please log in to view this image Venue: Emirates Stadium Date: Wednesday 23rd April 2025 KO time: 20:00 BST Overall Record Wins: 35 Losses: 6 Draws: 16 Last six meetings Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace (League Cup) Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
Second half about to start, but a bizarre half of football. We started the first 5 mins like a house on fire and have actually had some pretty decent chances throughout the whole game, but we've also looked very nervous at the back and haven't got into our rhythm. Palace's pressing sequences are impressive and they shut down the spaces well, but we've also been very sloppy with our passing accuracy even when under no pressure. Palace have had some good chances and probably unlucky to be losing on the balance of play. Even aside from the goal, Kiwior's been exceptional again - this has been quite the run of form he's been on since Gabriel has been missing. Trossard took his goal superbly, but feel he's been a bit wayward with his passing. Partey also been sloppy on the ball and got caught flatfooted a few times. Need to do better if we want to get the 3 points here. Palace aren't pushovers and look dangerous every time they come forward.
FT. 2-2. I'm sorry, but that was ****ing unacceptable and well below the standards we should be setting. I'm gonna lose the plot if we even dare to perform like that against PSG next Tuesday. 13 draws all season (so far)? That is utterly shocking. What an awful league campaign this has been. Another absolutely disgraceful performance in the league. Contrary to the belief some have on here, we're not even guaranteed a CL spot for next season yet and we're just throwing points away. It's not good enough. No-one can come out of that entire game with any credit in the bank besides MLS and Kiwior, even though he did struggle a bit with Mateta. Saliba...you're making too many of these mistakes at the wrong time of the season. Can't be doing this against PSG mate. Raya as well was playing like he was hungover. I hope this was the game they got all their mistakes out because otherwise we're going to be getting dumped out of the CL. 3 of our final 4 games are against tough opposition. Liverpool, Bournemouth and Newcastle. Can anyone honestly say with confidence we'll win at least one of those? City could actually finish ahead of us with the fixtures they have left. How embarrassing would that be...
We’re guaranteed CL football. Give over. It’s a game that means absolutely nothing. Did you get angry when we won the league in ‘98 and then lost the last two games? Get angry about all the draws all season until Jan/Feb but not this irrelevant non-event.
I was 3 when we won the league in '98 so not really in a position to comment. Maybe you're OK with us just dropping points whenever and the standards falling off a cliff, but I'm not. This sets a terrible precedent and this is still professional football, I expect the players to perform at a higher level than whatever that nonsense was tonight. You think we're guaranteed CL football? So if we don't pick up another point from the final 4 games, you think the points tally we have (67 pts) is enough to get CL for next season? I don't think it is enough. We need 1 more win I'd say to guarantee it, but I can't say I'm confident we'll even get that with the way we're playing in the league.
I'm going to go on a massive rant here, but I really think our league results and the way we've thrown games away this season needs to be under more scrutiny. It really hasn't been good enough. Of the 13 draws we have this season, 9 of them have come from when we've been in winning positions. 9. Beyond unacceptable. That's the most draws from a winning position in a single season since 2007-08...and guess who that team was? Spurs. We can talk about injuries all we like, but we were having issues with performances and personnel even before we had our injury crisis. And whilst there were some bullshit calls that were out of our control, there was plenty within our own control that we could have done much better with - both on and off the field. Don't get me wrong, winning the Champions League would make up for how crap the domestic campaign has been, and I'd be delighted - but it would also be glossing over some pretty massive cracks in the league. The lack of application and intensity in some of our league fixtures has been pathetic. And we just aren't creating enough or scoring enough or doing enough with the quality available to us. That for me is on the manager. Whether we win the CL or not, we simply cannot have another season like this again. The standards need to be better, the performances need to be better and we better make damn well sure that we're in as strong a position as possible to go for the league for 2025/26.
Btw Odegaard tonight...hall of shame performance. Thought he was dreadful. Every single time he tried to play someone through on goal or played a defence-splitting pass, it got intercepted every time by a Palace defender. He was tackled too easily, has no proper turning radius, couldn't play a disguised ball without it being anticipated and was too predictable on the ball. Just couldn't do anything right. He's been excellent for us the last two years, but he's had a shocking season this season. I'd go as far as saying he's been one of the lowest performing midfielders in the division. Need him to turn up on Tuesday otherwise it'll be like playing with 10 men.
I would normally agree but it's clear right now we just don't have the squad to compete on two fronts. More and more of our players are breaking down. It's partly the way we play - high energy pressing from every position. I think it's clear that we are going to need two tops quality 11's if we are going to be successful moving forward. The added number of games in the UCL, the increase in overall quality in the EPL - this all means squad requirements are changing.
