Gav and Ells discuss the upcoming trip to Forest, take a look at a couple of other Premier League matches, and Ells gets stumped by the Who Am I game!

Three goals in seven minutes. Three different scorers. Arsenal beat Lille 3–0 at the Emirates, but for over an hour, the question was when — not if — the breakthrough would arrive.

Gavin, Elliot and Justin look back at Arsenal’s Champions League victory, from a rotated starting XI and another slow start to Jurrien Timber’s opener, Eberechi Eze’s finish and Bukayo Saka’s impact off the bench. Is Arsenal’s measured approach a sign of control, or are we making games harder than they need to be?

The conversation turns to Noni Madueke’s best position, Arsenal’s disappearing set-piece threat and a growing offside problem. There’s also praise for Ezri Konsa and Myles Lewis-Skelly, plus a wider question about Arsenal’s football: are we actually boring?

With no separate Week in Football show this week, the lads also unpack Lisandro Martínez’s comments following Manchester United’s Champions League defeat, the problems at Old Trafford and the debate over Michael Olise’s standing among Europe’s elite wingers ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Bayern Munich.

Continue the discussion with us.

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All our links: https://beacons.ai/thennpod

Chapters:

(00:00) - Arteta's Non-Negotiables & Intro
(01:21) - Starting XI: Five Changes Against Lille
(02:19) - Noni Madueke: Arsenal's Best Left Winger?
(05:47) - Madueke's Ceiling & Arsenal's Left-Wing Options
(11:26) - Arsenal's Slow Starts: Control or Complacency?
(15:50) - Where Has Set Piece FC Gone?
(18:32) - Arsenal's Offside Problem
(20:53) - First-Half Chances: Bruno Guimarães & Mikel Merino
(24:17) - Arteta's Rotation & Substitution Decisions
(27:55) - Second Half: Arsenal Turn Up the Pressure
(30:52) - 1-0 | Jurrien Timber Breaks the Deadlock
(32:02) - 2-0 | Eberechi Eze Doubles Arsenal's Lead
(33:20) - Madueke's Crossing, Saka's Delivery & Eze's Position
(36:15) - 3-0 | Bukayo Saka Completes the Scoring
(38:36) - Max Dowman & Arsenal's Match Statistics
(40:49) - Are Arsenal Actually Boring?
(45:55) - He Said What?: Arteta & Ancelotti React
(48:01) - Ezri Konsa & Myles Lewis-Skelly
(51:54) - Squad Depth & Arsenal's Fixture Congestion
(53:16) - Lisandro Martínez: Manchester United's Problems Exposed
(59:07) - Manchester United's Squad, Transfers & Rebuild
(01:04:16) - Manchester United's Ownership & INEOS
(01:08:28) - Michael Olise: Elite Talent or Overrated?
(01:10:38) - Olise vs Vinícius Júnior
(01:11:15) - Bayern Munich Preview & Outro

Arsenal made hard work of Leeds, but when they finally stepped it up, two goals in eight minutes were enough to turn the game around.

We discuss another slow start, Arteta’s team selection and the substitutions that changed the game. Bruno Guimarães made an immediate impact, Declan Rice came alive in the final half-hour, and Riccardo Calafiori continues to play a role that nobody seems quite able to define.

There’s plenty to debate going forward too. Noni Madueke impressed on the left, but what does that mean for Eberechi Eze? Should Viktor Gyökeres be starting ahead of Kai Havertz? And with Bukayo Saka still searching for his best form, are the concerns justified, or are we expecting too much after just six games?

Three points secured, but another performance that leaves us with plenty to talk about.

Continue the discussion with us.

Follow The NN Pod for more Arsenal and football content.

All our links: https://beacons.ai/thennpod

Chapters:

(00:00) - Arteta's Non-Negotiables & Intro
(01:32) - Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: The Performance Behind the Result
(04:49) - Noni Madueke Starts on the Left
(07:56) - Where Does Eberechi Eze Fit?
(10:20) - Havertz vs Gyökeres: Arteta's No. 9 Decision
(17:02) - Lewis-Skelly vs Bruno Guimarães: The Midfield Selection
(21:31) - Does Bruno Unleash Declan Rice?
(28:43) - Match Review: Arsenal's Slow Start
(35:25) - First-Half Assessment & David Raya
(38:39) - 0-1 | James Justin Puts Leeds Ahead
(40:36) - 1-1 | Riccardo Calafiori Brings Arsenal Level
(43:45) - Calafiori's Freedom: What's His Actual Position?
(47:42) - Arteta's Triple Substitution
(51:03) - 2-1 | Bruno Guimarães Completes the Comeback
(53:34) - Declan Rice's Outstanding Final Half-Hour
(57:30) - Bukayo Saka's Missed Chance & the Form Debate
(01:03:45) - He Said What? | Arteta on Arsenal's Identity
(01:07:05) - He Said What? | Leeds, Madueke & the Substitutions
(01:10:45) - Ben White's Performance & the Right-Back Debate
(01:13:53) - Arsenal's Defensive Changes
(01:16:19) - Lille Preview: Rotation, Selection & Bayern on the Horizon
(01:20:33) - Closing Thoughts & Outro

The lads discuss the upcoming visit of Leeds United in the Premier League.

Manchester City dominates this week’s Week in Football as we pick through the fallout from the commission report, the language used against the club and what could come next. We discuss the prospect of an appeal, the arguments City might make in response and the uncomfortable question hanging over the whole case: how much political pressure can football realistically withstand?

From there, we turn to the international break and the damage it has left behind. Arsenal return with injury concerns across the squad, while clubs around the Premier League are dealing with similar problems after an unusually long international window.

Manchester United’s latest season-ticket crackdown opens up a wider conversation about modern football and the supporters who actually create the matchday product. If loyal fans are worth less to clubs than higher-spending matchday customers, where does that eventually leave atmosphere, identity and the relationship between clubs and their communities? Is football genuinely different, or is this simply capitalism doing what capitalism does?

We also get into Willian’s claim that joining Arsenal was a mistake and that Mikel Arteta failed to deliver on promises made to him, before Jack Wilshere’s story about seeing Max Dowman at 13 leads into a discussion about just how exceptional Arsenal’s young talent might be.

Continue the discussion with us.

Follow The NN Pod for more Arsenal and football content.

All our links: https://beacons.ai/thennpod

Chapter:

(00:00) - Arteta’s Non-Negotiables & Intro
(00:47) - Week in Football: Manchester City, Manchester United, Willian & Wilshere
(01:17) - Manchester City: The Commission Report
(06:05) - Abu Dhabi, the “Red Cartel” & City’s Defence
(09:06) - Political Pressure & What Happens Next
(14:47) - Premier League Integrity & the Wider Consequences
(16:55) - Sky, Sponsors & the Cost of Losing Credibility
(17:32) - International-Break Fallout & Arsenal’s Injury Concerns
(24:27) - Manchester United’s Season-Ticket Crackdown
(25:31) - “The Die-Hard Fan Is the Dinner Lady”
(29:56) - Football or Capitalism?
(33:15) - Are Clubs Risking the Atmosphere That Sells the Premier League?
(35:31) - Willian: Did Arsenal Let Him Down?
(37:19) - Jack Wilshere on Max Dowman at 13
(39:26) - Outro

Thirty years on from Arsène Wenger’s appointment, we look back at the manager who reshaped Arsenal and the wider pattern that runs through the club’s history — Chapman, Mee, Graham, Wenger and now Mikel Arteta. Few clubs are quite so closely defined by their managerial eras.

With Arteta signing a new four-year contract through to 2030, we discuss what the next phase of his Arsenal tenure could look like, where his eventual legacy might sit, whether this could be his final deal at the club and why Arsenal’s recruitment now feels increasingly focused on winning in the present.

We also take stock of the season so far. Has this Arsenal side genuinely changed after last year’s title win, or are we seeing a familiar team with more confidence, healthier key players and less pressure? The Brighton defeat, Riccardo Calafiori’s return to form and what Arsenal’s response after the international break might tell us all come into the conversation.

Finally, we round up the Arsenal fallout from the international break, including the latest injuries, Myles Lewis-Skelly’s midfield appearance for England and the wider squad picture, before touching on Carlos Cuesta’s departure from Parma and Mohamed Elneny’s latest move.

Continue the discussion with us.

Follow The NN Pod for more Arsenal and football content.

All our links: https://beacons.ai/thennpod

Chapters:

(00:00) - Arteta’s Non-Negotiables & Intro
(01:14) - Arsène Wenger: 30 Years Since His Arsenal Appointment
(08:21) - Wenger’s Legacy & Mikel Arteta’s New Contract
(14:22) - Arsenal: A Club Defined By Its Managers
(17:08) - Where Could Arteta Rank in Arsenal History?
(22:36) - Is This Arteta’s Final Arsenal Contract?
(27:11) - Arsenal’s Win-Now Era & the Next Four Years
(30:15) - Arsenal’s Season So Far: Seven Wins From Eight
(31:41) - Who Has Impressed So Far?
(36:49) - Are Arsenal Actually Different This Season?
(38:57) - Did Arsenal Need the Brighton Defeat?
(43:35) - International Break Injuries: Kai Havertz
(47:17) - Martin Ødegaard & the Bernardo Silva Challenge
(51:05) - Christos Tzolis Injury
(53:12) - Myles Lewis-Skelly Starts in Midfield for England
(54:46) - Carlos Cuesta Sacked by Parma
(56:13) - Mohamed Elneny Joins Levadiakos

Reports surrounding Manchester City’s long-running Premier League case have finally brought the biggest financial investigation in English football back to the centre of the conversation.

We get into what has reportedly been found, the extraordinary scale of the case, City’s response and what could come next. From points deductions and relegation to title asterisks, ownership consequences and whether any punishment can truly account for years of accumulated advantage, there is a lot to untangle.

We also look beyond Manchester City themselves. What does this mean for the Premier League’s reputation? How should supporters react when their own club is accused of wrongdoing? And has this entire saga exposed a much bigger problem with football governance and nation-state ownership?

One subject. Plenty of consequences. An absolute Clusterf*ck.

Continue the discussion with us.
Follow The NN Pod for more Arsenal and football content.
All our links: https://beacons.ai/thennpod

(00:00) - Arteta's Non-Negotiables & Intro
(01:17) - Word of the Day: Clusterf*ck
(02:13) - Manchester City's Financial Charges & Reported Findings
(07:20) - Eight Years of the Manchester City Case
(09:48) - Arteta, Mancini & Individual Responsibility
(14:53) - Manchester City's Response
(19:40) - Refusing to Open the Books
(26:56) - Khaldoon Al Mubarak's Message to City Fans
(31:35) - Manchester City vs Chelsea: Cooperation & Ownership
(44:55) - Financial Rules, Competition & State Ownership
(47:20) - Do Manchester City Fans Deserve Sympathy?
(55:08) - Have Manchester City Broken the Premier League?
(58:58) - What Should the Punishment Be?
(01:05:05) - Start Again: Elliot's Manchester City Punishment
(01:06:26) - What Will the Punishment Actually Be?
(01:10:26) - Has Manchester City Damaged the Premier League Era?
(01:12:32) - Strip the Titles or Add an Asterisk?
(01:14:39) - If They Don't Start Again, Did They Get Away With It?
(01:15:07) - The Investigative Journalists Who Brought It to Light
(01:17:54) - Closing Thoughts & What's Next

Manchester United’s latest stumble gives us plenty to get into as questions grow around Michael Carrick, the quality of the squad and what their early-season performances are telling us about the direction of the team.

Things are hardly calmer across north London. Spurs are bottom after defeat to Aston Villa, while Manchester City continue to collect results at the top end of the table. We look beyond the scorelines at what the opening weeks are beginning to reveal across the Premier League.

Elsewhere, Harry Kane reaches another remarkable Bundesliga milestone, the Madrid derby brings another controversial talking point, and Granit Xhaka finds himself at the centre of a very different kind of story. We also mark 100 years of the San Siro and reflect on the history of one of football’s most iconic stadiums.

Finally, the international break arrives. With Declan Rice and Piero Hincapié withdrawing from international duty, we discuss player workload, the demands being placed on elite players and what the break means for Arsenal ahead of the return to club football.

Continue the discussion with us.

Follow The NN Pod for more Arsenal and football content.

All our links: https://beacons.ai/thennpod

Chapters:

(00:00) - Arteta's Non-Negotiables & Intro
(01:07) - WATG: Chelsea Stung, Spurs Bottom & Butcher is Gutted
(03:04) - Manchester United, Carrick & Gary Neville's U-Turn
(07:23) - Spurs Bottom: Aston Villa & Running Out of Popcorn
(13:12) - Promoted Sides: Hull, Ipswich & Coventry
(14:32) - Manchester City: Five Wins, But Is It Sustainable?
(17:30) - Harry Kane's 100 Bundesliga Goals
(19:48) - Madrid Derby & the Printer Press Conference
(24:18) - Granit Xhaka & the Covid Vaccination Card Story
(28:43) - San Siro at 100
(31:25) - International Break: Rice, Hincapié, Saka & Player Load
(36:58) - Outro