UberArsenal – Blogging about The Arsenal

After the refereeing horror show from Stuart Attwell and his pals on VAR duty this past Saturday evening, let us take a closer look at the consistently appalling refereeing that has plagued Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side since the start of last season. Lee Mason, Michael Oliver, Andy Madley, David Coote etc etc, the list goes on of these sorry excuses for professionals who have repeatedly cost the club valuable points throughout crucial Premier League competition in the last 16 months (and longer). It has now reached the stage where the officiating is so excruciatingly poor, that you are left questioning whether there is something more sinister or nefarious going on.

Here are 12 instances of either utterly shambolic or unbelievably inconsistent decisions that have gone against Arsenal since the start of last year’s title challenging campaign.

1. Ødegaard ‘fouls’ Eriksen in Lead Up to Martinelli’s Opening Goal at Old Trafford – VAR Intervenes and Disallows Legitimate Goal

Picture the scene. Arsenal have won their first 5 games of the Premier League season and have the opportunity to make it 6/6. They can do so in style, travelling up North to attempt to conquer a Manchester United side rejuvenated under new boss Erik Ten Hag.

Just 12 minutes in, Martin Ødegaard cleanly dispossesses Christian Eriksen in the middle of the park as the ball falls to Bukayo Saka, who threads through a perfectly weighted diagonal pass to the on-running Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian calmly takes the ball into his stride and finishes past De Gea expertly, putting The Gunners 1-0 up and in the driving seat to make it 6 wins on the bounce in Premier League competition. Arsenal are in dreamland and crucially get the all-important opening goal in what is their first game against a traditional ‘top 4 side’ of the season. Sounds a bit too perfect, doesn’t it?

Well, despite the goal being completely legitimate, the VAR team take it upon themselves to intervene and communicate to on-field referee Paul Tierney that he should take a trip to the pitch-side monitor to review a potential ‘foul’ from Ødegaard in the build-up. So, since his mates told him to, that’s exactly what he goes to do. Tierney then views several video replays and still images of Ødegaard tackling Eriksen in a completely legal way, and despite not noticing a foul in real time (and having an amazing view of the tackle live and deciding not to award United a freekick), he decides to do a complete 360 and reverse the decision, disallowing Arsenal’s legal goal and gifting United a freekick in the middle of the park.

Disgusting officiating, to say the least. Arsenal go on to get done on the counter and lose their first game of the season 3-1, allowing City to gain ground on them and move to just one point behind in the table, hot on their tails. Four months later, in a December review of the season, the PGMOL revealed that this goal was one of 6 ‘clear and obvious’ errors that they had made and admitted that the goal should’ve stood. Thus, proving that VAR had absolutely no reason to intervene and disallow a legitimate goal in such a big game and at such a crucial moment of Arsenal’s toughest test of the season at the time.

2. Caleta-Car Wrestles Jesus to the Ground – Robert Jones says ‘No Penalty’ and VAR Goes Missing

A month and a half after the injustice in Manchester, Arsenal had found themselves 1-0 up at St. Mary’s Stadium thanks to an 11^th-minute Granit Xhaka strike. The Gunners were in cruise control and were realistically looking to wrap the game up before the half-time whistle was blown. Later in the half, Gabriel Jesus was clearly and obviously wrestled to the ground by Southampton centre-back Caleta-Car, as the Croatian quite blatantly pulled the Brazilian down with no intention of playing the ball.

However, in quite typical Robert Jones fashion, the English referee decided to completely ignore the incident and proceed with the game, refereeing by his own unexplainable ruleset. No foul, no booking, no penalty, and unsurprisingly – no VAR intervention from his mates at Stockley Park. If the penalty was rightly given, Arsenal likely would’ve found themselves 2-0 up against a disheartened Southampton side struggling to get anything going, and most likely would’ve cruised to a comfortable three points. How inconsistent is it that VAR decided to intervene and call a foul for Ødegaard’s clean tackle at Old Trafford, yet had absolutely 0 intention to send the referee to check the monitor for this incident which should’ve given us a penalty? The boys in Stockley Park must’ve had their anti-vision goggles on for this one.

Unfortunately, we went on to concede in the second half and eventually dropped 2 points to a pretty dismal Southampton side. Former referees Mark Halsey and Keith Hackett both stated post-game that Arsenal should’ve been awarded an obvious penalty, and questioned why VAR was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but Jesus revealed after the game that referee Robert Jones told him that had he gone down earlier, he probably would’ve awarded the penalty. If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry…

3. Dan Burn tries to UNDRESS Gabriel in Penalty Area – No Penalty and No VAR Check

On January 3^rd 2023, Newcastle travelled down South to The Emirates Stadium. It was the first time the two sides had met since The Magpies prevented Arsenal from finishing in the top four in the penultimate game of the previous season, and Arsenal were looking for revenge for that depressing night on Tyneside.

It was clear from the off that Eddie Howe’s men had a gameplan – make this game as horrible to watch as possible, kick the s*** out of the Arsenal players, and have the ball OUT of play for as long as possible. It was a typical timewaste fest, with the away team looking to leave with no more and no less than a point.

After an hour played, neither side had found a breakthrough goal, but Arsenal had a set-piece in a dangerous area, with Bukayo Saka readying himself to whip the ball into the box. Saka stood over the ball and lofted a dangerous cross into the box, which looked like it was destined to meet the head of Gabriel Magalhaes, but Dan Burn had other ideas. The English defender quite overtly got a good hold of Gabriel, anticipated that he was about to get on the end of the cross, and aggressively pulled him back so he couldn’t meet Bukayo’s ball-in. He pulled Gabriel’s shirt so much that he almost ripped it off, yet the referee, once again, did not see this blatant foul. Oh, and I don’t need to tell you that VAR did not even intervene to instruct the referee to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor so that a rightful penalty could be given. Furthermore, what adds insult to injury, is that on the exact gameweek in West London, Chelsea were awarded a penalty for McTominay doing a lot less ‘holding’ of the same nature on Jorginho at Stamford Bridge. The lack of consistency makes these sorts of decisions even more infuriating.

Gary Neville of all people said this after the game: ‘You think about it, the actual sponsorship logo on the front of the shirt is over the shoulder of the player. You’ve nearly pulled the shirt off the back. They are very lucky there Newcastle.’. I mean, when even Gary Neville is on your side, you know you’ve been hard done by.  

4. Murphy BLATANTLY Handballs Xhaka’s Dangerous Cross in Injury Time – Madley Again Pretends He Doesn’t See it and VAR Has Another Day Off

If one major refereeing error wasn’t enough, how about two in one game? After not being awarded a penalty for Burn’s questionable undressing of Gabriel, Arsenal also should’ve been awarded ANOTHER penalty in stoppage time after Jacob Murphy blatantly blocked Granit Xhaka’s cross with his hand.

In the dying moments of the game, only one team was pushing for a winner, and I don’t have to tell you which one. Granit Xhaka made his way into the box and smartly beat his man before whipping in a dangerous cross to the awaiting Arsenal forwards queuing up in the penalty box. However, the cross didn’t meet its intended destination, as Newcastle substitute Jacob Murphy blocked the ball from with his (pretty clearly) outstretched arm. The arm was undoubtedly in a completely unnatural position, as Murphy was not jumping to head the ball away, so had absolutely no reason to be doing his best scarecrow impression. The Arsenal players subsequently ran to the referee, praying that he had managed to get at least one of two major decisions right in this big game, but to no avail, as Andy Madley decided to ignore the incident. And to no surprise, so did his friends down at Stockley Park.

Yet again, there was no explanation after the game as to why the penalty wasn’t given, and no explanation as to why Arsenal were stripped of two points in the middle of a tight title battle with juggernauts Manchester City. These incompetent group of individuals once again took zero accountability for their incorrect decisions and had no cojones to come out and explain the reasoning behind their horrible officiating. Once again, they ruined a game, and then left us in the dark as to why they did it. Cowards.

5. Arsenal Antagonist Maupay Throws Himself into Gabriel – No Penalty says David Coote and No VAR Review

A month and a day after the refereeing disasterclass from Madley and his mates, Arsenal travelled up to Merseyside to face an Everton side who were in abysmal form, having lost 7 of their past 8 games.

Admittedly, this was one of Arsenal’s worst performances of the season, and Everton seemingly had the ‘new manager bounce’ that they needed with Sean Dyche at the helm for the first time. In typical Dychey fashion, his side found themselves one-nil up thanks to a James Tarkowski goal, set up by Dwight McNeil. A combination those in Burnley will remember fondly.

As the game was coming to a close, a pretty lethargic Arsenal side were trying their best to push for a late equaliser. Eddie Nketiah took one too many touches in the box and was dispossessed from behind, as the ball rolled its way towards Gabriel Magalhaes on the right-hand corner of the Everton box, who looked like he was setting himself up to strike it goalwards. However, Neil Maupay (still haunting Arsenal all these years later) anticipated Gabriel’s intentions, and threw himself in front of the Brazilian recklessly, sending him flying into Idrissa Gueye. Once again, Maupay doesn’t get anywhere near the ball and pretty clearly has no intention to play the ball cleanly. However, David Coote is the referee in charge of this one. And what does that mean? Well, that the refereeing will be appalling. And it was. He seems to think that there’s nothing wrong with Maupay’s unwarranted challenge, and his mates on VAR of course are on the same naïve wavelength as him. Arsenal miss the chance to salvage an important point as the title race is heating up. More refereeing incompetence interfering with an otherwise honest race for the prized Premier League title.

That’s a total of 9 points so far in this article that the PGMOL potentially cost Arsenal in last season’s title race, and we’re not even done with reviewing their major mistakes yet. I don’t need to remind you that we finished the 2023/24 season on 84 points – just 5 points behind Manchester City. Don’t let anybody tell you that these refereeing mistakes don’t matter and eventually ‘even themselves out’. In another season with a higher standard of officiating, who knows what the table would’ve looked like after 38 games…

6. Mason ‘FORGETS’ To Do His Job Correctly – Allows Offside Brentford Equaliser in the Middle of Title Race

Now, this one is quite possibly the worst of the lot. And as you’ve probably realised by now, that really is saying something. Back in February, the title race was heating up between Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s men, and anything less than a win would’ve meant that the club would fall behind Manchester City in the Premier League table for the first time in months. City had 51 points after 23 games played, and Arsenal had 50 points after 21 games played (City had a superior goal difference).

Thomas Frank’s Brentford side visited The Emirates, and were big favourites to be on the losing side of this Saturday lunchtime kick-off on February 11^th 2023. 66 minutes in, super-sub Leandro Trossard stuck to the script and put The Gunners ahead with a smart finish from close range, converting Bukayo Saka’s dangerous cross. This left Arsenal 25 minutes away from leapfrogging back ahead of Manchester City and regaining their familiar first-place spot in the table. But no, those on VAR duty had other ideas…

Less than 10 minutes later, Brentford won a freekick in the Arsenal half. Mathias Jensen stepped up to launch a dangerous ball into the Arsenal box, which Brentford managed to keep alive for Ethan Pinnock to head into the path of Christian Norgaard, who hooked the ball across the six-yard box for Ivan Toney to head in. However, there were multiple clear-cut reasons why this goal shouldn’t have stood.

This time, the incident was actually checked by VAR. That should be a good thing, right? Well, not if the officials are not even competent enough to draw lines and check for offside correctly. Ethan Pinnock was in fact offside when the ball was put into the box, clearly standing ahead of Gabriel Magalhaes as the last Arsenal defender. Considering Pinnock quite clearly involves himself in the play by later heading the ball to Norgaard, this is clear-cut reason number one why the goal should’ve been disallowed. However, number two is even more egregious. For some reason, the offside was not checked on Pinnock, so we move to the next player directly involved in the equalising goal – Christian Norgaard. The Dane is also blatantly standing in an offside position when Pinnock makes contact with the ball to head it into his direction before he puts the ball on a plate for Toney to head in. Norgaard wasn’t judged to be offside by the on-field assistant, but it takes just one look at the replays on VAR to see that he is offside and that the goal should subsequently be disallowed. However, Lee Mason, who was in charge of operating the technology for this game, apparently ‘forgot’ to draw the lines to rule Norgaard offside. That’s right – he ‘forgot’ to do his job properly. He ‘forgot’ to carry out his occupation with any sort of decency, proficiency, or competency. Due to this inaptitude, Arsenal ended up dropping two extremely valuable points at home in a must win game.

After the game, Mikel Arteta said this: ‘I just looked back, and it is offside. We’ll probably be given an explanation later in the week but today we haven’t got any. It is too late, the goal was allowed, we dropped two points.’. And guess what? Mikel was right – a few days later the PGMOL made a public apology to the club for Lee Mason forgetting to draw the lines, admitting that the goal should not have stood. Almost as if their meaningless late apology makes up for the points that we lost on that day to Mason and his mates’ idiocy.

It’s akin to a mathematician failing to add up, a 100M sprinter forgetting to run, a basketball player forgetting to shoot, a lifeguard forgetting to swim. It is simply unforgivable. If you do not do your job correctly, especially when the consequences are so high, then you should face severe repercussions. However, this doesn’t seem to apply to the PGMOL. If you even go as far as to publicly criticise them then you will be heavily fined and unjustly banned. At this point, Mikel Arteta and every other Premier League manager are living in a modern-day dictatorship. It is absurd that the beautiful game is run in this manner by these uncriticisable frauds. Arsene Wenger was right – they are ‘untouchable’.

7. Trossard Opener Disallowed by VAR for Ben White ‘Holding’ Danny Ward’s Hand

Two weeks after the shocking refereeing that cost us 2 points vs Brentford, Arsenal had the opportunity to go 5 points clear of Manchester City with a win at The King Power Stadium vs Leicester.

In the first 45, Saka whips in a corner into the Leicester box, which is cleared only as far as Granit Xhaka, who lays the ball back to Leandro Trossard to rifle a thunderous shot into the top right corner from just outside the box. It’s a wonder strike, and Arsenal have found the all-important breakthrough goal in the first half to ease the nerves. However, the goal is checked by VAR, and the on-field decision that the goal is legitimate is for some reason immediately overturned. Craig Pawson has his mates in his ear telling him that Arsenal have done something illegal in the passage of play; Ben White is apparently holding on to Danny Ward’s hand in a manner that is unacceptable. Maybe they weren’t offered this sort of affection growing up, and is why they have this chip on their shoulders to rule this as foul play? Well, the goal is instantly chalked off, to Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal players’ disbelief. If this sort of thing is enough to rule out a goal, then pretty much every single goal from a set-piece should be checked for holding, pushing and impeding in every game. Multiple players have a hold of each other in the box multiple times within the same game. By disallowing this goal, the VAR referees are setting the precedent that this sort of thing must be checked for on every single set piece. This, of course, was not the case after this game, and Arsenal remained pretty much the only big side to be disallowed a goal in this fashion, at a crucial point in the title race.

Again, perhaps naturally, the defective refereeing on display in this game didn’t get spoken about as much as it should have been because Arsenal went on to win the game 1-0. However, that does not mean that inherently inconsistent refereeing like this should be forgotten and given a pass. If that is a clear and obvious foul from Ben White, then why is Soucek grabbing Ramsdale’s shirt and impeding his movement for West Ham’s goal against us last week in the Carabao Cup not a foul? They either all have to be offences, or all have to be allowed. You simply cannot pick and choose when to apply certain rules, and which clubs to give the benefit of the doubt to. The inconsistency is genuinely astounding, and on another day, could have cost us the game.

8. Coote Gives 2 Unjust Yellows to Tomi – But Ayew Makes 2 Worse Offences in SAME GAME and Gets Away with It

Even though we’re still early on in this season’s Premier League campaign, Arsenal have already been on the wrong end of several ludicrous refereeing decisions, potentially altering the outcome of several games. It’s fair to say that the PGMOL started this season in the same farcical fashion as they operated throughout the whole of last season.

It’s Monday Night Football at Selhurst Park. Arsenal find themselves 1-0 up thanks to a Martin Ødegaard spot-kick. Thomas Partey has a throw-in on the left side of the pitch and is reviewing his options. He takes a few seconds before handing the ball over to his teammate Takehiro Tomiyasu to take the throw. It probably literally isn’t even 3 seconds before referee David Coote gets his yellow card out and books Tomi for timewasting. A decision that is completely nonsensical, and reeks of giving in to the home fans’ pressure. Something that the referee is expected to be strong enough not to do. If anybody was to be booked for timewasting it should’ve been Partey, but Clueless Coote thinks it makes sense to give a yellow card to the player who’s literally just been handed the ball. You can’t write this stuff.

Fast forward to later in the game, and Jordan Ayew, who is already on a booking, cynically brings down Bukayo Saka who is bursting forward on a dangerous attack. Despite being a clear second yellow offence, David Coote says it’s nothing more than a freekick. However, several minutes later, Tomiyasu, who has already been wrongfully carded, lightly holds on to Ayew’s shirt before releasing it on the break. This time however, for this much lesser but almost identical instance, Coote cannot wait to get his second yellow card out and book the Japanese international again to send him off. Once again, clearly demonstrating absolutely ZERO consistency in his officiating, to the point that his refereeing can only be described as comical. You just have to laugh at it. It’s almost as if he is doing his best to perform like a corrupt referee. Maybe he wanted to impress the home crowd and get a big cheer out of them? Probably. At this point, these referees are more concerned with approval of certain fanbases than they are with doing their job competently.

Funnily enough, Arsenal cannot even appeal the suspension after the game as it was a red card given through two yellow card offences (another strange rule that the PGMOL have probably made up to save themselves the stick). That means that Arteta loses one of his most dependable defenders for the next Premier League game, which ironically, we end up dropping points in.

9. Kovacic Should See Straight Red, then Second-Yellow – Absurd Refereeing By Michael Oliver and VAR Gang

October 8^th, 2023. Arsenal vs Manchester City. The Emirates Stadium. A battle of last season’s top two in the Premier League. A chance for Arsenal to end their awful run of 12 successive PL losses to Guardiola’s men and put a marker down that they mean business again this season. A game that tells us so much about how this season’s title race might pan out. The refereeing MUST be impartial, fair, and void of any serious mistakes.

At 29 minutes on the clock, Matteo Kovacic violently slides with his studs up on Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard from behind. The challenge is reckless, dangerous and could have easily ended the Norwegian’s season. It is an ankle-snapper, and literally ticks every single box for a challenge worthy of a red card. Michael Oliver – perhaps the ‘head boy’ of the PGMOL, takes out his yellow card and only books Matteo Kovacic. John Brooks is in charge of VAR on the day and takes a look at the challenge. Despite the replays clearly showing serious foul play, along with the fact that lesser challenges in other recent Prem games (MacAllister vs Bournemouth, Gusto vs Villa, etc.) were awarded red cards, Michael’s mate of course agrees with the on-field decision. Oliver isn’t even sent to the pitch side monitor and the yellow card stands. Arsenal continue playing the game against Manchester City’s 11-men, which should be 10. A third of the game hasn’t even been played, and the English referees are already making major mistakes and potentially influencing the outcome of the biggest game of the Premier League season so far.

Then, to make matters even worse, just a few minutes later, Matteo Kovacic slides through the back of Declan Rice with a late challenge, getting nowhere near the ball. It’s almost a ‘you should’ve sent me off a few minutes ago so I’m going to give you the perfect opportunity to do so now’ challenge. A slight chance at redemption for Michael Oliver, who at this point HAS to send the Croatian off for a second yellow card offence. It’s the most blatant second yellow you’ll see all season. Bear in mind, this is the same referee that sent Gabriel Martinelli off for two softer yellow card offences within the SAME thirty-second passage of play vs Wolves back in the 2021/22 season.

But no, Mr. Oliver, with his air of haughtiness and superiority, crosses his arms and waves off the challenge. According to him and his egotism, he doesn’t have to follow the rules, but is instead allowed to create his own, and awards nothing more than an Arsenal freekick. Those watching around the globe, including even the most Arsenal-despising Tottenham fans, are in disbelief at his incompetency. Arsenal should be a man up for the last hour of the game, and should have already been playing against 10-men 5 minutes ago. This was the perfect chance for him to right his wrong and actually follow the ruleset that he’s meant to be unbiasedly abiding by. It’s a preposterous sequence of decisions from the PGMOL Poster Boy.

Funnily enough, most likely due to the fact that we went on to win the game, the PGMOL (who had an immediate two-week international break to release a statement) did not even apologise to Arsenal for the horrendous refereeing. No sorry, no admittance of error, no comment, no nothing. In what other world are high-up professionals allowed to be allergic to accountability, and it be okay? It’s like these referees are living in a different world.

10. Referee Sent to Monitor for Saliba Handball When Arm Was in Natural Position – Penalty Conceded Instantly

After the international break, Arsenal were straight back in action in a massive London derby against Chelsea. The Gunners were looking to make it 4 consecutive Premier League victories vs The Blues at Stamford Bridge for the first time in the club’s history.

Around 10 minutes have gone in the game and a ball is whipped into Mykhailo Mudryk of all people, who headers the ball goalwards off of William Saliba’s arm. The effort is going wide, and although Saliba’s arm is outstretched, it is not in an unnatural position considering he is jumping to attempt to header the cross away. It is the sort of occurrence which other sides have not been penalised for this season. For example, no penalty was given against Tottenham when Cristian Romero blocked Garnacho’s goalwards shot (even though he wasn’t jumping and had no reason for his arm extended). Surprise surprise though, in this instance the referee is quickly sent by VAR to check the pitch side monitor and immediately awards Chelsea a penalty.

I’ve lost count of the amount of similar, or even worse handball offences not given in Arsenal’s favour by referees in the last few years. Just look at the aforementioned Jacob Murphy handball in this article. It’s a clear penalty for Arsenal, but the referee isn’t even sent to the pitch side monitor to rewatch the incident and make a decision. These ‘officials’ are not just completely incompetent, they are completely inconsistent. The refereeing in this country is disgusting and really is at an all-time low. There, of course, was no post-game explanation from the PGMOL as to why this was given as a penalty but several other similar handballs are allowed and have been this season. They keep us in the dark, and keep refereeing by however they feel on the day. No consistency, no accountability. It’s the same old rubbish.

11. Guimaraes Elbows Jorginho’s Head from Behind in Clear Red Card Challenge – Attwell Turns a Blind Eye and Isn’t Informed to Check Monitor

In at number 11 and 12 conjunctively, is a review of the multiple farcical decisions or rather lack thereof decisions that took place at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening, which were the catalyst for the writing of this article. I’m sick and tired of these referees ruining the sacred 90 minutes that we get every weekend so often, and this Saturday was the final straw.

During the first half of the game, Jorginho is on the ball and is looking to release a pass to a teammate. Bruno Guimaraes, who quite clearly is looking to leave one in on Arsenal’s number 20, knows that he is not going to be able to get to Jorginho and make a fair challenge before he releases the ball. He sprints towards the Italian with one intention only – to hurt him. A second after Jorginho makes the pass, Bruno shoves into the Italian’s head with his left arm intentionally raised and elbows his skull from behind. It’s a GBH offence on the pavement, and a clear red card on a football pitch. He’s a dirty player and knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s no coincidence that he is the second-most carded player in the league this season. However, Mr. Attwell doesn’t even whistle for a foul, and his boys at Stockley Park don’t inform him of the offence, so he doesn’t even review what is a clear and obvious red card on the pitch side monitor. The game therefore subsequently goes ahead unjustly with 11 vs 11. What was the point in implementing video replays into the game again? Wasn’t it made entirely for occasions like this – when a clear and obvious error has been missed by the incompetent on-field referee?

Perhaps the reason the PGMOL don’t usually explain their decisions is because it’s a way for them to sound even more stupid than they already make themselves look. Have a read of their explanation after the game as to why Bruno wasn’t sent off:

PGMOL: ‘He (Bruno) has not used his arm as a weapon. It is not nice but it’s no more than a yellow card.”

Ha. ‘He has not used his arm as a weapon’. Wait, what? So he just used it as an ‘accessory’ when attempting to smash into Jorginho’s head? While his jaw is clenched and you can literally see the malicious intent through his facial expressions? Or by the fact that he kept leaving some in on the Italian multiple times off the ball throughout the game and goading him in the process? Stuart Attwell allowed it to happen though, and allowed the Brazilian to get away with several filthy challenges and off-the-ball nonsenses all game. A referee is meant to have full control of the game, but these PGMOL posh boys couldn’t have less authority if they tried. These referees are like supply teachers trying to manage a class of 50 rebellious and rowdy kids that have no respect for them. They are all inherently weak, and this was further evidenced by the officiating for the match-winning goal, which shouldn’t have stood for several reasons.

12. Gordon’s Winner Should Be Disallowed For at Least 1 of 3 Reasons: The Ball is Out/He is Offside/Joelinton Clearly Pushes Gabriel from Behind – Goal Still Given

The decisive moment in this tight game came in the 64^th minute, when Anthony Gordon turned in a loose ball past David Raya into an empty net. However, quite clearly, the whole of the ball is out of play before former Gunner Joe Willock rescues it by the corner flag before putting the ball into the box from which the goal is scored. It looks to the naked eye as if the ball has gone out, but neither Attwell nor the linesman seem to flag for a goal kick. Fine – this can be missed in real-time, so we go to VAR to make the correct decision. As you can see from the video replay and still images, the whole of the ball goes out of play. There is no part of the ball touching the white paint, meaning the goal should have been disallowed and the goal kick should’ve been awarded instead. However, the PGMOL don’t follow rules, as we know, and unfathomably allow the goal to stand. According to their post-match statement, apparently ‘the ball looks out’ but they ‘can’t possibly give it from that angle’. Guess what, lads? If it looks out, then it probably is out… What more evidence do you need? Again, it’s just completely laughable officiating.

But if that wasn’t bad enough, it becomes apparent from the replay of the goal that Joelinton clearly both-handedly pushes over Gabriel Magalhaes so that he can make contact with the ball before it drops to Gordon to turn in. Of course, Attwell missed this in real time too, but at least VAR are checking it to overturn the decision to allow the goal to stand, right? Wrong. The clowns on VAR conclude that it’s not enough of a foul, even though the replays blatantly show Joelinton shoving Gabriel to the ground from behind. The Newcastle midfielder has both hands on his national teammate’s upper back/head, and would not be able to assist Gordon without impeding Gabriel, as the defender would’ve been able to head the ball away from goal. It is telling that even former referee Dermot Gallagher came out on Sky Sports News the day after the game and stated that he would have blown his whistle for a clear foul.

However, the PGMOL claimed that ‘there are two hands on Gabriel’s back, but we canot be sure it’s a push’. What? Well, what is it then? Do you think he’s put both of his hands on him for fun? Is he playing tag? Why else would he forcefully use his hands in that scenario? Common sense and logic don’t apply when you’re dealing with these ‘professionals’, though. Even one of their meaningless apologies admitting their wrongdoing would’ve been less infuriating than reading that nonsense. I’m convinced that even they don’t believe the garbage that comes out of their own accountability-deflecting mouths.

Now, Raya has to take accountability for his poor positioning and all-round weak goalkeeping, while Ben White also has to take accountability for not playing to the whistle and closing down Willock. However, none of that should matter as the goal is clearly illegal for more than one major reason. The third reason is perhaps the least clear-cut of the three – but Anthony Gordon could also very well be offside for the goal. There is no evidence to show that he is level or behind Joelinton when he touches the ball down for him to score. Since Raya is ahead of him, he is out of play in this scenario, meaning Gabriel is the last defender. Noticeably, Joelinton doesn’t even celebrate the goal when the ball goes in. This is most likely because he thinks it won’t stand for any one of the three previous reasons outlined. Take your pick.

However, once again, the PGMOL stated post-game that ‘there is no conclusive evidence of whether Gordon is behind the ball, so stick with the on-field decision.’. So, since we can’t use our millions of pounds worth of technology effectively and draw a line through a player, we’ll just go with the officials on the pitch who can’t be trusted to make a simple decision correctly. Cool, sounds good.

Mikel Arteta had every right to be outraged at the incredulous refereeing on display on Saturday evening, and I for one standby everything he said in his post-match interview regarding the level of officiating this league has to offer. Best league in the world, but the worst refs in the world. Make it make sense.

I genuinely believe that the PGMOL needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom. The unjustifiable patriotism that this league has towards referees of its own nationality is damaging the integrity and quality of the product that we are consuming. English referees have proven themselves time and time again over the last decade to be the least skilled and least competent officials in all of Europe’s top 5 leagues. An effort must be made to bring in the top referees from overseas. The league has the money. Pay to import the best quality individuals at their jobs in the same way that the best teams in this league buy the best footballers from all around the world to do their jobs.

Until then, the biggest games in the best league in the world will continue to be decided by the clowns in refereeing uniforms as opposed to the footballer stars that truly make the Premier League what it is. They are the real difference makers. The real superstars. The real match deciders. Stop allowing these incompetent con-artists ruin the beautiful game. It’s been going on for way too long. We need change.

Some other notable mentions that didn’t make the cut since start of 22/23 season:

• Lyanco headbuts Nketiah at St. Mary’s – no red card given
• Dias kicks out at White at The Etihad in title decider – no red card given
• Martinelli’s opener at Goodison Park ruled out for unexplainable offside angle
• Havertz wins penalty vs United – goes to VAR and is overruled for clear & obvious error despite contact and no clear & obvious error
• Sanchez punches through Jesus – no penalty given to Arsenal for dangerous play despite the fact that Chelsea were awarded much softer penalty through VAR in same game

Arsenal ended their abysmal run of 12 successive Premier League defeats to title rivals Manchester City with a statement 1-0 home victory thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s 86^th-minute strike.

The victory, which is Arsenal’s first against the treble winners in PL competition since December 21^st 2015, extends the club’s undefeated start to the season to 8 games (6 wins, 2 draws), and importantly moves the Gunners above Man City in the league table.

The last player ratings article that I wrote was after our humbling 4-1 defeat at The Etihad in the heat of last season’s title race almost 6 months ago. This one, thankfully, is going to be a lot more positive and a lot more fun to write.

Raya – 6.5

The Spaniard started the game shakily, and according to Gary Neville, was ‘a bag of nerves’. Truth be told, it looked like the occasion was getting to him a little bit, especially in the first 45 where he almost gifted Julian Alvarez a goal, which did contribute to a nervy feeling being radiated around The Emirates Stadium. He also gave possession away cheaply on a couple of occasions at a time when we needed to be calm and settle into the game. However, as Arteta stated in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, he was brave, and was heavily involved in Arsenal’s build-up from the back, completing 29 passes (for reference, Nketiah completed 5). This was by far the biggest domestic game of his career, and we must take into account the expectations and pressures that come with playing for a club the size of Arsenal when compared to his previous club Brentford, with all due respect to them. Despite not having to make a single save, not many keepers keep a clean sheet against Erling Haaland and Julian Alavarez. He can be proud of himself.

Zinchenko – 7.5

Zinny gave a great account for himself against his former club, and can finally say that he’s been on the winning side of a game against Manchester City. He was his usual positive self and pushed up sensibly on his side of the pitch to support Trossard and later Martinelli when we were looking for the breakthrough goal, even having a couple of efforts on goal himself. A solid performance.

Gabriel – 8.5

Cool, calm, composed, and always switched on. Only Saliba and Jorginho completed more passes for Arsenal than Gabriel, who was brave and strong in the tackle. The Brazilian made a crucial block when the score was 0-0 which was almost as good as a goal. He has formed a special partnership with Saliba, which makes me question what Arteta’s reasoning was for benching him at the start of the season. A top performance today that he deserves a lot of credit and praise for.

Saliba – 9

At this point, what more can we say about our French wonderkid? There’s a good argument to be made that this guy is the best young defender on the planet. The 22-year-old won 100% of his aerial duels, completed more passes than any other Arsenal player (doing so with 97% pass accuracy), was dribbled past 0 times, didn’t commit a single foul, and barged Erling Haaland to the ground with complete ease like he’s not a 6’4 Nordic meat shield. He really is a Rolls Royce of a footballer, and we can count ourselves lucky that we have him on our books. What a defender.

White – 8

As always, Benny Blanco was heavily involved in Arsenal’s build-up from the back down the right-hand side of the pitch. He dealt with the maverick talent that Phil Foden is in the exact way that he had to – with no nonsense. He was physical, strong, and unapologetic about every duel he had with the 23-year-old. When Doku came on, he dealt with him and his electric speed well too, and made a couple of smart blocks from the Belgian’s attempted crosses. He also mugged him off with a cheeky nutmeg after we went 1-0 up to top off another great performance on his 26^th birthday. I don’t know what this man’s done to you or your coaching staff Gareth Southgate, but he should be starting for his country.

Jorginho – 6.5

The Italian used his experience and nous to help us try and win the midfield battle. He was on the ball a lot, and only Ruben Dias and William Saliba completed more passes than him, highlighting how involved he was for us. He did get caught in possession a couple of times and received a booking slightly early on for a challenge on Phil Foden. A decent enough showing overall before coming off for Partey on 75 minutes.

Rice – 8.5

Wow. What a performance from a special player. Declan is the type of midfielder that we’ve been missing for many years. His passing was great, his mobility in the centre of the park was first-rate and his decision making was excellent. He won 3 tackles, including a beautiful one on Bernardo Silva later in the second half, and probably could’ve scored another big goal against a Manchester club at The Emirates had Jesus had cut back the ball to him when he should have. We also can’t forget his goal-line clearance early in the game at a time where if we conceded, the game probably would’ve turned out completely differently. I can’t help but looking at the difference in performance in this fixture between him and Xhaka from last season, who he has essentially came in and replaced in midfield, and it’s day and night. We have one of the best central midfielders in world football in our side, who has settled in perfectly to his new side. Top.

Odegaard – 7

Arsenal’s captain led the press outstandingly and at times was visibly frustrated that his teammates weren’t executing the press as ceaselessly as he was. Wasn’t his usual creative self and had 3 shots on goal, all of which failed to hit the target by some distance. Overall, it wasn’t his best game, but he can now say that he is the first Arsenal cap since Per Mertesacker in 2015 to lead his side to a PL win against City. Was still lively, hard-working and a crucial part of our midfield which in the end, won the battle.

Trossard – 6.5

Had to be subbed off at half-time with an unfortunate injury. Only played the first 45 minutes in what was a cagey, tight, stop-start affair between the league’s two best teams. Did notably at one point push us forward with a beautiful switch of play to Ben White and tried his best to get forward with Zinny down the left hand side.

Jesus – 8

Played out of position on the right-hand side but gave a brilliant account for himself against his former side. Was energetic, mobile, strong, and heavily involved in everything good that Arsenal did for most of the game. Had a great battle with Gvardiol, who is not an easy defender to play against one-on-one. He could’ve released the ball quicker once he made his way into the box a couple of times, and should’ve cut the ball back to Rice for a big chance in the second-half, but it’s hard to criticise the Brazilian, who was integral to the win. Worked his socks off and did a lot of the dirty work for us.

Nketiah – 4

Eddie, without sounding too harsh, was probably the worst player on the pitch. Massively snatched at a chance in the first half when he could’ve sent Rice through on goal, and at one point stole possession from his own teammate Martin Odegaard when he was clearly offside, which was slightly selfish and frustrating. Often big victories like this see the whole team get a minimum rating of 6 or 7, but I can’t let that cloud what was all-in-all a very poor showing from Nketiah. Nowhere near good enough for a game of this magnitude. We’ve seen this one too many times from him against the big 6.

Martinelli (sub) – 8

Arsenal’s young Brazilian star returned from injury with a bang, and injected some much-needed zip and flare into the game once he came on at half-time, which Kyle Walker struggled to deal with. His direct running and trickery gave the City backline problems, and of course, his 86^th-minute deflected strike earned what could be Arsenal’s biggest win of the season. It’s so great to have him back.

Havertz (sub) – 7

Got the all-important assist for the winning goal and looked a lot better coming on from the bench to try and make his mark rather than starting. Credit to you Kai.

Partey (sub) – 7.5

Was only on for 15 minutes but TP5 came on and added some visible steal and combativity to our midfield. Importantly, he took the risk to play a brilliant over-the-top through ball to Tomiyasu, which lead to the winning goal. A great cameo.

Tomiyasu (sub) – 7.5

Like Partey, Tomi was only on for 15 minutes, but played a crucial involvement in Martinelli’s winner, making a rare run into the box before heading down Partey’s ball calmly to Havertz, who laid it off to Gabi for the winner. After his mistake in this fixture last year which lead to KDB’s opener, it feels right that he was involved in getting revenge over Guardiola’s men this time.

Arsenal’s hopes for a first league title in 19 years all but end after a dismal performance against the reigning Premier League Champions at The Etihad Stadium. 

A Kevin De Bruyne strike either side of half time, along with a 46th minute John Stones header and an Erling Haaland stoppage time finish saw The Sky Blues send a pitiful Arsenal side back to North London empty-handed. 

Pep Guardiola’s side now sit just 2 points behind Arsenal with 2 games in hand ahead of the final 5 games of the season, and have one hand firmly on their 3rd Premier League title in a row.

Let’s take a look at the player ratings from a night to forget in Manchester.

Ramsdale – 5

While the Englishman probably should’ve done better to stop De Bruyne from opening the scoring from outside the box at his near post, Ramsdale also made several key saves in the game that stopped City from scoring double the amount that they actually scored. Having said that, he probably could’ve done better with De Bruyne’s second, and also Haaland’s 95th minute goal, which he gets a weak right-hand to. It’s hard to give him anything more than a 5, although he was severely let down by a defence that was completely dominated by Haaland and De Bruyne for the whole game.

Zinchenko – 5

Arsenal’s playmaking full-back failed to make an impression and struggled to influence the game from the usual central positions that he roams into at his former stomping ground. Was one of the few Arsenal players who didn’t look nervous and tried to make things happen offensively, but ultimately to no avail.

Holding – 2

Was completely dominated by Erling Haaland all game. Got pulled out of position far too easily for City’s first goal inside the first ten minutes, and then again for City’s third goal which allowed De Bruyne the time and space to calmly complete his brace. Was also too slow to close down Foden for the assist for Haaland’s 95th-minute strike. To have the cheek to wink like he did after his meaningless consolation goal after defending like a rookie all game was laughable. Shades of his calamitous performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in our biggest game of the season last year. Truth be told it looked like a Championship defender vs the best striker in the world. 

Gabriel – 4

Although City deliberately targeted Holding’s side of Arsenal’s central defence more than the Brazilian’s, who on the whole has had an impressive season in red and white, the 25-year-old was still below par and struggled to keep up with the brilliance of De Bruyne and Haaland. Doesn’t look the same player without William Saliba next to him. 

White – 5

Was far from Arsenal’s worst player on the pitch. Made an excellent block to deny Haaland from grabbing a first-half goal. Having said that, he struggled to build any attacks down the right-hand side and was ineffective at doubling up with Saka to threaten City’s left-side of defence. Hard to give any starter more than a 5. 

Xhaka – 4

Was pretty anonymous for the hour that he was on the pitch, before being subbed off by Arteta for lacking composure and failing to keep his cool. Was a disappointing showing from the man who was supposed to be the eldest and most experienced Arsenal player on the pitch. Didn’t look right from the start, possibly still shrugging off his recent illness.

Partey – 4

Although not helped by his Swiss midfield partner, it was another poor showing from the Ghanaian, who just couldn’t get a hold of De Bruyne from the exact moment that Michael Oliver blew his whistle to start the game. For Arsenal to have any chance of leaving The Etihad with at least a point, they needed the combative midfielder to be strong, disciplined and first to every second ball, which he wasn’t. Had a game to forget in a month to forget for the player and the club. Picked up his 4th yellow card of the campaign in the process.

Odegaard – 4

When the 24-year-old Norwegian starlet is on song, Arsenal are usually on song, but Odegaard failed to leave his mark on this game. Tried to get on the ball from deep and make things happen but was largely ineffective. Gave away the ball with a sloppy pass which led to City’s third goal in pretty much identical fashion to the way he did for Southampton’s second goal last Friday, which is pretty inexcusable. 

Saka – 5

Bukayo is so often the man that can find the breakthrough when Arsenal need him to, but like the other forwards, he just couldn’t get into the game. Was dealt with fairly routinely by Akanji, who had an excellent game against arguably the best winger in the league this season. A forgettable showing.

Jesus – 5

Tried to be his usual tricky, mobile, energetic self up against Dias and Stones but failed to impose his will on the game. Would’ve liked him to pull the trigger more when he did get into slightly dangerous positions inside City’s third, but hard to blame him for the complete lack of service he received all game at his former home stadium.

Martinelli – 4

Probably the most anonymous the 21-year-old has been all season. If the chance presented itself, you would have backed him to grab his 16th Premier League goal of the campaign and become the highest scoring Brazilian in a single PL season ever. What a game it would’ve been to break that record, but Kyle Walker and co had other ideas. Starved of service and struggled to create the magic that he is usually able to create by himself.

Trossard (sub) – 7

Despite being on the pitch for just half an hour, was by far Arsenal’s best player. Got his 10th assist of the Premier League season and didn’t look nervous or intimidated by the opposition. Was direct and carried a genuine threat. Deserves to start against Chelsea on Tuesday night. 

Nelson (sub) – 6

Got on the ball and actually tried to go at the City defenders. Although the game was over by the time he came on, he was brave and direct. 

Nketiah (sub) – 5

Was only on for 10 minutes and failed to test Ederson. Can’t blame him.

Jorginho (sub) – 5

Did no harm when he came on. Hard to give him anything more or less than a 5, though. 

Smith Rowe (sub) – 5

Was pretty ineffective for the 19 minutes that he came on. Injuries and a lack of rhythmic game time have meant he sadly hasn’t been able to build on his double-figure goalscoring season of last year. 

1. If One of Their Key Men Get Injured, They Won’t Be Able to Cope!’

After beating Bournemouth 3-0 in the third gameweek of the season, we rose to the top of the Premier League table for the first time this season. How long we would be able to stay there, however, was another question. Fast forward to 13^th November 2022, with Premier League football about to be halted for the Qatar World Cup, and Arsenal were still sitting pretty at the top of the table, 5 points clear of Champions Manchester City.

The talk then turned from whether Arsenal could maintain their position at the top of the table, to how quickly the club would drop off if one of their key men were to get a long-term injury. Well, the chance to test the critics’ doubts perfectly presented itself, as Arsenal’s player of the season so far according to many, Gabriel Jesus, returned from international duty with a knee injury that required immediate surgery and a subsequently lay-off of up to 3 months. Up steps number two forward Eddie Nketiah then. No pressure. The young striker only had to match what Gabriel Jesus was doing in red and white. That merely meant being the club’s top direct goal contributor, pressing at an inhumane rate, and being able to produce moments of flair and magic that had the fans on their feet.

Well, in Eddie’s first league start of the season on Boxing Day against West Ham, he scored a beautiful goal, helping us to a 3-1 London Derby victory. In start two? Another goal, this time at The Amex in an impressive 4-2 win over an in-form Brighton side. Start three vs a revitalised Newcastle side proved to be a bit tougher, but Eddie led the line well, as the side failed to break down a stubborn Magpies side in our first goalless game of the season. Start four? No goals, but again, Eddie led the line honourably and caused Conte’s Spurs all sorts of problems in a memorable 2-0 win at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Last, and most definitely not least, Eddie bagged an excellent brace at home to Man United, which included an elegant last-minute flick to turn in the winner, making it 4 goals in 5 PL starts for the 23-year-old, helping us to maintain our 5-point lead at the top of the table.

Even Eddie’s biggest supporters couldn’t have foreseen 4 goals in his first 5 starts of the season against sides that, as of writing this article, occupy positions 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th in the Premier League table. Those 4 strikes have also taken Eddie to 9 goals for the season, seeing him quickly rise to the top of our top goalscorer chart, above Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard on 8 apiece. The young striker also now ranks in the top 3 of ALL Premier League players for expected goals (0.81), shots on target (1.99) and big chances scored (0.61) per 90. Not bad for a backup who cost the club a grand total of £0.

Eddie therefore has perfectly disproved the theory that Arsenal couldn’t cope if one of their main men got injured. He’s came in and been almost faultless, and according to many fans, led the line even better than Gabi Jesus was before the World Cup break. Who would’ve thought it?

2. ‘Arsenal Don’t Win vs The Big Boys!’

From around 2006 onwards, one of the media’s favourite nicknames for Arsenal, whether it be under Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery, Freddie Ljungberg, or now Mikel Arteta, was ‘flat-track bullies’. In other words, the club would always fare well against the bottom and middling sides of the league, but when it came to the top sides, the club would often fall to predictable defeat, especially away from home.

Just look at the 2015/16 season for example – the last season that the club can honestly say it made a run for the league title. Arsenal failed to win away against all 5 of the other current top 6 teams, which massively impacted that side’s push for the title, allowing 2500/1 underdogs Leicester to lift their first Premier League trophy. Rewind two more seasons back to 2013/14, when the club were top of the league heading into the new year, and history told pretty much the same story. The only top six side that the club beat on the road were Tottenham, but defeats like the 6-0 drubbing at Stamford Bridge, the 5-1 loss at Anfield and the 6-3 loss at The Etihad overshadowed that narrow North London derby victory, as the club quickly dropped to 4^th and finished there to mark a disappointing end to what once looked an extremely promising season.  

This season, however, things are different. When we went to Stamford Bridge, we imposed our will on the game and won comfortably. Don’t be fooled by the 1-0 score line, the Blues had just 44% possession and 1 shot on target all game. Only one team turned up that day. Similarly, when we went to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for January’s North London derby, we won to nil away to a top six side yet again. Once again, it was a routine victory. Add to that home victories against United, Spurs and Liverpool in which the club scored 3 goals in each game, the myth that Arsenal can’t do it against the big boys when it really matters is also quickly getting disproved this season.  

Even though we lost 3-1 at Old Trafford in September, I don’t think I’m being biased in saying we were the better team. We had over 60% of the possession and over 15 attempts at goal, but United executed their counter-attacking game plan well, and punished us. Not to mention the incorrect intervention of VAR in disallowing Gabriel Martinelli’s perfectly legitimate opening goal, which the Premier League has since confirmed was one of six major errors made by VAR so far this season. On another day (and at another stadium) that goal counts, and perhaps the club would still be yet to lose a Premier League game this campaign.

The point is, Arsenal are showing up in the big games this season. And if you didn’t think we passed the eye test in those games, then you’ll just have to believe the statistics, as the club won the xG battle in 5 of the 6 Premier League games played so far vs the other top six sides. This Arsenal side doesn’t just play well against the lesser teams, it also turns up when it’s crunch time against the big boys, and away from home, too.

3. ‘Arsenal are too Easy to Bully!’

Back in October 2017, a certain Brummie striker made a comment that Arsenal fans are still yet to forget over half a decade later. After falling to a 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road, Troy Deeney stated that Arsenal ‘lack cojones’, claiming that the club are easily bullied and don’t do well when they face adversity in games. Now, even though it was cheeky of a striker of Deeney’s calibre to criticise a club as big as ours, a reason that his comment cut so deep for many Arsenal fans was because there was genuine truth to it. When the going got tough, Arsenal would often get going, and not in the right way.

When a decision would not go Arsenal’s way, a goal would be conceded against the run of play, or the club would face a side who were physical and direct, Arsenal would often be quick to capitulate, whether we like to admit it or not. We were too easy to bully, and too quick to surrender when an opponent would try to put us to the sword. Even though our sides over the years have been packed full of creative talent and flair, who would go out on the field and be able to ‘out-football’ most sides, for many teams who faced us with the right attitude and game plan, we were actually quite easy to play against.

This Arsenal 2022/23 side is different though. Completely different. Firstly, this side is well drilled. Everybody knows their positions, and everybody knows their roles. Not only that, but Mikel Arteta tactically prepares differently for each side that we face; the team has a clear game plan based on exploiting the opposition’s individual weaknesses as opposed to just trying to out-pass and outplay every opponent. When you add to that the three main ‘non-negotiables’ that Arteta has imprinted into this side of showing maximum respect, commitment and passion, no player can get away with not putting in 100% in each game without getting dropped for the next fixture. Mikel is ruthless, and over his three-year tenure he has slowly ridded the club of the soft, fair-weather nature that was frustratingly part of previous Arsenal sides’ DNA.

Furthermore, recent Arsenal sides have tended to be filled largely with technical and nimble, but shorter and at times lightweight players, who were easy to dominate in the physical battles. If you look back at the aforementioned 2013/14 side which made an early push for the title, half of the outfield players would be second favourites to win their weekly physical battle. The likes of Gibbs, Rosicky, Ramsey, Santi and Ozil for example all lacked size and strength and it was almost a foregone conclusion that the team couldn’t go toe-to-toe with the Stokes, Burnleys or Chelseas of this world, especially on those tougher away days. Fast forward almost a decade later, and our current side doesn’t suffer from the same deficiencies. I don’t look at our team and think it’s not up for a battle. In fact, I put us as favourites most weeks in the duels department. Take our two centre halves and two central midfielders for example – each of Saliba, Gabriel, Partey and Xhaka are over 6 foot and can more than physically hold their own. I’d go as far to say as Saliba, Gabriel and Partey are all athletically elite athletes, and for what Xhaka might lack in that department, he more than makes up for in aggression and tenacity, which helps give the team that nasty-side that it needs (when exercised responsibly).

Arsenal can’t be easily bullied any more. Those days are long gone. This is a team that is packed with technical quality like the former sides, but importantly, this team also has size, strength, bite, and the ability to battle physically that previous Arsenal sides so clearly lacked.

4. ‘Arsenal Don’t Have That DOG In Them!’

One pertinent criticism of Arsenal sides of the past has been that the club just doesn’t have that title-winning mentality that the likes of United, Chelsea or City do. When you think of Arsenal, you would often associate the club with an innate inability to get over the line when it matters most; a lack of resilience and hardiness to do what’s required to win at all costs. Despite winning 3 league titles since the Premier League’s inception in ’92, it didn’t feel like Arsenal had winning leagues in their DNA. To that exact point, the last time that Arsenal were champions of the country was 19 years ago – in a completely different era of football.

Since that unforgettable season of 2003/04, the club has produced many ‘nearly’ sides that we have already discussed in this article. The ‘if Eduardo didn’t get injured’ side of 2007/08, the ‘technically brilliant but not savvy enough‘ side of 2013/14, the ‘really should’ve won the league’ side of 2015/16, and so on. But all of those teams were exactly that and nothing more – ‘nearly’ sides who didn’t have the bottle or know-how for whatever reason/s to maintain their position at the top of the league after 38 games when it was all said and done. Sides that ultimately the history books will forget. Yet again, however, this 2022/23 side just feels different, and seems to be displaying the sort of traits and character that title-winning sides of the past had in abundance.

One attribute that a Premier League title-winning side has to have is the ability to win from behind. In the toughest league in the world, any team can beat any team. We know that. The side languishing in 20^th-place set to be relegated can turn up on any given Saturday and beat the team sitting pretty in first. It’s the nature of the beast that is the Premier League and what makes it the greatest league in the world. There’s so much quality in every side that no team can just plain sail to a title, it doesn’t work like that.

That means that when a serious team goes a goal down, it has to find a way to not only to get something out of the game, but to win. And Arsenal have done that several times already this season. When Aleksandar Mitrovic pounced on a Gabriel Magalhaes error at The Emirates back in August, the best Arsenal sides of the past could’ve hoped for was to salvage a point from the game. This season’s side, however, had a different plan. Just 8 minutes later, captain Martin Ødegaard stepped up to level the scoring, only for the same man who gave the opening goal away, Gabriel Magalhaes, to redeem himself and turn in the winner from a corner with just minutes to go. Fast forward to Boxing Day, and Arsenal found themselves in a similar predicament – a goal down to West Ham despite controlling the game. However, the team came out for the second half and scored 3 goals in 16 minutes to earn us another vital 3 points from behind. Further to those wins, it was just a couple of weeks ago that Marcus Rashford’s stunner on 17 minutes saw us go a goal down in a must win game against United at The Emirates. Well, 73 minutes later the scoreboard read 3-2 to Arsenal, as this cold-blooded side came back to win from behind for a third time in nine home league games this season.

But it’s not only winning from behind that’s important, it’s also imperative that a league-winning side can win when it’s not playing well. As the cliché goes, that’s the real sign of Champions. Well, Arsenal have done that this season, too. On the back of our frustrating 1-1 draw away to Southampton in October, the club were looking at a tough trip to Elland Road as a must win game to get back in the win column, but the Peacocks didn’t make it easy. Truth be told, if anybody deserved the win that afternoon, it was Jesse Marsch’s side. They created more, worked tirelessly, had better chances, and even earned a second-half penalty. However, in the end, Bukayo’s first-half strike combined with our spirit and dogged resilience were enough to secure us all 3 points. A hit and run style win which proved that this team can win on its off-days, too. Previous Arsenal sides would’ve dropped points that day, there’s no doubt about it.

Furthermore, being able to bounce-back from setbacks is another key feature of proper title contenders. And, once again, this team has done that multiple times this season already. When the side lost its first game of the season at Old Trafford in September under some nefarious circumstances, we won our next 8 games in a row. Ruthless. Then, when the next Premier League blip came through the draw at St. Mary’s, we won 7 of our next 8 Premier League games, dropping points only to a Newcastle side who came to The Emirates with no other intentions but to draw the game. That’s a side that has real ‘bounce-back-ability’. Moreover, this side won a fair share of those games by scoring late winners – another key feature of a title-winning side. Whether it be Saka’s penalty against Liverpool or Eddie’s flick against United, this Arsenal side finds a way to win in the last 15 minutes of games when that crucial goal must be scored. There is a never say die attitude in this team and Arsenal have proved that they can score late when a game looks like it may be escaping them.

All in all, to wrap up a lengthy point slightly more succinctly, this side has courage, fight and resilience. There is no longer a weak, soft, self-sabotage mentality in our side. This team is mentally tough and has already displayed the ability to win late, win undeservedly, win from behind and bounce back from disappointing results instead of falling into a rut – all key components of a side that has the potential to win the league. Perhaps Rio Ferdinand summed us up best on his podcast last month when he said that: ‘Arsenal feel like they can win [any game] anyhow and any way that they need to. They are the real deal’.

5. ‘Arsenal Just Aren’t a Lucky Side!’

Luck is a criminally underrated component of any title-winning side. Being able to get the rub of the green at the right moments can push a team over the line and help it to get enough points on the board to finish at the top of the table. However, without sounding bitter or biased, luck just isn’t a thing that Arsenal just haven’t tended to majorly benefit from in the last decade or two.

Whether it be season-ending injuries to the likes of Eduardo in 2008 and Cazorla in 2015 that derailed our title charges, VAR intervening to disallow us perfectly legitimate goals like against Palace in 2019 and Leicester in 2020, or drawing Barcelona or Bayern Munich every year in the UCL knockout stages for about a decade, being an Arsenal fan almost comes with an unspoken acceptance that luck doesn’t go your way when you need it to.

This season, however, things seem to suspiciously be going our way a little bit more often than usual. When we beat Liverpool 3-2 back in October for example, the Reds were not given a penalty (even with a VAR review) after a pretty blatant handball by Gabriel in the first half, only for us to be awarded a ‘dubious’ penalty of our own which Saka converted late in the game to earn us all 3 points. When we then travelled to Elland Road a matter of days later, Bamford missed a second-half penalty to level the scoring, and Gabriel Magalhaes had an injury-time red card and penalty against him overturned by VAR in stoppage time as we managed to hold on for a nervy three points.

Further to that, when Eddie scored his last-minute winner at The Emirates a couple of weeks ago and the VAR checks began, I almost expected him to be offside and the decision to go United’s way. However, the goal was correctly given, and even though he was legitimately ruled onside, the pessimist in me after years of key decisions not going our way, feels lucky that it went our way. Add to that the injury that Thomas Partey picked up in the FA Cup at The Etihad last week, the pessimist in me again expected it to be confirmed that our star midfielder would be ruled out for the rest of the season in the following days. Thankfully, however, it seems to be a minor injury that won’t rule Thomas out for a significant period of time. In past years it just feels like he would’ve been out for a minimum of 3 months.

Even though decisions have gone against us this season like at Old Trafford, and even though we have had key injuries too, like to Jesus, it still feels like we’re getting the rub of the green a lot more than usual. This is perhaps heightened when you contrast it to the usual bad luck that we have had in the past with refereeing decisions, injuries, and VAR checks. If you ask me if I think we’ve been more lucky or unlucky this season, then my genuine answer would be lucky. Whereas hand on heart, bias aside, I would answer with unlucky for pretty much every season we’ve had since 2004. Maybe the fact that we’re top of the league by 5 points with a game in hand in February is clouding my judgement of things, or maybe we genuinely are just getting a bit luckier than usual. Whatever happens, I sincerely hope that luck goes our way when we need it to in the second-half of the season and that we’re still sitting pretty at the top of the table come Sunday, May 28th 2023.

Our nervy win against Leeds United this afternoon means that the club have made their best start to a Premier League season ever after the opening 10 games.

Arsenal’s sublime start to the season sees the club boast a record of 9 wins, 0 draws and just 1 loss, making for 27 points taken from a possible 30, as the club sit top of the league above Champions Manchester City.

Only four times in Premier League history (in a 38-game season) have a side amassed more points than this current Arsenal side have after the opening 10 games of the campaign. The first? The City ‘Centurions’ in 2018/19, who shocked the league to become the first team in Premier League history to hit a three-digit points total. The second? Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side of the 2019/20 season, who accumulated an outstanding 99 points to see the club take home their first Premier League title ever. The third? Jose Mourinho’s iconic Chelsea side of 2005/06, who conceded only 22 goals in 38 games and ended on a prodigious points total of 91. And finally, last but not least, we go back to Manchester City, who won the league in unforgettable fashion through a 94^th minute Sergio Aguero goal on the final day of the 2011/12 season to take the title away from rivals Manchester United and end the season on 89 points. In case you didn’t realise, that means that the only four sides to have bettered our current start to the season went on to lift the Premier League title.

Only time will tell whether our boys can go all the way and bring the Premier League trophy back to N5 for the first time in almost two decades. But for now, let’s look back at the other 9 sides with the most points after 10 games of a Premier League season and see where they ended up finishing.

As aforementioned, the Manchester City side of 2017/18 did the unthinkable, and achieved an unprecedented 100 points to write every single one of their squad members’ names in the history books forever. City were the only side in the league that season to have four players end the campaign on a double-figure goals tally, as Aguero (21), Sterling (18), Jesus (13) and Sane (10) all fired Pep Guardiola to his first Premier League title, helping the club to end the season on a ridiculous goal difference of +79. Furthermore, the Sky Blues also dominated the top assisters chart, with De Bruyne (16), Sane (15), Silva (11) and Sterling (11) each being the only players in the league to assist a teammate over 10 times, emphasising the clear lock that the club had on the league at the time. Funnily enough, it was Gabriel Jesus of all people’s stoppage time lob which allowed City to get the win against Southampton on the final day of the season to take them to the iconic 100 points total. If you could do something similar for us this season, that would be much appreciated, Gabi.

All-in-all, that side had everything, from Sergio Aguero’s lethal finishing up front, to David Silva’s majestic brilliance in midfield, to Vincent Kompany’s authoritative dominance at the back. This Manchester City side will always be amongst the names mentioned in the ‘greatest Premier League team of all-time’ conversation, and for great reason, too.

2) Liverpool 2019/20

Points After 10 games: 28/30

Record After 10 games: W9/D1/L0

Points After 38 games: 99

Finish: Winners

With how excellent Liverpool have been for the past half-decade, and with how prominent they’ve been at the top of the table since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, it still feels strange to me to highlight that the 2019/20 season is the only one that has ended with the Reds being crowned Champions.

The Liverpool side of 19/20 are the second-best team in Premier League history when it comes to points amassed, finishing on a total of 99, putting them behind only the legendary 2017/18 Manchester City side. Their drought-ending title win also prevented Manchester City from winning the league, when we look back now, for what would’ve been a record 5 times in a row. When you think about how much of a powerhouse Manchester City have been under Guardiola, that alone is a pretty phenomenal achievement.

What a team this Liverpool side was. Bobby Firmino led the line elegantly, chipping in with several important goals and making some highlight-reel assists for his teammates. Namely, Mane and Salah, who were iconic and lethal from the wings, ending the season on impressive goal tallies of 18 and 19 respectively. Jordan Henderson was captain of the season, and led by example with the armband from the middle of the park. Van Dijk was imperious and cemented himself as the best defender in the world at the end of a faultless season. And who can forget Trent and Robbo’s contribution to the club’s only Premier League title win ever? The pair were relentless and their assist-making talents from full-back were unrivalled, as the Scotsman and Englishman became the only full-back pairing in PL history to end a campaign on double figures for assists each, with 12 and 13 respectively.

This is a Liverpool side that will never be forgotten, and their efforts in going toe-to-toe Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side over the last few seasons have prevented the best league in the world from being a one-horse race.

3) Chelsea 2005/06

Points After 10 games: 28/30

Record After 10 games: W9/D1/L0

Points After 38 games: 95

Finish: Winners

In 2005/06, Chelsea became only the second side in Premier League history to retain the title after Manchester United, and did so in emphatic fashion. The club won 29 of their 38 games and conceded just 22 goals all season, a total that was only bettered by Chelsea themselves the year before when they conceded a record-breaking low 15 goals.

Led by the arrogant but charming Jose Mourinho (before his beautiful decline), this Chelsea side was a nightmare to play against. Didier Drogba spear-headed the line and married chaos with goals, Frank Lampard was consistently prolific from midfield, John Terry and William Carvalho were immaculate at the back, and Petr Cech was superhuman at times in between the sticks. After 10 games of the 2005/06 season, Chelsea had the league in a chokehold, and they ended up lasting the test of time to end the season on 95 points, 8 points ahead of an extremely strong Manchester United side in second.

Perhaps the only way to stop the Invincibles from retaining the Premier League title was to form a side so pragmatic and results-orientated that conceding a goal, let alone dropping a point, would be seen as a severe disappointment, and credit to Mourinho, he did exactly that. While this Chelsea side may not be able to rival the greatest Arsenal, United or City sides in terms of most entertaining teams in Premier League history, there is no doubt about it that Mourinho’s Chelsea side of 2005 are one of the greatest in the history of the league, and would give any prime side a run for their money.

4) Manchester City 2011/12

Points After 10 games: 28/30

Record After 10 games: W9/D1/L0

Points After 38 games: 89

Finish: Winners

The 2011/12 season was an iconic season, not just for Manchester City, but for the Premier League as a whole, as Sergio Aguero’s stoppage time winner against QPR on the final day of the season won Manchester City their first Premier League title ever in the most dramatic fashion of all time.

If that legendary moment had never happened, Wayne Rooney’s winner in Manchester United’s final day victory at Sunderland would’ve been enough to secure their local rivals their 5^th title win in 6 years. But, that just wasn’t meant to be.

Under the careful guidance of Italian maestro Roberto Mancini, the Sky Blues started in almost perfect fashion, comfortably topping the league early in the season with 9 wins and a draw from the opening 10 games of the campaign. The midfield partnership of Yaya Toure and David Silva, which had everything from power and skill to grace and goals was the perfect base for talented forwards Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli and Sergio Aguero to go forward, who all ended the season on double-figure goal tallies. Furthermore, if the opposition were tricky enough to get past the commanding Vincent Kompany, then they would’ve had to go one better to get past Golden Glove winner Joe Hart, who was outstanding in goal, as both players found their way into the 2011/12 PFA team of the season.

After a few shaky results towards the back end of the season, coupled with a surge in form from the Red Devils, City almost let the title slip into the hands of their neighbours, but managed to get over the line in the most memorable fashion to end the season on 89 points and ultimately mark the real start of a period of dominance for them in English football.

5) Arsenal 2022/23

Points After 10 games: 27/30

Record After 10 games: W9/D0/L1

Points After 38 games: N/A

Finish: N/A

The Arsenal side of the 2022/23 season had an average squad age of 23.7 years old, yet still took the Premier League by storm and topped the table all the way from September 2022 to May 2023 to mark an iconic season for The Gunners who were crowned League Champions for the first time since 2004.

^Let’s hope I’m writing that at the end of the season.

6) Newcastle 1995/96

Points After 10 games: 27/30

Record After 10 games: W9/D0/L1

Points After 38 games: 78

Finish: Runners-up

The Newcastle team of 1995/96 was a brilliant one, and was led by the clinical Les Ferdinand, who ended the campaign on an impressive 25 league goals. The side was also populated with an array of attacking talent elsewhere in the likes of Faustino Asprilla, David Ginola and more, after investment from the owner in both the summer and January transfer windows.

The Geordies established a 12-point lead over fellow title challengers Manchester United in January 1996, putting them in pole position to win a first Premier League title and make it a historic campaign for the Northern side. However, it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to describe the Tyneside club’s form in the business end of the season as shambolic, as they went on to lose five of their next eight games, allowing United to leapfrog them in the table and clinch the title within the last few games of the season.

Thus, Newcastle ended the season 4 points behind eventual winners Manchester United, which is still the closest the club has ever come to winning the league. Let’s hope that we can stay the course this year a little better than the Geordies did.

7) Manchester City 2018/19

Points After 10 games: 26/30

Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0

Points After 38 games: 98

Finish: Winners

The Manchester City side of the 2018/19 season probably doesn’t get spoken about enough. However, that’s largely down to their own club’s doing. The only way to find a side more brilliant than City 2018/19 is to rewind a year back and look at the City Centurions of 2017/18.

Pep Guardiola’s men finished the season on another pristine points total, this time of 98 – a total beaten only by the City Centurions (100) and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side of the following year (99). The Spaniard’s side amassed 32 total wins from the 38 games – a record-equalling tally level with the Centurions and the 2019/20 Liverpool side.

A fact that makes this title win that bit more impressive is that the club’s star man Kevin De Bruyne was injured for half of the season. Maybe they would’ve completely defied logic and recorded back-to-back 100 points season finishes if the Belgian superstar had featured in one of the 6 games that the club failed to win, but I guess we’ll never know. Luckily for City, their usual suspects were at it throughout the campaign, with the likes of Aguero, Sane, Sterling, Silva and more turbo-charging the Citizens to their first title-retaining season ever.

8) Chelsea 2014/15

Points After 10 games: 26/30

Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0

Points After 38 games: 87

Finish: Winners

The second season of Jose Mourinho’s second stint as Chelsea boss was a special one for the Portuguese manager and his West London side. No pun intended.

Chelsea took the league by storm and established an early lead at the top of the table, remaining undefeated until December, when a 2-1 loss at St. James’ Park in their 15^th-game of the season saw them fall to a surprise defeat. However, the Blues bounced back as expected and truth-be-told pretty much cruised to a fourth Premier League title, ending the season on 87 points – 8 more than runners-up Manchester City, with only 3 losses from the 38 games they played.

That Chelsea squad was full of world class talent. The likes of Hazard, Costa, Matic, Cahill, Terry and Ivanovic all had stellar seasons, earning themselves a place in the PFA TOTS 2014/15. Quite harshly, superstars Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Courtois didn’t make the cut, despite their excellent seasons respectively. Perhaps the Premier League thought that they couldn’t have more than 6 of the XI from the same team as it would’ve made a visible mockery of the competitiveness of the league that year. Although, in all honesty, it would’ve accurately reflected the complete dominance of the West London side’s season from start to finish.

9) Liverpool 2008/09

Points After 10 games: 26/30

Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0

Points After 38 games: 86

Finish: Runners-up

After 10 games of the 2008/09 Premier League season, Liverpool were top of the league with 26 points taken from a possible 30, 3 points above fellow title challengers Chelsea, who were enjoying an excellent start to the season themselves.

Captain Stevie G and a certain 24-year-old Spaniard by the name of Fernando Torres were the Reds’ top two performing players, and were instrumental in helping them record some historic results as the season went on. These results included a 4-1 thrashing of United at Old Trafford, a classic 4-4 draw with Arsenal at Anfield, a dominant 4-0 win over European giants Real Madrid, and another scintillating 4-4 draw, this time with Chelsea in the UCL quarter-finals. Liverpool’s team was anything but shy of goals and their games, especially the big ones, were anything but shy of drama and excitement.

As the season went on however, the experience and guile of Sir Alex’s United side saw them capitalise whenever the Reds did make a rare slip up, and throughout the second half of the season, the Scotsman’s side would overtake Benitez’s Liverpool and create a healthy enough gap between the two sides at the top of the league. The season would eventually end with Liverpool having to settle for PL runners-up, as the club finished on 80 points, just 6 shy of champions’ Manchester United’s total. Notably, Liverpool lost only 2 games all season, which is one less than Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning Liverpool side of 2019/20 lost, highlighting just how brilliant Rafa Benitez’s side were.

10) Arsenal 2007/08

Points After 10 games: 26/30

Record After 10 games: W8/D2/L0

Points After 38 games: 83

Finish: Third

Although we finished 2^nd in the 2015/16 season, the Arsenal side of 2007/08 which finished 3^rd was, truthfully, the closest side we’ve had to winning the title since 2005.

The club started the season brilliantly, and after 10 games we sat 3 points clear of Manchester United, who were hot on our tails in second. Emmanuel Adebayor’s goals up front, Cesc Fabregas’ class in midfield, and important contributions from the likes of Rosicky and Van Persie (when fit) were seeing us through games and saw us still in first place 10 games later, in gameweek 20.

Heading into February, Arsenal were 5 points clear at the top of the league, and fans were optimistic that we could win the league for the first time in 4 seasons. However, that all changed on the cursed afternoon of Saturday 23^rd February 2008, when Martin Taylor’s horror tackle on Eduardo ended the promising Croatian’s season, and arguably his career. Our visibly psychologically affected side subsequently succumbed to a 2-2 draw away to Birmingham, in a run of four draws in a row which saw the side drop enough points for Manchester United to creep above us at the top of the league.

Unfortunately, we never managed to reclaim the top spot from Ferguson’s side, and defeat to Chelsea in the next month saw us drop down to third, which is where we finished the season on a disappointing but respectable 83 points – the highest points total ever reached by a side that finished outside of the top two. Emmanuel Adebayor ended the season on 24 league goals, a total only topped by Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-equalling (at-the-time) 31, and Cesc Fabregas was deservedly named the PFA YPOTS after a superb season for our young star.

With a bit more luck, a few less individual errors and a few less injuries, we would’ve won the league that year. It still saddens me to think about this season and what could’ve been. Only four points off the top. Damn.

It’s been over a month now since the first three episodes of the much-anticipated Amazon series documenting Arsenal Football Club’s 2021/22 season were released. We decided to muster up a quick list of the best 25 moments from the 8-part series. Have a read below and let us know what you think!

1) Bukayo meets Teddy

After missing the all-important spot kick which saw Italy crowned European Champions at Wembley Stadium last summer, Bukayo Saka was subject to some unacceptably vile racist abuse online. However, the good Samaritans of the world countered and overpowered this torrid social media hatred with messages of support to our young superstar which the club collected and displayed for him in a lengthy mural at London Colney.

One letter which stood out to both the club and Bukayo in particular, was that of young schoolboy Teddy, who sent Bukayo a heartfelt letter attached with his own hard-earned pocket money. In quite clearly the most wholesome moment from the 8 episodes, Bukayo meets the 8-year-old in The Emirates changing rooms and the pair head out for a kick about on the pitch and bond over some penalty-taking of their own. Our hearts are still warm from watching this scene.

2) MacFarlane’s Legendary Speech

Stuart MacFarlane, the club’s chief photographer, who has been working at the club since 1991, was called upon pre-game by Mikel Arteta ahead of Arsenal’s home game against bitter rivals Tottenham back in September. In a bid to communicate to the players just how much the game means to lifelong fans of the club like Stuart, the floor was given to the legendary club photographer, who delivered an impassioned speech to the players telling them to fight for the badge and believe in themselves. The most iconic line from the speech has to be when MacFarlane emotionally informed them that ‘This is my club. I f***ing love this football club. And I f***ing love all of you.’

Fast forward a couple halves of football and the club had recorded their best win of the season yet – a comfortable 3-1 win over the Spuds in a performance that was wrapped up, truth be told, inside all of 34 minutes. What a scene, and what a game.

3) White details online abuse for hefty price-tag

In a short but comical scene from the series, Arsenal centre-back Ben White tells his fellow English defenders Calum Chambers and Rob Holding about some of the abuse he received from a bunch of kids after joining the club for £50M back in the summer of 2021. ‘Mate, I’ve got some little kids absolutely giving me stacks, they were mugging me right off. They were like – £50M? You’re sh*t!’. Just like Calum and Rob, we were laughing our heads off watching this.

4) Arteta riles up team with Toney tweet

In one of the most insightful scenes of the series, we are shown Arteta’s pre-match speech ahead of our home game against Brentford. Along with the usual emotive and powerful pre-game chat from the boss, we also see Arsenal’s 40-year-old manager bring up Ivan Toney’s tweet mocking the club’s opening day loss to the Bees, reading: ‘Nice kick about today with the boys!’.

Whilst it may appear a pretty simple thing to do in order to motivate his players, this scene told us that Arteta goes beyond just tactically preparing his side. The Spaniard clearly maintains an awareness of, and pays attention to, the stuff that goes on off of the football pitch, and as we learn throughout the series, he clearly aims to delve into player psychology in order to get an extra percentage or two out of their performances.

The club won the game 2-1, and Alex Lacazette, clearly impacted by Arteta’s pre-match talk, got one back at the Brentford striker with an identical tweet of his own just minutes after the full-time whistle was blown.

5) Holding asks if he should forge Auba’s signature

It’s fair to say that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s fallout with manager Mikel Arteta mid-way through the season was not the most amicable of fallouts. The Gabonese international was on very bad terms with the Arsenal boss, and was pretty much exiled from the squad after a sequence of disciplinary breaches.

In a short but pretty funny scene, we see Rob Holding signing copies of the Arsenal Squad Photo 2021/22, and as he’s well aware of his captain’s absence, he asks club officials if they want him to forge Auba’s signature to avoid any trouble.

We knew you were a team player on the pitch Rob, but now we know you’re just as much of one off it.

6) Nketiah sets Sambi straight

In one of the best moments of the series, we are shown a scene of the players having a meal at London Colney. Nketiah and co playfully question Arsenal’s number 23 on why he seems to have become less happy in recent months compared to when he first joined the club. The Belgian midfielder tells them it’s because he was playing more regularly at the start of the season. This visibly bothered Nketiah, who at the time was in a similar position to his teammate and not featuring as much for the club as he’d like, prompting him to go off and address the Belgian’s comment: ‘So what my friend? You think you’re the only f***ing man not playing my friend? Stop feeling sorry for yourself, f***ing wake up man.’ Elite mentality, Eddie. We love to see it.

7) Ramsdale incensed despite 3-1 win over Villa

Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa at The Emirates back in October of 2021 was the club’s 6^th game unbeaten after the dismal trio of losses which kicked off the season. The players were all in good spirits and the mood at the club was quickly changing. As the XI headed back into the changing room after full-time, one player, however, was visibly enraged and unhappy with the result. That individual was Aaron Ramsdale. The reason for his anger? The 82^nd minute Jacob Ramsey goal which he conceded, stopping him from securing his 3^rd clean sheet in his first 4 starts for Arsenal. ‘F***ing sh*t man. Take the f***ing player. F*** you!’ said the 24-year-old, before holding his head in despair as he was consoled by teammates and members of staff. Talking of mentality, Aaron clearly shares the same elite competitor mindset as Eddie.

8) Saka gifts Champagne to Club Staff

More wholesome Saka content you say? You got it. As Christmas approaches, we are given a glimpse of Bukayo’s generosity and kind nature, when we see the 20-year-old starboy roam around the club with multiple bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne to gift to different members of club staff. Gabriel tries to nab one, but Saka is having none of it.

9) ‘The boss has balls’

Discussing Auba’s removal from the squad, Holding and Elneny hold a short chat over a spot of lunch at Colney. Mo asks his teammate what happened with Auba, as Rob explains that the striker was late to report to training after taking a trip abroad to see his unwell mother. Rob then tells Mo that his lateness is why he’s been completely removed from the squad, only for the Egyptian to come out with the classic line: ‘the boss has balls!’, which Holding completely affirms.

10) Cedric stands up for youth player Laca kicks out at

In the last episode of the series, we are shown a scene that most viewers were surprised the club allowed to be aired in an otherwise pretty PG and ‘safe’ docuseries.

At the beginning of episode 8, we are shown a short scene from a training session at Colney. Club Captain Alex Lacazette is shown attempting to dispossess a youth player before he can get a shot off in a small training game. The Frenchman fails to do so, and the youth player has his shot saved by Leno just before Laca leaves one in on him and knocks him to the ground. Bernd then rolls the ball into Laca to start a quick counter-attack before the youth player tenaciously (and cleanly) dispossesses Laca as he tries to turn. Lacazette’s ego is clearly bruised, and he subsequently tries to win the ball back of the youngster, which he fails to do, prompting him to resort to violently hacking him to the floor with absolutely 0 intention of playing the ball. Cedric, who is on Laca’s team in this warm-up game, then appears to say something to his teammate about his poor behaviour, which results in Lacazette confrontationally walking up to Cedric and pugnaciously putting his arm around his throat, before teammates step in and break up the altercation.

Big props to the Portuguese defender here, who it seems was the only player or member of coaching staff to have the balls to check Lacazette on his unacceptable behaviour. As if his showings on the pitch throughout the 2021/22 season weren’t dismal enough, Laca really didn’t cover himself in any more glory here, and as club captain, was far from setting the right example. Do better, Laca. 

11) Auba takes the mick out of Mikel’s pre-game antics

Before our game at The King Power back in October, Mikel instructs the squad to stand in a circle and rub their hands together with their eyes close to feel the energy in the room and create an ‘energy bubble’. Fast forward 90 minutes later, and the boys are in high spirits after a 2-0 away victory sees us go 9 games unbeaten. Aubameyang, who was club captain at the time, then gets the microphone in the dressing room and comedically tells the squad to rub their hands together, playfully mocking his manager’s pre-game ritual. He then leads the chant of ‘two days off, two days off, two days off!’ which his teammates sing in unison as their request is green-lighted by Arteta, who channels his inner Batista to turn a thumbs down into a big thumbs up, which is celebrated by the team almost more than the win! The boss took it well.

12) Fan calls for fanbase and board to stick by Arteta after Chelsea defeat

After our London derby defeat to Chelsea in August saw us sitting on 0 points after two games, and on the back of back-to-back 8^th-placed finishes in the league, it’s fair to say that more fans than not wanted Arteta replaced. This was demonstrated by several fan-cams that Amazon showed of angered and frustrated fans from outside the stadium after the underwhelming performance against the Blues.

In one fan-cam, we are shown a group of young Gunners, with one of the fans passionately instructing the club to sack the Spaniard after his dismal start to the season. One of his friends, however, goes against the grain, and defends the boss, telling the fans to support him and give him time. Well, this one aged well. Shout out to this positive fan who remained optimistic at a time when it was so easy to be a pessimist.

13) Edu finds out Auba is in Barca via Twitter video

One of the most interesting parts of this All or Nothing series is the insight us fans were given into the going-ons in the club during the transfer window, as we are shown just how hectic it can be in and around transfer deadline day. After being exiled from the squad and with his relationship with Arteta hanging by a thread, Auba takes it upon himself to fly to Barcelona when he should be reporting to training.

An Arsenal official heads into Edu’s office to inform the technical director that the Gabonese striker is in Barcelona, as he’s seen a video of him exiting an airport in Spain via Twitter. The video is then shown to the bewildered Brazilian, who subsequently calls one of Auba’s representatives to see what’s going on in quite an amusing but eye-opening scene.

14) ‘Imagine scoring in the North London Derby bro’

Speaking over some lunch at Colney with Smith Rowe, Bukayo is fully focused on the upcoming visit of rivals Tottenham to The Emirates. Dreaming of what it would be like to score in the legendary North London derby for his boyhood club, Saka says to ESR ‘Imagine scoring in the North London derby bro. Best thing ever, bro’.

Well, funnily enough, both Bukayo and Emile went on to grab goals in our amazing 3-1 home win against Spurs a couple of days later at The Emirates. From Hale End to notching North London derby goals. What a life.

15) Rob and Ben compliment their teammates after West Ham win

After our well documented poor start to the season, the club finally broke into the top four via a 2-0 home victory over the Hammers under the lights at The Emirates in December. As Laca headed back into the dressing room, despite his penalty miss, teammate Rob Holding is quick to compliment the Frenchman, telling him that he was ‘f***Ing exceptional today’. Elsewhere in the dressing room, Ben White approaches fellow starter Thomas Partey to tell him that he was ‘different gravy’. The pride and love that the players have for each other really shone through in this short feel-good scene.

16) Arteta reveals he has kept a record of all of Auba’s misdemeanours

Speaking on the back of a press conference where the Spaniard was grilled by the media regarding his decision to leave Aubameyang out of the matchday squad, Mikel tells club communications director Mark Gonnella that he has kept a record of all of Auba’s transgressions. ‘That’s why I have everything documented, with the dates, the times, the conversation, how it happened, why it happened, because if one day it’s needed… [I’ve got it]. He’s been late, apart from all the issues, many times. The club has got a tradition. When you get paid that much money…’. This conversation was extremely insightful and insinuates that Arteta’s decision to punish Auba as lethally as he did for lateness may have been more justified than it originally seemed.

17) ‘The Angel’ is played for the first time at The Emirates

As the season draws towards a close, the club pick up on a song from local Islington artist Louis Dunford called ‘The Angel’ which pays tribute to life as a North Londoner. The song is loved by the boss and the fans, and the club decide to play the song as the pre-match anthem ahead of kick off against Leeds United. A visibly moved Louis Dunford is stood in a box in the upper tier, taking in a capacity crowd singing ‘North London Forever’ as the Arsenal XI walk out and huddle together before the game starts. A beautiful moment to watch as a boyhood fan’s dreams come true.

18) Arteta’s Changing Room 360 on Tavares

After conceding a 45^th minute goal against West Ham at the London Stadium, the team go into the break level as Bowen’s deflected strike cancels out Rob Holding’s first Premier League goal for the club, and Mikel Arteta is not a happy man.

As the team are seated in the away dressing room catching their breaths, the Spaniard gets right in the face of Nuno Tavares and angrily shouts at him: ‘You want to play in the f***ing Champions League? Play to play in the f***ing Champions League!’. Fast forward 45 minutes, and thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes’ header, the team head back into the away dressing room with 3 points in the bag, and a manager a little less irate.

Mikel goes back to Nuno and tells him that he killed him at half-time, before letting out a big smile and dragging the Portuguese full-back off his seat to hug him and tell him that he was much better in the second half. It’s a nice 360 moment as the boss indirectly shows remorse for singling out the 22-year-old in front of his teammates at the interval thanks to his improved performance in the second half.

19) Mikel’s Happy Brain-Heart Drawing ahead of the NLD

Whilst he may be a great manager, and may have been a talented footballer, it’s pretty clear that art is not Mikel Arteta’s strong point. Ahead of the club’s 3-1 victory over North London rivals Tottenham, Mikel tells his players to play with both a big brain but also a big heart, which he illustrates with what has become a now iconic drawing of a smiley heart and a smiley brain holding hands together. Despite the freestyle drawing not being at Pablo Picasso levels, it seemed to have got the message across successfully, as the team played with both passion and intelligence to take a 3-0 lead into the break. What a day, what a win, and most importantly, what a drawing.

20) Carlos Cuesta’s relationship with the players

One of the best parts of the series is being able to watch several of coach Carlos Cuesta’s interactions with the Arsenal players. At just 27 years of age, the Spaniard already has top clubs Atletico Madrid and Juventus on his CV and can speak an impressive six different languages.

One interaction which stood out in particular was in episode 3, where the young development coach talks to Nuno Tavares following his recent up-and-down performances. Cuesta asks the young defender why he thinks his performances have been so erratic, gesturing with his hands how Nuno is one day ‘all the way up here’ and one day ‘down here’. The pair seem to go on to have a much needed open and honest conversation regarding the inconsistency in his performance levels, which we are not shown in its entirety. The camera then cuts to Nuno, who tells the producers that ‘Carlos can understand players because he is young too. He helps me to get better’.

21) Arteta’s rage following Forest loss produces iconic line

After Arsenal’s shock defeat at Nottingham Forest sees the club get knocked out of the FA Cup third round for just the second time in over 26 years, an enraged Mikel Arteta heads into the away dressing room.

During his heated post-game speech where he tells the team that he does not accept the standards which they produced, the boss comes out with an impassioned line which has since gone viral amongst the football community on social media: ‘WHEN I LOSE A DUEL, I AM UPSET!’. He follows this by telling the side: ‘when I lose the small-sided games, I am upset! Because that’s the f***Ing standards. Because you come here and you f***Ing lose. It’s nowhere near [good enough] guys. It’s f***ing sh*t, I’m telling you, sh*t’ before storming out. Kieran Tierney then reiterates the boss’ message by telling the team that if they play the same way against Liverpool, then they’re f***ed. He was right.

22) Ramsdale’s Dad is comedy gold

Towards the end of the first episode, we are introduced to Aaron Ramsdale’s super supportive mum and dad, who attend our home game against Norwich in which the Englishman is given his first start for the club. Watching down from a box on their 23-year-old son (at the time), you can see both parents beaming with pride, but also full of nervous energy as they hope to see him help the team get their first Premier League win of the campaign.

In what is the funniest moment of the episode, Ramsdale takes the ball past Teemu Pukki in his own penalty area, to which his dad cannot bear to watch as he retaliates by standing up, walking off and uttering ‘F***ing nothing to do with my f***ing heart this!’. What a legend.

23) Mikel Arteta x Thomas Edison

Ahead of the team’s home clash against Brighton back in April, the boss gave a slightly unusual team talk to his squad. ‘Edison invented the lightbulb’, the Spaniard utters with a lightbulb in his hand… ‘today, I want to see a team that is connected because a bulb by itself is nothing. I want to see a team that is connected and shines’, he announces as he switches on the lightbulb by connecting it to a power source.

Mikel goes on: ‘…because at the end it is electricity, that through heat, creates light, and life, because if not it would be f***Ing dark if this guy [Edison] did not have the idea to do that.’ After finishing his pre-game speech by telling the boys to, in Layman’s terms, play with energy, the team heads out for the game.

Admittedly, this speech probably would’ve looked a bit better had we not lost the game 2-1 in a string of 3 losses in a row.

24) Saka’s penalty seals win at The Bridge

As touched upon earlier in this list, the abuse that Bukayo Saka received on the back of his Euros Final penalty miss was abhorrent, disgusting and completely unacceptable. To miss the crucial spot-kick at Wembley Stadium, in front of millions watching around the globe, with the country’s hopes and dreams on his teenage shoulders, and then suffer an onslaught of vile abuse after his miss would be enough for any player, let alone a 19-year-old, to shy away from ever taking a penalty again.

Not Bukayo, though, who, after winning the penalty himself in our game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge back in April, steps up to smash in a 92^nd-minute penalty to secure us a 4-2 win. It’s a beautiful moment as Bukayo shows that you can’t let a single setback make you lose your confidence and courage or change your future behaviour. Good on you, Bukayo.

25) ‘What Happened today is f***ing unacceptable’

With two games of the season left, which European competition Arsenal competed in next season was in the club’s hands. There were two missions left to complete. Go to Newcastle and win, and beat Everton at home. It looked quite straight-forward on paper.

In what was probably the club’s poorest performance of the season given what was on the line, Arsenal fell to a 2-0 loss against the Magpies, who were, as Arteta put: ‘10,000 times better’. The loss left the club needing already-relegated Norwich to beat Spurs on the final day to have any chance of returning to the promise-land of UCL football, which, unsurprisingly didn’t end up happening. Mikel Arteta, in one of the best post-game speeches of the series, lay into his team after their pathetic performance, telling them that their performance was ‘f***ing unacceptable’ and that if they do accept that then they ‘live in a different world’. In a silent and quite frankly embarrassed away dressing room, the boss tells the players not to worry because he will face the media again for them, but that ‘…today it is hard to defend you guys, hard. I will take all the sh*t again, no worries.’.

What was your favourite part of the series? Let us know with a comment below or via any major social media platform – @UberAFC.

You can watch ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal’ on Amazon Prime now.

1) The William Saliba hype is real

First Premier League start you say? How about a clean sheet, a crunching highlight reel tackle on the opposition’s star player, a 96% pass accuracy, completing 100% of your take-ons, winning 100% of your aerial duels, and a MOTM award? The William Saliba hype is real. He’s going to have a fantastic season for us, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the shortlist for the Premier League’s Young Player of The Season Award come May. At only 21 years of age, we have a gem of a centre-half on our hands. This kid is the real deal, if you didn’t know already.

2) Ben White can cover MORE than competently at right-back

Due to Tomiyasu recently returning from long-term injury and Saliba’s excellent previous season and pre-season form, Ben White deputised at right-back in our League opener under the lights at Selhurst Park. Along with his physicality, calm nature and elite ball-playing ability, you can add versatility to the list of top tier attributes that the English defender possesses. The 24-year-old didn’t look one bit out of place and kept Wilfried Zaha relatively quiet throughout the 90 minutes in a feisty battle down the right side of the pitch. Maybe we don’t need to sign a back-up right back after all?

3) Ødegaard needs to pull the trigger more

Arsenal’s Norwegian starlet, who was recently named the club’s new captain following Alex Lacazette’s departure, has outstanding technical ability, brilliant vision and top-class playmaking talent. However, he needs to shoot more and get more shots off more quickly. It really is as simple as that. Gabriel Jesus did some excellent pressing work to regain possession in Palace’s final third in the second half before laying the ball off to Ødegaard in the box, who should’ve scored but for one or two too many touches. He reminds me of Ozil in his reluctance to shoot when golden opportunities to score present themselves. He doesn’t always have to be the facilitator. Have a crack, Martin!

4) Ramsdale has started the season in the same way he started last season

A clean sheet, a clutch save, some excellent distribution and a big smile on his face as the final whistle blows to mark a big W. Aaron Ramsdale’s performance last night was reminiscent of the sort of top form that saw him keep 6 clean sheets in his first 10 Arsenal games. It’s going to be another big season for Arsenal’s new number one, who suits his new number perfectly.

5) Martinelli can double his goal tally from last season

The boy from Brazil scored 6 times in 36 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal last season. He ends the first game of the current season with 1 in 1. We already know that Martinelli can score double figures for us, as he became the first teenager since Nicolas Anelka to do so when he scored ten times in his 2019/20 debut season. After a few seasons of settling in at the club, developing his physique, and maturing with more and more game time, I have no doubt about it that an injury-free campaign for the 21-year-old could see him hit half a dozen or more goals for us. Us Arsenal fans are already fully aware of Gabi’s ability and hopefully this is the season that he begins to truly realise his potential and translate it into higher goal and assist numbers.

6) Xhaka is still getting yellow cards.. But in new ways!

Granit Xhaka getting booked isn’t really something we’re not used to, with the 29-year-old finishing last season as Arsenal’s top yellow card (9) and red card (2) receiver. However, it looks like he’s found a new way of getting cautioned that isn’t via reckless tackling or strangling opposition players. The Swiss international added diving to his world class card-eliciting abilities for a dive that Tom Daley would be proud of in the first-half of last night’s London derby. Leave it out, Granit!

7) We will win more away games this season than last season

Arsenal had a pretty symmetrical away record in the Premier League last season, winning 9 games, drawing 1 and losing a further 9, which saw us sit below Brighton in 6th place in the 2021/22 away table. However, everything I saw from our side last night tells me that we will be a lot more consistent and win a lot more games on the road this season. Firstly, we won the game fairly comfortably at a stadium and against a team which we usually have a lot more trouble against (see: Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal 2021/22). Furthermore, the team has even more high-level talent in it this season, with the likes of Saliba, Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, who have hit the ground running. On top of that, the team chemistry and unity looks like it’s at an all-time high under Arteta. The players are really playing for each other and the system that the Spaniard has been implementing over the last three years seems like it’s starting to be practised perfectly. I say we win a few more than 9, draw more than 1 and lose a few less than 9 away from home this season. 

8) Oleksandr Zinchenko can be our play-making full back

One game, one clean sheet, one assist, and one amazing chant (shout out the Arsenal away end!). Life for Zinny in red and white has started perfectly. We are already fully aware of how good he is as a footballer, but the 2022/23 season may be the best yet personally for the versatile Ukrainian. His 82-minute debut last night reminded me of how his former teammate Joao Cancelo marauds forward for Manchester City and dictates play from wide areas, chipping in with vital assists and goals. I can’t wait to see more from Oleksandr as the season goes on and see what happens when KT is back to full fitness and whether he can permanently displace him from the side, or whether the 25-year-old is moved further forward into midfield. 

1) Wants ‘main man’ role

Throughout his time at Manchester City, Jesus was just one of several attacking superstars, and often faded into the background behind the likes of Aguero, De Bruyne, Sterling and more. However, at Arsenal, he has been signed to be the main man. The 25-year-old was purchased to be the clinical forward that Arsenal have been missing for some time. Something tells me that the Brazilian will relish being the side’s main man and will embrace the goalscoring responsibility that will be handed to him. Time to step into the limelight.

2) He’s Premier League proven

Not many players can instantaneously transfer their form from a foreign league straight into Premier League football, just take our former number 9 as a prime example. Alexandre Lacazette was signed for an, at the time, club record fee after winning the Ligue 1 Player of The Season Award, scoring 28 goals in 30 league games. However, when it came to Premier League goalscoring, Laca’s best season was only half as clinical, when he netted 14 goals in 32 appearances in the 2017/18 season. Laca failed to be the star striker that could fire us back into the Champions League spots and never managed to replicate the sort of form in France that saw him be regarded as one of Europe’s best frontmen. On the other hand, we know what we’re getting with Jesus. Having been signed by City in 2016 at just 19 years of age, Jesus has grown up in England and has already proved that he can score goals in the toughest league in the world, even with severely limited starts. With regular game time and the main man role, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Brazilian can step up and notch 15-25 league goals in his debut season in red and white.

3) Suits squad profile

If there’s one thing that Mikel Arteta has succeeded in doing at Arsenal, it’s giving an identity to his 23-man squad. Gabriel Jesus is young, hungry, hard-working, talented and has his prime ahead of him. He ticks every box for the sort of profile of player that Arteta so highly favours, and slots into the side perfectly.

4) He’s used to winning

Jesus joins Arsenal and instantly becomes the most successful player in the squad in terms of major honours won. With 4 Premier Leagues, 3 EFL Cups and 1 FA Cup to his name, Gabriel Jesus is a proven winner and brings with him a sort of winning mentality that can’t do anything but help his teammates around him. To put things into perspective, Gabriel Jesus has won more Premier Leagues than Arsenal. That’s pretty crazy to think about.

5) He’s a top presser

Along with excellent off-the-field attributes, Jesus brings with him several on-field traits that make him a dream for Mikel Arteta’s system. The pick of the bunch being his elite pressing, which is a requisite characteristic for the central forward in the Spaniard’s starting XI (sorry Auba + Laca). Not only is the Brazilian a top presser, but he also ticks the boxes of versatility, interchangeability and fluidity and has proven that he can score goals from whichever one of the front three positions that his manager asks him to play. Perfect.

6) Familiarity with Arteta and Brazilian Gunners

It’s always positive when a manager already has a relationship with a player and manages to reunite with him. Arteta and Jesus are more than familiar with each other from the pair’s time at Manchester City, and Jesus spoke glowingly of his former assistant coach in his first interview with Arsenal.com, stating that he believes ‘100% in Mikel’. Jesus also mentioned the fact that he already has a relationship with some of the Brazilian boys at the club, which no doubt will have helped him to settle in.

7) He’s a proven poacher

Gabriel Jesus has scored 58 goals inside the box in his Premier League career – that’s more than any other player in the competition’s history. We’ve bought a man who knows where to be and knows where the goal is. Let’s hope he can score another 58+ from inside the box in red and white.

8) His Prime is still ahead of him

At just 25 years of age, Jesus has his prime years ahead of him. There’s no doubt in my mind that we already are yet to see the best of the Brazilian, who has never been trusted to start 15+ consecutive games as his side’s main forward. Once he gets a couple of seasons under his belt of being our goalscoring number nine, who knows what sort of a player Gabriel Jesus can be once he begins to enter his prime years.

9) Will want to start hot ahead of Winter World Cup

If a player ever needed an incentive to start the season off with a bang, it’s the fact that this year’s World Cup will take place half-way into the Premier League season in the Winter of 2022. Jesus will no doubt want to immediately find his goalscoring feet in North London so that he can be in favour of nailing down a starting spot for his beloved Brazilian National team, where competition for attacking positions is rife, in order to help fire his country to glory in Qatar.   

10) 27.27% of the XI are named Gabriel

3 of Arsenal’s starting 11 are now Brazilians named Gabriel. That is all.

Arsenal have officially completed the signing of Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City on a 5-year deal. The fee is reported to be in the region of £45M.

The 25-year-old forward scored 95 goals in 236 appearances at Manchester City, winning an impressive 4 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup and 3 EFL titles in his five-year spell with the Sky Blues. He will wear the vacant #9 shirt, previously occupied by Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette.

Jesus’ best performing season was the 2019/20 season, which saw the Brazilian score 23 times in 53 appearances, including 14 strikes in 34 Premier League appearances. However, his most memorable moment in Manchester came on the final day of the 2017/18 season, when he notched an injury-time winner against Southampton to take his side to an unprecedented 100 points and earn them their ‘Centurions’ title.

The Sao Paulo born striker has also scored 19 goals in 56 appearances for the Brazilian National team, and will be hoping to lead his nation to World Cup glory in Qatar later this year.

#WelcomeJesus