DADDY ISSUES, AGAIN?

ARTETA GIVES THE LOWDOWN ON DADDY 3

Another game? Already? Sheesh, this Premier League season...

The Premier League has had about 16 two-week breaks, then they lump all the games into one month. It's really quite irritating – the more successful a club is in the cups, the worse it is for them. I do wish the Premier League would work out a way to distribute the games more evenly over the season. No way should there be just one English club left in European competition.

Anyway, before we get into the latest post, I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who checked out and signed up for Substack. An even bigger thanks to the supporters who signed up for a paid subscription before I even really laid out what the plan is. You are the best. As a heads-up, I’ll be giving you access to all the podcasts; then the writing will move to a blended paid/free model at the end of the season.

Back to Substack, the comments section over there isn't perfect, but it's easy to use, looks nice on mobile, and you can get to it via their app. I was considering setting up a Discord for paid subscribers – let me know if you like that idea or despise it.

Onto the post... does Mikel have more daddy issues in the Premier League?

No manager has more of them than the young Spaniard. The problem with his parentage? He loses to those he loves the most. Moyes has given him issues this season, he didn't beat Pep for ages, and now he's literally on record saying:

'He doesn't like me to say it, but he was like a father figure to me in Paris'

Mikel, you've got to stop latching onto Premier League managers like this. I’ve already had to tell Arsenal fans to stop saying ‘Wenger was like a father to me’ on the internet. We can't our manager doing similar things.

My main worry here isn't that, though. It's that everyone thinks Chelsea is an absolute mess, and I'm not entirely sure that's true. It's a team packed with largely untapped talent that can blitz Everton and batter City one week – then fall to pieces the next. They binned all the experienced players, signed a bunch of kids, and their mentality was summed up perfectly when they had a fight over a penalty while 5-0 up.

The question tomorrow is which side will show up – a demotivated team badly wounded from an FA Cup semi-final exit, or the dog and pony show ready to show the world they can destroy league campaigns with the same relish Mourinho sides of the past would?

Arteta specifically said the energy at training had been buzzing after the win and he had to stop them. That's great news. He also absolutely confirmed in his presser that he thinks tiredness is a state of mind. I'm not an elite athlete, so I wouldn't know, but that mindset can be dangerous for a team's fitness levels. However, when there are five games to go, what are you saving your energy for? It's do-or-die against two teams with more reliable weaponry.

This is the Chelsea injury list via their website:

• Christopher Nkunku – in partial team training.

• Robert Sanchez – in partial team training.

• Lesley Ugochukwu – in partial team training.

• Ben Chilwell - undergoing medical assessment.

• Malo Gusto - undergoing medical assessment.

• Cole Palmer - absent due to illness.

• Levi Colwill – continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme.

• Wesley Fofana – continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme.

• Reece James – continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme.

• Romeo Lavia – continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme.

That's quite the list, considering the average age of their squad is about 14 years old. The key name there that we're happy to see is Cole Palmer. Chelsea accidentally signed him last summer and paid over the odds, but he has delivered sensational output and now looks like an absolute bargain. Losing him to illness is a psychological blow – especially if anyone watched Nico Jackson get into multiple world-class positions against City only to blow them with Ade Akinbiyi levels of finishing.

Mudryk? Well, I don't even need to talk about him. We got Trossard, who has been electric. Chelsea landed the Ukrainian for 3x the price, and he's been a little underwhelming.

Arsenal has an almost entirely fit squad to choose from. Jurrien Timber played for the U21s and scored an absolute worldie of a goal. He cut back on himself in the Blackburn box like Gabi Jesus, made a yard of space, and fizzed a top-corner goal Dennis Bergkamp would have smiled at.

He won't be ready for Chelsea, but maybe a bench appearance at Spurs could be on the cards? The boy is some player, apparently one of the best technicians at the club already. I hear the thing the club is really excited about is his leadership skills. He's going to give us some options next season.

As for our starting 11, my feeling is Tomiyasu will likely start ahead of Kiwior. We might see this as a game where Kai plays as a 9 and Jorginho drops into midfield alongside Thomas Partey. Outside that – it is what it is. Win, and our reward is a 4-point lead in the Premier League, with everyone chasing us. Lose, and well... let's not think about that.

We’ll be going LIVE right after the game on Patreon. Come join if that’s your jam. You can also check out the Before The Whistle I opened here. x