In this episode I'm joined by Tim Stillman to look back on Wednesday's 0-0 draw at home to Sporting, a result which sees us qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second year in a row. We chat about some of things Arsenal did and didn't do in the wake of Saturday's defeat to Bournemouth, with focus first on a forward line that has some fundamental limitations that hamper our ability to play the kind of attacking football we'd like. As well as that, we discuss the way we controlled the game in the second half, leaning on the areas of the pitch where we do have top class talent, and how we restricted the opposition to just one shot on target all night. There are some interesting comments from Declan Rice about how the players feel about progression in this competition, parallels with some other European campaigns, and spotlight on how we're the only English team left in the Champions League after everyone else, and giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona fell by the wayside to set up a fascinating clash with Atletico Madrid in the next round.

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In this episode we look back at Saturday disappointing and disheartening defeat to Bournemouth. We chat about the team selection with some key players missing but with some ineffective combinations in key areas. There's analysis of the goals we conceded, the one we scored, and some decent chances we had to at least grab a point late on. Beyond that, we discuss the way the team is playing now, the counter-intuitive nature of asking our goalkeeper to play with more risk than players higher up the pitch, and whether the pressure to win the league this season played a part in the performance (or lack of). In part two we answer listener questions about Martin Zubimendi and how Mikel Arteta might be able to change the dynamic of the team, injury information, what we can expect against Sporting in midweek and how that might be beneficial, the idea that pre-game hype might not be useful, our feelings on how the rest of the season plays out, and lots more.

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In this episode I'm joined first by Andrew Allen in my Lisbon hotel room to chat about Arsenal's 1-0 win over Sporting on Tuesday evening. We discuss the team line-up, a first half that wasn't exactly replete with chances but which saw the Gunners rediscover some of their identity after a shaky start and a big moment from David Raya. There were second half changes, more great goalkeeping, and as the game looked like it was headed for a draw, a fantastic goal cooked up by Gabriel Martinelli and finished by Kai Havertz won us the game. We also talk about Raya as a potential player of the season, the Martinelli in Europe v Martinelli in the Premier League, how the team needed that big moment after recent defeats, the prospect of another Champions League semi-final, the match-day experience in the stands, and more.

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