Arsenal Smash Inter Ahead of United’s Emirates Visit

32:19Elliot:And we've also got Marina, if you want to clip it up in the air and then go for a flicker and go from there. I loved the group. I loved how we built out. I loved how Sleba spun down the outside. If he was there on the right wing to create an overload, then our centre-half created it. this is high level stuff that we're doing here he's doing a lot more of that well if they're giving it to him yeah you exit what can you do if you're now 30 yards on the pitch can you play? well he can play in the right hand triangle right high up by the corner player he can still play it's this high quality stuff which means they can't gang up and else they can't run away I thought it was top class and Jesus just epitomized that rotation and fluidity but you can't be fluid unless you've got Eze and Mourinho there often use solidity down the centre of the pitch or I mean technical security and positioning which means Jay-Zoo if he wants to flit out to the left I don't mind anymore because someone else is in the middle and if he wants to flit out to the right I won't get the ump because he's going where other people are not going rather than just deciding I want to go over here because I feel comfortable and then we have nothing in the middle and so the balance of selection was really really good and I really loved the wisdom technical security of the team enjoyed it a lot a lot Do you have a comment then on some of the openness?

33:37I mean, this was not one-way traffic in the first half. There were some breakaway moments. They obviously got their goal really well taken, but there was a bigger chance before that. To be fair, Mascara does really well to close it down, and then the shot flies in, which is a great shot, but it's a good attack. There's the wide-open moment for Taram where he winds up slicing it wide. They did get some joy when they got around the press getting numerical advantages against us running the other way. So any thoughts on how they were able to fashion some of those openings?

34:08Elliot:I think just looking at them as individual instances, we did, on our goal, I think we had seven players in their box. So we really committed to attack, which I liked. But sometimes we would turn around and a default was to play backwards. And when we played backwards on the central area, I think Eze had one, I think Zubmendi had one, he put his hand up straight away. and then suddenly their right wing back is quite sprinting it's just a running race right it's all it is it's a numbers game it's just a numbers game it's a running race and they could ping it forward and what they tended to do i felt this and i haven't checked it i just felt this from watching it that they can hit to ram from a distance i like to hit a center forward who likes to pin and get around him martinez get around him and then so they're sort of lengthening the pitch a little bit you know they're not all coming back in which means they've got an exit if they want to they've got running exits and and that's fine isn't it that's that's the trade-off that you take i don't look at it it's what people do and it's i think you need to stop doing this what people do every time we get run through oh it's got declan rice isn't playing well well we got to stop that haven't we because last we're going to play 65 games this season and he's going to play in the internationals as well.

35:23Elliot:He can't play every single game. So we gambled on a front footy press on occasions, an inaccurate passing. There was one Jesus pass to Mourinho, was slightly inaccurate. They nicked it. Mourinho tried to buy a foul, didn't quite get it. They're running through. Timber's high and we're running back. It's football. You know, this is what we want. I want to see us push the needle a little bit, trying to get them back, trying to score, put them under pressure. I think it worked out fine. I don't really care about the breakaways. First of all, there's nothing wrong with elite players impacting your ability to do things better.

35:54City haven't stopped a counter attack since Rodri did his ACL. Okay. Okay. Like it's okay to be less good at breaking up counter attacks when the best midfielder in world football is not in your team. Like that's going to happen. But to your point, Clive, it's also okay if you can win games 3-1 and out XG teams regularly, but it means you give up the odd extra chance. That's okay. Cause you know what happens sometimes when you give up chances, I know it hasn't happened recently, sometimes they don't take them. We have this thing because we've been burned by it where it's like, well, if we give up one chance, we'll concede one goal.

36:30But actually, as we saw in the intergame, sometimes you play very front footed, you batter the opposition. As a result of playing front footed, they get the odd chance and they miss it. And they did in this game on a couple of occasions. And that's okay. There's so much to get to here. And I want to make sure we save a lot of time for a United preview so we probably won't go as deep on this game as necessary but i do want to ask you about miles lewis skelly tim because this is a game where by the end he was coming out of it with huge praise i think the beginning was a little more mixed and we're seeing with miles that when he disengages when he drops the recovery pace is not good right now i think there's some people that are saying he looks slower than he used to i don't think he looks slower i just think he didn't let himself get into space like that as much in the past because he was very front-footed and he would leap to intercept the ball or to engage with his man.

37:20And in some instances, this season has been caught a little bit in space, and teams have taken advantage of that because he's just not that fast. I mean, let's just say it. He doesn't have tremendous pace. And that's okay. But as you saw in this game, he really grew into it, started to, I think, dominate his area and play in the way that he's more effective. So could you talk me through that a little bit? But maybe some of the vulnerability and how his pace was exposed early, but then how he was able to grow into the game and get better. Because it was a really rocky start for him. And then all of a sudden, we saw more of the miles that we came to expect last season.

37:56Yeah, I think there's a few things here. I think first of all, and Clive, I know you said this on the instant reaction. I think there's probably an element to which playing in Europe possibly suits him a little bit more. maybe like slightly less physical in that respect that maybe is less of a known quantity as well um so because for for being targeted you mean yeah yeah yeah but also when he like you know gets the ball and take takes into midfield and all of that but because like what's his other best performance really i mean this is up there with his best performances the other one was the burnabout so there's obviously something about playing in europe whether it's the occasion and it's a psychological thing whether it's tactical physical i don't know i'd say uh learning about this player though sorry excuse me learning about this player you say he's not fast i think you're right off the ball he's not with the ball he is he accelerates with the ball and i think that goes for defensively as well i think chasing like pakaio saka by the way similar similar uh traits yeah like chasing the ball when it's really moving yeah sometimes he can look a little bit like he's running through treacle i played a full back myself and i had very much the same thing i found like when the ball went over my head i lost a bit of hope you know but i want to hear more about this career oh well yeah but i could stay with a player when i was with them i could stay with them but once they got that like couple of yards or i was about position it's again i don't know whether it's psychological or to do with your physical profile or whatnot but it's that kind of uh he's got a yard on me and I probably haven't got it in me to get that yard back whereas if you go stride for stride and you know miles can push people about as well and I think he did in this game as well like once he's near the touchline once he's somewhere quite secure I think it almost do you know what it reminds me of a little bit is actually Xhaka in a weird way in a slightly different position you know how playing like that deep midfield role he could look really out of place because it's a massive space to cover and he'd panic and he'd pull shirts and he'd kick ankles and stuff but then when Arteta recognized the physical profile of the player and kind of just said you know what I'm going to give you 100 200 meter straight lane no turning no looking at your shoulders no just run up and down all day and and he could do that and I kind of feel like it's not exactly the same with miles but there's something about his physical profile i think when he's with a player he doesn't get bullied i don't think in those one-on-ones it's when the ball goes over his head and the guy starts going off into the distance i think he can really struggle and i think probably what you saw in this game as well as that there has been a confidence issue this season because once like you said he didn't start the game amazingly but once he got his first tackle in and I think once he realised that Arsenal were on top on this game and that, you know, they're in the San Siro, they were dominating just like the Bernabeu and obviously we had a lead when we went there and I think he felt secure.

41:01He felt that kind of, okay, this game's all right. This game's all right. And I think it's also massively to his credit because as you guys just alluded to, I think there's an element to which Arteta took the handbrake off a little and was prepared for this to be a game of one-on-one duels. I don't think he'd do that in the Premier League. I think in the Premier League, it is a bit, particularly away from home, it's like we must retain our shape. Whereas there was less jeopardy here. And I think it was a little bit, not caution to the wind, not that far, but it was a bit like, if this becomes a game of one-on-one duels, I'll take the chance that my players are better than theirs.

41:40And I think, so Miles was left one-on-one quite a lot. I almost think perhaps he likes that as well, in a sense, the sense that this guy's my responsibility. Gabriel is not playing. He's not running over to save me if I don't put this guy in the crowd type thing. And I think there's possibly an element as well where maybe there was less of a safety net and it was, okay, I've got to stick with this guy here. I don't know, maybe all projection, definitely all speculation on my part. but I think the bottom line is he got some confidence in this game from somewhere.

42:19Elliot:Yeah, I think it's interesting. I thought... Sorry, I was on mute there. I meant to say, Clive. Yeah, I saw your mouth moving. I thought he wants me to say something. And so with Miles, it's all about how he feels about himself really. And you could tell, I could tell from the moment the camera went across in Champions League music he was going to have a good game. He just looked ready for the moment. And I thought he started fine, actually. The only moments, again, we do this thing where we have these things in spaces. We see a wingback has got a run on him, and he's now running in the same TV screen, and we all say he's now not looking that quick.

42:58Elliot:Well, I thought he looked quick enough. He blocked off to far post, so the guy couldn't get a shot in, and he made a lot of defensive challenges. And for me, the things I look for, the things I've seen recently, where he's been far more hesitant before he makes his actions, Hesitant on his dribbling, hesitant on his tackles, and hesitant on a bouncing ball how to deal with it. And when I saw him being decisive, I thought, oh, you're back now. You're being solid. You're getting to tackles. I felt last year he played like a new player for us, an 18-year-old man. This year, I think he played like a 19-year-old boy.

43:32Elliot:But I thought the man returned in this game. And he started to put his shoulders into them. He started to play diagonals. So you can almost see the game being built, pass after pass. And so I was extremely encouraged because at the core of him, it's his ability to win the contest. And I thought he won the contest and he locked down that side as best as he possibly could. And so now you can build again. So very much, if you think about his upbringing, his upbringing as a midfielder, so the way he tackles, he's tackling with what I call he hasn't got the last man gene in him. right so so when we played 3-2 last year we were back three and with two in front and he was in front with thomas party to his right he's still a midfielder really because he can do anything he likes because the risk is low because there's always someone behind him to sweep up and gabriel or kivior and they could he can go in he could take a gamble he can press forward because behind him was somebody else and all he had to do was affect the attack you know and if he could get it turn out spin and run forward oh my god we've got a superstar in our hand a lot more this year we've built up in a 4-2 and so now he's playing left back a lot more his environment has changed i've said before but sometimes with talent and with analysis i have a word of myself every now and again and i have to remind myself that he went to the burner pal and played against rodrigo and we wanted him to play and that was in wide areas and he dealt with him he played against Desiree Douay in Paris and he threw him to the floor he dealt with him there was not an instant we can remember so once you see it you know that players lost his game but it needs to be rebuilt so people who are saying things people who are ex-footballers saying things like he can't defend well where are you got are you a goldfish he defended last year against the very highest level of the game so what's happened is that the environment's changed maybe a bit of confidence has happened maybe realization where he is maybe the requirements has changed a little bit more maybe he needs rhythm that he had last year he played 20 odd games he hasn't got this year just have to wake up a little bit 19 i i find it really frustrating i we can all see the struggles but have a brain will you look what he's already done i'll defend the i'll defend the anxious people among us i i think writing him off is obviously a crazy thing to do i think given the pressure on us to win things this season and the anxiety around trying to win things every struggle from any player is being scrutinized as intensely as ever and there is a real question for everybody about can we do it can we get this over the line can we get that over the line can we win can we win and i think it's leading to people making snap judgments now to be fair i think that's just part and parcel football today i saw a social media post i do yeah well i saw a social media post yesterday because Chelsea won 1-0 over Pafos, which is a hilarious shit performance, but still a win and it's fine.

46:36I saw a relatively large following Chelsea social media post with a lot of shares saying, let's just fail fast with Rosseño and admit this isn't working and sack him. Now, look, I'm not going to sit here and say, I think Rosseño is going to succeed. I don't know if anyone else succeeded Chelsea, but they're talking about sacking the guy already. he's coached two games for the club so yeah there's just this snap judgment thing happening in football in general um what will be interesting look miles definitely put in the kind of performance that i think will give mikhail a lot of confidence that he's starting to find his way back into form it'll be interesting because if califiori is not fit for the weekend if hincapia is not fit for the weekend he will then have to make that decision to go ben white at right back and timber at left back and i'll just be honest i don't think timber is impressed at left back particularly um or to keep Timber in his preferred position and let Miles face a very dangerous counterattacking side who can put players like Mbuma or Ahmad on the wing.

47:31And we'll discuss that in a moment. I still want to talk about Ezza a bit, certainly Victor Jokras' goal. Not that he needed one, but, you know, nice to see him get one, of course. And Manchester United. But before we do that, we have, this is exciting, a new company to tell you about. and it relates to one of my favorite topics food and that is factor all right i am excited to introduce you to factor because factor is a way to get great healthy fresh meals delivered to your door you heat them for two minutes and you eat them now across my life both as a single person and now as a married person with a family, I have been planning for meals, shopping for meals, finding ways to get the meals that I need that are healthy, that are balanced, that are delicious, a pain in the neck.

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51:01Elliot:Indeed. Okay, let's quickly touch on Eza's involvement, Tim. It was a performance that I think divided opinion a bit. I always think those are interesting, and I think it's simple. Why? Because he's just a very different type of player in midfield than maybe what we're used to. On ball, all action, physical, strong, middle third players, and that's not who he is. He did have some really interesting cameos. He had a big moment in the central buildup to the first goal. he had a shot that he placed instead of striking but you see when he gets the ball around the edge of the box when he gets the ball near the d he's i think he's our best player in in that little zone in that little pocket when he gets it but the influence waxes and wanes and there are times when he's loose with the ball as well he has the thing ethan has i think which is a prodigious talent and a desire to do things that impact the game in a positive way but a willingness to lose the ball and take risks in doing that.

51:59And that is a risk reward profile that with Mikel Arteta is a difficult one to balance. So I love the player's talent. I think it was a mixed performance is fair to say, but I'm curious what you noticed from it in terms of both the good and the bad. Yeah, very mixed. I think also something that's going on with the analysis of this player is we're also desperate to see more of him. And that kind of informs and creates kind of certain biases and also we perceive correctly as it turns out we've drawn our last two Premier League games nil-nil and so all of us want to see more of him because we think again I think accurately we're less likely to draw nil-nil if we've got Eza playing more minutes than he is at the moment I think that's perfectly valid and I feel that way as well at the same time I think some of us are hand-waving a lot of the downsides which are often it's not to me so much that there's like a risk reward profile or that he can be loose with the ball um like i always like i always tolerated that with someone like alexis sanchez and all of that and obviously there's there's a dial there and you don't want to do that too much particularly if you're if you're trying to dominate teams like we do i that's not so much my quote-unquote problem or issue it's more the non-involvement that that's kind of where i am a bit more the the anonymity at times now there's really good stuff in this game and build up to the first goal he makes a central pass um in the build up to that which which i think is really critical it's not just spin it out wide to saka let's see if saka can beat two players again.

53:41Let's put another cross in and Nottingham Forest's collection of six for eight centre-backs are just going to head them out kind of thing. And now we've got to bring Marino on because all we can do is cross the ball. You know, there is a kind of sense of that. At the same time, I think it would be remiss of us and kind of poor analysis to ignore the fact that there are reasons that he's not playing that much at the moment. And I think a lot of it is to do with spells of anonymity. more than anything and I think what's really I've said this before this season about our attack what's really strange about our attacking situation is we have so many polar opposite players and that actually like and you want diversity of profile but at the same time like there's wild swings between players and what they do and I could not think of two players more opposed than Erdogan Eza and I'm just not sure there is a future really in that kind of central position for Eza unless we really change what it is and make it a second striker which I don't think we're going to do and going back to our discussion about Ethan Nwineri earlier if Eza's one of the central players then Nwineri's loan spell is not going to be a good use of Arsenal's time because what's going to happen he's going to come back this summer and exactly the same players are going to be there that problem's not going to go away so for me there has to be a shift towards using Ezra on the left otherwise I think we risk not getting the best out of that player we risk wild wild swings in profile in that position which I don't think is good for the team and I think we risk you know losing Ethan as well for me Ethan and Erdegaard that feels like a good reasonable diversity of profile because Ethan Waineri is more likely to score a goal I think more likely to do the final action whereas Erdogan's your build-up guy I think more or less whereas Ezzer on the left wing and then maybe that allow again thinking about Ethan if that happens then probably one of Martinelli or Trossard does go in the summer and we just I think we've got one body too many basically in attack that's my kind of uh slightly hot take and that one of them kind of has to drop out really um for a player like Ethan to to really have a future Arsenal which I really want him to I kind of don't want a Salah De Bruyne at Chelsea situation where we lose a potentially generational talent because we've stockpiled quite good players you know um So I guess anxious is overstating it, but I just think for our long-term health, whether that's Ezza has to learn the left-wing position or Arteta has to trust Ezza in the left-wing position, I suspect there's got to be a meeting in the middle there.

56:39But I don't think of Ezza as a really central player. I don't think that's really that good for anyone unless we drastically change what we do. You're doing anxiety on easy mode though, Tim. The real trick is being anxious that Ethan is going to block Max. That's where you got to get. I'll help you get there. Clive, your thoughts?

56:59Elliot:Yeah, I thought we had an interesting game. I suppose when I'm trying to look at this player and look at Army Field, I'm trying to keep my mind open to the fact that every team is playing every three days and we're the one team that seems to be coping with it because we can make changes of really high-quality players. And so part of my, I don't care about the first 11 rants, it's about keeping my mind open really. to what could happen. But we all try to sneakily put a player into where we think he's going to best suit. Then that game happens, and then that player in that position does not suit that game.

57:30Elliot:So really, I then look at it and say, okay, what am I seeing from this player? And I like the courage that he chose to receive the ball in central area. So first things first, he doesn't always keep it in there, but he's in there to receive it, and his first touch is like silk, rolls away, and the play just happens from the back of him. I can't go over the words that John McKenzie used. He's so associative. He brings other players into the game. He knocks it off in one, and they're running into 15 yards of space. How does that happen? Because he does the difficult stuff, the technical stuff, that cleans it up and he knocks it off to other players.

58:05Elliot:And Reno's got a bit of that about him as well. So I really like that aspect to his game. For me, it's not an either-or for Odegaard. So, because they're two different players completely. One is far more high-touch, ball dominant, much more strategic in how he drives our whole attack. Another one is about moments, about being in the right areas, about getting shots in, about high technical dribbles, a bit of strength, a bit of power, a bit of protection. He's just different to how he appreciates space. It took me a while to get there. But if you're going to compare the two, then you're in a bit of trouble, really, because they're not the same.

58:44Elliot:We want different things on different days. and that's where I am with football at the moment. This game is a real instruction to how we can be different to the Forest game. And I think Tim is there watching these games. I mean, they're just different. It's night and day, night and day. So why are we trying to put him into a box? Why are we trying to conclude what he's going to do? Because we don't know the game plan. It's just changing. Do you know the game plan for Sunday? Because I don't. Yes. Do you want me to share it or keep it secret I don't know how we're going to play on Sunday. I don't know who we're going to play.

59:19Elliot:I don't know how we're going to play. But I know I've seen about five different styles in the last five weeks. And some I like better than others. But I think Eze is a big part of where we're going. So think back to how he arrived at our club. I think we were interested in him early in the summer. That interest went down. Ethan signed a contract. Kai Havertz gets an injury. We make a risk decision. we bring in a versatile attacker that can play left wing right eight left eight number 10 that versatility has allowed us you know not just him but other people as well to be top of the league and top of the champions league so i'm looking at year one as a have a look at him make him be versatile kai havers has not played yet you know so make him be versatile make sure that he can help bring this team whenever we need him so that's why i'm with him i'm not at conclusion but i do like what he adds to this team i do like the freshness i feel i do like the shots i do like the risk i do like the technical level i like the uncontrolled bits about him because we are quite a controlled team we are not top of the entertainment charts we love this team but others don't and we have him to offer that bit of spark you know so i almost want to encourage the ethans and the essays because we need those players alongside the marinos who are structurally excellent and the declan rices that make take the fear away from us have us take the fear away because they're so good in what they do but we need these guys too you know so we need to create room for them to develop you know so that's why i'm doing it yeah well said i'm gonna go a little bit ranty here it's always when i'm at my best when i say the most incoherent shit that people hate so let's do that because you know what i've been on the pod in 10 minutes um look Hope.

1:01:18So, Ebrecha Eza has to play left wing. He has to. Or this signing makes very little sense to me. That's where I'm at with it. Ethan Wineri is an incredible player, a sensational talent, and ready to impact this team wherever Mikel is willing to put him. Okay? Ebercheza is a sensational player, but it seems clear to me that his profile as a midfielder is not the preference for what Mikel Arteta would like in those spaces due to the way we prioritize not losing possession in central spaces and some of the things that he does out of possession. If we did not plan to use him off the left, then I don't really understand the signing.

1:01:58And there are people that are going to say, Elliot, we wouldn't even be at the top of the Premier League without him because he had to play during Odegaard's injury. There may be truth to that. there may have been other solutions in the squad we could have used in that position that would have kept us in as good a position now look he's already given me some of my favorite moments of the season the goal against palace was excellent the assist for Martinelli against city the three goals against spurs so you could be saying you're undermining your point and you're right but here's where I'm going left wing is still the position that for me we don't have an established solution for with a player that you say that's the guy game for your life you're playing Leo has been brilliant.

1:02:32I think you might say that he's in a period where he's slightly down from that really high peak he was at. Martinelli, very good player. Is he a nailed on starter for us? Is Nani a left winger for us? We don't know. That's a position where there is a debate to be had. And we know that Ezza is uniquely capable of providing sensational moments in the final third. So play him there and let him come inside a little bit and see what you get from that position. I really do believe that he's a player we should try to get on the pitch more because I think he will give us more of what we need, which is goals and final third influence.

1:03:06And we have to be creative in how we get him there. And I just simply do not believe there's going to be a world where Mikel is going to be comfortable playing Ebrecha as an in midfield regularly when he has other options to pick from. And by the way, I'm not criticizing Mikel for that. I think Mikel is probably right. But that means how do we get him on the pitch? And so if we're not going to use him at left wing, I start to really struggle to understand a very expensively acquired top talent, one of the best players in the Premier League last season. And so I am giving you my selfish take. I love the player.

1:03:39I want to see him play. I think left wing is a position that I can understand how he can influence it there. I thought that was a role he might get. He had to move into midfield when Odegaard was injured. Leo took the position, made it his own. I get that. But now I think it's time to see more than just one game where I get it, Matty Cash ran him. And ever since then, that's been the end of that. But, Clive, for me, I just... Left wing feels like a position where we can get a look at this player in ways that maybe don't expose us to some of the stuff that Mikel might be more reluctant to expose us to.

1:04:10Yeah, I've seen him play left wing.

1:04:12Elliot:He played left wing against Forest at the start of the season. Was absolutely brilliant. Played left wing for England. Yeah, and was absolutely brilliant. And he's played left eight, he's played right eight, he's played stick on ten. I don't think it's a problem in it. honestly I don't think it's a problem as we've seen this week there are different games I just don't think it's a problem if I'm thinking where I hope he can add more value it's probably on the left wing that depends on his midfield sorry his fullback combination that really allows him to stand in the areas he wants to stand in the relationships and where he's allowed to go I mean Saka had one of his best ever games today playing with Marina Well, Tuesday.

1:04:54Elliot:Tuesday. He had one of his numbers were incredible in this game. And we can look into that. Why has that happened? Was it Timber back on his side? Was it Mourinho playing with him? Was it Eze not being over there, crowding that space, loud him from one-on-ones? We don't know. This has all come out in the information. What we're learning is about the relationships that are on the team. And some of these relationships really worked in this inter-game. for a United game we might want to do something else on the home pitch of the Emirates where the grass is beautiful and smooth and the ball speed is high we might want something else much more ball manipulation of Odegaard we can get hold of the game shut United up make sure they don't get too chippy you know what I mean just get hold of it I'm just all I'm saying here is keep the mind open to what we need you know and we're making four, five, six, seven changes a game in four competitions I don't see anyone playing 65 games.

1:05:51Elliot:My mind is just open. Yeah, yeah. No, and that's a really smart point, which is simply with the amount of football we have to play. I mean, there are going to be people whose counterpoint to what I've said is, Elliot, Ebrecha Eze has already played more football at this stage of the season than he has in any season of his career. Yeah. But I think that's using data to be too clever by half because do people think the reason Eze hasn't been playing recently is because Mikel's managing his minutes? or do we think it's because Mikel's putting the guys on the pitch he prefers? I'm not saying I know the answer.

1:06:24I'm saying I have a suspicion. And just so we're clear, the goal of Arsenal Football Club is not to get Ebrecha as a playing time. It's to win things. And Mikel should put the team out there that he thinks best suited to do that. And Mikel Arteta has proven he knows that better than anyone because we're winning everything. We're winning the quad. So how can I complain, we need to get the player I like on the pitch when we are literally winning the quad? but I will say that the signing makes more sense to me if he gets more opportunities to show what he can do from the left because I do acknowledge that Mikel may have a point, we all may have a point, that he is a weird fit for our midfield in some ways, but could be a sensible fit at left wing.

1:07:02I'd love to see it. That's all I'm saying in the rest of the game. You know, I find it quite strange that when you were discussing it,

1:07:07Elliot:because you would have wondered what he did the most. I actually said the word, I wonder if we can get a bit of a Smith-Rowe problem with him regarding where he fits in the team. Is he a left winger? Is he a left eight? Is he a 10? But really, we play Odegaard as a 10. And you were so happy, we need to get Eze in. Now we've got Eze in, and I think you've got those concerns. And I've thrown them away. I've gone the other way. So actually, football's changed. Stop worrying about it. Just be good. Make sure you can play on and off the ball. Because off the ball, you don't do that for Michel Arteta, mate.

1:07:39You might as well go home.

1:07:41Elliot:And he's building his game. He's building his Arsenal game. Mike Weckes needs to build his game, doesn't he, to be complete? And so I'm much more relaxed than even you are, Elliot, which I find interesting. Yeah, well, and you know what, Clive? Mikel Arteta has shown another thing, which is he sometimes may have a plan A and a plan B for a player, and those things develop over time. For example, when we bought Rice, everybody's like, Declan Rice, there's our stick on six. Nope, he's our eight. When we bought Kai, we know that he was bought to be a midfielder. But eventually Mikel had to come to the conclusion that really his best impact is as a striker.

1:08:12These things are very fluid, right? And they change over time, and we have to be patient to understand them and how they change. I mean, the thing that I have to acknowledge, if I'm going to whine, is that Ebrecha Eze has been a huge contributor to why our season is successful so far. What I don't think, and I think this is where there's bad faith, the idea that this is a binary between Odegaard and Eze is just nonsense. It's just nonsense. And I get why people wind up there, because there's three players that can play in midfield, and you're not taking Zubamendi or Rice out, so it becomes a binary.

1:08:43there is no comparing those players they're simply different as it is not good at the things Odegaard is good at and Odegaard may not be quite as good at some of the things as is good at and so creating that binary is not helpful I mean Mikel Marino plays in midfield and he's not like either of those players either so we just have to get comfortable with different profiles but I would like to see this player find ways to be on the pitch so that we can influence games in the final third. And that may come with some risk to conceding. But as we saw in this intergame, sometimes you have a little risk of conceding and you win 3-1 instead of drawing 0-0.

1:09:19Tim, we've got to wrap up this game. So let me do this. I'm going to read a quote. We're not going to do a section on Mascara. He deserves it. He was great. But I'll just read the quote that Mikel gave about him. I'm very happy. I think he's a player that normally would be back two weeks after he is. So the medical staff, physios, sports science, and himself, they put all the hours in the day to try to make it happen early because we know that we are very short in the back line to play against the two strikers in the manner he's done it's remarkable point blank he has proven to be a sensational signing and I am very excited to watch his career at arsenal so so happy we have him he's versatile he's powerful he looks very intelligent and very skillful and I'm I'm thrilled that he's at the club Victor Jokras is probably the more interesting conversation though Tim look the way he takes his goal is brilliant it's sort of the USP of what we thought we were getting with him a guy who strikes the ball cleanly and powerfully when he has space he hasn't been getting those shots off in the premier league he got the shot off great wonderful but the video of that goal i can watch it over and over again because the minute possession turns over this guy is in a dead sprint and he looks like the fastest hardest running player i've ever seen and for anybody that thinks he's slow he's a lummox he's an ox watch the video not the part where he scores the goal the part where possession turns over in our defensive third because he's shot out of a cannon.

1:10:35And huge credit to Martinelli, by the way, because the criticism has been when he makes the run, we don't find it. It's a really intelligent pass into him. I think it's great that he's trying to pick out Pakaio Saka, and I think it's great that he gets his shot off and scores. But that little moment, Tim, is everything people have sort of thought he could be. Hard running, great acceleration, good shot. Many of the things that we didn't feel we were seeing enough of, and there in that one moment we saw all of it. yeah definitely and listen it's probably the same for both strikers isn't it there was just there was a little bit more room in this game so that probably wouldn't happen in a premier league away game if that board had dropped to the edge of the area at the city ground on saturday what do you reckon would have happened that had been you know like nottingham forest nottingham forest's like space jam style defense would have just like sprouted out the ground and just blocked it like Like when there's no space, there's no space.

1:11:27Whereas a bit more space. Well, look, I mean, he had a breakaway against Forrest and Murillo tracked him down and they blocked the shot. Yeah. Yeah. This is just like, if I felt that Yoccares is get like, this would just happen all the time. It's almost like this slightly tortured analogy. When I was younger, my brother-in-law owned a driving range and I kind of temporarily thought that that might mean I'd be good at golf. but like whacking the ball as far as you possibly can is really good fun and I really enjoyed doing it and I got quite good at it but obviously that and actually playing the sport of golf quite different quite different skill sets if if I felt that like the ball would drop like that for Jokeres 10 times a season in the Premier League great cash money because I was right behind it the second it dropped to him I knew where it was going and I knew it was going in like that that That is one area of his game I have no doubt about whatsoever.

1:12:24Unfortunately, in the Premier League, he's struggling. We know he can strike the ball. Unfortunately, the space is at such a premium in Premier League games, and that's across the league. I think you guys talked about it on a previous pod as well, but there's been more 0-0 draws this year already than we had last season. A lot of strikers are finding life tough at the moment. And Erling Haaland hasn't been scoring recently as well. And that's a big part of Man City not winning games anymore because, like I said a couple of weeks ago, somehow us scoring from set pieces all the time is this big problem.

1:13:01But when Man City are reliable on a source of goals, it's okay because it comes in the shape of a striker and we can all recognise that. So, yeah, it would be nice if I felt like that kind of chance would happen a bit more often in the Premier League. But also it might have been like a little bit of a response as well. Again, don't know, speculating, but Gabriel Jesus has started. He's played, you know, it's very much like when Jesus scored off the bench against Aston Villa where Jokeres, you know, played for 70 minutes or so. And then like Jesus just curls one in from the edge of the box with basically his first touch.

1:13:38So, you know, a little bit of, I don't think you want to call it payback, but, you know, a little bit of something swinging back in his direction. but I hope it helps his confidence as well because I do think, a bit like Lewis Skelly, confidence has been an issue for him. Clive, anything to add there? Because I want to wrap up on this game. Yeah, I think I've stayed with Jokic Rez. I think the reason why I've stayed,

1:14:03Elliot:you know what I'm going to say, I've seen him play better than this. I asked myself a question, are we overplaying him? Because he's had to play so many minutes. Every time he gets a rest, he looks sharp. and I think his game, for me, is built in his physicality and his ball striking. He's not a technician. He's a big bully with a big right foot and left foot, and that's what he is. With a bit of space to get going, he can do a bit. When he's running through against Barella, who's a midfielder, he just saw him off. When you're running through against Murillo, who's one of the premier£80 million centre-backs in the league, you can say to yourself, well, he's rubbish, or is Murillo quite good?

1:14:41Elliot:Murillo made a mistake, he got in. I think that's a positive thing. That's something we don't do. No one else can run away apart from maybe Havertz when he's fit. So I see that as a positive, not a negative. I'd stay with him because I think we need that striker in our club. Similar to that. We do. If we're relying on Jesus still to play every three days, I'm sorry. I'll tell you now, we're going to be disappointed. We haven't seen Kai yet. So we need Jokarez. We absolutely need him. Whether he starts or finishes, I don't care. I thought the shot was great. I thought the second shot that's the player I saw in Lisbon taking shots that are taken out of top tier but there was no decision it was like instant bang there you go I'm the man I'm taking my shot that's going to end up changing that situation that's going to go under the bar eventually and then we're going to say what the hell have we got here do we say oh he lacked a bit of confidence it was always in there we just got to give him time to settle I think there's a player there may not be the sort of player that our eyes warm to, but the sort of player that I think we need.

1:15:48Elliot:What's happening, just to touch on this a bit longer, Elliot, what's happening in football at the moment, out of possession coaching is just out of this world. It really is. It's easier to coach out of possession than it is to coach in possession patterns. Much easier. Everyone's squeezing space. Sean Dykes can do it. Scott Parker can do it. And they can get results going to Liverpool and Arsenal respectively in one weekend. And we say the Premier League is of higher quality. It's just different. There's so much fear. There's so much cash. How can I keep this club in the league? Because that's 120 million straight away, base, probably 150.

1:16:23Elliot:Why is the championship playoff game the richest game in the world? Because two years Premier League might have been parachute payments. It's probably worth over 200 million. That's going to drive an environment of fear, of conservatism, reduction of space. And then it's going to drive us to drive our opinions based on that. It's just where the game is. And then we have to come up with ways to overcome that. Hence the discussion we had after Nottingham Forest around proximity, taking risky passes, moving the ball into central areas. It's a different discussion we're having after Interland when there's a little bit more space.

1:16:57Elliot:We were much more central, much more front footed and aggressive with our press. We weren't doing that at Forest. And so every game is different. And I think Jokic will have his time at Arsenal. I really believe that strongly. you know it may not be what some people want to say some people say clive we just gotta get rid of him fail fast just get rid of him he's not what we want go and get ikatike or go and get izak well they've had their struggles too you know so i just think i'm gonna stay with him until he tells me otherwise that he's just so bad that he tells me otherwise but i i'm i think he's gonna improve i think he'll be a big port big part of our near-term future five-year contract not five months yeah you mentioned revenue so i'll mention it by the way arsenal according to deloitte money league have now moved ahead of manchester united maybe for the first time in history in terms of revenue we have roughly 300 million more in revenue than inter milan 400 million more than ac milan who are less than half our revenue the might of the premier league is being flexed financially and you're seeing the impact um a couple final moments one thing if you can scour social media for it.

1:18:05There's a hilarious video going around. Esposito came on and was a bit physical with Mascara. So Mikel brought Gabby on. Gabby came on and he showed this Esposito guy what physical looks like. It was a great video. Every time they're off the ball, he's just up in his shorts, pushing him down, bodying him, shouldering him. It's great. Another little note though, Arsenal minding the details as you expect under Mikel Arteta, Marino and Rice getting yellow cards to see them banned from the Kyrak game rather than carrying the risk of suspension into the quarterfinals because cards do not reset at the end of this phase so we will not have to worry about rice getting a yellow that sees him miss a quarterfinal leg and we will not have to worry about marino getting yellow that sees him miss a quarterfinal leg really smart really sensible um as a final point here and clive i'll just stay with you for a second manchester city get beat by boda glimpt uh it's not going great for them erling holland as the ump Pep scratching his face again, and it's not going great there.

1:19:07They have a chance to fall out of the top eight. They're currently not in the top eight. Now, I looked at the next set of results, and I think they got a decent chance to sneak back in there, but if they don't finish at the top eight, they're going to have playoff games in between, wrapped around their game against Newcastle in the Premier League. It's not going to be good for them, a team that's already a little bit thin in certain areas. They're on the struggle bus at the moment, and that's good to see. What are your quick thoughts on the state of the Champions League table and maybe Manchester City wobbling?

1:19:37Elliot:Yeah, I think we can clearly see the physicality of the Premier League and the coaching quality of the Premier League. It's gone to a level now where Spurs can rock up against Dortmund and put them to the sword. And Dortmund have been to more European finals than we have. And so I think City are struggling a little bit. They're playing kids in the back line. I mean, I almost don't want to talk about them, to be honest, because what they've done to football and our footballing lives has maybe changed how we look at the game, how they've added so much finance into that club, into that area, into that ground, into that environment.

1:20:20Elliot:It's made us look at ourselves in a slightly different way, 100-point teams, 97-point teams, and we judge ourselves on the back of that. And I just want to look at Arsenal and just say, okay, the fact we're competing with that nation state and have done for three years is just incredible. There are things that we can do better, and we are here to discuss them. But I'm also keen to realize the last 20 years there have been two clubs that have really dominated the trophies in this country, and they're both under investigation. So let's just focus on ourselves and what we can do. and if Pep scratches his head off, mate, I'm going to laugh as loud as I possibly can, you know, because I just want our club to get what they deserve to get based on their work and what they do, what they do on the pitch.

1:21:08Elliot:Hopefully, what I know, with the right values of how we approach it. You know, we don't get everything right like no one does, but I recognise who our club is and as for City, I want us to beat them while competing with them. When they lost to Liverpool, Liverpool, there were a couple of years when they just weren't there. Obviously, last year, they weren't nowhere near it because of things that happened. And the year, the COVID year, they had a slow start. Liverpool had a fantastic, I think they won 26 out of 28 games, something stupid like that. And it was over. So there was no competition. There's no contest.

1:21:41Elliot:I want us to have a contest with them. I obviously want them to win. So they have to look at themselves. And we have to look at ourselves and say, where, how are we going to get better? And do that from position of strength. So I'm not sure if I answer that question because that club annoys me a lot. and how it drives the discourse. If you ever let me get started, make sure you've got a lawyer right next to you because I'm not a fan of those two clubs in particular. Well, I think that about covers that. Let's do our quick United preview then. But Tim is going to drop from that because he is contractually not permitted to discuss Manchester United per our lawyers.

1:22:16So Tim will turn off his camera and mic. And otherwise, though, we will talk to him on Mondays. pod tim enjoy the game this weekend i hope it is a wonderful occasion at the emirates and we'll talk to you on monday thank you yeah speak to monday okay uh now clive manchester united uh they pounded the absolute ever-living crap out of manchester city last weekend honestly it could have been five or six as people have been saying yeah um we are a different proposition. We are a difficult team to beat. You're not going to put five or six by us. You're not even going to put three by us if the last two years are any indication.

1:22:57But interestingly, United have been a bit of a bogey side for us, not necessarily in results, but in performances. We really haven't had what I'd regard as a great performance against United. And while in earlier this season, when they were really their dysfunctional form, granted it was the first game of the season, went to Old Trafford and we got one of our biggest ass whoopings of the season. It just so happens we won the game. But we were, I think, outplayed. I think it's fair to say we were outplayed in that game. So while Manchester United are not as good as we are, and at the Emirates, I favor us, they've been a hard opponent for us.

1:23:29We don't know entirely what to make them under Carrick. And they come off a resounding victory and a week to prepare for us because, as we know, they don't play European football anymore because they're shit. So how do you think about a game against a lesser United team that we have not always been able to dominate?

1:23:46Elliot:Yeah, so maybe because of the way I brought up teams like Manchester United, they just scare me. Manchester United and Liverpool, they're the historical clubs along with Arsenal. And they always remember the size of their badge when they play us. So they will come, even though sometimes they come with poor teams, it's always felt edgy. You know, three twos out there, you know, it's always felt edgy. They beat us in the cup last year, enjoyed it at the Emirates. and they've found themselves again. They've found the Man United DNA. This is like United. So they've got, you know, they went to their 4-4-2 off the ball.

1:24:23Elliot:They're pushing on a left back, rolling to a back three like we did with Kieran Tierney back in those days. You know, a manager's come along and decided, you know what, Bruno's quite a good player, but I don't want him in a double pivot. I may be sticking one up and I bring a double pivot, who is a double pivot, and come in mind you, you can actually do it. And so I've got three centimetres that can control the space. If I bring a fullback up, I've got someone to hit. I've got a tricky right winger and I've got a centre forward in Bremont on this occasion. And I'm out there playing together, two lefties, look after the ball, running behind, break, counter attack, really exit smartly.

1:24:58Elliot:Balance team, Dalloe right back, Shaw left back, Maguire big body centre back, Martinez lefty on the left hand side. None of this three left footers back free job. I mean Elliot, you know, I made a joke on my last podcast I know non-league managers can set up Manchester United better than Amarin did you know and I talk to some of them you know so honestly this is not difficult to set them up and so now they've found a sense of organisation so now it's going to be about they're coming to the Emirates they're sitting there well rested 40 game season they're going to come to say okay Arsenal you come on to us we're going to spin wide counter you try to make you pay for mistakes that you make and run off your centre-backs and try to move quickly.

1:25:47Elliot:What I will say is I think we'll dominate the ball a bit more and so technical accuracy is going to be very important. I keep saying it, but I will say it again. Ball speed is really important to what we do, how we move people around. And then when it comes down to it, it's Dallot on the right back and it's Luke Shaw on the left back. And we've got wingers. we've got four wingers we can throw at them that we can really hurt them and really go around them. And they can all play at the weekend. I'm interested to see what we're doing at centre-forward. So for the course, Jokovic will play. I'm not sure, actually.

1:26:24Elliot:I'm 50-50 on that. But I think Superman, D-Rice, Odegaard will play. Go from there, right?

1:26:34Anything specific for this game that you'd like to see Mikel do to counter either what their threat is or their weaknesses. I mean, there's a possibility that Incappier is back, for example, and could come back in at left back. There are a lot of potential tweaks we could make. I mean, it is interesting. Bakayo Saka played. Did he play the whole game? He played the whole game right against Inter. Yeah, he did. But this is a Tuesday-Sunday situation, so that may not be considered a factor, but we showed he's willing to play Nani against Forrest. He's a stubborn guy. People are critical of that.

1:27:07Maybe he says, you think it was crazy to play him against Forrest? I'll play him against United. I don't know. He's got to make decisions at striker. He's got to figure out how he wants to structure the left back. He has some big decisions to make.

1:27:18Elliot:Yeah, maybe Mikel looked at it and said, look, I've got four away games. But, Kyle, you're not playing in one of them. And the one I'm going to pick is Forrest. You're not playing in that one. I'm not playing Nani at Chelsea because the whole ground would be about him. So he's not going to get a minute on that game. But you've got to play Interland because that means a lot to me. and it leads a lot to our European state so we get 3 million euros every time we win a game. So you've got to play there because that's really important. The whole of Europe is watching that game. The Italian league leaders versus Arsenal.

1:27:48Elliot:We may not have it in our eye line but the rest of the world is looking at it. So he's played really well in that game and really improved his reputation. As I have, as has Gabriel Jesus by the way, that wouldn't surprise me he ends up in Italy next year. He was on trial it felt like to me he played so well. And so yeah, I think I think he may do the timber left-back thing again, you know, with White at right-back. White will be fresh. It makes sense. Get those combinations going again. I think Joaquif will probably start. I'm not sure on the left, actually. That's the one bit I'm not sure on.

1:28:23Elliot:You know, Martinelli always seduces me and I always fall for it. Every time I want him to play, he does something stupid. But I thought even in this game, he came on and looked really sharp against Inter. He looked like lightning, but really, really on it. And I'm thinking, you know, we need to shake their block a little bit. You know, so I'm looking at one-on-one ability in wide areas. Josh Hart's played a little bit of football lately. Again, he can come into the game. Eze can come into the game. So, yeah, we've got, we're in shape. We've invested our centre-back for the key moments, you know.

1:29:00Elliot:So we're in good shape at the moment. We started to get back to health. So that's where I am. Where are you, mate? Where are you? What are you thinking? Yeah, this is weird. I find myself in a situation where I don't know what I think the best option is. I'm starting to think – Leo never puts in a bad performance. He hasn't this season. Obviously, I have my eye on the left wing already covered that. I think that's an area where it's an open question of what he should be doing there. Obviously, I'm always starting Bukayo Saka if he's fit and able to start. The center forward situation, it's a tough one.

1:29:43I instinctively feel uneasy with the idea of starting Jesus again for a second time in a week and expecting him to have the ability to go the distance. And what you don't want to do is start a player that you know may not be able to last the game. so I think he's an option off the bench I'm very curious about Kai Havertz's situation I mean we are I mean easing him in is an understatement he's not playing, he's making benches but he's not playing he's a player who if Mikel thinks this is the moment you obviously want Kai Havertz out there if you can get Kai Havertz out there I think that's an interesting one midfield, it may sound like it speaks for itself I have to tell you, I think Zubmendi and Reis are written in pen And every time I watch Mikel Marino play, I want to see more Mikel Marino.

1:30:31You know? And I think that that is a space. I've been there a while. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Well, look, I'm coming around to it. And their biggest danger man, who is very good against City and has always been good against us and shows up for these games because he likes to play counterattacking football. And they... United are good when they can play like the minnow because they have the right talent for that. And Bruno Fernandes is exceptional at dropping into deep pockets and springing players. He's very, very good at it. And so having a body around him, you know, someone to collide with him, someone to make it an unpleasant day, that's going to be really important.

1:31:09I would like to keep Timbert right back if possible, but I don't know that I'm ready to say I want to see Miles chasing down Ahmad or Mbumo in wide areas, things like that. So there's a lot of, I think, complicated decisions for Mikel to make. The only thing I can say is we have such a deep team with so much talent that outside of Zuby, Rice, Saka, Gabby, and Saliba, I'm kind of fine with whoever he picks in whatever position he picks them. And then he has the options to change it from the bench. We've been very good at home. I think we will be very good at home again. But the thing that scares me with United, Clive, is principally that, again, I think they are a team with the talent that they have.

1:31:49Sesko can run. Mbumo can run. Ahmad can run. Bruno's great at springing players on the counter, right? I think Cunha is a great transition player. They're a team that can be very good playing in transition, and they get to play in transitioning games like this, you know?

1:32:02Elliot:Yeah, potentially. But we're quite a smart team. And, yeah, I think if we play in their – I know it sounds a bit basic, right? But if we play their half, they're going to have to defend us in many different ways. They're going to have to stop us, foul us, give us moments where we can create set-piece pressure and stress. They're not going to want to play in their half. I think they're going to be quite aggressive. I actually think they've got nothing to lose. They've got everything to gain. They're rebuilding the badge, right? They are absolutely cock-a-hoop confident. They really are. They didn't just beat Man City.

1:32:35They beat them up in all different ways. What they have, Elliot, is something that they have energy.

1:32:43Elliot:They have energy. They're not playing a lot. I don't think they're going to come and want to stand still. I think they want to come and play. And this is the thing about Arteta's arsenal, is our ability to play every phase of play, every type of game, low block game, high block game, mid block game, winger game, pods of threes, in pairs, at single 10, playing behind a striker, double pivot, single pivot, anything you want. building a three, building a two, goalkeeper plus one. What do you want to do? So whatever you do, we can adapt to it. And that's the trick with us. And when I'm looking at the players, I'm thinking, can you do all of these phases?

1:33:25Elliot:How many of these phases of play can you do? The more you can do, the more you're going to play. So Declan Rice was rested. Why? Because they are the counter-attacking team. What is Declan Rice? Absolutely a lead at. Stopping counter-attacks before they even start. You know, reading where the patterns are going, stopping them where he's done. I think he was rested strategically there. I think, I'm not sure on the Odegaard thing. I think he'll play. And the reason why, he just understands big games at the Emirates and how to control them and how to set the game plan off. You know, I've critiqued him a little bit, particularly away.

1:34:02Elliot:But at home, you don't hear a word from me. You know, get on the ball, get on it, get it moving, get us playing to our groove. There's a lot more pressure at home sometimes. I think he understands that. He understands how to implement a game plan. So if it's a game for him, which I think if he's watching that game midweek and he's watching what's happening around him, he's thinking, mate, I need to put that armband on and show people what I can do. Yeah. I don't know. I will tell you this. Carrick is going to be, I think, inclined to want to play the same team he played against City because of the performance he got.

1:34:35I don't know. Is Casemiro fit? Do we know if he's fit?

1:34:37Elliot:I'm not sure, but he obviously played midfield in Miami. and the door goon thing is interesting. Yeah, it came out though. Playing off the left. Obviously, they can roll into a five if they want to, if they're under a bit of pressure. Ahmad is someone I don't always rate. I thought they might go Cunha up front and play Mbwemo there, which they may do at the Emirates for an away game. I have a couple of sideburns in there. Do you know what I mean? Well, this is where I was going to go. I mean, he didn't use Sesco. He played Lissandro Martinez at center. back. And I'm just going to say this, right?

1:35:12I know it's become a meme, but if you're going to try to defend our set pieces with a bunch of guys who are 5 '8", and Harry Maguire, you're in deep shit. Because other than Harry Maguire, everybody in that team is 5 '8". You know what I mean? Ahmad, Mbumo, Cunha, Bruno Fernandez, Mainu, Lissandro Martinez. They are going to be in trouble on set pieces if they go with that team. And if you're going to play Kobe Mainu and Casemiro as a double pivot midfield you know what I'd say give me Marino and Rice because they will get absolutely monster that is the least physical least athletic midfield I've ever seen in my life if they go with that now if they can sit deep it may not get exposed but I want players that we can body in and I would say if they're going to go with their short lineup we should go with our big lineup and you play you play Kai if he's fit but you play Yokores you play Marino you play Rice you get the big guys out there and look it may not be pretty to say use set pieces but if they're going to put five foot eight center backs and five foot eight center forwards on the pitch then do what you're good at so we'll see but what I want is that first goal and the reason is first of all we're unbeatable when we get first goals but if United can play on the counter I think we have to respect their threat and we saw with with Inter a couple of times a game Bruno's going to find that pass or Cunha if he plays is going to find that pass a couple of times a game they're going to find a Bumo isolated in space or they're going to find you know Ahmad running in they just are and we have to be prepared for that that's football but if they have to come on to us and they have to push Casemiro and Mainu up the pitch and they have to push those guys up and now Lissandro Martinez and Maguire are defending in space they're dead they're absolutely dead so let's just hope that we can get that early goal and force them to come at us and then you've got Luke Shaw and Lissandro Martinez on their left-hand side facing Bikai Osaka running outside.

1:37:05Yeah, you're dead.

1:37:06Elliot:You're absolutely dead. I think we should leave it there. I've been going a while. Clive, always a pleasure. We'll talk to you for Friday night. Clive, tomorrow? Yep, when we hear the press conference and see if we're right about anything. Well, I can already get a spoiler alert. We're not. Yep, my name is Alex Smith. We love you. Thanks for having me back. We'll have Phil taking over the pod permanently after my performance today. I'm kidding, but hopefully you don't root for that. But if you do, it's fine because we love Phil too. Anyway, yeah. So, instant reaction on Sunday. Check out the Academy pod from yesterday.

1:37:35Check out Friday Night Club tomorrow. Or just, you know, check out anything you want. We're fine with it. We don't police your goals and needs and wishes. We just want to be here for you. We love you. And we'll talk to you after Arsenal 10 United Note.

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