By Tony Attwood
In all walks of life there are people who love to say things like “the rules are the rules”. It seems to be a deep psychological need within these people – a need to be told what can and what can’t be done. A sort of opposite of creativity, in which the notion that text goes from left to right is taken as the absolute guidance on every aspect of living.
So it is that newspaper people have got edgy about Mikel Arteta and where he stands during a game. In return he says (rather jokingly, I suspect) that he has put together a pack of evidence showing that lots of other managers move during games just as he does.
It is of course a bit of a joke, but there is a point in that there seems to be some anxiety among referees and assistants that their regular negative treatment of Arsenal’s manager and players, while other managers are allowed more flexibility, has been spotted. So it seems that just as some referees allow certain players to get away with a lot more than others, so it also seems some managers are allowed to wander a lot more than others.
Apparently Arteta has been collecting photographic images of some other managers leaving the technical area, and has made it clear to PGMO that if they accuse him, he will present his evidence of what others do, and if need be, make that evidence public, in order to show the bias which is being directed against all things Arsenal.
He said, “There are managers who have the record in the league, 36 times in 10 minutes [they] leave the touchline – no yellows,” while of course he is regularly spoken to by refs.
Meanwhile, we have the game tonight, in which it is thought that Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, David Raya and William Saliba are likely to miss the game because it clashes with a league function. Which I suppose makes a change from missing it because of injury.
But really this must be the most ludicrous arrangement of footballing events ever – to have an awards ceremony at the same time as a match. Or maybe I have somehow misunderstood everything.
And so it is, I believe, the first ever Fleetwood v Arsenal game and so our first game at Highbury Stadium (as opposed of course to “Highbury”) for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. It is on the Arsenal App as a radio commentary and on Sky Sports Main Event on TV.
As for the team the Standard is offering us
Kepa;
White, Mosquera, Salmon, Hincapie;
Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly;
Dowman, Merino, Eze;
Gyokeres
Curiously, Yahoo goes with exactly the same lineup.
Kepa;
Timber, Mosquera, Salmon, Hincapie
Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly;
,Exe, Merino, Downman
Harriman-Annous
And if you are as bemused by the centre forward as I am, here are the details from Wiki
Andre Harriman-Annous was born in Barnet. He first played for Whetstone Wanderers before spending a year in the Tottenham pre-academy, joining Arsenal in 2026, after which he graduated up to the FA Youth Cup side, where his performances earned him an opportunity to train with the first team for the first time in February 2025.
In the summer 2025, Harriman-Annous made his senior debut in a pre-season friendly in Singapore and then signed professional terms.
He made his professional debut for the club on 29 October 2025, starting in the EFL Cup game against Brighton & Hove Albion alongside Max Dowman.
So that’s about it for tonight. I don’t have any info on what happens if it is a draw, so I am going to guess there could be extra time and then penalties, but if you know for sure, please do write in.
