Stop Playing With Your Food!

We are coming to the end of what has so far been an extremely satisfying start to the new Premier League season. Arsenal's comfortable win over Coventry set things off, and since then we have watched Manchester United lose in disgraceful fashion at Hull, Tottenham battered (as is traditional; everywhere they go) at Brentford, and Manchester City and Liverpool struggle to a late and narrow win at home to Bournemouth, and a last-minute draw away to Newcastle (courtesy of one of the best penalties I have ever seen!) respectively. At the time of writing, I am looking forward to Fulham doing the business this evening against Chelsea to complete the set, so to speak. With an away trip to an Aston Villa side who look in utter disarray to follow, things are looking good in so many ways for the Champions.

But it doesn't do much good to worry about our so-called rivals. Especially so early in the season. Let's concentrate on Arsenal, and the salient points that can be taken out of Friday night's 3-0 romp over Fat Frank's Coventry City.

With Bruno somewhat inevitably injured, the team was exactly the one that I would have selected. With Rice and Saka not long back, I would have been looking to give them an hour before going to the bench, and it was no surprise to see Havertz preferred to Gyokeres up top. And this is what I took from the game itself:

1.    Arsenal are sooo back. Ready to rumble, and looking sharp and hungry. Although we have to bear the quality of the opposition in mind - Coventry aren't going to be judged on matches like this one, but FF will need to ensure that their confidence hasn't taken too much of a knock from this mauling - but Arsenal were dominant almost from the off (Coventry did look decent, to be fair, for 3-5 minutes), and it was always merely a question of how many Arsenal would score

2.    Rice was his customary majestic self, and alongside him MLS looked an absolute natural; taking the ball on the half-turn, and drawing opponents into fouls (I lost count of how many - 4? 5?) before using the ball economically. Buzzing around them - and indeed everywhere - was Martin Odegaard, who looks to be getting back to the heights he reached three seasons ago before injuries started to affect his performances. And whilst we can expect both Rice and Odegaard to start all of the key matches - fitness permitting - that leaves just one midfield spot into which to fit the currently pretty much undroppable MLS; plus Bruno, Zubimendi, Merino and Ebere Eze. I don't envy Arteta's job in trying to keep them all happy, I can tell you!

3. Further forward, Saka looked sharp and on his way back to his best. Tzolis carried on the good work that he had started in pre-season, and Havertz was his usual elusive self. The interest for me was to see how these three, plus the three behind, were exchanging positions throughout and giving the opponent continual headaches; as they couldn't work out who to track. Rice and MLS alternated as the deepest man. Odegaard occasionally popped up between them before moving back into either number 8 position, Havertz dropped deep, and Tzolis was everywhere. Indeed, the latter popping up in the right-wing position very nearly led to a goal for Saka

4.    To add to the dynamism in the interior, Calafiori had licence to roam, and it was wonderful to see the telepathic understanding between the White/Odegaard/Saka triumvirate restored on the right side. Of course, there was very little danger going the other way - Gabriel and Mosquera dealt easily with the occasional raid - and that led to the home side being able to play with plenty of freedom. There will certainly be harder tests, but this version of Arsenal looks to me as if Arsene Wenger's 'handbrake' has been released by the title win. As Arteta said in his pre-match press conference, he doesn't want Arsenal to merely defend their title, but to attack it!

5.    As for the bench... well, there was little disturbance in the force when first Rice and Saka, then Odegaard and Tzolis came off. Arteta has managed to construct a squad as strong as anything that has ever been seen in Premier League history, with the bench - and with several who can't even get onto the bench - full of players who would be starters in pretty much any other Premier League side. With Saliba, Timber and Bruno injured, there was still the matter of Hincapie, Zubimendi, Merino, Eze, Madueke and Gyokeres on the sidelines; not to mention the likes of Nwaneri and Max Dowman. Plus Ezri Konsa, of course; introduced to us before kick-off

This Arsenal squad must surely terrify opposing managers and players, and - perhaps without the stardust qualities of players of the ilk of Yamal, Mbappe and Kavaratskhelia - this squad is more than a match for anything that England and Europe can offer. I said it in my previous post, but I truly believe that with anything like the normal rub of the green with injuries, and provided that the manager rotates as he can and should throughout the season, that Arsenal can build a dynasty from here. 3-5 years of English and European dominance may await.

Quickly covering the goals: the first came about when Tzolis dispossessed his full back and found Calafiori; whose perfectly threaded and weighted pass was sublimely stroked into the net by Havertz.

For the second goal, we saw something of why Declan Rice is the player he is. He saw the opportunity to drive with the ball right through the heart of the Coventry midfield, and following an exchange of passes with Odegaard the ball found its way to Tzolis, whose cross was pushed out by the fingertips of Coventry's thoroughly unconvincing goalkeeper Rushworth directly into the path of Saka. Who simply could not miss.

The third goal came just after half time; I assume following instructions from the manager to put the game to bed as soon as possible. This time Rice's clever vertical ball found Odegaard, and a combination between the skipper, Saka and the overlapping White saw Odegaard receive a cut-back from the full back a mere 8 yards out. Odegaard's scuffed right foot shot wrong-footed the unfortunate Rushworth and trickled over the line. 

And that was that... little else to report - and I even remarked to my wife at around 80 minutes that I was quite bored; so easy was it all. As she rightly replied: 'Good. Do you really want all the tension we had last season, or would you prefer to live with this?' A good point; well made. But her most apt remark about the game came late in the first half, as Arsenal were toying with the oppostiion. 'Come on, boys - stop playing with your food!' 

Three points to quickly note, before I get on to our so-called rivals:

Firstly, the new Laws surrounding corners have already seen Arsenal adapt. Whereas yesterday we saw Manchester City and Bournemouth players manhandling each other at set pieces, Arsenal have embraced the new world they find themselves in. A series of short corners in order to find new angles were an obvious change-up. But what was of more interest was that they kept their distance from the opposition when the ball was due to be curled in from the corner flag; making late runs around defenders and keeping physical contact to an absolute minimum. Nothing is left to chance by the coaching staff.

Secondly, Christos Tzolis. Now, some players never gain a nickname or a chant. But our new winger has a chant already - Woop Woop! - and not one but two nicknames; at least in Block 17, anyway. Some are calling him 'Quantum' - think James Bond - but the one that may stick is 'Brian'. Which of these two is Tzolis, and which is former Arsenal winger Brian Marwood? 

Brian Marwood

Christos Tzolis

And finally - the transfer market. First on this, it's impossible to know, and wrong to speculate, whatever conversation Arteta has had with Gabriel Martinelli. But it does appear that the manager is looking to upgrade that position. Now, we all love Martinelli for his commitment and work ethic, but it is equally clear that we can do better there. I'd be sad to see him go - as I would Nwaneri (although the talk is currently - quite rightly in my view - of a loan this season) - but there is little room for sentiment in top class football. If he is to go, I shall thank him for what he contributed to the club, and will continue to follow his career with interest.

Secondly is the question of Julian Alvarez. Do Arsenal really want to take a player who actually really wants to play for Barcelona, and sees any other move as a stepping stone to the Nou Camp? I'm not sure whether a) Arsenal should be taking that risk, especially such an expensive one, or b) whether he's that much of an upgrade on Kai Havertz, or whether - should the player be used as a makeweight in the deal - Arteta should be dispensing with Gyokeres after a single season. The Swede offers an entirely different threat than Havertz, and I would be loath to lose those qualities. Just my thoughts, anyway... also, should Arsenal sign him; how much does he also resemble Brian Marwood facially?

And so to the rest of the Premier League. Brighton beasted Villa to go top on goal difference (whatever that may mean after one round of matches), but of more interest were the struggles of a somewhat disjointed Manchester City at home to Bournemouth, and of a very ordinary-looking Liverpool at Newcastle. As for the other teams of interest; well, Manchester United were pathetic from front to back, and Tottenham started as only Tottenham can. How we laughed!

Right, then. Onwards and upwards. The next date of significance is Thursday 27th - the Champions League draw - and then it's on to Villa Park on Monday night. The bandwagon will hopefully continue to roll on. Meantime, I shall be looking to kick on with my new YouTube channel, which for the moment contains just a single Short - an On The Whistle from the end of the Coventry game. More to come as the season progresses at https://www.youtube.com/@marksyspeaks-yt

COYG!

Start As You Mean To Go On

A thoroughly comprehensive Community Shield performance and win over Manchester City at the weekend sets Arsenal up nicely for the new season. Of course, when you've won that particular game it's all fabulous - and if you've lost it's 'just a friendly'. However, the manner of the victory is what we should be taking out of the game. With added alarm bells for City; which I'll discuss later.

As it happens, there's lots to get through in this post. Especially because due to technical issues - me trying to post whilst using a VPN whilst on holiday - my review of last season essentially failed to post correctly. So a small section on that will make up some of the middle portion of this post.

So in here I'll give some quick views on the World Cup, then rapidly go over last season - and here's a quick and timely reminder, if you needed one, that Arsenal are Prenier League Champions! - and finally my thoughts on pre-season and the Community Shield, and where the club are regarding squad building and our prospects for the seaon. Let's crack on:

World Cup thoughts

On Spain - worthy winners. Rodri - majestic. And the team itself an absolute machine.Cubarsi looks at almost Saliba levels; at the age of 19. Their full backs (much disliked by Arsenal supporters for their Premier League affiliations) were absolute standouts. And they always found a way, despite Yamal being well off his best following injury; thanks, on two occasions, to our very own Mikel Merino.

As for Argentina; well, I've literally nothing positive to say. I don't think that I've ever seen such a large  group of dislikable players assembled together in a single squad. They ought, frankly, to be ashamed of themselves for bringing the beautiful game into such disrepute.

I'm not going to go into too much detail regarding any other side except England. But it was fun to see Germany depart early, a shock to see Brazil do likewise (although they're a pale shadow of previous squads, and I've no idea how Joao Pedro didn't make the 23), and a surprise to see a Saliba-less France shuffle out so meekly in the semi-final.

As for England... well, they ought to have reached the final. Which would have been an immeasurably better game had that occurred. I'd imagine that Thomas Tuchel will continue to have nightmares about the tactics he chose to employ, and the personnel he chose to use - or not - in those final 30 minutes. If England's performance in the 3rd/4th place playoff was anything to go by, then the way forward is clear. There are a number of absolutely outstanding players in the England squad; around whom Tuchel must build. Bellingham, Rice and Saka to name the three most obvious.

Meanwhile, don't get me started on Gianni Infantino!

2025-26 - recap

Mikel Arteta and his squad finally reaped their reward for sustained consistency and excellence over the previous years of near misses. The Premier League trophy, two cup final appearances and a further quarter final make for a pretty decent season in my book. And - as we saw in the scenes all over and around Islington in the aftermath - a beast has been released; and that beast is the Arsenal fan base! 

Before I give out a few flowers for last season, just a few words regarding the pathetic and embarrassing torrent of abuse that accompanied Arsenal's season/success. And also on the level of achievement that our team has reached.

In this age of social media, instant reactions and attempts to shock and wind up others mean that this nonsense is what we have come to expect these days. It happens at school and work, in politics, and in sport fandom; in every aspect of life, in fact. People think that they can say or do what they like whilst hiding behind a keyboard, and it's usually things they won't say to your face. Some of the most obscure and pointless people end up as minor celebrities/shock jocks - and all for spouting complete nonsense; simply for effect. Supporters of clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City have been coming up with some of the most bizarre and absolute jokes of takes on last season... and now the upcoming season too.

Jokers. Clickbait. Remove them from your lives, guys; you don't need to waste your valuable time or energy on them. Sometimes it's difficult not to rise to the bait, but please remember this, Arsenal fans; we are above/better than these people, and have the forces of good on our side. As for these fools... well, they're essentially jealous.

Also, do not lose sight of the fact that in both Manchester City and PSG, Arsenal are and have been up against teams financed by literal nation states. Those clubs appear to be able to act with impunity in everything they do - those 115+ charges are still outstanding for City, and in the case of PSG you may or may not be aware that if you add up the wages they pay their players, you'd need to compare the aggregate of what the next FOUR clubs in Ligue Un pay their players in order to reach equivalent levels. Talk about tilted playing fields! 

So for Arsenal to beat City to the Premier League title (with relative comfort in the end), and to come within a penalty shootout of conquering a PSG side who played considerably fewer matches over the season, and in a vastly less competitive league, is a measure of how well they performed. Sure, Arsenal are hardly paupers when it comes to football finances, but there is no comparison here - especially as Arsenal’s money has been earnt organically - so do not allow anybody to belittle their achievements in the face of such stiff/unfair competition. 

Right then; let's quickly crack on with my Arsenal Awards for 2025/26 - and then we can get on to more important things i.e. the season that's about to start. 

Player of the Season - Declan Rice (with close competiton from David Raya and the imperious William Saliba here)

Most Disappointing Player of the Season - Noni Madueke (or Noni Noendproduct, as I call him)

Goal of the Season (so many from which to chose) - Eze's winner vs Newcastle (home); and here it is: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArsenalFC/comments/1svh6qy/eeze_9_arsenal_10_newcastle/

Moment of the Season - "After Review: West Ham's number 19 commits a foul"... Love it!: https://x.com/Splendor117/status/2066843790636134619/video/1

Worst Moment of the Season - Bournemouth at home. The whole afternoon. A nightmare...

I think that’ll do as regards awards. It all feels a little bit too late tbh. But I’d like to give extra flowers to Mikel (obviously), to Nicolas Jover, and especially to Gabriel Heinze who - whilst Carlos Cuesta had done an excellent job in his time at the club - appears to have injected a streak of steel and ruthlessness into the players.

It was great to see everyone pulling in the same direction; from Board and Management to the playing staff and also to the fans, who really began to get their act together and started to turn the stadium into a fortress. The scenes prior to the Atletico tie won’t escape anybody’s memories any time soon, and the tifos have really hit the mark. 

So… what’s next? Well, the switch in Chief Medical Officer announced soon after the end of last season would appear to mean that the club have acknowledged certain issues; after all, we’ve seen the likes of Havertz, Odegaard, Saka and Timber out for far longer than may have been expected during the course of the season. But it’s what happens next personnel-wise that’s going to be most interesting, as the club look to kick on further. 

But squad-building is complicated. And to me there feels like there may be a danger of Mikel being unable to see the wood for the trees. There are areas of weakness, but also areas of incredible depth and strength. Let's take a closer look:

Goalkeeper

David Raya is the undisputed number one. But behind him there are definitely issues. Kepa appears finished, and whilst Meslier has looked good on the fleeting occasions we saw him in pre-season, there's got to be a good reason why he fell from first choice to third choice goalkeeper at Leeds United over the course of two seasons. Raya needs to stay fit; and I certainly wouldn't be averse to moving Kepa on and picking up a new number two number one.

Defense

Hmmm... with Saliba out for several months with his back problem, and with Jurrien Timber several weeks away from returning by all accounts, Arsenal do look light on the right hand side of defence with just White and Mosquera available. And we all know what happens if Arteta over-plays Ben White. This is an area of short-term concern, as there has to be a question mark against throwing Marli Salmon in at the deep end at his tender years; for all his undoubted promise. The news coming through as I type that a deal has been agreed for Ezri Konsa feels like a sensible decison; although the size of the log jam once Saliba and Timber are back does make things somewhat complicated. But it's not exactly an easy start - the first few games of the season include a number of difficult hurdles.

On the left, a combination of Gabriel, Hincapie and Calafiori (with MLS in emergency) would seem to be more than adequate. No worries here, I don't think.

Midfield

Here, Arteta has an absolute abundance of riches from which to choose. Frankly - in my opinion - too many; certainly to keep them all sweet. How can he possibly shoehorn the following into three spots in the side? - Rice, Bruno, Zubimendi, MLS, Odegaard, Eze, Merino... I wouldn't know where to start, and those who are left out are probably entitled to feel aggrieved. I know that it's going to be another long season, but nonetheless...

How is he going to set up? How are we going to see the style of play evolve? I guess that we'll have to wait and see - although I do hope and expect to see a more free-flowing style; especially with Odegaard looking back to his dynamic and creative best: 

https://x.com/AFCJaccy/status/2089010323386745204/photo/1

Forwards (and I'll look at this in sections)

On the right, Bukayo Saka is clearly a shoo-in. With Madueke as his understudy, as things stand. However...

Look; I know that we all want to see all of our top youth players make the breakthrough to the first team, but we have exceptional talents in Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman both waiting in the wings; and both are equally as capable of deputising for Starboy at any given time. I sense that both of the teenagers may be eventually earmarked for number 8/10 roles as opposed to being out and out wingers (and - lest we forget - Arteta did actually experiment with Saka in a more interior role on a couple of occasions last season), but that area of the pitch is already ridiculously overcrowded.

So I for one would be very sad to see the extremely talented and promising Nwaneri jettisoned at this stage of his career - for all that he would command £40m+ of 'pure profit' to the club - and especially if, as seems pretty certain, Madueke stays. Let's face it; the whole of England saw enough of the maddening side of Madueke - the side of him that we had to suffer for a lot of last season - to understand what the problems are with him. 

If Arteta is going to keep Noni, then we have no choice but to bow to his judgment. But I'd be looking to send Ethan out on a season-long loan to another Premier League club, see how he develops, and retain his registration  (I typed that on Tuesday, btw, and the BBC are reporting that to be the case today; Wednesday). I'd hope to see Ethan return next season like we saw Saliba waltz into the side a few years ago as the finished product. And with Super Max coming up behind, that's quite some production line!

In the middle, with Jesus about to depart this looks like a straight fight between Havertz and Gyokeres. Horses for courses? There has been talk, but I cannot see the Swede being allowed to leave unless something massive drops Arsenal's way in the next fortnight. Would Ohsimen be that massive thing? - difficult to envisage. And I for one am not sold on Julian Alvarez like others are (especially as he would much prefer to go to Barcelona).

On the left, we come to the £34m bargain that Arsenal appear to have obtained in Christos Tzolis. The way he has performed in pre-season makes him a certain starter on Friday. But cover is needed. With Trossard gone, and Martinelli looking to be on his way out (something I'm very much 50/50 on), it would appear that Arsenal need something more there. The dalliance with Vinicius Jnr had us all salivating, I'm sure, but there are other alternatives out there, like Yildiz for example. I expect movement in this area.

To summarise the squad: departed - up to this point just Trossard (and thank you, Leo, for everything you did for the club) and Norgaard. With surely Jesus, Vieira and Nelson to follow. After that, perhaps Martinelli and Nwaneri (you know my thoughts). Perhaps something else needs to 'give' for something major to happen on the incomings front?

As regards arrivals, we have Bruno and Tzolis up to this point; but I'd hope and expect to see reinforcements on the right hand side of defence (looking like Konsa), and also on the left flank. But, frankly, Arsenal already look formidable - although perhaps not at PSG/Barcelona levels.

But - and I say this in all honesty - if you put a gun to my head I couldn't name a clear-cut First XI. Although perhaps, if everyone was fully fit and the Champions League final was tomorrow, I'd suggest: Raya - Timber - Saliba - Gabriel - Calafiori - Rice - Bruno - Odegaard - Saka - Havertz - Tzolis.

What is abundantly clear is that there’s a clear opportunity for Arsenal to eatablish themselvesd as a dynasty, with the opportunity to dominate for 5 years from here. They absolutely dominated City on Sunday, and that looks to be a real statement of intent. Tzolis looks to be areal bargain at this early stage. The hardest thing for Arteta may wll be juggling his troops. As for the contenders:

• How on earth are Manchester City going to bounce back from the loss of all of Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and Rodri in one summer? Remember, it was Bernardo and Rodri who dominated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup Final last season, and made the difference for them; as they did every time they played together. And with those charges still hanging over them?  The task looks impossible; especially if the Community Shield was anything to judge them by. Perhaps this may be the beginning of the end for them. I'm sure that we all hope so
• Manchester United are due a culture shock, as they suddenly need to play more than one game a week. And they surely haven't done anything like enough in the transfer market in order to be able to cope with that
•  Liverpool still require plenty of work; for all that I'd expect Iraola to be a major upgrade on Slot. They will certainly be better than last season, and we are going to see much more of both Wirtz and Isak this season, but they still need reinforcements in defence and midfield
• Aston Villa are in a transition phase. The loss of Rogers, Tielamans and Konsa is going to make life extremely difficult for them
• Chelsea are an absolute looney bin of a football club. It does look like a lot of the financial issues are going to come home to roost sooner rather than later, with rumours of Boehly looking for a way out. following his ill-judged attempts at squad building and suggestions in some quarters that their financial commitments may lead to them going into Administration in two or three years time. And wouldn't we enjoy that?!? And finally, as I am duty-bound to mention them; Tottenham Hotspur
• Tottenham are... well, frankly... still Tottenham no matter what you do with them. They have bought well - if expensively. But they surely have far too much ground to make up

For me, the way is clear. Arsenal should retain the title (for all that is always a difficult task). The other main priority then has to be the Champions League. Anything else... a bonus. But I am worryingly optimistic about this season.

Just to finish off, here’s a bit of fun. Help is needed to put together a Top XI of The Most Punchable Faces in the Premier League. We have lost some big players in this category over the summer - the likes of Romero, Cuccurella, Rodri and Bernardo Silva for starters; and it looks like Emi Martinez may go too. So who have you got to add to this list?

Bruno Fernandes

Richarlison

Alejandro Garnacho

Cole Palmer

Erling Haaland

Arsenal players are disqualified, obviously...

Now, I am going to explore possibly doing an 'On The Whistle' video at the end of every home game. If I can work out how to upload it to YouTube, that is... anyway, watch this space. And I'll be back over the weekend following Friday night's season opener at home to Fat Frank's Coventry City.

COYG!

The Last Word - "After Review"; the @marksyspeaks End of Season Review/Awards

As we rapidly close in on the start of the World Cup, I think I’d better get this out there…

So here we go, then, at the end of a season where Mikel Arteta and his squad finally reaped their reward for sustained consistency and excellence over the past few years. The Premier League trophy, two cup final appearances and a further quarter final make for a pretty decent season in my book. And - as we have seen over the past fortnight or so - a beast has been released; and that beast is the Arsenal fan base!

Before I give out a few flowers, just a few words regarding the pathetic and embarrassing torrent of abuse that has accompanied Arsenal's season/success. And also on the level of achievement that our team has reached.

In this age of social media, instant reactions and attempts to shock and wind up others mean that this nonsense is what we have come to expect these days. It happens at work, in politics, and in sport fandom; in every aspect of life, in fact. People think that they can say or do what they like whilst hiding behind a keyboard, and it's usually things they won't say to your face. Some of the most obscure and pointless people end up as minor celebrities/shock jocks - and all for spouting complete nonsense; simply for effect. Sometimes it's difficult not to rise to the bait, but please remember this: Arsenal fans, we are above/better than these people, and have the forces of good on our side. 

Let them cry. Let them moan. It's their problem; not ours. We are living totally rent-free in their heads. And - fully three weeks later - it’s still going on! More fool them!!!

Also, do not lose sight of the fact that in both Manchester City and PSG, Arsenal have been up against teams financed by literal nation states. Those clubs appear to be able to act with impunity in everything they do - those 115+ charges are still outstanding for City, and in the case of PSG you may or may not be aware that if you add up the wages they pay their players, you'd have to add up the aggregate of what the next FOUR clubs in Ligue Un pay their players in order to reach equivalent levels. Talk about tilted playing fields! So for Arsenal to beat City to the Premier League title (with relative comfort in the end), and to come within a penalty shootout of conquering a PSG side who played considerably fewer matches over the season, and in a vestly less competitive league, is a measure of how well they have done. Sure, Arsenal are hardly paupers when it comes to football finances, but there is no comparison here - especially as Arsenal’s money has been earnt organically - so do not allow anybody to belittle their achievements in the face of such stiff/unfair competition. 

Right then; let's crack on with my Arsenal Awards. I'll be giving short lists in each category, with the winner indicated in Bold. And look out for a special section at the end, which I hope you will enjoy. Let's crack on:

Player of the Season

• David Raya (a very close second)
• William Saliba
• Gabriel Maghaeles
• Declan Rice
• Ebere Eze

Most Disappointing Player of the Season

• Martin Odegaard
• Bukayo Saka (who'd have thought?)
• Gabriel Martinelli
• Noni Madueke (Noni Noendproduct, as I call him)

Goal of the Season

• Gabriel Martinelli's equaliser vs Manchester City
• Zubimendi's volley vs Nottingham Forest
• Eze's hat-trick goal vs Tottenham
• Trossard's rocket at Sunderland
• Eze's winner vs Newcastle (home)
• Max Dowman vs Everton

Moment of the Season

• Gabriel Martinelli's equaliser vs Manchester City
• Gabriel's late winner at Newcastle
• Max Dowman's goal vs Everton
• Trossard's goal at West Ham
• "After Review: West Ham's number 19"...

Worst Moment of the Season

• Sunderland’s late equaliser
• Wolves’ late equaliser 
• Buendia last minute winner
• Haaland goal for 2-1
• Bournemouth at home. The whole afternoon 
• Gabriel’s penalty

I think that’ll do as regards awards. But I’d like to give extra flowers to Mikel (obviously), to Nicolas Jover, and especially to Gabriel Heinze who - whilst Carlos Cuesta had done an excellent job in his time at the club - appears to have injected a streak of steel and ruthlessness into the players.

It’s been great to see everyone pulling in the same direction; from Board and Management, to the playing staff and also to the fans - who have really started to get their act together and started to turn the stadium into a fortress. The scenes pre-Atletico won’t escape anybody’s memories any time soon, and the tifos have really got the mark. 

So… what’s next? Well, the switch in Chief Medical Officer recently announced would appear to mean that the club have acknowledged certain issues; after all, we’ve seen the likes of Havertz, Odegaard, Saka and Timber out for far longer than may have been expected during the course of the season. But it’s what happens next personnel-wise that’s going to be most interesting, as the club look to kick on further. 

There’s a clear opportunity, with City sure to need a reset, United due a culture shock as they suddenly need to play more than one game a week, Liverpool requiring plenty of defensive work, and other sides lagging well behind. As far as Arsenal are concerned, I reckon that there are probably sufficient numbers, and its quality as opposed to quantity that needs to be addressed. I’m not going to speculate, but I’d expect there to be questions about then Arsenal future of several players - but after naming them below I’ll merely leave it at that, and not speculate.

So… Kepa, White, Calafiori (?), Odegaard, Norgaard,  Nwaneri (?), Madueke, Martinelli, Trossard, Jesus. How are you going to play it, Mikel?

Meanwhile, with the likes of MLS, Nwaneri (hopefully) and Dowman coming through the ranks, the future continues to look bright.

Just to finish off, here’s a bit of fun. My Top 10 Most Punchable Faces in the Premier League. Feel free to add some more, but here’s a decent starting point:

Bruno Fernandes

Richarlison

Marc Cuccurella 

Emi Martinez

Alejandro Garnacho

Cole Palmer

Bernardo Silva 

Rodri

Erling Haaland

Djed Spence 

Anyway, enjoy the World Cup and your summer. Come on England (maybe - just maybe - it’s coming home?), and - of course - COYG!

Budapest Or Bust - Diary Of A Champions League Weekend

It has been an emotional couple of weeks for Arsenal fans, has it not? Full of both joy and pain. The joy of a first title after so many years. The pain of late Champions League Final defeat. The joy of being able to share both our happiness and sadness with family, friends and strangers alike. And the constant battles in trying to explain to supporters of other clubs - amidst all the hate and Schadenfreude - that they haven't got a f*cking clue what they're talking about!

By a stroke of good fortune, both of my season tickets survived the second ballot, and I was able to buy two tickets for the final. Thereafter, the question of logistics took over (in 2006, I had the foresight to buy flights and accommodation the day the semi-final draw was made - only to end up having to buy a 'secondary market' match ticket; having failed in no less than three official ballots), as I set ourselves a budget of £2500 for the two of us.

£1800 of that went on the flights that I reserved! Meaning that if I couldn't buy Category 3 seats, then we wouldn't be going.  And goodness knew where we might sleep!?! But it all ended up falling into place, with the match tickets costing 180 Euros each and a late search for a hotel room meaning me finding a room for £350 (extortionately over-priced for what it was, but it was at least somewhere to rest). Budget hit; almost to the penny.

I'm not going to go into minute detail as to our trip itself. I'm sure that you don't want to read about that! I'll merely highlight a few things along the way, before I get to the match-going experience. But I am happy to start with the flight out, during which I was astonished - bearing in mind the time of day - to witness copious amounts of alcohol being consumed. Like the guy in the seat the other side of the aisle to me, who was clutching no less than three cans of Stella to his chest at 7.30am! 

We had an uneventful flight and transfer to the Fan Park; which was already pretty busy when we arrived at around 11.15am. By the time we left at 2pm to check in at our hotel, it was really busy; maybe 10,000 or more Arsenal fans getting fully engaged with the DJs, a penalty shoot-out against Gunnersaurus, and a bizarre interview with Emmanuel Eboue, whose command of English appears to have diminished since he left Highbury. The interview with Roman Kemp was - thankfully - more comprehensible!

Having checked in at our hotel and had a short rest, we headed back towards the Fan Park, where we met up and had a drink with some of our neighbours from Block 17 (shout out to Vic, Kelly and Andy for starters!), before joining the procession heading for the stadium. Unsurprisingly, we met quite a few other Arsenal fans that we knew along the way; my mate Nick from Borehamwood, Grant from Finchley who was marching alongside comedian Matt Lucas, Graham (aka Animal, who goes home and away, who sits directly in front of us at The Emirates and whose MO is to shout abuse at the linesman for every perceived officiating error), another comedian - and host of Handbrake Off - Ian Stone (no sign of Alan Davies and his crew, however), and others. Time being tight, I never got the chance to meet up with the likes of Matt and Sam, Stephen and Dani, Benny Brown Brown Brown, or Smash. Jill, who had gone on ahead, was another I regret not catching up with. My Arsenal family; and, let’s face it - we’re ALL family! Everyone was impeccably behaved along the route, and in excellent voice, as the anticipation built. 

We were kettled in for about 15 minutes whilst the Police held everyone up to allow both team coaches and a load of blacked-out VIP vans to shoot past us on the main road heading towards the arena. During this time, I was somewhat put off by a young man in possibly his late 20s telling myself and my wife how good it was to see 'old people' like us making the trip for a possible 'once in a lifetime' experience. I didn’t know how to respond, to be honest. I'm in my mid-60s, and hardly on my last legs!

Entry to the ground went off without a hitch - and a very impressive arena it is too! We were in our seats and taking in the surroundings a good hour before kick-off. Getting a drink was tricky, so I chose to miss the beginning of The Killers’ set when I hoped that the queue would have diminished. I got back to my seat just as they were belting out Mr Brightside - and it was fascinating and enervating to see the entire Arsenal end belting out the lyrics whilst the Parisiens stood silent and bemused at the other end of the arena!

Onto the match itself - finally, you may be muttering…

Lots of tricky decisions for Arteta to make, as in all honesty the depth of the squad is such, and the way the season has progressed, that only 5 spots are genuinely nailed down (Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice and Saka). With Timber not deemed ready to start, and White injured, it was Cristhian Mosquera who had the unenviable task of dealing with Kvaratskelia. In the other full back role, it must have been a toss-up between Hincapie and Calafiori. The choice of the former suggested that the Manager was opting to contain PSG early on, before unleashing the bench later.

The boldest decision was the selection of MLS over Zubimendi. The youngster certainly did nothing but enhance his burgeoning reputation; perhaps leaving Thomas Tuchel regretting not adding him to the England squad. I wasn’t surprised to see Trossard selected over Martinelli, nor Kai over Big Vik.

Six minutes in, and we were in absolute dream land! A Marquinhos clearance ricocheted off of Trossard and into the path of Havertz, and time seemed to stand still as he took the ball in on goal before he emphatically blasted the ball into the roof of the net. Beer and bodies flew everywhere around and over my wife and me! This was beyond our wildest dreams… although the thought would surely have crossed every Arsenal supporter’s mind that this was perhaps too early…

From then on, and for a considerable time, it was attack versus defence. Arsenal looked unbelievably solid and well-drilled, barely allowing PSG a glimpse of goal throughout the rest of the first half, but there were worrying signs nonetheless. They were sitting incredibly deep, and barely had an outlet. And whenever they did win the ball back, they surrendered it back within just a few passes; thereby piling the pressure back on themselves. But for all the pressure, PSG were creating virtually nothing, despite winning a series of corners and penning Arsenal back in the style that the latter are so used to doing to Premier League opponents.

Once - just once - did Arsenal have an opportunity to stretch their lead beyond PSG's capabilities. For a change, a tidy move down the right saw Havertz freed by Odegaard, but the German's first touch was just a tiny bit too heavy; giving Marquinhos the opportunity to get a block in on Kai's goal bound effort. Such fine margins... but with Odegaard, Saka and Trossard unable to keep their cool when on the ball, it just kept coming back and back for the most part.

Now, lots of people are getting annoyed about what happened at the end of that first half. But I think otherwise. With injury time virtually up, Arsenal first messed around with a throw in; taking forever for Rice to finally launch it into the box. And with time well up, Saka's leisurely stroll to take the resulting corner would have tested my patience too if I were the referee. Teams always waste time when they're ahead, and Arsenal paid the price for wasting what were absolutely precious seconds in that two-minute spell. 

Whether that flicked a switch in the referee's head - or whether perhaps it was the (alleged) arrival of a large sum of Riyals in his Bank account during half time - the rest of the game was refereed entirely differently to how the first half had been. There was zero tolerance for time-wasting (and that's fair enough), but he seemed to suddenly begin to favour PSG in much of his decision-making. Time after time French fouls went unpunished, and yellow card offences failed to get their just dues. And time after time Arsenal players were penalised for what were, from where I was standing, perfectly fair challenges. All around me, groan after groan after groan went up as decision after decision went PSG's way. Mosquera was booked for taking a massive 7 seconds over a throw in. Saka was booked for a perfectly fair tackle. And at one point no less than 10 successive decisions (or which half were questionable) went PSG's way. All this served to pile further pressure on Arsenal as they strove to hang on to their lead.

I suppose that it was inevitable that PSG would equalise from a penalty. Finally, after fully 65 minutes, Kvaratskelia played a one-two and went on the outside of Mosquera, only to be caught and brought down. A definite penalty... although - if I may indulge myself - the Georgian actually had a massive bleeding gash on a shin-guard shaped area on his shin from a previous challenge which might leave one to ask why he was allowed to still be on the pitch instead of being forced to have it patched up. Dembele, inevitably, sent David Raya the wrong way; and we all knew that from that point it was going to be super tough.

Arteta rang the changes. Odegaard, Saka, Trossard and Havertz off; along with the unfortunate Mosquera, who had done an excellent job in the circumstances - but it was time for Timber. And the game became a little more even, with the directness of Martinelli and Madueke proving more effective than the ball skills of Trossard and Saka, and with Eze finding pockets of space that Odegaard had failed to find. Gyokeres, however, struggled against the elite Parisien centre-forwards - thus adding fuel to the 'flat track bully' fire. 

The biggest controversy, of course, was the non-penalty call on Madueke. He went down in a tangle of limbs with Nuno Mendes, and whilst all in my block were 120 yards away we - along with Arteta, Rice et al - were screaming PENALTY! Watching it back, I can see why it wasn't given. But for me it ought to have been. We've seen them given; that is for sure. And it wasn't given with the same haste as the PSG penalty was awarded - a split second!

After that, there was little to report as the game meandered towards penalties. For all his disappointing hold up play, however, it was Gyokeres who had the opportunity for immortality as he worked some space for himself on the edge of the penalty area in the very last minute of injury time; only for Nuno Mendes to block his goal-bound effort. Penalties...

And I sensed the worst before they even began. PSG won both tosses, so the kicks were at their end; plus they were going first. A recipe for disaster. With the other issue being that Saka, Havertz, Odegaard and Trossard were no longer on the field of play. For Arsenal, Gyokeres, Martinelli and Rice were emphatic, but Eze over-thought his kick and put it wide, and then Gabriel stepped up...

Surely you were thinking the same as I was. Gabriel? Really? Was there nobody else prepared to step up before him? Zubimendi? Timber? Madueke (despite his embarrassing miss at Portsmouth in the FA Cup)? Well done to Gabi for stepping up. And you can see what he was trying to do; to hammer the ball into the roof of the net. And such are the fine margins in football. The dream was over, and the Arsenal end was silent.

Kudos to his international centre-back partner, Marquinhos, for stopping on his way past to commiserate with Gabi. But it was the fans at the wrong end of the pitch who were celebrating. Most Arsenal fans hung around for a while, but I don't believe that many stayed for the trophy lift; my wife and I left as soon as the last Arsenal player had collected his medal.

The Arsenal fans filed away in almost complete silence. No anger. No violence. No anti-social behaviour. Which was all great to see. As we joined the throngs heading back to the centre of town, we felt pride and regret; and hope for the future. The best is yet to come from this group, and I believe that they will go again on the recruitment side over the summer. The football world is Arsenal's oyster - despite being up against the might of nation state-sponsored rivals. And remember, this Arsenal side were up against a PSG side who had played a dozen fewer matches than they had - and in a much less competitive league. We should have nothing but pride when we look back.

Maybe 4 hours sleep, and my wife and I were back on the road; due to a 7am return flight. The airport shuttles were due to be running until 6am, but had stopped by the time we got back to the Fan Park at 3.45, so we had to summon an Uber. It was a subdued and uneventful flight home, and whilst I had other arrangements for the afternoon my wife was back out and to the parade with two of our girls. 

And despite the disappointment of the previous evening, the number who turned out for the parade, and the atmosphere throughout, were magnificent from what I saw, and what she witnessed. What a club we are. What a global reach we have. There is literally one team in London; and it's called The Arsenal. A beast has been unleashed. 

Together, we can help take this club to the highest of heights. Stick with them, guys. The best is yet to come.

I'll be back with a short season review and a few awards and flowers in a few days. But for now the haters - full of envy as they are - can all f*ck off. COYG!!!

The Sun Always Shines On The Righteous

As my good friend, former Supporters Clubs Liaison Officer at Arsenal Jill Smith, reminded me last week, some of Arsenal’s most memorable days have been in the most beautiful weather. The 1971 FA Cup Final. Ditto 1979 and 1998. The last day of the 2003-04 season and victory over Leicester City to go unbeaten. Dennis Bergkamp Day. The final game at Highbury; May 7th 2006. And to add to that collection we now have the day of the 2026 Trophy Lift. My father always used to refer to beautiful sunny days as Arsenal Weather (I don’t half miss him at times like this), and he was so right. The sun always shines on the righteous.

You know, I was actually planning on writing a Crystal Palace review post. But then I realised that nobody really cares about the game itself, and that the Trophy Lift was all that mattered. So I’m going to cover the rest of Sunday afternoon’s sporting events in a few lines before going on to the only things that really matter. Which are:

1. The fabulous post-match scenes at Selhurst Park, and 

2. The small matter of the Champions League Final; which I shall preview below

So before we get on to the Trophy Lift, let’s look back at the salient points from the 10 matches themselves:

1. So Tottenham survived. A great pity, in its way. Seventeenth Again Ole Ole; they’ve certainly made that spot their own. The after-match scenes at The New Toilet Bowl made for fascinating viewing, and we got a sense of perspective as we witnessed the ‘celebrations’ and got a real sense of the current gulf between them and The Arsenal

2. This meant that West Ham went down. Their fans don’t deserve that, but their ownership probably do (as Tottenham’s would have done). They will have to sell their best players as a result - Mateus Fernandes, anyone? The Police will now be dreading their two matches against Millwall next season

3. Andoni Iraola signed off by taking Bournemouth into the Europa League. He is surely destined to be managing a big club next season

4. Chelsea remain a laughing stock; final day defeat leaving them in an embarrassing 10th spot. They and Liverpool have been the season’s great under-achievers (I’m not putting Tottenham in that bracket because, as SAF put it all those years ago: ‘Lads - it’s Tottenham’), and their supporters are leading the anti-Arsenal online saltiness in what are surely deflectionary tactics. Pitiful 

5. And Manchester City? Great to see them signing off with a home defeat, leaving them fully 7 points behind The Arsenal. That gap feels about right. 

So cheerio Pep - and good riddance to you! Also to your sleazy sidekick Bernardo Silva, whose sneaky on-field antics I certainly will not miss. 

I do need to pay some sort of tribute to Guardiola, I guess. Because he has certainly revolutionised football; perhaps in the way the great innovators of the past, Johann Cruyff and - yes - Herbert Chapman did. A tactical genius; of that there can be no doubt. And there is also no doubt that he built some great sides. But… he always had the money to do so (Barcelona, Bayern, City), and that helped him assemble the tools he needed. 

And then there’s the small matter of The Charges - and the feeling that there’s perhaps some momentum behind that matter coming to a close relatively soon now.

But on to the matter in hand: 

22 years of pain - not quite erased, but now on the back burner as all those associated with Arsenal FC bask in the glory of being back where we belong.

What a few days it has been. All the way back to last Tuesday. Have you - like me - been walking a little taller as you’ve gone about your life? Strutting, maybe? I’ve caught myself doing it, to be honest. And there are two aspects to this:

Firstly, it has been a long time coming, and as a fan base we’ve really earned it. And secondly, enjoying the salty tears of fans of other clubs who are finding reasons to knock Arsenal for their achievements, and look for reasons/excuses for their own teams’ inadequacies has been so enjoyable. You know the shtick:

• All those VAR decisions that apparently went Arsenal’s way…
• The fact that Arsenal gave away no penalties all season, and didn’t have a single man sent off, clearly indicate that Arsenal have PGMOL in their pockets…
• The Premier League have done everything they can to ensure that Arsenal finally won it…
• And - of course - Arsenal are boring! Set Piece FC and all that nonsense

All utter drivel, of course. This is all merely holding up a mirror to them all. Especially Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea fans, who have been particularly salty. Yes, Arsenal have had some good fortune and officiating decisions go their way along the way; but they’ve also had their fair share of bad fortune and criminally bad officiating decisions. And it’s not as if there hasn’t been a recent history of real miscarriages of justice over the previous few seasons. So people just need to get over it. You don’t get to finish top of the pile - and get into a Champions League Final - without earning it. 

The real beauty of it, of course, is that the ridiculous chant of Second Again Ole Ole can finally be consigned to the bin. And when you hear it chanted by supporters of clubs who can only dream of being consistent challengers over the years like Arsenal have been, then you know that you have Right on your side. 

The excitement going forward is that there is a real opportunity here. Winning the title could easily release the mental shackles from this group. The club itself is in a decent enough financial position to buy even better players. Whilst at the same other clubs are in a state of flux. 

City will not be the same next season without Pep, United are going to be in for a shock when they suddenly have two games a week to play, Liverpool have a serious rebuild on their hands, the likes of Villa, Bournemouth and Brighton have a chunky gap to bridge, Chelsea are on life support despite the arrival of their saviour Alonso - and Tottenham… well, they’re Tottenham… So there is a possibility that Arsenal could build a dynasty from this point. Let’s hope so.

And so to the scenes at Selhurst Park from around 6.45pm. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that I’ll ever tire of watching them. I loved the thought that the club had given to involving all the back room staff and the way that instead of getting a Legend like Wrighty to help with the presentation they involved a young man from Arsenal In The Community instead. 

I loved watching those Arsenal fans fortunate enough to be in the ground (with the notable exceptions of Piers Morgan and his son…) having so much fun - along with the club’s biggest cheerleader, Ian Wright. And I of course loved seeing Martin Odegaard lift the trophy high above his head, watching the trophy passed from player to player, witnessing Mikel Arteta going through so many emotions (and getting the bumps from his players), listening to the interviews and of course hearing the supporters serenade each player in turn. The players appear to be very closely knit together, and this is a reflection of the careful selection process that means that personality is as important as ability. 

It was a great sign to see Stan and Josh Kroenke in attendance, and to hear Josh say that the club was ready to go again. This could be the start of something big! The Kroenke’s sports empire, KSE, had been one of the USA’s great sporting underachievers for many years until they saw the light with the LA Rams a few years ago - seeing how spending money and backing a dynamic young coach might lead to dramatic success - and they have followed that Super Bowl up with a Stanley Cup, an NBA trophy, MLS success and now a Premier League. They now just need the World Series for the greatest set of Top Trump cards in sporting history!

Enough basking, however. There is one game to go in Arsenal’s season. And it’s the biggest club match of all; and against the most intimidating of opponents in last year’s Champions League winners Paris St Germain. So… what chance do Arsenal have?

There is little doubt that PSG are the most dynamic attacking force in club football. Their forward line - backed by an incredible midfield trio - are devastating at their best. But they do let in goals. And in Arsenal they are coming up against the best club side without the ball. A case of an irresistible force coming up against an immovable object, in fact. It could and should be absolutely fascinating.

Who will Arteta pick to start, and where will the match be won or lost? I’ve been agonising over this myself, so goodness knows what the manager is going through? The likely absence of Jurrien Timber is a massive blow, but for me the rest of the side almost picks itself.

Here’s where I am at the time of writing:

Raya

Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori

Rice, MLS, Odegaard

Saka, Havertz, Trossard

Although I’m mulling over the following:

1. Playing Saliba at right back in a positional swap with Mosquera to help nullify the massive threat of Khavaratskhelia

2. Hincapie for Califiori - should Arteta look to contain PSG early on before stepping things up

3. Zubi regaining his place at the expense of MLS (a similar call to the one above)

4. Eze for Odegaard?

5. The pros and cons of starting Havertz or Gyokeres

My word; this is difficult! But one thing is for sure - the full extent of the squad is going to be used! I remember writing several months ago that if Arteta had a fully fit squad to select from he’d be giving himself massive headaches - and we’re close to that at the moment (the right back position excepted). 

How might the game go? Well, your guess is as good as mine. But I do sense that, to start with at least, Arsenal may not see much of the ball. But that the longer that they can keep things tight, the more the pressure will build on PSG to deliver. 

From PSG’s perspective, they know that they are going to have a massive task on their hands in trying to break Arsenal down. Plus - if the rumours are true - the loss of Hakimi is not only bad news for them in itself, but will also have a knock-on effect on team selection. And if Dembele is also unfit… well, that could be critical. 

What’s my ideal scenario? It’s this: 94th minute. 0-0. Arsenal have a corner. Rice delivers, Gabriel heads the ball towards goal, and a PSG player turns it into his own net. How poetic would it be, after all the criticism, for Arsenal to win the Champions League with an own goal from a set piece?!?

What I do see happening, to be serious, is Arsenal keeping things tight, then slowly start to exert pressure of their own. With substitutions being key. We shall see. But a forecast of 26 degrees in Budapest for Saturday bodes well. 

Anyway… enjoy your weekend, guys. Try to enjoy the match. And enjoy the parade on Sunday. Up to a million pople are expected - how big are Arsenal?!?!?

I’ll be back with a Season Review (or two) next week. Come. On. You. Gunners!!!