Arseblog Arsecast, The Arsenal Podcast

On this week's show we pore over the 2-2 draw with Watford on Sunday, and what feels like a significant day for Unai Emery in his Arsenal career. Having been 2-0 up at the break, we were lucky not to lose, and the second half performance in particular raises serious questions about the manager and his team. Why do we allow so many shots? Why do we concede so many penalties? Is there enough accountability? Is there something in the culture at the club that accepts too many individual mistakes? We go into it in detail, from the goals we scored to the ones we conceded, what the result says about this team and its character, and what it means for Emery who is finding the tide of public opinion turning against him. All that, plus listener questions about the Europa League, Aubameyang's contract, Calum Chambers, Pepe's impact so far and lots more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's show I'm joined Sid Lowe to discuss Dani Ceballos. Sid's interview with him in the Guardian this week was fantastic, and we tease a few things out such as the player's relationship with Zinedine Zidane, how this loan move is as much an opportunity for Arsenal as Ceballos, and the prospects of him staying beyond this season. After that I chat with the Man from East Lower about Granit Xhaka, the emergence of Joe Willock and the potential reshaping of our midfield, the soon to return Hector Bellerin and soon to debut Kieran Tierney, the front three, and more including some wistful memories of Freddie Ljungberg.Follow Sid: @SidloweFollow Jim: @eastlower Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back after holidays, and on this week's Interlull heavy show we discuss Per Mertesacker whose new book comes out this week, touching on his job as Academy manager, his playing career, and how he's trying to shape the next generation of young Arsenal talent. There's a round-up of the scant Arsenal news, including injury worries for Granit Xhaka, the departure of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and how Europa League and Carabao Cup could be very useful for us this month. We then answer listener questions about young English players, Nacho Monreal's legacy, Lucas Torreira and how he fits into the team under Unai Emery, Ceballos or Ozil for the Watford game, Arsene Wenger's upcoming biography and lots more including wasp picnics and slippery nuts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm away on holiday this week, so no regular Arsecast, but instead here's one that originally appeared on our Patreon feed. It's part of a series called The Players, and in this episode I chat to Philippe Auclair about Robert Pires, his career at Arsenal, favourite goals and moments, and much more. Enjoy.Sign up to become a Patreon member at patreon.com/arseblog Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like most women's teams, Arsenal have had their fare share of stories to tell when it comes to anterior cruciate ligament injuries. On the one hand, Jordan Nobbs made her long awaited return from an ACL injury during August, coming on as a second half substitute before scoring in a 6-0 victory over Spurs. Tim and Pippa caught up with Jordan exclusively for the podcast just after that game.On the flipside, Danielle Carter ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in 14 months during the Emirates Cup game against Bayern Munich. The game was her first start since her last ACL injury and it's a difficult one to take for her, mentally as well as physically.Female footballers are somewhere between 4-6 times more likely to rupture their ACL than their male counterparts. Tim and Pippa spoke to knee surgeon Pete Gallacher, who has performed plenty of ACL reconstructions, about what the injury is, what the surgery and recovery entails and why women are so much more susceptible to it.We also have reaction to the Champions League draw with Fiorentina and Tim and Pippa pick out their players to watch for the season ahead and we have a cameo appearance from Danielle van de Donk. All that on this month's episode of the Arsenal Women Arsecast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James is on holidays this week, so to pore over the 2-2 draw in the North London derby I'm joined by Tayo Popoola. We chat about the first half mistakes which gifted them two goals, not least the penalty conceded by Granit Xhaka. There's some discussion about him, his role in the team and the frequency of those errors which raise questions about the coach's decisions too, as well a lot on our comeback, the goals of Lacazette and Aubameyang, how Ceballos helped change the dynamic, and a fantastic performance from Matteo Guendouzi. Then we answer listener questions about Henrikh Mkhitaryan's departure, young players like Nelson and Willock, what the future holds for Mesut Ozil and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Sokratis and the centre of our defence, and loads more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's show I'm joined by Tim Stillman, Lewis Ambrose and Andrew Allen to discuss the week that was, including: The tactical discussion around the Liverpool game and whether we're still looking to understand Unai Emery; Lucas Torreira; the midfield in general, and who exactly is going to be key this season; Granit Xhaka's fallen out of favour with many, but does he still have a role to play; and we look ahead to the North London derby and wonder if Sunday is when the manager will deploy the front three everyone wants to see. There's also some chat around Nacho Monreal's probable departure and a bit on the captaincy too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's show James and I disagree in a big way about the way Arsenal approached the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool. He saw logic in the game plan, I felt we just put ourselves under too much pressure allowing the full backs the time and space down the wings. We chat about the tactics, the team selection, the way the game could have gone with better finishing from Arsenal, Unai Emery's chameleon rearing its head again, as well David Luiz and his part in the defeat, plus the positives we definitely did agree on. Then we answer questions about our team for the derby against Sp*rs, Mesut Ozil's absence in a big away game again, Nacho Monreal's potential departure and lots more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's show I chat to David Ornstein about his interview this week with Josh Kroenke. What did he make of the new public face of KSE's Arsenal ownership? Will this increased openness and willingness to communicate continue? What are the benefits for the club and for fans? We speak about all that, plus the summer business we did in the transfer market, the changing of the executive structures with Edu's arrival, the budget we operated under and lots more. Then, ahead of the Liverpool game on Saturday, I'm joined in studio by the Mugsmasher for some pre-Anfield waffle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's show James and I reflect on the 2-1 win over Burnley at the Emirates on Saturday. The two strikers got the goals, but there was a lot to like about our performance, in particular the home debut of Dani Ceballos, and his midfield partners Joe Willock and Matteo Guendouzi. We also chat about the home debuts for David Luiz and Nicolas Pepe, and what they might bring to the team over the course of this season, before we answer questions about playing out from the back, Emery's philosophy, what kind of a team we might pick for Liverpool on Saturday, our top four rivals, VAR and lots more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.