Press conference questions + A trophy in December

Morning all.

It’s pretty non-stop at the moment, and Mikel Arteta will hold a press conference this morning ahead of our third successive London derby in the Premier League on Wednesday night. This time it’s Brentford who come to visit, and there will obviously be plenty to talk about after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea.

Now that the dust has settled a little bit, it’ll be interesting to hear if he expands at all on the kind of game it was. As I wrote yesterday, and spoke about on the Arsecast Extra, I think this was a very deliberately aggressive approach from Chelsea, and I think on a couple of occasions it crossed the line. I noted the absence of both Gabriel and William Saliba perhaps playing a part in how far they pushed it, and I thought James’ description of them as ‘Arsenal’s bouncers’ on the podcast was spot on.

That said, despite their best efforts, Chelsea couldn’t rattle the replacements. We saw how much Piero Hincapie relishes the physical battle and the defensive aspects of the game. Not least when he got in the face of Pedro Neto after making a challenge on the Chelsea winger in our box. And who was there to pull him away, and tell him to get his mind back on the game and to focus on defending the corner he’d just conceded? Cristhian Mosquera. I thought that showed an impressive level of maturity from the 21 year old, and the duo – while inexperienced in terms of playing together – managed the game and their bookings very well.

I’m sure Arteta will be asked about Saliba’s injury which kept him out of Sunday, so we’ll have to wait and see what the news is there. I think, ideally, the manager would always want one of his two main men available, but at least now he has really solid looking options at his disposal. Let’s keeper fingers crossed for our Big Willy.

I’m also curious to see how he’ll talk about possible rotation for this one. It’s not really about seeing Brentford as an easy-touch so you can shuffle your pack without worrying, but we’ve played three really difficult and intense games in a week, and on Saturday we have an early kick-off against a hard-running Aston Villa team. We have this big squad at our disposal, and to give ourselves the best chances of winning games we need to use it. So, let’s see what he says about that, and how much we can glean from his answers about what we might expect in that regard. As ever, we’ll bring you the stories and more over on Arseblog News.

Which leads me to last night where James and Tim were in attendance for Arseblog at the FSA (Football Supporters Association) Awards 2025, and I’m happy to report that we won Fan Media of the Year (Fran Merida of the Year). First and foremost, thanks to all of you who took the time to vote, it’s hugely appreciated, and it meant that we came out on top in a very impressive field of nominees. So, congrats to Alternative Wales, Not the Top 20, The Anfield Wrap, The Square Ball, and our pal Dan at HLTCO for their nominations. They all produce fantastic work with impressive commitment, so to win it against such stiff competition makes it extra special.

I also have to take a moment to thank all the team here at Arseblog. I’m really lucky to do what I do, but that I get to do with great people makes it even more rewarding. I know they know I love and appreciate them, but it doesn’t hurt to say it out loud every now and again!

The schedule being what it is meant I couldn’t attend last night. I wanted to, but there was a post-Chelsea Arsecast Extra required, and an episode of The 30 over on Patreon, and today we’ll have a preview podcast for our game against Brentford too. There just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day anymore. But that I couldn’t go is as first world a problem as you could ever have. The very fortunate job I have is to try and make the best content – with real, actual people! – about this football club as possible, and that’s not something I ever take for granted. Priority numero uno, and all that.

Ultimately, a lot of this comes down to you, the readers and the listeners. Everything we do on Arseblog is supported by you. We don’t have any ads on our websites or our apps, to ensure that – without wanting to sound too wanky about it – the content is king. It’s not obscured by anything, it’s not influenced by clicks because we don’t generate revenue that way, and ensures editorial independence at all times.

We’ve been very fortunate to have your continued support on Patreon which allows us to operate in this way, and it’s also allowed us to make a real difference in the real world too. Since 2022, Arseblog has donated €210,000 to good causes local and international – you can find the breakdown of that here. Every April we give 100% of our Patreon revenue that month to charities, and that’s a commitment we intend to maintain in the years to come. It barely scratches the surface of what’s needed in the world we live in, but it does help, and maybe too it might encourage other businesses to follow suit.

All of which is to say, thanks again for allowing us to do what we do. To bring you blogs and news and podcasts and coverage of Arsenal Men and Women and everything else you can find on Arseblog. It’s a privilege to be able to do it, and we appreciate being part of your Arsenal experience so much because of how important is. Hopefully, this is the first trophy lift of the season.

❤️

ps – Meant to also report that Declan Rice and Alessia Russo won the awards for best players, so we’re in pretty esteemed company in that sense too! Congrats to them.