arsenal's own goals, most of them come from the right, actually. Although, yep, she doesn't get the assist for the Lerven own goal, even though it is an assist because own goals don't have assists attached to them. But quite often, when you look at the 10 or 11 own goals Arsenal have had this season, they usually come from the right and usually caitlin's in the box kind of forcing the issue so you could massage her stats in favor of own goals and maybe some missed chances maybe if we had bunny shore or sam kerr up front she'd have a few more assists as well quite frankly but some of it i can't explain but i can't like i don't and can't take any issue with people who say like her numbers should look better than that because we're talking around the margins a little bit here which I kind of think is fine and that being the case I'd expect if we're saying she's been a bit unlucky I expect I'd expect that to balance out in the second half of the season you know and maybe her to get some goals where they deflect in or maybe get a few fortunate assists like if you're consistent over a period of time that will probably happen for you but at the moment i i do think she really contributes i think she's a really valuable player but at the same time i can't take any issue with anyone who says that there should be more from her in terms of end product i think that's a totally fair comment um how about this one then um well about another winger actually and obviously talking transfers but contracts is is a massive thing as well there's a lot of them expiring the end of the season and this one very simple one from nigel richards at NPR70.

49:18Should Beth Mead be top of the contract renewal list given her excellent form so far this season? Oh, I didn't want you to ask me this one. I was hoping you wouldn't ask me this one. This is going to make, there's going to be a witch hunt out for Jamie Spanger. I think a couple things about this one. I think that when you look at the wingers right now in the Arsenal squad, I think Beth Mead's, like I said it before, her role is really, really underappreciated and undervalued in this squad. However, I also think that Olivia Smith is the feature wing of Arsenal need to build the team around. That's obvious.

49:54Like that's no one's, no one's disagreeing with me on that. Chloe Kelly has a little bit more time left in her legs, I think, than Bethmead does. So I think that you really have to prioritize her. And then it's about, I don't think you can keep Caitlin Ford and Bethmead. Like I think if this side is going to be a team that really, really like go forth and win the WSL again and really take domination, that's not going to happen. and I think that if you're going to keep it renewing these kind of players that are at the top end of their career it's not going to happen and I always talk about Chelsea in this regard because they've had a lot of players over the years like Fran Kirby, Mare Mielder these kind of players that the fans didn't want to say goodbye to because they still loved them and they're still doing a really good job like they're still fantastic players they can do a job for Chelsea but Chelsea can upgrade on a younger player they can upgrade on a player that is maybe world-class like I wouldn't say that Beth Mead is world-class right now and I think that there are players that Arsenal should be attracting that could be.

50:46And that's the same thing Chelsea do. They say goodbye to Frank Kirby. They bring in a whole new young midfield. They bring in Siokin Uskin. They bring in Vika Kapta. And like they are upgrading. They're constantly upgrading. And I know there's a loyalty thing, but Frank Kirby is the perfect example of that. And I think Beth Mead falls into that category where it's like, okay, you're at your top end now. Can you get, can you just like walk the door and thank her for a career? And I would probably say yes. I wouldn't say she's at the top of my list to renew her contract. I would say Arsenal are at a point right now and they're at a standstill where they have been at a few years.

51:17The only big decision that's really been made is the Viviana Miedema refusal to, sorry, not the refusal, the decision not to renew her. And I think that that maybe has to happen again. I really, really think Bethmead is an important part of this Arsenal team, but I think if you're going to keep Caitlin Ford, you can't keep Bethmead. Or if you keep Bethmead, you can't keep Caitlin Ford. You need to invest and a young winger that's going to raise the ceiling of this team because the ceiling of this team needs to be raised. Like it needs to be improved. And I think a lot of that comes from just a creative X-Factor player.

51:45And I think it's hard when it's someone like Beth Mead because she's been in the club so long, she's done so much. But yeah, there needs to be an upgrade on one of the two. Maybe you don't say goodbye to both of them. Maybe you pick one of them and say like, this is the player I think has the most longevity. But I'll be upset if this club says, no, these are the wingers that are going to take us forward because that's not happened for however long we've not won the league. So yeah, changes need to be made. So no is my answer. Sorry. I'm with you on, I don't think you can renew both. I'm definitely with you on that.

52:16I think you can renew one maybe. And that's the difficulty I think talking about, like we had some questions, for example, like who would you renew? Who wouldn't you? And I didn't go for those questions just because I kind of think they're interrelated. so like you say like you kind of you probably do one of Beth or Caitlin look I think the problem the club have given themselves is they didn't start this work last summer so now it's it's going to be so like they can't kiss goodbye to all nine of those players whose contracts are up that's too much they have to do it incrementally um and so there are going to be a couple of players there they will need to and should keep around um could well be beth but i'm with you i kind of think on the winger side choose one and then buy someone else um in in terms of renewal um and and then you know there's other things like does kim renew and if kim doesn't and she retires do you you know do you want to keep someone like beth more because she's a leader in the group and you don't want to lose too much experience i think i think they're kind of all interrelated um a little bit i i have to say i'd be more than happy you know with like a a one plus one for beth um or something like that i just i think she's also a player who's shown that she has she's got such a rounded game that she can do slightly different things i think that's what she's doing at the moment she's leaning into other qualities she has and has always had you know in service to the team I think she's quite malleable so I'd be up for her staying personally but but like you say like you can't keep everyone but we also can't get rid of everyone that can't happen either so I think it's really complicated and I have to say I think Arsenal have made it more complicated um let's let's stay on that discussion then because I've kind of answered this question well not answered i've given my view on this question here so i'll throw it over to you it's from livy afc any concerns about the amount of business that needs sorting in the current months sorry in the coming months renee didn't make it sound like there'll be much beyond what we already knew for the january window goalkeeper and right back which seems a bit concerning when considering the contract situation a lot of players over the summer so i guess the It is a bit concerning, but like, are you, I don't know if alarmed is the right word.

54:52Let's use concerned about the fact that maybe there's only going to be two players in this window. And one of them is going to be like a backup goalkeeper and the other one's going to be a backup right back. Yeah, certainly. I think that like it's been left too late, even for the fact that the window is not open till June. I think that there's a lot of players, obviously, that are out of, it's like nine players are out of contract. Okay, what's their role in the squad? and I think that Arsenal are so slow at like rewarding like the contract extensions they're so slow at figuring these things out and they leave it so late and I do think that's concerning because yes that you need to make room for the incomings at the end of the day and you need to plan the squad and it feels like look I'm not in the back I'm not in the recruitment room right now I'm not having those conversations but it feels like in order to bring players in and kind of entice this talent and say look there's a room for you in this Arsenal squad they can look at that team they'll be like how you've got a full squad of players that like what is the plan for the player ahead of me in that position that's currently in the squad that's that's contract is expiring in June so I think if I was a future player I'd be looking at and saying like historically you guys haven't handled that very well and there's also a stockpile of players that are in this squad that don't have a role in this squad that aren't playing minutes what's the plan for them I do think like Rene but I don't just think it's Rene Slager's problem I think it's been a problem for a few years now where the extensions are left too late the decision to kind of off board a player is left too late and the only outlier to me is the Viviana Miedema one I think that there are like a few extensions that that should be rewarded and I think that needs to happen like now and I know that like players like Kim Little she might want to wait till the end of the season to make that call and that's fine but there's I think a lot where in Arsenal's team comes in clusters like these extensions really come in clusters and I think it was it was two or three seasons ago when it was I think Steph, Wally, Kim like all extended at the exact same time and it was I can't remember what time.

56:38Yeah there you go and they were all just at one time You look at the men's team, it's like Gabrielle and Saliba kind of happen. And then there's like a bit of a gap. Louis Skelly extends. It feels like the recruitment team on the men's side are looking at it and saying like, okay, let's do this every day. It's an everyday job when we're working on these contracts. With the women's team, it feels like, okay, it's June now. Like, let's probably figure out what we want to make with the squad. And I think that comes back to the philosophy of, okay, who does the manager want in the squad? She needs to figure that out.

57:02She needs to figure out what style of football she wants to play, what personnel work in that way. because if we get to a situation in May where we're still uncertain about the future of nine players, then that does worry me. Yeah, absolutely. I think Chelsea actually were in a similar situation maybe last year where they had like maybe six or seven and they had like a few that were a bit weird like Sam Kerr because she's injured and so what type of contract do you give her and all of that? Should we do one more question each? If you do one for me, I do one for you. We should. This one is simple.

57:37This is from at kpunge15. This says, what do you want from Santa for the next part of the season? So, Tim, you're realistic and also, I don't know, far-fetched, but maybe realistic expectations. I was going to say you ruined it when you said realistic there because I was going to say the quintuple. Is that a thing that we could do? Yeah.

58:00I want to go to the League Cup final. That's an immediate objective. um yeah let's kind of let's keep it to like january february type time obviously going unbeaten in those games i mean i kind of think that's unlikely i think in a run of games like that pretty much nobody would go unbeaten um but obviously winning the majority of those games i'd really like to win at stanford bridge which is a statement in the obvious but like we've been there twice and not done it and you know the the away fans i think are going to remind the home fans um about certain events that happened in 2025 and and i'd really like that to be in a better setting than it's been the last the last couple of seasons and um and you know that that that that could be a big get well it will be a big game for second place i think actually is is what that game's really going to be beyond the rivalry so yeah um you know let's give united a couple of hidings give chelsea a hiding you know go to the league cup final become champions of the world that'd be nice um as well playing out of season gotham i well you know unless unless corinthians beat them um so that that that would all be nice but i guess realistically i mean at least what we're in a position like let's say you know like the FIFA like Champions Cup I mean that would be a nice trinket but it'd be a bit of a trinket because you only play two games I know the League Cup you only play three but I think definitely one of the domestic cups if you if you really and I'm not saying that should be the absolute like ceiling of our ambition or anything but it's been too bloody long since Arsenal won the FA Cup.

59:55Like it's going to be 10 years this year. I'd love to go to Wembley. I'd love, you know, we haven't been there since 2021. We haven't been there since like this explosion of the fan base. I don't know what they're going to do. If Arsenal women get to the FA Cup final, because they do that thing like really rightly where they start selling the tickets really early and essentially sell it to neutrals. If Arsenal get there, they have to take all those tickets off them because we'll sell it out. Quite frankly. and and you might get like a real first in women's football about like how do you sell those tickets because like you're going to have people who've you know you're going to have to start going who's gone to away games who's gone to the most home games and stuff like that because like we'll probably exceed the demand so I'd like to talk about that I'd like to have that problem and I'd like to go to Wembley uh because it's been too long since that happened obviously I think finishing in the in the I don't harbor any realistic aspirations of winning the title unfortunately so you know finishing second or third at a push would be fine but definitely at least one of the domestic cups I think is a kind of minimum for us but if we could land even if we could land some kind of freaky treble like the the Champions Cup the FA Cup and the League cup like no one's ever done that before i think it'd be fitting for arsenal women to make that kind of history so let's move to um the last question you said you didn't want the bethmead question i didn't want it either um which is why i asked you but i'm going to ask you the toughest question of all the one that really gets to the nub and the one that's going to provoke the most debate and it's from l at kafadji ball what is the best part of a christmas dinner

1:01:43let's say we can't say you know for for meat eaters you can't say the meat i think i think we have to take that out does that mean i'm not allowed to say pigs and blankets oh no no because that's that's that's that's like that's not the main yeah like pork beef goose whatever you eat like yeah yeah yeah uh i'm gonna say pigs and blankets love them they're the best although they we we don't really like we don't really vibe with the pigs and blankets here so i bring them to the family i am i'm the peas and blankets at the function because the australians we have like barbecues and prawns and stuff so yeah it's really like a bit left field but i'm a pigs and blankets girl so yeah i'm going i'm going straight there fair that that's actually a very british answer um i i i've given this some thought and like like I love my roast potatoes for example I'm actually a big veg lover I love broccoli I love sprouts and all of that um but some of the stuff you have at Christmas that you don't always have like a bit of red cabbage like that little bit of horseradish just stuff that doesn't go as much on like the quote-unquote traditional kind of Sunday lunch another thing we have in in my home in um in brazil they'll have rice with raisins in it um for example as part of the christmas dinner so we always do that um as a little nod um as well but yeah i i'd say i like i i really like a bit of like red cabbage um that's the worst answer it's just because i think christmas is kind of the only time i have it really like i don't really have it any other time um to be on oh no no no no no no no no no no scrap all that scrap all that parsnips yeah you know what i'll side with you there yeah i'll side with the red cabbage is deplorable answer little dribble of honey on the parsnips that's that's where i'm going yeah yeah i'm a big parsnip lover um so there we go we got we got there parsnips obviously pigs in blankets are amazing everyone knows that except our vegetarian listeners sorry um um but on that seasonal note should we leave it there we should leave it there enjoy your red cabbage tim merry christmas thanks for a great 2025 yeah absolutely and uh you know merry christmas and season's greetings and all of that to our listeners um if you celebrate if not then just have a great december and a great january we'll be back probably in the new year we'll come back a bit before the games start, pending events and things like that.

1:04:28But really thanks for all of your feedback and all of your questions and tuning in and listening and people that stop me at games and say they love the podcast and stuff like that. I feel guilty because I get all of that at the moment. And Jamie, you don't get that way you are at the moment. So I soak that up for both of us, which is a real pleasure. But thanks so much to everyone. Merry Christmas Happy New Year and we will speak to you in 2026 when Arsenal will win the quintuple