The difference here is I’d say that daily mail article is more factual, it not starting a debate where every main stream pundit has their say

Comped if you will to the way this article by the bbc was written about is, it’s sparking debate asking the question if we had a discipline problem, questioning if it will cost us the title and pointing out how few red cards title winners get. The Chelsea piece not once talks about ‘discipline problem’ it’s more about breaking a record for red cards.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ar ... gnmn057r6o

A whole segment of Sky sports debate about Arsenal
https://youtu.be/FGrZVYK0e4g?si=EUnPUYK40sauXMoJ

Another segment on MNF dedicated to it last year
https://www.skysports.com/football/news ... ier-league

Further more Chelsea were the team with the most yellow cards in the 23/24 season and the most in the 24/25 season, they are currently 5th most for the 25/26 season.

When fingers were pointed at Arsenal for 3 obscure reds in the opening 8 games no one ever delved deeper to ask why, we were near the bottom of the yellow card count over the last 3 seasons so look at the context of the reds. Chelsea are statistically the dirtiest and most ill disciplined team in the league for 2.5 seasons and have 7 red cards already this season. There is far, far more evidence for a full review of their discipline

If our bad day at the office is an away draw to a title rival, I'd take it every time.

However, Arteta's squad management does puzzle me. Players like White, MLS, Nwaneri, and Nørgaard getting hardly any minutes, and then unsurpringly looking as rusty as hell when they come on or when we rotate. So we need to rotate against Brentford, but the fringe players have no form and Brentford can't be taken lightly. If you are going to take off Zubimendi, why not bring on Nørgaard and leave Rice where he can do the most damage? Surely Nørgaard is good enought. And White is surely good enough to be getting regular 20 minute subs appearances?

Hi Decaf,

Having built a deep squad with seemingly two players for every position this was supposed to be the season when injuries were less of an issue and rotation was key to keeping players fresh.

Arteta just loves to select the same players week-in week-out, though.

Injuries have forced his hand a little bit but, as you point out, the likes of Nørgaard, Nwaneri, White are not getting much of a look-in.

Now, one of the issues is that every game in the PL is tough, there are no gimmies anymore and every team has at least two or three players that can really hurt you. Even the slightest of drop-offs can have consequences.

However, rotation is a must and Arteta has to do it better, not run players into the ground and wonder why they are out injured for long periods.

New Tuesday club out now ! Touches on this

Talk about an entire Chelsea stand seig heiling when rocastle got the ball

https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/arsenal-holger-edwin-quintero-twins-ecuador-mfkvhw5kb

Looks like we're embracing the Chavs model of hoovering up young foreign talent. Personally, I'm not wild about the strategy but it's proved lucrative for Chavs and Brighton in particular.

Going to villa park this weekend without Gabby and saliba won’t be easy. Kind of need saliba to fix himself quick

Announced he's fit for tomorrow.

These were our equivalent results in 23/24 for our second half of the season games. Very unlucky to not win the title that year with the run we went on. I really hope that’s not peak Arteta football. We weren’t just winning games we were making home fans leave the ground before half time

I still see a lot of people on social media highlighting Enzo kicking Madueke and screaming in his face. Scumbag.

Is that the same Enzo called out by his own team mate for “uninhibited racism”?

He’s a little charmer isn’t he?

Enzo is a nasty racist

The Argentinian team is full of them - Martinez is a nasty piece of work too, good riddance

We complain about Arteta not rotating enough but Pep has picked his starting 11 from the same pool of 13 players for the 7 of the last 9 games. The two he rotated hugely for were a league cup tie and a champions league game they lost 2-0 at home.

There are clearly a set of players Pep isn’t trusting at the moment despite a deep ish squad

Come on fulham!! Strike fear into City with your impressive “cottagers” nickname…

Hmm.. Haaland’s hit the post already when he should have scored. Fulham looking less abject than the first 5 minutes but money firmly on City winning this without mush fuss. And it’s 1-0. All over.

https://x.com/skysportspl/status/199549 ... -j6VVZXEoA

Missed this one the other day. Corners are just a lottery what the officials give. For me this is a clear foul because Silva only has one intention to back in to the gk and stop him coming to claim the ball.

City are gonna keep coming aren’t they
Cruising 4-1 at Fulham
Haaland and Foden bang in form
Sunderland Palace Brentford Forest WH and Sunderland again their next 6 league games

When City are in this mode I feel like Butch and Sundance …” who are those guys”

Ah now 5
Forum optimists cheer me up please

https://x.com/rohanjivanafc/status/1995 ... -j6VVZXEoA

This tweet sets out every player that has missed each league game through injury.

We can compete in the title race even with these injuries and others being by comparison injury free. I’m desperate for City to start feeling the pain of critical and cluster injuries

First 3 choice centre forwards, creative centre mid and both centre backs out would be a good start to see how City cope

City 5-2 up. I’m not sure how much solace I take that they leak goals when they can score so many the other way!

Hold on…..Fulham were 5-1 down and now they are back to 5-4….12 mins plus a lot of stoppages to go.

Donnarumma weak under the high ball from a corner yet again. I’ve called it before with him

I’m on added time watch in the Fulham v City game
5 goals this half, 5 subs already this half….

City so lucky there. Absolutely collapsed at 5-1 up. Fulham had a decent shout for a penalty at 5-4 and Gvardiol cleared one off the line in the last second.

This is City’s best defence and they concede 4, yes their best attack scores 5 but put any injuries on this team and they are dropping points. They had no legs at all in the last 30 mins

I really don’t like Bruno Guimaraes, but you’d love him if he played for your team. He’s a very very good player. Surprisingly that one of the really big sides hasn’t gone in harder for him

Their defence is suspect. If Mikel is watching this with the brains trust they must be happy,

Not sure about this penalty for Newcastle. Nice Var decision for Michael Oliver’s favourite team. The same Manchester accent whenever refs have to do their announcement makes me laugh.

Pleased that Ramsdale is getting his chance at Newcastle but I felt like I’d seen that spurs 2nd goal before with Ramsdale. It’s a scruffy bobbling shinned overhead kick, going slowly towards goal through bodies and Ramsdale just doesn’t seem to react and anticipate where the ball is going quickly enough.

I don’t know if people recall a deflected shot Timo Werner scored against us in a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge a few years back, Ramsdale seemed to take an age to understand the trajectory of the ball before it trickled past him.

It’s a lottery in the box. Look at some of the blocking and holding Chelsea did to us, Timber was basically squashed against the post with the defender not looking at the ball at all.
https://x.com/7ontheshirt/status/199597 ... -j6VVZXEoA
Then there is this on Hincapie v Spurs.

I think we need to evolve our corners again. Chelsea did the defensive move where they kept 3 men upfield and so cleared the box for Sanchez to claim - they left attackers free on the edge of the box - yet we still put inswinging corners in which made it easier for Sanchez to claim with no traffic. Perhaps running out for short corners or running all the defenders under the ball to find the man on the edge of the box with far more time for the shot.
We have to be able to anticipate the next move because every team is trying to work out how to stop our corners.

We also need to be more savvy in making sure any holding or blocking is clear and noticed. Don’t immediately throw yourself down, the holding needs to be sustained so stay up as long as possible then go down

So now it’s Chelsea who are relying the most of set pieces for their attacking threat will we see the same energy that was directed towards us in the opening 6-7 games?

The narrative is set and is driven home by the highly influential few.

Influential few: is that like an influencer. Not sure I take any notice of any one elses opinion, even on here.

Interesting observations about the gentle ride Chelsea get in the mainstream media

I think Chelsea have always greased the media palms and there’s always been a Fleet Street based dislike for Arsenal - partly stemming from the hacks being working class idiots and Arsenal having the public school links

There is no way Arsenal would be treated so nicely after effectively using a strategy of cynical fouling to bully a result

It’s also interesting that we don’t see this home team bias at the Emirates - opposition frequently foul more but get less yellows than us even when we are at home

Also there is no way var would be so lenient with the holding in the box that we have been subjected to

IT'S A CONSPIRACY!

Back at Emirates this evening after missing the spurs game. Expecting a cold one.

Not sure this will be the doddle many think.

Team selection could be interesting. Declan and Timber definitely need a rest but this is a can’t lose type game after yesterdays results

I love a crispy cold (but dry) night game. Sounds like a dream tonight. Unfortunately, midweek games in the festive season are awkward for me so I won't be there. I didn't have time to place the tickets with friends or family, so I put them on the exchange. Sold in minutes.

It's an example of cronyism and subconscious bias combining to skew results. It happens in many areas, particularly if you don't design system to mitigate against it.

Arsenal: Raya, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori , Rice, Zubimendi, Ødegaard, Madueke, Martinelli, Merino
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Timber, Lewis-Skelly, Nørgaard, Nwaneri, Eze, Saka, Jesus, Gyökeres

Rests for timber and Saka and eze

Jesus back on the bench

No Tiago for Brentford.

Brentford in a back 5, 3 tall CB, we won’t get much change from crosses or set pieces. Kayode has a huge long throw and Brentford will lean heavily on their own set pieces.
Got to get the ball down and pass it quickly

Yes that sounds perfectly reasonably ; the worrying aspect is [ if Granty Boy is half right ] that in spite of the inclusion of an enormous amount of attacking talent we carry on playing the " Arteta way ; five million passes exchanged at the back before we cautiously inch forward .

I was listening to a radio broadcast [ going to watch the full match now ] ; and even man down
every time they secured possession Chelsea were at us like a pack of rabid wolves while we were languid personified .

Dropping two points is bad news because those *&%$$%** led by the lumbering albino are now only two points behind ,

My concern this morning ; is we play a few of the back up players and fail to find our rhythm , they sneak one and it's real squeaky bum time .

.. where's the chewing your fingernails emoji Warrior

Calafiori is 1 yellow away from a ban. We need him for Villa so hope he’s sensible today

Slight gripe I have with a few of our players is they are too quick to grab and pull an opponent down which is often an obvious yellow card for most refs

If you added Gabriel and Saliba to our bench the bench 11 would be very close in overall quality to the starting 11

Oh Ben white just shoot that as hard as you can!!