Score goals from corners = bad
Try and walk the ball in the back of the net = bad
Play physical football = bad
Play pretty football = bad
Have players pull out of international squads = bad

Over the weekend, adults with nothing better to do lost their minds over Arsenal players leaving their national teams training camps to return to London.

Every meaningless international break players pull out due to questionable injuries. Or at least they are questionable to those on the outside. What they actually are is when a played has been playing with a knock, or is near the red zone, and needs a break.

Remember, first and foremost, a club can not pull a player out of international duty. That is not a thing. It is down to the country to agree to either not pick the player, or to release them.

So what happens is a country picks a player. The club advises the country that the player is not 100% and asks if they would reconsider. In some cases they reconsider, not further questions asked. In others, like we have seen recently, they may ask to still see the player, to run their own tests. Often the difference between the two is when a player is playing for a 3rd world team who do not have the necessary medical facilities, against a developed nation who do.

A player then goes to whichever far flung part of the world he come from. He undergoes the medical tests and the answer comes back: He is fit, but he is close to the edge. He could probably do with a break.

So international coaches then have a choice. They play the player in meaningless friendless when they are at a risk of injury. That could lead to an injury that, if over about 12 weeks, would rule them out of the World Cup. Or they look longer term. Realise this March international break is pointless, and opt to give those players in the red zone a two week rest (and in Arsenal’s case that could be 3-weeks if we rest and rotate against Southampton).

A short break at this time of the season for someone like Declan Rice is just as important for Arsenal as England. Rice, and Saka, are key to Thomas Tuchel. He knows it. And England’s World Cup hopes would be seriously dented were either to pick up a serious injury.

The decision is made to agree with Arsenal’s assessment. To send the players home for a week of rest and rehabilitation, and they will be stronger and fitter come June.

It would suit no one for Declan Rice or Bukayo Saka to play in these friendlies. But is suits all parties not to play,.

What is funny is seeing the usual suspects cry about Arsenal’s “criminal” behaviour.

Your clickbait media sites are all over. TalkSport, PaddyPower, both knowing the story creates revenue for them. And the likes of Sky Sports and now the BBC are also all over it. Creating a story of something which has existed for decades.

Like sheep, brain dead adults on social media are also crying. Saying Arsenal should be deducted points, that players should be banned for 2 weeks, and so on. But a quick search shows that when players from the team they support have pulled out, they have showed support. Hypocrites much?

And you also just know that if Rice or Saka, Zubimendi or Gabriel played and got injured, they would be celebrating. They hate Arsenal so much that they want our players to be played no matter their fitness level. They are actually supporting players getting injured.

But this is something we have had to get used to this season.

Nothing we have done in 2025/26 has been out of the ordinary. Whether that be scoring goals from corners, playing in an efficient manner, or players pulling released by their countries. But it is only now all bad as The Arsenal are doing it.

As George Graham once said: “It’s fine that people hate us, it’s part of our history”.

And ultimately, do we really care what some bald bloke in Ireland that decided to support Liverpool thinks? Or a Tottenham fan who claims to not be a Tottenham fan? Or the Manchester City and Chelsea fans from Nigeria and India who use a VPN to “appear” English?

They do not actually care about sharing an honest opinion. They only care about sharing mistruths and hypocritical opinions to push their narrative. And that narrative is “that they do not want “Anyone but Arsenal” when it comes to winning the league this year.

Because if we do win it, eyes will turn to their clubs. It would have been 65 years since Tottenham’s last league title. 13 since Manchester United. 9 for Chelsea. And whilst it is only 1 year for Liverpool, being Champions, spending £400m+ and finishing 21+ points behind is embarrassing.

We have a generation of adults that went through their teenage years bantering Arsenal. And all they now have to cling on to is “bottlers” and complaining how we are winning things.

When we do win it all, they will no longer talk about The Arsenal. And all that will leave them is looking at their own club. The torrid state they are in. They will probably just change their Twitter handle and become Man City fans. Or Barcelona. Or Bayern Munich.

Enjoy your Monday

Keenos

2 March 2026: How can football’s lawmakers fix the corner chaos?
27 March 2026: Could England’s set-pieces win them the World Cup?

After a clear and obvious 6-month coordinated attack by BBC journalists and pundits on Arsenal, Mikel Arteta and our style of play, it seems their tune has changed when it comes to England.

In a piece by “Chief football writer” Phil McNulty, Thomas Tuchel is praised for his “attention to detail and pragmatic approach” whilst the article goes on to state that set-pieces, led by Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka could make “the difference between success and failure“.

In recent months, we have seen the BBC change the way it reports news – from being a high-brow website which focused on reporting actual news and sharing insightful analysis, it is now no better than TalkSport where they now produce articles with inflammatory headlines based on what a radio presenter on 5Live has said. I never thought I would see the day the BBC became a clickbait news outlet.

After months of colleagues putting down Arsenal’s achievements this season (just 4 games lost) due to what is seen as a heavy reliance on set-pieces, the tune seems to have quickly changed for England.

Talking on  BBC Radio 5 Live, former England and Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson said “I genuinely think set-pieces could help England win the World Cup. There are no pictures on the World Cup trophy. It doesn’t matter how you win. It’s whether you win or not.

“We will be talking fine margins at the World Cup. In the latter stages especially, games could be decided by the odd goal, a single incident, a moment.

“If you have someone who can throw a ball into the box from the halfway line or deliver a perfect, dangerous ball at a set-piece, use them.”

I would actually say fair play to Paul. It is refreshing to read a view from a pundit that states the obvious – fans of successful teams do not care about how they won trophies. And history very rarely mentions playing style, just the success.

Robinson goes on to say that he believes there is “snobbery about set-pieces and teams that use them”.

Arsene Wenger was certainly one of those who was a bit of a set-piece snob. He was of the philosophy that set-pieces merely exists to restart the game, and should be taken as quickly as possible. His teams were often critisiced for being poor at defending and attacking set-pieces.

Now that BBC’s Chief football writer has promoted set-pieces being key to England’s success, it will be interesting to see whether the organisation continue their coordinated attack against Arsenal, or whether they will now change the narrative…

And I would actually love it if England won the World Cup, with goals only from Harry’s Kane and Maguire from set-pieces.

Keenos

1. Sky Sports show their bias

Arsenal v Chelsea live at the Emirates. And our expert pundits are badly dressed Manchester City legend Yaya Toure, former Manchester City youth product Micah Richards, and ex-Manchester player, coach and City Football Group employee Patrick Vieira.

Were we playing Manchester City, I would understand this sort of punditry team. Whilst they all have Man City connections, one is an Arsenal legend, one a failed Arsenal trialist and one a big Arsenal fan. It would have been a good line-up with all 3 having connections with both clubs. But we were not playing Man City. We were playing Chelsea. So why did Sky Sports platform 3 Manchester City men?

2. The ref was a bit whistle happy

On 3 occasions, the referee pulled play back for a free kick just as Arsenal were breaking.

Even with the Pedro Neto sending off, Gabriel Martinelli had got himself back up and was in a great attacking position before the whistle went. The ref could have held back, played on, then pulled it back for the red card.

It did not cost us yesterday, but hopefully the ref gets rightly called in by his bosses and given extra training on playing on.

3. Gary Neville is a knob

Not exactly breaking news this one. But Gary Neville claiming that “he was onside” when Joao Pedro was at least a yard offside shows just how biased he is when it comes to Arsenal.

Neville and his little VAR screen (is it a euphonism for something else little Gaz?) could surely see, without the need of a replay, that it was offside. He needs to stop being given a platform in Arsenal games to spout his nonsense.

4. David Raya the Magnificent

It still does not feel too long ago that fans were getting on Mikel Arteta’s back for signing David Raya and casting Aaron Ramsdale aside. Yesterday Raya won us the game and was my MOTM.

“Great personality” Ramsdale has struggled since he left us. A great signing to make us Champions League contenders, but Raya makes us league title contenders. Just as we predicted back in 2023.

5. Chelsea are rubbish

The most expensively assembled squad in the history of the game, with one of the highest wage bills in world football. Chelsea are 6th.

Whilst fans point to their young players and profiteering off players, it can not be ignored just how much they have spent, how much they have lost, and how much they have underachieved.

Yes, they might be “world champions”, but we all know that was just a glorified friendly tournament. And the Europa Conference is not a trophy that a team like Chelsea should celebrate winning as it means they were shit enough to qualify for it.

An average finish of 6th since Boehly and Blue Co came in. We all used to ask “what would happen when Roman leaves” and we now have our answer…

Kick Off Merchants are offering BOYOF on their Arsenal beer mats. That is two sets of beer mats for just £6. Use the discount code AFC2026 and grab your free set today.

Keenos