Haaland Heroics Gives Man City Edge in Title Race

0:12Robbie Earle:Hello and welcome to the Two Robbies podcast, your destination for in-depth discussion and analysis of the Premier League. I'm Robbie Mustoe, he's Robbie Earle, and we are the Two Robbies and here we are mate, this is special.

0:24Robbie Mustoe:It's special because we're in Tampa for our 12th FanFest so far. Tampa have treated us so well. Tampa fans have stayed with us. Look for it to do the podcast live. You can hear some of them in the background there. Yeah, pretty cool. We have to get to the football, mate. And we have to get to the one, arguably the biggest game of the season. Manchester City hosting Arsenal at the Etihad. It was two versus one. City with the momentum. In the end, City with the points. Give me your overview of the game.

0:56Robbie Earle:Well, I went into the game thinking that we've got the best attacking team against the best defensive team. And we can bill it as attack for defense. Well, attack one. I think always Man City have got that threat, that creativity. They ask questions when they need to. After a really good start from Arsenal. They showed up, by the way. There's some moments in the second half where the manager and the Arsenal fans can point to as key moments where they could have scored. look, I have a great two opportunities to score goals where he probably should have scored at least one of those. And you end up with a 2-1 scoreline that's not...

1:29Robbie Earle:There wasn't much between the two sides. You know, when we get onto the title picture with them, it won't be about this game if Arsenal don't win it. It'll be about the last two months where we spoke many times on the podcast about they lost their football, they lost their possession, they lost their attacking, threat, impetus, creativity, goal scoring, and they dropped too many points in the last two months.

1:48Robbie Mustoe:When you make that point, as you were talking, it, I'm just thinking this season they went and spent big money on a centre forward called Victor Jokeres. In the big defining game of the season, Victor Jokeres was sitting on the bench, Kai Havitz started at the top of the pitch. Now, many believed, I included, that Jokeres is going to be a player who's going to get you over the line with the amount of goals that's needed to win a title. Would we have to say then that that hasn't worked?

2:18Robbie Earle:So far, I think we've got to be careful of writing Arsenal off, Rob.

2:22Robbie Mustoe:No, no, no. I'm not. Jokeres. In today. Today.

2:26Robbie Earle:Because he didn't start in this game.

2:28Robbie Mustoe:Because he didn't start. Because, you know, Arsenal have gone so close in the past. And we've always said that they're centre-forward short. They've got that centre-forward now. And on today, he didn't play, did he?

2:38Robbie Earle:Yeah, it's not a good look for him. I guess in this game, he just trusted Kai Havertz, who missed two great chances. Will Jokeres have those chances? I don't know. That's a call from the manager. Yeah. But they played well today, Arsenal. They did play well.

2:49Robbie Mustoe:I thought it was almost defeat that they can take something from. I think the big fear today for Arsenal was them not turning up, was them looking nervous, was them not... I've got to tell you, I thought they were emotionally in control. Tactically, Arteta had them really set up. If they take the chances, Rob, we're probably talking of a draw, if not a win, and it's a very, very different look, different narrative.

3:10Robbie Earle:Yeah, it is, but they didn't do it, and Manchester City done it, Rob. We have got to start thinking about how they've done this. The Pep Guard has turned this team around, and the individuals that were brilliant today, the way that this team is moulded, a brand new team that looks outstanding in all areas, Rob, isn't it? In all areas.

3:26Robbie Mustoe:All areas.

3:27Robbie Earle:Kusanov and Mark Gahey to Nico O 'Reilly that I couldn't love anymore from left-back, what he does going forward, to Ryan Shirky's abilities and creativity, his composure. We know about the big man up front scoring goals. Semenya was, I guess, quieter today, and he's been a little bit quieter. How has he flipped this around, Rob?

3:43Robbie Mustoe:From January, they were awful. I think he just hangs in there. I think it's poor Arsenal not pushing it home when they have the opportunity to really make most of the situation. But I also think it's a little bit of Man City as this team, Rob, and the way they play, and you talk about this, they can do you in so many ways. The Shirky goal is a beautiful, silky bit of technical business that you go like, you can't stop that, that's genius. Then the other goal is the powerful, strong, rugged, 23-year-old striker that gets lots of stick for what he doesn't do. He's banged one in the back of the net.

4:19Robbie Mustoe:It's not the best goal he'll ever score, but it was so important. They've got different ways of getting in. If it's not O 'Reilly having his day and Semenyo having that, they kind of find those ways, Rob. And that's almost the bit he's got different, Pep. He can put on a different sort of head to the hammer and the hammer's going to get you somehow.

4:38Robbie Earle:You know the old adage, right? Defence wins titles. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. like Man City this will be fifth title in six seasons if he gets it right and this game and this title he's not about that is he? He's about attacking and he would say no creativity and quality wins titles and maybe Arsenal's front line though better today I would still point to that as an area that Arsenal have to improve so in the last two months when they drop points they draw games they let Wolves back in at 2-2 you know the Bournemouth game where they look flat The attack had no spark, no creativity, no sparkle.

5:17Robbie Earle:And I know the Arsenal fans are like, hang on a minute, we've got Madueke, we've got Eze, we've got all these players. But for whatever reason, they are not creating as much as the likes of Man City. This isn't done yet, Rob. No, it's not done yet.

5:29Robbie Mustoe:There's six games for City. You know, if they beat Burnley, they go top of the league. There's five games for Arsenal. Arsenal have to win out and, be honest, get to 85 points.

5:37Robbie Earle:Do you trust Arsenal to win out, Rob?

5:41Robbie Mustoe:I liked more what I saw today. Now, whether that's a one-off and they bought that because it was Man City, that's a bit I'm not so sure of, Rob. But, you know, they've got Newcastle, Fulham, West Ham, Burnley and Palace. They've got to get 15 points if they want to be true to themselves and see if City are the ones that maybe, you know, find a day when they don't play.

6:03Robbie Earle:It's just, I agree, but it's just the way that they're playing right now. The history of Pep, you know, in terms of finishing season strongly, Rob, and winning out games and winning titles that way, I've got to think that they'll do it again. Yeah, I don't disagree,

6:17Robbie Mustoe:but I think Arsenal can take something from defeat. I don't think it's one of them where they didn't turn up. I thought they gave a good account of themselves. I thought they tested City in ways. And as I said earlier...

6:28Robbie Earle:The one result, the one result they feel they couldn't afford

6:32Robbie Mustoe:was a loss. Was a loss, yeah. And they couldn't stop. The momentum's with City now. And the scenes at the end with Pep, with Haaland, with Cherky, with Deji.

6:42Robbie Earle:They were feeling it.

6:43Robbie Mustoe:Yeah, they feel it, mate. The subs on there, and that was big stuff.

6:48Robbie Earle:Moving on to other games, my friend. And let's go right down to the bottom end of the table, Robbie, or Tottenham Hotspur. My goodness, talk about big games. Pressure, needing it. Atmosphere, 62 ,000 people there to try and force Spurs a victory. It ended 2-2. I think it was a 90-plus-5th minute. 90 plus five minutes.

7:07Robbie Mustoe:Kevin Dansoe makes a mistake.

7:08Robbie Earle:He didn't clear the ball and it ends up in the back of the net for 2-2. Yeah, Jorginho Routier, who's a good forward, came off the bench, didn't need to score the goal. I've got to say, Rob,

7:15Robbie Mustoe:the atmosphere in that place at the start of the game was incredible. It was like, say, James' Park or one of them where it's absolutely because he won it. It was a flag day.

7:23Robbie Earle:Brilliant scenes, brilliant look. The team looked a lot better, more energy. They played in a way, Rob, that I've been frustrated that Spurs haven't understood their predicament the last two months. A bit of fire in you. Bit of fire in you, mate. Players were getting cramped. One of them, was it Simmons? Simmons had to stay on, didn't he?

7:41Robbie Mustoe:They used all the subs.

7:42Robbie Earle:They gave everything. That's how it should be. That's how it should be. If they'd have been doing that for the last two or three months,

7:46Robbie Mustoe:they wouldn't be down right there.

7:47Robbie Earle:And I know it's hard. It's not easy. And maybe some of you more talented players don't really want to do that. That's what you have to do when you're down there.

7:53Robbie Mustoe:The problem for Spurs, Rob, right now, is everything that can go bad for them is going bad. They're dropping it. They're dropped into the table. They got beat by a deflected goal at Sunday. And they lose a captain for the season. and they give up goals late in both halves in this game to have a draw when they should have won the game. It's almost like, you know, Kevin Danton, are they going to have to pick him up? How's he going to feel in the next game? I mean, are we seriously talking? Yeah, we are.

8:19Robbie Earle:We are. We are starting a really seriously talk. You know, I fail to be able to comprehend this, and I love Roberto Deserbi so much. We need Tottenham Oxford in the Premier League, Rob, but when you look at the... We get through some of the other results

8:33Robbie Mustoe:not in forest one this weekend let's stand play on monday which obviously we will do that with west ham palace is a huge game isn't it if west ham win that game knob and get another three points

8:42Robbie Earle:that puts them four point gap to tottenham a four point gap with five games to play my goodness and i think spurs are in now then they're in the hoping business yeah others mess up they're not in control of things anymore um but but what a game of football it was the best game from yesterday wasn't it? Yeah. In terms of drama and Shabby Simmons is a brilliant goal and yeah, brilliant, brilliant. And fair play, well played to Brighton by the way Rob to be able to do that. All that stuff going against you and you still kick on. They're in good form by the way Brighton. The three B's, three B's. Brentford, four, seven, Brighton, seven, eight and nine.