Arsenal Close In On Glory, Manchester City and Chelsea Clash at Wembley, and West Ham Chase Survival: Big Weekend Preview 05/15/26

0:00Roger Bennett:Okay, real question. If you're heading to an NWSL or MLS match this summer, do you have a pair of sunglasses that can handle a run, playing with your dog, a stop at brunch, and then heading to the big match? Because that's basically a perfect day and it's exactly what Gooder sunglasses are built for. I'm excited about this one because Gooder now has officially licensed NWSL and MLS sunglasses. So you can rep your favorite club all summer long, whether you're out being active or just hanging with friends before kickoff. They're designed to actually move with you. They've got a no slip grip. So they stay put even when you're sweating a no bounce fit that runners will appreciate and UV 400 protection for those bright afternoon matches.

0:43Roger Bennett:And there are tons of team color combos and frame styles so you can find a pair that matches your club and your vibe for all your spring and summer plans. I can wear these out to coffee with my friends on my big trips to New York and then straight to the Gotham game after to cheer them on. If you're ready to upgrade your eyewear, head to gooder.com slash MIB to claim$10 off your first order when you sign up with your email. That's G-O-O-D-R dot com slash MIB for$10 off your first order. You're listening to the Men in Blazers media network Suboptimal Radio

1:23A weekend with FA Cup final wonder oh wonder the action actually kicks off early doors with the ecstasy of a Scottish title decider between Celtic and Hearts it's up there with the Battle of Bannockburn in terms of historic Scottish moments or at least the cloning of Dolly the Sheep it ends Monday afternoon when Arsenal face Arsenal's demons. We're Burnley just standing there watching. Football, gotta be honest, I've never needed your respite more. This is Big Weekend Preview giving you all you need to know to enhance your viewing pleasure. It's always magical to see. Oh, my Friday friend in pod it's the mighty Rory Smith.

1:58Hearts, hearts, glorious hearts, Rog. I know you're going. We're going to talk about it in just one moment but let's get straight into the English football. We'll get into the FA Cup final in just one sec but first roar, let's touch temperature check the league leaders are Arsenal welcoming Burnley to the Emirates as if Burnley a PSG. Monday at 3pm Eastern Time on USA. Arsenal's final home game of the season. We survived the late VAR drama of last weekend. Every single Arsenal fan, I know Rordo, is dreading this game. Quaking. Yes, a game against already relegated Burnley. And I feel like I've been pretty obvious in telegraphing this.

2:37I do admire Arsenal's journey so much. I've got so much human respect for this march to Premier League glory after year after year after year of near failure. To me, it is epic. A remarkable journey. It's like Homer's Odyssey needs its own movie. But man, I spoke to so many Arsenal fans this week in Philadelphia who are experiencing it just as an unlubricated agony. I think it's the best way of talking about it. One of them told me it's a perfect distillation of our mind bending world in which everything good feels dark. I didn't know how to take that roar, but even title-winning journeys feel like grim work.

3:13Roger Bennett:But it wouldn't feel so good when it comes off, Rog, if it wasn't so stressful towards the end. And I've said this before, I remember this just last year, when I was in a similar position to a lot of those Arsenal fans. And you do, you see peril around every single corner. So suddenly Burnley at home, a Burnley team that are already relegated and have got worse since they got relegated, will suddenly look like a threat. Arsenal fans will remember they lost at home to Bournemouth when they thought it was all plain sailing. They only narrowly kind of squeezed past Newcastle, what, less than a month ago.

3:43Roger Bennett:So obviously, logically, to me and you as rational beings, Rog, Arsenal at home to Burnley is, it's not quite a gimme, that's disrespectful, but it's not too far off. But to Arsenal fans, they will be well aware of the myriad ways in which this could all go horribly wrong. I want to give huge thanks to Bank of America, Official Bank of US Soccer and the FIFA World Cup 2026 for supporting the Men in Blazers media network. Discover what's possible in sports and in life. What would you like the power to do? Well, here's the situation. Here's the good news. Arsenal, you remain in control of your destiny.

4:17And you're even guaranteed to win the title if you win the final two league games. That's all it takes. You can win the bloody title as early as Tuesday night if City slip up against Bournemouth. But City have now got the superior goal difference. Also dropping any points would give Pep Guardiola's boys an advantage. That's the state of play. But in this one, you've just mentioned it. Burnley, done, dusted, flimsy, doomed men. To me, Arsenal's battles are now all internal inside their own minds, on the field, and inside Mikel Arteta's exhausted, beautifully helmeted brilliant mind. It is tough news.

4:52Ben White will miss the rest of the season with knee ligament injury. And so Mikel must decide whether he trusts Christian Mascara at right back or does he pull Declan Wright out of midfield again like he did briefly against West Ham to, well, self-neutering impact, I think is the word. These are the kind of decisions we all that agonise going into this, almost chafe.

5:12Roger Bennett:The bigger issue from Arteta's point of view is that he's going to need to think what he wants to do in the Champions League final. He needs to have a plan for who plays at right-back in the absence of Ben White and the possible absence of Uri and Timber. Obviously, if Timber comes back for that game, that changes everything he plays. He's on grass now, that new status. Do we all know exactly what that means? I don't know what that means. They even put out Instagram posts about players being on grass and you're like amazing it's similar to when facebook first came out to date myself rog and it was like single in a relationship it's complicated and you i always remember thinking it's complicated is just asking for a world of hurt yuri and timber it's complicated by the way they're all complicated whether you're single whether you're in a relationship or whether you're on grass everything is complicated it depends what type of grass you're on sometimes it makes it very simple the um the life the um yeah i think my instinct is that he'll have seen enough at west ham to think that pulling rice out of midfield and playing him at right back not only doesn't doesn't make the right back situation any better it makes the midfield much worse i think it will be most era on monday and at least part of his thinking will be that most era needs to get used to playing there because he will be first in line to play there if you're in timber who for my money rog was at one point this season arsenal's best player if Timbers not fit for the Champions League final Mostera will play there and I think you'll get a dry run of that against Burnley yeah because playing Burnley is a really good dry run perfect preparation Kevam Radona you know what I mean by the way just listening to you talking about this this moment for Arsenal fans thinking about Declan Rice on his knees looking at the camera yeah we talked about as performative in the moment when he said not done yet it's not over yet those words will if Arsenal win the title that moment will go from like everyone laughed that it lulls to Churchill level.

6:58Roger Bennett:But you've said this before, Rog, that's true of so much around this Arsenal team. The fire at the training ground, win the dog, the pickpockets, the TikToks on the big screen, all that stuff is validated and vindicated by winning. That's all that matters. That's the way football works. If something is perceived to have had success, everyone will not only think it's okay, but they'll start to adopt it. So much of what Arteta has done over the last five years has been cast as kind of laughable because he's not quite got over the line. Win two games and suddenly all of his methods are justified.

7:29Roger Bennett:Everything is justified. Everything he's done. The dark scenario, which I have to mention, I'll whisper it, if Arsenal drop points against Burnley on Monday, the title will be decided on the final day of the season. I'm not sure I'm emotionally equipped for that. I don't even have a horse in a race. Roar, what version of Arsenal should we expect to see on Monday? Will it be the risk-averse, control-first, mitigate or risk team that we've seen a lot in 2026? Will it be the one that occasionally breaks through that more freer Everett Gease flowing team that occasionally seems to just rear its head with beauty?

8:05Roger Bennett:I think it might depend a little bit on how the game goes, Rog. I think if Burnley can hold out for, even for 20 minutes, I think that the Emirates might get very, very antsy and that will be an interesting psychological test for Arsenal. You might see them doing what they did against Newcastle, which was just trying to find a way to win the game. That's ultimately, as you say, all that matters now, Just win the games. Don't have to worry about goal difference as long as you win. But to be honest, I've got a little bit more hope than that. I think Arsenal cut loose on Monday. I'm not sure Burnley have got any real resistance left.

8:33Roger Bennett:Early goal, another early goal, 5-0 win, buoyant Emirates. They kind of sign off to the season that Arsenal deserve after leading the table for so long. I think this is a good day for Arsenal. A lot of this. An awful lot of putting your hands in front of your face. A little slightly embarrassed after like kneeing one in against Burnley, the fourth goal from close range. I think it's 3-0-2. Nothing to see here. Enjoy it, Arsenal fans, man. Let's continue the Arsenal theme. It's time for another edition of Pack Your Bags, brought to you by our great friends at Yeti. Yeti bags, extremely durable, super organisational.

9:08I adore them. I take them with me everywhere I go on the road. This week, Raw, we focus on Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is being talk-sported into the English team. Yes, on TalkSport, they're talking about how not as a left-back, but now in his new revealed midfield option, he should be going to the World Cup. I'm old enough to remember a couple of weeks ago when it looked like Myles Lewis Skelly was going to be going out on loan in Nowheresville. Now he is delivering massive performances in massive games. Yeah, and he offers the cover at the left-back. Declan Rice locked in, Elliot Anderson, Adam Water, Nika O 'Reilly, Lewis Hall, all part of that England squad math.

9:49but Raw, Lewis Skelly's flexibility, the two areas he covers, I mean, solve two problems with one boarding pass, dot, dot, dot, question mark.

9:57Roger Bennett:It feels inherently silly that Lewis Skelly, and I don't mean this as any disrespect to him as a player, he's played well twice in May, having basically disappeared all season. You know, stuff to talk about is sufficiently thin on the ground, apparently, that now whether he should be in the Inlandsquad has become a topic of conversation. But apparently, you know, 180 minutes of football is enough to demand that Thomas Tuchel tear up his plans. but you are right. What he'll need in the summer is players who can play in more than one position, players who solve more than one problem. 26 players in a squad is enough but the more options you can give yourself, the better.

10:29Roger Bennett:That's why Nito O 'Reilly is such a valuable player for England to have. I think Lewis Kelly has probably left it a little bit too late. Thomas Tuchel will name his squad next Friday. This time next week Thomas Tuchel names his squad. I can't see him doing it on the basis of a maximum of three games from Myles Lewis Kelly. But that said, it's England, it's the World Cup weirder things have happened Miles Lewis Skelly on the plane for the World Cup 2030

10:59to Wembley we go Manchester City against Chelsea 10am Eastern Time on ESPN 2 and ESPN Plus consistent winners versus your kings of chaos this game's honestly got all the vibes of Wembley putting Gobert in a spin cycle Pep Guardiola this is incredible visits Wembley for a truly eye-popping 24th time in a game which could, could be his third last in charge at City. Chelsea, really, I think of them now as like a, and I'm not even good at chemistry, but they are like an unstable chemical compound under the leadership of Callum McFarlane, who is unbelievably their second caretaker of a completely self-harming season.

11:41Let's start with City. We're in the middle of a truly brutal final week stretch. They actually beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Wednesday. They kept the title race alive. They did it with Harlan, Jeremy Doku and Brian Cherky all on the bench at the outset, which tells you everything. This is about game management to try and close this season for Pep. Chelsea at Wembley and then Bournemouth away three days later in an enormous clash before Aston Villa for one final rumble. We had Jeremy Doku on the show this week. Really interesting bloke, actually. Talked about his own form, whether the season could be considered a success for City.

12:15he just immediately goes no emphatic no Raw talked about how the club have things still that they are desperate to win the interview it was in the show notes I actually really liked him but it really a reflection of the City mindset of play this Wembley thing it's not a bonus but it's not the everything either how hard is it Raw for City to fully lock into this final mentally knowing that they have Bournemouth and that title race just a couple of days later

12:41Roger Bennett:that will play on the players minds a little bit but the one person who's always taking the FA Cup pretty seriously is Pep Guardiola. He really loves this competition. Obviously, FA Cup final week, Rog, in England, we've spent a lot of time talking about whether the FA Cup is as good as it used to be. We're still very upset about that. We refuse to acknowledge the reality that it's just doing what it's meant to do. But Guardiola, I think, is really drawn to the tradition of it. I think he really has that reverence that quite a lot of people on continental Europe have for the FA Cup. They see it as being much more special maybe than we do now.

13:13Roger Bennett:It's his fourth final in a row. which in itself is extraordinary. He's obviously lost two of those to Crystal Palace and to Manchester United. But he'll go into this determined to win it. We still don't know whether this is his whatever the one before penultimate is, game in charge of Manchester City. The mood music's changed a little bit in the last few days. There's sort of suggestion that he might be more inclined to stay than we maybe thought. But even so, he will want to win it. There is a chance that it might be his last trophy with City. A domestic cup double, it will mean a lot to Pep.

13:44Roger Bennett:And I think because it means a lot to Pep, it will mean lots to the players. And then there's Chelsea. Xabi Alonso's shadow flickering over the entire club in slightly surreal ways. With talk said to be poised to accelerate post-game. We'll talk on Monday about what a slot continuing at Liverpool, while Chelsea may be sore, may be under Xabi Alonso, will do to your just emotional state. I'm sure it'll be chill and balanced. But Chelsea arrive at Wembley with a very different kind of need. Ninth in the league, flailing. Callum McFarlane, poor guy, having to step in as interim manager. It's what he does.

14:21The season has felt less like a rebuild, more like a very expensive escape room. But win this, suddenly they got a trophy, a tchotchke, a bauble, a Europa League place and something real to show for the year, which began with all the promise of the club will win. Problem, of course, though, is City. Chelsea have not beaten them in 13 long games. Longest wellness run against any opponent in over 20 years. They've also lost their last three FA Cup finals. But, you know, who's counting? On the other hand, yeah, City have lost the last two. Wembley's not been super kind to either of these two. But for one of them, it's going to change raw.

14:59Chelsea got the weapons. João Pedro, I mean, can create on his own 15 Premier League goals. Non-funny penalty spot, 20 goals all comps. Cole Palmer, who's been just utterly a spike gun this second half of the season. No goals in, what is it, his last 10 games. But man, the opportunity to send a message against the club he came through at, that he had to leave to become truly a man, is always fascinating to think about emotionally. But it kind of looks raw. City, cohesive, focused, Chelsea team of individuals showing a confidence. When do we last believe Chelsea were in a final where they get absolutely smashed?

15:35Roger Bennett:well you could look at what the 2021 Champions League final the 2026 Club World Cup final Rog they do quite like it when the odds are stacked against them and let's not forget Callum McFarlane is unbeaten against Pep Guardiola that is a really important fact he'll want to defend that record I think the thing that that will give Guardiola pause is not just the fact that Chelsea can be dangerous when they're when they're written off it's the fact that they have talented individuals in that team as much as they're not a coherent team because they don't have a coherent structure or a coherent strategy in terms of recruitment they do have Mwazes Caicedo they do have Enzo Fernandes they do have João Pedro they do have Cole Palmer they have players who can hurt Manchester City as we saw in January when when Chelsea went to the Etihad and took a point that no one expected them to take so it wouldn't be really fair or realistic to kind of dismiss Chelsea's chances at all but fundamentally it is one of those finals where they will need to perform for their own dignity as much as anything else and hope that City aren't really on it That's basically the way that, that's the formula for Chelsea lifting this FA Cup, which I do think would be meaningful for them as a club.

16:37Roger Bennett:I think for the ownership, particularly, it would give them a little bit of proof of concept, I suppose, to say, look, well, you know, this has been a disastrous season. We've still won the FA Cup. And the Club World Cup, man. And the Club World Cup. It's been glorious. What will be really funny is next season, they obviously get to wear their Club World Cup badges, the patches, for four years. So next season, having finished like ninth in the Premier League and not even being in the Champions League, they're going to have to wear club world champions patches. Just kind of shows how fickle football is, Rog, doesn't it?

17:04Didn't we almost have it all?

17:05Roger Bennett:Can I get a score prediction? Having said all that, Rog, I think Man City win it quite easily, to be honest. I think that Guardiola wants to win this trophy. City will be up for it. They're a much better team. I think they win it 3-0. I'm fascinated, honestly, to watch City right now. In Rodri's absence, watching him propelled by Bernardo Silva, in his own right is counting down his last days as a City, well, not just a player, but a City icon, a legend, surely. Surely there's a slightly odd statue loading. But in Rodri's absence, watching him drop deeper and deeper, his swan song, he's almost like watching a great classic point guard bringing that ball upfield.

17:43This will be his third FA Cup victory, possibly, to go with the Champions League title, the Premier League medals, the idea of a seventh, one of those still lingering. I believe City will absolutely atomise Chelsea. I think Nika O 'Reilly will be amongst the goals. It'll be 3-1. And that sounds much closer than it will be. Raw, let's go to the annals of the league for game three to talk Tottenham and West Ham. The Irons go first, go north of the wall to Newcastle, Sunday, 12.30pm Eastern time on USA. For West Ham, this is no longer about performance levels or brave efforts. This is about cold, hard, pure point extraction.

18:21They arrive on the edge of the Moondore of relegation. They're in 18th place, two points behind Tottenham, fresh off back-to-back defeat. Still carrying the emotional bruise from that equaliser that wasn't against Arsenal at the death. They have to win at least one of the last two games. Their goal difference, minus 20. I think it's 11 behind Spurs, so there's that too. If they drop points and Spurs beat Chelsea when they meet on Tuesday night, they could be relegated before their next play. Good news is Newcastle have won just one in five. Their season feels like it is utterly in stasis and drift mode.

18:59St. James Park, we think of it as a fortress, but I think the Iron Gate's wide open. It's not what it was last season during their Carabao fuel wonder that feels like it was years ago. Roar, is West Ham's best intangible that they are just so doomed, so desperate?

19:14Roger Bennett:Yeah, I think there is definitely a thing where, towards the end of the season, the teams that have something to play for, whether that's relegation, titles, Europe, have an edge over the teams that are desperate to find out whether they can finish 12th or 13th. As much as people will say there's£2 million,$3 million on each league position, and there will be bonuses attached to that for the players at Newcastle, they don't care about that nearly as much as West Ham care about keeping themselves in the Premier League that is a much more important like motivating factor and it's probably enough to cancel out home advantage at the same time Eddie Howe will be looking at this as Newcastle's farewell to St James's Park this season you don't want to go out on a kind of 2-0 defeat to a relegation threatened team because that's the sort of thing Rog that can maybe make the fans think that they don't really like you as a manager anymore so it's not that Newcastle won't be trying because obviously they will be they will want to win the game in front of their own fans.

20:08Roger Bennett:But I do genuinely believe, even though it's an intangible, I do believe that West Ham will have an animus that is greater than Newcastle's. And I think at this stage of the season, that does matter. Go and get your animus up, lads. That's good coaching. That's what Noon will be talking about. We'll be talking about West Ham's animus. The players, Konstantinos Mavropanos, loves talking about his animus. He says, what's my men's raya? He says to the coach. Can I get a Rory Dormus, please? I think it might be an agonising two-all draw. I think Newcastle will be playing in a slightly more carefree way.

20:37Roger Bennett:They have nothing at stake. They can afford to cut loose a little bit. West Ham looked good against Arsenal, to be honest. They looked all right. And their form has been fine since the turn of the year. So I don't think they'll lose. And I don't think relegation will be settled before the final day. But I don't think they go to St James' and win. I see West Ham taking this one 1-0. Callum Wilson doing his old squeeze, which brings us to Spurs. Enjoy your weekend off, Tottenham fans, yeah? or weekend free of pain and bite your arm off. Spurs fans will spend the entire weekend clad in black and white, randomly shouting, away the lads, urging Newcastle to thrash West Ham in their Cockney accents.

21:16Their own teetering team don't play until Tuesday night against FA Cup finalist Chelsea, so the entire agonised fan base can spend the weekend fretting about their squad's appetite for self-destruction, which continues. You always have to admire it. The Danso failed clearance that led to Brighton's quite excruciating 95th minute equaliser. The tell wrist field decision. Oh, yeah, I'm going to try an overhead kick on the edge of my own box when there's a player's head in the vicinity. I mean, all of it obviously put in place by that mind bending, self harming five game folly under Igor Tudor. His appointment just seems utterly, well, ages ago, but bloody hell mad.

21:58pending the Irons result could be back in the relegation zone by then what's your advice to Spurs fans right now just in case I start planning

22:05Roger Bennett:your kind of your routes to places like Lincoln I think that's important to be forewarned there is nothing they can do this is going to be agony for Tottenham the next few days will be agony not least because they should have the sort of game on Tuesday night that they want against a team that has been in free fall that will be coming off a game either an FA Cup final that they have won and therefore they don't care about the league anymore or that they have lost and therefore they are kind of emotionally devastated. But it's Chelsea and Stamford Bridge will be a bear pit. There is nothing Chelsea want to see more than Tottenham being relegated.

22:38Roger Bennett:So there is no advice to give Spurs fans. This is going to be agony.