Arteta's use of his full-backs this season has been really interesting. Timber was effectively playing as a striker in some moments against Liverpool. Part of the plan to create more unpredictability & fluidity? Chelsea have done similar with Cucurella www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

Since Arsene Wenger's departure in 2018, Arsenal have spent more than £1bn to rebuild the squad – and then rebuild it again, and again. In total, there have been 49 first-team signings. Here they all are, ranked from best to worst #AFC www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

Arteta on Havertz: “We are monitoring his load. He has been out for a long time. He is very close. He trained this morning again. Hopefully we will have him available.” #AFC

Mikel Arteta says Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are still injured and won’t be available for tomorrow’s game against Liverpool. #AFC

Arsenal were a long way from their fluid best but that was another fabulous defensive performance by Declan Rice in midfield. He won possession 10 times, the most of any player on the pitch. He also had the most touches (114) and accurate passes (87). #AFC

Viktor Gyokeres continues to divide opinion among #AFC fans but one thing cannot be denied: he is good at penalties. Since the summer of 2023 (when he joined Sporting) he has scored 19 out of 19 penalties he has taken in league football.

Arsenal's bench tonight: one goalkeeper, one left-back, four midfielders, two wingers and a striker.

Here's a good pre-match stat (courtesy of Opta): of the 10 goals Arsenal have conceded in the Premier League this season, four have been scored in the final 10 minutes.

Teams at the Hill Dickinson: #EFC Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Iroegbunam; McNeil, Alcaraz, Grealish; Barry #AFC Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

Everyone could see the anger of Arsenal's players at full-time on Saturday, despite victory. Senior figures including Odegaard & Rice expressed their frustrations in the dressing room, too. Collective agreement that #AFC fell way short of usual standards. www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

Ben White had not started back-to-back games all season before December. This match against Wolves was his fourth start since December 3rd. That's a big and sudden increase in workload.

Teams at the Emirates: #AFC Raya; White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli #WWFC Johnstone; Doherty, Mosquera, Agbadou, Toti, Wolfe; Krejci, Andre, Gomes; Hwang, Strand Larsen

Last night was evidence of the huge stylistic differences between Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus. This season, Gyokeres averages around 26 touches per game for #AFC. In his Arsenal career, Jesus averages more than 50 touches per game.

Gabriel Jesus out there, popping the ball about like he's playing against Leicester in August 2022. The fluidity of the movement, the combinations with the wingers, the hold-up play. Obviously the scoreline helps but it's lovely stuff.

Gabriel Martinelli has become the first #AFC player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches.

Noni Madueke has scored the most difficult and most straightforward goals of his career on the same night. He's enjoying himself here.

Arsenal had a worryingly wobbly spell towards the end of that first half but I don't think it was because of the unfamiliar defensive lineup. They were so loose in possession higher up the pitch, where the ball simply wasn't sticking. It all became too bitty and transitional.

Nice work by the travelling #AFC fans in Bruges. They're signing a version of Last Christmas but this year, to save them from tears, they're giving their hearts to Zubimendi.

Here’s the #AFC team to face Club Brugge. Raya; White, Norgaard, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli Subs: Kepa, Setford, Saka, Jesus, Eze, Nwaneri, Calafiori, Copley, Nichols, Salmon

Arteta on injuries: "Let’s see [on Rice]. We have another training session in the afternoon. Every hour is going to be important. Mosquera [ankle] is the one that is more complicated, we have another test today. Saliba and Trossard are a matter of days." #AFC

Eight consecutive home wins for Arsenal (two goals conceded). Now 18 matches unbeaten in all competitions. That's the power of their deep squad: this run would never have been possible with these injuries last season.

Another goal and assist for Mikel Merino. Since moving to centre-forward a month ago, he has scored four and assisted three. And Arsenal have produced their best attacking football with him up front (admittedly not in second half tonight). Merino is the man right now. The nine.

Cristhian Mosquera off injured. Yet another example of Arsenal suffering injuries in positional clusters. They were missing three strikers and now they're missing three centre-backs.

Left-back Riccardo Calafiori there, backheeling the ball to right-back Ben White in the Brentford penalty area.

Noni Madueke and Ben White have started this game brilliantly. I have a theory that, for all Jurrien Timber's obvious brilliance, there is something about White (movement? intelligence?) that brings out the best of the right winger. I think we're seeing that already tonight.

Teams at the Emirates #AFC Raya; White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Merino, Martinelli #BrentfordFC Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Pinnock, Van den Berg, Henry; Janelt, Yarmoliuk, Jensen; Ouattara, Schade

Injury update from Mikel Arteta 🇫🇷William Saliba: "A matter of days" 🇧🇪Leandro Trossard: "A matter of days" 🇩🇪Kai Havertz: "A matter of weeks" 🇧🇷Gabriel: "A matter of weeks"

The disconnect between the #THFC players and fans leaves Thomas Frank in a delicate, dangerous position. He is walking the trickiest of tightropes. With Daniel Levy gone, Frank must avoid becoming the new lightning rod. www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

Arteta on Trossard’s fitness: "With Leo there is another test today. It didn’t look like much. There is a potential chance [he could be available]." #AFC

Interesting that Arsenal have produced their best two performances of the season (in my opinion) with Mikel Merino up front. He brings the best out of the attacking players around him. Such a smart player.

Fun fact: Bayern's starting lineup at the Emirates tonight contains as many London-born players as Munich-born.

Luis Munoz, a 13-year-old attacking midfielder in the Arsenal academy, has just become the youngest player in the history of the Uefa Youth League. He’s come onto the pitch as a 86th minute substitute for #AFC against Bayern Munich. Born December 2011.

Arsenal are closely monitoring Spanish midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza and are weighing up a potential move for the 20-year-old. #AFC face intense competition from other European giants if they decide to formalise their interest. www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

Arsenal goal involvements in all competitions: 10 - Trossard 8 - Eze, Rice 6 - Saka, Gyokeres 5 - Martinelli, Merino, Timber, Gabriel

Teams at the Emirates: #AFC Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard #THFC Vicario; Spence, Danso, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kudus, Palhinha, Bentancur, Odobert; Richarlison

On the streets of Morocco, thousands of dogs are being brutally killed. Shot, poisoned, starved, beaten and burned. Animal rights groups say the massacre is a gruesome clean-up operation ahead of the World Cup/AFCON. Morocco denies that. Special report: www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

Mikel Merino's success as an emergency striker says a lot about his quality as a footballer, but probably says even more about his character. There's a reason he was promoted to Arsenal's leadership group this season.

Arteta on Dowman: "The first ball he gets, he takes people on. He starts to dribble and gets a foul. That is personality, that is courage. You cannot teach that—you either have it or you don’t. It doesn’t matter what his passport says, you throw him in and he is able to adapt."

Arsenal have now gone 776 minutes without conceding in any competition. The last player to score against them was Newcastle's Nick Woltemade in September.

Here’s Arsenal’s lineup in Prague: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Nwaneri, Norgaard, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard #AFC

Arteta on the Palace Cup game being played on 23 December: “Hopefully then they will move our Premier League match. I am sure they will change the Premier League date as well.” #AFC

Mikel Arteta, speaking in Prague, says Viktor Gyokeres is definitely not available for tomorrow night. “We need to do some more tests and scans to understand the extent of the injury.” #AFC

Arteta: "Gyokeres was feeling a little of niggle, muscular. Zubi asked to be subbed, so we have to wait." #AFC

Seven consecutive clean sheets for Arsenal, who have not conceded a goal in 686 minutes of action. In three of their last four Premier League games, they have not even allowed a single shot on target. They are ridiculously solid right now.

Attacking stats at half-time.

This has surely been the best half of football that Vikor Gyokeres has played for Arsenal, and probably by some distance? Holding it up, switching play, finding through balls.

The Arsenal fans at Burnley are celebrating every corner like it's a goal. I suspect they're finding this "Set Piece FC" thing even more enjoyable now that rival fans keep complaining about it.

Here’s the #AFC team at Turf Moor. Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

Since he started taking corners and free-kicks, Declan Rice has been the best set-piece taker in Europe. Renowned dead-ball specialists aren't even close to matching his output. Here's how he does it & how #AFC's happy accident became a crucial weapon www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

Moments after Max Dowman sends Diego Gomez to Tottenham with a lovely drop of the shoulder, Gomez clatters into Dowman with a painful late foul. I suspect those two events might have been linked.