What he’s doing at his age is remarkable.

This contrasts with the approach in the US, where the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) have publicly-available policies for players, or staff, who have been accused of sexual or domestic violence.

This is also because there are very different procedural rules around naming individuals prior to indictment and the nature of libel laws. It’s not an instance where it’s just on the club, PL, or FA to develop better policies.

Pickford usually deserves it though.

The prevailing trend in discussing the team assumes that something will happen which will improve the team’s overall attacking output. There’s tension between our position in the table and the team not appearing to have any idea on how to create chances in the current set up. Arsenal still has the 11th best npxG and xG from open play trails behind Everton, Brentford, Brighton, City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool, Tots, and Villa. Arsenal has scored 13 goals from open play, the same as Wolves and Bournemouth. 38% of the team’s non-penalty goals have from from set pieces, only Luton and Everton are more reliant. Nothing about this attacking output screams title challenger, its mediocre.

Arteta’s discussion yesterday about the game state and opposition strategy is relevant, but I am not sure it offers a complete explanation for the steep drop in output. Open play goals/90 are down to 1 from 1.84 and open play xG/90 is down to 1.25 from 1.68. We are taking improvement for granted, and Arteta deserves some benefit of the doubt here, but I’m curious in what he will do to effectuate what’s needed.

Anyone thinking Odegaard get’s phased out at the end of the season isn’t being serious. He has the armband because he has the confidence of the manager to communicate his ideas to the team, in the same way that Jorginho had the armband towards the end of last game.

Leadership comes in a variety of forms. We had “captain without the armband” Xhaka last year, and Ode seems very content with allowing guys who are naturally vocal the space to do what they do. English culture has an obsession with the captain as some kind of cultural ideal. The reality inside the club is likely very different.

Soucek goal…

Interesting to look at the overall stats of the team this year v. last year.

We all know we aren’t attacking with the same level of potency as last year, but it’s the differences are stark.

• xG is down 7%, but npxG/90 is down 24%. Non-penalty goals/90 is down 26%.

• xA and Assists/90 are down 30%.

• GCA/90 from live passes is down 45%. SCA/90 from live passes is down 10%. GCA from turnovers has increased by 92%.

• Conversely SCA from deadballs is up 30% and our GCA from deadball passes is up 213%.

• Goals and xG from open play are down 46% and 28% respectively.

• We’ve scored 7 goals in 12 games from corners - an increase per 90 of 71% over last year.

• We’ve doubled our goals from penalties (6) over last year (3).

• We’ve scored more goals from penalties and corners (13) than from open play (12). Maybe this team is ready for Ivan Toney…

• Open play goals scored v. conceded 12 v. 8.

• We are averaging more touches year over year, but less of these touches are coming in the middle third. The team is averaging more touches in the defensive third and attacking third. Touches in the attacking penalty area are slightly lower year over year. Considering that the overall number of touches and touches in the attacking third have increased, the decreased touches in the attacking penalty area is strange.

Flip side is nearly every defensive metric has improved. We are still only 12 games in, trends change, and I don’t think any of these figures are sustainable - particularly the reliance on corners and penalties. It’s tempting to blame it all on Kai and Jesus only be fit in 4 league games but I think most of this is a tactical issue for the manager to sort out. We’re winning, so it feels wrong to be worried or complain, but I don’t know if the the model for these first 12 games is replicable.

You can still Visit Rwanda you just can’t be forced to claim asylum there.

Day 2 of the interlull, we’re doing the keepers now.

We need something to happen, we’re just talking about the same things, in exactly the same ways, every 5 days.

Gotta be a couple pints in to understand him though. That Waterford accent is rough.

Feels like more of an overcorrection of the failures of last season than a final form.

Not really limited to Rice though. The team misses runs from all over the place. Some of it may just be developing chemistry, but I think it’s also down to instruction.

My naive hope is that Arteta has deliberately kept the handbrake on to get through the group stages and festive fixtures and once the new year hits, the reins will loosen.

on if Aaron wanted to move to get the chance to impress Gareth Southgate:

Well, first of all, my door is open to speak to any player, we just want the best for our players, and we try to do that. We know the influence that we can have, sometimes positively, sometimes not so positively towards them, but we will always try to do our best to help them, but this is a team sport that needs 24 players that have to fulfil a role. The role that you have in August, it might be different to the one that you have in March, so making decisions, in my experience, is not something good at all, and as well because the team has certain needs that have to be accomplished, and in order to do it, you cannot do it with 16 or 14 players, it is impossible. You need everyone and Aaron has really important role in the team.

Likely subconscious, but the club plays Brentford again in March, and Raya won’t eligible to play. The backup keeper (if it continues to be Ramsdale) will definitely have a starting role then!

If you aren’t judging players by Google ratings, you aren’t a serious watcher of the game.

Anyone got a Martinelli comp from tonight?

Long Island, Miami, and Boston?

He’s gone in the summer.

Jorge has his flaws, and those flaws are really highlighted when he is paired with Zina. He’s 31 and third choice, expecting him to do what Partey and Rice can isn’t reasonable. The lineup and tactics should reflect that, to the extent possible.

I was never a fan of the situation to begin with so I have my bias. He has all the looks of someone who knows he’s playing for his livelihood, and not in a good way. Hopefully the club is able to move him in January. We’ve created a great market opportunity for another club.

Who could have seen that coming!

It’s mad that after recruitment that appeared designed specifically to address this, Partey is still this hinge point in the team.