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Footballistically Arsenal

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·1 hr 18 min·5 clips
Alan Algar joins Boyd and Josh to dissect Arsenal's bizarre, injury-ravaged season and debate whether Mikel Arteta is as good as some think.
The episode begins with the hosts welcoming Alan Algar as their most regular and cherished guest for the final podcast of the season. They immediately frame the discussion as a review of a "balmy" and difficult-to-summarize season for Arsenal. Early conversation touches on the women's team's Champions League final win and Ian Wright's comments linking it to the men's team's failure. The core of the episode is a detailed assessment of Mikel Arteta's season. Alan Algar gives a nuanced rating: 7 out of 10 if Arteta pushed for a striker in January and was denied, but only 5.5 or 6 if he didn't. Josh and Boyd largely agree with a 7, citing injuries, sendings-off, and a Champions League semi-final run as mitigating factors. Key statistics are highlighted: Arsenal dropped 21 points from winning positions, led in 30 of 38 Premier League games but only won 20, and no player scored more than 9 league goals. The hosts criticize specific tactical decisions, like David Raya's time-wasting inconsistencies and poor set-piece defending in the second half of the season. They identify the home record against mid-table teams (8th to 14th) as where the league was lost. The conversation shifts to the broader context of trophies versus progress. Boyd argues that Arsenal's current squad is far better than the teams that won FA Cups in recent years, and questions whether winning a secondary European trophy like Tottenham's Europa Conference League is preferable to finishing second and reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Alan delivers a rant about the erosion of football discourse, criticizing pundits like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher. Player departures are discussed, with emotional send-offs for Kieran Tierney and criticism of Jorginho's impact. The hosts agree the club must stop signing aging players past their peak. The summer transfer window is a major focus, with strikers like Sesko, Jokeres, and Ollie Watkins analyzed. Alan predicts Sesko is too young to lead the line immediately, favoring Jokeres. The episode concludes with season awards: Declan Rice's two free-kicks against Real Madrid are chosen as the moment and goal of the season, with Rice also named player of the year. Lewis Skelly's emergence is highlighted as a pleasant surprise. Alan ends with a bold prediction that Manchester City will receive a 40-point deduction for their 115 charges, retroactively applied to this season, costing them Champions League qualification.

As heard by us

An end-of-season Arsenal review that turns attacking shortages into stubborn, slightly wary hope.

This Arsenal season review uses the barely seen Southampton game as a route into the larger end-of-season argument, from the quirks of English television coverage to the squad issues that framed the campaign.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get Arsenal's end-of-season review with the Southampton game as the prompt, then the real business: injuries, January choices, TV oddities, and next-year hope.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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