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.

If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a like and review, be sure to add us on Spotify or to your favorite podcasting app.

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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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On this episode of the Cannon Stats podcast, there are no shortage of topics, and the main ones will be the big breaking news from today and that is the signing of Eberechi Eze and the joke somehow always being on Tottenham.

Adam and Scott start off touching on the Kai Havertz injury and then the breaking news that Arsenal made an 11th hour swoop to steal Eberechi Eze from Tottenham Hotspur.

We break down what this means for Arsenal, where he plays, who he plays instead of, and the big picture of how this move came to be.

We also talk about the not so good news of potentially losing Havertz for an extended period of time and what impact that will have on Arsenal and the extra pressure it puts on Gyokeres.

In the second part of the show, the topic moves to the game that was actually played. We talk about the changed Arsenal, the worries we have from the performances, and then chat about the debuts in the match.

Last, we turn our attention to the rest of the big six and how they fared this weekend.

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Get ready for the Premier League season with the Adam and Scott.

The duo use the over/under betting odds to go through all 20 teams. Then they bring out their hotest take for the Premier League and give their favorites for the sack race.

After that they switch gears and look at Arsenal with which of the key position battles will have the player make the most starts.

Gyokeres/Havertz

Martinelli/Noni/Trossard/Other

White/Timber

MLS/Calafiori

Lastly there is a discussion on the importance of the captain and how things looks in light of the comments from Tony Adams on Odegaard and Arteta.

Here are the numbers that were used for the over/under if you want to follow along. (we started from the bottom)

Liverpool 79.5

Arsenal 78.5

Manchester City 78.5

Chelsea 70.5

Newcastle Utd 59.5

Manchester Utd 59.5

Aston Villa 57.5

Tottenham 57.5

Brighton 54.5

Bournemouth 47.5

Everton 47.5

Nottingham Forest 47.5

Fulham 46.5

Crystal Palace 46.5

West Ham 45.5

Brentford 41.5

Wolves 41.5

Leeds United 37.5

Sunderland 29.5

Burnley 27.5

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A special bonus podcast with Mike Goodman of the Double Pivot and CBSSports.com to get everyone ready for the start of the Premier League Season.

Scott and Mike make this a power rankings-based preview (everyone's favorite), going through the "Rich Seven" setting the stage for the 2025/26 season.

In this episode, we let Mike set the rankings (although they don't massively deviate from Scott's view) and talk through the summer business, how the squads look, and what questions we are looking to try and get answered about each team this coming season.

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