Premier League 25/26 Thread

[Cazza]

Anyway, off topic even for this, I ended up pictured in The Times this week doing amateur egg chasing:
https://www.thetimes.com/article/1e...2?shareToken=83e811579f0c35ed1b464dcd3edadfb1

No. 16, they snapped my good side

That's great, Carl! Really nice article, in The Times, no less! We need more of this sort of stuff across the bigger sports- definitely in footie!

 

[theforceuk]

I'm not sure I agree on the hand break view entirely, Artetta is 2 or 3 defeats away from the fans turning on him. Arsenal probably should have gone for it in the league a lot more, but in the UCL it would be stupid to go out all guns blazing against any of the teams left in it. Fulham at home on Saturday (why are they playing Saturday move the game so they get a 5 day rest before the second leg!) should be all out attack.

 

[lejackal]

The difficulty is the football is eye gauging to watch. If we get a trophy or two that's instantly forgiven/forgotten. Come away empty handed again and it's been a painful season

 

[theforceuk]

Talking of eye gauging football, I see Jose has got the Real Madrid job.

 

[weasel]

Has he got ityet, just talk last I heard.

His ego against Vini junior and Mbappe, gonna be fun.

Picture the scene when they refuse to run back and he goes bonkers

 

[edd_jedi]

Scott Parker sacked by Burnley, but I respect the fact they gave him the full season (or until relegation confirmed at least) not many other clubs would do that. Crazy to think Kompany was there a couple of years ago, and now has taken Bayern to a CL semi!

 

[weasel]

I assume if Bayern don't win the CL, Kompany gets sacked and Scott Parker gets the Bayern job. Right!? Lol

 

[weasel]

The difficulty is the football is eye gauging to watch. If we get a trophy or two that's instantly forgiven/forgotten. Come away empty handed again and it's been a painful season

Genuine question, if you win nothing…..say Atleti **** house you, knick an early goal, dive, play act, time-waste, cheat and you grab a 94th minute equaliser before losing on pens, and then City win the PL by 1 GS…. does Arteta keep his job?

That kinda season is "progress". He can claim, legitimately, to have been 'unlucky'. But, it is ANOTHER year with no silverware. A year of utterly woeful football. Which is getting worse, not better. Do Arsenal have the means, in PSR terms, to go and spend big AGAIN this summer, they have had a few years of relatively big spending!?

Does it matter if you lose in the unlucky way I outlined to Atleti and get pipped by the finest margins? Say Atleti win 2-1, a comfortable 2-1 not a nervous one, and you drop points in one of your final games, is he gone then?

Genuinely interested in how Arsenal fans think it'll pan out.


Ps, I'm writing this as you're playing Fulham off the park, so I don't think you're dropping points today.

 

[Cazza]

Struggling to come to terms with this weekend's results. The footballing gods have well and truly stamped on us. WTAF?! Where to begin?!

 

[edd_jedi]

Struggling to come to terms with this weekend's results. The footballing gods have well and truly stamped on us. WTAF?! Where to begin?!

You've just summed up the last 6 months of being a Spurs fan

There's only one point in it and three games to go, anything could happen. I'm annoyed that all the news outlets have started saying De Zerbi has "saved" Spurs, don't jump the gun! There's no way either Spurs or West Ham will win all three remaining games.

on the plus side:



I'm going to call it now - they'll lose again to Liverpool next week making it seven straight defeats, they'll then beat City to win the FA Cup, and beat Spurs as well.

 

[Cazza]

I think you'll beat them. They are a shambles. I think we will have been totally crushed by this weekend's events. Hard to see us recovering. All that hard work potentially out of the window in one weekend. Mathematically definitely possible, but can't see it now, especially with the fixtures.

So...
Brentford's first goal should've 100% been disallowed for a terrible studs-up follow through on Mav.
Mav's equaliser disallowed for his elbow being offside. Such nonsense- please make it so it can only be part of your body that you can actually score with!
Hit the woodwork 4 times!
Stupid, soft penalty given away by the absolutely exasperating Diouf. There was a touch of the Anthony Gordon's about it, e.g. running into the leg of the defender, but def a pen.
Terrible 3rd goal- poor tracking back from Traore and Wan Bissaka ambling around. Dunno what's happened to him- was outstanding last season, but clearly couldn't care less.
To top it all off, 2 clear-as-day pens not given. I am lost for words with those two decisions. They seem to make up reasons to give/not to give decisions on the fly, to help make the ref on the pitch look better. Could/should have won and scored 4 or 5, but instead lose 3-0.

Then onto Villa vs Spurs. Watched the entire game and Villa's 'performance' was an utter disgrace. Don't think I've seen a team play so badly this season, and that includes Burnley and Wolves. 1 touch in the Spurs box in the first 60 mins! Spurs played much better- really up for it, first to the the ball, won every duel, but nothing special, quality-wise really and a vaguely firing Villa would've beaten them. Rogers 4 in the previous 5 vs Spurs, Richarlison never scored against Villa, Villa won 4 of the previous 5 vs Spurs etc etc. Emery just stood there the entire match. Villa fans leaving before half time.

Chelsea vs Forest. NF pretty much play the reserves and win 3-1, with Palmer, who doesn't tend to miss pens, missing a pen.

 

[edd_jedi]

Yep, that's football. We'll beat City, then lose to Burnley. I seem to remember you beat Arsenal last season

 

[Cazza]

Indeed! Yeah, beat them away. Can't see it, but you never know.

 

[weasel]

I'm going to call it now - they'll lose again to Liverpool next week making it seven straight defeats, they'll then beat City to win the FA Cup, and beat Spurs as well.

Jesus, have you seen Liveerpool? Chelsea have lost six on the spin and scored one goal in that time. I'd put my life on them beating Pool and bagging at least three in the process. They will become peak Barca next Saturday.

 

[lejackal]

6
5
4
3
2
1

 

[theforceuk]

Congratulations @lejackal , Arsenal in the final!

 

[Cazza]

Congrats, Carl!

 

[lejackal]

Cheers both. I played my part by wearing a Juve jersey- can't curse anyone in that

 

[weasel]

Aye, fair play, the better side definitely won.

I do wonder what the **** Simeone's logic was. One down and heading out so you…..take off Greasyman and Alvarez, your two best forwards. I get one is auld and the other was stretchered off, but ehh you were 1 down in a CL semi! If ever there was a time to risk getting getting more injured…….
Atleti had all the cutting edge of a blunt spoon in the second half. I'm jot sure what the plans for equalising were, beyond hoping Arsenal would be nice and let them have a free goal.

Still, fair ***** to Arsenal.

 

[weasel]

PSG look very very good, again. Not sure on that keeper, but then they won it with Donnaruma last season and I have never seen what people see in him.

Yer man Kavat-scalia (OBVIOUSLY spelt wrong) is a class act.

 

[lejackal]

Sadly yes, he's probably in the top five in world football right now.

 

[theforceuk]

It's all good Arsenal have to come second in something this season.

 

[lejackal]

2nd in both would be a killer

 

[weasel]

@edd_jedi, WH Arsenal on Sunday…..who you cheering for?

 

[edd_jedi]

A draw would be nice but in all seriousness I'm currently swaying towards Spurs surviving over Arsenal losing, although as said I wish there was an outcome where both Spurs and West Ham could pull through

 

[StarWarsFan]

Was on a support call yesterday to someone from our German site. Started going on about a match using initials had no idea what he was going on about lol said not a foot ball fan I'm afraid

 

[weasel]

How dirty did you feel celebrating an Arsenal goal @edd_jedi?

WH were hard done by. They didn't deserve to lose that. It probably was a foul but I have seen similar allowed to stand.
What bugs me is Arsenal have blocked off, grappled and held at EVERY ******* CORNER/SET PIECE they have had this season. Every. Single. One.
I dare say if we look back we could find reasons to disallow a large chunk of those goals, but they seem to get away with it. I don't know how.

Yes, all teams do it, but Arsenal are far and away the worst. It is actually something thenFA/PL/PGMOL need to look t because it's long past being ridiculous.

If only Fernandez(?) had scored that one on one!

In other news, Liverpool continue to be crap and draw with a Chelsea side who have lost six on the bounce. The sooner this season ends the better, and someone please take Arne Slot, I can't stand the slow, ponderous, do nothing football any more.

 

[lejackal]

The shirt pull alone and I'd say they get away with it, the holding his arm down was what did it imo. And yes, full acknowledgment that Arsenal grapple, but so does everyone

 

[Cazza]

Absolutely gutted. Agree it was a foul, however it definitely wasn't clear and obvious (took 7 mins to sort!) and several of our players, including the two involved with Raya, were being fouled before their contact. No consistency whatsoever. That definitely gets given if it's down the other end, as they have been previously this season.

Maybe disallow the goal, but give a pen. They've really got to sort this out. The impact is massive. The outcry would've been bigger if it was given - that's got to be somewhere in the officials' reckoning, even if it's subconscious.

 

[edd_jedi]

A draw was my preference but I might retrospectively celebrate it if we survive by one point!

And yes as we always say, probably the right decision but where's the consistency when Ben White is trying to take Vicario's gloves off (no I'm never going to get over that one )