“Arsenal should have signed X instead” is easy enough to write (whether in February or May), but also kind of weird considering we are in first by four and went unbeaten in the CL league stage.

Considering Timber doesn’t do much to augment our attack I’d say that Noni did rather ok. He was one of the few players really willing to go front-footed and attack his defender. Our right side is compromised by JT (going forward), to me.

Miguel pre-wrote this and didn’t update it for the game he watched. A game in which Madueke scored a potential winning goal.

Maybe this is too easy to say but I think we win if Kai starts. What a blow.

There’s at least a little cognitive dissonance in us “blowing our chance” while playing one of “the toughest tests in the league”.

Seven shots TOTAL and less than .75xG isn't going to cut it against anyone.

We earned our position, and that granted us a couple of wobbly results even as we maintain a nice 4 point lead. We can't, and shouldn't, forget what spot we are still in. The issue is that we used up those free hits, and rather quickly. Plus they all look the same, which isn't great in February.

Do not mistake this for anything but what it is, which is a simple statement: the manager has some deserved questions to answer about some of our bad habits. Why do they persist? And why, if he's trying to coach us out of them, is that not working?

Arsenal don’t be morons after scoring challenge

we were idiots

Yeah, that's a rough showing from Eze. Partially on him, for sure, and partially on the disconnected lineup without much else in the way of progression. Let's see how it goes early on this half with Odegaard.

Ok so my hack opinion is that, on the evidence, we don't get enough progression from Hincapie, Timber, and not-Odegaard. Rice has had to do it all today, other than long balls (which Gyok has handled to mixed effect). Eze not a ball progressor like MO - we can't get him the ball where he likes it.

This has nothing to do with our pretty mediocre (if that) play going forward, but this is clearly a really inferior match official.

100% this. He has no steel as a referee.

wonky start

stomach churning. come on Arsenal.

Eze brace incoming. To go with the Big Gab set piece goal, the Trossard strike, and the Madueke Olympico, (I'll take a quiet 1-0 win, too)

Saka, Odegaard in the squad. Trossard starting. Saliba out. Kai out (obvs). It is what it is. Can't let this stuff stop us.

Another shameful day in the recent history of the Arsenal. The club cowered and hid behind lawyers. They treated the women at the club, and the women’s team, with disdain. They put supporters in an untenable position. We need to always remember this.

One day there will be a reckoning for how Arsenal Football Club dealt with this case. And I’m afraid that includes the manager

Paul Tierney and Neil Davies (VAR) should not be permitted to work any City matches the rest of the season. They can’t be trusted - and I don’t mean this as conspiracy. They were clearly susceptible to the media work done by Pep and Rodri, if even only subconsciously. How was Foden not sent off?

For United we had our first “fully fit squad” (minus Dowman). Since then we’ve lost Merino for the year, Saka, Odegaard, Trossard, and now Havertz. In the course of four matches. It’s insane.

Today can’t end soon enough (for all sorts of reasons and not just the football - but mostly the football).

Someone thought this was a good design for a day: 1. City easily cut into lead (despite getting out xG'd) 2. Arsenal drop/leak injury news for key player at halftime of that game 3. Unai Emery flukes win, typically 4. Sp*rs sack manager ahead of our NLD, the ONLY conceivable way they can improve

How long until we announce Ox?

Brighton's arrogant little manager is another guy who can fuck right off.

Way to drop the Kai news while City is smashing Fulham. Good timing. Thanks.

Thanks you posh twats

Never go the full Unai

Has anyone done a data-centric deep dive on new manager bounces? Are they real, or just a confirmation-bias thing? I know we would have been better off facing Amorim’s United, but beyond that what’s the actual deal with how teams do post-sacking? My amateur hunch is those teams still aren’t good.

Here comes a bunch of smartypants “Thomas Frank was never going to work out at Sp*rs” hot takes. Where were they when he was hired? I looked back to last June and there’s remarkably little skepticism about his hiring and how it would all go.

He got the stink on him alright.

More like “no, Señor”, amirite?

Who is this, I can't think of anyone on Newcastle with these initials.

It may have been surprising that City got the win at LFC the way they did, but on the other hand it's a giant fucking miracle that Sp*rs took *anything* off of them. The gap could easily be smaller, just off the last two weeks.

🤔 Wait. At Arsenal?

Holy both sides, Batman* One side argues the rule should change. The other side “would argue” that the rules are the rules and everyone knew the rules. But again, both sides. *in this case “Batman” is “Dale Johnson”.

I forgot that if I spend any kind of time here I'm definitely getting curling spoilers. 🤬

I've got it. If you play 1st and win you get conditional credit. If you play 2nd and win after the team you are chasing goes 1st and wins then you get TWICE their credit but the SAME # of points. If you play 1st and draw and your rival plays 2nd but loses you get LESS credit (though MORE points).

Wait, did they make points available in the Premier League for a cup final? WTF. Seems unprecedented if true.

Football Bluesky's most suspect group of people?

Today’s mediot brain teaser: See if you can figure out the difference between these two pictures.

If you went to bed Friday and woke up today you’d be shocked to find out that Arsenal’s six point lead at the top of the table had been imperiously chewed into by Manchester City and was now down to a tighter, scarier…six points.

Dale Johnson may be gone but the ESPN VAR review is still the “why the refs got it 100% right” rubber stamp it was when he was there.

The Keshani tweet but in the States it’s about the NY Jets.

Look, if you repeatedly watch a sport that has like 3 seconds of action for every three minutes of time, is littered with commercial breaks, and then spend time posting complaints about not being entertained, I think that’s on you.

Starting to remember why I gave up the NFL as a viewing experience.

Wait does Joe Montana play the old guy in “Shrinking”?