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No Table of Doom this year Liverpool Max 99 points Arsenal Max 92 points Target 88 points As regular readers will know, early on I reckoned that the target this season would be 92 points. I then shifted that down to 88 as virtually no teams could get there some time ago and I can’t have a table of doom without teams in it. And once again, with 13 games to go, I am in the same position. Only Liverpool and Arsenal can get 88 points. I feel that I can’t drop it any more as Liverpool can drop 11 points and reach that and they probably will at least do that. That leaves two teams in the table of doom and only one match at Anfield between them on the third last match. It means that if Arsenal win all Liverpool can still get 96. May or may not be our biggest game this season What can we say for now? Forest can get 86 if they win all 13 matches. They are out, simple as that. They won’t do that and Liverpool won’t lose enough points to get close to Forest’s final tally. We play Newcastle at home and Southampton away after Liverpool. Both winnable despite the fact that both teams have caused us blips in recent years. Liverpool play Brighton away and Palace at home, both also winnable. They seem to have a slightly more difficult task but not much more. 3 matches to decide the title? Where I do think they have the harder task is their next 13. They play Villa and City away and Newcastle at home in their next 3. We play West Ham at home and Forest and Man Utd away. Certainly looks easier for us but we need 3 wins. This may be our biggest game of the season Then Chelsea and Fulham at home and Everton away for us. If all 3 are at their best it will be difficult but we probably need 3 wins. Liverpool are home to Southampton and Everton and away to Fulham. They could easily win all three. Liverpool then have home to West Ham and Tottenham and away to Leicester. We will definitely need Potter, Postecoglou and Van Nistleroy to have their teams firing by then and even so it is hard to see any points dropped. Maybe if the Spuds have all their players back? C’mon you Spurs! We have Brentford and Palace at home and Ipswich away. We can have no excuses, we must win. Maybe all games are loseable? Then we have Bournemouth at home, Liverpool away, and Newcastle and Southampton as mentioned. They have Chelsea away, then us, Brighton and Palace. We must beat them to start the mindgames Probably the most crucial for both teams is the next 3 matches. If Liverpool win all 3, then I doubt if we can catch them even if we win 3. If Unai Emery can get Villa playing like they do against us they might just get a point. It is tomorrow so a failure to win gives us a great chance to put a lot of pressure on them before they play City on Sunday. We have West Ham on Saturday. As they have 2 matches we will spend a period with a game in hand. Can we get inside Liverpool's heads? We have to beat the Hammers. No question. Potter has form against us as have the Hammers sometimes but drop points here and we have lost the chance to get into Slot’s head. Then Liverpool play City away, and last weekend against Newcastle they looked more like the old City. 4 goals and the new players gelling well. That surely is the match we are hoping for something, even a draw. Liverpool will travel all the way to Manchester, if they have dropped anything to Villa and we win against West Ham, knowing that their season could unravel with a defeat. This is the period when mindgames, that the mind plays with itself, is critical. By now, Liverpool’s players, many of whom have never won the league, will feel that it is theirs to lose. They need that cold clinical head to get them over the line. Any blip could devastate their confidence. They would know a defeat would leave them potentially only 2 points ahead. Forest away our hardest aside from the big game? But we are away to Forest, who are flying most weeks. That will be a pressure game. It seems like the hardest match other than Liverpool on our run in. A midweek win, in the scenario above, would push a hammer blow into the frailty of a team later that night then bracing to play Newcastle at home. Eddie Howe will be desperate to do well after being destroyed by Man City. They are rarely an easy team to play against. Then the following weekend we play Man Utd away and Liverpool play Southampton at home. As long as Utd are still playing rubbish we should win and Southampton scarcely have a chance at Anfield. Can Ramsdale do us a favour at Liverpool? So they will have 4 matches to our 3 at this point. After this point, while there are games Liverpool can lose, they can also probably afford to lose them if they win these 3 plus a banker against Southampton. Everything is already decided? So that is where we are. Liverpool seem to have a tougher run in. They absolutely must drop points soon or we are only scrapping for second place. Yes, Champions league looks certain at this point. There could well be a scrap for the rest of the places as even Brighton on 37 points might feel that a strong run gets them up there. I have a feeling that the points total for Champions League may not be too high as lots of teams are dropping points. I suspect the current top four of Liverpool, Arsenal, Forest and City could well make it. I will be surprised if the current top two do not remain the top 2. They are pulling away and a win for Arsenal against Forest would put them further behind. It is almost decided already? At the bottom, Southampton look doomed leaving Ipswich, Leicester and Wolves to fight it out for one spot. So in the middle of February, it looks like the bottom four are obvious as is the top two. I can’t really remember it being like this before. Sadly, no table of doom It is disappointing for me not to have a table of doom this season but unless both Arsenal and Liverpool drop a few points soon and the chasing pack start winning there is no point. Nobody believes that anyone other than Liverpool and Arsenal can win this time so there would be no tension. I will suggest that February 26th could be the marker for this season. We play Forest away and Liverpool play Newcastle at home. The league at that point could well indicate whether we can have a tight end to the season. And Arsenal will have to compete with none of our first choice forward line for that period! Did I ever say that it is tough to be an Arsenal fan?

The bad predictors are back Next ten Fixtures Brentford A, Brighton A, Tottenham H, Villa H, Wolves A, Man City H, Leicester A, West Ham H, Forest A, Man Utd H Ok, me and Dani Georgiev have to put our hands up. We have done badly so far. The optimism at the start of the season evaporated and so both of us were 5 out in the first attempt at this. And last time, we were both 7 points out. Neither time did we have the same predictions but we both ended up with the same amount of points, and embarrassingly wrong. For our first 8 games red cards were the catalyst for dropped points and this time it was teams parking the bus, coupled with the loss of Martin Odegaard. We do struggle if teams shut up shop and it was highly obvious against Ipswich, our last game. The good news is that if we beat Brentford away in our first game, we will be second and still ready to take advantage of a Liverpool slump. We need another Liverpool collapse Last column, I revised the table of doom figure I have used in my last 2 predictions as I feel that it is too high. I brought it down to 88 points although obviously Liverpool can still get 105 points. They have a lot of matches to play in the second half of the season and could be chasing a quadruple, and the pressure may get to them. We have to stay close. The bad news with that is that we can truly afford to lose very little. We can get 96 if we win all but if 88 is right we need to lose no more than 2 with one draw, one loss and 2 draws or 4 draws over 20 matches. We have a truly difficult task ahead of us if 88 turns out to be the target. I think we can forget about it if my original 92 remains correct. Lucky I have been wrong so far, maybe? If Liverpool stumble there could be many teams ready to take advantage Can we do it? Yes, we can, but for sure we need Liverpool to have a bad patch, something they seem reluctant to have. We need 2.6 points per game, they need 2.047619047619048, a lot less. However, one loss for them and one win for us and life doesn’t seem too bad. Chelsea, Forest and even Man City will probably be waiting for a Liverpool slip as well. It could end up a scramble for points and a comparatively low points total. However, for almost all the last ten seasons it has taken more than 88 points to be the winner. I will throw in a strange statistic, 88 points has never been a winning total since the Premier League started. Arsenal could be the first. And so to the matches: This match is crucial to get us off to a good start Brentford away and it is one, as are all of them, that we badly need to win. They are on a poor run at the moment so we have to take advantage. They will park the bus and hope for a breakaway. We must find a way. I think we will with 2-0 and Dani 2-1 and 39 points. Should be enough to avoid relegation, yay! Brighton away and they are in relegation form with four draws and 2 defeats in the last six at the moment. I like Brighton but we have to beat them. Maybe a George Graham result will be enough. One nil to the Arsenal and 3 points gives us 42 points. Dani goes 1-1 and 40 points Tottenham at home and this could be Ange Postecoglou’s last game if we win. I will be there and a nice 3-1 would suit me. 45 points, Dani goes 3-0 and 43 points Then Villa at home and I will also be there. Emery pulls out his best game against us, it seems, and they have already lost six this season so I feel this one will be great to win. 2-1 for me and Dani and 48 points for me and 46 for Dani. Wolves away and they have a new manager bounce but I hope that will be gone by this stage. We are still better than them anyway. 2-0 would work nicely. 51 points and life is looking very good. Dani goes 4-0 and 49 points. We don't need this guy scoring Manchester City could be back flying at this juncture, it is so hard to say. As I write they have been struggling but they did beat Leicester 2-0 with De Bruyne back and Haaland scoring. You can never write them off and they could carve out a point. They may even park the bus. 0-0 and 52 points with Dani 2-1 and 52 points Leicester away and I was at the first match at the Emirates. They looked dreadful in the first half and I thought they would get a real hammering. We were 2-0 up at half time and should have had more. Somehow they fluked two goals and it took two injury time goals to seal the result. This time I feel we can give them a nice beating. 4-0 with Dani 1-0 and 55 points Three crazy games in a row? West Ham away and they certainly have not improved under Lopegetui. I think we can beat them as they look vulnerable. I am going for 3-2 in a bit of a crazy match. Dani goes 1-1 and now has 56 points to my 58 points This could be our bogey game The next match is Forest away and this could be dangerous. I hope we have Saka back and a top team waiting for them. This could be one we let slip away if they continue their top form. I am going to go for 3-2 to them in another crazy game but his time we lose. Still 58 points. Dani goes for Arsenal 2-1 and now 59 points Manchester United at home and at the moment they are doing dreadful. Assuming Amorim gets them playing, maybe with new players, this could be a toughie. They seem to always score against us and I am going for three crazy games in a row. Another 3-2 but this time we win. 61 points with Dani going 3-0 and 62 points Transfers will make a difference? That remark about new players is something I haven’t addressed so far. We seem to have some targets but so will the rest. If any one of the above happens to get some gems then all the predictions could be nonsense. New players can also disrupt as they try to develop partnerships and understandings. The transfer season is so hard to predict and we could look stupid, or more stupid than we have so far this season. The situation is that if we beat Brentford on New Years Day, then every team on the above list are behind us. We are capable of beating them all. To do so we need a consistency that has eluded us so far. Those of you watching my statistics will know that, as said above, we need an average of 2.6 points per game but we have only got 2.4 points per game in my predictions. One loss and one draw may not be good enough. And worse? I would feel we have no chance. This could well be a long hard battle with no reward. But hey, I am always optimistic. It could still be the quadruple!

Could Mikel Arteta do an Alex Ferguson and become one of the greatest managers of all time? I have looked in their time at Manchester United and Arsenal to see if there are any gleanings to be made in their respective careers. One big difference is that Ferguson was very successful at Aberdeen before being lured to United and Arteta was a rookie. A boyish Mikel Arteta at Rangers But first let’s look at them as players and, surprisingly, they both had two seasons at Rangers. Ferguson, as a forward, scored 25 times in 41 games (Rangers regularly trounced smaller teams) and Arteta had 68 games and 14 goals as a midfielder. Pretty even, I would reckon. Arteta won the Scottish league and league cup with Rangers and Ferguson won nothing in a fallow time for Rangers. Celtic were riding high under Jock Stein at that time. Arteta wins as a player Arteta won 5 trophies as a player whereas Ferguson only ever won 2 Scottish second division titles. Arteta played for Arsenal, PSG, Everton, Real Sociedad, and started out at Barcelona, although he never played for the senior side. Aside from Ferguson’s 2 years at Rangers, he only ever played for small sides. Arteta played 427 times with 62 goals and Ferguson played 317 times and scored 171 goals. It is fair to say that Arteta had the far better playing career. Of course, that doesn’t mean that that gives any advantage to Arteta as a manager. And a young Alex Ferguson at Rangers Many top managers were not great players but Ferguson was a good goalscorer and probably should have been recognized more for his talent. Denis Law , Alan Gilzean, Bobby Lennox, and other greats stood in his way for Scotland. It happens, your time coincides with great players in your position. And the same happened to Arteta with Spain. Do I really need to list the incredible Spanish midfielders that stood in Arteta’s way? Just in case you know nothing about football – Iniesta, Xavi, Alonso, David Silva, Busquets, even our own Cesc Fabregas and others made sure Arteta couldn’t squeeze out one cap despite being a regular in the youth sides. Early Arteta management vs Ferguson But ok, we really want to talk about management. And here I see many similarities. Ferguson was noted for dumping players and Arteta has done the same, getting rid of Arsenal’s star names early on. Wenger, by contrast, had little trouble with players. Arteta beats Chelsea in his first year to win the FA Cup Let’s look at Ferguson’s first year at Utd in 1986/7. He came in mid-season in November and they finished 11th. Arteta came in December 2019/20 and they finished 8th but he did beat Chelsea in the FA Cup to record his first trophy and still only real one. So, one nil to Mikel. In 1987/88 Ferguson came second and Utd were looking good. Arteta in 2020/21 still only got 8th and the Charity Shield but this one goes to Ferguson. 1-1 after 2 seasons. In 1988/89, Ferguson struggled to build on 2nd and ended up 11th. Arteta in 2021/22 finished 5th. No question it is Arteta’s year. 2-1 to Arteta. Ferguson’s miracle year In 1989/90, Ferguson has his worst league season. They finish 13th and all season the fans are screaming at him to go. But they win the FA Cup! Ferguson has given Utd their first trophy since 1985’s FA Cup. It saves his job. Arteta though brings his team in 2022/23 right up the table and only for key injuries at the end, they probably would have had their first league title since the Invincibles. I am going to give that marginally to Arteta as 13th in the league is poor. 3-1 to Arteta. Alex Ferguson saves his job at Wembley in 1990 Finally, 1990/91 and Man Utd win the European Cup-Winners Cup. They also make the League Cup final. Only 6th in the league, though. Arteta has his best season so far in 2023/4, pushing Man City all the way to the last game but still finishing 2nd. 89 points is Arsenal’s second best ever season, only beaten by the Invincibles 90. I don’t believe I am being unfair in giving this also to Arteta making it 4-1 to Arteta. Arteta has always been up I feel that, by Arteta always showing improvement, whereas Ferguson went up and down, the first few seasons are advantage Arteta. There were similarities in the opponents. Ferguson had the incredible Liverpool team to contend with and also George Graham’s Arsenal who won many trophies around this time. Arteta also had Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and the fantastic Manchester City team of Pep Guardiola to try and get in front of. So, can Arteta kick on and eclipse Ferguson? Ferguson had the advantage that Man Utd were always the richest club in England but Arteta may have a different advantage. The Kroenke’s seem to have a nous for sporting finance. They create success wherever they go. They try to invest wisely. This sense of when and how to spend money could make a big difference in competing with Man City and the mega rich Premier League teams. It is not how much you spend as how you spend it that matters. The Kroenke’s haven’t gone too far wrong thus far. How tough is dominance going to be? The young players we have, plus what seems to be emerging from the academy, could push Arteta to the top and stay there. City, without Guardiola, and with their money worries, may decline. But still, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle and maybe even the Spuds should still provide a tough challenge for dominance. Arteta before his first match at Arsenal Ferguson was a top manager before Man Utd. He toppled the 2 kings of Scotland, Celtic and Rangers and won European trophies with Aberdeen. With Utd he went on an extraordinary run that culminated in him winning more trophies than any other manager. He deserves his place among the greats. Arteta out, like Ferguson out? Arteta, like Ferguson in his early years, has his detractors. To my mind, that criticism is undeserved. Ferguson had plenty of money to spend and brought in lots of top players only to see the team still struggle to win. Arteta’s buying seems far better with very few duds emerging. Arsenal are not the richest team in the Premier League and may never be in Arteta’s time. Alex Ferguson in his first season at United Ferguson had fans screaming at him to go, and the newspapers marvelling at why he wasn’t sacked. Arteta, has had his criticism also but he doesn’t need a miracle to stay on. The FA Cup, in a bad year for Ferguson, was his miracle. The Utd board must thank the footballing gods every day that they never panicked. The great years took a long time in coming, but come they did. Is our greatest time coming? We are looking at Arteta and we don’t know, just as the Utd board didn’t, whether Ferguson could deliver. I believe a gut instinct told them this was their man. I have the same gut instinct about Arteta. He will come good in a spectacular way if given the chance, even with a bad season or two. Supposing we finish somewhere near where we are now in the league, should it be bye bye Mikel? Does he need a trophy to save him? Look again at the Ferguson finishes delineated in his first seasons. We may be on the cusp of our greatest ever era and I believe we should not throw it away even if this season and next go wrong. Keeping the faith with Arteta may well be the smartest thing we have ever done.

Arteta the rookie. I couldn’t find any rookie managers among the Premier League managers last season, except Arteta. It is a risk no-one seems to want to take. Particularly someone who comes from outside as Arteta did. Yes, he had Arsenal DNA but often the only way a rookie gets a chance is if they are at the club as a player or coach and they try them as interim managers. That rarely works out, though. Liverpool being an exception as Bob Paisley, their most successful manager, was appointed when Bill Shankly resigned and Paisley was first-team coach. They also employed Kenny Dalglish as player-manager who did very well, and Roy Evans who did ok. Would you hire this young boy? But, in general, top teams don’t appoint rookies. Arsenal, in the past, had great success with rookies, George Allison, Bertie Mee, and Tom Whittaker spring to mind but Pat Rice and Freddie Ljungberg are examples of promoting from within that didn’t work out. It is an enormous risk that owners don’t wish to contemplate. The Kroenkes were key Arteta essentially took over from Unai Emery who failed to win over the fans. But for sure he was a top manager and continues to prove that. His weakness seems to be also Arteta’s, dealing with egotistical superstars, but it seems most likely that if he had been given his chance, he would have turned things around, probably by getting rid of the big egos. Stan and Josh - the dynamic duo? But I feel it was the Kroenkes who made the difference. When Arteta came for his first interview, it seems he impressed them, and they felt they could work with him to create something special. But even they couldn’t stretch to a rookie. They weren’t popular at Arsenal and Emery was a proven candidate. I believe they had this nagging feeling that they had got it wrong, this young man with the ideas, the knowledge, the Arsenal DNA, and above all the feeling that this was the guy, which made them feel like I sometimes have when I bought something expensive – I bought the wrong brand or model. So Emery’s collapse to Chelsea in the Europa League final gave them a chance to correct their mistake and bring in Arteta, their man. A big mess at other teams I have had misgivings over the Kroenkes but I think I was wrong. They know sport, and they know big business as it relates to sport, something that most big businessmen don’t. Look at the current mess at Chelsea, Man Utd and Everton, all with lots of trophies in their showrooms. The Kroenkes have been loyal to Arteta and have provided him with what he needs to bring the club back to the top. Josh seems to be there most of the time and from everything I know, he trusts Arteta’s decisions. Farhad Moshiri didn't have a clue at Everton Getting rid of our captain and superstar Aubameyang and moving on Ozil were hard calls and yes, exposed a weakness in Arteta. Ozil, in particular, was not known to be difficult to deal with. But it allowed Arteta to do things his way, with young players ready to listen and improve. The seasoned pros brought in since have not been a problem. Jorginho, Havertz, Trossard, Raya, Rice and others have bought into the Arteta way and the camp seems happy. The plan is working Of course, now, one cannot really refer to Arteta as a rookie. He has garnered a respect throughout football as a top manager which means even top pros will listen to him. Two tight second place finishes in a row against the behemoths of Man City, plus a quarterfinal in the Champions League means he has proven himself. There are only a small handful of jobs in football bigger than Arsenal so he has shot himself to the top at a top club in his first attempt. It has been a bumpy ride so far, with periods of Arteta out ringing around the Emirates, even this season. But the Kroenkes have always remained steadfast. They have a plan and Arteta is a huge part of that plan. I believe that they are using their knowledge to help by bringing in the right people, and keeping Arteta at the club is crucial to their plan. Roman Abramovich didn't like Mourinho's bus driving skills The most successful owner in recent times has been Roman Abramovich but he let Mourinho go when surely what he should have done is create a dynasty with him that could have lasted a long time. Abramovich’s problem was that he didn’t like Mourinho’s football. Parking the bus annoyed him. At all costs, win? This does not seem to be a problem at Arsenal. The football is exciting, swift, and full of deft touches. Progress keeps getting made. However, Arsenal do need to make the next step. Win things. Arteta has grown as a manager and the players have grown as players. Honestly, how many Arsenal fans would swop any of the present team for someone else? And yet, new players will be brought in. The challenge is to get them to fit in quickly and to be sure they are better than what we have. City do it every season and make that aspect look easy. It isn’t. Arteta will be expected to do it. And Edu and the Kroenkes will play a massive part in identifying and being willing to pay for these players. Klopp was burnt out? Win we must, though. Klopp did not win that many trophies at Liverpool but enough to cement his legend as he chased a Man City whose resources seem endless. Now it is Arteta’s turn and he must at least equal Klopp. One league title and one Champions League were his highlights but it seems like Klopp burned himself out in that chase. The Kroenkes know what they are doing? This is where the Kroenkes can really make a difference. Support Arteta as he takes on Goliath. Take away any burdens they can. Honestly, if Arteta does burn out like Klopp, then who is out there? Not many candidates when one club is hoovering up all the trophies. The Kroenkes took on a rookie manager. If it had gone wrong, I am not sure they would have survived. But they got it right. The rookie manager lost the support of some top players. They got that right when they supported him. The rookie manager had many fans screaming Arteta out. They got that right when they said, no, he is in. The pundits were shrieking that Arsenal were bottlers, doing a Totteringham at the finish, but beating the Spuds and Man Utd away and Chelsea at home on the way to winning the last six matches shows that the Kroenkes got that right as well. Gary Neville - Arsenal are bottlers The Kroenke’s got it right in choosing a rookie, something that no top English side has done for a long time, particularly as they were unpopular, and they could have gone for a top name, a Conte or a Mourinho. Maybe it is time to revise our opinion of our Americans. Maybe they do know a little about running a football club after all. Recognising talent is surely a great asset? And recognising unproven talent has proven even better. I hope, but also believe, that great days are coming.

We have one job now - Win Update to the Table of Doom Table of Doom Fixtures Current points Max Arsenal 80 89 Man City Spurs (a) 79 91 Liverpool’s implosion has seen them drop out of the Table of Doom, something I would not have seen as likely not too long ago when they were fighting like demons for their points. They were battling harder than anyone else and scrambling unlikely victories. Very recently they had their destiny in their own hands and threw it away. We, most likely, will not have our destiny in our own hands at all now. The best we can hope for is that City drop points which none of the pundits deem likely. Jurgen Klopp:I will never understand why he didn't wait till the end of the season to announce he was leaving What I know and what I don't And so Bournemouth, Man Utd and Everton are next. All winnable? Yes. Will it be good enough? I don’t know. Which is the hardest? I don’t know. Will City win all theirs? I don’t know. Will Tottenham take something from City? I don’t know. Are we all going to be Tottenham supporters for one day? I don’t know. The Spuds 1961 double winners beat Man City 1-0 at Maine Road -C'Mon you Spurs I can hear you saying, Gus, do you know anything? Why are you getting your huge salary if you know nothing? So I will concentrate for now, on what I do know. If City win all, there is nothing we can do. They must slip up. However, if they draw then we can win as our goal difference will probably be better than theirs if we win all. A seven goal turnaround in 3 matches is difficult allowing we have to improve by at least three which makes ten. I do know that you have to win by at least one goal. You see, I do know something. A nervous City? But I will give some good news. If, such a big if, Tottenham manage to get something from City it might just give them a wobble at exactly the right time as they face West Ham at home on the final day. City have lost 3 times away and only once at home. Tottenham may well be fighting for their Champions League spot and if they have a good day, something could happen. And that means that West Ham becomes a must win on the final day. A twitchy City could be a vulnerable City. Bournemouth are coming good at the wrong time for us So can we win our three? I have to give you the bad news that Bournemouth are on a very strong run with only 3 defeats since February by Aston Villa, Luton and Man City. They will feel that Europe is now possible. They are in form at the moment and we must kill them off ruthlessly. We do not need a hard game from them, and we know what they will do. Defend like demons and try to give Dominic Solanke the ball. We will need to be good for 90 minutes. No idiocy like David Raya as one goal may decide this game. No glory glory Man Utd? Man Utd? They will give us more chances I reckon but they also make chances every game. They have a tough looking last 4 games with a resurgent Palace away, us at home, Newcastle at home and Brighton away. They could end up with nothing from these games and they will be aware of that. 6th place is there for them if they win matches and they are running out of time. I have a feeling we may need a clean sheet for this one. Ten Hag will try to get them to defend and hope for a breakaway even though they are at home. They have players who can score from sudden breaks. This is one game where tactics can make a huge difference. We must hope that Arteta is the man here. They don't have Best, Law or Charlton Everton on the last day. The good news is that if we win the previous two, this match is live no matter what happens. If City win all they will be two points ahead but probably with an inferior goal difference which means if we win and they draw we are the champions, my friends. If, by any chance, City have already been beaten by Tottenham, then they will be one point behind us, and if they draw, we can get away with a draw. Of course we can never know that as a draw can turn into a win at the last kick of the match. If they get a draw in any of their matches they will be level with us on the last day but we should have a clear goal difference which means two draws gives us the title. Saliba and Gabriel vs Dominic Calvert-Lewin Is the glass half empty? The danger to assuming we will have a superior goal difference is that City could run up a hatful against Wolves and Fulham in their first 2 games to catch us up and we win by one against Bournemouth and Utd. The most optimistic scenario is that City suffer a bad run and hand us the title before we play Everton. It seems like absolutely nobody believes that can happen. I have been around football long enough to know that you cannot predict matches. If you could there would be no betting companies. City got beaten when they had the initiative against Real Madrid. And they badly wanted that two time in a row Champions League. Just like they badly want this four time in a row Premier League. We are Arsenal and we must show it One thing I do know for sure and that is no Gooner wants to hand Man City the title as Liverpool has. We did that last year, made it easy for them. We are now the last man standing in the Table of Doom. Liverpool cannot get 86 points and their next two are the Spuds at home and Villa away with both teams scrambling for the Champions League. They may not get many more points. I will never understand why Jurgen Klopp announced his retirement mid season. The way they were playing they could have won it this season. He has tarnished his legend. How did retaining that trophy work out for you City? At the start I asked many questions that I couldn’t answer. So now I will give you my opinion. We can win this league. I feel City will drop points but I reckon only in one match. So 2 or three. We must win three and I think we will. It will come down to this, and we must be ready. It is also that the only time City may drop points is on the last day against West Ham. We will only know that we must win in that scenario. Are we winners? Yes we are.

Where can we finish 2024? Last try Luton (H) Brighton (A) Villa (H) Wolves(A) Chelsea (H) Spuds (A) Bournemouth (H) Man Utd (A) Everton (H) And so now we are down to squeaky bum time. 9 matches to destiny. Luton, Wolves, Bournemouth and Everton are must wins. 12 points there will bring us to 77 and surely Champions League? It would still make a successful season. 5 matches are at home which should be an advantage and all teams are behind us in the table. In other words 9 wins and the title is ours. Logically it is possible. Against is that Arteta has stuttered every time at the end, and if he does so again it could be a fatal flaw that will stop us ever winning the league. This is how you do it, Mikel Title winners pick up speed at the end just like athletes do. I will stick to the 86 points as what is required so 21 is needed if I am right. Not going to be easy. That would be 22 over the final ten and a good improvement over his final ten matches so far. Arsene Wenger managed 22 or more ten times during his reign but only won the league three times. City need to come from behind but most people would still see them as favourites. We all know why. Liverpool keep digging out wins with every game a hard fought scrap. They are well capable of winning it. 5 tough matches All three teams have tough matches with Villa and Spurs desperate for Champions League playing all three. The matches that logically are the hardest for us are Brighton, Villa, Chelsea, Spuds and Man Utd. If we beat the other five as expected then we can drop 6 points over these which doesn’t give much room for error. 3 draws or 2 losses and we are in trouble. And, of course, Liverpool or City may drop very little. Lose this and it will be a tough battle to win the title I will be at Luton and I like them and their fabulous journey from nowhere to get here but a win is necessary. Ogbenie might just give them a goal but I fancy 3-1. Dani Georgiev joins us again as guest predictor and he goes 3-0 Points 68 A midlands nightmare? Brighton away and they have been somewhat tricky for us but this would be a great win. They have been very inconsistent this season and last season’s miracle worker, Evan Ferguson cannot score goals at the moment. There always seems to be goals in this match and I will go 3-2 to us. Dani sees 2-1 and we stay level. Points 71 Emery will make it hard for us Villa at home and Mr Emery will be plotting a good performance. He might just get it as it could be a 1-1 draw. Dani goes 1-0 to us so now it is Gus 72 points and Dani 74 points. Wolves away and let’s face it, we must win. They have moved up the table and may just feel that they can sneak a Europe place. I am going to say 1-0 to us but this one could easily be 2 bad midlands games in a row. Dani says 3-1so that leaves Gus 75 and Dani 77 Then more night terrors from London Chelsea at home and last time I said 1-1 and to be honest, you never know what Chelsea are going to do this season. If they are on top form and we are not at our best, they could win. But I will go an extra goal for us and 2-1 as I will be there. Dani continues in optimistic form and says 3-1 again. Gus 78 Dani 80 It could be bye bye, Poch The Spuds away and this game could be crucial. Postecoglou has them spinning when they are playing well but struggles to get them to do it for 90 minutes. I feel that a 2-2 draw will be the result as we can find it hard here. Dani says 1-1 and so we go Gus 79 Dani 81 Bournemouth at home and this one can have no excuses, win or forget about the title. They are racking up points and have no chance of relegation but they may have nothing to play for with three matches to go. An early goal could see them thinking of the beach and give us 3-0. Dani sees 4-0 and now Gus 82 Dani 84 and he sees us in sight of the mythical 86. Can the North give us victory? Man Utd away and Ten Hag could be doomed at this point. It would be best if he is still there but like a crippled dog. A new manager could give them a lift. However in such a strange season as this when so many teams are inconsistent this could be dangerous for us. I am going to go 2-2 and Dani 1-1. Gus 83 Dani 85 and it is the last game of the season and we haven’t managed 86. One game to go. And bye bye Ten Hag? Everton at home and they may well need the points to avoid relegation and not lose their proud record. But Sean Dyche may well have them safe and neither side may be playing for anything. We just don’t know if this is a crucial match or not. For sure if we must win to give us a shot at the title, I think we will be very nervous and that will make Sean Dyche very happy. Psychologically no matter what we need, a final win at home could be a booster, particularly if we have made it though to the Champions League final. I will say 1-0 and Dani a marvellous 5-1. I will have scraped the total and Dani exceeds it. Gus 86 Dani 88 and we celebrate like crazy. Celebration time? Of course we have the Champions League and Bayern to traverse but this Bayern team look a bit weaker than the teams who put us to the sword in the Wenger days. If we do it I expect City in the semi’s. I do feel that they are the strongest team left in it so a win there might put us up against PSG or Athletico as Simeone finds a way to win. It is winnable and it has been my long-term dream. Wembley is Arteta’s happy hunting ground and, if we get there, it could be the greatest night of our lives. Update to the Table of Doom Table of Doom Fixtures Current Max Liverpool Spurs (h) Villa (a) 67 94 Arsenal Villa (h) Spurs (a) 65 92 Man City Villa (h) Spurs (a) 64 91 Logically the Spuds and Villa have to win all these matches to jump back in to the challenge. I doubt it. I feel the top five is already written and the bottom 2 of them also. The question is the order. Sky would love a 3 way tie on the ultimate game which is Everton for us, Liverpool at home to Wolves and City at home to West Ham. All games that they are expected to win. If we need one or both of those to drop points on the last day, I feel we are in for a rough day. But miracles do happen. C’mon the Arse!

The Table of Doom returns Can anyone take this away from the Citizens? Table of Doom Fixtures Current Max Liverpool Man City (h) Spurs (h) Villa (a) 51 96 Man City Liverpool (a) Arsenal (h) Villa (h) Spurs (h) 49 97 Arsenal Man City (a) Villa (h) Spurs (a) 49 94 Villa Spurs (a) Man City (a) Arsenal (a) Liverpool (a) 46 91 Spurs Villa (h) Man City(a) Arsenal (h) Liverpool (a) 44 89 And so the Table of Doom returns in a much tighter scenario than last year and, while last year I was counting down from Arsenal, now we are looking at Liverpool. I have decided that only these five can win the league as I believe 86 points is the target this year so we are left with these teams. Manchester United, the best of the rest can only get 83 points. Only Liverpool and City can win by winning all their matches, as ourselves, Villa and Spurs need the top 2 to drop points. However, they will, as I can’t see any team winning all until the end. Whoever can put the strongest run together will win it. Klopp's team are in the strongest position - or are they? As before, any team that cannot reach the leader drops out and I will update weekly. Once again, if I make any mistake in my calculations please let me know, as one generous reader did last year. The great thing about a blog is that I can update straightaway. Five for five I am pretty certain that the Champions League chase will be these five as well, barring a collapse and a lower team making a late run. There could be five places this year as well so Arsenal are looking very good. Liverpool have crucial matches close to the end and they could be the decisive factor. Man City have almost all home games and they are really good at home. I will put City favourites based on past experience. Villa have all away and that might be important also as they have not been great on their travels. They have earned the right to be favourites In my previous blog here I speculated that around 86 points should be enough this year which gives City and Liverpool a bit more scope than the rest. We can afford to lose 8 points from 15 matches and 45 points. A tough ask as the 2 and 3 points extra for Liverpool and City mean they can maybe lose 3 matches but we can only lose 2. Away to City could be a huge game for us if we are still in it. We must put away the little teams Now I will turn my attention to the Champions League. Last year 68 points was enough as Liverpool in 5th had 67. and I am going for it again. Arsenal need 19 points out of 45 and that would be a collapse, little above relegation form. As long as we put away the little teams we will make it comfortably. Man U, Newcastle and Chelsea falling apart has meant that the Champions League struggle looks easier this year. Man Utd, West Ham, Brighton and Newcastle in the next 4 positions are, I feel, the only teams capable of pushing for top four. If five places are available then it could be tighter as maybe Villa or Spurs could collapse leaving a space for one of these to run into. Can Arteta finally become The Man? Truly, I don’t feel that Villa or the Spuds will do so. Man Utd are the closest at six points behind Tottenham but they have to play all the big teams, go on a long winning run and a collapse of one of the top five to get there. I doubt it, judging by their form. Will the new rules help? As for the rest, they need to find consistency, they have all got tough matches to negotiate and produce a level that they haven’t so far, and clawback a lot of points. It is hard to see that happening. The only conclusion is that the top five will be the top five, and the only doubts are the positions and how many places are available. Either Arsenal and City could win the Champions League but it won’t open up a fifth space as they will qualify through the Premiership. However, it might be enough for England to qualify under the new rules if Arsenal and City go far in the tournament or the other English teams do well in the other trophies. A European Cup winner could finally make it back onto the big stage Bizarrely, though, there could be 5 places and they are already won as none of the rest seem to be capable of a sustained run. Possibly 5 Champions league spots and only 5 teams really challenging for them. A bit of a joke, really. City never wobble? So, back to the Premier League. Arsenal and Liverpool only play 3 of the others, the rest play four. Could that be significant? City seem to have the best position as they play almost all at home and they usually win there. Villa, by contrast, have 4 away and that might be tricky as they are struggling a bit away. The Spuds have 2 home and 2 away but the 2 away are City and Liverpool. I will be surprised if the Spuds and Villa can keep their momentum going to such an extent that they win the league. Most likely they will drop away a little. But I suspect that they will take positions 4 and 5. Two tough away games for the Spuds Liverpool have won a lot of matches this season without being all that impressive too often. It is credit to their fighting spirit and appreciation of what it takes to be winners that they have ground out enough wins to leave them top. For a team that is obviously in transition they have done extremely well but that, and Klopp leaving, may mean that Arsenal can overtake them. Arsenal to become tough boys? And the big boys? City? If they win their game in hand they will go top and they don’t normally surrender the league. If Rodri, De Bruyne and Haaland stay fit, they do look the best team in it. They haven’t always looked at their frightening best this season and they have dropped 17 points so far. They will need to improve on that to claim the title. But Arsenal have dropped 20 so we need to improve even more than them. And, while I feel like a broken record mentioning this, we have not had a strong end to the season under Arteta. I one hundred percent guarantee that we must have a very strong finish this season to win the league. 37 points out of a possible 45 is a tough ask. We could lose that on our 3 matches against our top five rivals let alone on the other 12 matches. We had 54 points at this stage last season. We dropped 15 points from our last 15 matches to get 84. I have spelled out what we have to do to win the league. We must have steel in our backs, a streetfighters capacity, and some luck to go our way. Can we win the Table of Boom? And yes, I am aware that my target of 86 points to win the league and 68 to qualify for the Champions League could be out. I will be very surprised if I am far out, though. Both targets may be higher or lower. The only thing I feel we can be confident about is the Champions League qualification. That is within our grasp even with an average end to the season. Can Arteta fulfill all my dreams at Wembley? And the two big prizes we are still in? For the Champions League we may need only to be really good in 4 matches, 3 of the legs and the final. That would do me. Wembley would be a great place to win. I would call Wembley the Table of Boom for us even if we don’t really come close to winning the league. Topping the Table of Boom would make me so happy.

Current Premier league managers and their possibility of not being there in August Arsenal Mikel Arteta Likelihood of being fired 5% Likelihood of leaving 30% Aston Villa Unai Emery Likelihood of being fired 0% Likelihood of leaving 20% Bournemouth Andoni Iraola Likelihood of being fired 15% Likelihood of leaving 30% Brentford Thomas Frank Likelihood of being fired 0% Likelihood of leaving 70% Brighton Roberto De Zerbi Likelihood of being fired 0% Likelihood of leaving 70% Burnley Vincent Kompany Likelihood of being fired 80% Likelihood of leaving 0% Chelsea Mauricio Pochettino Likelihood of being fired 75% Likelihood of leaving 20% Crystal Palace Roy Hodgson Likelihood of being fired 100% Likelihood of leaving 0% Everton Sean Dyche Likelihood of being fired 5% Likelihood of leaving 20% Fulham Marco Silva Likelihood of being fired 5% Likelihood of leaving 50% Liverpool Jurgen Klopp Likelihood of being fired 0% Likelihood of leaving 85% Luton Rob Edwards Likelihood of being fired 60% Likelihood of leaving 0% Manchester City Pep Guardiola Likelihood of being fired 0% Likelihood of leaving 35% Manchester United Erik Ten Hag Likelihood of being fired 80% Likelihood of leaving 10% Newcastle United Eddie Howe Likelihood of being fired 25% Likelihood of leaving 30% Nottingham Forest Nuno Espirito Santo Likelihood of being fired 70% Likelihood of leaving 0% Sheffield United Chris Wilder Likelihood of being fired 95% Likelihood of leaving 0% Tottenham Hotspur Ange Postecoglou Likelihood of being fired 0% Likelihood of leaving 10% West Ham David Moyes Likelihood of being fired 5% Likelihood of leaving 5% Wolverhampton Wanderers Gary O’Neil Likelihood of being fired 5% Likelihood of leaving 40% Go or please stay If the table above is right 11 managers could be gone by the start of next season as they are 50% or more likely to go whether sacked or leaving themselves. I suspect that managerial change will be a huge factor for the Premier league 2024/25. Bizarrely, all could be gone and a complete sea change happens. Jurgen Klopp’s announcement has just followed on from a host of big clubs struggling at the moment and major countries looking for managers with Ireland being the biggest prize of all . If these win La Liga Real Madrid will surely need a manager What it means is that successful managers at small clubs, and De Zerbi, Frank, and Silva spring to mind, are going to be thrown into the mix for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Germany and many others, but crucially, managers at big clubs like Arteta will also be in the frame. I have rated him at 30% to leave. Barcelona will come calling for sure with Xavi on the way out. Will he go? I don’t know, but logic dictates that it is easier to win big trophies there than at Arsenal. Real and Barcelona win most things in Spain and even in Europe. He may feel that he is the right man for the job. He is not short of confidence as he applied for the Arsenal job with no experience. Home is where the esteem lies To be a big man in your own country is always a huge factor. Roy Hodgson made his name abroad but was always looking to prove himself at home, and he was never regarded with the same respect as he was in other countries. Arteta may go, people, and that will only please the Arteta out brigade which, I still feel,is a minority of Gooners. I am not sure who can come in and do better. I want him to stay. Jurgen Klopp - will he really go? You will notice I have put Klopp at 85% to leave. I feel I may even be generous as I reckon they will put huge pressure on him to stay. However, the announcement may lead to a dip in performances and perhaps he will go. He should get Champions league, though, and that is a prize for the Kop this year. Assuming he goes and Alonso comes, as is speculated, it means both Bayern Munich and Leverkusen could be looking for a manager. Pep to Barca? Erik to nowhere? Pep’s position could be anything, the Fair Play sanctions could come into play and they get relegated or even kicked out. A bad end to the season may also happen. Barcelona could be a nice homecoming. If the second outcome happens it leaves a vacancy at City which is still a big draw for an ambitious or established manager. A very bad sanction could leave City unattractive to a big name. Pep- Tiki-taka Barca Erik Ten Hag needs a very strong finish to retain his job. I suspect he won’t and that leaves a position at Man Utd, which is still one of the big achievements to tell your grandchildren. Unai Emery and Ange Postecoglou are the big Premiership names currently in the top five who will assuredly come into the frame for the top positions mentioned above. Surely they will want to go to a great European team whether in the Premiership or not? Is Arsenal a top European team? Probably they are on the cusp but Villa and Spurs are definitely not. Who are certain to go? If Pochettino doesn’t have a strong end to the season he will also be gone leaving a vacancy at Chelsea – still the most successful 21st Century English team, and the merry-go-round continues. Ange Postecoglou - to go to one of the top clubs? If you were to ask me who will go by next August, I would say Klopp, Ten Hag, Pochettino, Kompany, Wilder, Espirito Santo, De Zerbi, Frank and Hodgson are close to certs. If you put down all of them in an accumulator you would make good money. There will be too many top teams looking for managers for De Zerbi and Frank to stay. Silva also must be a target. I feel that David Moyes is the closest to a cert to stay. He won’t be offered a top job and he would need a really bad finish to be fired. Poor Chris Wilder looks doomed I wonder what the odds would be on all change? Retirement money I reckon. It could happen. Go for it! Arteta out and Barcelona in? I will finish on Arsenal and Arteta. He won’t be fired. He will be in the frame for all the top jobs. I am not sure whether he would get more money at Barcelona where he is seen as maybe the best candidate short of Pep coming back? He has been working on a long-term plan at Arsenal, with so many top young players locked into extended contracts that he can create a working dynamic where players play together hypnotically, which could mean he could create the best team in Europe. It leaves the pull of his boyhood team, his home country, and this may be his one chance at it. If Arsenal go a bit backwards now under his stewardship he won’t be a candidate in the future. Roy Hodgson - great foreign days but thrown out this year? I would say he would be tempted. Against is the certainty that only success is what matters at Barcelona. If you don’t win all and quickly your career there will be over. The uncertainty over their finances may also be a factor. I feel he won’t go but I am certain he will be offered it. I think the deciding factor is that he has been allowed to pursue his vision at Arsenal and that will not be the case at Barcelona or any of the other big names mentioned. I could be wrong.

Have yourself a Mikel little Christmas It’s Christmastime and there’s no need to be afraid as Santa Klopp is coming to town. As regular readers know I predicted 2-0 for this fixture here in a repeat of our most famous night at Anfield when we won the title on the last match of the season. That was a very late Christmas present from the Scousers and it would be nice to get an early one this time. Aston Villa will be top if they beat Sheffield United as expected on Friday. So us and the Red Santa Clauses will be fighting it out to jump above them with a win. A draw would see Villa top at Christmas. So we know what we have to do. All we want for Christmas is two (goals) and to rock around the Christmas tree with three points. No, all we want for Christmas is two Can we do it? I say yes. If we play to our best, then I feel our attack will have to much for their defence, which is not as strong as in the past. Our defence is definitely better than last year, down to Declan Rice protecting it and surging forward to take the pressure off and cause problems at the other end. Our advantage is that they have to attack, they are at home and Liverpool do not play defensively anyway. I suspect that this time, though, they will try to do what Aston Villa did, their usual high line, but I cannot see them sitting back in defence at home as much as Villa did. We will get chances, but so will they. We need to take them. Klopp has been no Kris Kringle to us Of course our recent record is not so good against them, of our last ten, they have 5 wins and 3 draws (if you count the Charity Shield as a draw) so they are clearly better. Over our last five we have one win and 2 draws so we have improved. And we all remember the last match, also at Anfield, where we totally outplayed them until Xhaka had a meltdown, and they somehow managed a draw. Rice, who is I suppose Xhaka’s replacement, does not have meltdowns and rarely sees cards. Xhaka was good as a player but Rice definitely seems better in every respect. Under Klopp, Liverpool fans probably feel it is most times they play us So what is our Christmas record against them? As always I delve into our deep history to try to ascertain any patterns. Strangely enough we have rarely played them over Christmas. I am defining Christmas as from December 23rd to January 1st which is generally when most people are off. The Arsenal Santas So the first time was way back on Jan 1st 1894 and they won 2-0 at home in the old second division. We were the Santas. Then 30th December 1905 they won 3-0 again at home and we were becoming Santa plus for them. I suppose we also dropped off a pot of Scouse to them to make sure they had a happy Christmas. On the 27th December 1909 at our home we drew 1-1 to show them we were coming back at them. We were Arsenal and we would show them. Eh, no, we played them a few days later on January 1st at their home and they thrashed us 5-1. We obviously had the wrong name. Our real name should have been the Saint Nicholas Arsenal as we guaranteed them a nice present for Christmas. Oh Arsenal, what are you doing to us? Even Tim Burton saw Liverpool as a nightmare for us On the 30th December 1911 in Scouseland they destroyed us 4-1. Maybe we should really be Santa and his elves Arsenal. They must have wished it could be Christmas everyday. We played them at home the next year on 28th December and drew 1-1. They were never coming to us with presents in their sack, it seems. Mister Chapman is no Father Christmas Ah but 27th December 1927, with our master Herbert Chapman fighting for us we had a nice sweet 2-0 at Anfield. He put down a real marker of what the Arsenal can do. What could you hear, Liverpool? They were Jingle Bells and they were playing for the Arsenal. Herbert Chapman showed us how to win at Christmas On Christmas day 1935, we again beat them at Anfield but with 1-0. We were setting a much better Christmas pattern, we were the ones driving home for Christmas happy. Except the next day, they played us at Highbury and won 2-1. Chris Rea must have been delighted as both teams drove home happy even though he wasn’t born yet. Up and down the Christmas tree But did I mention a shape was forming? We played them in Liverpool on 25th December 1947 and won by 2 goals 3-1. We were now the Anti-Santas for them, nothing for them for being naughty boys. But 2 days later they came to us and won 2-1. A yoyo was becoming both our presents. But on 31st December 1949 they showed us we don’t own Anfield at Christmas as they won 2-0. We never got a chance to show them as they next played us in 1995 at Anfield and won 3-1. Looks like we were back to being Father Christmas Arsenal. A Nightmare at Christmas And in the year 2000, our next time was also at Anfield and it was so lonely for us at Christmas as they hammered us 4-0. Maybe we should stop playing them at Christmas and just send them up 3 points and a pot of Scouse for one and all? Roberto Firmino gave us a horrible nightmare 2 years later 29th December, we were at home and drew 1-1. They were mean Old Nicks to us for sure. 29th December 2018 was a day we all remember with horror as Firmino lashed in a hat trick as they won 5-1 at home. Michael Oliver gave them 2 penalties as well. They sent us home crying for a miserable Christmas, no playing Chris Rea, Santa Klopp kicked us out of town. And the Scouse fans singing once again We wish it could be Christmas every day. We want to go home happy And that was the last time at Christmas. So you can see we owe them. We owe them a juicy 2-0 spanking and let them eat coal for Christmas. I genuinely believe we are the better team. They may be the ones in Santa red on the day and they will deliver like that big fat man 3 points from his sack as we show Jurgen we are not coming from the North to shower gifts, but assassins coming from the South to demonstrate our superiority. 3 points and we are top of the league and it is a Merry Christmas to all Gooners. All we want for Christmas is 2.