Excellent piece. What a player. I was thinking of the role and impact of referees. The fact that repeated fouls targeting a player (back of the legs, ankle etc) without protection (Saka an obvious example). Also, the ridiculous ignoring of elbows and arms to the head. Even in rugby, they have got serious about this (including official HIA’s); if you make impact with someone's head, you’re accountable. A lot of change required to protect the talent.
Yeah. I think it's underreported how differently the leagues are reffed (not even necessarily better or worse, but very different). One of the big eye-openers for me was that, out of the top-5 leagues, the Premier League had the most aerial duels, and the most successful tackles, but: the fewest fouls, fewest yellows, fewest reds.
A good read pre-NLD. I would say Arsenal should win this comfortably but derbies can be crazy and stuff like league position and whatnot can be thrown out the window. It’s about 5 minutes to kickoff for the City/newcastle match as I wrote this; hoping St James Park does its thing and City drop points.
And I'm sure that performance makes it look like you massively overrated The Spurs' threat to this bulldozing machine that's Arteta's squad. I do hope Arteta can step up into Pep's shoe's once more, this time as a manager of his own team, and hopefully for more than a cameo.
A burning curiosity: Billy, why Arsenal and not any other team? Why one club rather than all clubs? Why football instead of any other sport? Why sports and not, say, literature or anthropology? I imagine there's more to you than just a brilliant Arsenal-focused football writer?
It's a privilege and a luxury to have and to be reading someone like you in such a potentially anti-intellect domain like football.
PS: Do you write in any other domain or nonsport subject?
>I’m looking at you, Ebere. Take some shots, shoot through bodies, they might turn.
This is prophetic to say the least
Excellent piece. What a player. I was thinking of the role and impact of referees. The fact that repeated fouls targeting a player (back of the legs, ankle etc) without protection (Saka an obvious example). Also, the ridiculous ignoring of elbows and arms to the head. Even in rugby, they have got serious about this (including official HIA’s); if you make impact with someone's head, you’re accountable. A lot of change required to protect the talent.
Yeah. I think it's underreported how differently the leagues are reffed (not even necessarily better or worse, but very different). One of the big eye-openers for me was that, out of the top-5 leagues, the Premier League had the most aerial duels, and the most successful tackles, but: the fewest fouls, fewest yellows, fewest reds.
Only really watch Arsenal in detail, but that doesn’t pass the eye test, that’s for sure.
A good read pre-NLD. I would say Arsenal should win this comfortably but derbies can be crazy and stuff like league position and whatnot can be thrown out the window. It’s about 5 minutes to kickoff for the City/newcastle match as I wrote this; hoping St James Park does its thing and City drop points.
Predicting the spurs back 5, spurs players having difficulty blocking shots, and eze having a big game is a pretty impressive haul!
Thanks Billy
👊
And I'm sure that performance makes it look like you massively overrated The Spurs' threat to this bulldozing machine that's Arteta's squad. I do hope Arteta can step up into Pep's shoe's once more, this time as a manager of his own team, and hopefully for more than a cameo.
A burning curiosity: Billy, why Arsenal and not any other team? Why one club rather than all clubs? Why football instead of any other sport? Why sports and not, say, literature or anthropology? I imagine there's more to you than just a brilliant Arsenal-focused football writer?
It's a privilege and a luxury to have and to be reading someone like you in such a potentially anti-intellect domain like football.
PS: Do you write in any other domain or nonsport subject?