Arsenal have been ‘far luckier’ than Spurs this season; why neutrals should be pulling for Man Utd
The Mailbox reckons Arsenal have been ‘far luckier’ than Premier League leaders Tottenham this season. Plus, why neutral fans should be cheering for Manchester United, Wolves-Magpies and more…
Send your thoughts in to theeditor@football365.com.
Lucky Spurs?
As a spurs fan, I’m currently deluged by people telling me how lucky spurs have been to be top of the table. There are broadly 3 reasons offered – the Liverpool goal that wasn’t, the Sheffield United win and our fixtures so far. The first is impossible to quantify, but it’s also a single decision worth one goal. The second is odd as it seems to be based on people’s mistaken belief that late goals don’t count or something, but it’s the 3rd that gets me, especially when it comes to arsenal fans.
So far that season, spurs and arsenal have played 5 fixtures in common. Palace (a), Fulham (h), Man Utd (h), Bournemouth (a) and Sheff Utd (h).
Arsenal’s other games have been Forest (h), Everton (a), Spurs (h), Man City (h) and Chelsea (a).
Compare that to spurs, Brentford (a), Burnley (a), Arsenal (a), Liverpool (h) and Luton (a).
Of the differences, arsenal have played 3 at home, one team from last season’s top 6 and one relegation candidate.
Spurs have played 1 at home, 2 of last season’s top 6 and 2 relegation candidates.
So can someone explain why spurs’ fixtures have been easy but arsenal’s hard?
We can also add in that arsenal are a net 7 (seven) penalties better off than spurs, and have scored massive deflections against all 3 of their toughest opponents to date (City, Spurs and United) that crudely have been worth 5 points.
So yeah, spurs have played some poor teams. And yeah, they got an outrageous stroke of luck against Liverpool. But overall? Arsenal have been luckier by far.
Phil, London
Hi 365,
Last season when the bus parades were taking place by Gooners when Arsenal were top after 10 matches, I wrote to 365 and, whilst Arsenal deserved the congratulations for being top, I caveated that by pointing out that Arsenal were huge beneficiaries of the fact that they were basically playing one game a week and scraped past a disinterested Liverpool, at home (sound familiar?). It meant Arsenal could manage injuries and rotation better, something that was much harder for Citeh and Liverpool, who were competing on multiple fronts.
Of course, there were howls of furious anger from the Arsenal 365 cohort, who wanted 100% praise and insisted you “can only beat what’s in front of you” and that “you can judge a team’s chances fairly after ten matches”.
So it’s delightfully hilarious to me that virtually every single Arsenal fan I’ve spoken to has derided Spurs’ current position at the top and mentioned that “it’s easier when you’re not playing in Europe and less injuries”. The consensus from many Arsenal fans I’ve spoken to (not saying it’s all of them) has been that Spurs’ current position is false/fortunate/FAKE. How strange. 🤔
The simple fact of the matter is that: we are ten games in, Spurs are top of the league having played Arsenal away and beaten Liverpool at home. Having lost their captain, (one of the best strikers in world football) let’s face it, nobody had Spurs anywhere near the CL places, let alone top two. Spurs are top of the league on merit, and have been a more convincing team than Arsenal so far this season. They have a clinical striker up front and their star summer midfield signing is delivering, despite being fat cheaper than Arteta’s £65m crash test dummy.
This isn’t to say Spurs will remain there (Arsenal spent £200m in the summer after they finished second, so frankly they should be finishing ahead of Spurs)…but Spurs deserve enormous credit for being where they are, given the squad and quality of players at their disposal. Postecoglou has been brilliant so far, in a new league and without a huge budget.
Stewie Griffin (Kai Havertz with another 10/10 “unseen work” performance. I’d die for a job where I’m paid crazy money to be invisible!)
Pep talk for Gareth
Up ‘early’ today and I have spent my Sunday morning coffee sesh plotting England’s Euro 2024 triumph, à la Pep. I am basing it on (/copying) his box-midfield iteration of City that thrashed Real Madrid and vanquished all competition last season, with the option of Grealish as Rashford allowing for 30% of our outfield players using a system they are familiar with. To further the City influence, Maddison could be Foden, but the former is looking so refined at the moment that any sensible manager should be exploring every which way to include him.
Shaw and Walker have to play the Akanji/Ake and Walker roles, tasked with defending the half-spaces where dangerous players like Mbappe, Leao and Gnarby tend to operate. Shaw benefits from his recent soirée at centre half, while Maguire must now spend six months watching Ruben Dias videos. He is (optimism peak reached here) capable of going one on one against most European 9s that I can think of, even if it’s a bit scary. Moving upfield, Stones and Rice at the base of the box is a lovely shield and it facilitates the inclusion of Maddison alongside the majestic Sir Jude Bellingham, as our KDB and Gundogan duo of number 10s. Alexander-Arnold then becomes a creative alternative to Stones if we are chasing a game.
Prefacing this by stating that I hate the idea of wingers playing with explicit defensive duties, I would have questions about Rashford’s defensive diligence at LW as you absolutely have to pin the fullback back (hence the Grealish possibility). However, Saka is the only player ‘across Europe who has created more than 20 chances and made more than 20 tackles’ (thanks, Sarah). So he is perfect to play the Silva role. Finally, Sir Harry Kane was better than Haaland last season (and this one too, thus far) so that’s absolutely fine.
Basically, if Gareth does this, we’re winning it. Get your smart money on the subsequent knighthoods.
AC in Milan
Arsenal
We’ve finally overhauled that lot up the road’s goal difference and who do they play next?!
You would have to put the clocks back way, way longer than an hour for Chelsea to have any chance at the Lane.
Still, well done Eddie on the hat trick. Needed a performance and he delivered.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London
Neutrals should be pulling for Man United
If you are a neutral in favour of a more interesting PL, you should be hoping for a draw or a win for United.
If not, you may want to get yourself checked for an acute case of the ABUs.
Just a thought.
Jean-Claude (Bar Manager) Siem Reap
Mailbox rant
It’s only Wolves (again), but how can VAR give that when Hwang’s left leg makes contact with the ball before he makes contact with Schar. What on Earth is VAR for if not for that? You can add that to the phantom offside against Liverpool in the cup, Guedes v Arsenal, Lemina’s random sending off, Pope on Jiminez, United first game of the season and Luton’s absurd penalty.
This has to stop. Roll VAR back until you can have AI managing it. I’d take the rise of the
machines and eventual Armageddon if it meant I didn’t have to have pundits and ex referees justifying innate big club bias.
On a more positive note. F365 must be delighted their hero Iraola got a win, to stop them looking silly with their patronising nonsense about him replacing O’Neill
John, Shropshire
Wolves-Magpies
I thought Wolves were great today. Their movement and positioning created problems for Newcastle to solve throughout, and they’ve got enough class to make some moments count. Wolves supporters were correct in their fury at the penalty won by Schar. I don’t think it was exactly a *bad call, but it wasn’t an earned penalty in my eyes. Hwang got himself into a vulnerable position, and Schar exploited him, appearing to go down before the inevitable contact. It was cynical, if professional, play by Schar, and I was little disappointed by it because Schar was otherwise kind of fantastic. It’s nice to see Gary O’Neil doing so well with Wolves. He’s got something going on there.
All that said, I thought penalties should have been awarded to both Wilson and Burn on that final corner. Swings and roundabouts. In the end, I thought we were very slightly unlucky in the draw. But Wolves worked hard for that result, and I can only respect that.
Chris C, Toon Army DC
What club does your club remind you of?
Was wondering yesterday how Man City today is quite like Man United of yesteryears (on the pitch) – always starting the season slow before going on an unbeaten run post-Christmas and ending the season with a title or more. So thought about if I can come up with comparisons for other PL clubs based on this season and what the future might hold for them.
Arsenal (23-24) – Last season’s flair has merged with this season’s grit in a similar way to the mentality monsters over there at Klopp’s Liverpool. So they’ll probably be spending the season losing to City by a single point.
Tottenham (23-24) – And just in time to take the mantle of surprise challengers from London come the Spurs. They are like Arsenal (22-23) – good vibes and an unfancied manager taking them close but destined to fall short.
Liverpool (23-24) – Seem to be in the title picture despite not being fully reloaded yet but there is also quite a bit of moaning around referee decisions. Welcome to Mourinho’s Chelsea (13-14).
Brighton (23-24) – A team somehow improving & punching above their weight despite their players and British manager leaving for better shores. Their new manager becomes the talk of the town, while the old one lasted only a few months in his new job. For G Potter, see D Moyes and for Brighton see Martinez’s Everton (13-14). They will surely finish above that so-called better-shores team.
Newcastle (23-24) – New oil money coming in from a controversial owner. The current manager seems to be performing well, even taking them to the CL. But you just know that the owner will twist the knife sooner or later, and a real dynasty will then begin. This is Abramovich’s Chelsea (03-04).
Manchester United (23-24) – Alas a team in the top 4 and the manager was backed in the summer, but so far the only steps they have taken are backward. I could just put up a mirror and say it’s another false dawn like Man Utd has seen in the last decade, but that would be cheating. So let me give you Everton (05-06). Oh boy that team had scoring issues and their top scorer could only muster 11. Can Hojlund beat that?
Chelsea (23-24) – Toughest one yet as nobody seems to know what they are supposed to be. A billion pounds spent yet barely any attention in the tabloids or in newsrooms. So I’ll say they are the Saudi Pro League (23-24).
What do you think? Have you any better ideas for your club?
Gaurav MUFC Amsterdam
Crystal Palace vs Spurs
I was going to write in with 427 meticulous bullet points about tonights game but then it dawned on me my names not EQTR so ill leave it to those better qualified.
What I would like to mention is the Spurs hierarchy’s decision to hand out every player whos ever played for us, in lineal fashion, a unique ‘Legacy Squad Number’. It will be, moving forward, just below the collar of the shirt of every player. Now I am usually as critical as the next cynic of mawkish PR bollocks that comes out of football clubs but for some reason this really effected me. Theres something really smart about linking every player in our history together in a visible, cohesive manner. I really cant explain it but it gets me a bit choked up, and seems rediculously on theme with this wild ride of a season weve had so far. A slow but hearty clap for one Mr Levy.
I cannot wait to get me a shiny lilywhite Blanchflower 420.
TGWolf(Cant wait for the 30 odd emails stating how bloody flawlessly that match was officiated…whats that…oh..)THFC
PS. 10 down, 5 up, undefeated. COYS
Toby G
Commentators and Pundits
I have just watched the Palace vs Spurs game on TV and I am now totally convinced that the viewing experience and the game in general would be much better off if we got rid of the Army of Commentators and Pundits, (aka Retired Millionaire Footballers ), who have infested the Beautiful Game. The majority of the time all we hear are the same phrases repeated and worn out words used to describe what has just been played out in front of us. It now takes at least two and often three commentators to tell us what we already know. Then there are the back up crews of three in the studio and two by the pitch side. Manpower Overkill without adding value to the viewer experience.
As a suggestion – have some clever techie guy develop an onscreen option button. The options could be Crowd Atmosphere Only or Standard Commentary. Then watching with Crowd Atmosphere Only could be as much fun as being at the game where the crowd or game atmosphere is not drowned out by the commentary drivel. Listening to the post game interviews and analysis would remain as it is – optional for the viewer.
Yes, I could just use the mute button but that takes away “everything”.
As a bonus , if the numbers employed to report what we are watching were reduced then maybe the subscriber fees could also be cut as a contribution towards easing the financial crisis for the fans.
Regards,
Matt
