The Premier League thread

Just don't watch the punditry. They simply don't have the time/professionalism to properly research 20 clubs so they rely on comfortable received narratives or outdated opinion and invariably their takes are boring, wrong or both. Its also becoming clear that Sky especially are more interested in 'hot takes' that generate attention than actual thoughtful insight.

I remain delighted with a point and especially with how Arsenal managed the week in general. It was about as tough a schedule as possible (for September) and we had to do it with a depleted team.

It might be one of Arteta's most impressive weeks to date. Tactically he got each game right, sensible selections and subs and used the squad.

We might not have won yesterday but we shook City. Probably won't win the league (without court intervention) but we went up there without two key players after less rest than them and were the likelier winner playing intelligent, confident football until the ref kneecapped us. It bodes extremely well, we're still improving.

The united game on Saturday was a perfect example of utterly lazy punditry where they so desperately wanted to make a story about Rashford not starting that Redknapp completely pulled something out of his arse.

He said something along the lines of "Something must have happened during the week that the manager didn't like" and started alluding to off field behaviour and professionalism but he clearly wasn't in the know, just obvious speculation. Any United fan watching knows exactly what happened during the week; Garnacho was bloody brilliant and earned his first start of the season.

Heh, I mute anything but the actual match these days, though I wish I could have a universal mute for Carragher TBH.

I was very glad I had to be out of the house straight after the game finished, some times pundits can be worth a watch but Sky seems more interested in creating "drama" than anything close to analysis so fuck that noise.

It's media narratives. Arsenal are supposed to be the entertaining soft side, that plays well but doesn't win titles.

I do feel for you and in many respects it's not good enough, especially given what they charge for access to televised football.  Ex pro pundits are always last to realise (or admit) that their outdated opinion might just be that, and invariably impose an absurdly high bar before they'll grudgingly update it.  

Ten years ago, they could just about get away with this sort of thing but the media landscape has changed and frankly the bar is higher now.  Almost every club has specialist fan media of a good standard (biased but considered and thoughtful opinion) and 'print' media like the Athletic has reporters dedicated to each club who spent tens of hours a week on their subject not 2hrs every fortnight (at most).  Playing football and appraising football is not the same skill, in much the same way that the best players generally don't become the best managers.

To give them some credit, the few times I've watched the Monday night analysis show it's been pretty good, but speaking tactically about one or two specific moments obviously doesn't require as much knowledge of context as talking more broadly.  I wish they'd stick to that sort of thing.

It is incredible how long it's taken for them to notice quite obvious stuff like we're probably one of the tallest and most physically imposing sides in the entire league. 

At least they finally appear to have noticed that that Brazilian guy who stands near Saliba might actually be quite good.

Any week now he'll be exposed...

Well Haaland is from Leeds, what do you expect?

I will not rise to your bait.

Does Trossard's ban get served if he sits out the league cup? That would seem like justice of a sort.

Yep, domestic cup games count

Silva going on about shithousing is beyond parody

Thoughts on Laurence McKenna?