Will Arsenal's lack of creativity be their demise?
Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe unpack Manchester City's win over Burnley and Arsenal's win against Newcastle as both teams continue to push each other in a neck-and-neck title race.
Video Transcript
Okay, we're gonna start it off, at the Emirates, because it was sort of deemed as the big game.
This is what Mikel Arteta said, the start of a new five-game season.
with the title run in, with Manchester City taking- Yeah, they did top spot away- On Tuesday for, for, for Arsenal on Tuesday.
first time since August they'd been top.
Arsenal have been there forever.
City got the job done with a, with a one-nil win against Burnley that was a Haaland goal.
I think we expected a bit more, but they got, got the points.
They, they missed chances.
They could've done- Yeah more than that, yeah.
They, they got the job done.
Yeah.
So some respect.
Spotlight then falls on Arsenal, in a different spot, chasing rather than sitting on top.
they were hosting a Newcastle team that, to be fair, were out of form, and there's obviously some issues going on at the football club, so a chance to reestablish themselves.
Do you think they did that, Rob, with the, with the win and the performance?
Well, they did.
I mean, the win is the most important thing.
Yeah.
One-nil victory.
a Bertrez as a brilliant, brilliant strike of the football.
What a good, what a good s- striker of- Yeah the ball he is, you know, from the- Corner kick routine, wasn't it?
Yeah, I mean, it's like, it was the, it was the game of the three short corners- wasn't it?
Like, i- in three minutes, and the last one ended up in the goal off, Bertrez.
yeah, they got the job done, Rob.
I, I- Yeah I thought, going into this, that we might see, like, Arsenal have gotta go for it now.
Yeah.
I think there's a sense that Man City are in great fettle.
They're in great form.
They have They're probably the bookmakers' favorites right now.
Yeah.
But they're still right in it, Arsenal.
The, the, the stats, the nu- the table's almost identical.
Almost identical numbers with these two clubs.
and maybe I expected more.
I expected more front foot.
Yeah.
They get the goal early on.
and there's a, there's, there was a natural drop-off, Rob, right?
And I wanna ask you- Yeah about that.
Yeah.
Because at home, against a struggling Newcastle team- Yeah you get the goal, really nice goal.
Would, would you, what would you have expected at that point- Well- from a champion team after they go one-nil up pretty early in the game?
When you say a champion team, um- 10 minutes.
The 10th minute- Yeah they were at one-nil what we're saying at the moment is this Arsenal team have not shown yet they're a champion team.
They, they're, they're hoping to become a champion team in terms of winning it.
Because what, what we would've seen, the, the reaction to the goal i- is, is different to what we've seen from many other winners.
For, for Manchester City, for Man United- Liverpool, yeah from Liverpool to certain degree.
Yeah.
They go one-nil up in, in, early in the game, you're thinking this is two or three before half time, and then in some respect, the game's kinda done.
You can manage the game.
You can make some subs.
Arsenal don't seem to do that.
Now, maybe winning in their style, Rob, and, and the reliance on the defense, so it's another clean sheet that they go back to, it's less front foot creative football.
It's possession without taking risk.
But it's the points, and, and that's how Arsenal- Isn't it, isn't it risky?
That's how Arsenal are gonna wi- gonna win this title.
But hasn't, but isn't that how Arsenal, over the last couple of months, have dropped points?
Where they haven't been- Correct performers and things, yeah as, as creative and as, I dunno, expansive and as attacking.
Yeah.
So Arteta's not changing things then, Rob, is he?
He's gonna go with the same approach and try and grind it out.
But, but if you The kinda question that I'm still a little unsure of i- in this kinda debate is, is it Mikel Arteta or Martin?
They had Martin Odegaard, they had Declan Rice- Yeah and they had Esa run today.
Yeah.
All who- Yeah can play all day.
So why aren't they doing it?
But that's what I'm saying.
It's, it is a manager.
It is.
So, so, so you think the manager's saying, "Don't be too creative.
You don't go forward.
You don't" now.
I'm not so sure.
There were times in the second half where Arsenal worked the ball into decent positions, and then made some poor decisions, poor execution.
gave the ball away too cheaply.
Now, that isn't down to Mikel Arteta.
That bit isn't, but what about when they score the goal then?
Yeah.
So, so five, 10 minutes later- and there's a, there's an obvious Arsenal behind the ball- Yeah dropping back.
Yeah, yeah.
I'd give that.
Now, the manager can- like remonstrate, or he can talk about it before the game.
What's he want?
Let's go and have a- engage.
Let's go and have a little press.
Let's go and ask the questions.
Look, I'm telling you now, and we've been there, right?
The When you go, when, when Arsenal drop off and Newcastle have the ball- Yeah.
Then- that's kinda nice.
Yeah.
If I'm, if I'm playing for Newcastle- Yeah then I'm like, "This is nice.
They're dropping off.
We can play a little bit.
We get a little bit of confidence.
We get some combinations.
We're in the game."
Yeah.
The, instead of, "Wow, Arsenal, they scored.
They're in our faces.
We're not very confident right now."
And, and they can, it put them away a little bit that way.
So I think, I think, I know what you're saying, that, I mean, the players are out there and they gotta do it, but the manager can, you know, push them up.
"Hey, guys, let's, let's, let's get-" Well, well the players can do that as well.
If, if Martin O- Odegaard's on the ball and he sees a- Yeah, they can they, they can take more ownership of this.
I, I kinda feel like it's all like, "Oh, he doesn't let them off the reins."
There were times when they got, Madueke got in good positions, run his fullback, turned back, and played it back to Ben White.
But, but- Now, that's not the manager that's safe.
Yeah, but the, the m- but everything comes from the manager's words, Rob- Yeah.
So, so that's- over a period of time so that's an environment then, Rob- Yeah that must be created within the football club where there's a fear about- And it's okay to go backwards.
Yeah, and it's okay to be safe, and it's actually better, if there's a risk, don't take the risk.
Let's keep safe.
Let's keep what we've got.
Now, my sort of question to you, Rob, is if winning, if that's what wins them the title- Great.
Well done yeah.
The, it- Great.
Well done and, and then- Well, there's the first side we won't look at it any differently than, than other titles.
No, no.
We'll say it's a title.
Yeah.
I'll say it's a title.
So if, if it can be s- Well done.
Great if it can be successful, and if it can get them over the line, well done.
Well done.
But there's an if there, Rob.
Yeah.
If it doesn't.
And there's an if.
When they had a six-point gap or nine-point gap with a g- ex- with a played extra game, and it goes down to this, and they don't get over the line- Yeah which they very possibly could- Yeah then will they have regrets?
Will the manager have regrets?
Will the fans feel a little frustrated?
I don't think the manager will have regrets, 'cause I think he's going with what he believes in.
I think he believes this way is the way he's gonna win a titleI think some of the players- Would that, would that- some of the players might.
The Declan Rices who said last week, "It's not over."
I think some of the players might, Rob, 'cause they've been this close, and they should've put it away, and they haven't.
They should've put it away.
I mean, listen, that, that's the crux of it.
And to be fair, we've been saying this for a few months now.
If this is the way, he's going about it- Yeah if they win it- Yeah brilliant.
Yeah.
Anything but win, a win.
Yeah.
Where I don't You know, I think Man City's way of doing it is totally opposite.
Yeah.
It's all out possession, it's all out attack.
And I don't think there's any, I don't think there's any regret from their side that, "Oh, should we be a bit more pragmatic?"
I think that's the way they are.
Yeah.
And this looks like it's the way Arteta is.
Yeah, yeah.
It's just that Arteta's been short- Yeah three or four times.
Well, until he wins one, it's al- he's always gonna be criticized as not being able to get- E- Pep, if Pep doesn't win it, he's not gonna be criticized in the same way.
It'll be, "Okay.
City we g- weren't quite good enough."
But there was an understanding that Arsenal needed a little bit more on attack.
Yeah.
And they went it.
Hence, they spent all the money.
Yeah.
They got it.
So the feeling is, "Well, there you go."
I mean, the squad- "You got what you want."
The squad on day one was basically the squad he wanted.
Norwood, Madueke, Jesus- Nokes, Eze Eze.
I mean, it was, it was everything that he, he could've wanted.
Yeah.
And I, and I just I don't know.
y- you, I, I would just want, want them to push on a little bit more and be a little bit more progressive- and be a bit more dominant.
I guess, probably a good word, dominating games to put teams away.
Let me, let me, let me offer you a, a bit of an offshoot of a question here, Rob.
And, and this is a little bit off-piste, and I might be way off the mark here.
Part of this attacking thrust, if you like, or lack of- Yeah talk to me about the midfield three.
Yeah.
Right?
And Zubimendi and Declan Rice in particular.
I think we know that what Martin O- Martin Odegaard does.
Yeah.
He's busy.
Yeah, yeah.
He joins the play.
I like him.
Combination.
He joins the play.
He's, he gets in between the lines.
In between, yeah.
He's got a bit more creativity in the final third.
Declan Rice and Zubimendi, now we were saying in the game, Rob, that Zubimendi gets forward as much as Declan Rice.
Yeah.
So there's an understanding there that sometimes you go.
One goes, yeah.
And I would argue Zubimendi's better.
Zubimendi's better at making things happen, scoring goals.
I mean, I think the numbers are pretty similar.
Yeah, yeah.
I haven't got Zubimendi.
But are they too similar?
Is there a, is there a goal-scoring number eight that this midfield three lacks?
You know how I feel about that, Rob.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I want a, I want a playmaker.
You want Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
I want a defensive winner.
They're not- And I want a goal threat.
I, I, I think, to answer your question, and, and it's a, it's, it's a great question, is they're not as defined in those roles as you would like.
When Frank Lampard was an eight, you knew what he was doing.
And what he, and what he was g- yeah and what he's g- he's good at.
When Phil Foden's playing as a 10, you know- Exactly what you're getting.
And you've got Makll or whoever- Yeah somebody else behind- Yeah.
Who does the other, the other thing N'Golo Kant.
Or you got Rodri, or you got Kant.
And it's a very obvious difference.
Yeah.
This isn't.
This is a hy- they're hybrid players.
Like, sometimes you sh- see Declan, goes, "You're a brilliant eight."
And other times you go, "Mm, actually, he's a six."
So they're, so they're a bit more similar than, than in- Yeah an ideal scenario.
Than, and, and, and- Both brilliant, by the way and, yeah both really good players.
But on days like today- You'd love a midfield goalsc- Yeah.
There's no goalsc- You'd love a goalscorer there's no goalscouts, is there?
Like you used to do for midfield.
Yeah, yeah.
Like, just making runs beyond the center forward.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
That's not either of their game.
So again, if you haven't got that, Rob, and your wide players- Yeah at the moment- Yeah aren't really producing- Yeah that great for you- Yeah.
Maybe it's gone- then it's a little bit- Who's scoring?
Yeah.
Where, where are the goals gonna come from?
A set piece again today.
A set piece, yeah.
It was a brilliant strike.
Yeah.
But all that being said, they got the job done.
The top of the table.
The top of the table.
They're three points clear.
They put the pressure on Man City.
But by the time they play City, I think you made the point, I've just looked at- they could be six points ahead.
Yeah.
Now that, that However s- a good City are, however, that does put a little pressure on City.
It does.
If they go six points ahead.
It does.
You can't afford a slip at that point.
No.
And, and we said on the show today, Rob, that, that Arsenal slip- maybe conceding a goal.
I mean, the Yohan Musett chance, I mean, that was it.
It's a brilliant chance.
And that's what I'm talking about.
It's a brilliant chance.
Like, that, I mean, and, and with four games remaining- The whole atmosphere in that place would've been, would've- Yeah completely changed and four games remaining- Yeah there might be another chance like that where Arsenal are one-nil up or, or, or, or, or drawing, and then they concede a chance like that and, and next time he scores.
So they do it differently.
Man City's mess-ups will be different- Yeah to Arsenal's mess-ups.
Yeah, yeah.
But they got potential to mess up.
Yeah.
I mean, they really have.
And that's why it's gonna be a great race.
It'll be a great race.
And it, it'll go down to the last day, Rob.
Yeah.
Great race.
I mean, if it goes I think I asked you o- on air and for any of us, is there a point where Mikel Arteta might have to let the reins off and go for it if we s- look like it's going to, to, to goal difference, to goals scored?
Because on that basis, City are gonna be, looks like they'll be ahead of them.
Yeah, I think that'll be a late one, that.
It'll be a late one.
Right.
Like the last game- Last game or the two or the penultimate game.
Yeah.
If, if, if they are similar- Yeah and it looks like 'Cause I mean, Arsenal's last games, Rob, I mean, let's have a look at the Premier League games.
They've got Fulham at home.
Yeah.
They've got West Ham away.
West Ham away, yeah.
They've got decent games.
Burnley at home- Yeah and Palace away- Yeah last game.
They're all winnable.
Kind of four winnable.
Four straight winnable.
I mean, in between that they've got some Champions League business to take care of, though.
Well, that's the big difference as well.
That's Real Madrid, isn't it?
That's, that's- That's Real Madrid away- the big difference with them and Man City if we can then- Yeah not I mean, Man City, to their point, and we'll talk about City in a moment, but- Yeah will have made it to the FA Cup final and will be playing that before the season ends.
Yeah, the weekend- The game does- the weekend before, isn't it?
It's the weekend before, and then I don't know if there's a midweek game following in that for City.
So it could be that, you know, just from City's point- Yeah of view, it could, you know, the, the games that could catch them out.
Injured players and- and returning players.
Bukayo Saka came on and looked a threat immediately.
He's just different, Rob, in't he?
Yeah.
What, what, what Quickly, I don't wanna spend too much time, but, like, why is he different to Madueke?
Why is Madueke out there all that game and never really looked like- Yeah doing anything?
Yeah, yeah.
Saka comes on- He's got- and the first ball he gets, he's running at the defender and he gets his, and he gets a shot that's quite close.
He's, he's, he's more positive with, with, with what he does.
He, he just gets in good spots to- And he's, he- he's played with a, with a bigger confidence and expression.
But there's knowhow, RobIsn't there know-how to be in a spot when he receives it, he's always, the fans get off their seat because he's in a good area.
Yeah.
Well, the angle maybe he wants that.
Where Maddock is maybe wider, stays wider or something.
Yeah.
I think that's partly of it.
But Saka almost made something happen immediately.
Yeah, yeah, he had a shot.
If Saka is, gets back to his best real quick, and I have to say that he wasn't at his best before he got injured- No, no he wasn't then that makes a big difference for Arsenal.
And all we've just talked about- if you've got him running at defenders, creating and scoring goals, well, that's brilliant for Arsenal to have that.
On the positive- Yeah Saka back.
On the negative- Right Kai Havertz came off, not quite sure, but looked like muscle injury.
Eze went down, came off.
Eze looked like he was saying to the manager, "I just felt something," so it looked more precaution.
Yeah, yeah.
But we'll have to again- Yeah have to wait and see.
I mean, to lose those two in a time when you haven't got a team that's scoring bundles of goal- Yeah, yeah would be a worry for, for Arsenal.
Yeah, and you've got a Champions League semifinal coming up- Yeah against Atletico Madrid.
Oh, Wednesday.
So they need all the, the fit bodies, particularly their attacking players that they can go.
So I mean, it's great for us, mate.
I, I loved today.
I loved We'll get to- Yeah some of your other stories as well.
Yeah.
But what a good day of action and, and what- Enjoyable and it doesn't have to be, you haven't got to have- Yeah like loads of goals- No, no to make it dramatic and exciting.
Yeah, the, the intrigue and, and, and the jeopardy- Yeah, and the, and the- is what holds you, doesn't- Yeah, and the nerve.
Yeah, yeah.
Like, the nervy nature- Yeah of the Emirates today.
Yeah.
I mean, I know I've got tons of Arsenal fans, and I know exactly what they've been- Yeah, yeah you know, it's almost like, "Sorry, but this is the way- Yeah, yeah it's gonna be."
Yeah.
Yeah, it's fun.
And well done Arsenal.
Yeah.
They got the job done.
Got the three points.
quick word, very quick word on, on Newcastle though, Rob, because- Go on then, yeah they, they, they've lost again.
There's been talk with Eddie Howe, and he's supposed to meet with the owners, and just feels like everything's fell out of sync a little bit with that football club.
Yeah.
And then we saw today, Asala has started again.
Same thing.
Lively.
No Whister.
Nope.
No- Fosu-Mensah Botman, and no Alango.
You spend $200 million on three players in the summer, and they're on your bench when you go to Arsenal.
I mean, listen, who picked those players?
You know, we always understand it's a mixture of the m- the coach- Yeah, true, yeah which would be Eddie Howe- Botman, yeah and the sporting directors, but the sporting director's been a little bit in and out there.
There's, it's been a, there's been a change in that.
But that's, that is, that's horrendous when you spend that amount of money.
Mm-hmm.
You lose your iconic striker in Alexander Isak, and you spend the money on players that don't play.
Yeah, to understand the team, the team.
That's crazy.
So when you talk about a disconnect, this is what we're talking about.
And also I noticed that the, the public investment fund of, Saudi are pulling out of LIV Golf.
Yeah.
And I think they're pulling out of some, Saudi league teams, pro league teams.
Oh, yeah.
As if like, "Oh," like, "I don't know whether our, our commitment to sport is gonna be long going."
Is gonna be, yeah.
Now they're the ones that own Newcastle United.
Yeah.
And that'll be something else to Eddie Howe, because it's not as though there's been, they've been, they've been chomping at the bit- to improve the club and to I mean, I don't know.
But this, the club thought with this investment- Yeah that it was gonna be going places.
They're gonna be- And there's financial restrictions- On some big things that have stopped that.
And I just wonder now, do the Saudis continue to have the excitement- about m- making Newcastle United what they want it to.
And I know nothing, and I don't admit to, to having any reason for saying this.
I wouldn't be surprised if Eddie and Howe and Newcastle part company in the summer.
His face a couple of times- Yeah and the, just his manner and he, he's saying It just feels to me like, I don't know if this is gonna come to a, a, a natural end, but we'll, we'll wait and see.
Yeah, it might be.
It might be.
We'll wait and see
