- Crystal Palace v Arsenal: Patrick’s adventures, PSG’s fall
- Crystal Palace v Arsenal: the Arsenal injuries and the fouls they suffer
- Crystal Palace vs Arsenal: a match overseen by a home team referee.
By Bulldog Drummond
A few preliminary bits and bobs from the BBC including the fact that Palace have won their first home league game once in the last 14 seasons. Also on the negative side, for Crystal Palace but positive for Arsenal Roy Hodgson has failed to fin any of the league matches he has managed against Arsenal, includinig both his time at Watford and at Crystal Palace.
And of course as we noted at the time, Arsenal won the London league by a mile last season, winning 10 and drawing two of the games against, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham. For some reason we didn’t do a London league table last season – must try harder this season. And with a big seven league table as well.
Several of the BBC’s notes about Arsenal’s away form we have already covered but one that we missed was that Arsenal kept “10 Premier League clean sheets on the road last term, with no other side keeping more than six.”
But of course this is the BBC and so there has to be a negative and that is that Arsenal always lose on a Monday under Arteta. But I have a feeling we’ve done that stat already. So here is a good one. Assuming he plays (and I suspect it would take the bubonic plague to stop him) “Bukayo Saka is set to equal Paul Merson’s club record of playing in 82 consecutive Premier League games, set between February 1995 and February 1997.” Well now!
Football.London announces that “Arsenal stars Thomas Partey and Jorginho have hinted they could both start against Crystal Palace tonight…. Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and David Raya are all expected to be included.”
Also Oleksandr Zinchenko could be available for the first time after being sidelined since May due to a calf issue could be available, which perhaps means on the bench. Except it isn’t a bench any more. So let’s redo that. Oleksandr Zinchenko will be in the comfy chair.
Sky Sports tell us again something that everyone has been saying since the last match, “Arsenal manager Mikel Artetacould recall Kieran Tierney to the matchday squad.”
90Min have a team selection thankfully,
Ramsdale;
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko;
Rice, Odegaard, Havertz;
Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Just Arsenal however have an alternative approach
Ramsdale
White Saliba Magalhaes Kiwor
Odegaard Partey Rice
Saka Nketiah Martinelli
The Hardtackle weighs in with
Ramsdale
Partey White Saliba Tomiyasu
Odegaard Rice Havertz
Saka Havertez Martinelli
And finally for now, as ever, Sports Mole
Ramsdale;
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko;
Odegaard, Rice, Partey;
Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Which unless I’ve made a mistake (which is perfectly normal) that means we have four different predictions of a line up, whereas for much of last season everyone was predicting the same.
So let’s do something which goes against every grain in my body and what is left of my mind, and not predict the score, but show the league table according to the result.
First the horror story: if Arsenal lose (we’ll assume 1-0).
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Brentford | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 9 | Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
If it is a draw
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Brentford | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
If Arsenal win 1-0
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Brentford | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
A 5-0 win will take Arsenal top of the league. Just thought you would like to know.
Cheating bastard red tominyasu 2 yellow cards for time wasting and tap on ayew who should have been sent off
Coote a disgrace -Ayew an obvious second caution but Coote bottled it – quick enough to caution Havertz.
Dumb first yellow for Tomiyasu but the second? Not sure how he was to have held Ayew with the back of his hand…dive or a slip of the boot, nothing more.
Bringing on Kiwior and Zinchenko solidified the defense in the last few minutes…Professional work.
Well done team gone done by the ref waiting to give arsenal shit loads of cards for breathing on palace players
Back to the bad old days of ‘Deanesque’ refereeing. One rule for us and another for Palace. Well done to the players. Arsenal 1 – PGMO 0
COYG
GoingGoingGooner
“Dumb first yellow for Tomiyasu”
I suppose given the time WE held on to the ball a yellow was fair enough, but it’s a bit harsh blaming Tomiyasu. 2 players had the ball before him and Havertz held on to it for twice as long as Tomi. He was just unlucky to be the last player to have hold of it, and actually only had it for 8 seconds. Nothing dumb in that. Really the ref should of booked Havertz, though I appreciate it’s a tricky one.
It actually raises the question, if for example, 4 players hold the ball will it always be the last one who gets a card even if he perhaps has hold of it for just a couple of seconds? As I say a tricky one.
Either way the second was ridiculously soft at best, especially given other decisions.
I agree regarding how we managed the game at the end. Professional.
SKY keep saying Tomi pulled his shirt. WTF
And back to the card for the shirt pull. They keep saying he took one for the team.
So how does that work? Are we saying that if player holds it for 10 seconds (perfectly legal).Then a second player holds it for 10 seconds.(perfectly legal).Then it is thrown to a third player and he holds it for 8 seconds, (perfectly legal) as per Tomi, it will always be the last player that gets a card, despite technically having not committed a yellow card offence? Suppose it’s his second yellow. Surely that cant be right?
Has to be another way of dealing with this because basically Tomi Tomi saw red without actually committing a single yellow card offence.
We were stitched up, as usual , and how Untold predicted.
Anyway 2 games and 6 points , it’s still on !!
We never concede in the tropical fish top.
What is the meaning of “Select Group” in relation to PGMOL?
Incompetent Group? Biased Group?
or worse?
One thing I do not understand : if now the wasted time is added systematically after each half-time, how/why is there punishment for wasting time ?!?
Great point Chris. Theoretically it’s impossible to waste time because the PGMO gods have everything under control….
In fairness, given the injuries, VAR decisions etc I was surprised they only added on seven minutes, particularly once the ref had disadvantaged us with his appallingly biased behaviour.
Really cute how the PGMOL arrives at these half-baked rules without thinking through the unintended consequences. What happens if one player holds the ball, then hands it to another and together they waste 30 seconds or however many seconds? Do you card both? Then do you also add back the time, thereby imposing two punishments for one offense? How about rules for refs and VAR technicians, such as if you make a stupid ruling or omission in a game you get suspended for the next three?
Hold your breath.