https://x.com/actufoot_/status/2061490069051982246?s=46&t=fkwaCrtFB5yR-j6VVZXEoA
This was the epitome of what we were up against with the ref on Saturday.
Clean tackle by Rice. Vitinha hand balls it, then grabs Rice’s leg- 2 fouls.
Saka gets his body across Neves and the ref gave a foul against Saka.

This was constant in the second half

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.

That's what I worry about. Arguably we had this and let it slip. Will we get a better chance?

https://x.com/actufoot_/status/2061490069051982246?s=46&t=fkwaCrtFB5yR-j6VVZXEoA
This was the epitome of what we were up against with the ref on Saturday.
Clean tackle by Rice. Vitinha hand balls it, then grabs Rice’s leg- 2 fouls.
Saka gets his body across Neves and the ref gave a foul against Saka.

This was constant in the second half

It’s what people have continually said about the league. Hell Neville even said it when we finished 5th that Arteta ‘had taken Arsenal as far as he can and should probably leave’
We’ve been rewarded for our consistency, put yourself in the position to win so continuously and you will win.
In the last 4 seasons it’s only the 2 biggest cheats in sport, plus Bayern once and Liverpool once who have beaten us to the biggest prizes.

For everyone plotting or concerned about our downfall what exactly is it about this current team and manager that makes you believe that as a minimum we can’t repeat the levels of this season? Injuries of course, but we’re not reliant on individuals, our main strength is the system and the players knowledge of it - it’s totally repeatable. Football has many factors, yes, but there are far more reasons to believe we can repeat this than there are to think we’ll fall away.

CL is knock out football but there is no reason to consider we can’t beat anyone over two legs. We’ve proven it against virtually everyone and small margins can fall either way. A Khusanov red card and a penalty on Madueke and we’re looking at 3 trophies this season

A Khusanov red card and a penalty on Madueke and we’re looking at 3 trophies this season

That’s true, but I think we’re probably all in agreement that really we need to try to move away from games being so tight that one small factor for or against us decides it. To use an Emery-ism - be protagonists.

Lost in all the “here’s the VAR and refereeing decisions that handed Arsenal the title” (btw *%^@ you Dale Johnson and the BBC) the most egregious decision all season was the Gyökeres Penalty against Newcastle. You needed a scanning electron microscope and a scenario made up by Johnny Cochran to spin a tale about how the atoms near Pope’s toe nail on the ball made any difference at all to him wiping out Gyökeres and denying a clear goal scoring opportunity. And that goes down as correct decision - good process. That’s why these tables on decisions are mostly nonsense

But nobody talks about it because we made sure to win anyway. We need goals and sorry to say it, 1-0 to the Arsenal needs to get in the bin. There seems to be an acceptance that a 1 goal margin is worth just defending. We need goals goals goals.

And on that I’m honestly pretty concerned about Saka, he looked about to push on to super star and 30 g+a per season and tbh he’s more moved towards the Martinelli/Ødegaard inexplicably losing all form and effectiveness. He won’t get a rest this summer either. I think we’re going to have to do a Pep style rest the players for 5 games at the beginning of the season and see if we can revive them. Interesting times.

And on that I’m honestly pretty concerned about Saka, he looked about to push on to super star and 30 g+a per season and tbh he’s more moved towards the Martinelli/Ødegaard inexplicably losing all form and effectiveness. He won’t get a rest this summer either. I think we’re going to have to do a Pep style rest the players for 5 games at the beginning of the season and see if we can revive them. Interesting times.

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.

Iraola to Liverpool is interesting.

There are lots of examples of lower prem teams managers join big 6 clubs. The challenge for them is often can they move on from the small team tactic (defensive and counter) to being a team expected to dominate the ball, territory etc. Thomas Frank struggled with this hugely at Spurs, but Iraola’s style is more like a big team, he’s front foot and high press…but this could be another challenge, how many of Liverpool’s team are suited to the high energy, high press? Isak and Ekitike aren’t that, Wirtz isn’t and ended up getting moved to the wing as he couldn’t hack it in the middle. Mac Allister’s legs have gone.

I’ll make an early prediction that if Iraola goes all out for his high press tactic straight away Liverpool are going to have some mixed results and some fairly average teams are going to play through them.

like Kroupi but when Arteta was talking about moving up a level and it requiring investment and big decisions to do so I think he was talking about spending the 100/120 million necessary to sign Alvarez.

He feels the only player we are being linked with that would provide clear and obvious ceiling raising improvement out of those we are being linked with. He may prefer Barca who have limited funds but I feel that’s as close as you will get him discussing a transfer directly and that’s who he’s talking about specifically.

Anyone else like Kroupi or even Rogers would be great signings but im not sure you could describe them as needing commitment to move up a level,

Kepa has a £5m release clause in his Arsenal contract just as he did in his Chelsea one. So if someone meets it and wants to be a No.1, we may be in the market for a new gk

Honestly I wouldn’t be that bothered if it was Tommy Setford and he played some 23s as well. Would have been no difference this year other than we could have got away with playing Raya in the league cup final without a contractual or verbal agreement to play Kepa in the cups.

Maybe he was great value in training and supported Raya, but mad that on the pitch at least he just made us weaker for 5m

Kepa has a £5m release clause in his Arsenal contract just as he did in his Chelsea one. So if someone meets it and wants to be a No.1, we may be in the market for a new gk

Ricky being linked with Real Madrid,

wonder if we would be tempted on that, I like the player but if they offered 60 million and we signed a more traditional left back for less.

sell - amazing talent but with his multilligament knee injury, he's always dodgy fitness wise

The left wing profile for us is the most interesting part of the summer.

Some players linked I'm not certain fit the profile or style of play we have. Bradley Barcola for example, very good when given large spaces to run in to, but also a bit of an erratic finisher. We need a goldilocks type player who has fantastic pace but is also good in tight spaces with their creativity and finishing. The best player out there with those attributes is Kvaraskelia, but he's going nowhere.
I can see a lot of boxes that Morgan Rogers ticks - goals, assists, running power, big game player, physical, durable, flexible, prem experience. But also there are question marks - is he better as a 10, is he too similar to Eze, does he have the pace to play wide for us?

There is something quite nice about having two different profiles for the wide positions - something Trossard and Martinelli give us but not the level we need.

The over riding feeling I have about our squad is that of course it is excellent, but it is very big, there are some obvious names that will be likely to leave but they are ones who maybe didn't contribute much, then you have a lot of players who are undoubtedly very good players but to bring in exceptional players you then may have to move them on - and that is quite a gamble to move out a solid player who helped you win the league for the risk of an incredible player replacing them.

Who will the new LW be?

Barcola doesn’t strike me as the answer and even then would be expensive. Gordon has gone. Kvwaratskelia no chance would take the whole budget.

doesn’t strike me as an area with many game changers out there this year

Rogers may be the answer. He has prem experience and is very robust. Would cost a fortune but it is a safe bet. Then you can buy potential to go with him if needed. Monga is only 16 but has a style a bit like Doku. Mika Godts at Ajax. Alajbegovic at Salzburg. Both names that have been linked