The Very Calm, Measured 2025-26 Premier League Season thread: Page 3 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

The Very Calm, Measured 2025-26 Premier League Season thread

flobaba

Doc that's what's mad isn't it? I agree with you. Xhaka, Zinchenko and Jesus were critical to our fluidity and creativity. But now they're past it and their replacements, even though they're better athletically and don't have the weaknesses these players had, have not been able to replicate their positives to the same degree.

Asterix

The guest on the Arsecast a few days ago was saying that in the PSG game for example we had a superior xG, but that was from lots of low percentage chances. We didn't create too many high percentage chances, which feels right. We make plenty of half chances probing away at the packed defences, but not really good chances.

Anyway, this week of feeling optimistic is fun!

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Asterix I don't get how you reconcile lots of low percentage chances with a high xG 🤔

jones

JazzG overall quality of this league is much higher than La Liga or Ligue 1 so those are not at all valid comparisons.

Be honest how much La Liga did you watch to be making these statements? I think the quality of football across the board in Europe has hit a nadir but the way the PL specifically gets overrated is absolutely insane.

Qwiss

Burnwinter we had a tough pre-season. I've mentioned it before but other teams had easy games sprinkled in where they could get their attacking numbers up. I'm not overly concerned about xG per shot stats from pre-season as match sharpness is the sort of thing that really matters up top where time and space are at a premium. Its also a time for trying things, definitely a few of those Odegaard shots he wouldn't usually take.

jones statistically the PL is the strongest league. That's what the coefficient is for.

JazzG

jones 4th place Athletic club lost 7-1 on aggregate to a 15th place Man Utd in a semi final tie. I'm not saying La Liga is poor quality but overall average in the PL is higher.

awooga83

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert I think they presented it as taking a high number of low quality shots edged up our xG.

awooga83

Burnwinter I think even their shooting poorly is a result of wasting good opportunities we often take too many touches before shooting letting defenders shut the angles. Ode certainly is always looking to take an extra touch that kills moments of opportunity.

Coombs

awooga83 this is it. Creativity stats are inherently flawed because they rely on receiving players to shoot. xG produced should be adjusted for the difference in post shot xG of the chance created when comparing creativity across teams, as well as a stat for the xG of a touch that could have been a shot.

Qwiss

RowJimmy and PSG play in a farmers league. How many league goals they score isn't worth bringing up.

jones

JazzG you think that one freak result weighs up the record English teams have in Europe against Spanish teams?

daredevil

jones

Are you saying we aren't an attacking team?

Sicario2

At least this justifies my sky subscription now

Don Pacifico

Sicario2 🤮

Another fantastic innovation for the distraction generation.

DiabyKungFu

jones you think that one freak result weighs up the record English teams have in Europe against Spanish teams?

They keep track of this stuff. It's called the UEFA coefficient. You should look it up.

MistaT

Would you prefer we play some beautiful footy and win the FA Cup?

or suffer the Horseshoe of Control and win the league?

are we in the win the league/champs zone? and nothing else matters?

RocktheCasbah

MistaT we aren't gonna win the league playing horseshoe controlball, so I think the question is probably moot.

Don Pacifico

MistaT beautiful football, winning all three. 😉

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

At this point, it's league title at any cost. It has to be.

Burnwinter

When we win the league with 8 rounds to spare, all other clubs will adopt the so-called juego de herradura.

Every club will sign hordes of slow, highly technical players who are so secure on the ball they need extra balls at training. Then they'll fit these players with special blinkers that prevent them seeing in the 60° arc directly in front of them.

jones

Burnwinter juego de herradura lol. More likely it'll be Jovér de posicion with Delap style throw ins and DdArK ArTs on every corner

Tbh it's gruesome to watch but the crocodile tears from pundits over our set piece shenanigans would more than make up for it

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