interesting perspective from Nasri

https://www.goal.com/en/lists/samir-nas ... -ajikUCqOg

If you can dish it out…

When I went to my sons football training after the West Ham game I was chatting with the other dads, all nice reasonable middle class blokes, mostly fans of teams outside the prem, Barnsley, Blackburn etc. and a few said ‘well Arsenal are the worst for fouling gk from set pieces, they’ve done it all season’….without wanting to upset friends I just asked them which games they’d seen that in because I didn’t think it was true. They’re clearly just parroting what the media say. So many do.

The narrative of Arsenal playing awful football….ask someone which prem team is it that they consider plays attractive football, or football the right way. I don’t see many. My theory on that particular thing is the entire league has turned to more pragmatic football and as were the best at it we get tarnished with the ire of the general football fan for the dreariness of match’s generally

He’s spot on because that’s what it felt like. From the point of not allowing Saka to take the corner - Saka by the way was given 13 seconds to take that corner from the point he was actually able to retrieve the ball. The ref was making a point to punish us in general play because he felt we were wasting time. I’ve never seen it before. If you don’t think every 50/50 went against Arsenal in that second half you’re blind. The ref had it clear in his mind he was trying to make the game a spectacle and reward the progressive team.

If that’s the new directive then I’m all for it, we’ll benefit 99% of the time because we win or are the team probing for the win far more often

Today’s parade estimated at 1.5m, the single biggest gathering of people for a parade in this countries history. Our club has been a sleeping giant for a long time, but I also think a lot of the fans have been quiet and so people have forgotten how huge this club is.

The club need to ride this wave, they should be lining up commercial partners and showing them the huge market of fans they have to offer

The World Cup will give powers to refs with new time wasting rules.

10 second for a sub to exit the pitch or the replacement has to wait a further minute before he can enter the pitch! What happens if the player being replaced is genuinely injured - not enough to need a stretcher but needing to hobble off to not aggravate the injury?

Also the ref will countdown just 5 seconds to restart goal kicks and throws or the throw is reversed and corners given instead of goal kicks. I’m assuming the countdown can only start once the player actually has the ball otherwise that’s crazy.
5 seconds is ridiculous as well, this will lead to a loss of quality because teams will just go for the lowest risk restart under time pressure, long throws down the line, long goal kicks etc

We already have teams (PSG ahem) deliberately kicking the ball in to touch, this is going to be another stupid problem which will just be impossible to apply consistently

We don't play entertaining football. It’s not a media creation. Most of us don’t care this season because we have finally won the league again...and that's just brilliant. But we are not a good watch. We just played a CL final in which we had less than 25% possession. 800 passes to 200 passes. We have a brilliant defence and a fantastic midfielder in Rice, but a very ordinary attack. Neutral fans will respect the defensive abilities but they won't like the team.

I don’t deny that but my point is it is overblown massively, and then lies are just made up to fit the narrative.
Who are the entertaining teams in the league? I think for the first time ever in the top league no team scored 6+ goals in a match, there were only 7 victories by 4 or more goal (2 of them were us), mavericks have been pushed out of the game for athleticism and tactical nous - people don’t like it but is it could be a natural reaction to cycles in football and the crazy scrutiny and pressure players and managers are under than they all, yes all of them are now more focussed on tactical security and marginal gains.

The haters will focus on the games that fit their argument, they don’t want to hear the 4-1’s v Villa and spurs x2, the 4-0 v Atletico or 3-1 v Bayern - look at the attacks and numbers we racked up there, more attacking than any side in the league.

When we supposedly played better football and didn’t win it was all about us needing to be more streetwise and winning any way you can was all that matters.

We are the team that plays the highest defensive line in the league and face the deepest defensive block. Man City played us at the emirates and had 33% possession and a deeper defensive line than they’ve ever played and deeper than any team who faced us this season, why not criticise them for being cowardly and not going for the 2nd goal? It has cost them the league title.

We were told we HAD to win and we did, we are the champions of England whilst every other big club is in uncertainty or worse.

Ken Early: Football fans everywhere are suffering Arsenal’s consequences

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer ... ones-time/

I find it highly ironic that Arsenal have for decades now tried to play free flowing attacking football and have been blighted by over physical play, set piece bullying and time wasting and have complained bitterly about it, to deaf ears and frankly derision. Utterly hilarious that it takes us to master it for anything to be done about it. Hilarious. We’ll be free to go back to a more free flowing style that is easier to do if you’re financially better off and globally enormous. As we are. *%^@ everyone. We are the Arsenal COYG!!!!

19 days until next seasons fixtures are announced.

25/26 - Inside the opening 6 games. Man U away, Liverpool away, Newcastle away, City home
24/25 - inside the opening 6 games. Villa away, Spurs away, City away
23/24 - a much more gentile start. only man u and spurs at home (of note) inside the first 6

I think you want to be playing Chelsea, Spurs and Newcastle early on before the european fixtures start and those 3 get a big advantage by not playing any european football at all next season

The other thing you want is easy home games after CL games, or to play your fellow english CL teams. They are hard games and statistically CL teams in england average fewer points consistently in those games after CL midweeks

And *%^@ this *%^@ too. Never lets the facts get in the way of a nice poetic rant. As if Arsenal started any of this. We’re just too *%^@*** good at it. We broke the system and now they feel forced to change it Great.

hilarious

the irony is that many of these critics haven’t even watched many full games, we have not been exciting in all our games but at times we have played some fantastic football

for example when not facing the deep block we’ve been far better to watch - issue has been playing against the deep block in multiple PL games

Rich is quite right that this dishonest and mendacious media narratives does turn many neutrals against us, as some suck up this nonsense

the set pieces is a great example- so many negative headlines for us, Liverpool got a positive headline from it, while there was hardly a mention of Manu scoring almost as many set piece goals as us!!

As opposed to Jewish

Our time wasting is not mendacious. It is factually true we take an awful long time over throws and corners. And most of the coverage has been positive tinged with regret we don't play more attractive football.

So it was a normal day on Holloway Road then

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_ ... ed-heights

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_ ... aking-lost
https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_ ... n-trophies

ESPN ran a rather silly 'table without set pieces'.....The article stopped at gameweek 31....but Arsenal were STILL top!
https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_ ... ed-chelsea

The way certain goals are listed as set-pieces is silly anyway. Madueke's header v Brentford is classed as a set piece goal because it came from a throw in that was then crossed in for him to score. Similarly Zubimendi's header v Leeds (a) was counted as a set piece because the whilst rhe corner was cleared it eventually came back to Madueke to cross for Zubimendi. And we know the incredinle technical goals of Zubimendi's volley v Forest, Eze's kung fu kick v palace (h) and long ranger v Newcastle (h) are all set-pieces. It is where the argument becomes disingenuous because the reason people look down their nose at set-pieces is because they are seen to lack skill and rely on less aesthetically pleasing methods - which those 3 goals clearly were not!

Exactly. and has anyone in punditry roles ever pointed out this incredible hypocrisy?

It is an echo chamber, no one willing - on pretty much any subject - to lean out the other way, do some research and either correct the narrative or challenge it.

Even for the purpose of decent discussion I could take every single narrative from the season and put a decent argument for the opposite being worthy of consideration.

I just wish refs would stick to the letter of the law. Penalise grappling and teams (us included) won't do it. Stop having a nonsensical 'higher thresholds' for penalies that allows defenders to get away murder and more generally with turning a blind eye to barging people over and making life much harder for smaller skillful players. Be consistent in giving yellows when teams delay free kicks (far worse than taking an extra 5 seconds over a throw in or corener). Get rid of the stupidity of penalties for accidental handballs.

The way the game is played reflects the way that it is referreed. There is no point changing rule if they aren't going to be enforced.

It is utter nonsense to blame teams like Arsenal for playing to win. We know what happens if you tried playing free flowing football with skillful midgets in the EPL.

Exactly. Free flowing football got us broken legs and a reputation for being soft, foreign, whining, divers.

Josh Nichols has left the club, signed with a croatian team. Perhaps a very small fee.

Sales will be key this summer as the squad is very full. Jesus, White, Nørgaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Martinelli - maybe others. Nwaneri is the one I'd hate to see go without a buy-back. If he does go then we need to be looking at £50m plus

https://www.givemesport.com/premier-lea ... ll-soccer/

here we're in the two middle quartiles for delays in play

in terms of ball in play per game we are again in the middle of PL clubs

eam Total Match Time Total Ball in Play Ball in Play %
MCI (Man City) 3,105 1,832 58.99%
EVE (Everton) 3,172 1,811 57.09%
NFO (Nott'm Forest) 3,169 1,788 56.42%
LIV (Liverpool) 3,236 1,822 56.32%
FUL (Fulham) 3,213 1,807 56.25%
BHA (Brighton) 3,211 1,800 56.07%
WHU (West Ham) 3,200 1,782 55.70%
BUR (Burnley) 3,207 1,786 55.70%
ARS (Arsenal) 3,222 1,789 55.51%
CHE (Chelsea) 3,235 1,796 55.51%
PL AVG 3,203 1,771 55.28%
WOL (Wolves) 3,199 1,768 55.28%
LEE (Leeds) 3,208 1,768 55.09%
MUN (Man United) 3,214 1,767 54.97%
AVL (Aston Villa) 3,202 1,753 54.76%
SUN (Sunderland) 3,225 1,764 54.72%
CRY (Crystal Palace) 3,112 1,693 54.40%
BRE (Brentford) 3,222 1,733 53.80%
TOT (Tottenham) 3,235 1,723 53.24%
NEW (Newcastle) 3,269 1,733 53.02%
BOU (Bournemouth) 3,213 1,703 52.99%

the time wasting narrative is again not based on actual facts and data

some of the media and press about the Final is absolutely batshit crazy to the point of absolute stupidity

Exhibit A

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/20 ... broadcast/

It is standard fare now, no sh*ts are given about any subject until Arsenal become relevant to it - then uproar.

How often have we had to put up with mostly Liverpool and Man U bias on TV? TV is absolutely flooded with them and has been for 30 years. TV companies have been continuously overly bias to English teams in european games - I've always hated it as I'd rather hear proper commentary and analysis than one-sided bias nonsense that doesnt represent what I'm watching (It's the same when watching England games - awful) - but we've had to put up with it for years. The one time the TV broadcaster rolls out an Arsenal heavy punditry and celebr team for a game involving Arsenal in the CL final for the first time in 20 years and people start banging on about bias coverage.

Once again, we come back to 'I don't like Arsenal...' dressed up as journalist..... and will find any reason possible to reaffirm that with you irrespective of whether this reason is logical or consistent with what I've said before or how I treat other teams.

Arsenal have won the league, quick change the laws !


https://en.as.com/soccer/world-cup/fifa ... f202605-n/

Gabby M, Trossard and Ethan for sale according to Sam Wallace

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/20 ... a-demands/

I agree 100% with this but the riposte will City can play free flowing football and win titles why can't we? I think people don't realise that if the grappling is stopped it will benefit us and other teams who practise and train for corners. It's part of the game and a goal from a corner is the same as a goal anywhere else. I always admired the Italians. Their strategy was a rock solid defence and no end of cynical play. Did they care what other people thought? Did they hell.

The guy does say................


This cannot be said often enough. PSG are a financially doped team in a lightweight league.

Yes, very good point. We got little sympathy when the likes of Bolton, Stoke and Sunderland took out our players in Arsene's time. The mentality of this Arteta team reminds me of the first Double team - they weren't liked either!

https://x.com/talkSPORT/status/20613940 ... deo/1?s=46

Simon Jordan again one of the few who is willing to challenge a narrative and come up with a rational explanation for an alternative view.

Gary Neville rates that 98 team as the toughest team he faced. Probably because the last resort when you can’t beat a team with your ability is to kick them and that 98 team - just like today’s team - can’t be kicked or bullied.

I admire City's football but for me they have not had a particularly free-flowing style - the passing around at the back is an especially tiresome tactic they use. What they have had are fine midfielders and in Aguero and Ugly Boy, two of the almost unstoppable strikers ever to play in the Premiership. Agree about the Italians - won the World Cup four times, yet outside Italy who would remember them for panache?

"Beliefs are wonderful, and sticking to your beliefs is commendable but find a way to win. Do what it takes. If beliefs have to be suspended and technical abilities dumbed down, then so be it"

Any guesses for who said this and in what year and about who?

Yes the 98 team was great. My mind was thinking of Bertie Mee and Frank McLintock's team of 1971 - they could not be frightened. Understandable really when they had the likes of Storey, Simpson and Radford playing.

It wouldn't surprise me if those words came out of Mourinho's gob?

Its Gary Neville, 2015 when talking about Arsene Wenger

The WC this summer will be interesting.

https://l.smartnews.com/p-7PQa0HEA/svq3N1

Well it can't compete with the Paris/France war zone festivities on Saturday.

It was interesting to see Kvaraskelia against our defence. He had 1 moment with the 1-2 which unfortunately for us felt more like our mistake than his brilliance, but it showed that the best winger in the world can be shackled against organised defences - acknowledging that ours is the best defence.

I’m hesitant when we’re linked to left wingers who thrive in wide open spaces. Bradly Barcola and Rafa Leao for example, can they thrive in only 10 yards of space and being doubled up on? Kvara couldn’t.

Perhaps that’s where we see players like Rogers being linked, not electric but a powerful runner, link player and consistent goal scorer.

Top clubs find a way to use the pace of their forwards but it doesn’t seem the way we want to play

Understandably there's lots of talk about going again next season, but it can't be overstated how good a chance this was with 25 minutes to go. I can't recall PSG ever looking so ordinary, so desperate.

On another note, I'm surprised I've never seen any statistics relating to these stuttered run-ups for penalties. In no other circumstance would you approach a ball like that.


OMOH, Mee's son here. Caught up with the forumites when the title was won. Didn't see your name then but glad you're still around these parts.