There are two certainties in life. Organic deodorant will always let you down and Sean Dyche’s Burnley will make you sweat.
The Turf Moor outfit are certainly not the most odious of the North West teams, but they’re not exactly a pleasant day out. If Brexit were a football club, it’d be Burnley, and they’d be telling you that the BT Call Centre should be nearshored.
Patrick Bamford had all sorts of problems when he was there.
‘There was always that stigma because I went to private school’
Dyche thought he was a ponce because he had rich parents.
‘He said that he was fascinated by how hard I worked and that he was so impressed, especially as my dad was a billionaire.’
Bamford is from Newark, his dad a local architect. This was my fave bit.
‘I went home every night wondering how to get in the Burnley team. It was: ‘You’ve been brought up nicely, had everything handed to you’. Is that what people think just because I went to private school and played instruments?’
Imagine judging someone for playing musical instruments?
So very, very Sean Dyche.
We’ll be in for a rough ride tomorrow. The kick-off is early. That doesn’t make a difference to Arsenal, we’ve had a week off, but it might be difficult for them after their heroic point in the week against Leicester.
My hope is that the fresh legs add something to our game. Last time we had a few days off, we absolutely controlled Leeds and spanked them. I want to see that level of control tomorrow.
The thing we’re all looking for is the early goal… it’d be nice to score one, instead of conceding after 16 seconds. It’s an away game, we need to shut up shop, keep it tight, then play into their fatigue as the game goes on.
This is also a huge test of Mikel Arteta’s team when it comes to rotational intellectulus. Yep, I made that term up, but we need to see a line-up that factors winning the Europa League, and being fresh for West Ham and Sp*rs. Really, you’d hope we could go light for Burnley… but you’re messing with momentum. Fuck the Burnley game and it all falls apart.
Trends are looking good for Arsenal. Expected goals for and against are trending in the right direction according to The Athletic.
‘THE ONLY TABLE THAT MATTERS IS THE LEAGUE’, yes, yes, we hear you… but actually, the table wasn’t a good indicator of progress when we were on a 20 game unbeaten run with Emery… the xG table was the one that mattered in the longterm.
Good performances beget good results. Our results have improved, but when we were bad, we were really bad, so you aren’t seeing it in the table yet.
The next few games are hugely important. Win tomorrow and we’re 3 points off Liverpool. Beat Spurs and we’re 2 points behind them. Don’t even think about beating the mighty West Ham, they’re too good, title winners 2022.
Finally, it was nice to see Auba on a fan channel chatting to an Arsenal fan. He was smiling, saying contemporary words like sweg, and having a pretty good time by the looks of things. A far cry from the hostage video he dropped in December. If Auba is happy, everyone is happy, he seems like one of those characters whose moods have an outsized effect on everyone else. When they’re up, everyone is… when they’re down, the whole room is lead boots in the ocean.
On that note, have a great Friday night, see you bright and early for an On-The-Whistle podcast with Johnny and Matt.
@afc
So we were meant to be rewarded a penalty and have been robbed.
Oh well
Burnley gonna get their tails up now cause they know the refs are ruling in their favour.
“These games are being rigged ?“
Wouldn’t surprise me, either that or the referees are genuinely horrific. I think its more of the latter.
“That penalty gets rewarded if it’s against us and luiz is handling the ball like that”
Fact.
Burnley definitely best team this half
Have Burnley had more shots on target today than ANY game so far this season? Their record before today was 7. So arsenal like.
Holy crap… that was close.
Ceballos in for Partey.
I assume all 3 subs were preplanned.
Ffs
Really good save by Leno. Kept us in the game.
Shocker from Pepe.
so when is Elneny or one of them man coming on?
finally a good low cross from Tierney but oh Pepe
I give up
Manure, Pool will get that fuxjing pen 100 of 100 times.
Pepeeeeeee… fuxking missed a near tap in
I have never seen a case of two handballs in quick succession in the box that wasn’t called a penalty
VAR didn’t even pause the play to review the handballs
English referees are abusing football.
Pepe, WTF!!!
Arteta out.
🤣🤣🤣 my god. £70million
Not our day today huh.
Chance itself is conspiring against us.
OMG. Fucking Sunday league stuff …
Right fuck off arteta with that sub. Arteta out.
pepe = yaya sanogo
Pepe you muppet
Well there as I said it, your not trying to win the game making those kind of changes. I’m not even crying out for Martinelli at this point he shouldn’t make match day squads like Eddie because he is not going to play no matter what.
Pfffft… damn..
So slow in MF
I actually hate xhaka
That was the chance to seal it.
Penalty ?
No way.
OHhhhhhhhh
Pepeeee
That’s a “sitter” missed in each half…This team has to learn to be more clinical
What does Martinelli have to do to get a game? Poor lad, i hope he gets a chance somewhere else
JUSTICE DONE
I don’t think this is a hand ball.
OMG !
How may more sitters are we going to miss ?
Good shot with the right foot though
Peno
Penalty aside, We’ve absolutely got ourselves to blame if we don’t win this.
Chances aplomb… Almost as if we showing teams how not to score.
Shoulder
Why Var pics weren’t shown for Peters earlier hand ball??
Not a peno
Shoulder
It’s not a pen.
It’s shoulder.
Unreal.
Pepe fluffs the easy chance and hits a perfect one with the more difficult one… That looks like shoulder though… A pen and red card would be harsh, but I wouldn’t complain if it’s given
This really isn’t our day. Ffs.
now they’re correcting the ref
wtf fuck this shit
VAR is killing me this year.. I swear.
Where was the var earlier!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣 they couldnt score in a brothel
The football god’s mock us.
Ye, VAR refuses to give pen (correct) but doesn’t give an obvious one (false). Gotta be against Arsenal.
But you’d ask why pepe aimed for the two defenders with the whole left side of the goal open…
No fucking luck
So Arteta please explain to me how Willian is keeping out Martinelli by playing sooooooo well. Unless I’m blind he was pretty shit again today
Its all set up perfectly for the referee conspiracy theories and the excuses. Never mind the garbage performance
Still got time to score, let’s see if we can.
I don’t think I’ve seen as many frustrating games from Arsenal in 40 years of watching them than this season alone. Horrible game. Handballs not given then the one that is is rescinded. You couldn’t make it up.
We are the experts in sabotaging ourselves.
How will the Arteta apologists explain this away if we draw or lose this game?
Not happy Var pics not shown at all for the earlier hand ball…. what’s to hide??
Pepe 4 goals in 5 away games. Better start Willian.
Arteta in a nutshell.
arteta out – fukkkkin out NOW!
VAR is now used….. And we know the outcome of that ….
It’s not a pen (which it wasn’t, I agree)
But why no VAR before then with the other more obvious pen??…. ineptitude doesn’t even begin to describe PGMOL.
The first handball was pen all day long..
If that was manure you would bet your house it would be given..
Fact though we aren’t playing well and our midfield is shockingly poor
Xhaka gone hiding since his fuck up earlier
Lacazette should try to stay up little more often than falling off his ass everytime he is touched
Nothing happening in our favour so far!
So.much for the easier run than the EL that people were touting here earlier, we can’t beat fking burnley of all teams. Geezus
Still dont understand how the earlier penalty was not given..the guy leaned in with his hand to stop the ball ! Wtf is the ref at VAR doing
This is ruining g my Saturday
Why are we so inconsistent.
You cannot trust this team. I’m sure it’s arteta. He can’t find a team to rely on a style of play.
Laca does nothing as a 10 so far
Hindsight always a good thing but Arteta should have started with this side but for Partey. Nothing wrong in a 442 against Burnley.
We only have ourselves to blame for today.
Earlier pen wasn’t given because it wasn’t in the script that we be rewarded a penalty today.
At this point…I think its clear that Lacazette is NOT a ” number 10″
Fuck off Arteta. Absolutely shocking manager.
Something has to be done about the pathetic state of refereeing in this country. It’s simply shambolic all around, the refs themselves, the inconsistent rulings, the incorrect practice of VAR. For a billion industry its criminal.
Garbage Owner, Garbage Squad, Garbage Manager, Garbage Season. This is now just weekly a fucking embarrassment. We have no right to think in any way shape or form this squad deserves to win shit. A fucking embarrassment
Laca doing nothing
Pepe on as a sub and Willian started… Arteta should be fired.
What’s Willians goal tally?
These decisions against us are unreal
Laca has caused their defenders more problems than Auba, Ode and Willian combined in the time he has been on
Embarrassing..anyone who can defend this blind and delusional and not a real fan
4 mins
Another generational performance from the sauce manager. This is progress people, fucking progress I tell you!
Auba, Saka and Pepe all missed a sitter, Xhaka brain farted again and then var finished us !
Definitely banter FC !
Not good for confidence next week , Arteta just cannot keep it going.
Poor up front today, Saka looks out of it on the right.
Pepe is top heavy he cannot maintain balance.
Drop xhaka please
Teh refs certainly.have something against Arsenal
In spite of the “injustices” we’ve had more than enough opportunities to win this game
BTW, have any of you seen Arteta put on an Arsenal jacket or shirt etc during.a game??
Just leave
Burnley gotten 4 points from our head to head this season if things end as they are.
Truth be told, we don’t deserve to win this game. We weren’t the better team.
Garbage performance. Horrible stuff. Who dafug expects this team to win Europa???
No I have had enough of arteta. That’s it. I’m done defending him.
Oh arteta, you dome some shit which is mind boggling,
Willian was fucking shite xacka playing, inexplicably dropping an rb in good form.
You are not pep guardiola
The Royal Arsehole
Spot on,
Xhaka can’t hit a forward pass, our game style is pathetic considering the players we have, absolutely no creativity in midfield
We haven’t won a single second ball all day in the final third.
Useroz
Arteta doesn’t wear the club colours, never ever in the history of his managerial career will be wear the club colours.
At least a scarf.
VAR has stolen the points. Fact.
Fuck
Fuxk
Lol another shot to the post.