The competition is objectively weaker without champions league teams dropping down into it. I think that’s the main point. I think it should be that way mind.

I thought it was a master stroke to enter the winners of the Europa into the champions league. It elevated the competition hugely and English teams immediately started taking it seriously.

It’s only 1 side so I don’t mind it too much.

I'm sure every team can and will point to a really bad decision that has cost them points each season, I don't debate that.
My arguments where Arsenal are concerned is where are the really lucky/good decisions in our favour in the league over any of the last 3 seasons we've been going for the title?

Every season we were in the Europa league we faced at least 1 team in the knock out rounds who had dropped down from the champions league groups stage. See below. Also see the quality of the equivalent teams who would have dropped down from the champions league this season if the formats were the same.

We weren’t good enough when we got knocked out but we were quite unfortunate in some years to face teams who had slipped up in the CL but were clearly CL quality whilst we were not. Spurs and Man U haven’t had that this season

2017/18 (Final was Athletico Madrid v Marseille)
Arsenal played in the KO rounds - Osterunds, AC Milan, CSKA Moscow, Athletico Madrid
Teams dropping down from CL – CSKA Moscow, Celtic, Athletico Madrid, Sporting, Spartak, Napoli, Leipzig, Dortmund

2018/19 (Final was Chelsea v Arsenal)
Arsenal played in the KO rounds – BATE, Rennes, Napoli, Valencia, Chelsea
Teams dropping down from CL – Brugge, Inter Milan, Napoli, Galatasary, Befnica, Shaktar, Viktoria Plzen, Valencia

2019/20 (Final was Sevilla v Inter Milan)
Arsenal played in the KO rounds – Olympiacos
Teams dropping down from CL – Brugge, Olympiacos, Shaktar, Leverkusen, RB Salzburg, Benfica, Ajax

2020/21 (Final was Villarreal v Man U)
Arsenal played in the KO rounds – Benfica, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Villarreal
Teams dropping down from CL –RB Salzburg, Shaktar, Olympiacos, Ajax, Krasnodar, Bruge, Dynamo Kyiv, Man U

2022/23 (Final was Sevilla v Roma)
Arsenal played in the KO rounds – Sporting
Teams dropping down from CL –Ajax, Leverkusen, Barcelona, Sporting, RB Salzburg, Shaktar, Sevilla, Juventus

This season
Equivalent CL teams who would have dropped in to Europa – Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Man City, Sporting, Brugge
Man U KO rounds – Sociadad, Lyon, Athletic Bilbao, Spurs?
Spurs KO rounds – AZ, Frankfurt, Bodo/Glimt, Man U/Bilbao

Me commentating on the easy nature of the Europa League when both Spurs and Man U went through last night doesn't mean I care more about this than our own path to the CL semi with a really good chance of winning it. The two events are mutually exclusive.

by the way Lazio are 6th in Serie A, their best players are two Arsenal rejects Tavares and Guendouzi, they are a classic middling Europa league team - their league finishes over the past 10 years make them the Man U or Spurs of Italy - a far weaker league than England.

New Martinelli chant came our at Madrid to the tune of "Bella Ciao" are: "La la la la la la la la la, his name is Gabi, he's from Sao Paulo, and he plays for Arsenal"

Obviously the words are pretty simple but the tune is good, very recognisable for a terrace song, can see it catching on

Is it about Martinelli ? Big Gab is also from São Paulo.

Heard it, rather catchy

Both from Sao Paolo state - so could be about either, but I assumed Martinelli as it was the first I heard it in Madrid and big Gabi was back at home (there is a video of him celebrating with his leg in a brace)

Sometimes your luck isn't in. We are where we are because of injuries and the lack of striker. Once we rectify that we can win.
But there was the equaliser in the Spurs game from a corner that wasn't. Timber not getting a red in that game. Bournemouth's goal ruled out very very soft decision. There are lots of them. Frankly I don't care much. You end up where you deserve to be after 38 games. If keep the squad fit and get a striker and 1 or 2 others I think we'll win the title. There'll be bad/unlucky decisions along the way but that's life.

I can't think of many goals Saka has scored from the position and run he did v Madrid, he was in the CF position. As much as our tactic is very much to get it to the wide players who really hold the width and get them to go 1v1 I think we can become a better team by allowing Saka to drift in to at least the half spaces rather than pinning him to the touchline.

Test1

From apple igone 15 using brave.

From Google chrome, looks like it’s only my pc that is *%^@**

Blow away the cookie ?

Try another browser ?

Do you have any anti-virus program smacking the page - Malwarebytes, Comodo, etc.

Some of the web advisers can kill the page also.

Rog ...

Saka was injured in 21st December and came back on the 1st April - so 3 months and a week (ish)
Havertz was injured around 10th Feb - 3 months and a week later is mid may - we play Newcastle on the 18th May, Southampton on 25th May and the Champions League final is 31st May......
Not to get ahead of ourselves here but Arteta was asked about Havertz today and said the CL semi's were too close for Havertz being back but he would bet on him back quicker than expected.

Calafiori is out for Ipswich but could play v Palace and PSG

Oof! That’s got to sting. What an absolutely idiotic thing to do all round.

Yeah it's crazy isn't it ? Who would ever want to be an Everton fan.

https://www.football365.com/news/declan ... same-wages

The arrogance is astounding. Rice would have likely chosen Arsenal due to social reasons, even if clubs were in a similar place. The fact that United have been nowhere near Arsenal in the PL and thus not in CL, means United had absolutely zero chance of securing Rice over Arsenal. Ferdinand doesn't seem to have noticed United have been *%^@ for 15 years.

I can't imagine why any player would want to sign for that clown show.

It’s this level of bias, arrogance and inability to read the room that makes pundits like Rio so unlikeable. And makes you question everything they say because when they show how one eyed they can be it’s impossible to believe they can put their bias aside in literally anything they comment on.

I was with the guy that handles his boot deal at Adidas before he moved, a West Ham supporter btw, and he said Utd was where he wanted to be. Fortunately the shambles they were in made him rethink. He’s now bought a chunk of real estate on St George’s Hill so will be edging a little closer to the hallowed ground of North London.

It's a problem United and their supporters have. They are stuck in the past and still assume they are a top team.

He explained it quite well after the game this week. I can’t find the quotes but he said he saw the flight of direction of the club as the reason to join. We’d just missed a title. Which is true. Let’s be honest he could have picked where he wanted to go even city. He’s here because he chose Arsenal. Best signing since Sol Campbell Özil can get in the bin

Have some Eboues

UEFA should throw the book at Carvahal btw (doubt they will though) - his confronting and grabbing Saka was so so out of order - sums up the arrogance and entitlement of these Madrid tossers

Should be a six game ban at least

Well if you were a really social person and every 18 months you liked meeting a new manager and his team of trainers you might consider United. Or you liked to be reminded about a plane crash years ago. Otherwise not many selling points. And I won't mention their entitled fans.

I hope your last comment does not come back to haunt us. I prefer not to test the karma gods.