Back at the ranch, Arsenal’s squad watched the anger unfold with a wry smile.
Their phones have pinged regularly with messages, many of which have made similar observations about the strength of Manchester City‘s reaction to Sunday’s intense 2-2 draw.
Now that the dust has settled, Mail Sport can bring you Arsenal players’ side of the story – their sense that the noise that emanated from the City camp in the aftermath of the Battle of the Etihad points towards a team that is ‘rattled’.
The irritation City have expressed towards Arsenal’s approach to the second half, when they were reduced to 10 men following Leandro Trossard’s controversial red card at the end of the first 45 minutes, has left Gunners players detecting a chink in the armour.
John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Manuel Akanji have all expressed their displeasure at Arsenal’s ‘dark arts’ since Sunday’s game.
Arsenal’s players believe they have rattled Man City after Sunday’s 2-2 draw at the Etihad
A number of City’s players struggled to keep their cool, with Erling Haaland fuming at the final whistle
The footage of Erling Haaland’s confrontation with Mikel Arteta after the final whistle in which the Norwegian advises the Arsenal manager to ‘stay humble’ has added to the impression that City lost control of their emotions.
‘They are fuming!!’ read one message, seen by Mail Sport, sent by a player.
Of course, City may point towards footage of Arsenal director Tim Lewis leaving his seat after the game without shaking Etihad chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s hand as an example of the Londoners conducting themselves with little dignity.
Mail Sport, however, can reveal that Lewis exchanged handshakes with multiple City directors – including Khaldoon – before kick-off and remained at the Etihad well after the final whistle fully open to exchanging farewell pleasantries.
While that may not wash with City executives, at the time it is believed that Lewis – as one of the club’s leaders – felt he needed to make a rapid exit to show solidarity with Arteta and his players following Stones’ late leveller, sensing the escalation in emotion.
Lewis usually makes a point of visiting the team after matches, and those instincts were heightened on Sunday given the circumstances of the game.
It is fair to say that the reaction from the City camp over the past few days isn’t what Arsenal expected from a brilliant team that have nurtured an undeniable air of invincibility over the years.
Could it be that Arsenal have somehow lodged themselves in the City players’ heads? Certainly, for a side as captivating as City to have publicly exposed such ire, is something Arsenal’s players have viewed as a significant development.
It isn’t necessarily that the Gunners squad have been shaken by City’s assertions over their second half strategy – which admittedly wasn’t easy on the eye.
But City have dropped points before and not responded with such animosity. Make of that what you will. Arsenal’s players certainly are.
The players had to be pulled apart on multiple occasions, and Arsenal feel they have got under the skin of their title rivals
Yet for all the criticism aimed at Arsenal’s ‘dirty tricks’ – what exactly were they supposed to do?
Leave themselves open without 11 players in hope of scoring a third against, arguably, the best team in Europe?
Most teams, albeit not necessarily to the extent Arsenal did, close ranks when down to 10 men. It isn’t a strategy exclusive to Arsenal but one the vast majority of teams would deploy in similar circumstances.
Among the players who required treatment for suspected cramp were Gabriel Martinelli, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori.
Timber missed virtually all of last season with an ACL injury, with the game at City his third in eight days.
The Holland star hadn’t played three matches in such a condensed period since February 2023 when he was at Ajax.
Calafiori returned from the recent international break with an injury, while Martinelli spent spells of last season out sidelined.
David Raya received treatment too as it emerged after the game that substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly was booked for unsporting behaviour for instructing the goalkeeper to go down in an effort to run down the clock.
Riccardo Calafiori was one player who went down to receive treatment in the second half
Gabriel Martinelli followed suit, leading to accusations that Arsenal were using the ‘dark arts’ to waste time
Raya missed Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup game versus Bolton with a thigh injury and is a doubt for Saturday’s game against Leicester.
Having travelled to Bergamo to face Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday night, the Gunners squad didn’t return to London until the early hours of Friday morning before reconvening back at their London Colney base later that day for a recovery session ahead of leaving for Manchester on Saturday.
The schedule is gruelling and provides at least some mitigation for tired legs.
The assertions that Arsenal didn’t try and win the game have perplexed members of their squad. They led the game until the 98th minute when Stones broke their hearts.
But arguably the most significant feeling to have emerged from the Arsenal camp in recent days is the notion that with 11 men, they’d have beaten City in their own back yard.
John Stones rescued a late point for City, but Arsenal feel they would have won with 11 men
Bukayo Saka, arguably Arsenal’s most potent attacking player, was sacrificed at half-time. Arteta’s scope to make impactful attacking substitutions had diminished due to Trossard’s ill-discipline.
Who knows how the game would have played out, but while Arteta’s players may feel City have exposed just a small degree of weakness in their own mentality, the most pertinent point is that it has strengthened their own title belief.
FA eye Guardiola swoop
The FA’s interest in appointing Pep Guardiola as the next England manager will be influenced by the outcome of Manchester City’s ongoing ‘trial of the century’ against the Premier League.
Guardiola is viewed by many within the governing body as the best candidate for the full-time vacancy as the national team’s head coach, although there is an acknowledgment that such an appointment would be ambitious.
The Spaniard currently earns £20million a year at the Etihad – a sum way out of the FA’s budget.
But Mail Sport has learned that FA figures are also mindful of City’s current fight against the alleged 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules and any possible impact the findings may have on a move to make Guardiola the long-term successor of recently departed boss Gareth Southgate.
The FA have been burnt with controversies linked to previous head coaches, most recently in 2016 when Sam Allardyce was forced to quit the job after just one game in charge when he was captured providing advice on how to circumnavigate the governing body’s rules regarding player transfers.
And while there is no suggestion at all that Guardiola is implicated in the accusations City are currently rejecting, the FA – given the mystery surrounding the case – are cognizant of the focus on it and how it could impact English football’s current landscape.
Guardiola’s appointment as England boss would likely be welcomed by the players who have seen the ex-Barcelona coach transform City into arguably the best team in European football.
The FA are keeping a close eye on how Man City’s ‘trial of the century’ plays out ahead of potentially making a move for Pep Guardiola
They are still looking for a permanent successor to Gareth Southgate after his summer exit
Wharton playing through the pain barrier
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton has been carrying a niggling groin problem since Euro 2024.
The talented 20-year-old has been hampered by the issue since the start of the season despite starting all five of the Eagles’ league matches so far.
The issue has affected Wharton’s form and he was left out of England’s most recent squad.
And it can be revealed that Wharton has carried the injury into the new season having originally complained of the issue while in Germany with Southgate’s squad.
Wharton was substituted at half-time of Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Manchester United and it remains to be seen how Oliver Glasner manages his youngster in the coming weeks.
Having been selected for England Under-21s during the the recent international window, Wharton pulled out of the squad due to the injury concern.
Adam Wharton has been playing with a niggling groin problem in the opening weeks of the season
Arsenal explored G-Tech deal
Arsenal were close to striking a deal with Brentford to play women’s matches at the G-Tech Stadium this season.
Mail Sport can reveal that the Premier League clubs were in advanced talks over the agreement for Jonas Eidevall’s team to play their fixtures at the 17,000 capacity ground in west London.
The Gunners announced in May that their women’s team would play matches at the Emirates Stadium this season – with the club committed to staging a minimum of 11 games to be played at the home of the mens team.
The first of those was against Manchester City on Sunday, the 2-2 draw attracting an attendance of 41,818.
The rest of their games are played at Meadow Park, the home of non-league outfit Boreham Wood.
However, Arsenal explored the possibility of holding matches at Brentford’s home this season, though it is understood the move would not have impacted on the club’s move to play 11 matches at the Emirates.
It remains to be seen whether it is an option the Gunners revisit in the future.
The Emirates is known for its plush playing surface and the increased number of matches on the turf will provide more of a strain on the pitch this season.
But Arsenal are keen to find a stadium for Eidevall’s side that represents the growing profile of the sport.
Nottingham Forest seeking stadium rebuild
Nottingham Forest wants to have planning permission for a 50,000-seat rebuild of the City Ground in place before the end of 2024.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis last week confirmed plans to increase the iconic ground’s current capacity by a 20,000 in an interview with the BBC.
The new plans are greater than the club’s original blueprint of increasing capacity to 42,000.
But sources close to the proposals are indicating that the club are keen to have the green light to press ahead of their plans towards the end of the year.
Marinakis, whose side remain undefeated in the Premier League, is committed to taking Forest onto the next level and told the BBC last week: ‘What we need to do is have a bigger stadium.’
‘We have a lot of supporters and a huge waiting list for season tickets and I’m sure a 50,000-seat stadium will be full watching our team and our passion.’
Nottingham Forest want to rebuild the City Ground to increase the capacity to 50,000
Not all refs are bad!
It’s not often we get to praise Premier League referees, but Robert Jones deserves a pat on the back.
Having heard a horror story about a local 16-year-old referee being assaulted during a match he was overseeing, Jones was so shocked that he made it his business to find the family’s contact details.
He phoned the teenager and his father to offer them his support and even pledged to attend one of the budding referee’s future matches.
‘See, not all referees are bad,’ one source told Mail Sport.
We are often quick to criticise referees – but well done Robert Jones! What a guy.
Robert Jones (pictured) has reached out to a young referee who was assaulted during a match
Lewis-Skelly’s baptism of fire
Arsenal rookie Myles Lewis-Skelly has had quite a week. Booked at Manchester City for instructing goalkeeper David Raya to time waste before being substituted on in the closing stages to make his senior debut was a baptism of fire.
Then, on Wednesday night, he was handed his full debut in the Carabao Cup win over Bolton.
And today, Mail Sport can disclose the details of a thorough scouting report from a rival Premier League side on Lewis-Skelly from a match against Reading Under-21s from September 2023.
‘He was positioned on the left side of central midfield in a 4-4-2 but moved central regularly,’ the report read.
‘Left-footed. He is 16, so plenty of physical development to follow. Maybe 5ft 10in. Relaxed on the ball. Has a swagger but can do far more without the ball. Looks to have an excellent football brain and can spot a forward pass.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (third right) was booked before even making his Premier League debut
He was handed his full Arsenal debut in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, and one Premier League rival spotted his immense potential a year ago
‘Showed promising signs of decision making. Has a nice deception in his pass – weight of pass is also very good.
‘He anticipates the pressure and can use his body to bump his man and move the ball quickly to get away.
‘Needs to add more intensity and courage. He took a blow to the knee and moaned too much. I enjoyed watching him. He makes the game look easy. Best player on the pitch.’
Players’ fury with armpit drug tests
Footballers are privately complaining about taking armpit drug tests, Mail Sport has learned.
Players are being tested for ‘recreational drugs’ through armpit tests but it is understood a number have privately branded them ‘invasive’.
Clubs are being advised to inform their players about the pitfalls of taking recreational substances and the potential impact on their careers.
And much of the current anti-drug directive is aimed at educating the players rather than spelling the potential consequences of a positive reading, which could lead to a ban.
Nevertheless, the armpit tests, which swab the hair in that area, are not going down well with some players.
Cardiff’s compensation dilemma
Cardiff will be required to pay close to £1million in compensation if they move to appoint Charlton head coach Nathan Jones as their new boss.
The Bluebirds sacked Erol Bulut on Sunday as a result of their dismal start to the season that leaves them bottom of the Championship table.
Jones was this week listed among the bookies favourites for the job alongside caretaker boss Omer Riza and Steven Schumacher.
But Mail Sport has learned that Charlton would be due a hefty financial package, in the region of seven figures, if Cardiff made an approach to appoint Jones.
Cardiff will have to fork out almost £1m in compensation if they want to bring in Nathan Jones as their new manager
Dibling in line for England promotion
Southampton youngster Tyler Dibling is pushing for a promotion at England junior level.
The 18-year-old has been one of the bright sparks of the Saints’ return to the Premier League, featuring in all five of Russell Martin side’s five games so far – two of those have been starts.
And the teenager’s beginning to life in the top-flight has impressed staff at England’s St George’s Park base.
Tyler Dibling is set to move up the age groups with England after starting the season well at Southampton
Dibling has made one appearance for the England Under-19s so far, but is expected to move up the age groups – to either the U20s or U21s – this season if he continues with his promise development.
The likes of Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho have all been fast-tracked through the FA’s system in previous years and Dibling is a player creating excitement.
