Arsenal vs Crystal Palace 23.04.2025 - KO 20:00 GMT

[HCZ_Reborn]

It is a pel, but at the same time you almost never see them given in the premier league, but in UEFA I think they are a bit stricter with players doing wrestling moves on each other in the box during set pieces.

Also captain taking a pel? I don’t remember Tony Adams or Patrick Vieira ever taking one (outside of a shootout). It’s normally your top scorer. It’s not to say a captain can’t take it, Fabregas would take them for us for a couple of years but had nothing to do with his role as captain.

Saka is a good pel taker, he’s missed what two in two years. I love the fact that despite missing the pel in the Euros he stood tall and takes them for us, he also took one in the pel shootout against Switzerland. Shows character

[Letters]

When I first started going to Arsenal Dixon was our pel taker for some reason.
Then he missed a couple so it changed.
And yeah, it’s almost never the captain who takes them.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Umm. You know we drew both league games before the two Real games, right?
I understand a bit of frustration but I'd finding the depth of it a bit weird in the context of a long since dead league campaign and a CL semi-final to think about.

I don't think you can keep relying on that but we'll soon find out.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I don't think you can keep relying on that but we'll soon find out.

Maybe not, but there is a measurable difference between playing premier league teams and playing European sides that want to play on the front foot and control possession

I think if the result is the same as it was when we played PSG in October, I think we are through to the final in Munich

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't know why you doubt it, because they do it all the time, it's quite obviously deliberate

And yes I knew as I wrote it there was a comeback that Saka's pel was poor but that's not to say the tactic is wrong, normally his pels are very good

And as for it being Ode's responsibility to take it as captain, sorry but you must know that's rubbish, the vast majority of takers aren't the captain, they pick the guy best for the job

Personally I did think it was a pel also

I'm talking about that particular situation - right ther - CL vs Real, who better than the captain to step up. If he's a captain. Which he isn't. You know what I'm saying. I'm not talking about tactics for the season, I'm talking about owning the captaincy in the moments where a captain really means something. Most of the the time it doesn't. Captain is the man in front, going over the top. He'll take the first bullet. Instead, play some silly game where you pretend to go over the top, then hand the baton to a kid who you push by the arse up the ladder. Very undignified really, even if that's not the intention.

[Niall_Quinn]

If you’re arguing that it’s worth creating Ill will with Odegaard to make Rice captain, that’s one thing but you would have to be basically saying you’re prepared to sell him…because if you say to him “you haven’t done anything wrong I just think this guy would make a better captain than you” and expecting that he will be philosophical about it…well you really don’t know much about people.

Why would a professional feel ill will if his boss came along and made necessary changes? Is this the "human nature" thing again? Well that's nice at a dinner party. Professional sport though. Do players sulk if they don't get selected, like Nwaneri? He was "the man" when Saka was out, now he's the substitute. Should we sell him?

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't think you can keep relying on that but we'll soon find out.

Face it, we always "find out" what we already predicted. These drop-offs in level have always cost us, even with the Invincibles, the same shit was going on during that era too. It's something Liverpool haven't allowed this season, and City in the season before them. It marks winners from losers. Glorious failure was a well know laments around here for years. Glorious because we finally stepped up. Failure because we fucked it before we even began.

Now I think we are MUCH stronger than PSG and I think they have several Mbappes in their team - players with a rep that is thoroughly underserved. And I think Rice and Co will walk all over them - shame about Partey being missing because that would seal the deal. But they do have that beardy bloke, can't recall his name, who is every bit as good as Rice and will do the same hob as him. And maybe even more because he's probably better going forward. And they have their own Saka too, though not quite as good. But good enough. So our lot will have to be at 100%. If they can go for zero (Palace) to 100 then we're golden. If we can't then what a shame we made our own bed.

[IBK]

Why?

I'm genuinely interested to know why people think this is so important.

Late to this, but I have 4 reasons why finishing second is important.

1. We have been 'nailed on' in second place for a while - in a season where the traditional challengers have been pretty shocking. To lose this position having been well clear of the rest would represent a capitulation. This is never a good look or feel, whatever the surrounding circumstances.

2. A team with aspirations to win the league should treat every game as important and look to win it. The league was won a few weeks ago. This doesn't mean that we should not fight to secure the best finish possible - ie 2nd.

3. Similarly, a team with our aspirations wants to be able to compete on all fronts. Falling off an established position in the league because we are in the final stages of the CL indicates an inability to do this - which is counter to this objective.

4. Like I said in the post you were responding to, our team at its best is all about focus and control. This is not something that we should be looking to switch on and off, it should be a constant. Winning games; keeping leads; doing what is needed to get over the line is a habit. Failing to do so dents confidence and security. Our 'line' since 6 weeks ago has been second.

I've said that I don't think the Palace game will set the pattern for tomorrow night and next week. But we need (1) to address the drawing habit that has done for our title challenge this season, and (2) show that we have the resolve not to allow our leage position to fall away at the death.

[Mac76]

Late to this, but I have 4 reasons why finishing second is important.

1. We have been 'nailed on' in second place for a while - in a season where the traditional challengers have been pretty shocking. To lose this position having been well clear of the rest would represent a capitulation. This is never a good look or feel, whatever the surrounding circumstances.

I don't think people will see that, apart ofc from the snarling end of the media and some opposition fans

Anyone fair-minded will take into account the dreadful decisions and injuries which have cost us so many points. And if we win the CL by beating Real, PSG and Barca no-one will credibly be able to say we aren't a good team

The thing we're most culpable of is not reinforcing the squad in the right areas in the summer and then in January, that's got nothing to do with spirit or attitude and everything to do with poor recruitment

2. A team with aspirations to win the league should treat every game as important and look to win it. The league was won a few weeks ago. This doesn't mean that we should not fight to secure the best finish possible - ie 2nd.

If they have a deeper and fully-fit squad yes, but not under these circumstances.

3. Similarly, a team with our aspirations wants to be able to compete on all fronts. Falling off an established position in the league because we are in the final stages of the CL indicates an inability to do this - which is counter to this objective.

Again without a bigger and better-fashioned squad, competing on all fronts is unrealistic

4. Like I said in the post you were responding to, our team at its best is all about focus and control. This is not something that we should be looking to switch on and off, it should be a constant. Winning games; keeping leads; doing what is needed to get over the line is a habit. Failing to do so dents confidence and security. Our 'line' since 6 weeks ago has been second.

The whole confidence/momentum argument has no credibilty. The team has proved that they can play scrappy draws in the PL and then have the confidence to make Real Madrid look like Sheffield Wednesday in the games that really count

[IBK]

I don't think people will see that, apart ofc from the snarling end of the media and some opposition fans

Anyone fair-minded will take into account the dreadful decisions and injuries which have cost us so many points. And if we win the CL by beating Real, PSG and Barca no-one will credibly be able to say we aren't a good team

The thing we're most culpable of is not reinforcing the squad in the right areas in the summer and then in January, that's got nothing to do with spirit or attitude and everything to do with poor recruitment



If they have a deeper and fully-fit squad yes, but not under these circumstances.



Again without a bigger and better-fashioned squad, competing on all fronts is unrealistic



The whole confidence/momentum argument has no credibilty. The team has proved that they can play scrappy draws in the PL and then have the confidence to make Real Madrid look like Sheffield Wednesday in the games that really count

Mac - my comments were not intended as a criticism of Arsenal's EPL season so much as a response to Letters about why I think retaining second place is important.

We have endured bad luck with injuries and decisions this season, but the simple fact is that even now we are 5 points clear in second, so I do not think these factors are relevant to my comments about retaining what we have - particularly as we are in a better place now with player fitness than we were at the end of January - when we were also 5 points clear.

There is no reason why we cannot secure 2nd place, and I don't think my comments re aspirations are misplaced. I dispute that a team like Arsenal should not aspire to compete on all fronts.

And I don't agree with your comments re confidence and momentum. The point about our CL performances is something of a red herring. It's a cup comp in which we have done well for sure, but I don't want to see a team that can only reach levels in 'big games', nor one that picks and chooses when to turn it on. Our season, and league title challenge has been blighted by too many draws, and too many points dropped from winning positions. Our progress in the CL does not change this. It is beyond doubt that winning is a habit, and confidence is drawn from knowing you can see games out, and pick up maximum points regularly. We all lamented our previous seasons when we dropped off from February. 2022/3 and 2023/4 saw us improve this bad habit. We all want to push on in the league from this season. Failing to secure a second place that we have retained for most of this season despite things going against us is not a great starting point.