The Gunners fired only blanks - loaded by Arteta.

I wonder how many of you got sent this like me. If you did you’ll already be scratching your head in disbelief. If you didn’t, have a look and absorb it.

Incredible isn’t it? But you can be sure Arsenal aren’t the only club with a raft of ‘experts’ like these. Having read it a couple of times my conclusion is this - what a pity not one of them has got the bollocks to tell Arteta to grow a pair himself and to start using all the tools at his disposal to try and win big games.

They were a joke again yesterday. Awful. And Arteta had the cheek to come out after the game and tell us his team had played better than the day they put five past City last season. Does he think we’re all fools?

No they didn’t. They were scared. Timid. Passive. Ok - they had a lot of possession, but the lions share if it was in their own half. What use is that?

They mustered three shots on target. Donnarumma parried one at his near post in the first half. Blocked one from Eze that was right down his throat in the second and was beaten only added time with the third. A very good third you’d have to say. Martinelli took the chance really well.

Other than that ‘new’ City were comfortable all day. And I mean comfortable.

Hasn’t Arteta been watching them this season? They’re a project right now - beaten twice already and ripe for the taking yesterday, if he’d picked the right team. And been more ambitious.

How could he not start Eze? I was staggered when I saw he’d left him out. Why did he buy him if not to play him in big games. He terrorised City in the Cup Final.

What an exquisite ball it was that set up Martinelli. You have to wonder what he might have done across 90 mins. Putting him on at half-time was a clear admission from Arteta he’d fucked up.

You’ve also got to ask why did Arteta buy Gyokeres if he’s not going to play to his strengths? He doesn’t want to be part of a tippy-tappy fest. He wants crosses. He wants balls over the top like Haaland gets now. He got nothing yesterday. Arteta will kill him unless he adapts.

The change in the game appears to have passed Arteta by. It hasn’t Guardiola. Have you noticed how direct City are now? Donnarumma bangs everything long. They’re quicker through the lines and even take long throws!

I read a stat in The Times this weekend they’re now moving the ball towards goal at an average speed of 1.6 metres per second (it didn’t say what it has been) which is much faster than at any time in Guardiola’s previous seasons.

They’re different. Evolving. So get at them. You were at home Arteta. What another wasted opportunity. I’ve said already this season - if Arsenal don’t win the title it will be directly on his toes. He’s got all the tools now. So use them. There can’t be anymore excuses. Or lies.

As for City - do we think Guardiola has changed, or is it the influence of Klopp’s former lieutenant Pep Lijnders? I suspect it’s a little bit Guardiola - a lot Lijnders.

I still don’t think Guardiola looks wholly committed and I’m even more convinced this will be his last season. Before you scoff - remember who told you. a full year before it happened, that he would get the City job.

His replacement will be Vincent Kompany. He’s just about the only man who could follow Guardiola and get a fair reception from City fans, who still adore him.

It looks like Graham Potter is toast. Is anyone surprised? Regular readers of this blog won’t be. He was never the man for West Ham. He’s not a big club manager.

All that bluster from Karen Brady when they appointed him looks even more stupid now. She should go with him. She’s made one bad decision after another in her role with The Hammers - including delivering an athletics arena for them the play football in. I feel sorry for West Ham fans. Oh for the Moysey days eh?

We mentioned Villa last week so I won’t dwell on them, but clearly all is not well there - and things won’t have been helped by Emery’s assertion that his players were ‘lazy’ at Sunderland. The fuse has been lit.

I guess after giving Ian Holloway a mention last week his Swindon were going to stumble, so I hope it doesn’t happen to Forest Green Rovers. They’re now top of the Conference. Top marks Robbie Savage.

When I had lunch with their DoF in the summer - my mate Mark Bowen - he told me he had a hunch about appointing Savage. You were right Mark.

Oh - and have you noticed who’s second? Mark Hughes’ Carlisle.

Dewsbury-Hall - booked for taking a quick free-kick. Incredible. And just three minutes added time at Anfield, despite six second-half substitutes and no end of stoppages. How? Darren England was the ref - the same England that wrongly ruled out that ‘on-side’ Luis Diaz goal at Spurs when he was on VAR duty. Did he think he owed Liverpool one? Surely not? I can’t believe that.

Happily it was a pretty quiet weekend. The Darren England puzzles aside I noted only one real clanger by VAR - that was a stick-on pen for Newcastle at Bournemouth.

If you didn’t see it - Woltemade clearly had his shirt pulled by Diskite in the box. The ref missed it. VAR shouldn’t have done. Eddie Howe had every right to be furious, but was politely calm of course. 😂
It should’ve been a pen though.