by Tony Attwood
And so it is a top four game on Sunday at 4.30pm…
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Club
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P
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|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
2
|
2
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0
|
0
|
6
|
2
|
4
|
6
|
|
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
4
|
6
|
|
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
|
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
5
|
2
|
6
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|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
7
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
6
|
-2
|
3
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
-1
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
-1
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
-2
|
0
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
-4
|
0
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
6
|
-5
|
0
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
5
|
-5
|
0
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
5
|
-5
|
0
|
… not that means too much at this stage of the season, although we’ve not only won those two league games but also done ok in the community shield as I recall. And Tottenham are 19th.
And yet, and yet, the Chelsea victories over Fulham and Brighton were just by one goal, so maybe we should not worry too much.
But perhaps we might look at the list of Chelsea managers since 22 December 2019 – the day that Mikel Arteta joined Arsenal and we have Frank Lampard who joined that club some five and a half months before Mikel, followed by Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Sator, Frank Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca, Calum McFarlane, Liam Rosienor, Calum McFarlane for a second time and Xabi Alonso.Â
And yes they won the Champions League and the Conference League in that spell, so maybe having ten (or whatever the number is, I may have miscounted) managers actually works.  But for me it doesn’t feel right – I am happier with just the one and winning the Premier League.
Still each to their own. – and if I am remembering aright, and reading the charts ok, the recent results in Arsenal matches at home against Chelsea have been rather satisfactory…
| 2 May 2023 | 3–1 |
| 23 April 2024 | 5–0 |
| 16 March 2025 | 1–0 |
| 1 March 2026 | 2–1 |
What is interesting for me at the moment is that with the media have been slagging off Arsenal all the way through the transfer window, telling us all the players Arsenal need, we now have the headline from News Now that reads
Arsenal latest: Mikel Arteta ‘unhappy’ with transfer as three January targets emerge.
So why do we get all this negativity? Is it because Arsenal as a club is always constantly miserable, or is it because making Arsenal appear unhappy, allows the media to project themselves as the people who know what the club should have done, and the club is miserable because it didn’t follow their advice?
Probably that latter view, but then in that case why are these journalists not working in football, perhaps as recruiters, advisers or even managers?  That we are never told, but I suspect it might be because they went to the interviews and never got the job.
But there is amazingly some positive news around, and it comes under the blazing headline….
Arsenal handed big injury boost as Champions League squad confirmed.Â
And I must admit it took me totally by surprise for the article says,
“The Gunners have included William Saliba in their 22-man squad for this season’s European campaign, with Mikel Arteta’s men looking to get over their final defeat hangover from last May.”
Now of course that doesn’t mean that Saliba is ready to start playing in the next match, but it does mean the prognostications are that his recovery is going well, and it is quite likely that through the autumn months he will start full training, and maybe even play a reserve game or two.
However back to the next match, and the Evening Standard are taking their desire to be first with the news, even if it is totally wrong, as they have this morning published their line up for this week’s game
Unfortunately it is not quite as definitive as the announcement suggests because on a closer look what we find is Mikel Arteta could tweak his starting lineup. Notice “could”.  For the news is “Ezri Konsa could come in for his full debut at centre-back alongside Gabriel.”
Ah well. But itis Football Fancast that is giving us the fun this morning, for they run with
Why £75m Arsenal star can transform Arteta’s attack
which is then followed byÂ
How Arsenal’s attack has been weakened
and then they give us a line up of Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Guimaraes; Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz
I think it is probably best if you go back and work through the article yourself you might make more of it all than I have.  But I face the coming days with the view that being second in the league after two games is actually not that bad, and the constant talk of all the players Arsenal might have signed (Arsenal tried to acquire £73m hitman in the final days of the transfer window – for example) is really neither here nor there.
Everyone might have signed more players – and probably most clubs could have signed more players, but football is a team game, and just throwing in another player because he has scored a lot doesn’t guarantee that much. If he doesn’t get played, he gets annoyed and demands a transfer, so what’s the point?
I know the instruction across the media is “knock Arsenal” but really this summer seems to have got a bit too far.  Still, looking out of my window this morning it looks like autumn has started, so maybe the journos can change their tune soon, as generally they are a pretty seasonable bunch.
