Academy-Laden Arsenal Too Good For Brighton

32:26I think he had a slow start to this game. And then he's like, oh, wait, I'm Benjamin White for fuck's sake. And all of a sudden, you know, you have that moment in the 28th minute where he just makes that beautiful little run through midfield. I think he nutmegged someone on it. past it he had a big switch i want to say to ezza that was just insane yeah yeah and i think adrian it might have been you accused as a being a bit lazy being offside there so someone said he was lazy being offside but i looked at the replay and he's looking down the line and i'm not convinced it's offside to be honest but that's that's a different issue uh look i i have been a bit critical of benjamin white um because he's got urian timber showing levels at fullback i thought this was a great night for Benjamin White and an important night because I don't want Urien Timber playing every single game but there's been that rust on Ben White as you can understand there would be um he certainly knocked it off he started to look very comfortable and then started to look excellent so um how important do you think it is for him to get a performance like that under his belt and the ability to see that as a platoon of right backs instead of it just being Timber having to play every game.

33:38Yeah, it was an important night. Yeah, he needed it. He needed it because he's had some uncomfortable moments when he's had these little snippets of game time. It hasn't been easy. He looked a bit stiff in comparison to Timber. He's such a nimble, lithe player, isn't he? I mean, it's... But no, I thought he looked after Max Dowman really well. He kept giving him the ball. I think 13 passes from White to Dowman. and Daman obviously came off relatively early, didn't he? 60-odd minutes. So, you know, that's a good supply line from White to Max. The switches of play were excellent. We want to see a bit more in the overlap and we did get one or two moments, didn't we, as well?

34:23So, yeah, a step forward. We will need him at some point this season, Ben White, whether it's at centre-half or whether it's at right-back, we will need him. and so games like this nights like this are invaluable um but it's just unlucky he's incredibly unlucky that that timber is playing inspired football um he has to be did you feel like when timber came on you just wanted to make that point like all right ben that was good performance but i'm just gonna run through the whole team right now and so

34:57that moment was just just off the scale that was ridiculous because He gets the ball. He's facing the crowd. He's midway inside his own half, closer to his own goal, by the touchline, and he beats him. And then he just goes, doesn't he? And he leaves a smoking trail, doesn't he? As he sort of blisters past three or four players. And then he slips in Herrim and Anous for that shot and Saka scores. So, yeah, that was definitely a bit of a power play moment from Timber because it was a moment to just say, yeah, you did well tonight. Ben, but this is me. Yeah, I love it. I love that competitive. I mean, we're imbuing it with something that probably isn't there.

35:40I don't think Timber went on that run to show Ben White he's a man. I just think I love that we have that talent and we see it at every position. Miles involved in the goal, trying to take his position back from Calafiore. Incappier and Mascara are both excellent. I think it's so important to bear in mind, not only is this Incappier, who's hardly had any time at Arsenal starting a game against a very good Brighton side, but starting in an all-change back four, right? It's not Incappier dropping in with Saliba, Calafiori, and Timber, and Declan Rice and Zubamendi in front of him. It's these center backs trying to marshal a defense that has new fullbacks on the outside, new in the sense that not the ones that are playing every game, midfielders in front of them that are not used to shielding or running back, and I do think you saw more Arsenal running back towards their goal in this game than you're used to seeing.

36:27And I will just say from an aesthetic standpoint, this was a very fun game. But this is exactly what the neutral wants, right? Why can't we get more fun games like this with Arsenal? You know why? We don't want this. We don't want giveaways that lead us running back to our goal, but then there's space for us to go attack at their goal, and then we're running back to our goal. I'd much rather in the games that, I mean, this was a hell of a lot of fun, but I'd much rather in the games that matter, Adrian, that we have all the control, all the field tilt, all the pressure up the pitch. Or do you think sometimes giving the ball away and having the opposition come at you a bit does give you an opportunity?

37:00because look, they didn't score. We have more talent than the opposition. So sometimes the weaker opponent attacking means you have a chance for your better attacking talent to showcase itself at the other end. Is that a possibility? I think we can win games both ways. I'm convinced of that. Yeah, we can outscore teams in an open game or we can bore the life out of them, control everything and win it one or two nil. So yeah, I'm not worried about it. I just think Brighton were a bit more courageous than most of our recent opponents. They were a bit braver. They committed more bodies forward. And it was the right tactic against a weakened Arsenal team, wasn't it?

37:40Yeah. And on another day, they might have won that game 3-2 if they'd have taken their chances. So, no, I just think Arsenal have earned so much respect from everybody now that, unfortunately, games like that are going to be few and far between because most teams will be scared witless that we're going to carve them open and they're going to play very casually and yeah we're just going to have to get better at creating more chances from open play in those scenarios. One stat that I did pick up is that of our nine best chances in this game seven according to XG seven were from open play so a step forward on the instant reaction last night i don't count adrian paul's uh paul's headline was neutrals yeah paul's headline was uh open play to set piece nil yeah i think it is important that we start to think about how we can get the neutral to to enjoy it no it's not no it absolutely yeah uh they don't like us we don't care that's the that's the expression I believe.

38:47Phil, I think there's more interesting conversations to have than to get too deep into this game, honestly. I will mention, by the way, we did draw Crystal Palace at home in the next round, and it is nuts. The geniuses running football have found a way to schedule so much football that actually the football can't be played. And as it stands right now, it may be the case that Palace have to play Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. because the window for the league cup tie that we have is the same week as a conference league game that they have but there is no other window unless you push into the semi-final window so they may literally have to play us on tuesday and then play conference league on thursday now the real beneficiaries of this are city who they play at palace on the sunday so they're going to play Thursday, then City at home, then Arsenal away, then Conference League, then another league fixture if those games stay where they are.

39:48And I don't think I've ever seen a team play Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. I mean, other than around the Boxing Day fixtures. He doesn't like to rotate, does he, Glasner? He's not a big rotator. He doesn't have a huge squad. He doesn't have a huge squad to do it. I mean, he went basically full strength against Liverpool. I just think this is the unfortunate thing for teams like Palace. You can build a lovely team that's capable of achieving things if you have a fit 11. But as we know, when you play midweek and on the weekend and you have all these fixtures, it's impossible to keep a squad fit for 60, 70 games a season.

40:18So best of luck to them, except, of course, on the Tuesday night when they play us. So, Phil, as a final thought, because we haven't talked about it, and I think he deserves just to mention, full debut for Andre Haram and Anous. Mikel was full of praise for him and the way he's been training. I think what you see is when Mikel gives these youngsters a chance, what he always tries to praise is the work they put in in training and their attitude in training. And he spoke emotionally about what it means to give this dream to these young players, that this is the start of them realizing their dream and how proud he is to be able to do it and how emotional it makes him.

40:50I thought it was a good performance. I mean, guys like Ethan and Max, and to some extent, Miles and Saka, they break your brain a little bit on what the right trajectory is. Strikers can develop late. I mean, as we saw with the current one we have in Victor Yokores. We've seen plenty of strikers that take time to develop. There aren't a lot of 17-year-old strikers out there killing it. There aren't a lot of strikers out there killing it, full stop, in world football. So a phenomenal moment for Harman Inouz. Maybe, maybe, maybe had a chance for a goal if he goes for the dink, but it leads to a goal for Saka.

41:20I thought it was all things being considered a good debut for him. Wow. Yeah. I mean, to have to come in and lead the line for a team like Arsenal is extremely difficult. And I think you're going to have to acknowledge mentally that you're not going to receive the ball so much. It's going to be a lot of running into channels. It's going to be a lot of Jan-Paul Van Hecker kneeing you and elbowing you in the back and kicking the back of your legs. It's going to be a lot of fouling and backing in. And it's a selfless job because you are in charge of getting your team up the pitch. And I think we've seen that a bit with Jokeres as well, who scored an absolutely absurd rate for sporting.

41:55I think it was 102 goals in 90-something games. He's had to come here and adapt his game slightly, adapt his expectations to come in and be a bit selfless and a provider for Arsenal, to be selfless and get the team up the pitch. So what I really liked about him was that willingness to run. I thought there were a lot of good movements into space. I thought there was a willingness and a proficiency to drop deeper and maybe collect the ball a couple of times. the the ability to run into space is crucial now for any center forward you need to be able to stretch teams and you know this is someone who has been a bit under the radar at hayland obviously chido obi had been there for the last couple of years scoring five six seven goals a game you know i think his current rate for for the arsenal under 21s is one in two um so it's not not terrible i think it's 18 goals in 37 games but again it just shows you that there is a pathway for these players if there is time for them to play, i.e.

42:56in competitions like this, but also if you're good enough. And I think that's been lost a little bit in the recent narrative around Arsenal when people like Royal Walters, Kozja Dubri, you know, all of that sort of generation were leaving the club, Omari Hutchinson, because there were quote-unquote no opportunities or no pathway for them. But I think it's about being good enough. You need to be at the level, and I don't know what kind of career harriman anus is going to have but i think he's an interesting profile he's tall he's quick he's kind of got that you know that there's a little inside joke going around at arsenal at the moment where they all call him rashford because a fan a fan called him rashford's brother at one of the games and he sort of played along with the joke but he has saliba posted about that too but oh did he yeah rashford on instagram yeah you can see that he's got that rashford type build where obviously he doesn't have that level of explosive pace but long tall slender you know and you could see that maybe developing into a wide forward in future you know I just think for him to be able to to have the pitch to lead the line on this day was was incredible alongside some of his mates who he'd have known from you know eight nine ten years old there's an amazing picture going around on social media um of you know a few haylenders at an Arsenal game maybe 10 years ago and it's um there's six or seven of them and you've got Ethan and Miles on the right and then there's Harriman and Us there in the middle and it's just like this is the stuff that you dream of they are living our dream and we can live vicariously through them so yeah it would have been amazing for him to to nab a goal I think he was a little bit unlucky because his stride sort of slowed down a bit when he tried to stay on side and maybe the dink would have been a bit better but ultimately he's played a big role in that goal I thought he had a good hour and hour and a bit so yeah really encouraging for him and And look, I don't know if he's going to be max level in terms of being around the first team this year, but it's clear he's in their thoughts and that's all you can do.

44:51So yeah, encouraging for him. And maybe sometimes it's best to stay under the radar because those are the ones that surprise you a bit like Bukayo Saka. Nobody thought he would be the player that he is now and look at him now. So yeah, good stuff. Another Haylender on the pitch and someone else to learn about. A couple of words from Mikel here that I want to share with you. I talked just before about him feeling proud to give the opportunity to kids. He said, quote, that feeling of giving the opportunity to somebody and fulfilling a dream is unique. I'm very happy that things turned out to be very positive and we managed to win the game on Andre Harriman and News' performance.

45:26Well, since preseason, he was with us. I was very impressed with him. First of all, his mentality, how much he wants it. That's the first ingredient. He's desperate to achieve his dream. I think he's been very consistent training with us and constantly giving us the option to pick him. I believe today was the right day for him for the context for the way he's playing he certainly proved that he's got a chance on max I love this on max finding out he was starting quote a tiny smile that's what you get with him for him everything is natural for him everything is okay it's the way he plays I think that's the secret that he doesn't make a big fuss of it he just does what he does best which is to play football to play football with a lot of courage and determination today again he's shown some incredible skills some capacity to run past players at the level in the premier league at 15 it's something definitely special endowment's hunger to start more games quote for sure if you ask him for sure that's what we have to manage not only that there are a lot of new things in his life we discussed that a few days ago make sure that he does the right steps that he behaves and accepts because he's going to do with this one then he's going to play in a different team and he needs to cope with all that because it's happening very very fast we need to be aware of that let's encourage him to keep going but let's protect him as well um i would just say too that as much as i hate that we have so many injuries at the moment, it may have provided an opportunity.

46:37Because if Nani Meduake is fit, if Martinelli and Leo, or if Martinelli is fit, if Kai is fit, if all of these players who are out, if Odegaard's fit, you may have a situation where some of the first team regulars have not been playing and they need minutes. And suddenly, you know, you're not starting Max because you have to start Nani or you're not starting Andre Harman-Nus because you've got to give Kai or Jokras minutes. And so those injuries, I didn't provide a chance. And in fact, yeah, I guess in Cappy Amascarroi is going to start, but I think Marley Salmon might have had a chance to play in this game had he not been away with England.

47:09So that was an opportunity too. I want to shift to talk about some wider tactical issues while we have Adrian on the pod, and then maybe just quickly talk about Burnley and the upcoming games and our opportunity that we have in the league this season. So let's hit some brands, and then we will do that. You want to get your backyard summer ready, but you don't want to break the bank? Wayfair gets it. Planning on dining al fresco or relaxing poolside? Wayfair has everything you need to prep your space. Shop now and save up to 70 % off during Wayfair's 4th of July clearance. Score huge deals on outdoor furniture, area rugs, and more.

47:43We're talking thousands of products for every style and budget. Plus, surprise flash deals July 6th. Don't wait. Shop Wayfair's 4th of July clearance now through July 6th at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Okay, Adrian, there's a lot of focus on football being boring because there have been some set piece goals. And there have been a lot of people who have gone to great pains to point out that set pieces have always been important, that some of these pundits who are saying set pieces stink now are the same pundits who are saying set pieces are important and great previously. that aside, Arsenal's dominance this season is obviously built on an incredible defensive record, an incredible amount of control in games.

48:30And I think it's probably fair to observe that this percentage of our goals coming from set pieces is not the balance we'd ideally like to strike. We're also navigating some important absences. And I think importantly, facing the lowest defensive line height of any team in the league and a lot of compact defenses. So if you just had to step back for a minute and go big picture on our tactical approach our on-ball superiority and maybe things that can happen to create more open play goal scoring opportunities what's your sort of macro viewpoint on us technically right now yeah it's a good it's a good question the i think uh a lot of it depends on who who you're playing against doesn't it and the mindset of your opponent that that's the bottom line as long as we're able to adjust and flip between dominating teams and playing that way or then flipping it around and being resilient and then breaking quickly I think we're going to be absolutely fine I mean the easy answer is to say that you know we'll sacrifice a little bit of possession and let teams come at us because we've seen how explosive we can be on the counter.

49:42We've seen a rise in the number of long passes from the goalkeeper and from players all over the pitch, actually, since Jokeres came in. I mean, that pattern was set pre-Jokeres, but we've definitely seen an upturn in that. And I'm all for that. I think it suits us. We can play the percentage game a little bit more. I think what we're looking for maybe the one thing we haven't really got yet is that mesmeric performance, a Wenger type performance where it's bop, bop, bop, bop, bop you know, obviously we scored a brilliant goal last night but more of that more of these combinations these little triangles, these clever little 2, 3, 4, 5 pass moves and you slip somebody into the box that I think is the next sort of tier for us to get to um and i'm really confident that we will get there especially if we keep racking up the wins because the confidence levels of the players is going to is going to shoot up and and and if we keep scoring early in games which i think is really important then that that negativity of of our opponents that that that desire to just be compact and and deep it has to change earlier in games doesn't it and that's where we we can maybe have a little bit more fun so yeah fast starts um and and the combination play and and maybe letting others other teams have the ball you know being happy to let other teams have the ball on occasion i think these are all areas we can we can practice um hopefully as we keep on winning winning games yeah and clive would accuse me of being playerish in my analysis and i admit that i tend to be but i do think that sometimes your ability to unlock compact defenses does come down to talent you know I I think it is the case that a system can get you into the final third but when a team is camped in the best players find a solution we played a lot of this season without Bakaya Saka we played most of this season without Odegaard we played most of the season without Kai Havertz I think we're still trying to figure out the dynamic off the left and actually Phil one thing that I did take away from last night is that I think Ezza looked really good on the left in the sense that he has that pause to his game.

52:01When he gets the ball at his feet, the defenders don't want to come to him. They don't want, you know, and I'm going to compare with Martinelli for a second and Martinelli has been brilliant this season. But the difference in the sense that I think Martinelli gets the ball, head down, go. Sometimes doesn't have the picture. Sometimes doesn't know the decision. Ezza gets the ball and it's just stuck to his foot and he's looking around and nobody's coming to him because they know that if they come for him, they're going to get killed. and I thought he played so many clever little cute underlaps and passes and I think as we see him shift out to the left when Odegaard is back maybe that will help bring some of those triangles to our left hand side and it is not a knock on Leo who's been very good it's not a knock on Martinelli who scored important goals but I think it can give us some of what Saka gives on the right which is get the defenders on their heels nervous to attack the player and start to develop more combinations and quick passing plays from the left-hand side yeah definitely for me as as at his best coming from the left I'm not saying he needs to be on the left I'm saying he can come in from the left yeah I just think his game suits those angles a little bit more I think his body shape and positioning likes to do that where he can bring the momentum in from the touchline combined with others and shoot and I think through necessity mostly he's been playing a lot on the right because of because of Odegaard being out and injured we've had to use him as the number 10 who has to sort of be a bit more open to playing on either side but I think if we want the best of him he needs to be playing on that left hand side and for me we are missing something at the moment with him and Jokeres I think there's real potential for that to become a partnership in terms of them bouncing off each other I just think we're seeing a lot of his technical security come to the fore he plays at his own pace right there were times yesterday where he received the ball stood on the ball there's a scan of the pitch there's a little touch inside you know there's another touch inside he's he's stiff arm stiff arming a defender from his left there's just a real appreciation for knowing when to do things how quickly to do them and you know I I think if we're going to get the best out of him he needs to be in that position where he can come in and shoot basically so there was smooth isn't he yeah it's just yeah and let me bring adrian in on that because adrian i think you know right now he's having to replace odegaard and he's playing in sort of a 10 role um maybe a freer a freer role than we've sometimes seen you know it in the past it had maybe been right eight left eight now it feels a little bit more like a uh four two three one and again i realize we take different shapes at different times and califiori plays whatever the hell he wants and all that but but in the sense that as they can travel um horizontally across the pitch more than we've sometimes seen our eights do but he has that responsibility to link up with the sort of sack a timber side and traditionally i think odegaard is stronger on that side i think that triangle is more familiar not to mention that kai favors that side where i think gilchrist is much more comfortable running the left-sided channel i think as as phil pointed out as is more comfortable coming from the left half space and having the ball on his right foot.

55:06So maybe we've just got the wrong side bias right now with the players that we have available, or is that too hipster of me to say? No, you never get too hipster. It's fine. I'm going to grow a neckbeard now. I'm lying. I can't grow a neckbeard. I mean, I've spoken before about sort of, hand quote, easier matches. You know, as a left eight and a nerdy guard right eight would be quite fun. and I think they did start that didn't they in in the match where where Erdogan got injured very early on didn't he so we were denied the opportunity it didn't look great to be fair coming in really really helped no it didn't it didn't look great but that's not to say it couldn't become great um now I completely agree I mean for me I've just got a picture in my head of of Eze in the sort of half space on the left drops a shoulder comes inside and plays a through ball for Victor Jokeres who spins down the side of the right side centre half and he's in, chops it back on his right foot and scores.

56:04I just think that that is a combo that has to happen. It has to develop over the course of this season. And once they get in their groove, I can see those two doing a bit of damage, even though both, I wouldn't say have been underwhelming. I mean, Eze has been very good. Jokeres has had good moments, but I think there's a lot more to come from those two players. And the fact that we're full clear at the top and our two big signings haven't really caught fire yet. I mean, Jose won us a game at the weekend, so we'll give him a break there. He's good, yeah. Yeah, did you, are you, are you feeling okay about Jokras so far?

56:41I think his performances divide opinion a little bit. There are some that would say, we're squinting too hard to see it with some of the praise he gets. There are others that would say his running has been really important. And oh, by the way, having to play 90 minutes every three days because we don't have anyone else for the position. Where are you on the York rest? Yeah, I kind of feel a bit sorry for him, really, because I think he's putting in maximum effort. I mean, no striker in the Premier League is working harder, covering bigger distances, making more pressures, et cetera. So he is helping us as a team.

57:12There's no doubt about that. But, yeah, I expected him to be a little bit quicker. I've got to be honest, a little bit sharper at getting away from centre-halves. I think whether that will come or not, I don't know. And if he hasn't got that explosiveness to find that edge to just explode past centre-backs, I still think he can. If he hasn't, then he's going to have to get a little bit cuter with his movement, isn't he, to run in behind these players. But, yeah, no, I think we all hoped he would be, you know, on 10 to 12 goals by now instead of, what is it, five. So, yeah, and he has snatched a little bit at opportunities.

57:54I think there's an element of his game where he doesn't, when he backs into a player, I don't think he's got his balance right yet. He's getting knocked over too much. I don't know whether that's the case of sort of just planting your feet a little bit wider and digging your heels in and saying, bang, you're not going to move me. That has frustrated me a little bit. and it's also frustrated me that we haven't got more tap-ins for him because I think he can be a brilliant tap-in merchant. We saw the Ezer assist for him against Leeds. We saw the Atletico Madrid goal as well. Can I just think about his shooting technique just quickly?

58:34So one thing that I have been noticing, I mean, if you look at Ethan's goal, for example, last night, it's just no backlift. He takes it the minute it gets to him. Sometimes people have joked that Jokras looks like the FIFA thing where you power up the shot. You know what I mean? I feel like he's gotten into some positions where I expect him to pull the trigger, but there's a lot of back lift to his shot. Saka's another one who doesn't have a lot of back lift, so he gets shots off before the defender, the keeper is set. Does he have a shooting technique situation where he's got a bit of extra back lift to it?

59:03Well, if he has, then they've got to get up to the coaches to identify that and work on it. It's something that can absolutely be trained. Of course it can. You just work on that sort of finish. Yeah, I think he's turned down too many shots this season. Yeah. Definitely. And I think he could produce a bit more finesse with his finishing as well. You know, he's an elite marksman. And I don't think he always has to knock the spots off the ball to score goals. So, yeah, he's got off to an okay start. I think his value to the team has actually been much higher than his own individual performance levels.

59:36I agree with that. Yep. But there's scope for growth. You know, I think he'll come good. his I guess what I would say is his presence and availability has kept our level where it needs to be to be in the position that we are in and without him I don't think we'd be anywhere near where we are regardless of the goal return and to me And that, you know, that, that again, that may seem like a low bar. I get it. But I do think that's been really important availability. And if I look at the other strikers that moved, you can name any of them, you know, from Izak Takatike to Valtamata. I mean, obviously, Valtamata is doing very well.

1:00:16And Sesko, could someone have come in and played our system from the start 90 minutes every three days because Kai is not available? And to avoid having to do things like Marino at center forward, which whatever you want to say about him, because he scored goals. He's not a striker, so your system changes. Defenders don't have to worry about someone going in behind. I think we undervalue what it does for everybody in the group when the centre-backs have to be concerned about the run in behind, when they have to be alert to it. I think it drops line heights. I think it pushes teams back. I think it has a benefit.

1:00:47Honestly, if you pause the game at various intervals, you should see two defenders around Jokeres at all times almost. He's occupying defenders. It absolutely is helping. the other guys you know even if he's suffering a little bit in terms of not getting on the end of the quantity of chances we we want he because teams are scared of him for obvious reasons yeah he's he's occupying defenders so yeah yeah we shouldn't overlook that either really no certainly not and and phil i mean this is this is going to be an interesting portion of of the fixture calendar now because after the international break the five games are brutal I mean, it's Spurs, Chelsea, Villa, Bayern.

1:01:32It's a lot of tough games all in a row. I'll actually get that up instead of just saying the names of games that may or may not be right because the fixtures are actually a thing you can look at and just state as fact. You don't have to guess. So it's Spurs at home, Bayern at home, Chelsea away, Brentford at home, Villa away. Those are the five following the international break. And so what we have right now, and I don't want to, by the way, you know, put down Sunderland, who we're doing brilliantly, but Burnley away, Slavia Prague away, Sunderland away. It's three away matches on the spin, but it is three matches that we can win and put ourselves in a very good position, especially considering who City and Liverpool play this weekend.

1:02:13and then the fact that they play each other the following weekend, which gives us a chance, if we can beat Sundland at the Stadium of Light, to make that game a really tricky prospect for both City and Liverpool, understanding that they may need to win to stay in contact. And that's where we want to be. So how do you look at this next cluster of games? Burnley away, Slavia Prague away, Sundland away, the rotation, the tactics, the pressure. or what's the right way to handle this little run here? Yeah, away games will never be easy, especially now in the Premier League where the level is so high.

1:02:51And I include teams like Burnley in that, even who are relegation candidates. I think they've shown something about them this year. Maybe a Wolves and a West Ham could be slightly vulnerable to us, but there are no gimmies anymore. So you need to be really switched on for the away games. I think this weekend is important for Arsenal, especially because a lot of the narrative has been quite negative around how we play, how we score our goals that we're not entertaining to watch. But I did a bit of digging into the stats. And we've got the highest defensive line in the Premier League. We've got the most touches in the opposition penalty area.

1:03:25We've got the most shot creating actions in the league. We've scored the second most goals and we've had the third most amount of shots. So I think even if we're not playing like a Klopp Liverpool team that are just all action intensity pressing chucking players forward at all times what is often left out or missed in terms of this our arsenal boring debate is how the opposition play against us you know there's two teams on the pitch and and we can only do what we do but the opposition are in control of what they do as well and i think adrian spoke about it earlier there is such a respect now for for Arsenal and the talent level and what they can do, that teams naturally sit off as a kind of damage limitation thing.

1:04:10But the reason we are getting so many touches in the box, the reason we are getting so many set pieces, the reason we are creating all these shooting actions is because we're suffocating teams and we're playing in their third. So at some point I would like Arsenal to be a bit more creative and maybe play with a bit more pace around the penalty area. Can we get those combinations going are there more opportunities for transition i don't think any arsenal fan if you sit here right now today and ask them can arsenal be better in terms of their attacking output 95 of them would say yes because we can see it we can see the potential that's there there's players to come back in and i think burnley again in terms of field tilt arsenal have the highest percentage of field tilt and burnley have the lowest percentage of field tilters so this is going to be 80 % possession, camped in their half, Burnley defending and looking for transition moments.

1:05:05But can it be a little bit different? Can we maybe let them out on occasion just to catch them in transition, to find pockets of space in the corners where they don't want Arsenal to be? So in terms of the three away games, I think I'm looking for Arsenal to win all of them. I think Sunderland is going to be very difficult because if we're looking at the Premier League now, they're probably one of the three most informed teams in the league now Sunderland they're riding an incredible wave they're in that unique moment where everyone is on the same on the same page players in a good mood fans in a good mood manager in a good mood and that's very dangerous you know going up to Sunderland is going to be a difficult one but in terms of our next two Burnley and Slavia Prague I think we are good enough to be able to to win both of those games even with a few changes you know so all we need to do is keep winning keep chugging along keep winning because as i said a few weeks ago in one of the irs what we are doing now feels sustainable and whereas i look at city i look at liverpool i look at some of the other challenges even spurs if you want to consider them in that in that trio i don't um but some people might um they don't feel sustainable so i just think we need to keep doing our job keep controlling the games but now that we're going away from home can we just mix things up slightly to give ourselves a bit more space in the areas that we we want to operate in so yeah interesting one i think we're gonna have a whole lot of the ball it might be boring at times but this is just how teams play against us now this is something i i'm a worrier it's why my friends call me whiskers adrian this one things i do worry about sometimes with arsenal is in the games where we do have so much possession and so much possession up the pitch that sometimes we almost feel like it's mission accomplished having the ball there and the urgency to make it hurt isn't always there that sometimes we we waste halves just possessing the ball in the attacking third going around that horseshoe feeling like we're very comfortable we've got that team hemmed in um burnley have the worst expected goal difference in the league although they have played four times at home and lost just once but you know you look at the liverpool game everybody knows they only lost that due to a late penalty but I think it was 2.6 to 0.1 unexpected goals.

1:07:17This is going to be very one-sided in terms of possession and territory. But those games sometimes with Arsenal can be the ones that, where we struggle to show the urgency. And I'm wondering if you agree with that and how Mikel can create a little bit more intensity in the first half. I think we have been a little guilty of throwing away first halves of not being a fast starting team particularly. And as the season wears on, what you ideally want to do is kill games early. So you're not having to run players into the ground. So what's the key to a fast start in a game like this? We expect the opposition to offer very little in the way of resistance.

1:07:58Yeah, I agree. It's all about fast starts. What's the key? It's just tempo. It's intensity, isn't it? It's runs. And I'm always talking about it in whatever analysis I'm doing. Football is a running game. You need to go and hurt the opposition. You need players that are going to make runs, off-the-ball runs, to help their teammate, to stretch the defence. And that's something we can do a little bit more of, I think. Sometimes we're a little bit guilty of being a bit static and happy to just, like you say, knock it side to side. Look, against Palace, we knocked it side to side because Palace were brilliant at keeping us at arm's length.

1:08:37But ultimately, they ran out of path. you know they couldn't keep it going and that's when we picked them off and and i think that that's probably what will happen against burnley as well um but look if if we can if we can get that early goal it changes it because burnley have to be a bit more ambitious and that's that's when you can maybe cut loose and have a bit more fun but yeah it's it's about moving move your body do something do something a bit wild go and go and stand in a different position go and make a weird run and then Califuri will pop up unexpectedly and you know with a third man run from deep or something like that that those are the kind of moves that I want to see a little bit more of but but I gotta say Califuri did last night sorry even what Timber did last night that changed the whole run with the ball system that Brighton were were planning at that moment of the game running with the ball is underrated you know that is what draws so if you beat your man and effectively most teams want to go kind of man to a man you beat your man like timber did someone's then got to come out and engage you and if they've got to do that they leave someone else yeah running with the ball is massive take players on well let me ask you this because one thing that really stood out to me in the fulham game um was the last time i think we saw a fit Bakayo Saka because he clearly was not fit in my mind against Palace and had to come off.

1:10:03And we know he was struggling with illness, I guess. But he had 86 touches against Fulham, only behind William Sliba and Declan Rice. There is a point at which I think if a defense wants to sit deep, your best path is to give it to the best player you have who can do the most damage either by beating a man or with his delivery or with his shooting. Bakayo Saka is becoming our Salah or our Lamini Mall or whatever you want to say, that player that give it to him and let him solve the problem. I'm wondering if having a fit Saka now, it seems like he's fit. He looked really good in his brief cameo against Brighton.

1:10:35He looked vibrant and energized. Is it the case that maybe we just need to be more intent? He gets the ball. He's shut down. He gives it back to Ezza or Zubamedi. Give it back to him. Keep giving it to Saka. Get him another 86 touches in this game because he's the one who's most likely to unlock the defense. In your mind, Adrian, Is that a path? Like, give it to your best player. Yes and no. Yes and no. No? Okay. Yes and no, because I think we've been a bit guilty of doing that maybe last year at times. It's just all – give it to Saka and hope he does something good. And that did make us predictable.

1:11:14I think we're better than that now. I think that we've got threats elsewhere and players in form elsewhere that can make things happen. But I take your point. I really dislike matches where Saliba and Gabriel are the ones who have all the touches. That is boring. There have been games where Odegaard will get 80, 90 touches. You remember the Cazorla, the days of Arteta in midfield with Cazorla and whatnot under Wenger. Cazorla would be getting 125 touches or something silly. Do you know what I mean? And I don't think we maybe make those attacking players sick of the ball enough. Yeah, that's the point.

1:11:55But should it all be about a sack? No, in my opinion. I think having a balanced attack now is one of our absolute key strengths. Yeah, yeah. I think certainly one other thing I would add to that, Adrian, is one of the things you could probably do against a settled defense that unsettles it is just shoot. um shots get shots get deflected shots go in um you know we you you see sometimes that just shooting i mean i know manchester city won a title a couple seasons ago as painful as it is to say just from foden shooting from outside the box and getting a few extra goals and broke games open um i think if the defense is compact enough and this is one thing i'd love to see from joker's by the way more is that he's got such a phenomenal powerful shot on him can we get him into positions even if it's not in behind 1v1 with the keeper, to get a shot off and it rebounds and it falls kindly to the feet of an Arsenal player rushing onto it.

1:12:49Phil, as we sort of wrap this up here then, any suggestion in your mind that there might be an unusual or unorthodox lineup that Mikel might look at this and say, look, we don't need Zubamendi and Declan Rice or we need an extra player in there who can affect the game in the final third. So do you have any idea that this could be a strange lineup or is it right back to what you'd regard as first choice with Leo off the left, SA-10, sack on the right, Jokras, Rice, Zubomendi, and the usual back four? Yeah, I think it will be business as usual as well. With Zubomendi, we need to consider that he won't be playing against Slavia Prague.

1:13:26So I think this is an opportunity for him to come in and continue his good form. For me, it's what we've been saying. It's about taking on people. it's about shooting it's about making people uncomfortable you know it's not injuries aside last year arsenal really struggled because they were just flat in in attacking areas there weren't enough shots there weren't enough ball carries there weren't enough take-ons and what have we addressed this summer we bought some of the most proficient shooters in europe with yokarez madueke eza all coming in ball carrying madueke is one of the most proficient guys to get into the edge of the box in terms of ball carrying beating his marker as it can be someone that glides through central areas we are addressing key issues from last year and I know Madueke is not really around at the moment and we haven't had Diokarez firing as much as we'd hoped but this was a clear tactical and sort of coaching point that they wanted to change so yes Burnley are going to sit in yes we're going to have a lot of the ball but it doesn't mean we need to settle into the horseshoe of death it doesn't mean we have to put our foot on the ball roll it from side to side get it to the center backs push it out to saka let it go back into zubamendi we can be progressive and bold and adventurous in our movement and our and our intention so that's what i'm expecting on on saturday we need to be a bit ready or prepared to not have the 90 plus percent of passing completion rate and the shots on target just to be able to mix the game up a bit so i'm not expecting many changes in the team I think what we've been doing so far has been working I think Leo's done enough to keep that place on on the left as it will come in again in the center I'd just like to see him shoot a little bit more can you find some space on the edge of the D can you combine with your careers to be able to get shots off for for you or for him but either way I don't think we need to be relying on Saka so much because that's why we had three defenders on him last year in every game and none on the left hand side because they knew that he was the issue he was the danger he was the problem now we need to make sure that we have four problems up front or five problems up front not just one so um yeah for me the first goal is crucial because when arsenal score first they don't lose and they don't concede so if we can find a way to get a good early goal maybe a set piece who knows um that is that is going to be helpful in unlocking the game as well so yeah that's what i'm hoping for um tough game but we should have enough get your nord vpn ready because it's a 3 p.m.

1:15:57kickoff, so it'd be blacked out for most people in the UK there. Not that I'm saying you should watch it any other way. I would never say that. It's Liverpool hosting a resurgent villa, and Liverpool look like they're on the ropes a bit. Slott saying some curious things, complaining about his squad depth, which, look, I mean, I'm sympathetic to the idea of injuries and needing certain positions, but when you spend the way they did and you spend it wrong the way I regard them as having done it, you got to be a little careful about what you say, but they're rocking a little bit in Villa. We'll see this as an opportunity city, then host an excellent Bournemouth side.

1:16:31And then they play each other the following weekend, as I said. So we've got a really important fortnight here. And I don't want to suggest that another challenger couldn't emerge other than those two, but they are certainly the two that we have most on our radar. And if we can pick up max points between now and the next international break, we could be sitting in a very positive position. And I, for one, would really appreciate that arsenal. That would be lovely if you could do that. The other thing I appreciated is having adrian clark's wisdom or addition sophistication and general intellect and analysis on this podcast i hope and know that you will go check out adrian clark's youtube channel where you will find uh not only this quality of analysis but superior analysis because you won't have me interrupting every few minutes adrian absolute delight to have you on hope to talk to you again soon oh no it's very kind too kind there earlier but um yeah i appreciate all of that and And yeah, I've really enjoyed it.

1:17:21It's been good to sort of dig down a little bit deeper. So yeah, good fun. Good fun. Agreed. Phil, unfortunately, has stuck with us. So you're going to hear from him regularly. And there's just nothing you can do about that. Thank you, Phil. I feel like you've just tapped the Simpsons sign. Like, don't forget you're here forever. You're here forever. Exactly. And you better stay. Everyone listening, you do not get to end this podcast because Dana Erekat is the CEO of Save the Children Jordan. And she graciously gave her time to tell you what's going on in the Zattery Camp and with the Arsenal Foundation's Coaching for Life program.

1:17:52And it is absolutely worth 10 minutes of your time to listen to it. So please stick around and listen to that. We'll say goodbye to these two wonderful gentlemen. But my chat with Dana is coming up now. And now it is my great pleasure to be joined by Dana Erekat, who is CEO of Save the Children Jordan, a critical partner in helping deliver the Coaching for Life program in the Zattery Camp. Dana, as always, it's a pleasure to see you, to speak to you, and to have you on the podcast.

1:18:14Dana Erekat:Lovely to see you, Elliot. Thank you for having me. Yeah, I mean, obviously I could go on and on about the great work you do and the mission-driven career that you've chosen. I'm sure you've seen a lot of wonderful stories and a lot of stories of hardship. And so what I hope from our quick conversation today is to get an update on the Coaching for Life program and how the Arsenal Foundation and this program are continuing to help the child refugees in the Zatari camp. There's obviously a changing dynamic there as things are fluid in Syria and there's some movement back. So we'll want to touch on that.

1:18:44I think one place we can start is a shifting geopolitical landscape and the importance of the fundraiser we do and the continuation of this program, which is that there have been cuts to aid. As we know, in the United States, the USAID program was essentially shut down. It was a big part of how aid was delivered to places like the Zattery refugee camp. And this has been followed by other cuts globally. And so I'm guessing that it's harder and harder to deliver programs that can help refugees inside of camps all over the world, and especially in Zattery. So could you speak to the shifting dynamics there and the emphasis that puts on the Coaching for Life program?

1:19:21Dana Erekat:Yeah, absolutely. Unfortunately, the cuts in aid from the U.S. did not only impact USAID projects, they also impacted implementing organizations that receive funding from the U.S., such as U.N. agencies. And this became clearer and clearer as time went by. As Save the Children, we've been working in the camps since the inception. And one of our main partners is a UN organization where we had one of the biggest projects on what's called community-based protection that included spaces for children, for youth, activities. And we began the project in January of 2025. In May of 2025, we were informed that the budget was slashed by 65%.

1:20:03Wow.

1:20:04Dana Erekat:For the whole year. So not from what's remaining, the overall budget. And we had to reduce a lot of the services and the direction was to focus on the most critical services, such as case management, MHPSS, mental health support services, and so forth. And therefore, the room through the other, and we're not alone in this. This was many of the implementers for the UN agency. And what this did is it led a lot of the organizations to cut on activities that are essential but are not considered, quote-unquote, critical. Like health, medication, and so forth became just the primary. So any spaces for children and youth to thrive and learn life skills became extremely scarce.

1:20:51Dana Erekat:We were also implementing another project that's for a girls' center, and that was shut down in a period of three months because it was fully U.S. funded through another UN organization. and this only makes the work of Coaching for Life and the Arsenal, the support of the Arsenal Foundation and the camp even more critical and more important because more and more youth or children are coming to our spaces through the Coaching for Life and Arsenal because they don't have access to them through the other programs anymore. A lot of it was cut down. And so it is extremely important that we continue to provide this space in order to ensure the future of children.

1:21:31Dana Erekat:and there's always this argument about what is critical. Yeah, life-saving is critical, but what happens when a child is completely deprived of social life, of skill sets, of learning, of growing, that is also going to impact their life when they grow up. Well, that's exactly what we talk about when we have our fundraiser in April, which is, yes, it is critical that human beings have food and drink and medicine, right? Like that's critical. You can't survive without that. And I understand that that has to take priority, but there's the question of what kind of life you can have and we've spoken about the threats for these children of finding their way into child labor or child marriages or gender-based violence and things of that nature and how you protect children from those potential dangers is by providing them programs that develop resiliency a social network a safety net of friends and a support system and ability to advocate for themselves and while those things aren't strictly speaking, life-saving, if they keep you away from violence or away from child labor, they are ultimately life-saving and life-generating.

1:22:33And now that there's a possible future outside of the camp that is not a dream but a potential reality, it's that much more important that these young people can develop into adults who are able to thrive back home in the society that they can head back to and rebuild in Syria. So it's horrible to hear that camps like Zattery are having to operate essentially on subsistence levels. You were already doing so much with so little, and now it's even harder. Obviously, the silver lining is it's great to hear that the Coaching for Life program is able to carry on, and I just want to take a beat to say, if you're listening to this, there's a chance you are part of the reason it's able to carry on.

1:23:10And so I do want to say thank you to anybody who's listening to this who may have contributed, whether it's a pound, a dollar, or more, you're a reason that this can carry on at a time when so little is able to continue. So let's shift to something maybe a little more upbeat and uplifting, which is the success of the program and how it continues to thrive. Because even in these challenging times, I think coaching for life is continuing to thrive. So can you give us a quick update on the progress with the program and what it's providing?

1:23:37Dana Erekat:Yeah, absolutely. We're excited to share some amazing milestones. So by now, over 6 ,000 children have participated in gaining safe spaces to play, to learn, to grow. and including girls that have been in previously underserved areas in the camps. We've also, for the local coaches, are really leading the way. There's a lot of work, immense work that has been done on gender and inclusion. So training for coaches and junior coaches to ensure that every child is safe, valued, empowered, and they're learning to challenge stereotypes. And this is really important. They're really learning to challenge gender stereotypes, stand up for fairness, and encourage peers to join football and mini leagues.

1:24:24Dana Erekat:And as you know, the challenges of working in a community like the camp is it comes with a lot of gender stereotypes, a lot of restrictions around girls. But Coaching for Life has been instrumental in changing a lot of the cultural shifts within the camp. and the families too. So while it is focused on the children and the youth, there are parents support groups as well and they offer guidance, they offer emotional support and they offer a platform to actually share solutions for their daily challenges that they come across. So it's really transformed the lives of children and there's so many stories that we can share at a later stage with you from girls that have taken place in Coaching for Life and coaches as well and how that has actually strengthened them and have led them to thrive in Zatari and even outside Zatari Camp.

1:25:19Yeah. And I want to be careful how I phrase this because Zatari Camp is actually really inspirational in some ways. Being there and seeing the way people have made it a home and embraced it as a home is really uplifting. But there is, of course, a tremendous amount of difficulty to life there. There is a certain bleakness to that existence. And just getting close to the Coaching for Life centers and seeing a green space and hearing young girls singing and clapping and playing, it is such an interesting juxtaposition. You're immediately struck by these are children. They need a space to be children, to bond to other children, to develop relationships and skills to advocate for themselves, the boys and the girls.

1:26:05And you see it. You see it firsthand just in looking five meters away from the Coaching for Life centers and seeing what life has to offer and then looking into those green spaces and looking into those joyous areas of the camp. And it's night and day. So it really stands out to you. I think one thing that is always fun for me is to hear individual success stories because I think it really brings home what the program is doing on a personal level for individuals. So the dynamic is shifting in Syria. And with the departure of Assad, I don't want to say that I understand the political environment in Syria beyond the most superficial level of detail.

1:26:47But as I understand it, there are people that are starting to think about going back and rebuilding a life there. I think this makes the mission of Coaching for Life that much more vital because no longer is it just about subsisting inside of the camp. It is about being able to thrive back in a society where you are a citizen and have a home again. And there are starting to be stories like that. And I think one great story that you shared with me, and I'd love it if you'd share with everybody listening, is Omar's story.

1:27:11Dana Erekat:Yeah, absolutely. But let me just give you, I think that is also important for our listeners to understand how the return and how return happened. Oh, yeah, that would be great. Yes, please. Yeah. So in Jordan, as you know, there's around 500 ,000 Syrian refugees that are registered with UNHCR. And in total, there's around 1.3 million, those with, you know, including the unregistered. In Zaatari, you have around 77 ,000 refugees that are living there. In the beginning of the fall of the Assad regime, you had a sudden influx of return. But in total in Jordan, so far, we are talking as of September 30th, only around 166 ,000 out of the 100, 500 ,000 have returned.

1:27:55Dana Erekat:And usually what happens in return, and this is something that we see historically in refugee crises, is those who return are those who have the ability to return and the conditions to return to. And then now suddenly that return had the numbers have dwindled because Syria is not yet an adequate place for people to voluntary return for a dignified life. So those who end up staying are truly the ones that are most in need. And there remain to be a high number in Jordan and in the Zaatari camp. And then as the conditions become more stable in Syria, more jobs creations, then people slowly start to go back.

1:28:37Dana Erekat:But for now, we don't see big changes on the camps in regards to those that are staying now. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And obviously, the people that are the most resilient and have the most skills and the most capability will be the first to go back. What you're left with is the people with the fewest skills that they've developed and the least resilience and the least ability to advocate for themselves or understand how to function outside of the camp environment. Those would be the people that never made it into schools and weren't educated, or maybe were living under conditions of violence.

1:29:11And so if the Coaching for Life program can build more resilient and developed and skillful young people, they can grow into the people who feel confident enough to return to Syria as the environment evolves there. And so the program becomes a pathway, not just to a more dignified life inside of the camp, but a capacity to then potentially bring their family back into Syria. So, Danik, could you share Omar's story with us, potentially?

1:29:41Dana Erekat:So, Omar arrived in Zaatari camp in 2012, and he was nine years old. And life was very difficult for him and his family, and he helped supporting them by collecting leftover bread. But he was always determined. And so in 2018, he joined Coaching for Life. And what began as a simple interest in that became really a life-changing experience for him. And he's quoted to say, and you can read on his story, that the field wasn't just a place to play. It's where I learned empathy, teamwork, and how to control my emotions. So this is, you know, this in itself is a huge success for the program. Omar recently returned to Syria.

1:30:29Dana Erekat:or is planning to return, decided to return to Syria. And we actually spoke with him. And he plans to actually continue his education there in university. Now he's 22 years old, but he already has a daughter as well. Oh, my goodness. And he's planning on returning to university to continue his education. But he's also planning on establishing football training sessions for the children in his village that he's returning to as they lack sports facilities there. And, you know, this is really, this is ultimately the impact of coaching for life. These children are meant to grow and they will grow up.

1:31:11Dana Erekat:And so where do they take their learnings and their stories and their skills that they built? Whether they decide to return to Syria, whether they decide to stay or they decide to resettle elsewhere in the world, those skills that they're building will allow them to carry on the teachings and the lessons that they've learned and give them off to pass them on to their children and also to their communities that they're returning to. I love to hear that. I think when you hear things like 80 ,000 refugees in a camp and 40 ,000 children, sometimes the numbers obscure the individual stories. And when you hear about an individual, a young boy who could have been out of education, who could have been in child labor, who could have grown up not only to not have the capacity to provide for himself, but maybe not had the capacity to be a capable father, who gets into the Coaching for Life program thanks to the Arsenal Foundation and the work that you're doing there, who develops the resiliency skills, who stays in school, who works on himself as a leader inside of that community, who then is not only able to go back to Syria with the courage and the dignity and the capacity to build a life for himself, but to be a father to a young girl, ultimately who will grow to be a woman who has a completely different life experience than she would have had absent that program.

1:32:27And so there's generational development. That's the compounding interest, right? That's what happens. You take a program that helps kids. The kids grow up to be better adults. The adults have children. They're able to be better parents to those children. And those children don't suffer the hardships and indignity that their parents may have. generational improvement, generational change. And that starts by helping children in a way, look, helping adults is great too. You should help everybody. But when you can help a young person, you can actually create an impact that passes down through generations.

1:32:58And Omar's story is sort of a great example of that. It's wonderful to hear. I have to say it fills me with a lot of pride and excitement about what we're doing to support this program. There are so many places of need around the world. And, you know, we've said our club, the Arsenal Foundation, it's built the Coaching for Life program. It's planted a flag in this place that has need. We've stood behind it. And the way it has grown and the way it has thrived and seeing success stories like Omar's is just a celebration of the effort everybody's put in it. And that is extremely tied to your hard work and your commitment, Dan.

1:33:34And I know you're doing more with less now, which makes it even harder. So hopefully you're able to enjoy the moments of success and the rewards that you get from it, like Omar's story. But all we can do is say thank you for what you're doing. Thank you for the updates and to know that we as a community will continue to passionately and enthusiastically support the program because we'd never leave these kids behind. So thank you so much for sharing these stories with us.

1:33:58Dana Erekat:Thank you, Elliot. Yeah. And I also really thank you to the Arsenal Club and the Arsenal Foundation and the fans of Arsenal. Because without them and without the Arsenal Foundation, we would not be able to carry out this work here. And we are continuing to serve those children and to ensure that we can do whatever it takes for them to have, like you said, to heal and grow generationally and have better futures. And really, thank you for having me today. It's an absolute pleasure. Thank you. That's again, that's Dana Erekat, the CEO of Save the Children, Jordan. some firsthand reminder of what's going on in the camp.

1:34:30We will be running our foundation fundraiser as we always do in April. We'll have a lot of great stuff to give away, but also just a lot of rewarding experiences and stories to share from the success of that program. So thanks again, Dana. Thanks everyone for listening. We're going to call it a day for the podcast now. We'll be back with more tomorrow and then the instant reaction to the Burnley game of the weekend. We love you and we will talk after Arsenal 10, Burnley No.

1:35:24We'll see you next time.

1:35:30We'll be right back.