Burnley Up Next For Arsenal — The Pressure Is Only Growing

Arsenal have an important opportunity tonight to secure three points, build goal difference, and apply even more pressure on Manchester City ahead of their potential banana skin trip to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

On paper, Arsenal should comfortably dispatch this already relegated Burnley side.

But as we’ve seen throughout this title race, nothing feels comfortable or as nailed on as expected.

Margins are razor-thin, nerves are impossible to suppress, and every fixture suddenly carries the emotional weight of a cup final.

That is exactly how Arsenal need to approach tonight.

One game at a time.

There are effectively three cup finals remaining, but before any focus shifts toward Crystal Palace and final-day scenarios, the job against Burnley simply has to be completed first.

The fans will certainly play their part.

The club have listened to our requests to welcome the team into the stadium and create the most positive atmosphere possible ahead of what is our final home game of the season. That connection between supporters and players has become one of the defining aspects of this Arsenal side under Mikel Arteta.

It is frustrating, though, that the greed of Sky Sports has placed our final home game on a Monday night just to satisfy their needs.

For many fans, it robs them of the opportunity to properly show appreciation to the players after the match without the burden of worrying about long journeys home, missing last trains, early work starts, or children needing to be up for school the next morning.

For most of us fans, tonight will be our final chance to see this team live this season apart from those who are fortunate enough to have tickets for Crystal Palace or the Champions League final in Budapest.

The players deserve an incredible and deserved send-off.

And yet, despite all the positivity surrounding the club, I can’t pretend the nerves are not festering inside me.

I’ll be there tonight giving everything from the stands to get behind the team, but memories of Southampton at home back in 2023 are still difficult to shake.

Back then, Arsenal were closing in on the title with their destiny in their hands. Southampton arrived bottom of the table and on course for relegation, everyone expected us to beat them comfortably, yet before I had even settled into my seat, we were already behind after 30 seconds.

Then came the second goal after only 12 minutes.

Shock quickly turned into panic.

Despite eventually fighting back from 3-1 down through late goals from Saka and Odegaard to salvage a draw, the overwhelming feeling leaving the stadium that night was emptiness. It felt like the defining moment the title slipped away.

That is why tonight carries nerves despite Burnley’s league position.

Football does not care about scripts or expectations.

I’m certain Arteta will remember that Southampton match too, and I highly doubt there will be any complacency from this Arsenal team.

An early goal tonight could completely settle those nerves.

Take the shackles off. Play with freedom. Score as many as possible because goal difference could yet become crucial next week.

Sometimes specific matches become linked to the rise of certain players, and when I think about the reverse fixture against Burnley, I immediately think about Viktor Gyokeres.

That felt like one of his true breakout performances in an Arsenal shirt.

He scored the opener, bullied defenders physically, linked play brilliantly, and looked levels above Burnley throughout the first half. It felt like the beginning of something huge for him.

Ironically, the frustrating part was seeing him forced off injured at half-time just when it looked like he was ready to dominate the second half and stroll home with the man of the match award.

At the time, I genuinely believed that could be the turning point in his fortunes with the club after that performance, but instead the injury disrupted his momentum and forced him to restart the progress he had built as he missed the next few weeks.

Even so, that match still sticks in my mind.

And tonight feels like another opportunity for our number 14 to make a statement again.

If I were a betting man, I’d certainly fancy Gyokeres to get himself on the scoresheet.

Ultimately though, Arsenal simply need to focus on what they can control.

Win the game.

Secure the three points.

Maybe Bournemouth can do us a favour against City on Tuesday night, especially given their current form under Andoni Iraola, but Arsenal cannot afford to rely on anyone else if they want to secure our first league title in over 20 years.

Control the destiny yourselves.

I genuinely believe this team can do it.

So let’s start tonight.

Score the goals.

Keep the clean sheet.

Deliver the performance.

And show everybody watching that Arsenal are ready and prepared to finish the job this time.

This post also features on Gunners Town site which I write for.

Arsenal vs West Ham Is Our Biggest Game of the Season

It’s been a while since I last blogged. Life has a way of getting in the way sometimes, and football writing naturally takes a back seat when your personal life becomes the priority.

But this Arsenal team has a way of pulling you back in.

As strange as it may sound considering what could still await us in Europe, I genuinely believe today’s game against West Ham is bigger than the upcoming Champions League final.

That might sound dramatic, but for me it’s simple: navigate a win against West Ham and Arsenal place one hand firmly on the Premier League trophy. Anything less hands momentum and psychological advantage straight back to Manchester City.

The reason this game feels so enormous is because of what we are trying to avoid as much as what we are trying to achieve.

The nightmare scenario would be losing control of the title race again and then walking into a Champions League final knowing it represents our only chance at silverware. That pressure changes everything. Football history is filled with teams who carried desperation into finals rather than belief. It can heavily affect the way you play and the deafening noise of the overused ‘Bottle’ term this season can infect the players focus.

Right now Arsenal have the chance to avoid that entirely.

This team is on course for something historic. A potential double. But even if it ends with “only” the Premier League title, it would still represent one of the greatest achievements of the modern era for Mikel Arteta and this football club considering the time since we were last crowned champions.

More importantly, it would finally break the psychological barrier.

For years Arsenal have carried the weight of nearly moments, collapses, banter, and question marks about their mentality to see it through. Winning the league would remove that fear permanently. Future title races become different once you’ve proven to yourselves you can get over the line.

That mental hurdle matters just as much as the trophy itself.

Of course, the wider noise around the club continues as always.

The discussion around Spurs potentially benefiting from an Arsenal win says everything about modern football discourse. Rival fans can hate-watch, debate outcomes, and obsess over Arsenal failing if they want to. That’s football tribalism.

But honestly, most Arsenal fans — certainly those not represented by the loudest reactionary social media accounts — only care about one thing: what is best for Arsenal Football Club.

Nothing else matters.

The same applies to the media narrative already beginning around Crystal Palace potentially resting players on the final day because of their upcoming Conference League final. The timing of those questions feels incredibly disrespectful considering that match is still weeks away and Palace still have important fixtures ahead, with European qualification still a possibility.

But if anything, that external noise only seems to unite Arsenal supporters more. The more the conversation shifts toward agendas and distractions, the tighter the fanbase seems to become around this team.

And maybe that unity is exactly what Arsenal need right now.

Emotionally, it’s been an unbelievable week already.

Everton taking points off City swung the title momentum back in our favour, and then came Tuesday night against Atletico Madrid — a night that honestly felt like the greatest Emirates experience I’ve had since the move from Highbury.

The feel-good factor is back.

For the first time in a long time, there’s a genuine sense that this club is ready rather than simply hopeful. That emotional lift, that psychological boost, could be massive going into the West Ham game.

There will obviously be nerves. There should be nerves. These are the moments supporters wait years for.

But more than ever, the players need the fans fully behind them.

That responsibility belongs to everybody — our loyal away supporters inside the London Stadium and the fans online. This is not the time for negativity, scapegoating, or digging out individuals after every misplaced pass.

This is the moment to create a protective wall around the team.

Positive energy matters. Belief matters. Backing every single player matters.

The noise from rivals and critics will always exist, but Arsenal have spent years fighting to get back into positions like this. Now that we’re here, the focus has to remain entirely on the team and the opportunity sitting directly in front of them.

One game at a time.

Everything rides on West Ham.

And if Arsenal can come through it, the dream suddenly becomes very, very real.

This post also features on Gunners Town site which I write for.

A New Dawn At Arsenal? Palace Awaits

Its finally here, the football season finally kicks off tonight as we face off against Crystal Palace. What seems like an age from when we last kicked off against Everton on the 22^nd May the football is back.

The new shirts are now released; squad numbers have shuffled about, pre season games completed and of course pundits have written off Arsenal’s chances of a good season; we really are ready for the big kick off. Not quite sure why Arsenal is always the overwhelming popular choice for an opening day fixture on the big screen but here we are. Others can look on jealously as the Arsenal play their part in kick starting the new season.

Given the disappointment in how it all ended last season it is refreshing that the general feel about the club from viewing the interviews and footage of the players and squad, talking to other fans or scouring through various social media platforms is one of positivity and belief in the team and the manager.

If we were to circle back this time last year there was such a negative, acrimonious and toxic cloud that surrounded the club. Fans were arguing with each other over support for the manager, ownership was a hot topic as protests were set up outside the stadium in opposition of the Kroenkes, the team preparation and recruitment was unfinished and left us looking far from our optimum for a season start. Covid added the final nail in the coffin as it disrupted our squad and left us with key players missing in the opening games.

Anyway this season it all feels different. Pre-season on the whole was excellent, the results were all positive admittedly against teams at different stages of their own preparation for the coming season. On the whole the result although nice wasn’t the most important factor from these games. The players got minutes and built on their understanding with each other and enhanced their own physical developments and conditioning. We’ve made some shrewd signings and they have slotted straight into the team pretty much hitting the ground running. Of course its pre season and the football season is a totally different level of battle but it’s important that the new guys have integrated so quickly. It takes the pressure off a bit and hopefully the confidence remains sky high when we kick off at Selhurst Park. Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko are likely to start tonight whilst Saliba will make his long awaited debut for the first team in the Premier League (those EFL Trophy games he played in were pretty much U23 games). It’s an exciting time and you’d be hard pushed to locate an Arsenal fan that isn’t looking forward to getting the season started and seeing what is in store for us in the months ahead.

Fabio Vieira is still to kick a ball for us and his impact could be a welcome surprise. The transfer window isn’t closed yet as we could well see a couple more additions to the squad whilst many also move on.

So as mentioned we take on Crystal Palace, 3 points are far from guaranteed as we have come to find them a bit of a bogey team over the years, we relied on an injury time equaliser from Lacazette to snatch a draw at home last season whilst the 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park was a damaging blow to our top four hopes. WIlfried Zaha is a constant thorn in our sides and we certainly won’t be receiving any special favours from our former captain Patrick Vieira on the night. With the Arsenal team’s confidence sky high they will go into the fixture looking for 3 points but know it will not be an easy night. Crystal palace will take inspiration from their results against us and give us a tough battle; any points gained will be truly earned.

So let’s look at the Eagle’s preparation for the new season. They had a few mixed results, drawing with Accrington Stanley and beating Millwall before heading off on a tour of Singapore and Australia where they faced off against Liverpool in a 2-0 defeat followed by a 3-1 loss to Manchester united and then a 1-1 draw with Leeds. They closed out their pre season program with a comfortable 4-2 win over Montpellier, Zaha, Guehi and an Edouard brace contributing to a 4-0 lead. Former Gunner Stephy Mavididi scored the two consolation goals for Montpellier. Much like our preseason you can’t read too much into the results however it’s always good to sign off with a win.

Our line up for the game? I believe the team pretty much picks itself and with a few key players namely Tomiyasu and Tierney not yet ready to play we will be expected to start with the same line up used last week against Sevilla. Ben White will deputise at right back whilst William Saliba will have his first audition for a regular starting spot in the team when everybody is back fit.

I’m certainly excited for the season to start, my fantasy football team is picked and I’ve sent the fixture list to the Mrs so there is no confusion when I’m off to a match. Come on Arsenal! Let’s start the season right and beat Palace; it’s all or nothing now!

Enjoy your day people

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How Do You Solve A Problem Like Reiss Nelson?

How do you solve a problem like Reiss Nelson? The young Englishman was one of the most exciting talents coming through the academy in years. While the first team was going through a bit of transition the fans were screaming out for one of their own to lift spirits and hopes. A massive buzz was emanating from the youth ranks, a few YouTube clips surfaced of a younger Nelson skipping past defenders with such ease you couldn’t help but ask who is this kid?

Information and access to youth football isn’t as restricted as maybe it was many years ago so if you wanted to see the stats and view some games of this player in person it was obtainable after a few clicks on your mouse. Reiss Nelson was the real deal and the buzz led to calls from the fans for Arsene Wenger to give us a glimpse of him in the first team.

Alas his moment came back around 2017 when he was afforded some minutes in pre-season for the club. As per the Wenger way he was he was eased into first team proceedings and not thrown into his favoured position to start with. There were plenty senior players ahead of him who also required the first team minutes and so he was berthed as a wing back for those pre-season games. Wing back offered a little less pressure in that role and a chance to gain valuable minutes and experience with the first team.

You could call that season as his break out into the first team. Although he didn’t make many appearances he managed to get starts in the customary League Cup and Europa League competitions that season as well as a Premiership debut. We saw flashes of the talent but the exposure was limited due to the talent ahead of him such as Alexis Sanchez, Iwobi, Ozil and a soon to join Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The appearances he did make were nothing ground breaking, just ok. And that’s where the problem laid; Reiss looked good but never quite had a game where you were left thinking “wow”.

Again it would be harsh to be critical on him in his first season in the first team but it was felt that the kid we saw in the clips terrorising defenders that got the fans excited was locked away somewhere inside. The fans wanted that player unleashed; Things weren’t great on the first team front with the whole Sanchez leaving saga and the Wenger Out thing at the time. It was clear by the end of that season that Reiss had outgrown the youth/reserve level but wasn’t yet at a stage to trouble the players ahead of him in his position in the first team.

He needed minutes to develop and he needed men’s football to take him to the next level. That duly came with a loan move to Hoffenheim. Arsene Wenger by this time had moved on and Unai Emery sanctioned the loan move after ensuring prior he signed a new long term deal at the club. The move to Germany proved to be a success as he was given the exposure to first team football at a far higher standard than u23 football. He scored some goals, got minutes and returned back to the club with a new level of confidence you would expect. Now was the time to kick on and make the right wing berth his own in the first team.

The appearances that season did improve vastly for Nelson and he certainly could identify as a member of the first team then. He scored his first goals for the club and featured across all the competitions but and there is a big but here. His appearances were again ok but nothing ground breaking. As a fan I so badly wanted him to have defenders for breakfast like I remembered in the clips from his younger days but it just never materialised on a regular level. You could argue that it doesn’t help when the club was in turmoil from the turgid football played under Emery and the once again negative vibes emanating from the stands. It could have been the tactics, it could have been the manager uncertainty or the fans unrest but whatever the factor we the fans never really saw a breakout performance from Nelson where we could look back and say “wow, what a talent this kid will go far.”

For example think back to days when we had Quincy Owusu-Agbeiyie making appearances in the League Cup games and he would have fans on their feet applauding some performances so impressive you would be forgiven for thinking you was witnessing the birth of a new superstar.

Admittedly that was a false dawn and once Quincy played for the first team he seemed far out of depth against Premier League standard players compared to the cannon fodder from League 1 and League 2 he would terrorise. It is that transition to taking on the highest level of opponent that sets apart promise from true talent.

Reiss Nelson showed promise in the earlier part of his Arsenal career and to me now he is showing glimpses of his talent, this to me sets him apart from Quincy. Although the individual impact in games have been short of man of the match awards I have seen enough glimpses under Mikel Arteta that shows he does have in the locker what he threatened to show in his youth. Sometimes it just takes the right manager to unlock the potential and he has every chance achieving that under Arteta. Its rare to get the next superstar ready and packaged off the youth team shelf. An apprenticeship often has to be served as the kinks are ironed out and adaption achieved. It’s not quite there yet for Reiss but he has time on his side and with the belief of the right manager will show that more consistently as he matures. On Wednesday night against Leicester I saw Nelson look far more comfortable and composed on the ball. He was intelligent with his distribution, had a couple speculative chances that fizzed just wide and for balance missed a very good chance in front of goal he really should have hit the target with at minimum.

Yes, the Leicester team was weaker given the level of the competition but still littered with a majority of premiership level players. He looked like one of the players likely to make things happen for the team however one of the biggest problems to happen to the Reiss Nelson story is the emergence of Bukayo Saka. The younger youngster looked so classy in that Leicester win leaving Arsenal fans purring at his talent.

One of the reasons Nelson probably gets a hard time from critics is the emergence of Saka which in comparison makes Nelsons progress look less impressive. It’s just one of those things; Saka came into the team at a time of need, took his chance and hasn’t looked back. The journey of his transition into a first team player was one that many expected for Nelson but has been achieved at a far quicker rate and now you have to admit he is well ahead of Nelson now in terms of first team status. Again this is not to say Reiss is past it, far from it and the talent is there to be unlocked it just doesn’t help when a younger kid who wasn’t on the radar when you came on the scene makes a bigger impact. People will always use it to compare often unfairly but it’s hard not to compare the development of two young players coming through at the same time.

It has been reported that Nelson has now been made available for loan by Arteta. Something I don’t think indicates lack of belief from the manager but identification that to keep on developing he needs a pathway to first team football that isn’t heavily congested as it is by the likes of Pepe, Willian and co. The Hoffenheim loan helped push Nelson’s development on and another loan which I hope would be to a Premiership club will help push him on even further. He is still looking the part for England U21 and is a talent many clubs would love to have on board. I just hope that A) he goes on loan to a high level club playing the right football and B) does not find the loan such a success that he seeks to continue his career away from Arsenal.

That is always the danger with loans but at the same time given the trajectory Arsenal are headed under Mikel Arteta it is a project any young player would want to be a part of. A loan isn’t a rejection and as long as Nelson knuckles down and works hard he will be a regular feature in the Arsenal first team for years to come and become the player we all saw and believed he will become.

Enjoy you day people.

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An Ugly Win Against The Hammers But The Three Points Vital For Arsenal

Well that wasn’t much fun at all. These kinds of games are the hardest to write about because the negatives cloud over the positives I could elaborate on. However, a win is a win and that victory yesterday gives Arsenal 6 points from 2 games and keeps them in the mix just before some of the tougher fixtures coming up in the next few weeks.

The performance was disjointed and West Ham threatened at times to take all three points but fortunately we managed to dig in and find a winner when all hope seemed lost. Manchester United were beaten convincingly by Crystal Palace in the premiership game prior the Emirates fixture and it served as a warning that anyone can beat anyone on their day.

West Ham will feel hard done by to leave the Emirates with nothing as they refused to roll over and let Arsenal have their cake and eat it. Even after Arsenal had taken the lead through Lacazette the warning signs were there as a number of chances fell to the Hammers. You wouldn’t be wrong to agree the equaliser was coming and well deserved before half time.

Never nice to concede before half time but it still allowed Mikel Arteta to assess and review tactics for a changed 2^nd half. It didn’t seem like much had changed in 2^nd half other than a greater amount of possession for the Gunners but the chances were still falling to both sides and almost like a very dull game of chess there was a chance for either team to walk away with victory in the blink of an eye.

Our winning moment did eventually come and if there was a story to take from this game it was noting the two individuals who combined to provide the winner. Dani Ceballos laid on the assist for Eddie Nketiah to slot home the winner; these two individuals were nearly the cause of a much more significant headline with their pre-game altercation before the Fulham game last week. This time it was a more positive exchange between the two and one that benefitted the club in the best possible way.

The Sky Sports team couldn’t resist bringing up the Fulham incident in the post-game interview with Eddie who squashed any hint of anything lingering last week as he highlighted all is well with his Spanish team mate.

One thing of note from the game was the potential penalty that could have been conceded by Gabriel. It would have been a harsh penalty if given, it wasn’t given, VAR reviewed and also didn’t give it so we move on. The Sky Sports team were desperate to forcefully push it as some sort of controversy and quite desperately tried to draw parallels with the penalty conceded by Lindelof against Palace an hour earlier. The two were nothing alike and it shouldn’t really be anything deemed significant enough for West Ham to cry foul.

Gabriel carried on where he left from the Fulham game looking assured and composed whilst indulging in the physical battles with gusto. He had to do it all with a new partner in defence due to the pre match warm up injury to Kieran Tierney. The Scotsman has become a favourite with the fans for his professionalism and quality in defence so the news of an injury is one of worry and the hope is the injury was more precaution than anything too serious. The early indications are it being a hip injury, something he has previous with, how long to recover from I guess we will have to wait until official confirmation from the club after diagnosis.

We especially need the quality of Tierney over the next few weeks as the tough games come thick and fast. We face Leicester in league and cup, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United up until the end of October. It will require as many fit bodies available and ready to battle to come through that run of games and not have the feeling of our season being derailed.

Let’s see how it all plays out, fingers crossed starting Wednesday at the King Power Stadium.

Enjoy you day people.

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