You can’t win a title with only ten men on the field and Arsenal currently have a real problem with their discipline. The gunners were winning against Brighton before Declan Rice was sent off the field and they dropped 2 points drawing 1-1. They were even ahead at close rivals Manchester City before Leandro Trossard found himself heading down the long walk to the dressing room and again 2 more points dropped finishing 2-2. Against Bournemouth last weekend the game was more or less even until William Saliber decided to illegally stop Evanilson from getting away from him in a manouvre which would have done Anthony Joshua proud. Mikel Arteta put it perfectly in our press conference when he said, “We need to play with 11 men against 11 if we want to be in the position that we want to be…and that is top of the table!”
Arsenal definitely have a disciplinary problem. Without Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka – the centre of Arsenal’s creativity – the team does not perform as sharply and they gradually become more aggressive. That is Arteta’s problem. His 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions and the Gunner’s unbeaten run was blown apart when his 10 players were overwhelmed by the tide of Bournemouth’s black and red shirts and their trip to the seaside ended in misery. In Monday’s training ground review of the game, before concentrating on their home match in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk, Arteta showed over and again video replays of players not controlling their emotions or their tempers. Thomas Partey said, “We want to win every game but some things happen that you can’t control and you have to find a way to win.” That is true but get too physical and off you go down that tunnel while your teammates struggle on with ten men!
Dressing down from Postecoglou inspires Spurs
As I reported to you, following the 3-2 defeat to Brighton when Tottenham squandered a two goal lead letting in three in 38 minutes, the normally calm and cool coach Ange Postecoglou tore into his players accusing them of being lazy and not committed. He left plenty of red faces and several were embarrassed. His reaction worked perfectly and poor West Ham were on the receiving end.
For two weeks Postecoglou spent his time glowering and re-organising his troops.
Supporters welcome Reece James
It was great to see Chelsea captain and right full-back Reece James back in action and the Blue’s fans cheered wildly when he ran out onto the pitch. He has spent far too long on the injury list and he will be sending Christmas cards to most of the medical team who he has spent more time with than his teammates or his family! However, as James himself and his manager Enzo Maresca admitted, it is going to take time for Reece to return to full fitness after sustaining a hamstring injury at the end of the Blue’s pre-season US tour. In the first half against Liverpool he showed all his old speed, skill and he beat Cody Gakpo in a full on race along the wing to retrieve the ball. He then turned inside the Netherlands international before putting the ball into safety. James was excelling as Chelsea pinned Liverpool back into their own half and Reece was at the heart of it. But then, as expected, post injury fatigue set in and Reece started to weaken, Dominik Szoboszial outpaced him and shot past keeper Robert Sanchez. As the match clock reached 53 minutes, Maresca pulled Reece off and gave him a big pat on the back and sent on Renato Veiga. It will take some time before he is back to his natural self and full fitness after playing in only 12 games since April 2023.
City’s set piece king masterminds late winner
A John Stones headed late goal against Wolves was no accident. It was perfectly planned by Manchester City’s set-piece specialist Carlos Vicens. Stones told us that hard work had gone into preparing for such an opportunity and had been practiced over and again at the training ground. He said, “We have been trying super-hard to improve our set-pieces and make the most of them. Today was a new focus and attitude towards them. Hopefully we can build on that success.” Phil Foden’s perfectly placed free kick was taken by Stones and all the hard work had payed off.
Hammer’s coach let down by two players
West Ham have lurched from a 4-1 win over Ipswich to a 1-4 beating from Tottenham. The problem for coach Julen Lopetegui was the lack of power and skill from their big money signing Jean-Clair Todibo. The Hammers are also facing a three match ban for violent conduct when Mohammed Kudus, one of the the team’s stand-out performers this season, pushed Pape Sarr in the face after fouling and hitting Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven in a moment or two of madness.
“The drinks are on me” says Anthony Gordon
Anthony Gordon, who has just signed a new long-term contract, wanted to apologise to Newcastle fans for missing a penalty at Everton last week and as an apology he put money behind the bar at the Strawberry Pub for supporters to enjoy a drink before the game against Brighton. The beer and fizzy drinks went a bit flat after yet another defeat thanks to that ancient warrior Danny Welbeck who is having a second career at Brighton and frequently scoring.
Do referees favour big teams?
After another disappointing loss and with his team firmly cemented to bottom place in the league, Wolves coach Gary O’Neill was frustrated when John Stones headed in the winner for Manchester City. The goal was initially ruled out by referee Chris Kavanagh who then overturned his on pitch decision when VAR told him to view the goal again on the pitchside monitor.
O’Neill was careful not to accuse the refereeing panel of dishonesty but said he wondered if referees subconsciously favour big teams like City. He said, “There’s no chance that people are purposely against Wolves, let’s be clear. But is there something in the subconscious around the decision making? Are you more likely to give it to Manchester City than Wolves? My focus and my senses are heightened when we’re playing Man City and Pep and Haaland. Are officials the same?” The FA were not amused and have asked O’Neill for an explanation.
It is an interesting point and in the past managers and coaches have hinted that officials make borderline and questionable decisions in favour of the big teams such as Manchester City and United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Sir Alex ignores United for Aberdeen
I was amused to see that after INEOS and Sir James Ratcliffe axed Sir Alex Ferguson from his £2.1million role as a global ambassador to Manchester United he chose to travel to Scotland and watch his old club Aberdeen draw 2-2 with Celtic at the Parkhead Stadium. Sir Alex won 10 trophies with the Scottish club before leaving for United in 1986.
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