I understand Pete's nostalgia, though, for that halcyon era of Pires and co., when you could rely on a footballer to stay on his feet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv7GvRE ... =souster98

(Any Portsmouth fans will know what match is featured on this link.)

Yes agreed, it’s akin to an off the ball kick at an opponent which with far less force would get a red!
It needs to be a red every time though. I still remember that Palace player just take a swipe at Saka’s calves when the ball was at head height and get away with a yellow

I’d have been fuming if we hadn’t been given a penalty for that Doku challenge. But it seems now that if it’s not given on the pitch then VAR is not going to over turn it. The threshold for over turns has been set impossibly high.
Annoyingly (not that o agree with this) but we need to understand that in a refs mind what he gives easily outside the box he might not give so easily inside the box. Outside the box a ref might only be 70% sure on a free kick and he’ll give it, it might even be 50/50 but he’ll make a decision for one team. As soon as that same incident happens in the box he will want to be 99% sure as the ref knows it’s a match defining situation. It doesn’t excuse the non decision because VAR is there to check it, but VAR needs to be used properly not have such a high bar for over turn.

If a ref thinks it’s a foul but is only 70% sure, he gives it, then var looks, if var 100% agreed with him then carry on, if var thinks there is any doubt then he suggests the ref takes another look but the important bit is leave the ref to make the decision without any influence

Would 88 points be enough for the title?
If we won 7 of our last 10 and drew the 3 away games at City, Man U and Spurs we’d get to 88 points. In terms of results from the last 10 it would be pretty good. And would give us 15 wins and 3 draws from the final 18 games.
But might it not be enough. We’d need Liverpool to drop 6 or 7 points from their remaining 10 and City to drop 4 or 5 points from their remaining 9 (after they play us)

We need to go with the mentality to beat City at the end of the month

I saw a comment online that asked whether Arteta should have bought Ramsdale on at half time in the Sheff Utd game when we were 5-0 up to get Ramsdale a bit more action before coming in cold for the Brentford game. All easy to say in hindsight after his error of course

What if Ramsdale had no chance at a shot on goal while we were up 5-0? He'd be blamed partially no matter what.

After we play city, I don't think any of us play each other for the rest of the season. Even though all three sides have very tricky fixtures for the remaining 9 games, no one would be surprised if all three won 8 and a draw all the 9 of the remaining games. Back in '98 to well into the early '00s, even Man Utd wouldn't go on that kind of finishing run. When we did it in '02 (was it '02?) it was an amazing feat. A shock. 2004? It wouldn't shock anyone if 1 to 3 of us went the rest of the season winning every game.

The margins are just too small. 8 wins and a draw and you could still lose the title. We'd have killed for that kind of run 20 years ago. Today it may not be enough.

I don’t think the club will touch him with a bargepole. I think he knows this as well by the way he acted about on Saturday getting lairy with several players.

He will go for more than 40 million probably closer to 60 and don’t get me wrong he would be a big upgrade on Eddie but I think his attitude will be too much of a concern. Seems perfect for Chelsea or Newcastle

I think we are going to City to win. We already know City will be up for it. We've beaten City twice and odds wise its not going to be likely to beat them a 2nd time. A double over City? Herculean achievement. Massive beyond all means.

It can be done but it will have to be a perfect performance with some luck mixed in.

Really? I'm sure we are going there to lose and City won't be bothered.

City has to go into our game where a draw isn't good enough. So if its a draw late they will go for it and that will be our chance to win. We counter very well. If they play a high line, we will get chances and we'll have to finish better with the chances than we have. Havertz will get great chances I believe. His finishing is much better but not good enough.

Martinelli has to play in that game and they will double up on him and Saka on the wings. Havertz will get his chances as a result. He runs well off the ball.

1984 Arsenal

The impact of Rice has been bigger than anyone could have imagined this year. He's a better player than I thought he was AND he's adding new layers to his game by being with us. From that left 8 position he's regularly popping up in centre forward positions - which whilst not a natural centre forward, if his effectiveness there is judged by the timing of his runs, a physical and aerial presence and first time finishes then its easy to see why it is being successful.
A list of the most expensive signings by prem clubs has very few genuine successes. Here are all the over £70m signings in order:
Enzo Fernandez, Grealish, Rice, Caicedo, Lukaku (chelsea), Pogba, Anthony, Gvardiol, Maguire, Nunez, Sancho, Lukaku (man U), Van Dijk, Fofana, Havertz (chelsea), Pépé, Arizabalaga.
A lot of poor buys in there

It has gone under the radar but City's summer purchases have not gone well at all.
Doku has not had a goal or assist since the 11th game of the season. He's had 12 appearances since then despite his competition for a place (Grealish) only managing 4 starts in that time due to injury
Matheus Nunes has zero goals and 2 assists and has only been trusted to start 8 prem games
Kovacic, zero goals, zero assists and only trusted to start 10 games
Gvardiol is maybe the best of the bad bunch, 16 starts from 28 but I think Ake is the starting left back if everyone is fit.

24o million euros not very well spent for me

Rice (like Xhaka as well when he was with us) has a very good shot from distance. I feel we don't utilize that nearly enough. He has a helluva shot. I've yet to see if Havertz has one now that I think about it. Havertz has a bit of Van Nistlerooy about him, everything near the 6 yard box.

Some big selection decisions for tomorrow. No game for 12 days or so after so we can go all out for it.
Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Ødegaard, Saka and probably Havertz given his form should be certainties

Does Zinchenko come back in at left back for Kiwior?
Does Jorginho start again at the base or does Rice move back?
Trossard at left wing if Martinelli isn't fit?
Does Jesus come in up top and Havertz moved back?

Jesus best performances have come in the CL.

My gut feeling would be keep everything as it is and have zinchenko and jesus on the bench if required

I don't think it matters much to some extent. First, we are an attacking side. This current squad and the ones off the bench have the same mindset. Second, we are a revenge minded team (West Ham). They know they have a long rest, and they will go all out. Almost any combination with or without Zinchenko, Jesus and Jorginho will go for it early and often. I expect that. Arteta will make sure they are.

The question is if its not going our way, who and when do we sub.

Exactly. I want Rice in that 8 position. Apart from what he adds offensively, his off the ball work in that position has been fantastic. The press needs to be top notch.

https://twitter.com/LatteFirm/status/17 ... rQ1ig&s=19

Love em!

Ramsdale must have wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
Disastrous error but fair play to him he kept us in the game when he could easily have fallen to pieces.
Havertz!!!!
I was one of many who ridiculed and criticised his purchase but boy is he making me eat my words. Has showed great character.
Long may it continue.

Really took exception to that defeat against porto..... really bothered me.
Unfinished business tomorrow. We have to start fast and with that high end tempo and blow the f***** away.
Come On Arsenal!!!!

Ederson out for 4 weeks and will miss our game with City

Selling Palmer looks more and more like a mistake by Pep. Could arguably already be worth double the £40m Chelsea bought him for. I wonder whether his sale was FFP influenced for City because as a home grown player he brings in ‘pure profit’. If FFP is forcing clubs to think more about the buys/sells in their squad it’s a good thing. You can’t really just hang on to youth players and keep buying other players, play them or sell them for profit but risk being too impatient

the bloke making the flaky dive is already on a yellow ; he should have been sent off ...what part of that is playing the percentages ..??

NZ 2 Botswana 0

City match on Easter Sunday. Cut your long weekend plans short for some, aside after scarfing down chocolates, Sunday dinners, so forth.

pri**&&ck .... stepped in a rather large cow pat mentioning Pires ; should have said Peter Marinello

Tonight’s ref will be very important. Fall for and pander to all the time wasting and cheating antics of Porto and it will be a very stop start and frustrating game. The crowd have a huge part to play in being all over these antics from kick off. Put pressure on the referee. European refs give far more than prem refs for little niggles and theatrical falls - play to that as well. If Porto like to throw themselves down in their own box at our set pieces just don’t get involved in the grappling, just attack the ball. And make sure we go down in attacking positions to test the ref as well.

I’m confident we will go through but an early goal would really help everyone

You missed the part where I said Havertz diving while already on a yellow was not clever.

Your entire argument, is groundless, not to mention your fantasy scoreline and dubious geography.

Have another swing at my question: do you think our players should be playing for the percentages or to a high moral standard?

It is going to require something stronger than chocolates to get through that, I think. Some of Kiwi's nettle and sheep dung laxative/pile ointment, perhaps?

So City’s directors work for free? Nothing to see here….

Another thing is their keeper was excellent on crosses, so I hope we make the necessary adjustments, especially on corners.

I think we will win 2-0 tonight.

I'm coming across more and more armchair pundits on youtube who think we have a very good chance of winning at City. They point out that City have not been nearly as dominant as last season while we are better than last season. Also our record against the top sides.

I do think its going to probably be a bridge too far to do the double over City, triple if you count Charity Shield. If the football gods are kind and we do, be prepared for the media to start saying 1. We will win the title and 2. There is a changing of the guard.

I trust they are not the same armchair pundits who wrote us off after the Fulham game and were beginning to mutter darkly about Arteta?

ditto that

Brilliant! The machine and the beast!

Never forget Mourinho’s Porto in that final against Celtic years ago, utter disgrace. Though I did enjoy them knocking out utd previously.

Let’s hope the footballing gods are with us tonight.

I recall that Europa cup final against Celtic vividly. It gave me a preview of Mourinho. The referee let them get away with murder.

We need to score first and score relatively early. Then I'll wait to see what Porto does. Will they get desperate and start going forward or will they stay patient since its even on aggregate? Either way, we will need to go after a 2nd goal.

They will park the bus is my guess. Expect a lot of play acting, time wasting, cynical fouling, instigating from Porto. I'm hoping players like Gabriel don't take the bait.

2-0 or 3-1 us.

If or when we win, we'll have to look at the drawing but its very likely we'll have a tough draw. There are too many good teams still left: City, Bayern, Real Madrid, PSG and possibly going through after this week, Barcelona.

Usually, it takes a club a few years of being in the CL to get to a final and win. Man Utd were ruling the EPL in the 90s but it took till '99 to win it and they were outplayed most of that game. It took Liverpool a few years. Chelsea were in the CL regularly most years since the early '00s and didn't win it till 2012, 8 years after having mega money. Liverpool in 2019 after a long stint in the competition. City last season after having big money for several years.

First year back in after a long lay off? Not likely. It's just against the odds. I would love it but just want to see us play well.

Didn’t they play Monaco in that CL final?

Hmmm not wanting to appear to have my bum cheeks wedged on the fence pailings but that is a bit of a tough one . On the one hand I hate it in sport where due to sending off , sin binning , some injustice a team [ even the All Blacks gains a win] but then again I guess if Havertz tripping on his own bootlace and gaining a penalty to beat Tottenham I'd be screaming " Do it again "

......which just goes to show I'm a really knowledgeable flaky likeable dipsh**t .

Okay on to today this should be a hell of a match ....we can't sit around playing safe we have to go for the jugular and we get one we have to go hard for a second .

If they score one we have to score three is that right ....?

One of my sons Scott is already in the stadium so I'm hoping he has an enjoyable watch . 4-0 Havertz 2 Trossard and Saliba

Yes they beat Monaco in the CL the year after winning the UEFA cup, that was the run where they tipped utd out. Mourinho did the infamous knee slide at old Trafford.