A Sunday rambling….

Morning all.

Football sprung another couple of surprises this weekend. PSG were beaten 3-1 at home by Nice on Friday night and yesterday, Crystal Palace absolutely thumped Aston Villa. The result ended 3-0 and that’s including a missed penalty. I watched the game and thoroughly enjoyed watching Emi Martinez concede goals. A great keeper he might be but yes, I hold a grudge. Plus, I’m pleased for Eddie Nketiah, just hope Palace can beat either Nottingham Forest or Manchester City who go head to head today.

I’m pretty sure something else might unfold today but quite frankly, I’m not at all interested in that one. If the referees had officiated every game in the same way they’ve officiated Slot’s teams, this campaign would have ended very differently. Not just for Arsenal either but for many clubs as every time a dodgy penalty is awarded or every yellow/red card is overlooked, it often costs one club or another points.

Below is all the Premier League clubs with the number of penalties awarded so far this season.

What about Van Dijk – the not so glamorous central defender who seems to be able to get away with using his arms and elbows whenever he likes. I’m sure Kia Havertz would agree with me. As would Anthony Gordon who should have been awarded a penalty when the Dutchman bodychecked him in the penalty area during Newcastle’s 3-3 draw earlier in the season. Against Fulham, a game the London club won 3-2, van Dijk was at it again, this time it was Berge who felt the force of the Dutchman’s elbow in his face. Yet no penalty given and no card issued to the defender.

I think of the times an Arsenal player is fouled in the opponent’s penalty area and yet all we hear is ‘there was not enough in it’ yet anywhere else on the pitch and we’d have been given a free kick. A foul is a foul wherever it takes place on the pitch and just because it’s in the penalty area, it shouldn’t make a difference.

That’s why I like the officials across the rest of Europe, because they don’t care which team is playing, they simply apply the rules. Yes, they might make mistakes but I think that’s human error rather than human agenda. Take our away game against Real Madrid, had that been in the Premier League, would we have been awarded a penalty when Raul Asencio pulled Mikel Merino over in the box? Would VAR have overturned the on field decision to award M’bappe a penalty had it been Salah? I’d like to think so on both but the reality is it’s unlikely.

I know Arsenal’s football has played its part in the Premier League trophy not ending up in North London this season but one day, or one season, when everything is equal on the pitch, perhaps that will change. I’m pretty sure the Red fans in Merseyside won’t care how they won the league title but the history books won’t say anything about how they did it but deep down they’ll know the slice of luck throughout this campaign was certainly large.

Wouldn’t it be funny if Big Ange could put a dampener on their day.

Catch up in the comments.