Arsenal

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  1. Did you know?published at 19:37 BST 3 May

    Martin Odegaard playing for ArsenalImage source, Getty Images

    Arsenal have dropped 21 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, their joint-most ever in a single campaign (also 21 in 2019-20).

  2. Follow Saturday's Premier League games livepublished at 11:08 BST 3 May

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    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.

    Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

    Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

    Follow all of the action and reaction here

  3. Sutton's predictions: Arsenal v Bournemouthpublished at 11:06 BST 3 May

    Sutton's predictions graphic

    We know how dangerous Bournemouth are because they beat Arsenal in October, and if Mikel Arteta rests players then this game becomes even harder for the Gunners.

    It is a tricky situation for Arteta, because he will want to head to Paris St-Germain for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with a bit of momentum, but he has got to balance that with the risk of injury to his key players.

    Bournemouth's form has improved of late, and the circumstances mean they definitely have a decent chance of doing the double over Arsenal this season.

    This all boils down to what the Arsenal team is, so it is difficult to make a call without knowing that, but they are at home and even if they are not at full strength then I can still see them getting a draw.

    Sutton's prediction: 1-1

    Read the full predictions and have your say here

  4. Walker on Lewis-Skelly 'taking international stage in his stride'published at 19:06 BST 2 May

    England defender Kyle Walker speaks to former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown about the rise of Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, and the former Tottenham team-mate he reminds him of.

    Media caption,

    Listen to the full episode of The Kyle Walker Podcast on BBC Sounds

  5. The answerpublished at 16:52 BST 2 May

    William SalibaImage source, PA Media

    Earlier, we asked you to name the current Arsenal player from a series of clues.

    The correct answer is William Saliba.

  6. Arteta on team news, being proud and finishing strongpublished at 14:36 BST 2 May

    Katie Stafford
    BBC Sport journalist

    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium (kick-off 17:30 BST).

    Here are the key lines from his news conference:

    • He said he will "assess how the squad is on Saturday and see who I have available to start and as subs", but Thomas Partey is likely to play after serving his European suspension.

    • Riccardo Calafiori remains unavailable, as do Jorginho and Kai Havertz.

    • Arteta would not say what Jorginho's injury is but said it has been "more complicated than expected" so that is why he has been absent for longer than planned.

    • He hopes to have Jorginho and Havertz back before the end of the season but it will depend on their rehabilitation going to plan.

    • On how proud he is of what Arsenal have achieved this season despite one of the worst injury records in the league: "I was very shocked just before the game at PSG at home. I saw Takehiro Tomiyasu, Calafiori, Partey, Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho all together in the dressing room. That could have been a starting line-up and we don't have them, and we haven't for months. No-one is talking about it in the building, but that's happening. I am proud of them."

    • He said Liverpool winning the title hurts him "big time" but he praised Arne Slot's side for their consistency, before adding that they "deserved it".

    • On their being a 99.6% chance of a top-five finish according to the Opta 'supercomputer': "The message is very clear. We have to earn the right to win the game tomorrow and be better than Bournemouth. The only thing we can control is our performances and emotional state. We haven't achieved what we wanted [in the league]."

    • He praised Declan Rice for "consistency in the way he has performed and adapted to the team and to the club" in what could be his 100th appearance for Arsenal. Arteta added: "An unbelievable signing."

    Listen to live commentary of Arsenal vs Bournemouth on BBC Radio 5 Live at 17:30 on Saturday

    Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  7. Did you know?published at 11:26 BST 2 May

    Mikel Arteta managing ArsenalImage source, Getty Images

    Arsenal have failed to win nine Premier League games where they have led so far this season, more than in the previous two campaigns combined (four in 2022-23, four in 2023-24).

    They have never failed to win 10 games from winning positions in a single season before.

  8. Today's trivia challengepublished at 08:25 BST 2 May

    Arsenal quiz graphic

    Guess the current Arsenal player from these three clues:

    • I represented my country at Euro 2024 and reached the semi-final stage.

    • I played every minute of every Premier League game for Arsenal during the 2023-24 season.

    • I scored a goal in the 2-0 win against Manchester United in December.

    Come back to this page at 17:00 BST for the answer

  9. Is Arteta 'too emotional'published at 07:51 BST 1 May

    Media caption,

    Is Mikel Arteta's energy harming Arsenal?

    Rory Smith, Julien Laurens and Stephen Warnock discuss how his "remonstrating and demonstrations" may have "set the tone" for the Gunners' "nervous" first-half performance against Paris Saint-Germain.

    And if you want to remind yourself of the action on Tuesday, the highlights are below.

  10. 'A big miss' - fans on Partey's absencepublished at 18:10 BST 30 April

    Your views banner
    Thomas Partey Image source, Getty Images

    We asked for your views on Thomas Partey's absence in Arsenal's 1-0 defeat by Paris St-Germain and how important his return could be in the second leg.

    Here are some of your comments:

    Kwame: A big miss. No wonder Declan Rice was so furious when the yellow card incident occurred. He knew.

    Guy R: I think Partey is important to how Arsenal play. Missing any of your starting XI is bound to have an impact. He provides stability to the midfield and allows Rice and Martin Odegaard more freedom. Lots of speculation of him going with Martin Zubimendi being bought in and I think that would be a good move for Arsenal.

    Ed: Not sure those stats tell the whole picture, not least because the stats including Partey will include games with him playing at right-back, when we are usually terrible! Also suspect that Partey has missed more 'smaller' games. And finally, he has really stepped up this season so stats might be different for this season alone? The problem was that previously when we haven't had Partey, Jorginho has been a great deputy. He is a different style of player but he has done the job well whereas last night, we also had to move Rice and Merino, which completely disrupted our rhythm and balance.

    Robin: Partey was a huge miss; however, we are still in the tie. Odegaard was poor albeit he can make the difference in Paris if he's on his A game.

    Guy F: I don't think those stats give the full context. Partey is much more important right now as Merino looks like the best option up top and because Jorge is out too. The Rice/Odegaard/Merino midfield doesn't seem to gel properly, with all three preferring to play higher up the pitch. On top of that, Merino looks better at centre-forward than Leandro Trossard right now, so losing Partey means our attack is even weaker. Partey may have worse looking stats because he's been fit all this season when Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus have all been out, and the attack has struggled even more than usual.

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  11. Will Arsenal's slow start cost them?published at 16:47 BST 30 April

    Joe Bradshaw
    BBC Sport Senior Journalist

    Column graph comparing Arsenal's stats in the first 20m with those for the rest of the game
Possession	23.7%	54.7%
Pass accuracy	67.5%	85.7%
Pass accuracy in PSG half	30.8%	79.5%
Long pass proportion	20%	9.7%
Duel success rate	22.2%	54.2%

    Nineteen years waiting for a Champions League semi-final and Arsenal were still caught cold.

    The stats bear it out. For the first 20 minutes of their game against Paris St-Germain, Mikel Arteta's side were off the pace and unable to rise to the occasion.

    After that? It was a different story - far more progressive, attacking and accurate.

    But was it too late? Ousmane Dembele's goal in that opening spell ultimately decided the first leg and left the Gunners with a mountain to scale at the Parc des Princes next Wednesday.

    With criticism of the club's pre-match Tifo rumbling on, Arteta will hope his players will respond to the raucous scenes in Paris as they did in Madrid for the quarter-final, standing firm before pushing back to win in style.

    Victory in the French capital is the minimum requirement if they are to reach the Champions League final.

    Starting hot will be the first step.

    Column chart of Arsenal's attack in the first 20 minutes v 21-90 minutes
Entries into the final third	5	43
Successful dribbles	0	11
Shots	0	10
  12. No Partey, no party? What the stats saypublished at 14:57 BST 30 April

    Nicola Pearson
    BBC Sport journalist

    Graphic showing Arsenal statistics when Thomas Partey starts vs when he does not start across all competitions over past two seasons:
Games - 50 vs 55
Win percentage - 62% vs 60%
Average goals for - 2 v 2.2
Average goals against - 0.9 vs 0.8
Shots faced per game - 10 vs 8.4

    "A big miss", "an anchor" and "crucial".

    That has been just some of the reaction from pundits, former players and reporters on the impact of Thomas Partey's absence in Arsenal's 1-0 semi-final, first leg defeat at home by Paris St-Germain on Tuesday.

    The 31-year-old missed the match having picked up a cheap yellow card late on against Real Madrid in the last round that took him to three for this season's competition and a one-game suspension.

    With fellow midfielder Jorginho out through injury and Mikel Merino having been used as a forward in recent weeks, it meant a reshuffle of players and positions for boss Mikel Arteta.

    The effect of that was evident, with PSG controlling midfield while Declan Rice was forced to sit deeper, and Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka struggling to have the impact in attack that they are capable of.

    Barring any fitness issues, Partey should return to the line-up for the return leg in Paris next Wednesday.

    However, despite Tuesday night's difficulties, how much do the Gunners miss Partey when he is not in the team?

    The statistics suggest it may not be as much those watching perceive.

    According to Opta, across all competitions over the past two seasons, Arsenal have played 50 matches with Partey starting and 55 without.

    With 31 and 33 wins respectively, the win percentage with and without is very similar, with the figures slightly favouring him starting at 62% compared to 60%.

    However, when looking at numbers for goals scored and conceded, the average is ever so slightly higher for times they hit the back of the net when he does not start, at 2.2, compared to times he does (two). And, similarly, they average letting fewer goals in (0.8) without him than with him (0.9).

    The side also tend to average more shots without him starting (15.9 without vs 14.2 with per game) and shots faced at 10 when starting and 8.4 when on the bench.

    While the stats might show little difference whether the Gunners start with or without Partey, what can be harder to quantify is what a player like the Ghana international brings in experience in big games and balance to the side.

    So, how do you feel about Partey's absence? Was he the missing cog or were the issues bigger than the one player? How important will his return be for the second leg? Will he be the catalyst for a memorable comeback?

    Let us know here

    Have your say banner
  13. Arsenal 'missing solidity in the middle of the park'published at 14:21 BST 30 April

    Declan Rice looks dejected against PSGImage source, Getty Images

    Arsenal were missing "solidity" and "organisation" against Paris St-Germain, says former defender Johan Djourou.

    With the likes of Thomas Partey and Jorginho missing on Tuesday, the Gunners struggled to take charge in the centre of the pitch against a PSG midfield of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz.

    Djourou was part of the Arsenal side that last played in a Champions League semi-final in 2009 and, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "With Champions League semi-finals, the details are so important.

    "PSG started so well and their constant movement surprised Arsenal, even though we knew [about it] because the goal they scored was in a similar way to the goals they scored at Anfield.

    "We are missing solidity in the middle of the park. There was too much space between the lines and they [PSG] made it difficult. PSG showed their intensity in that first half and we were just missing that fluidity.

    "[Partey's return] will be massive. We know how important Partey has been. I think people don't always realise how much of an anchor and important player he is in his leadership. We have missed him and it will be important to have him.

    "You could see yesterday with all their movement from deep and [Ousmane] Dembele getting the ball in midfield, we got attracted to the ball and followed the players and we were missing a bit of that organisation.

    "A player like Thomas Partey would also be important to release players like Martin Odegaard – who was a bit low in form against PSG – and Declan Rice to give him freedom. So Partey will be a great comeback and great asset for the second leg."

    Listen back on BBC Sounds

  14. Partey 'a big miss' in PSG defeatpublished at 13:07 BST 30 April

    Thomas Partey looks on for ArsenalImage source, Getty Images

    Arsenal lacked "balance" without midfielder Thomas Partey in the side against Paris St-Germain, says former Gunners defender Matt Upson.

    Partey picked up his third yellow card of this season's Champions League in the previous match against Real Madrid and was suspended for the first leg of the semi-final.

    Also shorn of the injured Jorginho, Arsenal struggled for control in a 1-0 defeat by the Ligue 1 champions.

    "You can look at Thomas Partey not being there as a reason why Saka was not getting the ball," Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

    "I don't want to go too deeply into why Partey is so important to them but, it was just more the balance. Playing with a different kind of feel and balance can disrupt the way you feed key players."

    French football expert Julien Laurens agreed and said Partey's absence had an impact on the rest of the midfield.

    "For [Declan] Rice to play in that position, he doesn't have the same pairings, doesn't have the same relationship with players around him," Laurens said.

    "I thought it was a big miss. But, there is not much in it, there is still a lot to play for in that second leg in Paris, even with that slight advantage for the Parisians."

    Chief football correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live John Murray added: "We mention Partey being suspended but it was a setback for Arsenal not to have Jorginho. I'm sure [Mikel] Arteta would have loved to have had just one of them out there .

    "You also have Havertz – the top scorer who scored against PSG in October – not available, Gabriel at the back and Gabriel Jesus, so that is why you saw the youngsters there on the bench. That is not what you want on your bench for a big match like this. You want it to be as strong as possible."

    Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds