The mailbag episode is a staple of the international break but this time we decided to spice it up asking for you all to not only give your questions but also your hottest takes.

For this we had to agree or disagree, no middle ground and it led to some tough position taking. This was real fun episode and worth a listen.

The first half of the episode is the hot takes, and the second half is the more traditional mailbag. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions.

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Yeehaw!

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There was a great discussion on the Cannon Stats discord (you should join, it is fun and free) about Bukayo Saka’s cumulative minutes and what that means for his future. It was so good that Adam and Scott decided to go even longer on that topic in today’s podcast.

In this meta-focused episode, Scott and Adam shake off international break boredom with high-level chats on Arsenal’s stars. They dive into Bukayo Saka’s heavy minute load and career longevity, unpack the randomness of injuries (with fresh Arteta quotes), debate if Martin Ødegaard is “injury-prone,” and reflect on Mikel Arteta hitting his 300th match amid lingering fan discontent. Expect tire metaphors, RAF pilot stories, and optimistic vibes about Arsenal’s title push—despite the banter from rivals.

https://www.cannonstats.com/p/saka-and-the-30k-minute-cliffOn the Saka minutes, https://www.cannonstats.com/p/saka-and-the-30k-minute-cliff

He’s been among the highest played players at each age, but he’s also been among the best players, and the best players play a lot.

What this might mean is that given that the general trend is that players have about 30-35k peak league minutes in them that we are at about the halfway point with Saka.

There are exceptions to this and we can hope that Saka is that but this is where things are at for right now.

Below here are the main quotes from Arteta on injuries that we mentioned on the podcast.

Areta on predicting injuries:

“There is a lot of randomness in an injury that we don’t know,” said Arteta. “Sometimes I’ve been with a player that I wanted to put the finger into something that it was very clear.

“And then I realised three months later that he had a problem with his wife or he didn’t sleep or his kid [didn’t sleep] for three days, and then he got injured, and I say: ‘I’ve been scratching my head for one month trying to do that, and then I found out that this was the real reason’.

“There are a lot of factors we’re trying to control, dominate and be aware of what we can predict. But unfortunately, this is sport, football and life, and it’s not that easy.

Arteta on preventing injuries:

“There is a push when people are trying to accelerate. So to replicate that in training, especially when a player is playing every three days, is very, very difficult.

“The thing is that you have to replicate all the previous actions. You have to replicate the motion, the stress level, your cortisol level, your mental state, the results.

“It’s about replicating the context. I can replicate to go and say I predict that these shares are going to go up three per cent. That’s great. But would you put the money in real or would you go online and do it? It’s very different.”

“For example, when Gabi Magalhaes gets injured, a lot of people say he comes from Brazil and does that,” said Arteta.

“But Gabi had to chase 50 metres backwards chasing against Adama Traore. If, instead of Adama Traore, that was Emile Smith Rowe, with all respect, probably he doesn’t pull his hamstring.

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The Cannon Stats podcast is back and the mood in Arsenal land is positive with Arsenal closing the gap on Liverpool while slaying two bogey teams in the process. Things are looking up for Arsenal, while they are looking down for Liverpool who are hitting their first patch of adversity under Arne Slot.

Adam and Scott are together here talking about the standout performances from Arsenal’s matches against Newcastle and Olympiacos. There is a lot of good overlap and positives to take from both games.

The second part of the episode looks ahead to what might be the softest part of Arsenal’s schedule all season after they made it through the rough opening set of fixtures.

Arsenal’s Next five is West Ham (H), Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Burnley (A), and Sunderland (A) before the November international break. There are no easy matches in the Premier League, but this might be the least challenging overall.

This is also a chance to pick up points on what Arsenal did last season, where they managed just 8 points from these five, losing twice and drawing one.

What makes this especially tantalizing is that this “easy” run corresponds with Liverpool and Manchester City looking at some challenging fixtures.

The next five matches are shaping up as a major opportunity for Arsenal to potentially take the lead in the Premier League, and if things break right, maybe even open up a bit of a gap.

That all starts this weekend with Arsenal hosting West Ham and their new manager.

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Everyone is talking about it and asking about it, where you go in the Arsenal world it seems like you can’t escape hearing that Arsenal have been too conservative or that the team is playing with the handbrake on too much right now.

When these things happen, that makes for a good opportunity for an examination if this actually holds water and that is exactly what Scott and Adam do here in the latest Cannon Stats podcast.

The podcast focuses on the City Lineup and a discussion of if they set up wrong. That leads into the Merino/Rice midfield question and if that grouping works for Arsenal or not. The last major question goes into a more high-level view if the way that Arsenal play under Arteta is calibrated correctly or not.

Here is the post that Adam wrote, looking deeper into the Rice Merino midfield questions, that is well worth your time.

⁠You're not being told the full story about Merino-Rice⁠⁠

Here is the link to the post Scott talked about on if Defense wins Championships.

Does Defence Actually Win Titles?

The second half of the podcast touches on what we can learn from Arsenal’s League Cup win over Port Vale and then looks ahead to the weekend matchup against Newcastle.

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Adam goes solo, breaking down week 1 of the Champions League. Going deep on Arsenal's win against a tough Athletic Club and hitting on all of the other matches from Tuesday and Wednesday,

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In this episode of the Cannon Stats Podcast, Scott and Adam chat about the news of a new but familiar manager at Arsenal’s next opponent, the rotation that will be needed as the schedule flips into the twice a week cadence, and then looks ahead to the Champions League.

The first segment of the podcast looks ahead to Arsenal’s match against Nottingham Forest. The preparation has been thrown into disarray as they have sacked Nuno Espírito Santo this week and replaced him with Ange Postecoglou. We look at how much we expect them to change in the short period between the change and how Arsenal might react to this.

In the second segment, we look ahead to the return of the Champions League, looking at the high-level goals and then into more details about Arsenal’s first opponent, Athletic Club. Last there is a discussion about how Arsenal and Arteta will approach this part of the schedule now that the team has stocked up on depth.

Things end with a few quick-fire questions.

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In this special bonus episode of the Cannon Stats Podcast, Scott has the pleasure of being joined by Clive Palmer, a familiar voice from the Arsenal Vision Podcast, to dissect Arsenal’s 2023/24 Premier League season and the issue that the team had dropping points with 14 total draws.

The episode hits on an overview of the draws, the key themes and patterns that emerged, whether this is a systemic issue or a one-off, and what Arsenal have done this summer that can make sure it doesn’t repeat.

This podcast is a continuation of a nice back-and-forth that Clive and I have had, where he really helped push me and gave me feedback to look into this issue. That turned into this post, which was published in August:

⁠https://www.cannonstats.com/p/learning-from-all-of-arsenals-draws⁠

The timing for this second look was perfect because we can now see some of what has come from the lessons learned by the club and what potential solutions the strengthened squad presents.

The discussion begins by analyzing the opponents in Arsenal’s 14 draws, which included five against ‘Big Six’ teams and five against low-block sides. Looking at if the tactical setup is a factor in these specific matchups and if there are changes required. The timing of the draws is the next area of focus; six draws in the first half of the season (two with red cards) and eight in the second half of the season leads to the question on if squad depth or injuries played a significant role in the total number.

A major focus is Arsenal’s struggle to hold leads, with nine of the 14 draws coming after taking the lead. The team dropped 21 points from winning positions, the seventh-most in the Premier League in the 24/25 season and tied for their worst under Mikel Arteta and in Arsenal’s record in the Premier League. Arsenal converted only 67% of leads into wins last season, compared to 79% across Arteta’s tenure, prompting questions about whether this was a one-off or a symptom of deeper issues.

The episode also examines Arsenal’s late-game struggles, particularly in the final 15 minutes of matches where they drew. In the first 75 minutes, Arsenal boasted the third-best attack, with the best defense; their attack dropped to 10th in the closing stages, despite maintaining the league’s best defense. This raises questions about whether injuries and limited squad depth were the primary culprits or if tactical and mental factors contributed.

In the final segment, the conversation shifts to whether Arsenal’s summer signings have addressed these issues. Clive shares his thoughts on what he has seen so far this season, as Arsenal have tried tactical tweaks, and whether early signs in the 2025/26 season’s first three matches show progress.

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On this episode of the Cannon Stats podcast, Scott and Adam get together to chat about the end of the Transfer window, talking about the winners and the losers, recapping the big six business, oh and we talk about the actual match that happened as well.

The first part of the podcast focuses on the trip to Anfield. How we reacted to the lineup, are we second-guessing anything that the team did. Then we talk about how our view of the two main title challengers has changed after this data point.

If you missed it, here is the stuff we wrote after the match.

https://www.cannonstats.com/p/first-thoughts-liverpool-a

https://www.cannonstats.com/p/liverpool-vs-arsenal-the-debrief

I came into this match wanting to measure Arsenal up against Liverpool and how the teams looked as they are set for what hopefully will be a season-long battle for the Premier League title.

Arsenal’s performance at Anfield seemed to further divide the multiple camps among club supporters, if that was possible. The club left with a 1-0 loss and sit third in the Premier League headed into the first international break of the season (hooray!)

Next, we look at the overall business done by Arsenal in the transfer window. Rating the incomings and talking about the strategy and if the team filled all the holes. Then it is time for the outgoings before doing a big picture view.

Adam’s post on the transfer window is a must-read and gives more detail on teams that we don’t hit in the podcast as well.

https://www.cannonstats.com/p/who-won-the-premier-leagues-historic

Last, we break down the big winners and losers from the non-big six clubs, going through which clubs impressed and which clubs left us wanting more.

The final item is going through and ranking the big six clubs for the overall business done.

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On this episode of the Cannon Stats podcast, Scott and Adam get together to chat about the newest link Piero Hincapié, the big match against Liverpool, and some quick hits.

With Hincapié, it is happening again as Arsenal let Spurs think that they have a player before they ara patted on the head and reminded of their spot in the food chain. Adam did a film review of the player and helps get us up to speed on the player, going through the strengths and weaknesses, plus how his game can translate at Arsenal.

Film Study: Piero Hincapié - by Adam Rae Voge

In the second half, the two talk about the trip to Anfield. Arsenal are injured but the timing might favor the gunners as Liverpool still look like a major work in progress so far. They chatted about the lineup, the tactics and expectations for the match.

Things finish up with some quick hits.

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On this episode of the Cannon Stats Podcast, Scott is joined by Andrew Beasley from andrewbeasleyfootball.com‬ to discuss the defending Champions ahead of the clash between Liverpool and Arsenal this weekend.

The podcast covers a bit on last season, going over just how good Liverpool were in their title-winning season and what needs that left them to address this summer. That leads into the busy summer that they have had with 4-5 new starters coming into the team, and how the team is changing as it shifts from a Klopp team to a Slot team.

The second half looks at how the current start of the season is looking and how the team is working through growing pains with the new additions. The last part is a look more specifically on how the Arsenal team can give them problems and what we should expect from this match.

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