This may sound silly but looking at both schedules, I worry a wee bit of the goal differential being reduced significantly.

They are a point behind with a game in hand and an easier run of fixtures. They have done this several times before. We are hoping for an upset which looks very unlikely.

https://x.com/scrapytweets/status/17835 ... -j6VVZXEoA

This was the free kick City got for the 2nd goal

Realistically the only way GD becomes a factor is if City draw 1 game and then we match each others results in the 4 remaining games. So they’d have to beat us by 2 goals per game in 4 matches to overhaul the + 8 we have on them. Doable but unlikely in just 4 games I’d have thought.

We added +1 to the GD between us this midweek

https://x.com/officialvizeh/status/1783 ... -j6VVZXEoA

This wolves goal was given on the pitch but var ruled it out. It wasn’t offside, and without going to the comments which explain why it was ruled out is there anything anyone can see which deserves the var ‘clear and obvious error’ intervention?

It was for a foul in the build up, think there was a perceived arm to the face on the touchline before the pass to the winger who crosses it in. Haven’t seen it and that video is a bit grainy so can’t really tell. Might be B.S. but that was the reason given. Heard one journalist agree with the decision, whatever that’s worth.

You're right it was for an arm in the face in the build up. I'd argue that it was accidental and certainly not worthy of a VAR overturn. There is just zero inconsistency. We're told there is a deliberate very high bar for overturns because PGMOL don't want to re-referee games - which leads to penalty decisions like the one Joao Pedro should have had last night not being given (they were 4-0 down already I'm not complaining about the result), and also ones like Szobaslai was given for Liverpool earlier this season allowed to stand.

Our referee team for the NLD is Michael Oliver as ref (regularly been criticised for giving Man City favourable decisions this year after his jaunt to UAE to ref games for the City owners) and Liverpool fan Jared Gillet on VAR who has a history of awful decisions against us.

I do find it odd still that in however many years of the Premier league and professional refs that to my knowledge not a single ref when having to declare their club support has ever told the authorities they supported Man U, Man City, Arsenal, Spurs or Chelsea. The last 3 can be somewhat explained by not a single ref in the past 20 odd years coming from London - the odds of that are ridiculous. But for so many refs to be born and bred in the north-west and the only ref who claims allegiance to any of the big teams there is the Australian guy.

https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/which-f ... 7933177b98

Howard Webb is Rotherham fan and the guy I think is the best ref in the country Anthony Taylor, born and bred in greater Manchester would die wearing an Altrincham Town shirt

Sorry Danny it’s over. It went at Villa. All those people bombing out the ground after the first goal knew what had happened. We needed them to drop points last night.

It’s theirs and I’ll go one further and say they will end up topping our goal difference by the time the season ends with the fixtures they have coming up so we will need a defeat rather than a draw anyway.

It’s gutting because we made such a noble effort and there will be nothing more ironic than us bravely beating spurs on Sunday then still losing the title anyway.

Great effort but this is virtually impossible for Arsenal given the current state of our squad. It’s a 90-100 point season required to win the premier league now. Utterly mental

Yup. We need to just keep winning our game and try to ignore what City do. Even if City do win all their games (which is likely), and if we keep them under pressure to the end, it will be an amazing feat.

Yes, even if we win our games by 1 goal, they'd have to win by an average of clear 3 goals in the 4 games (excluding the one they draw). I wouldn't put it past them but it would be some going!

If both us and City win all our games we'll naturally look at the two games v Villa and Fulham as where we lost the title, and West Ham at home. but in truth everyone that comes close can do this. If we manage to pip City they'll look at their 2-2 draw at home to Palace when they were 2-0 up with 15 to go. Only managing to scrape an 80th minute equaliser v Chelsea at home, losing away to Wolves, an unforgiveable 3-3 draw v Spurs at home when they battered them and had the lead twice and conceded in the 90th minute. A crazy 4-4 away to Chelsea where they led 3 times and also conceded an equaliser in the last minute.

Every team has these annoying results. If we finish on 89 points and City finish on 91 having won their last 9 straight and going unbeaten in 23 in the league including 19 wins there sometimes you just have to say there is not much more we could have done

Truth is we have the best team in the league right now but City have the best squad.

It’s a season of 40 games. At some point you will need to rely on the group. It’s fixable but irritating

Going back to 2019, Sokratis' potential late winner against Palace was inexplicably ruled out by Gillett on VAR. Oddly enough, even when he was officiating in Australia's A-League, Gillett wasn't that highly rated. Let's face it, he was no Roger Kirkpatrick.

You have to a$k how they did it though.

Against all hope I expect City to win the rest of their games. I don't think we will. Even if City draws a game, we'd have to win all of ours and win on goal differential. I don't see that happening frankly. This week is the toughest of the run because its 3 games in 7 days. The latter 2 being the 2 biggest London derbies. After the NLD its a game every weekend. Way more time to rest and strategize.

With all that being said, if we win all the games save a draw and included in those wins Tottenham and Man Utd then I'll be happy even if there is no title.

I'll be disappointed but will finish the season having done some amazing things.

Once could point to little mistakes and flaws in Arteta's management (or Klopp's for that matter). But ultimately this is the case of the country with the most ammunition winning the war 99% of the time.

Might not be a popular opinion but I say yes. But then again, I wasn't around back then.

Probably back page dribble but there is a current rumor, which was lightly talked about before about us being interested in Rashford if other options fail.

I don't like his lack of work ethic at times. There were games he wasn't tracking back. Wasn't pressing. I don't want to use the term 'lazy' because I've seen him press like against us. I just think he's not motivated due to internal factors. He was one of the players even Mourinho said should be sold. Talented but will he put in a shift week in, week out?

Hard work, perseverance, and proud history of success, including a massive 2 titles in their glorious first 130 years, that wasn't bought with dodgy oil money at all. They paced themselves, but from the early days it was obvious they would one day dominate world football.

Trebles, invincible seasons, etc. are one thing, but winning the title, then managing to get relegated the following season, despite scoring more goals than any other team, is surely a feat that will never be repeated.

No thanks.
He’s on over £300k, has no workrate and no defensive nous and can’t press. He has pace but can look clumsy on a dribble and tends to just hit his shots as hard as he can and is quite selfish when it comes to shooting in the final 3rd. He’s a player who has relied on his athleticism and pace and doesn’t have enough technical ability and football intelligence for me.

If he was on a free and willing to take sub £100k a week I’m still not sure I’d want him as I don’t like his attitude in a sinking Man U ship - you can learn a lot about players in adversity. Look how Rice lead an average West Ham side from the front, captain and best player.

There has been a lot of praise for Ange’s high defensive line but it’s actually Arsenal who play the highest defensive line in all of Europe’s big 5 leagues.

Another MLS goal keeper's apparently at Arsenal for a trial. I don't know. After Matt Turner who moved on, it's a US Colorado Rapids keeper at 17 years old named Adam Beaudry.

We can do much better. I seriously hope its just idle rumors and has no legs. I'd actually take Martial over him, any time. But both players are on the wrong side of 25. I prefer young, gifted strikers.

I know the time you’re thinking of when his absence led to a significant drop in our creativity and tempo. He was at the same time out most disruptive midfielder not just with directly tackling but tactically and interceptions as well. Xhaka could only do what he did further up the pitch when Partey was behind him so I think you’re underestimating Partey’s defensive capability.

Where I think you are right is that he does add a bit more zip to the tempo going forward and also doesn’t need to bear as much defensive work due to the evolution of the rest of the squad

A royal shame he’s had such persistent injury problems because with him sitting next to Rice that’s a hell of a CM pairing.

I think the NLD can possibly be summed up as a 'must win' game for The Arsenal and a 'must not lose' game for Tottenham. Tottenham will celebrate a draw because it means we are possibly out of the title chase. They want 4th and want to win for their fans but if they play well and get a draw the fans will take it.

Remember when we held Spur's future in our hands?

Maybe this result tomorrow.

If the truth be told we have done remarkably well just to still be in the title discussion against the juggernaut that is Man City.

They have a formidable squad and are basically a machine in which most of the parts are fully interchangeable with little or no loss of quality and that allows them to rest players. Even then we've seen how difficult it is to compete on all fronts and some of their players have complained of tiredness.

That makes it all the remarkable how we have remained competitive with minimal rotation because some of our back-ups are not quite at the level required.

The only time City and Pep have lost this league is when Liverpool had to win 26 of their first 27 games. The standard is crazy, and it’s even crazier to consider finishing 2nd to them as a failure.

The consequence of those 115 charges will define English football for years whichever way the outcome falls

Lots of rumours that we want Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, fee £80-100m. Proven on the prem, excellent player but at that price I’m less sure, he seems to play best in the 8 role so may be too similar to Rice(not that that is necessarily a bad thing) but for our midfield the two profiles I’d want to see is the Partey replacement- and that is all about elite passing and quick progressive ball movement, and I’d still like to see an attacking left 8 who can cause problems on a dribble - I like Eze at Palace for this position, pace and power and skill full on the dribble

How much does Gunnasaurus get paid? He is more useful than this bloke.

Liverpool didn't have to win 26 of the first 27 to win that league. They finished 18 points clear. City lost 9 times that season.

We have become a very good side and with some good recruitment this summer (a proper striker) we can win the league next season.

One to watch this. His agent is Kia Joorbachin same agent as Edu who was central to Martin Ødegaard joining

https://www.teamtalk.com/news/edu-strik ... en-striker

I’m off to look at YouTube to see him kick a football for literally the first time, but I’m utterly convinced he’s the most perfect signing in our history and I’ll be devastated and bereft if it doesn’t happen.

Didn’t HAVE to no, but it was a ridiculous season that they finally broke Pep. 99 points and they were on the beach for the final 8 games. We beat them at the end

Obi Martin with a 17 minute hat trick for the U18’s, I think he can still play at that level for 2 more years.
He’s breaking a lot of age group goal scoring records

I have to take some offense to the 'Arsenal bottled it' last season and this season. City has won the title 5 of the last 6 years. So, we are expected to come in and win it first time? Or even second time, competing with their money and wages. Either people are simply unrealistic and/or they are finding any excuse to criticize us.

Liverpool had 97 points and 1 loss (lowest in the league) and still lost the title. Another season had 92 points, 2 losses (lowest in the league) and still lost. When you score 90 points plus and can't win the league, when in pretty much any other season it was enough, its unrealistic to expect us to win it.

Too early to talk about it but next season I think we'll be very, very hard to beat. I think it will be our season. I will say again, Timber in the team will take us to a new level. Him along with any striker and center mid but we buy no one else, we'll be stronger with him. Have a great feeling about him.

He’s got 5 goals in the first half. 26 goals in 15 games for the U18’s this season, leading scorer in the U18 league, the 3 lads behind him in the scoring charts are 18, Obi is still 16.