Transcript
officialgspn: Hello there and welcome to the GSPN Daily Arsenal Friday crossover. Normally we do things on the Thursday with the crossover, however it is a little bit different this week.
officialgspn: So today we are doing our Friday crossover where I will be joined by a special guest from this weekend as Arsenal are playing Leicester City. I have the pleasure of welcoming Jake Leatherland from the GSPN Leicester podcast. Mate, how are you feeling?
Jake Leatherland: ah Yeah, I'm good myself. I'm a bit nervous about the game at the weekend. and We're still looking for our first win. So yeah, a little bit nervous. We don't have a great record against Arsenal, but I'm sure we can go into all of that very quickly. like
officialgspn: Yeah, of course. Actually, speaking of that, let's let's have a look at that. So um speaking about your first five games, um obviously, first game at Spurs, I mean, we you know, me and the boys were kind of talking about it in a previous podcast where we were saying, Oh, actually, you guys, ah you know, you guys could be OK for this season. The fact that you took a point against Spurs, we were kind of like, Oh, yeah, wicked, like, Lester should be all right.
officialgspn: But how do you think your games are going being five games into the season so far?
Jake Leatherland: Yeah, good question. Uh, well, obviously, yeah, we haven't, haven't got a win yet in the league. Uh, and we've, we've won already two wins in all comps have both come in the league cup, uh, against two league two sides. Uh, one of which we needed penalties on, uh, during the week, which I'm going to be honest is dampened spirits even more.
Jake Leatherland: Uh,
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: overall the first four games we were okay despite not winning because we played Tottenham and Villa at home and got one point which actually I think ah was okay based on who we played and then we had one point away from home and played Fulham and Palace which again was probably okay ah based on the teams and and what we expected
officialgspn: Yeah Yeah
Jake Leatherland: um the The game last weekend against Everton was the disappointing one. ah We came out with a draw obviously but the performance was was quite poor. First half we really struggled um and in truth we were probably a little fortunate maybe to get a point.
Jake Leatherland: and We most certainly did not deserve any more than that. um So I think yeah spirits are quite low at the moment because of the Everton result and the very poor performance in the league midweek at Walsall.
officialgspn: Of course. um Just quickly, I mean we kind of had like a little Premier League prediction ourselves here on the GSPN Arsenal podcast and would you like to hear what we actually predicted for Leicester this season?
Jake Leatherland: um um Well, I'm intrigued because ah the crossover episodes I've done so far has been quite mixed and I think some have been maybe a bit more optimistic than they should have been. and So yeah, go for it.
officialgspn: Right, so so one of our other um hosts, Josh Vince, he says that you guys would survive.
Jake Leatherland: Okay.
officialgspn: JD says that you will also survive as well.
Jake Leatherland: Oh, I like it. Okay.
officialgspn: Esmond says that you'll get relegated.
Jake Leatherland: ah Okay. More what I was expecting.
officialgspn: Luis also says that you'll get relegated.
Jake Leatherland: Okay.
officialgspn: and myself I also kind of predicted that you guys would get relegated as well so 3 -2 for Leicester going straight back down but what were your predictions for Leicester this season?
Jake Leatherland: um Yeah, so coming into the season, I'll be honest, I was quite negative and and i'm not I'm not usually actually and a negative fan. i like I like to be realistic. I like to think I'm quite realistic.
Jake Leatherland: um ah Our pre -season wasn't great.
officialgspn: Yeah
Jake Leatherland: Our transfers were difficult. and The points deduction looming almost it felt, which for now we've got away with. um So coming into the season quite negative really concerned and and actually I guess those early games and brought more optimis of optimism than I was expecting um and maybe in some ways we've been
officialgspn: yeah
Jake Leatherland: I don't know, brought back down to earth a little bit. It's really strange. um Some fans from outside clearly see Leicester because of some of the things that we've achieved in the last 10 years, maybe we're predicting as higher than than maybe they should have.
Jake Leatherland: I think there's some Leicester fans who are in the so in that boat of maybe expecting more.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: Realistically, we're a club that have just come up from the championship, seventh and above would be fantastic.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: um and i It's probably going to be you know us, Ipswich, Southampton and Everton and maybe like a Wolves or someone dragged in and um and we just need to be better than three of those teams.
officialgspn: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, do you see yourself sustaining your place in the Premier League? Come May.
Jake Leatherland: um If you'd asked me before Everton I would have said that she was more confident of it, yeah. Having watched that game and and been there and felt the atmosphere and and no watched what's happening on the pitch, I'm a lot less confident because they' they're going to be one one of the sides in and around us and we we never look like beating them.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: Or even going ahead in the game really, Everton tired. but Yeah, we struggled, which really worries me. And fans getting on the back of Steve Cooper already, especially at Wolves Hall in the Cup in the next week, is only going to feed that negativity, which I don't think is going to help any club try and survive.
officialgspn: Yeah, I mean, do you know what? i I don't know with Leicester this season. it's It seems like you guys have got some good players. Fair enough you've lost the likes of Madison and and so on, but you've still got the likes of Jamie Vardy. You've still got you've still got a pretty good side, to be honest with you.
officialgspn: But for me, where for you for you guys especially, where where do you see your your main threats being in in the Leicester team? sorry
Jake Leatherland: Yeah, it's the wide areas, really. At the moment, we're playing Jordan, are you, with either for Tarou or Mavadidi? And those two last season were fantastic in the championship. And Mavadidi is getting it started off in the last two now ah in the Premier League. And and he is definitely a threat. We can score goals. We've scored in every game. Scoring goals isn't going to be a problem.
Jake Leatherland: um We're not creating too many chances but we're we're clinical. and but It's going to be really difficult to keep many clean sheets. and It was a concern of mine coming into the season and based off what we've seen <unk>s it's not got any better.
Jake Leatherland: We haven't kept one yet and again we haven't really looked like keeping one. I think we've conceded in the first half of every game.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: The Palace we didn't, sorry, but just at the start of the second half we did. so yeah We haven't looked like keeping a clean sheet in any of the matches so far.
officialgspn: Fair enough, fair enough. Well, that is it for part one. Join us after the break as we will be looking a bit more into this Leicester team and what their threats could be going into the weekend. But first, let's take a listen to one of our partners, Zencaster.
officialgspn: Welcome back to this crossover, this special episode of Crossover Friday where I am joined by Jake from Leicester as we look ahead to this weekend's game. So like first of all let's have a look at this Leicester team. So you've lost Mareska at the start of the season to Chelsea.
officialgspn: I must ask, how do you feel personally about having Cooper as your replacement? Bearing in mind, Chelsea, their fifth with three wins, Cooper's ah win rate is at 47%. However, Mariska has had a 60 % success rate. But considerably, you've got to take into consideration that Steve Cooper has only been in for a few games. But how do you feel about Steve Cooper taking over at Leicester?
Jake Leatherland: um I was concerned in the summer, so if I look back at you know ah how I felt when he was first appointed, it seemed a bit uninspiring, um and I was majorly concerned because I felt that if we didn't start too well, fans would quickly turn with his not in forest connections, obviously, um and as I say, it was a bit of an uninspiring sighting compared to Graham Potter or David Moyes, even Cole Bram from West Brom that was linked.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: and Unfortunately, that seems to be happening. um As I said, we obviously haven't won in the league. I keep mentioning the cup match in midweek, but the cup match in midweek in some ways could be the point where he lost some fans because it it was so dismal against elite two -sided. Elite two -sided had better chances.
Jake Leatherland: um than we did in the game um and and we could quite easily have lost um and I think maybe that's the point it just feels like that could be the point you lost us in a cup game which in in hindsight isn't really going to mean much um so yeah concerned and and that's only growing at the moment because I think fans are going to turn really quickly which some all yeah already are
officialgspn: yeah I was a little bit surprised actually that you guys would have I'm more surprised that Maresca left Leicester because I actually thought ah you know what he's in the Premier League now surely he'd want to build with this Leicester team and the fact that he went from Leicester to Chelsea I thought oh so it's a very bizarre move to make because it could only I'd like to see what the red reception would be like when Maresca does go back to the King Power and I mean
Jake Leatherland: Mm.
officialgspn: I think you guys do miss him. It does seem like, compared to, obviously I can understand the championship and the Premier League being two different leagues apart from each other. but I mean you guys were playing some great football in the championship and I just I never really understood why Maresca would leave Leicester who are a Premier League side now to go to Chelsea who suddenly now seem to have turned their squad into an NFL squad.
Jake Leatherland: circle Well, yeah, yeah, the squad.
officialgspn: But for you this weekend, where where do you see the most danger in terms of your offensive output?
Jake Leatherland: like
Jake Leatherland: ah Yeah, my video already mentioned Jamie Vardy ah speaks for himself um and, ah but I think it's going to, it actually might be on turnovers, potentially.
officialgspn: Yep.
Jake Leatherland: um It'll be interesting see how Arsenal play, um to be honest, because ah In some games we've actually had more of the ball than I expected, against Villa we had more of the ball than them. um We're certainly not going to have that on Saturday, I can't imagine, although Arsenal are fantastic.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: If they want to low block, if they want to come and press, they're really good, so um it's going to be a struggle realistically. Probably, as I say, Mavididi or possibly an overlap ah from Christensen or Justin depends on what side they want to try and exploit.
Jake Leatherland: um They might look at Arsenal's right hand side and go, you know, sackers are a massive threat, however, um sometimes they might allow some space in behind. so You could say the same um on Martinelli's side, so it'll be it be where they think they can export.
Jake Leatherland: It's going to be one of those wide areas trying to get the ball into the box, and Vardy's always a threat in there. um It's just how many times realistically we can do that, which are going to
officialgspn: Yeah, Vardy seems to have a thing for for scoring against Arsenal.
Jake Leatherland: be
officialgspn: He always has a knack for turning up against Arsenal. I mean, turned up against Palace, I mean, he has a knack for turning up against certain clubs and I ah just don't know, just but Vardy, great player and I mean, I mean i wish we'd signed him.
officialgspn: goodness me back in what 2015 2016 and I mean yeah the the whole yeah euros thing that it just I kind of sit here thinking if if we never had the euros I think I think he could have been an Arsenal player to be fair yeah
Jake Leatherland: ah To be honest, you know, I think he was never while he's in the interesting topic if if he's in the relationship that he's in and i don't think wife wanted to live in london from what we've heard i don't know how to do that but that was the story was ah she didn't want to move to london for whatever reason and um and i think my lucky stars every day that he chose to stay because we would not have achieved the things we have um he's by far you know we've we've been very fortunate to have some fantastic players that i've seen over the last sort of 10 years but
officialgspn: of course yeah yeah
officialgspn: yeah
Jake Leatherland: He's just, not just because of his consistency, just because he is just incredible. ah And he's 37 now and he's still shocking everyone, including myself.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: Every time I write, write him off or think he, you know, he's, he's done. He just, he just carries us. We would not have got promoted without Jamie Vardy last season. Absolutely no chance.
officialgspn: Of course, yeah, no, that is that's very true.
Jake Leatherland: and you know
officialgspn: In terms of your attack, there is one player that I am, I'm a very fond, ah very fond of this player, um currently on loan from Palace and it is odds and Edward.
officialgspn: I need, I have to ask you, what would you make of him?
Jake Leatherland: ah Well, he's only played um how long did he play also in midweek 70 minutes? um I'll be honest.
officialgspn: Yeah Yeah
Jake Leatherland: He didn't he didn't think I didn't think he looked very interested He wasn't the only one um to be honest didn't look particularly interested um he Yeah, hey, that's all he's played. um I Think it shows where we're at that we're signing someone like him on deadline day or near the end of the window to bring us goals. Realistically, how many goals are you going to give us six or seven if he plays every game like ah based on his numbers at Palace last few years? um I don't mind him as a sign -in, and I think he's actually a decent player. I just think possibly we've profiled him wrong in that I've got friends of mine fans saying, oh, you know he's obviously he's a little bit taller.
Jake Leatherland: And I'm like, yeah, but he wants the ball to feed. he's He's a good player with the ball at his feet. And I'm just hoping we, as a club, haven't misprofiled him and expecting him to to be something that he's not. um Trying to get him into games could be really difficult, as a side do not aren always going to have the most possession.
officialgspn: Yeah.
officialgspn: Yeah, no, that I completely get that. But for me, I look at your defense right and foul. Fuzz and Cody, I mean wow. They seem to be your first choice centre backs. They've conceded eight goals. Now that is not bad for a newly promoted team, but where for you is that main force in defence?
Jake Leatherland: ah Well, to be honest, Kona Cody almost said he won't play. and He hasn't really played very much for us. and He only played a few games last year um from the start when Vestergaard was suspended mainly.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: Vestergaard and Faz were our two centre -backs last year. This year it was Faz and Vestergaard. He's now injured. So it's Faz and Akoli who's coming from Atlanta. So so Cody, on most of these crossover episodes, people have actually mentioned because it's Kona Cody and I thought he'd make a big impact to the club.
Jake Leatherland: but he hasn't, I think he's a fantastic person, great to have in the dressing room um and he just hasn't had that impact on the pitch um and Faz, I actually quite like Faz but he's always got a mistake in him which against Arsenal they might exploit that.
officialgspn: Yeah, I was going to say, Faz can be quite ah prone to really getting a bit gutsy.
Jake Leatherland: mean
officialgspn: Do you see him staying on the pitch over the weekend?
Jake Leatherland: um Yeah because somehow he he never seems to manage to to quite go over the edge and he'll he'll do you know a 40 yard run with the ball and then pass it wide or it'll just do something really random in the game he always seems to um but yeah hey he's more likely to be out of position or be rash and an Arsenal nick the ball around him and then and then play through. um They're the things I would expect that he's a bit ration and leave space because he he does like doing that In the championship though on the on the flip side of that when he got it, right?
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: we We scored goals from it. We had some really good counter attacks where he nicks the ball It's gonna be difficult for him to do that on Saturday with Arsenal's attack
officialgspn: Yeah, no, absolutely. I get that. So we've we've kind of spoken about your strengths, but where do you feel like Leicester's biggest weakness is? Because you've conceded five goals um from balls or runs from the wide areas. So for you, where where do you kind of see Leicester's biggest weakness?
Jake Leatherland: You've just hit the nail on the head right there. yeahp that That's exactly what I was going to say. um James Justin, who's been playing right back. I think I was talking about it on the way to the game in midweek and I think four or five of the goals have come from that side and a couple were
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: Directly, yeah he's directly at fault in terms of not tracking his runner like we saw against Everton or a little bit out of position. and Part of it was also because we had Abdul Fatah in front of him who isn't always in position himself. So yeah, James Justin's a big concern defensively, but also Victor Christensen on the other side. um I think it's incredible that we've got Riccardo Pereira, who i I've always said it it was our best player last season, and hasn't played a minute in the Premier League this year, and I don't understand it, ah how we can't get a game we over one of those two, either at right back or left back.
officialgspn: Yeah, I'm actually really surprised that Ricardo Pereira has not even made not even made a start. I mean, I just don't understand how he's not made a start. You look back at last season, played played a vital role last season, he's got Premier League experience. Surely you would want someone who has got Premier League experience to then be put into that starting 11 and James Justin as well the exact same you know I've been um'm I've been a fond fan of Justin before his it was before the injury he got um when you guys were last back end season
Jake Leatherland: and you
officialgspn: great player had huge prospect about him and was really was a great player overall but yeah I just don't know where it went I don't know for James Justin it just seems like it just goes wrong unfortunately and I don't know like do you think do you think we will ever see the James Justin we once saw in the Premier League?
Jake Leatherland: unfortunately
Jake Leatherland: no to be honest i wish i could give you an event and he was he was okay last season he was good he's he's still got a pace but he's clearly not the same player he's had some two really bad injuries he got ah one against Brighton during the 20 i think 2021 that must have been and he was out for a long time i can't remember the exact injury but then he
officialgspn: Yeah Yeah
Jake Leatherland: I think it was his achilles this was this must have been the year after so we were playing a court match against Newport County and um I was at the game and it it was awful we went down I'm sure it was his achilles and he's never looked the same player um unfortunately and um I just don't think so because he physically I don't know if he he doesn't quite trust his body like he used to um part of it's been tactical there's been lots of different things but clearly he's he's not the player he was um but yeah again he's playing in a weaker side than we were three or four years so that probably plays into it as well
officialgspn: Yeah.
officialgspn: Yeah, no, I get that I think I think it'll be an interesting one this weekend. and i I don't know what to expect. A lot of people look at this game and think, oh, well, it should be it should be a pretty much easy win for Arsenal. But we will discuss more about that in the next part as we will look at our predictions and and we'll give you a predicted lineup along with our score predictions. Let's take a moment to listen to our ads from GSPN.
officialgspn: All right, welcome back to the third part as we now look ahead towards our predictions for this weekend. Right, Jake, let's let's let's start off with you, mate. What what do you would you reckon in terms of this Arsenal team? Where where do you think is going to be the turning point for you to break down our defence?
Jake Leatherland: Oh ah yeah, as I said earlier, it's going to be really difficult, probably the wide areas, but ah if I was speaking about Arsenal from a neutral here, if I'm honest, it hasn't been very complimentary of Arsenal previously, if I'm being honest. I really like this Arsenal team um and I really enjoyed watching the game at the weekend where, especially in the second half, and something that's always been leveled at Arsenal was that a little bit soft, couldn't really defend, um you know easy to break down, had didn't have character, all these things, you couldn't level any of those ah at the Arsenal side now.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: um and And as I said, I haven't always been complimentary of Arsenal, but I really like this team and I think you've got a real real chance this year. um ah Hopefully some of those injuries don't hold you back, which would be my concern from a ah neutral point of view ah for Arsenal. But yeah, you've you've got a very good team in in all areas and so difficult score against.
officialgspn: Yeah no to be honest with you I look at this Arsenal team now and I'm like wow like the fact that we've like come back from like I was saying to to the boys on previous podcasts like the fact that we used to have Mustafie and Socrates and now we can boast that we've got Saliba and Gabrielle at the back like it is unbelievable I just think for me looking at this weekend the the main kind of thing for me is the fact that we are like we're back at the Emirates the fact that we've had three away games it's not and the fact it's three away games obviously Spurs and then you know Atlanta and then going to City
officialgspn: um somehow managed to recover from that city game to be fair but um yeah i i just think looking at this weekend it it looks like it will be a good weekend i i just think the only concern i have going into this weekend would be the availability of david riot i mean there's a lot of discussions going around saying that he may not be fit for the game And I mean, oh my gosh, thank goodness like when thank goodness he play for Leicester, because then I'd be sitting here kind of a little bit worried, because um obviously going back to the Carabao Cup the other night, where you know we we had a lot of youngsters on. I love the fact that we did kind of integrate the youngsters into that squad. Whether some of them will play this weekend, they'll probably get a start they'll probably get ah ah feature on the bench, but I don't see any of the youngsters starting.
officialgspn: But I think for me, looking at the weekend ahead, I think our main threat, again, I think the midfield will be a bit of a difficult one. I think since Odegard hasn't been, since he's been missing for us, I just don't think we've found a player that can just play in that cam roll. Odegard was the heart of that midfield for us. And I just, I don't know where I can see Arsenal.
officialgspn: I don't, I'm not sure with this, with, without Odegard. You could maybe play Havarts, but I just think Havarts is better off being up front.
Jake Leatherland: There's, I think there's more lines.
officialgspn: I just, it's difficult. I don't even want to think about the starting 11 for this weekend because it is going to be a headache for Arteta this weekend. But do you reckon, the would you reckon the the likelihood, what what's, give me a good score prediction for this weekend.
Jake Leatherland: um well if you If you want me to, it's really difficult to be positive. I was having a look before and we've only won Arsenal once since 1973. I knew we'd only won once in a long, long time.
Jake Leatherland: I didn't know how long. I had to research it. um That was only four years ago and Vardy scored, and he's at least he's still about.
officialgspn: What do you reckon the school is going to be like?
Jake Leatherland: But um if I'm even trying to be optimistic, I think a 2 -1 loss is genuinely the best I can ah can
Jake Leatherland: Well, only one once in ah a very long time. So I went for a 2 -1 loss, which is honestly the most positive we could get.
officialgspn: Yeah.
Jake Leatherland: we've been Every game we've had is a close game. I think we'll probably score because we always seem to find a way to score. But um yeah, I like to be realistic as say a score prediction. So I'll go 2 -1 loss um and hope we can keep the score down and keep it tight.
officialgspn: Yeah I think for me I look at, I don't know, I really look at this this Arsenal team and I really hope, fingers crossed, of course we we need to get the win. I think the the kind of football that Arsenal have been playing has been good football but it's not, I don't know, for me I haven't really kind of mentioned it on previous podcasts because I wanted to give it a few games but it's not been It's not, ah you know, we've been getting wins, but I would just like to see a bit more, I don't know, I'd like to see us up the tempo a little bit. I just think without Odegard, we've kind of, we've kind of missing that Smith row, as I've said on previous podcasts before. But I think going into this weekend, I'm probably going to go, I'm probably going to say 3 -0.
officialgspn: Sorry to blow the bubble but I just i do think you'll but i think defensively we're we're really solid and I think it will be one of them games where I do expect goals. I'd be really surprised if we came away with a 1 -0 or even a draw out of this game.
Jake Leatherland: Yeah, I'd be surprised if if we kept clean sheet at Arsenal, you know. All the games, I mean, we've surprised, less through that team that, you know, it is true. We just do something mad. and We've always done against bigger teams, but yeah, to to pick now to keep clean sheet, I just can't say it.
officialgspn: No, of course. No, I totally get that. Totally get that. Well, that is it from us on the Arsenal and Leicester podcast. Do you agree with what we've had to say? Make sure to follow both of us. As always, make sure to go and share the podcast. Let us know on our socials who you agree with the most.
officialgspn: And again, a massive thank you to Jake Leatherland from the Leicester GSPN for joining me on today's podcast. I've been your host Jamie Patterson and we will be back next Monday for our review of this very game. Until then, stay safe and have a great weekend.
Jake Leatherland: Thank you. Thank you for having me on Jamie. um Yeah, we'll we'll see how the game goes and I might even listen to your review on Monday if we don't get completely smashed.
