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Chapter 1: What is the significance of the upcoming Premier League matches for Arsenal?
It's the second time it's gone on. They never go home. They never go home. They never go home, those boys.
That's... Yeah. They have asked for that, really. You can laugh. I have to walk up. I'm a little bit of an idealist, but having said that, I want to be like me. You don't know what you're talking about. I'd say it to your face, not say it to now. What are you doing down here, you shawty man?
It's been a strange old transformation in Man City's public image this season. From hated sports-washing enterprise sucking all the competitive joy from the Premier League to the people's champions swashbuckling their way towards the title at Arsenal's expense. This unforeseen change was best summed up by their second goal at Stamford Bridge yesterday.
Chapter 2: Why were Arsenal fans booing at the end of the last game?
City aren't above scoring a set-piece goal. It's just that their set-piece goal involves a short corner, their chief playmaker dribbling past two men before passing with the outside of his foot to their centre-half, who turns on a dime and slots it home. It was extremely sexy football. And I believe it's going to climax in Man City, going top of the league within 10 days. Welcome to the pod.
Bit of a raunchy intro for you there. Brano's not happy with it, but it's in the bag and I'm not re-recording, Brano. Oh, wow. That's a bit of blue, isn't he?
six point gap that's not a sex thing that's just six points in between the teams goal difference we got there on goal difference is negligible goal difference difference is negligible well and actually if they win their two games as in beat Arsenal even by one goal and beat Burnley by a goal they will be ahead on goal scored so yeah same goal same goal difference but so City beat play Arsenal on Sunday then Burnley that match you talked about is Wednesday week if they win those two games they go top of the league with the same games played wow
Rory Pott on the way today. Available to everyone. Champions League quarterfinal coverage continues during the week if you're on the World Service. secondcaptains.com Five euro a month plus VAT if you want to sign up. Liverpool against PSG tomorrow night, of course. Eamon got in touch on Patreon.
Ken and Neil Atkinson should market an alarm clock that plays the audio of them talking over each other and you physically have to get out of bed to turn it off. It would outsell the George Foreman grill. Great idea, Eamon.
Now listen, I don't like it.
I hate three in the back. I hate being passive. I hate this football and I hate the approach. My issue with this is the word bizarre. I don't think it is bizarre. I'll say it again. I don't like it that it can. I want no part of it. It makes me sick.
Well, you know, you're on the week.
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Chapter 3: How has Manchester City's image changed this season?
Okay, I'm up.
I'm up. I'm up. I'm up. I'm in the shower. That's how quickly I live. Oh, wait, no, I've just nodded off again, actually.
He gets to change his team, Ken. I don't like it. But, Ken, I want to be clear, I don't like it.
Yeah, we'll just knock it off there. The eight minutes on the word bizarre. That was a hell of a thing. Well, look, I actually didn't realize how annoying I sounded there. No one ever does. You just presumed that it was... No, but I was getting a bit like... I was losing my composure. Yeah, I was loving it. I love your dynamic, Neil.
I was appalled to see on Patreon comments people complaining about Neil. And I just thought, well, like I just have to like people were saying, why, you know, this guy seems to be biased in favor of. I just thought, like, come on, you know, you don't get Professor Mohamed Morandi on to, you know, to talk about. He's not going to say, well, Trump's doing a tremendous job.
You know, Israel's the only democracy in the Middle East. He's going to say he's going to talk about the Epstein regime. And that's what you expect. I mean, it's called media literacy, people. And I think a lot of our listeners are kind of lacking in this. Pretty obnoxious, though.
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Chapter 4: What does Ryan Cherki's performance mean for the title race?
I'm not going to lie. You know what I mean? Like, I just, I mean, Neil Atkinson is a friend of mine. You know, has been for a decade or more. I mean, I can't even remember. Why do you just keep talking over each other then? But that's what good friends can do. They can have a good argument. They can have a bit of that. And then at the end, it's like, thanks for a great chat. No problem at all.
Enjoy entry. I think that's where he was going that day.
Arguments, fine. Just talking over each other all the time and not stopping. That is not the behaviour of a friend, Don. Yeah, but it's bloody good podcasting. I'm here for Ken and Neil Atkinson about three times a season.
that does it for me an alarm that might be a bit much report on sport please again Owen I'm glad you picked out that moment that second Man City goal oh yeah that was I was going to go for the Man City fans swigging from the Arsenal water bottle and becoming a sort of influencer in real time if he's not already but I was like I don't want to give him the oxygen of the very top of the show
So I'll leave him there until five minutes in.
Well, he does have the oxygen of being part of the broadcast and emerging as one of the main characters in the whole game. And like literally checking his phone. So, okay, I was laughing at the water bottle thing. Although I would have thought milkshake might be better, where drinking your milkshake might have made more of a metaphor there and just drinking from an Arsenal water bottle.
But then when he started then looking with all the lads around him at the phone, all the reaction he was getting online. And then he produced a jersey with something emblazoned on it. And it's like, okay, you know. I'm sticking with the Man United guy with the hair. He's my viral guy this year. Well, the thing about it is, though, as well, this bottle thing. It's not to do with bottles. No.
I mean, it's... Well, what is it, actually? So he's saying... They're bottling it, I guess, is the metaphor he's going for. Yeah. To lose your bottle. But what's meant by this phrase? Yeah, I don't know, actually. You don't know? Bottle. To bottle it. What are you no longer bottling up? Okay, you get a big fright.
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Chapter 5: Is it time for Spurs to rebuild, and why might that be beneficial?
There's a state of extreme fear and panic. And something that was previously bottled is now unbottled.
You shit yourself.
That's what it is. Okay, wow. That's the bottle in question. I think the last four weeks has been a real golden period for Ken talking about excrement. Three weeks even. Well, I don't remember any previous talk about that kind of thing. Prague. Oh, Prague. It was on air. Well, too much bottle, if anything. But this situation, you know, people think it's the bottles. I don't know.
The tiny little Arsenal bottle was kind of funny, I suppose. But I think the main... I don't like the way that this guy is dragging the main character situation away from Ryan Cherky, who was just absolutely amazing. It's one of the best performances of the season. I mean, in the first half, he's actually lucky. He's lucky in one specific instance.
I think could have got him subbed off at halftime. where he lost the ball on the edge of Chelsea's box, kind of trying to, he was just sort of playing with the ball, and then suddenly it escaped from him.
Oh no, and Chelsea sweep away, have the ball, and break away down the right, and Chirky ran back, you know, this isn't him at his best when he's chasing desperately back, but managed to, they managed to snuff out the attack, and so Pep didn't have to sub him off.
at halftime as punishment which was lucky because then in the second half he broke open the whole game for City he set up the first goal which was also a very good goal just his kind of the way he toys with Estevao first and then crosses it in the two big guys are wrestling with each other why are you pointing it out? Because he called it. Come on, give him his judo. When did he call it?
Was it like halfway through the season? He said Cherokee is the best player. There was something along the lines of who's going to be... Was that it? Who's going to do a breakout? No, I think it was the signing of the season so far. I don't know why it came up.
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Chapter 6: How does Arsenal's strategy affect their title chances?
It just came up in front of me in conversation and then I threw it out there a few months ago. Compare him to Wirtz, say, who costs, what, nearly three times as much money? Yeah. He's been far better. They're the same age. I mean, Chucky's a bit stronger, maybe a bit chunkier physically. Maybe he's better able to handle it.
But in terms of adaptation and so on, they're doing the same thing, but Chucky's been much more impressive and much more confident, makes an impact in big games. And this was obviously a huge game for City. Beautiful cross onto O'Reilly's set. O'Reilly is probably the young player of the season. You know, he's got nine goals, I think, and five, or is it six of them from left back?
And five assists also from left back, which is really impressive. And he's scoring boring goals. He's scoring a lot of goals, actually. It reminds me a bit of what Guardiola did
was it last season or the season before I think Vardy all suddenly emerged as Man City's main attacking threat at a moment in the season when they really needed someone to step up He's the best winger in the world Pep used to say with this weird smile as if to say it's not his job and I'd rather him be defending but needs most. It sounded like a criticism. He used to keep saying that.
Yes, yes, he is the best winger in the world. Well, this guy has stepped in. I mean, he's not only playing left back, he's played in loads of different positions, but in all of them looks really impressive. Obviously, he's got this like tremendous physical strength. just bullied Andres Santos, got his head on it. That's the first goal. And then the second goal, Cherki.
Like Cherki is taking the piss from the moment the ball goes out for a corner, or is going out for a corner. He pretends he's gonna take it quick. He kind of runs over it and then he's like, ah, no. And then walks back as though he's gonna take a normal corner. And then does it again. Actually does take it quickly this time. Tadaku then runs off. Chelsea players don't mark him.
They're kind of, they're keeping an eye on him, but not really getting close to him. So Doku then dribbles in a bit, then plays it to Chucky, who's kind of free in the edge of the box. That's when Jor-El Hato comes running out. He gets there just a bit too late and Chucky skips past him. Then it's Estavao again, putting in the next tackle. He skips past him.
And you're thinking, I mean, the pass that he then produces is just, I would never have anticipated. I think if you're, exactly, I think if you're the Chelsea defence, you're still thinking, okay, we're not taking the ball off him, but we are just pushing him further and further inside where more bodies are.
Somebody will get him eventually, not going to do from that angle. Then he produces this outside of the foot pass. Takes the entire defence out.
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Chapter 7: What challenges is Mikel Arteta facing as Arsenal's manager?
Yeah. So, and then you've got like Saka, who's kind of in and out now. Giocares, you know. albeit he's scoring a few goals recently, I still think he's a problem. You know, I don't think he really gives the team enough. Havertz, again, we're seeing him come back in. Havertz is a player in whom a lot of hope has been invested by us.
But again, he's playing in midfield and he's really just a finisher. He's not a midfielder. You know, he's too much of a finisher to play in midfield, I think. I mean, it's the same thing as it was before his injury. As a forward, he doesn't take enough shots. As a midfielder, he doesn't play enough passes. And you're kind of like wondering where to fit him in.
I still think the best place would be ahead of Jokras. But, you know, how can you divide Jokras? He's arguably the best performing member currently of this malfunctioning attack. You know what I mean? That kind of... Yeah, he hasn't been the best former in the last couple of games. Obviously, he had those brilliant couple of days out for his country and since the turn of the year.
In the calendar year, he's been a lot better for Arsenal than he was before Christmas, but he was poor against Sporting. He barely showed up there in a match that you would have thought maybe Taylor made for him going back to his old club and all that kind of stuff.
and yesterday some of his misses he hits one howler over the bar to get there was a deflection on it I think they got a corner out of it but he's leaning back it's never it's never going to go in anyway there's a header and injury time that's the opposite problem he heads it I know you're supposed to head it down they say the coaches but he headed literally just sort of down into the ground directly and just sort of
bounce straight back up. He had another chance I think even after that where he kind of curls it wide. None of these are sitters. But when you get say three of them. It's what you pay the money for. Yeah, you expect one to score. Or else you can be brilliant at the other stuff.
I don't know if you buy into the theory for a lot of people make this point that the players, his teammates don't trust him technically. How could they? They look at him and they go, we actually can't just play it into it because we're not sure what's going to happen. That phrasing suggests that it's his teammates' problem rather than him.
They're absolutely right to presume the worst when they kick the ball up to him and hope that he's going to be able to hold it up because more often than not, he doesn't.
I mean, you know, again, one of the big moments of the game that I remember was when Raya managed to play one of his passes through into midfield and Havertz ends up on the ball coming forward over the halfway line and he's playing it. I guess Martinelli is the player. Maybe Jokers, I can't remember who the target was of this pass. But Havertz just plays the most terrible pass.
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Chapter 8: What impact could the ongoing Manchester City charges have on the league?
So they wasted 26 minutes. Wasted, rather. They took 26 minutes of potential playtime to set themselves up for these various dead ball situations. born with the equivalent figure was 18 minutes. I just kind of find that like, again, I think the effect it has, I know why they're doing it. And it's all about like kind of focus and identity, all these kind of words that Artadi uses.
And obviously it has been successful. They are still top of the league. They are still, they do have the points in the bag that Man City need to get by winning their games in hand. But I feel it's not good for the crowd.
And you see, you know, it's just like the crowd does not, if you're talking about being focused and channeling all the energy and all this kind of thing, it dissipates in these moments. You know, this is, it's like. I don't think it's just that though. It's also, because we talked about it earlier in the series, we've talked about it a fair bit, but it's also the idea that
the defence has to say switch on for a lot longer there. You're giving them time to, you're giving your own team time to plant seeds of doubt. And it was working a lot. It's been working a lot over the last couple of seasons for Arteta. But to be fair, I remember you pointing this out earlier on in the year when they were in a much stronger position than they are now.
I mean, it is obviously not great for anyone else to watch. I don't, I don't, yeah. But it's not good. You see the Arsenal fans don't like it, right? They're booing at the end of the game. You know, because they're so angry with what they've watched. The ones that were left. I mean, I couldn't get over the footage of fans just streaming out.
That's also surprising because you see a point in this game makes all the difference as well. There's a huge difference here between one point and zero points in the circumstances they're in. It's still in their hands if they draw the game. So that was a bit surprising. It is, of course. All they need to do is not lose to Man City next week. And this is like just such a huge game.
It's going to be so interesting. But I mean, I do think, you know, this has happened before, as we recall. They do have to go and win it now, Ken. They're not in the Rory McIlroy position of being six up after two rounds at a Masters here. They have to go out and win the thing again.
Well, they can win it.
They've actually done it quite like McIlroy so far. They can win it by drawing. As long as they don't lose to Man City.
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