1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

It's definitely open season but you'd be silly not to bet on Arsenal given they are the only side right now that's not in any sort of transition.

Plus it sounds like they are going to be backed heavily again.

Which is exactly when they are most likely to choke.

Manchester United will win the league, likely at a canter.

On 31/05/2026 at 13:56, KonaKai Blue said:

Get in PSG

Ive been giving Arsenal fans on my WhatsApp chats stick all night and morning. I'm running on 3 hours sleep.

I've never in my life wanted a team to lose a match so badly.

I'm completely fine with Chelsea not winning a single trophy for the rest of my life as long as Arsenal fans don't experience Champions League euphoria which personally a better feeling than the day your child was born. That morning waking up after winning the Champions League hits different.

This era of football is terrible so Arsenal will have a good opportunity to again in the next 3-4 years.

This comment is really over the top, do you really feel that way? Prioritize Arsenal's failure over Chelsea's success and even your own child?

Arsenal are f**ked if our FA bring in the rules that the World Cup are using for game restarts, their entire game is based on time wasting and taking as long as possible at everything to wear teams down.

this is a great summing up of them:

Ken Early

The defining moment of the 2026 Champions League final came at the very end of the first half.

As the clock shows we have played 5:10 of a minimum six minutes of stoppage time, the ball bounces out for an Arsenal throw a few metres from PSG’s corner flag.

The closest Arsenal player, Kai Havertz, whose goal after six minutes has given Arsenal the lead, picks up the ball and walks infield past the linesman, who seems to ask him where he is going and gestures back to where the throw is supposed to be taken from.

Havertz looks at him with seeming surprise and leans in to hear his explanation – “sorry, what’s that?” – then, at last understanding, bounces the ball gently back towards full back Cristhian Mosquera, who is sauntering up the line towards him.

Mosquera takes the ball in his hands, looks up, points at the grass as if to confirm with the officials, “this is where you want us to take it from?” – then, surprisingly, drops it to the ground and jogs into the box. Declan Rice comes striding over, projecting dominant body language against the impatient whistles of the PSG fans. Referee Daniel Siebert stares.

Rice first nudges the ball a couple of metres away from the line, walks over to retrieve it, picks it up, turns around. He walks back to the line and watches his team-mates slowly moving into the PSG box. The referee waves his arm – “get on with it”. Rice seems to decide only now on his course of action. He takes a few slow steps back so he can have a good run at it. When he eventually flings the ball into the box, the clock says we are 5:49 into stoppage time. It’s taken 39 seconds to restart play.

Everyone jumps for the dropping ball and it’s headed twice up into the air before Willian Pacho clears it behind for a corner as the clock shows 5:55.

As everyone knows, Arsenal have turned corners into a wonder-weapon so this is a big moment, a serious chance to extend their lead in the last seconds of the half. But Arsenal corners unfold according to a whole process that must be respected.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta dejected following the UEFA Champions League final. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Wire

By 6:22 of the minimum six minutes of stoppage time, the appointed corner taker Bukayo Saka is at last making his way slowly towards the flag, turning the ball in his hands with apparent fascination, like an astronaut examining a moon rock.

At some level, you have to admire the sheer craftsmanship with which this Arsenal team wastes time – the awesome discipline and concentration with which everyone suppresses their individual will to play their role in the collective theatrical endeavour. This must be what Mikel Arteta means by “culture”.

By now the PSG fans are whistling so much they almost completely drown out the sound of the referee’s half-time whistle at 6:25. Saka certainly doesn’t hear it – by 6:30 when he has turned around at the corner flag, he sees that the rest of the players are already walking off the pitch, led by the referee, who could not be making it more clear that he has had enough of Arsenal’s nonsense.

He’s just watched 75 seconds of the biggest game in club football in which the ball was in play for six seconds and he’s not the only one running out of patience.

Why spend even longer describing these dismal events than Arsenal took to make them (not) happen? Because this scene encapsulated Arsenal’s approach to the Champions League final and, in broad terms, the ethos of their triumphant ’25-’26 season.

Arsenal’s basic principle is this. We will concentrate harder than you. We will be more focused on the details than you. We will manipulate the tempo and bore you and frustrate you until the point comes when you switch off, and that’s when we’ll finish you.

PSG knew all about it. The player of the match, Vitinha, revealed after the game what Luis Enrique had told his players at half-time: “Don’t lose the patience. We know that they play one specific way – that takes us out of the game. That’s what they want. The time they take to ... to everything. The corners, the fouls, goal-kick, everything. I’m not criticising, it’s their strategy. But it’s easy to fall on that. And I think we didn’t.”

Arsenal came out for the second half knowing it would consist of 2,700 seconds and that their objective was to kill them all: “Exterminate all the brutes.”

Vitinha of Paris Saint-Germain is challenged by Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal during the UEFA Champions League final. Photograph: Carl Recine/Getty Images

At 45:36, Fabian Ruiz’s header bounces out of play as Mosquera holds him off. The Arsenal full back is the closest player to the ball, but he immediately turns and jogs upfield as though somebody else is going to take the throw-in. Having completed that charade, he returns and picks up the ball, then stands looking around with a stagey expression of bafflement, as though not quite sure what is supposed to happen next.

At 45:51 Siebert’s patience snaps, he waves his arms as if to say “enough” and he shows Mosquera the first yellow card of the match. Mosquera eventually takes the throw at 46:15. Another 40 seconds duly eliminated.

If Arsenal are unpopular with neutrals, it’s because they waste everyone’s time. Not just their opponents’ time, but our time too. Football fans everywhere are suffering Arsenal’s consequences. They are like a company that spews pollution into the environment in their production process, privatising the profits and socialising the costs. To them, dumping toxic sludge into the river is just free waste disposal. It’s the rest of us who get a headache when we drink the tap water.

Take the 40 seconds we collectively wasted, as a planet, watching Mosquera get booked for taking that throw too slowly. Uefa reckons that 150 million people watch the Champions League final – 40 seconds times 150 million is six billion seconds. This action represented a futile waste of 190 years of precious human life. These billions of wasted seconds are a negative externality of Arteta’s game model.

[ Arsenal progress under Arteta is clear but flaws still remain for the ultimate gloryOpens in new window ]

Arteta might argue that his responsibility is to his club, not the world football community, and that he is in the business of winning trophies, not hearts and minds.

You hope for his sake, then, that he takes a break from adapting coaching tricks and concepts from stop-start, data-brained Americans sports, and instead studies what Luis Enrique is doing at PSG. His team showed there are other ways to provoke your opponents into mistakes. You don’t always have to frustrate and stupefy. You can also rush them into it.

Look at how the equaliser came about. On 60:35, Mosquera blocks Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s attempted cross for a PSG corner.

At this point, something happens that you don’t often see. David Raya walks 10 metres out of his goalmouth and off the field to where a spare ball was resting on a cone, picks it up, and brings it back with him into the six-yard box. Obviously, play can’t properly restart if the goalkeeper has brought an extra ball on the pitch. Fabian Ruiz impatiently wrestles the rogue ball from Raya and throws it behind.

Raya now starts getting set for the corner – but he doesn’t have much time. At 60:53, Ousmane Dembélé whips the corner towards the near post. PSG have taken 18 seconds to restart, despite Raya’s scheming to delay. Raya punches clear, but PSG collect it again and launch another attack down the left. At 61:13, Mosquera tangles with Kvaratskhelia and the referee – with a palpable air of satisfaction? – points to the spot for a penalty.

Arsenal's Cristhian Mosquera tackles Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inside the box during the UEFA Champions League final. Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images

It’s 38 seconds since PSG won the initial corner. If that had been an Arsenal corner, they wouldn’t even have taken it by now.

The regret for Arsenal will be wondering how this final might have gone if they had focused a bit less on killing the clock and a bit more on playing the game.

Did “the best out-of-possession team in Europe” really have to treat Vitinha with such respect that they did not try to press him at all? With Arsenal standing off him to guard space, PSG’s playmaker was afforded the freedom to complete 141 passes – three more than Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Havertz, Eze and Zubimendi combined.

The statistics show Arsenal had only one shot on target in 120 minutes. If the ends justify the means, then the means need to be looked at.

Listen to Luis Enrique. “I have to say, it’s a simple idea. You only have to have fun. On the pitch, you only have to take – select the players with a lot of quality, individual technical quality. And after that try to play the way we think is better. And the most important thing for me is, when I listen – our supporters especially, but even supporters for other teams – that they have fun looking at our team, watching our team playing football.”

Part of the joy of winning the Premier League for Arsenal has been to exult in the moaning of the many losers and haters. Their attitude to those who criticise their style has been, more or less, “we welcome your hatred”.

But a way of playing that was more fun for everyone else might, in the end, be more fun for them too.

2 hours ago, BolaBall said:

This comment is really over the top, do you really feel that way? Prioritize Arsenal's failure over Chelsea's success and even your own child?

Where did he say he was prioritising it?

Southampton owner says he won't sack Eckert. The FA will have somewhat of a say in his future.

Arsenal will win it again. It'll be easier next year I'd imagine, as City will drop off with Maresca.

10 hours ago, BolaBall said:

This comment is really over the top, do you really feel that way? Prioritize Arsenal's failure over Chelsea's success and even your own child?

10 hours ago, BolaBall said:

This comment is really over the top, do you really feel that way? Prioritize Arsenal's failure over Chelsea's success and even your own child?

10 hours ago, BolaBall said:

This comment is really over the top, do you really feel that way? Prioritize Arsenal's failure over Chelsea's success and even your own child?

No it's not over the top. I've seen us win it all. I'm content as long as they don't win the Champions League.

And I meant our 2012 win, I felt happier than the birth of my child.

19 hours ago, JM7 said:

Any early predictions for the title next year?

Could be an interesting one given the managerial changes. Hard to look past Arsenal as they are the most consistent but I don’t particularly rate them as a great team. The league was very poor this year and they scraped it.

City - will have Maresca. Enough said.

Villa - Could be a surprise package but not sure they will have the legs.

Liverpool - Iraola. Unknown.

Us - as above.

United - Carrick will be sacked by Christmas. I’m convinced they’ve made a mistake

Spurs - could have a decent season. They have looked better under RDZ.

Arsenal will win it again. I will be shocked if Maresca mounts any serious challenge. I think Liverpool will improve under Iraola, but I don't think it will be enough in his first season. Villa have reached their maximum, and if they lose Rodgers, they will fall away. United, I agree, I think Carrick will be a mistake.

As for us? No chance. BlueCo haven't changed and I am not seeing any real signs of them changing either. Signing Alonso proves nothing.

Wet wipes FC aka Nappy Rash FC 🤣🤣🤣

HOW ABOUT THIS IN KENYA, CELEBRATING ARSENAL NOT WINNING THE CL

On 02/06/2026 at 04:48, JM7 said:

Any early predictions for the title next year?

Could be an interesting one given the managerial changes. Hard to look past Arsenal as they are the most consistent but I don’t particularly rate them as a great team. The league was very poor this year and they scraped it.

City - will have Maresca. Enough said.

Villa - Could be a surprise package but not sure they will have the legs.

Liverpool - Iraola. Unknown.

Us - as above.

United - Carrick will be sacked by Christmas. I’m convinced they’ve made a mistake

Spurs - could have a decent season. They have looked better under RDZ.

Asumming no transfer, it will be between arse n city.

Edited June 3Jun 3 by Bob stark

12 hours ago, KonaKai Blue said:

No it's not over the top. I've seen us win it all. I'm content as long as they don't win the Champions League.

And I meant our 2012 win, I felt happier than the birth of my child.

I misunderstood you on the that child birth feeling, i thought you meant seeing arsenal never win it is a better feeling than the birth of your own child. That 2012 win was indeed unbelievable feeling, some even said it's better than sex and all.. I admit till this day it's still the peak feeling for us chelsea fans and that's why big success is never enough, you're longing for more.

There are still other achievements for Chelsea to aim for like the Quadruple, unbeaten champion accolade, back to back champions (UCL and WC). So for Chelsea not winning another trophy just so for other teams even for teams like arsenal/spurs to miss out is too big a trade to make.

With recent development at Chelsea under blueco maybe you feel a bit disillusioned on the club's future and your comment almost sounds like you're checking out but there is still hope, the Alonso appointment could prove to be a good start to go back to the very top.

21 hours ago, Zeta said:

Arsenal will win it again. It'll be easier next year I'd imagine, as City will drop off with Maresca.

1. LIVERPOOL 2. STOKE CITY 3. CHELSEA 4. MAN CITY 5. MAN UTD

STOKE CITY WONT GET AWAY WITH ALL THE CHEATING NEXT SEASON LIKE THEY DID THIS, REFS AND VAR WILL BE WATCHING, MARESCA WILL SHOW YOU WHY HE ISNT A TOP MANAGER AND IRAOLA WILL SHOW YOU WHY HE IS

18 hours ago, El regreso said:

Wet wipes FC aka Nappy Rash FC 🤣🤣🤣

Thank You Jason !😀😀😀

19 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

Arsenal will win it again. I will be shocked if Maresca mounts any serious challenge. I think Liverpool will improve under Iraola, but I don't think it will be enough in his first season. Villa have reached their maximum, and if they lose Rodgers, they will fall away. United, I agree, I think Carrick will be a mistake.

As for us? No chance. BlueCo haven't changed and I am not seeing any real signs of them changing either. Signing Alonso proves nothing.

I think we need to take into account the world cup too, you can see it defintely affected us having no summer off and a shortened pre-season so the WC is going to hit some teams more than others depending on how many players they have at it.

City have 19, Arsenal have 16, Utd 12, Liverpool 11 and us 8.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZGE73lMyya/?igsh=MXRjcmQ1bGE1YTBiNQ==

23 hours ago, El regreso said:

Wet wipes FC aka Nappy Rash FC 🤣🤣🤣

Is that Ranieri's young lion with Jase?

Man-City bidding for Anderson, no doubt they’ll end up with him, at close to £100m. 115 charges and the machine still goes on like nothing will happen, guess because it won’t. Ffs.

8 hours ago, Term_X said:

Man-City bidding for Anderson, no doubt they’ll end up with him, at close to £100m. 115 charges and the machine still goes on like nothing will happen, guess because it won’t. Ffs.

I hardly think we're in any position to moan about spending.

Clubs should be allowed to spend whatever they want, FFP was a load of sh*te to protect the elite. We need to let Newcastle spend £700m a window etc.

3 hours ago, GarnachoCheese said:

I hardly think we're in any position to moan about spending.

Clubs should be allowed to spend whatever they want, FFP was a load of sh*te to protect the elite. We need to let Newcastle spend £700m a window etc.

Its ironic that City end up paying £100m for a player that Newcastle were forced to sell for £15m because of fairness......

I sure hope we know what we're doing.

That is one CB we've been heavily linked with already marked off if Spurs come back and meet the valuation.

Valuation was supposedly 70m though. Crazy money.

So it's Iraola to Liverpool, that could be a good match for both.

Depends on how they cope with the Salah exit and the Van Dyke decline.