Arsenal’s Psychological Battle Continues, Manchester City Face Tricky Test Against Everton, and Spurs Survival Fight: Big Weekend Preview 05/01/26

0:00You're listening to the Men in Blazers Media Network, Suboptimal Radio.

0:11Thank God the Premier League's back after that guilty midweek pleasure of PSG Bayern Munich football, as if etched on the very side of Plato's Cave. Let's go back to already scheduled programming, yeah? football as we love it filled with fraught psychological torment, long throws and all that psycho drama Can Arsenal go six points clear of City before Pep's mod take the field against Chex Note to Everton? We tried Have Tottenham used up their entire allotment of Premier League wins in 2026? This is Big Weekend Preview where we ask those questions and more. Joining me to help break down the biggest storylines ahead of the weekend as ever, it's Mr Rory Smith We've had our fun, Rog Yes, and now we must pay the piper.

0:55Oh, however it works. Are you ready to return to the pit face?

1:00Roger Bennett:Yeah, this is the coal face of football. It's not enjoyable. It's a slog. Everything's a corner. It's a job. Let's get on with it. Job of work. And we're going down the mines. 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? Let's start Raw with Arsenal before we get to their match against Fulham. On Saturday, 12.30pm Eastern Time, NBC proper. Midweek did give us two wildly different Champions League semifinals.

1:37PSG, Bayern, that nine-goal, all-out attack fever dream. And then the next day, Arsenal-Athletico. 1-1 ground game, gripple, grapple. One game, full-on street ball. the other full-on street fight. And I want to ask you about something really fascinating. Post-game, against Atletico, Diego Simeone said, as the game went on, we noticed their fatigue and the weight of going for the Premier League, trying to win the Champions League, all of that accumulated, and we picked up. I found that fascinating, Raw, a truth that also captures both strengths and weaknesses of the entire Premier League we revel in each week, and also the current reality of Arsenal's quadruple chasing, now down to double curious in their current predicament.

2:24Roger Bennett:Yeah, I mean, I think if you look at both those Champions League games, you can tell which one features teams that have been able to rotate players through most of the season because they are so assured of their domestic dominance. And it wasn't the one with the long throws. I think the issue that Arsenal have, that even Atletico don't actually, is that, you know, Atleti are pretty certain they're going to make the Champions League. They know they're not going to win the Spanish title. Simeone, I think, has already said, you know, this weekend's game for them will be a chance for some of the fringe players to show why they're at Atletico Madrid.

2:51Roger Bennett:Or why they're fringe. Maybe not why they're fringe. The idea is, I think, to prove why they shouldn't be fringe, Rog. Come on. But Arsenal don't have that luxury. Arteta will have to go strong. There may be one or two he could get away with resting or at least have him on the bench. He can't afford to give his main stars the weekend off. He can't afford to take Fulham for granted because Arsenal are in this straight shootout of a title race. They have to kind of turn the screw on City before they play. They could, by Saturday evening, be six points clear at the top of the table. And even though that's City with games in hand, that puts them under what I believe Americans call scoreboard pressure.

3:28Roger Bennett:It means that City go to Hill Dickinson without any margin for error at all. That psychology is really important. But it does come at a cost, because while Atletico's main players will have the weekend off, Antoine Griezmann will be watching the NBA or whatever, but Arsenal's players will have to be in the muck and bullets of another Premier League game. And you do wonder whether at some point, we've seen this before with teams competing on multiple fronts in England, whether at some point that takes its toll, to be honest. Yeah, we'll hit more on both of those clashes in those glorious semifinals in more detail next week on Tuesday's European Nights.

4:02But to the game this weekend, Fulham crossed the Thames to arrive at the Emirates. And despite Arteta's April Horribles, Arsenal remain incredibly strong at home. Just 11 goals conceded in 17 home league games at the Emirates this season. Those are league-leading numbers. This match-up represents, as you said, a chance to go six points clear before City even play. Yeah, with two more games played. But what I realise going into this one, Rourke, Fulham are the opposition on paper. But for the rest of the season, Arsenal's greatest opponent is themselves inside their own mind. They are essentially footballing Edward Norton's facing up to Brad Pitt's Tyler Norton in Fight Club, trying to live out their desire for freedom, creativity, their ability to conquer chaos finally.

4:47There's that line from Fight Club that I hope all gooners remember, Roar, it's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.

4:55Roger Bennett:Yeah, this is the most interesting thing about this title race, Rog. There is a very good chance that one team doesn't win all their games. There's a good chance that both teams don't win all their games. And it may be that at some point in the next month, someone slips up properly. But it's almost more interesting if they don't, because the goal difference is so fine, the margins are so fine, that at some point someone's going to think the only way we really seize control of this title race is by scoring a lot of goals. Someone's going to have to put down four or five or six to really increase the pressure on the others.

5:24Roger Bennett:And I think for Arsenal, that's a bigger psychological shift than for Manchester City. I just don't know whether we've reached that stage yet. I'm not the sort of psychologist that Mikel Arteta would call into Arsenal's training ground around some sort of bonfire to talk to the players with a talking stick. That's not my job. But I wonder whether, because of the fact that City don't play until Monday, I wonder whether this is very much a just win this game. Just make sure that for a couple of days they're the ones under that psychological pressure. Try and alleviate your torment for 48 hours. Give it to them.

5:59Roger Bennett:Share your misery. Give it to Manchester City. That, I think, is the job that Arsenal have at hand.

6:08That's incredible, man manager. And that is Rory Smith, under 18, man manager, connoisseur. You're miserable. Misery is contagious. Spread your misery, lads. Give some to them. I like it. Head games. We talked in this weekend's pod about Arsenal's commitment to the style of football. They're too late to change it now. They are heavy-legged. They are grinding. They play that uncreative, swole ball. And it's only going to ratchet up the pressure around it. As the fan anxiety ratchets out, We had Tyler Adams famously come on the show two weeks ago and talked about how opposing players feed off that anxiety.

6:44And that last week's win, the gruel-filled win almost at Newcastle. The strangest thing about football, Arsenal fans were happier after defeat against City than they were against Newcastle in victory because at least they played. This is the surreal reality for us. Bonnet, they captured it beautifully when he wrote in The Guardian this week. Tight finishes are common enough, but the outcome's never been so closely tied up to the notions of bottling and mental fragility. Sport staged as a theatre of pain. Torture porn. Blanched and quivering Arsenal fans. The haunted eyes of Xavi Simons. Arteta chained to an industrial sink, hacksawing off his own arm in return for a late equaliser at Selhurst Park.

7:29This is who we are now, Rob.

7:30Roger Bennett:Yeah, I can't really remember a more fraught end to a title race, Rog. I mean, this isn't the first time in recent memory that we've had a finish like this. Liverpool and Manchester City did it a couple of times in the Klopp-Guardiola era. But it felt slightly different. And I wonder whether that's because, obviously, City had already won titles. Liverpool were going for the Champions League and after 2019 had already won the Champions League. But also you were relatively sure that they were going to win. Both teams tended to kind of dominate games a little bit. whereas Arsenal as the fatigue has set in the margins have become so fine you know they scored early on against Newcastle that should have been the ideal scenario you've got a team that is bereft of confidence 1-0 down after 9 minutes go and beat them 3 or 4-0 partly so that you get your goal difference up and partly so your fans aren't stressed out but Arsenal don't seem to be able to do that they still seem inhibited by the pressure at some point that's going to have to change I'm 97 % made up of inhibition, so I'm loving all this talk.

8:28But we do have to talk about Fulham. There is another team in this game. Fulham, not a team exactly coasting into the off-season, still playing, I think, three-quarters of the league for one of those beautiful, beautiful outside European spots boosted by a win against Aston Villa last weekend. When you delve into the history of Arsenal and Fulham at Arsenal, stats are really remarkable. Out of all 32 games Fulham have faced Arsenal on the road, well they've won a grand total of zero games which is an amazing it's almost brilliant

9:00Roger Bennett:you know it's always time to make a change rog yeah i know it's like when you're watching the roulette wheel it's red red red red red at a certain point you're like yeah i want to put a lot of money on black here um it is it's an always surreal feat i i always admire it you can only be impressed by it always want it as a you know if it was an evident thing i'd always want it to continue Yeah, but it does mean nothing right come the opening whistle. What kind of game do you imagine this is going to be? And what's the final score going to be, Roradomas? I suspect this is going to be very similar to the Arsenal-Newcastle game, to be perfectly honest.

9:31Roger Bennett:When Fulham went to Anfield a few weeks ago, it looked to me a little bit like they'd maybe decided the season wasn't that interesting anymore. And they were thinking quite a lot about their summer holidays. But as you say, Beatingville is a good result. I think they've only lost two of their last six. They're in decent form. They're only two points off sixth place, Rog, which is not a bad thing for Fulham. Marco Silva is coming into the final two months of his contract. He will want his team to finish strongly because it might influence where he is next season. So I think they will make it tricky.

9:56Roger Bennett:I think the Emirates will be fractious and tense throughout. I don't think Arsenal will kill the game off. I don't think they'll improve their goal difference enough. But they will beat Fulham 2-0, which will set up a really, really stressful 48 hours for Manchester City. Arsenal win 2-1, SA again. That loss to City, almost their worst fear manifested. and almost playing more liberated football because the worst thing happened to them and they're still alive. That's what I'm hoping anyway. Here's some news. Arsenal-ish. The great Eberich here is a man who moves with such effortless swag. He's gifted us one of his signed New Balance boots to give away to one of you.

10:33All you have to do is join the Men in Blazers Discord. True home for Matchday Conversation. I love it. I'm in there all weekend. Join and you'll be entered to win. The winner will be drawn this upcoming Monday. Toss your name into El Hat and get a chance to win a beautiful, beautiful slice of footballing joy. If you're already in there, you're already entered. For everyone else, link to join our Discord is in the show notes below. Come be with us every single match day. OK, let's go to big match the second. Oh, scrappy do Everton. Welcome Manchester City to the Hill Dickinson. I'd love to say fortress, but I'm kind of kidding myself.

11:113 p.m. Monday on USA. I'd say at least my beloved team will not take a massive **** on my weekend because they're not playing. I'm old enough to remember, oh, when my boys are in the thick of the chase for Europe. Children, don't have ambition or dreams. Just remember that if it's the only thing you take from this show. We've not beaten Manchester City since 2017. I think we're 11th right now. Yes, three off the European places. And there is a hint of opportunity. We're up at the margins right now. Razor thin. I'm starting to think I shouldn't have bothered to have renewed my passport, should I?

11:46We just lost two straight games in the 90 minutes plus. Hearts are broken. If you were an Arsenal fan, Raw, put yourself in that headspace for a minute. What level of trust would you have in Everton between 0, St Tosin and 10? Kiernan, Juice Bihal, what faith would you put in Everton in a game like this against Manchester City?

12:06Roger Bennett:Well, having spoken to quite a lot of Arsenal fans in the last week, There is no group of people on the planet who think Everton are better than Arsenal fans do at the moment. That's what I would say. Welcome to my hall of pain. They are adamant that Everton are one of the greatest sides humanity has ever seen, ready to tear into Manchester City. To be honest, if you're an Arsenal fan at this stage, you would look at Everton away and think that is a difficult game. Arsenal went there early December. It's the coldest I've ever been at a football match, Rog. they won 1-0 with a Jokeres penalty that wasn't a penalty, is that right?

12:40Roger Bennett:It's painful, yeah. So they will know that going to Hildikinson is not easy. As you say, Everton have lost the last two games in the 90th minute, but both of those results were harsh on Everton. The derby was probably harsher than losing at West Ham. I don't think they were great at West Ham. Arsenal will expect Everton to give City a game. And to be honest, I suspect City will be looking at this and thinking, this is not where you want to be going on the running. You don't want to have to go to Everton away. It's not, you know, the Emirates or Anfield or Old Trafford, but it's a challenge. It's a challenge every season.

13:15Roger Bennett:And they won't be looking at it thinking this is a potential kind of 3 or 4-0 win. They'll see it as one to get through, I think. Come on. I mean, if Ryan Cherky was grinning as he descended upon the Arsenal back line, what face is he going to pull as he runs at Mikalenko? Confusion. I absolutely think. I think it's going to be just like genuinely, it's going to be tongue out, just picking his nose as he charges towards him at 80 mile an hour. There is a different kind of pressure on Manchester City though. They're chasing, realistically. They want to try and win out. And recent form says they can very well do that.

13:49That's what Pep does in this moment. Been on a tear, domestically unbeaten since January. The only loss coming against Real Madrid in the Champions League, which was pure misdirection in the story of this season. I do fear. City's greatest challenge rule might be the fixture list. Premier League confirmed schedule rearrangements, which means Pep's mob will have to play. This is crazy. Three games in seven mid-May days in a run-up to the FA Cup final on May 16th. I mean, this is like football thinking in the modern world. Oh, footballers are shattered. Let's make the last test something straight out of the Ninja Assault course.

14:23It's a madness rule.

14:24Roger Bennett:City should be looking at this weekend thinking Arsenal have got a choice to make. they have to think about how strong they go against Fulham. The players have to think about how intensely they play against Fulham because they have a Champions League semi-final second leg, a game they probably should win, but against a really formidable opponent. But then City themselves have the same issue in, what, 10 days' time where they have to play those three games really, really quickly. When they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, they would have looked at it and thought, well, OK, this does give us a bit of an edge in the Premier League.

14:53Roger Bennett:I'm not sure that exists anymore because they will have, as you say, that final challenge, that final hurdle. even if they beat Everton they will know they've got two Premier League games plus the cup final to get through in the space of seven days when they are all exhausted and that is that changes the dynamics of it How the turntables by the way I love what Pep talked about this morning when he was asked if if PSG and Bayern was a defensive disaster class he said football is all about styles you and me are not the same I'm more handsome than you there are different styles I just adore it in every way.

15:28I went on to say it's extraordinary to watch. Some teams prefer more control, more zonal. It's all nice. Will this game be extraordinary to watch? And what will the score be? No, it won't be extraordinary to watch, Rog, because it involves Everton. Unleash Evil Saka and Tyler Dibbling, like the poor man's Bayern Munich, and it's going to be amazing.

15:50Roger Bennett:Go on. You will scoff at this. I don't think any big team goes to a stadium that Everton call home and gets away lightly. Everton very rarely buckle. They will always strap. Under David Moyes, definitely, they will put up a fight. I think it's nil-nil at half-time. And I think Arsenal fans are getting excited and City fans are getting nervous. But I suspect City have the quality to pull through and win 2-0. To cut the gap at the top, back to three points. Loser gets John Stones, yeah? City win. 3-1. We tried, Arsenal. Believe me, we tried. Time for a quiz. Oh, quizzes. Last week, I loved this, we entered the debate.

16:28We're all talking about the football world, which Premier League managers would win in a bar fight. Our friend Ian Graham, the genius former Liverpool data analyst, wrote to us and said, Premier League manager wins in bar fight. Me and my partner have often talked about a Premier League table for this subject for many years. And we recently both remarked how poor by historical standards the current crop is. We used to be able to debate Tony Poulis versus Sean Deutch. The days of those giants over the bar fight are sadly long gone. Football has changed so much. This is probably the totem of how English coaching has changed, Roar.

17:07Big love to you, Ian. But your reaction to all of this, listeners, which has been magic, has got us thinking, what happens when you take the opposite? Premier League managers drop them into a different environment. Saturday morning, under-8 football coach Roar, the oranges at the half, one kid chasing butterflies at left-back, which current Premier League manager would thrive in that world?

17:28Roger Bennett:My temptation is to say that they would all be terrible at it because dealing with unruly children is different in ways that, when I say it out loud, actually seem quite obtuse. That's the same as what they do do, though, Roar. They deal with unruly children. Name three that you think would actually... Yeah, but their unruly children are talented. I think Fabian Herzler, because he's closest in age. Regis Le Brice, I think, has a sort of paternalistic air that I think they might respond well to. And then I'm tempted to say, just based on the job of work that he's done. Michael Carrick, because he understands that a lot of coaching is basically just vibes.

18:06God, that's so interesting. Michael Carrick would be pretty grim with the kids. Michael Carrick's got the demeanour of that teacher that, you know, he's kind of cool, kind of young, but it's a bit boring in his class. This is almost as hot a take as whether Carrick should get the full-time Old Trafford job. Can Carrick cut it on an under-eight playing field at Saturday in the morning? Herzler's your number one pick. I think Herzler on age alone. So here's my three. You ready for this? Go on. Number one, Mikel Arteta, I think would be unbelievable. Just like bringing all the prop work he does, win the dog.

18:38That's true. The pickpockets. Kids love pickpocketers. Kids love pickpocketing. Yeah, all of that. Oh my God, yeah, Fagan and Oliver Twist. By the way, proof of this, Max Downwind is practically an under-8 player, right?

18:51Roger Bennett:That's true. He does have experience with youth. I would just point out that Dodds are banned from most municipal playing facilities. As they should be. David Moyes stay with me here I think David Moyes will be like a really great nourishing granddad in the movies like Alan Arkin and Little Miss Sunshine just foul-mouthed but endearing and ultimately loving I can see the granddad case for Moyes I think that makes sense yeah god bless so I'm going to granddad him in and the final one bit mad I'm not sure where you want it Pep Guardiola who's just like just a mania with them you know like no Tommy you're not a real striker you're an interior eating a fluid system just like demanding so much of them as Tommy like tries to put his lips around the football code I've actually seen Pep with young players I've told this story before when he was in Manhattan and his kid was playing like under 11 under 12 football and at halftime he marched onto the field and couldn't help himself but coach the opposing striker movement all that stuff obviously within seconds was surrounded by American dads who didn't like the weird man from the other team talking to their child.

19:55And they surrounded him and said, this is a true story, surrounded him and said, who do you think you are in American accents talking to our kid? And he's like, I am Pep Guardiola. And they were like, yeah, who's that? Means nothing to us. God bless America. God bless Pep Guardiola. Coaching up the kids. As a great underweight coach yourself or possibly the greatest within greater Harrogate, obvious question, you'd beat them all. Doesn't matter which one of them would be up there. you'd be like doing them tactically.