Arsenal v ManC, the team, and Untold Arsenal on Radio 5 this morning

 

Yet another reminder of the BBC Radio 5 (and BBC Sounds) programme about “North London Forever” on the radio today, is at the end of this article….

Meanwhiule….

There is an interesting note in the Independent that says that ManC “see Arsenal as one of the clubs most actively in opposition to their ownership and worked hard to try and stop Nicolas Jover, moving to Arsenal.”  It is also widely said within football and the media that ManC work with their media friends to push up the price of any player Arsenal is looking to buy as Arsenal are seen as a prime mover against ManC’s financial model.  As in our own way, is Untold Arsenal.

Arsenal’s position of course was set out by Arsene Wenger who used the phrase “financial doping” to signify the methodology that the Arab nations were employing in relation to football.  Indeed ManC have been trying to undermine Arsenal by saying that Arsenal spend as much as they do on transfers.  Certainly ManC have reduced their purchasing costs somewhat in recent years as they have been able to nurture youngsters brought in, including those that come from the 12 other members of the “City Group” of clubs. 

So to compete, yes Arsenal have had to spend more on transfers, but the money spent on wages by Arsenal is getting on for £100m less a year than that spent by ManC. Arsenal subsequently found extreme resistance to Arteta’s attempt to bring over two staff members from ManC, including of course Nicolas Jover. 

And so with Tottenham going into one of their regular declines while still claiming to be chasing something or other, to focus has of course been on Arsenal and ManC. 

Manc have been aided by the media of course, as they always are, with the media doing their part to knock Arsenal.   Thus in the Independent article we find them saying, “a series of factors have combined to ensure Arteta’s team are off where they were last season,” which of course gives a false impression.  We’ve already done the work and published the figures so there is no excuse for the Independent to say such a thing, when they could look at the data without having to do any work at all.  But still they keep on hammering away.  The table we published a few days back was…

 

Pos	Season	Played	GD	Pts
2	2024/25	23	23	47
3	2023/24	23	25	49

 

And yes you could say “off where they were last season” is technically right, but really the truth is Arsenal have slipped by two points DESPITE all the injuries.

Thus the problem is not just that ManC have done all they can to stop Arsenal because they did not like Arsenal taking a couple of their staff, but that the media soaks up the ManC propaganda output and prints it as fact without even bothering to check it.  The morality of Arsenal in not descending to the same depths is to be praised, in my view.

Anyway, onto the match.   After a run of one win and 15 defeats in 16 games in the League and the domestic cup matches against ManC, the last four games have given us two wins (one in the Community Shield and one in the League, and then two draws in the League, both of these being in Manchester.

In the League, as we have noted before, Arsenal are ahead of the Manc by six goals in the GD chart and six points as well.  I include the tiny totts as table for comparison.  And a laugh.

 

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Liverpool	23	17	5	1	56	21	35	56
2	Arsenal	23	13	8	2	44	21	23	47
3	Nottingham Forest	24	14	5	5	40	27	13	47
4	Manchester City	23	12	5	6	47	30	17	41
16	Tottenham Hotspur	23	7	3	13	46	37	9	24

 

As for the team today, the Metro suggest

Raya

Timber Saliba Gabriel Calafiori

Odegaard Partey Rice

Martinelli Havertz Trossard

The Standard tells us there are doubts about Raya’s injury but they still go with almost but not exactly the same team.

Raya;

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly;

Odegaard, Partey, Rice;

Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard

90 Min have the same team as the Standard while Sports Mole give us

Raya;

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly;

Odegaard, Partey, Rice;

Nwaneri, Havertz, Martinelli

So it is probably going to be one of those.

But before anything else, you might care to listen to Radio 5 Live after the 10.30 news to hear a discussion on “North London Forever” in which I took part earlier this week.   Of course I might be edited out, but I am hoping one or two chirpy north London comments of mine might remain.   But if you miss it, it will then be on the BBC Sounds.

Have a good day.