Tag: Arsenal

One of Martin Odegaard’s most important traits deserves more shine
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

One of Martin Odegaard’s most important traits deserves more shine

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been known as one of the best playmakers in European football for nearly a decade now since breaking out in the Dutch division before shining in the top five leagues with Real Sociedad. He is already off to another great start as a playmaker despite no assists, as he is averaging 2.4 key passes per game through five Premier League starts for Arsenal in 2026/27. But he is also leading the league in a less publicized stat. Per Gradient Sports, Odegaard is first in the Premier League in the number of times he opens his body while receiving a pass. While this seems like a nothing statistic, it is actually very important. See, Odegaard is not just a traditional attacking midfielder. He is like an 8 and a 10 rolled in one, as he is someone who not onl...
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Mikel Arteta serves up brilliant Ben White, Piero Hincapie, and Cristhian Mosquera injury news
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Mikel Arteta serves up brilliant Ben White, Piero Hincapie, and Cristhian Mosquera injury news

Arsenal just lost Ezri Konsa to an injury over the September and October international break with the England national team, and while Mikel Arteta is giving him a chance to play in this huge matchup against underdogs Leeds United, who find themselves in the top five, he is a game time decision. The good news is that Arsenal do not have to push Konsa, because they can choose among a grab bag of four different defenders to start at center back, including Konsa, as three more key players are available. Arteta told reporters before facing the Peacocks that Ben White, Piero Hincapie, and Cristhian Mosquera are all back and available for selection on Matchday 6 against a team similar in underdog status to the side Arsenal lost 3-0 in Brighton. The Arsenal manager said of Hincapie and M...
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Myles Lewis-Skelly said how every Arsenal fan feels about Mikel Merino
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Myles Lewis-Skelly said how every Arsenal fan feels about Mikel Merino

Young Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly is developing into quite the press resistant stud in the middle of the park, joining a stacked group of midfielders that includes Ballon d'Or candidate Declan Rice, new star Bruno Guimaraes, and the borderline world class Spanish duo of Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino. Of all those five great players, Merino is the one whose greatness tends to go the most underrated, even after winning the World Cup and Premier League with all the clutch goals, including two more clutch ones in a recent UEFA Nations League win over Croatia. Any chance we can get to hype up Merino, who was class in La Liga for Real Sociedad alongside Zubi before Mikel Arteta wisely snapped him (and then Zubi himself) up, we will take it. And it sounds like MLS is the same way...
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Mikel Arteta’s brutal Christos Tzolis injury news is a clear transfer message
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Mikel Arteta’s brutal Christos Tzolis injury news is a clear transfer message

Arsenal star left winger Christos Tzolis suffered a muscular injury over the September and October international break, and the initial speculation is that he could miss the rest of the month's games for the Gunners. Tzolis is a new signing from Club Brugge, and he has been every bit as decisive as Arsenal fans expected after he racked up the goals and assists in the Belgian top flight. An upgrade on Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli in the 11, the only concern with Tzolis is that now Arsenal only have him on the left wing and no real depth behind him after losing both Trossard and the disappointing Martinelli this summer. Speaking at the press conference before Arsenal vs. Leeds United in the Premier League's return, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Tzolis is inj...
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Mikel Arteta offers unclear Kai Havertz, Ezri Konsa injury updates for Arsenal vs. Leeds
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Mikel Arteta offers unclear Kai Havertz, Ezri Konsa injury updates for Arsenal vs. Leeds

Arsenal will battle Leeds United in their return to the Premier League after the September and October international break, and after their 3-0 blowout loss to surprise package Brighton, they will want to avoid a similar upset against a Leeds side that has really outperformed expectations in the top five themselves. The Gunners will be shorthanded after the break, as they suffered some key injuries. We already know star left winger Christos Tzolis will be out with a muscular issue, which is a huge blow. But another new signing, center back Ezri Konsa, could also be out, and the same goes for center forward Kai Havertz. Both men suffered injuries over the break with their countries. Mikel Arteta provided injury updates on both Havertz and Konsa before the Leeds game to the press, b...
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Ranking the 10 best players of the 2026/27 Premier League season heading into Matchday 6
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best players of the 2026/27 Premier League season heading into Matchday 6

Matchday 6 of the 2026/27 Premier League season is upon us after a lengthy international break. Let's take a reset and rank the top 10 players of the season so far. 10. Liverpool LW Cody Gakpo Cody Gakpo is having a phenomenal start to the season under Andoni Iraola, and hopefully the Liverpool forward does not miss much time with injury. He is one of the best creators in the league and can also finish off his chances. 9. Manchester United AM Bruno Fernandes The reigning Premier League Player of the Season can be too one-dimensional, but with 3 goals and 2.6 key passes per game, Bruno Fernandes is once again carrying a pretty subpar Man United team that is sitting in the bottom half of the table. 8.  Leeds CB Tarik Muharemovic Tarik Muharemovic looks even better than advertised at Sa...
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Micah Richards hit the Myles Lewis-Skelly problem on the head
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Micah Richards hit the Myles Lewis-Skelly problem on the head

Arsenal have one of the most stacked rosters in the Premier League, especially when looking at their defense and midfield. They can withstand any injury to those positions with the most enviable depth in European football, and the case of Myles Lewis-Skelly best exemplifies that. Mikel Arteta took one of the best left back prospects in the world and converted him to a midfielder with the staggering depth he has accrued on the left hand side of the defense, and right now, MLS has been one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League, showing an accuracy of passing, defensive quality, and press resistance that would put him up there with anyone in the Premier League. But of course, Lewis-Skelly's days as a starter are going to be numbered because new signing Bruno Guimaraes is r...
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Arsenal dominate Transfermarkt’s most valuable Premier League 11
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Arsenal dominate Transfermarkt’s most valuable Premier League 11

It's no surprise that Arsenal continue to rack up the plaudits after winning the Premier League title last season, and even though they are second in the league to start the 2026/27 season after a shock blowout loss to a roaring Brighton, most still see them as the No. 1 contenders in English football. Transfermarkt recently provided an updated most valuable 11 of Premier League players, and the Gunners were totally dominating the list with the most players in the 11, beating out Manchester City by 5 to 4. The other players to make the list were one from Chelsea and one from Liverpool in new signings and former Gunner transfer targets Morgan Rogers and Bradley Barcola, respectively. But Arsenal had almost the entire back line, obviously locking down the center back pairing of William...
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Ranking the 10 best goalkeepers of the 2026/27 Premier League season so far
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best goalkeepers of the 2026/27 Premier League season so far

The Premier League returns this weekend after an even longer international break than usual. So let's hype up the games being back by giving some love to the goalkeepers, using analytics to rank the best 10 keepers using only the first five games of the season. 10. Emiliano Martinez, Chelsea The save percentage does not fully capture how well Emiliano Martinez has been playing. He's not an elite Premier League goalkeeper anymore, but he is still excellent and a definite upgrade on Robert Sanchez for Chelsea. And honestly, his defense isn't making him look any better. 9. Bart Verbruggen, Brighton Bart Verbruggen needs to get more love as one of the world's top goalkeepers, and there's a reason why so many club have tried to steal him from Brighton. The Seagulls are getting a lot of pres...
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Viktor Gyokeres’s record is a message Mikel Arteta can’t ignore
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Viktor Gyokeres’s record is a message Mikel Arteta can’t ignore

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has not started a game this season, as German international Kai Havertz has been preferred for his better all-around game. But we can't forget that Arsenal spent so much to sign Gyokeres in the first place because they wanted a more traditional 9, and while the scoring has not been there for the Swedish international in an Arsenal shirt, that was not true for him in a Sweden shirt. This past international break, Gyokeres was on fire, and he scored four goals in four UEFA Nations League game to extend his record to seven straight games with a goal. That means no player in history has scored in more consecutive Nations League games than Gyokeres, and while he has not been perfect, he has been scoring and showing a bit of an all-around game, too. Arsen...
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