The Pot Shot Podcast

Arsenal took all three points from their opening Premier League game against Nottingham Forest, but it wasn't just a walk in the park. Alex, Lorcan, Manas & Seb discuss how the lineup was different to what we saw in the Community Shield, what that meant for our tactical approach, and the virtues of tactical flexibility when compared to the familiarity of a consistent system.

Timestamps:

Intro & game overview: 0:00

Lineup changes from Community Shield: 2:12

Match tactics & changes in shape: 18:00

How much change is too much change? 42:08

Preview of Crystal Palace: 55:27

Outro: 1:01:49

In this episode, we mention how we saw Arteta experimenting with different tactical ideas during pre-season. For a more in-depth discussion of our pre-season games, check out Episode 37: Preseason Ponderings - https://pod.fo/e/192344

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode, and leave us a review to let us know what you think! It really helps us out.

If you want to send us any questions, or keep up with all things Pot Shot, you can find us on Twitter & Instagram @potshotpod. Feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected])!

Follow the Pot Shot Crew on Twitter! (Not "X". We will never call it "X".)

Alex: @alexfrco

Lorcan: @Lxwrites1

Manas: @watmanAFC

Seb: @Eulenberg_

Towells: @alextowells

You can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Arsenal have won the Community Shield for the 17th time, and in doing so have beaten Manchester City after 8 straight defeats to Pep's side. Join Towells, Manas & Seb as they dive into everybody's favourite good use of time: trying to make meaningful conclusions from a pre season game.

We discuss how Arsenal's three new signings fared on their debuts, how we can get the best output from Saka, and how the new stoppage time rules may affect the team over the course of the season, before finishing off with a quick preview of our Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest.

Timestamps:

The Community Shield: 01:28-32:14

The new stoppage time rules: 32:14-37:32

Nottingham Forest Preview: 37:34-46:08

If you want even more in-depth discussion of Havertz, Rice and Timber, make sure to check out our Snapshots series, where each new signing got their own dedicated episode. Find them here:

Snapshots: Kai Havertz - https://pod.fo/e/188ffb

Snapshots: Declan Rice - https://pod.fo/e/18c817

Snapshots: Jurrien Timber - https://pod.fo/e/18c3f2

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode, and leave us a review to let us know what you think! It really helps us out.

Follow the Pot Shot Crew on Twitter! (Not "X". We will never call it "X".)

Alex: @alexfrco

Lorcan: @Lxwrites1

Manas: @watmanAFC

Seb: @Eulenberg_

Towells: @alextowells

And the pod is @potshotpod. Feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first podcast of the 2023/24 season, we welcome two new faces to the Pot Shot Crew - Manas & Lorcan - as well as running through our opinions on Arsenal's summer business and our pre-season predictions.

Timestamps:

Intro & welcome new members!: 0:00

Summer signings & potential for more: 04:08

Pre season predictions part 1: 24:31

Pre season predictions part 2 (under/overs): 46:28

The Community Shield: 1:34:19

Outro: 1:39:24

The "Under/Over" format we use in the second half of the podcast has been shamelessly stolen from the Leeds podcast All Stats Aren't We. We're big fans - you should give them a listen! Check them out: https://podfollow.com/all-stats-arent-we

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode, and leave us a review to let us know what you think! It really helps us out.

Follow the Pot Shot Crew on Twitter! (Not "X". We will never call it "X".)

Alex: @alexfrco

Lorcan: @Lxwrites1

Manas: @watmanAFC

Seb: @Eulenberg_

Towells: @alextowells

And the pod is @potshotpod. Feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our final pre-season podcast, Alex is joined by Lorcan (@LxWrites1) to discuss how Arsenal's preseason games have gone, and what they can tell us about how the team might play going into the 2023/24 season.

Thanks to Lorcan for coming on! You can find him on twitter @LxWrites1.

You can also find Alex twitter @alexfrco.

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode - you can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

We have a twitter account! Follow us @potshotpod to hear about all the latest episodes, and feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a very different kind of podcast, Towells is joined by Sam (@AGenuineOutlaw) and Cian (@bootcutgenes) to discuss the (Emirates-era) Arsenal players that YOU, yes you, were completely wrong about. Tune in for a discussion of names you know, names you'd forgotten, and names you didn't realise were still only 36.

No Timestamps for this one, because it'd be spoilers!

Thanks to Sam & Cian for coming on the show - you can find them on Twitter @AGenuineOutlaw and @bootcutgenes respectively.

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode - you can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

We have a twitter account! Follow us @potshotpod to hear about all the latest episodes, and feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can also find Towells, Alex and Seb on twitter - @alextowells, @alexfrco and @Eulenberg_ respectively.

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex is joined by Jack Elderton, Editor of Analytics United and West Ham fan, to find out more about new Arsenal man Declan Rice.

Timestamps:

Intro: 0:00-1:48

Rice's breakthrough & development at West Ham: 1:48-12:21

What kind of player is Declan Rice now? 12:21-24:14

What role(s) can Rice fulfil at Arsenal? 24:14-36:28

Outro: 36:28-38:58

Thanks to Jack for joining us! You can find him on twitter @jackelderton, and his work on https://analyticsunited.co.uk/.

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode - you can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

We have a twitter account! Follow us @potshotpod to hear about all the latest episodes, and feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can also find Towells, Alex and Seb on twitter - @alextowells, @alexfrco and @Eulenberg_ respectively.

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Towells is joined by Kees van Hemmen, co-host of the Devils in the Details podcast & fan of the Dutch national team, to discuss Arsenal's latest signing: Jurrien Timber.

Timestamps:

Intro: 0:00-0:59

Who is Jurrien Timber? 0:59-2:20

Ability in possession: 2:20-5:40

Role at Ajax & aggressive defensive style: 5:40-12:07

Aerial weakness: 12:07-14:25

What is Timber's ideal role? 14:25-16:06

Can Timber perform the Ben White role? 16:06-19:42

What role do we expect him to have in the Arsenal squad? 19:42-23:41

Can Timber do "the John Stones role"? 23:42-28:07

Outro: 28:07-29:30

Thanks to Kees for joining us! You can find him on twitter @HemmenKees, and Devils in the Details on twitter @DevilsITDPod, as well as on all good podcast platforms.

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode - you can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

We have a twitter account! Follow us @potshotpod to hear about all the latest episodes, and feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can also find Towells, Alex and Seb on twitter - @alextowells, @alexfrco and @Eulenberg_ respectively.

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first in a new miniseries on Pot Shot, where we take a quick look at Arsenal's new signings as they happen. These will be released around our usual output as and when we make signings, so shouldn't interrupt our usual episode schedule.

In this first episode, Seb is joined by Orlando Valman (@0rland1nho) to discuss Kai Havertz - how he fared at Chelsea, how he may fit in at Arsenal, and what his best position actually is.

Timeline:

Intro: 0:00-2:17

Havertz at Chelsea: 2:17-13:17

What is Havertz's best positon/role? 13:17-17:02

What is Havertz's biggest weakness? 17:02-18:07

How might Havertz fit in at Arsenal? 18:07-29:05

How will Havertz's Chelsea career be reflected on in the future? 29:05-30:21

Outro: 30:21-31:43

Thanks to Orlando for joining us, you can find him on twitter @0rland1nho, and he's also a member of the Chelsea Spot podcast - if you fancy laughing at their misfortunes, give it a listen!

We're supporting Scouted Football during their crowdfunding campaign for the new edition of their print magazine! Scouted is a highly collectable, beautifully designed football journal featuring a collection of profiles on unearthed young stars. If you want a first-edition copy of Scouted, you've got until July 5th 2023 to back their crowdfunding campaign. For more information, check out their twitter, @scoutedftbl, or their kickstarter campaign page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scoutedftbl/scouted-oo1-the-football-handbook?ref=5z194h

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode - you can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. We'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

We have a twitter account! Follow us @potshotpod to hear about all the latest episodes, and feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can also find Towells, Alex and Seb on twitter - @alextowells, @alexfrco and @Eulenberg_ respectively.

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On our first pre-season podcast, Alex is joined by Lorcan (@LxWrites1) & Manas (@WatmanAFC) to have a look at the major transfer rumours circling around Arsenal at the moment, and think about what they tell us about how Arteta wants to re-shape the side ahead of next season.

Timeline:

Intro: 0:00-3:55

Recap of last season's structure & potential outgoings: 4:34-13:17

Declan Rice: 13:17-24:38

Kai Havertz: 24:38-49:30

Jurrien Timber: 49:30-1:03:48

Striker dynamics & where will Havertz fit in? 1:04:32-1:23:25

TANGENT: Why did Xhaka stop making box crashing runs? 1:13:29-1:16:28

Do we need a "true" Saka backup? 1:24:05-1:28:31

How can we get Saka closer to goal? 1:28:31-1:30:39

What might our "Best XI" be next season? 1:30:39-1:44:21

Outro: 1:44:21-1:45:38

Thanks to Lorcan & Manas for joining us on this episode - you can find them on twitter @LxWrites1 & @WatmanAFC respectively.

We're supporting Scouted Football during their crowdfunding campaign for the new edition of their print magazine! Scouted is a highly collectable, beautifully designed football journal featuring a collection of profiles on unearthed young stars. If you want a first-edition copy of Scouted, you've got until July 5th 2023 to back their crowdfunding campaign. For more information, check out their twitter, @scoutedftbl, or their kickstarter campaign page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scoutedftbl/scouted-oo1-the-football-handbook?ref=5z194h

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode - you can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. I'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

We have a twitter account! Follow us @potshotpod to hear about all the latest episodes, and feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can also find Towells, Alex and Seb on twitter - @alextowells, @alexfrco and @Eulenberg_ respectively.

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of the squad review, Alex, Seb & Towells look over the midfielders & forwards currently under contract at Arsenal, rate their season, and decide whether they should be kept, sold, or loaned out this summer.

We're supporting Scouted Football during their crowdfunding campaign for the new edition of their print magazine! Scouted is a highly collectable, beautifully designed football journal featuring a collection of profiles on unearthed young stars. If you want a first-edition copy of Scouted, you've got until July 5th 2023 to back their crowdfunding campaign. For more information, check out their twitter, @scoutedftbl, or their kickstarter campaign page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scoutedftbl/scouted-oo1-the-football-handbook?ref=5z194h

Timeline:

Intro & Scouted ad: 0:00-01:42

Midfielders: 01:42-42:26

• Granit Xhaka 01:42-03:30
• Thomas Partey 03:30-07:11
• Martin Odegaard 07:11-10:04
• Jorginho 10:04-15:45
• Fabio Vieira 15:45-22:37
• Emile Smith-Rowe 22:37-29:42
• Mohamed Elneny 29:42-32:45
• Ainsley Maitland-Niles 32:45-34:44
• Albert Sambi Lokonga 34:44-37:32
• Charlie Patino 37:42-42:26

Forwards: 42:26-1:17:26

• Bukayo Saka 42:26-43:58
• Gabriel Martinelli 43:58-47:14
• Reiss Nelson 47:14-51:34
• Leandro Trossard 51:34-58:00
• Gabriel Jesus 58:00-1:02:35
• Eddie Nketiah & Folarin Balogun 1:02:35-1:12:45
• Nicolas Pepe 1:12:45-1:15:03
• Marquinhos & Amario Cozier-Duberry 1:15:03-1:17:26

Outro: 1:17:26-1:18:36

Please subscribe to the pod to never miss an episode - you can find us on the vast majority of good podcast platforms. I'll never say "all" in case we're missing one somehow. If you want to know exactly what podcast platforms we can be found on, you can do so at https://podfollow.com/the-pot-shot-podcast/view

We have a twitter account! Follow us @potshotpod to hear about all the latest episodes, and feel free to ping us a DM (or an email via [email protected]) if you have any questions!

You can also find Towells, Alex and Seb on twitter - @alextowells, @alexfrco and @Eulenberg_ respectively.

All music included in the podcast is made by James Blake. He's on all sensible music platforms as JWBlake - you can find his Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3XQQbNzsMSiESzHz0qA4r8?si=koS6oXNfSL6SJn3oIR1cxA

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.