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Episode 77 - Crossover Thursday with Daily Arsenal! image

Episode 77 - Crossover Thursday with Daily Arsenal!

S2425 E77 · Daily Ipswich
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21 Plays13 days ago

Now Christmas has come and gone the focus turns back to football. This week Rob joins up with the two Joshes from Daily Arsenal to look ahead to tonight's game at the Emirates. The lads discuss Ipswich's season so far, Bukayo Saka's injury and the impact of Omari Hutchinson.

The Daily Ipswich Podcast, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, is the home of all your ITFC. Join us every weekday for the latest news, build-up and reaction in the club's first season back in the Premier League.

Host: Josh Vince

Guests: Rob Binns & Joshua Duncan


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Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
Every club. Every day. The Global Sports Podcast Network.

Introduction to Arsenal vs Ipswich

00:00:08
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Daily Arsenal Podcast and Daily Ipswich Podcast, brought to you as part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. It's Friday, Christmas has been and gone, and so it is time to refocus our minds back onto football, in particular tonight's clash between Arsenal and Ipswich. Now, coming to us today,
00:00:32
Speaker
from the Ipswich side of the Global Sports Podcast now. I am honoured to say that we have Rob Binns with us. Rob, it is a pleasure to have you. How are you doing, buddy? I'm doing good, Josh, mate. I wish I could say I was looking forward to the game, but say we'll see how it goes. It's the sort of games you want when you come up, but now that I've actually rolled them round, I get worried about them.
00:00:54
Speaker
The ones to enjoy, aren't they? Yeah, exactly. You don't want to be too defeatist about it going straight in. And we also have with us as well our very own Joshua Duncan. Josh, how are you doing, buddy? It's good to see you again. Well, not see you. We can't see you, but we can hear you at the very least. How are you doing,

Christmas Schedule Challenges

00:01:09
Speaker
mate? Yeah, I'm not too bad, you know, just looking forward to the Christmas period as busy as as always. You know, ah last week I didn't even realise it was Christmas this week. You know, I was going to go into office thinking it's normal day.
00:01:21
Speaker
Honestly, I know what you mean. It's crept up on us in the bar out of nowhere and just all of a sudden Christmas parties coming at you left, right and center and drunken idiots fighting outdoors. So like any normal Saturday night in Manchester, really.

Historical Arsenal-Ipswich Encounters

00:01:35
Speaker
So today, what we're going to be doing is we're going to be looking first of all, the history between these two.
00:01:40
Speaker
very historic side, then we'll have a little more of a laser focus in on Ipswich. We got Rob with us. He's an expert. He's a GSPN man. He knows his stuff. we got We've got plenty of questions to ask him about how the season's going, what their expectations were, things about McKenna as well. We've got lots to ask him about, and then we'll switch it to Arsenal and have some quick little predictions. But first of all,
00:02:02
Speaker
Since 1992, the inception of the Premier League, there have been 14 games between Arsenal and Ipswich. Rob, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you? Oh yeah, I'm 22. Oh my gosh. i know i was on I was born two months after we were losted we were relegated and from the Premier League last time. Jesus.
00:02:26
Speaker
So you, you really have grown up with the Ipswich of, well, because it was predominantly the championship, wasn't it? Yeah. And then dropped down to league one, if I'm not mistaken, a couple of years ago. And then you also witnessed the flips. Yeah, it's 14, 14, something like that. Yeah. mid Mid to high teens, years in a row in the championship, then league one for for for four years or so, and then backs back promotions.

Fan Perspectives & Underdog Stories

00:02:53
Speaker
Blimey, I mean, at least this last few years has been relatively good in comparison. Cause I imagine those, i I mean, my local team's reading. And so I sort of know vaguely the pain of championship play and then drops to league one and things like that. Although I was smart and chose to support Arsenal instead.
00:03:11
Speaker
um ah ah Josh, how much did you sort of like, how aware were you of Ipswich and the ether of things before they came up this year? Well, I know my team is picking FIFA, so I always like to start with a really terrible team, no offense. So, you know, I kind of know that the championship guy, I know them pretty well. Some of them I kept around, you know.
00:03:38
Speaker
for loyalty you know they they didn't moan on the bench when I didn't play them so I kept them around and then FIFA. Apart from that I don't really know the team. I have to say ah not that I use them admittedly I always used Reading just out of some sort of trying to harker back to a simpler time but I mean that Switch has always been a team that I've been aware of and I've kind of had quite a lot of respect for as well. I think it's one of those teams especially when you came up this season A bit, this is probably going to sound condescending, but I don't mean it to be at all. A bit like when losing came up last year. I want Ipswich to stay up. Like I really want to see them do

Financial Disparities in Football

00:04:16
Speaker
well. Have you experienced quite a bit of that from other fans of other clubs? Yeah, pretty much everybody has said that apart from when we go to, and even as I was going to say, part when we go to the sort of relegation rivals, but even though a lot of them have said that obviously I wouldn't want you staying up over us, but
00:04:32
Speaker
I've not come, every one of these crossovers I've done, I've been either on or off camera, or someone's mentioned that really hope it will stay up, that there is that sort of feeling around. I think because that gap is getting there now, it is getting very money heavy.
00:04:46
Speaker
we look at the squads we were competing everyone wanted us to come up last year because look at the squad size and costs in comparison to Leeds who obviously didn't come up in the end and Leicester and Southampton who did the difference was massive and it's the same thing with why everyone's back in Sunderland and you look at the table and championship at the moment because not to the same they have spent a decent amount of money in Sunderland but not a lot more than we did but like compared to the teams that are there you you don't want just a repeat of three down three up every year they just rotate every other season so everyone everyone gets excited when someone comes in and breaks that mould and it's not just because i've gone and spent 100 million in the championship
00:05:25
Speaker
get the weather they need to be. Yeah, you've built a good squad with a good manager. Out of curiosity, because admittedly, in terms of being a football fan, I've never been in a situation where I've looked at relegation and things like that. Do you keep a weather eye on the championship still, at the moment, sort of like just seeing who you might be avoiding if you were to drop down or something like that, or how teams are doing in Paris and how you did last year?
00:05:49
Speaker
um Not me. I personally don't really, I i' keep it. It's just like fleeting eye on it. Just to like, just out of general interest in football. So you can see how it's going on down there. Cause it's obviously it's tight at the top. So it's a good little race to if it stays that way, but I'm not sort of looking over my shoulder i thinking that bootler who's coming up next year, if we're still here or looking at say like Lee one, who's coming up, like trying to eye up the tables. Like maybe, maybe if we get, if we're still down the bottom in May time, I might start, but I don't know if any of our other lads do. It's quite a good question actually. I've not thought of that before. I don't. I'm not something I do. I just sort of... half-arse look, see how things are going on. See how things are going on, I think. God, it may be a bit easier there. No, no, no. I'm joking. I'm joking, of course. I mean, the Premier League is honestly so good to have Ipswich back in there. Last time Arsenal and Ipswich played each other in the Premier League, there were two fixtures in the 01-02 season. It was the first of December and the 21st of April. Arsenal won 4-0 on aggregate.
00:06:53
Speaker
It was 2-0 and 2-0. Josh, brush off this Arsenal knowledge for us. Let's have a guess. One player scored three goals over those two games for Arsenal. Any idea who that was? It has to be Thierry Henry, no? No. No, it was not. Rob? and This was before you were born, bless. God almighty. God, I'm starting to feel old now.
00:07:22
Speaker
ah you say I would have guessed. I would have just naturally guessed Omri as well, to be honest. It was Freddie Lumbergh. Lumbergh, really? Freddie Lumbergh got the double at Highbury and he got one away at Portland Road where Omri did score a penalty. So Omri was involved then, but he wasn't the man he got. to like wey We don't remember those games. so The only one we remember is the 1-0 win in the League Cup years and years ago, Thomas Briskin. That's the only one we remember. The rest we all conveniently forget about. Yeah, I was going to bring that up, actually. because like we the so it's Between and now, we have played each other, for I think it was 14 times in total. Arsenal have only lost twice. And both those times have been in the EFL Cup. like They must have been good days to be an EFL Switch fan. The pri the one-word press can score the winner. That's the first like
00:08:11
Speaker
big standout moment, I remember. They're like from growing up, seeing like, obviously, just even just being around the town as well, like atmosphere like, that's what obviously promotion was unbelievable for what I'd done for the town and everything in the spirits around the place. So they're like, that was my first feeling of like, the whole town being on such a massive high because of football was that brisket and goal. And then the whole town for making the final and Nicholas Benner decided to have his only ever good game in history football knocks out the like that that was the first That's like a problem. Like that sticks in the head. Like if you remember one particular result from childhood is that game.
00:08:50
Speaker
Blimey, Nicholas Bentner is the one particular result you remember from childhood. ho that's That's just a, that's just just
00:09:06
Speaker
in the years after. It's always just always should remember that it was like he happened to turn up in one game. And I was gonna say, Rob, shits it's Lord Bentner to us. Yeah, Lord. correct any reason I remember the second half of the game. I mean, Josh, we've talked about bender so many times. I look back at him quite fondly now just because he's such a laugh. Such a weird player.
00:09:30
Speaker
Oh, that's it for our first section.

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00:09:32
Speaker
We're going to take a little break. We're going to have a message from our partners at Zencaster. But when we come back, we're going to do sort of a more focused look at Ipswich in the current season. Look at how things are going, what maybe be the expectations were, things like that. um If Josh has any questions, feel free to jump in as well. And then after that, we'll look at Arsenal. But we'll be back just after this message.
00:09:52
Speaker
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00:10:16
Speaker
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description to learn more about Zencaster. And welcome back to the Daily Arsenal and Daily Ipswich Podcast, all as part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. I'm your host, Josh Vince, and I'm joined today by Joshua Duncan and Rob Bins. We're talking about Arsenal versus Ipswich. Now, Josh, I have a question for you, and I think I remember the answer to this.

Ipswich's League Performance

00:10:39
Speaker
and it might be a rough thing to bring up. At the start of the season, when we were doing our season's predictions, where did you have Ipswich?
00:10:49
Speaker
um Well, definitely Relegations. Probably put on the table, to be fair. I didn't really give them a chance, no offence. But I just, I didn't see it, you know. I didn't think they'd be doing this well, to be fair.
00:11:02
Speaker
Yeah, because let's be honest, Rob, you've not done badly. Currently, you have better form than Man City. Everybody does at this point, don don't It's not an achievement anymore. You could be Southampton, the only team with worse form than Man City at the moment. But I mean, yeah, you lost 4-0 away.
00:11:23
Speaker
Oh, no, you lost 4-0 at home to Newcastle recently. Oof, that is a bit rough. But you have also picked up some really good results, though. Like, I don't know about you, Josh, but even as Arsenal, I reckon a draw with Fulham, a draw with Brighton, Villa, Manu and Beaton Spurs. That's a good set of results for any team, really. It really is, yeah. yeah Especially for relegation. That's a good set of results.
00:11:46
Speaker
But then you do look at the recent form, lost 4-0 at home to Newcastle. 2-1 away at Wolves win. That was a massive win. That was a really good win as well. And then lost three in a row to Bournemouth, Palace and Forest. Again, teams were all flying. I don't think there's any question that Ipswich have really put themselves out of there. How has it felt being an Ipswich fan, seeing them develop into the season so far?
00:12:10
Speaker
ah It's frustrating at times because there's there's loads of positives to take but we're sort of hitting that point. We kept sort of picking the positives out of these games so we weren't getting results because the performances were there but we were also saying every week that at some point this is going to turn and it's going to start being why are these performances not getting points rather than and at least we played well that will come later and we're starting to hit that point now like Bournemouth was a real turning point where to be one they'll up in the 87th minute or whatever it was and not even draw the game. That's where we started. Now we sort of look at every situation with a bit of a different light. And luckily we bounced straight back to beat Wolves. But until the last kick of the game, when that Jack Taylor quarter header went in the back of the net, where it was that was the same thing again. Wolves are shocking and they were a minute away from getting a one-all draw just because we can't hold on to the lead.
00:13:04
Speaker
So we have, I'll let you say about competing. Newcastle is just a bit of an outlier, I think that we massively missed Lee and Dalat that game with his suspension, which I don't, I still don't really understand why he was booked for, because like Nouri started kicking off, apparently somewhere in the rules it means, because he kicked off at him as a booking for both players.
00:13:23
Speaker
So we we've had our fair share of that nonsense as well. Don't you worry. I mean, Josh, I just have to say, Tarara Janik. yeah Matty O'Gendousi. You remember Neil Mokay? Matty O'Gendousi kicked it off at that Brighton game. That was bonkers. But that's probably why I think Newcastle result came from because we missed that we just offered nothing going forward. So they were just allowed to come at us all game because our outboard was Dilap who It's just so strong on the ball, can hold anyone off and then get the other players in the game. We just lost that Saturday. day So it was just an onslaught. And we've only looked, like I say about in terms of competing in these games, we've only looked out, we've only looked sort of out of our depth twice this season. And that was Man City away second game of the season yeah and Newcastle listed this weekend, every other game. We've had a couple of other poor performances like West Ham, but ah West Ham, we got lost 4-1, Everton at home. They were poor games. We weren't.
00:14:22
Speaker
It was just like you could tell it was a bad day at the office rather than just the quality gap is too big here. And most of these other games, we actually tend to do better in and the games sort of say like your villas, your united spurs, those sort of games where people would always write us off and then we all decide. You don't need to be saying that, it's fine. You don't need to be doing better against those sort of teams. Against the other ones, great. I don't know about you Josh but when you beat spurs that made me very happy. I was going to pull it wood. It messed up my bit. It messed up my bit. I thought at home, I thought, yeah, they must win. I was going to watch both teams of sports like, man, Tottenham can't miss it, so they must win. And then I see the result, and you just won. I'm just like, what?
00:15:10
Speaker
That's the opposite for me. I ah saw we were eight to one on the day of the game. That's worth a punt. We won the game and I won some money out of it. That's not bad. Eight to one. That's pretty decent. I know it's slightly off piece, gentlemen, but I do have to ask who saw the Spurs Liverpool game on Sunday?
00:15:34
Speaker
the One of the boys wait until they're five one down and start playing it's the Spurs way. And like, and seemingly likes to start from the very bottom that is possible to start from to then try and win victory. He's such a weird football club Spurs. But there's a couple of people I have to ask you questions about Rob McKenna. He's done a phenomenal job as McKenna brought you on from League One consecutive promotions only the 15 to ever do that the consecutive promotions for the Premier League in that way. Is the faith still with him amongst the Ipswich loyal?
00:16:12
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. It's, he mentioned, he said, you said the sort of our comparison to Luton last year. Oh, that is how that is. That's the same sort of thing with Rob Edwards. I know it's not going too well now with how this is not the last year. He always felt that he had enough credit in the bank from getting them there in the first place that regardless of how the season went. And McKenna's got even more credit than Edwards has because he's got the promotion the year every year for four years, we sat there thinking,
00:16:39
Speaker
but we've got one of the best managers in the league, one of the best squads should get promoted this year. And and it just tailed to not even getting playoffs every time. And then McKenna come in, finally got the job done. So he already had enough credit if we were going to be in a championship relegation battle. And it went all the way up now that I'm with the new contract in the summer. I just don't think as if things would have to go terribly wrong again, loot and esque. Yeah. Almost on for back to back relegations that we never get to the point where it becomes a conversation to sack him. I think it's just, but if he leaves, he's going to be, he'll be moving on somewhere else. He's going to get a job higher up the Premier League table. That'd be, that's the only way I see him leaving. I don't think he'd ever be sacked unless some catastrophic 18 month period or something like that. Does that surprise you, Josh?
00:17:27
Speaker
No, not really. I mean, if you get rid of them, who who do you bring into the place anyway? Do you know what I mean? There's not and not a list of managers out there for for any team. They're in a relegation battle. So yeah, I think I've done a wonderful job. You know, he took a book out of my play of FIFA, you know, but he's done a wonderful job. Did you either win the Champions League with it, Switch? I did actually.
00:17:52
Speaker
Nice one. Nice one. and There are the two players that I want to

Key Ipswich Players

00:17:58
Speaker
ask you about. Obviously, you kind of mentioned him before, Dilap. What a revelation he's been for you. He's been a phenomenal. I'd have him ask. I know that thought he wanted a number nine until Jay-Z scored five in a week, so maybe he didn't. I don't know how it works.
00:18:21
Speaker
Don't know if that's changed the thinking now. Not really, but anyway, but yeah, tell us about the lab. How good is he to watch? Yeah, well, wave we've always sort of said, we said the last few weeks because George Hearst has been injured long-term as the backup and we we see we sing his praises. It's become very apparent that if he gets injured, we are in big trouble. And obviously, we we got a taster of that against Newcastle because he was suspended. Luckily, it's only one game. and It probably actually benefits him long term because he was been looking really tired. Bournemouth especially, he just could not get in the game, he was shattered and then played really well against Wolves. But he happened to start, you notice he's starting to get hooked earlier and earlier in games now because he's just tiring himself out from how hard he works and effectively happened to play all the footballs, the only striker there. that
00:19:11
Speaker
Yeah, it's a Newcastle game showed that how important he is to us really, not even just the goal scoring his ability on the on the ball and obviously see some of the goals he scored, but just being the out ball and like being able to hook. But if you don't, if you can't play out from the back like we want to, it's like having the ah extra option. You can't just smack it long. You know, he's just going to hold off one or maybe both centre backs, get under control. And then that lets you have three behind him, someone get into the game.
00:19:37
Speaker
So if he gets injured, we need to sign somebody else in January, because if he gets injured at the moment, and we we just won't look like scoring in any games. So what you're saying then, Rob, but is that having a player who's good at holding the ball up, who can be that long ball option, who works his socks off for the team, doesn't stop running, is an asset for any club. He's in our case, definitely. Josh, Havarts does all of that. No, he doesn't. He doesn't he doesn't hold the ball up.
00:20:08
Speaker
so Apologies, Rob, we've thrown you in with no prior knowledge. ah Josh Duncan despises Cai Havards. Can't stand him. I cannot stand him. I'm the same with Trossar, to be fair. And the last part that I wanted to ask you about, in regards to Ipswich, is one of our own. A lad who Jamie Patterson, if he was here, would love me to talk about Amari Hutchinson.
00:20:30
Speaker
Now, Amari Hutchinson, ah Jamie, I think his prediction was that he was going to be the breakout player of the entire Premier League season. How's he been out of curiosity? In all honesty, slightly underwhelming this year.
00:20:48
Speaker
ah so yeah He was so good back end of last year, but like, we had this debate, we'd done a grading summer, during the summer science episode, we counted him because It was there last year, but we signed him permanently in the summer and we get, we get him a fairly, I think it was a B or C. We ended up giving him in the end because when you sign, because it was, he come with the expectation from last year now that he he thought because he was so good, he sort of spent six months. A lot of time on bench forces way into the team was one of, if not the standout player of the promotion running.
00:21:24
Speaker
So he then thought, and then we've gone throwing big money at Chelsea to get him in permanently. He was top of Kieran McKenna's list going into the summer that he was meant to be the sort of star boy that the talisman this season was but wass built upon. And ah really he didn't really start to show his impact until about late October, early November sort of time. And then they still sort of he had a work He had a good run where he was one of the best players for thought three or four games in a row. then And then it just sort of got quite quiet again the last couple of games. and And so he's not been, he's not filled that sort of, that role he had at the backend of the promotion campaign last year where everything, he seemed to be involved in everything doing, popping up everywhere that sort of, the laps coming and sort of stole that title as the key man in the attack, like that talisman player, no one would really go to Hutchinson now. They'd all just.
00:22:16
Speaker
and everyone would go to the lab. Certainly from the outside looking in and sort of, we're hoping he's got another level in there really. But so far we haven't seen it. James is going to be so disappointed to hear that isn't it, Josh? She's going to be so devastated. Right, well that is our big focus on Ipswich. We're going to take a little break now. When we come back, we're going to have a little look at Arsenal. I have to, it's funny you mentioned the word Starboy, Rob, because i I need to bring something up with Josh, which is slightly scary. And then we'll talk about predictions, how we think the game is going to go. So we'll be back just after this break.
00:22:47
Speaker
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00:23:17
Speaker
Global Sports Podcast Network. Every club. Every day. And welcome back to the Daily Arsenal and the Daily Ipswich Podcast, all on the GSPN Network. We've talked about the history of Arsenal versus Ipswich. We've talked about Ipswich in detail with Rob Bins from the Daily Ipswich Podcast, but now it's time to switch and look at the Homeside Arsenal. Now, Josh, we have to address the elephant in the room. Saka is out for a number

Arsenal's Injury Concerns

00:23:45
Speaker
of weeks. It was announced, we're recording this on the 23rd,
00:23:48
Speaker
because, you know, we're not recording on Christmas Day as much as we're all dedicated to this. To hell with that. I have a lot of gin to drink, so I'm not recording on Christmas Day. But, Saka is out for several weeks. How much does this worry you, Josh?
00:24:04
Speaker
Yeah, massively, you know, you know, it was bound to happen every game, every minute, you know, and he does it for England as well. you And he's still young, you're going to pick up injuries, you're going to often be fatigued. So it's going to happen. But, you know, hopefully the features that we have going on is not too bad. So, you know, hopefully, you know, maybe Sterling might get a run in. I don't think he will.
00:24:27
Speaker
but and I just hear you suggest sterling. It's either that or you pay hazy. So we play Martinelli on the right and Trussell on the left. And I know you don't want to be. I know I'm actually praying that you can't see me. I know you don't want that. I do want Martinelli on the right. Oh, um okay. I just don't want Trussell on the pitch at all.
00:24:50
Speaker
like seen unstead put ineno left wing i don't care he is not u trust ah um I genuinely think, and we were mentioning this on, I think it was the Christmas Eve podcast we did, or the one that came out on Monday, I think Martin Ledy on the right frees him up so much.
00:25:08
Speaker
so so much and gives him because it prevents him from doing what he's doing so much which is turning back and recycling play when he runs into trouble because he's on his right foot he actually attacks the byline and goes for it a bit more so I think him on the right might actually be a good thing for a couple of weeks and Saka getting a rest would be amazing as well like Rob against Newcastle your left side at the back looked really exposed was Saka something you were worried about Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's something you worry about anyway, because of the quality of player is and how important he is to the way Arsenal play. But that's something that sort of comes up as a point I raise every week when people ask me questions about us is we have, there's a balance of getting leaf Davis up a pitch. He's, he, I keep saying this. I haven't actually factored this for about three weeks now, but
00:25:57
Speaker
top of chances created so crucial for us and everything going forward. But naturally him constantly coming up the pitch and creating those chances comes at a sacrifice of a gap being played there. And if you're good enough to get your players in there and companies keep them on side and drag center backs out, it does cause us problems. And Jacob Murphy played that role fantastically on Saturday. He just He made Cameron Burgess play the whole game at left back, which then left gaps in the middle, and you've got someone the quality of easy up from that he's naturally going to score goals because of that. And sorry, way my head that's where my head went off. Saka, we know he's a lot of teams play wing is fairly inverted now, and they always come more central. And that's why we get worried about a lot of the time, but.
00:26:40
Speaker
Saka's not that. Saka's a hug-a-touch line winger that would have absolutely thrived in that space in behind. And and again, you'd have an informed Jay Zeus to pick out on the space in the bi or middle now. where Yes, we do. They would have been all right if it was Hannah. That's the way Jay Zeus has been going. Oh, no. Don't start, Rob. No. Oh, God. We don't need another ally for Josh here. To be fair, I don't think he's a bad player. I just don't think he's a nine. He can't finish. ah There you go. That's it. That's it. I've said this. You can't finish.
00:27:08
Speaker
just
00:27:11
Speaker
Okay. The statistics suggest that he might not be the strongest finisher in the squad. You're right. The eye test as well. You may, you may both have points, but I'm not willing to concede defeat just yet. i I mean, Josh, as well, we spoke about him on the group chat, and then obviously seven goals this season, five of them in three days. Gabrielle J. Zeus,
00:27:39
Speaker
has just exploded back into the Arsenal squad. Do you see this form continuing? Do you think he's at that sharp level where he can be that striker we need? Or like you said, like the Ajax, all of that, are you screaming out for one of those still?
00:27:56
Speaker
No, it's thiss guest iss too gay it's too early to to get too excited. I think that's also friends. We always get excited when someone gets a bit of form and me you know we figure, yeah, he's back or he's in action. I mean, he did score against the same team twice. So you know maybe it's a question for Crystal Palace and how they play are these are and Yeah, no if we're going to go for league titles, he's a nice guy. um you know He works hard off the ball and on the ball as well. But we need to put a ball back in the net. and you know, we just don't have that. And that's why I don't think we can actually go actually win a Premier League title unless Liverpool have a massive drop-off like Nike. Yeah.
00:28:36
Speaker
Liverpool need to drop all. Rob, you seem.

Arsenal's Striker Needs

00:28:40
Speaker
That's where I think, so but from the outside of perspective, that's the difference between Arsenal and the other teams in the title race, is that Saka's an unbelievable player, but the role he plays in obviously having to track back and stay wide, he makes him more almost more of a provider than a scorer, but then you look at the other three teams, they've all got 20 goal a season players.
00:29:00
Speaker
Yeah. And they've got Palmer, Harlan, Salah, all those, so they're going to get you 20 goals a season if they say fit. Whereas Saka is probably the least likely of the four to have a 20 goal season because he does so much work elsewhere. <unk> own That's where the difference is. You haven't got that nine in the middle who can score 20 goals to let Saka do that. He's sort of He has to score 15 goals and get 15 assists from out on out on the wing because there's no one in the middle gobbling up the chances and just getting the Harlan sort of position goals as fairly simple finishes because he's positioning so good.
00:29:34
Speaker
No, it's funny you say that. It's funny you said, because we're literally having this conversation, me and my cousin and my uncle, that, you know, what we've asked for satire is too much um on the wrong wing. It's like, everyone, oh, I asked the fans that haven't got Marcelli, but I'm just like, well, number one, that left side is not as strong as the right side. And what, apart from Salah, what winger is getting you 20 goals this season? Like, you know, this isn't this you need the number nine and it's habits. Habits, when you look at the Arsenal team,
00:30:02
Speaker
He's the weak link. He literally is the weak link. He's a nice guy. Again, he probably is a nice guy. And he works off the ball hard, but he doesn't get goals. That's what I want. I want someone to get goals. You know, he doesn't do it. You don't have to call him a nice guy, Josh. It's okay. You can say he's a nice guy. You can say he's a nice guy. He'll probably score Friday because the way we're going, all we've got to do is stand somewhere around the box and Moorish will pass it straight to him or something anyway, and the way he's going.
00:30:30
Speaker
I guess I'm sort of a safety girl. Knowing habits, he'd still screw that up somehow wouldn't he Josh, let's be honest. He'd still mess that up. Right, um there's only really one question to ask both of you now. We've sort of come towards the end of the episode, but it's the big question, the one that I always hate answering because I always get them so wrong, the score predictions on the day. Rob, you are our guest and therefore I'm going to put all the pressure on you to go first.
00:30:57
Speaker
What is your prediction for the game, which is on Friday the 27th at 8.15? What is your prediction? Well, I am well known and as the pessimist on our podcast. I get it. I've been, pessimated I've come into every game, or even the Wolves game. I said, I really like everything in my head wants to say big statement win that we end up getting in the end.
00:31:19
Speaker
but and but But because I think that's what's going to happen, it's going to be actually going to be a rubbish 1-1 draw. And always I was a very good header from a corner in the 94th minute away from unfortunately being right. And then I gave optimism a ago this weekend. I thought Newcastle played full strength Wednesday night. They've got to do a really big journey. and Maybe we may be getting a result. First time I tried to be positive all season and we got we got thumps. I think we'll go back to... I'd love to go and say that we go to the Emirates and get some sort of result, but I think the realism's got a, on this as an occasion where the head has to take over the heart for the prediction, I think. I'll go for a humble two now. Okay, two now, I think I, it's a fair show. Josh, what about you? What what would you reckon for the final score?

Ipswich's Defensive Struggles

00:32:07
Speaker
Well, I'm normally and a negative Nancy, you know, I'm always the one that picks the, well, I still lose. I do, I see, I see us concealing,
00:32:17
Speaker
You know, I still have to make a mistake or something happening or a good play. I'm going to say 3-1. I'm going to say 3-1, Austin. Yeah, that was exactly where I was going to go as well. 3-1, a dilap goal, possibly something from the back from us. I mean, how have you been with set pieces, Rob? Defending them in particular. I don't, yeah. We don't just forget that Taylor one at Wolves is the only one we've scored all season. So we're not good at the other end of them, but defending our records, not considering where we are on a table, it's not too bad. But okay our problem is, is that you look at some of the games where you've dropped points recently. I'm not full of an evidence specifically. That's, that's come from a very, very solid defensive performance. And in Fulham's case, I sprung on the counter and scored. Yeah, Evan just didn't bother attacking and play for the clean sheet. I said this before the wolves game. And it proved to be true because we can wonder that for ages and conceded, but we haven't got that sort of
00:33:17
Speaker
just shut up shop, S house performance to get bodies behind the ball, grind like that, like ever, and come to the Emirates and basically refusing to attack, but playing the clean sheet. We haven't got that like really solid, terrible game, defensive performance in us that you need in some like in big games. Like we said, if we went to walls and went one the lot, I knew we can see like, we're never going to, we don't win games one nil and like, we wouldn't be able to do whatever it did and go and grind out a nil nil.
00:33:45
Speaker
again, ah the Emirates like this, we haven't got that in us. That's my problem that like, if we get results, we almost have to go and somehow pull off like a 2-1 or a 3-2 win, which that's why I just don't see that happening at the Emirates even without Saka. Well, in that case, I'm actually going to change my prediction. I'm going to go for a chaotic 5-2.
00:34:07
Speaker
just because you haven't got that defensive, irritating S-Halsary at the back, which is the foil of Arsenal. So in that case, but you'll definitely score, you'll definitely score, possibly a couple, because we got mistakes. What Newcastle said, that's that's my worry though. Newcastle said that last week. Well in that case... We got the lap back this week though, so we'll be better going forward.
00:34:28
Speaker
Well, in that case, yes, we'll definitely, you'll definitely score. We'll keep saying it in that case. Right. ah That is it from the Daily Arsenal and the Daily Ipswich Podcast. I've been your host, Josh Vince. A huge thank you to Joshua Duncan and to Rob Bins for joining me today. It's been a pleasure. We hope obviously you enjoyed your festivities, whatever it was you were doing, if you were celebrating or if like Matt from the Daily Arsenal Podcast, you spent it in the gym. Either of those is absolutely fine. But from all of us here, thank you very much for listening and we will see you very soon. Goodbye.
00:35:00
Speaker
Every club. Every day. The Global Sports Podcast Network.