The FA charge Arsenal for the third time this season

Morning all, a fast Friday round-up for you.

With the North London derby developing on Sunday, Arsenal’s ‘self-discipline’ is within the highlight once more because the FA have charged us for the third time this season following an incident within the 3-0 win over Oxford United on Monday evening.

Within the thirty fourth minute, Albert Sambi Lokonga took a shot which hit the hand of an Oxford defender. The Arsenal gamers appealed for a penalty. The ref stated no. We received a nook. Took the nook and the sport carried on. There didn’t appear to be a lot in it past the routine enchantment any group would make for a penalty (which I believe we’d have been given had VAR been lively on the evening).

Nevertheless, yesterday afternoon, the FA launched a press release saying:

Arsenal FC has been charged with breaching FA Rule E20.1 throughout its tie towards Oxford United within the FA Cup on Monday ninth January 2023.

It’s alleged that Arsenal FC failed to make sure its gamers carried out themselves in an orderly trend in the course of the thirty fourth minute, and the membership has till Monday sixteenth January to reply.

I noticed some folks counsel that this rule applies to followers, however I went again to verify, and the wording on this one is identical because the Newcastle cost. The identical rule is cited, and I don’t suppose Arsenal followers did something to warrant such FA scrutiny, so we are able to assume it’s for the behaviour of the gamers.

Personally, I believe it is a bit mad, and if that’s the brink for an FA cost, then I stay up for a second half of the season replete with them for golf equipment up and down the nation. Final evening’s recreation between Chelsea and Fulham will certainly see either side censured for behaviour which was the identical, if not worse, than the Arsenal gamers on Monday evening.

I realise that on TV we’d not have gotten the total image of what occurred, however on the Arsecast I spoke to Charles Watts who was there on Monday, and he was genuinely astonished once I advised him concerning the FA assertion. He didn’t see something to warrant it, however like I stated, if the brink has been lowered, they’re going to be busy handing out prices in every single place.

I think about a part of that is the very fact Arsenal are high, and sure lycanthropic Doha based mostly busy-bodies have been doing their greatest to place us within the highlight. I wrote about this after the Newcastle incident, and my intestine feeling is that throughout the membership itself, this can be utilized a optimistic factor to construct that siege mentality and the ‘us towards them (the place them = everybody)’ mentality. That’s completely one thing we should always harness.

Nevertheless, I do fear when all this occurs earlier than a North London derby, a recreation wherein some fairly scandalous selections have been made down the years. Consider that penalty they received final season, and we all know it doesn’t take a lot for Harry Kane to be awarded one towards us.

Robust gust of wind. Penalty. Flippantly disregarding him. Penalty. him with intent. Penalty.

So in the event you had been of a cynical thoughts, you would possibly surprise about how Arsenal gamers would possibly react to a different beneficiant determination that goes the house facet’s means on Sunday. I’m probably not one for refereeing conspiracy theories, however I additionally suppose sure referees on the PGMOL panel are fairly eager to make themselves a part of the story. Paul Tierney, who refereed the sport at their place final season, is on VAR this time round.

All I’ll say is that we’ve got a supervisor who gained’t be unaware of all this. He’ll know there’s going to be a number of give attention to him and his gamers, and I’m positive he’ll make that a part of his pre-game preparations. It will likely be attention-grabbing to listen to from him later this afternoon when he meets the press and he’ll little question be requested about this. How a lot he’s prepared to speak about it stays to be seen. He may try to downplay it, or he may doubtlessly go huge on it within the hope that the highlight shines elsewhere. Let’s see.

Elsewhere, Joao Felix’s Chelsea debut ended with a straight pink card and a 3 recreation ban after a knee excessive lunge. I don’t suppose he can have any complaints, however whenever you’re paying an £11m mortgage payment and wages of £250,000+ each week, it definitely impacts the worth of that deal when a participant picks up a suspension. Oh effectively, he made his alternative due to the Chelsea challenge (££££££), suck it up.

Proper, I’ll go away it there. There’s a model new Arsecast for you beneath, and we’ll have all of the presser protection on Arseblog News later.