We do need to offload some players that's for sure but you read some of the twitter feeds and fans seem to think its easy to sell for big money and come up with all sorts of absurd valuations.

In the real world most of the players we want to offload have, partly because of our lack of rotation, barely played this season and their stock is not high. Plus, most are on decent money which smaller clubs will be reluctant to pay unless they get them for virtually nothing.

Plus clubs are more wary of FFP and are reigning in their spending accordingly.

I don't disagree with he players you mention but lets look at a realistic valuation for them:


Emile Smith Rowe maybe £20m if Villa are still interested.

Nketiah £15-20m

Zinchenko would get our money back maybe, £30m

Jesus £50m maybe if Madrid still fancy him

Elneny £2m or might even me let go for free given his service to the club

Partey £15m because of his age and injury record

Jorginho £8m

Nelson £10-15m

Kiwior might get our money back as he's still pretty young £20m

Vieira who's going to buy him for big money when he's not proven in the PL? Maybe a loan to France or a smaller PL club.


I'd say the most likely big money departure is Ramsey who we might get £50m if a few big clubs are interested but more likely £30m.

I have never considered this collateral issue, but is pretty persuasive argument: he shouldn’t have control of other games which could benefit his team. I am not thinking about what you considered were his errors against us. It just doesn’t pass the pub test at all.

A few up and down for me. Jesus 20 if we are lucky, Jorginho worth at least that but near the end of his contract so less, Smith Rowe more because he is English. Otherwise around the figures you suggest, but lots of clubs seem to be near FFP limits and I think we will struggle to find buyers. I assume Ramsey should be Ramsdale.

I read an interesting piece on our pressing structure and how a few teams have countered this recently, and what we can do to re-counter.

Arsenal press man to man, but ask Ødegaard to effectively do 2 jobs in the press, he presses the left-sided CB and ensures the line he runs to press him also blocks off the left CB passing in to the deep lying midfielder. It is a very good skill if you can do it successfully and Ødegaard is one of the best at doing this.

But what Bayern, Villa and Wolves have all done is push their left CB very wide (Dier, Pau Torres and Killman) which makes it virtually impossible for Ødegaard to do this double job, it means the CB can bring the ball out under little pressure or he has an easier pass in to the deep midfielder.. Saka is forced to cover the left back who is often stationed very high, he has to do this to stop a 2v1 against Ben White

The counter for this is for Arsenal to be even more aggressive in the press and we push up our defensive mid (Rice/Jorginho) right up high on to the opponents defensive mid and allow Ødegaard to press the CB. It is incredibly risky because you're all but emptying your midfield to try to win the ball in the opponents third, and it relies on our defensive line to also be ultra aggressive on any direct ball in to them.

Maybe its just me that finds all this stuff fascinating, but it shows how Villa were able to easily beat our press and get the ball in to Watkins or down the line to Zainilo who were then winning their duels with our defence and Villa's midfield wining second balls. You could sub in Kane winning duels for Bayern and Goretzka and Laimer winning second balls. Wolves tried it but they just weren't skilled enough to do it

Raya has 13 clean sheets this season and is 3 clear of any other GK for the golden glove award. And he had to sit out the Brentford clean sheet and Ramsdale got a clean sheet in the first 4 games as well. 15 clean sheets for The Arsenal this season

No idea how Opta calculates these things but these are the % chances of winning the league for the top 3 at every point this season. At no point have we ever been favourites

Some rumours that Cole Palmer may miss the game with us - big bonus is true as he's been by miles the only good thing for Chelsea this year.

They have proven (somehow) in the big games they are a threat still. Their results v the traditional big 6 are not too shabby - we need to take them very seriously. I'd expect a few tweaks to the line up, I'd be playing Havertz up front for this one and v Spurs at the weekend

Timber has travelled with the U21's to play Blackburn today - first match for him since he did his ACL

Apart from Ipswich, those teams fighting for promotion from the Championship have a very yoyo feel about them.
Leicester are in pole position to return at the first attempt, then its Ipswich - 3rd and 4th are two more of the teams that went down last season, Leeds and Southampton - and West Brom and Norwich make up the rest of the play off positions with no one else likely to break in to them.

So currently Arsenal and Liverpool sit 2 points above City with City having a game in hand. Fixtures in order from here go:
1. Arsenal v Chelsea
2. Everton v Liverpool
3. Brighton v City

Next weekend the order of games is
1. Liverpool
2. Arsenal
3. City

1. Arsenal
2. City
3. Liverpool

1. City
2. Arsenal
3. Liverpool
and then City play their game in hand

Then we all play the same time on the final day. With the TV companies dictating that the title chasing teams all play at different times so they can maximise the hype on the run in its good to see at least that we don't have the situation of last year where we played after City in far too high a proportion of the games

I'm finding watching Liverpool and City hoping they will drop points and normally being disappointed very draining, not to mention time-consuming. Not fun at all. It's just too much and the TV companies are taking the piss.

It is so much more enjoyable watching Arsenal while keeping an eye on what is going on in the other games. At least they are still playing simultaneously for the final game but I would be pleasantly surprised if we are still in it then.

I understand what you mean, its why in theory it is far easier to get out of the relegation fight than to catch a title rival. In a relegation fight your rival is definitely dropping points so it is in your hands. We could win 16 draw 1 and lose 1 of the final 18 games and not win the title.
We need to be top going in to the final game to have a chance - all 3 teams play 'easy' home games on the final day and I can't see any dropping points

My memory might be faulty, but I recall that a side winning the last half-dozen games in a row was a major achievement a couple of decades ago. Now City do it almost every year. Boring.

Processions are not very interesting to watch for those who are interested in sport as a contest.

Sadly, the PL is becoming like one of those grand prix races where overtaking is almost impossible and it is all about how much money the constructors have rather than the drivers.

Surely the greatest start to any movie interview ever

https://youtu.be/5Pemk2ekycA?si=1cEDJNISGC26pXH9

Brilliant

https://x.com/FootyHumour/status/1782109640488005948

As Man U put the winning penalty away Anthony ran backwards away from the Coventry players and cupped his ears in celebration towards them, blimey - stay classy. Harry Maguire didn't celebrate, he went over to shake the Coventry player's hands, far more humble, dignified and embarrassed no doubt at how they had to win and Anthony's celebrations.

If Man U want to truly compete at the top end again they need a 20 player squad overhaul. They will have to suffer for a few years because no one will pay them much money for their dross, or they pay up contracts as we had to do in order to accelerate the process. They should consider it a 5 year process to be champions again, which should be doable if they are ruthless, smart in the transfer market (and humble in the transfer market) and especially with the money they can throw at it.

Build around Mainoo, Garnacho, maybe Dalot, Hojland (although he is likely 2nd fiddle striker) and after that I'm struggling. Sell Rashford, Sell Bruno, get rid of Casemiro, Varane to saudi if they'll take them, Retire evans and eriksen, pay off Martial, sell Wan Bissakka, Maguire and McTominey to some mid table sap of a team who still thinks those players have value

We barely hear anything about Balogun, I checked on his season - 8 goals in 26 games for Monaco, not a disgrace but well down on his 22 goals last year for a weaker team. It was absolutely right to sell him at the peak of his price - was it £30m odd? A brilliant loan followed by a brilliant sale - we need much more of this. It is far more likely that a player with a brilliant loan still isn't good enough to make it with Arsenal than he is. As fans we probably all romanticise about academy players coming in to the first team but we probably need to think of them as players we can sell and if the odd one slips through the sale net to be good enough for the first team then it is a nice bonus

https://x.com/knifesedge11/status/17824 ... -j6VVZXEoA

Interesting take from Neville on what a club and manager should do if they disagree with a decision…. You won’t need reminding of the absolute pile on Neville orchestrated when Arteta did exactly what he’s saying Forest should have done

Hypocrite of the highest order

Timber just scored a worldie playing left back for the U21’s 8 minutes in to his return

The glimpse I got of Timber at the CS game and the videos of him in Holland, I thought he was going to be huge for us at the back and he seemed be a sure starter. He looked like he'd be the best full back we had no disrespect to Ben White. Hopefully we'll see him at some point this season only if he's ready. Obviously we have to be careful.

Mate, I hope they never rise again.

Speaking of movies, I just watched "The Gentlemen", and Vinny Jones played a very strong supporting role. I like the role he was cast as. When he started his acting career, I believe he was usually cast as the evil strongman ready to break bones.

Yes, he has tailed off ever since. Wonder if it is his attitude that got in his way, again

Nervous about tonight,

I’ve said for a while this week will be the hardest challenge to negate. People will write off Chelsea but they still have a side full of internationals. They don’t need to win and we do.

Just can’t see us getting 2 wins from the next 2. Such a tall ask.

Any win lads just any *%^@*** win ! Deflection off the refs arse will do.

Agreed, sadly to be the pedant no one can score off the refs arse, if the ball hits the ref now they stop play immediately no matter the situation

Offs

Enjoying that too.

It doesn't matter how weak the opposition may seem, I take nothing for granted. Losing to Villa at home was a reminder from the winter losing to both West Ham and Fulham.

I have long said I think Timber will be transformational to us. At the risk of over hyping him. We don't have a full back who can deliver on both ends of the pitch as he can. Now, only to get a holding midfielder so can have Rice play a more forward position and a modern, athletic and pacy number 9. All that and we are a threat semi final team in Europe and will be leading at this time of the year next season unless City or Liverpool have one of those 99 point seasons.

In Lisbon for a few days - payback - so missing tonight.

Had a few football conversations with the people here, all coincidentally Benfica fans. The city is either Sporting or Benfica and they’re proper rivals. Interestingly, all the Benfica people to a man said the same thing. They really hoped Sporting win the league since they play such beautiful football and they real deserve it. Seems their Coach - hottest property in Europe - is the real deal. They all said that too.

Arsenal vs QPR '74, McClintock playing for QPR

Happy St.George's Day to all our English posters.

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Partey, Rice, Ødegaard, Saka, Havertz, Trossard

How about we settle for one off Havertz arse in the 94th minute for a 1-0 and he cups his ear to the Chelsea fans. Actually I’m not sure my nerves would survive that kind of game.

I’d give anything for a nice dull 2-0, zero shots on target for Chelsea.

No Palmer for Chelsea

Chelsea playing a young lad at RB or RCB, it would be good to see Havertz pull on to him and test him physically.

Gallagher will play the central attacking role for them, he’ll play it not necessarily as a creative force like Palmer but as a rabid presser, we need Partey to be 100% sharp, no dawdling on the ball because although Gallagher lacks some finesse he’ll hound our defensive midfield all day.

We can win this.

Havertz up front, so his arse should be in the proximity of the Chelsea goal at least... May he get a hat trick with it!

Partey being trusted. Worth the risk I think.

COYG!

Interesting selection - I hope Partey is up to speed, in his thought as much as his body.

All the pressure in this game is on our shoulders. It's how we deal with it that'll determine the outcome tonight.
I think we'll step up to the plate.
COYG

Good start for us and Partey