Premier League: Stats suggest VAR has improved! | Will Arsenal's lack of a striker signing backfire?
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Welcome to Back Pages, bringing you everything you need to know about the biggest sports stories making headlines in the morning's newspapers. I'm Teddy Draper and joining me, Miguel Delaney from The Independent and Ian Ladyman from The Daily Mail. Welcome to your back.

Let's start with Mikel Arteta's comments then on Arsenal's transfer activity. This headline in The Guardian, Ian. Arsenal misfire. Arteta disappointed by lack of forwards in transfer window. Ed Arons with the piece. He was still quite collaborative in his comments, Ian, but what were your thoughts on how candid he was about his emotion, I suppose, about not getting more recruits?

Yeah, it's a fair point that you make there. I think he's been quite careful not to come across as being critical of the people who employ him.

But equally, there has been a marked departure in terms of Arteta and what he has said about players and the transfer window. Michael Arteta never gets involved with things like this. He always straightbacks questions about incoming transfers, outgoing transfers, contracts, etc. He really is quite pleasantly dull a lot of the time, Arteta, and that's not a criticism. It's just the way that he deals with us on the whole. But there's been a real change of stance recently

Last week, Arteta said, we lack goals, we lack people, we lack options.

options. He made it absolutely clear last week that he wanted a goal scorer before the end of the window. He went in with that very late bid for Ollie Watkins, of course, which seemed a little bit superficial. I don't really see how they ever thought that was really going to work, especially given that Villa were in the process of selling John Duran and another forward. But Arteta has made his point here, made his point clear, made it to his board, he's made it to the supporters. He feels they are

a striker like. Of course, the rest of us have been talking about that for a long, long time. It's interesting that these comments come two days after they've scored five against Manchester City. But Arteta wants a striker. They haven't got one. And we'll find out in May whether that will be a conclusive or a pivotal part of this window.

or just something else that kind of ends up being lost in the wind over time. Yeah, hindsight will be 20-20 in the summer, won't it? The Metro, of course, cover it as well in their front of the back page. Their window pain disappoints, but Arteta keeps faith. James Goldman with the piece here. Miguel, a quote here from Arteta. We had a clear intention, which is always when a window opens, to explore the opportunities to improve our squad. With players, with injuries, we've been impacted and we haven't...

achieved it. What do you think the problem is? Is it a lack of quality forwards out there? Is it a lack of money at Arsenal or a lack of direction indicated, as Ian says, maybe by the Watkins sort of flurry? I mean, I think the Watkins bid showed what they were considering or how much they're willing to move and

I do think it was almost, there was an element of opportunism about it because of the knowledge that Villa needed to sell. Because on the whole, Arsenal, as we've seen, they've been restrained. And I actually, I don't think it's a lack of direction. I think it's actually the opposite. That, like you mentioned,

a potential of hindsight in May. But really, I think this has primarily come down to Arsenal looking to the summer. And it's why, I'm sure we'll get to this, the story of this transfer window in general has been clubs not spending rather than spending because it is so much more difficult to do business in January. And in a world where recruitment is now so specified, like a lot of clubs would say, so advanced, we know the names of so many sporting directors now,

Arsenal would see themselves along those lines, naturally. In the summer, they want a forward as they wanted last year, but I think they feel they can get a better option. They also want, they will almost certainly get, Martin Zubimendi and a wide forward as well. And from what I've been told, which is what I've written for today as well, I mean, obviously, Arteta's willing to say a certain amount,

But I think he stopped short as well because a lot of the say comes down to him. The club's recruitment will be guided by his preferences. And he is known to be very particular, especially about his forward options. And I think that's really what it came down to. He didn't just want a body in. He wanted someone that would actually, A, enhance what he's got,

and B, is in keeping, I think this is the crucial point, in keeping what they want for the summer. So say, for example, Benjamin Sesko, who is one of their top forward targets, for Leipzig, he's potentially worth an extra 50 million now because they want to get back into the Champions League.

where there's all sorts of talk and he has a deal with them that if he goes at the end of the summer, they'll let him go for a lower price. So in that situation, had Arsenal done it now rather than the summer, it may have affected other businesses they want to bring in. I think it's obviously, there's a risk to it, at least in terms of this season's challenges, but it's a calculated risk and I suppose that comes across and as Ian's alluded to,

I'd say that's a very calculated way of speaking as well. Yeah, it was, wasn't it? It was balanced, but he is disappointed. Obviously, in the last 16, the Champions League themselves, Arsenal, and still in the Premier League title race after that epic win over Manchester City. A player linked with them is Matisse Tell. Let's talk about Tell with the back page of the Express, Ian.

Alan Smith reporting there for them. Telltale signs looking up for Spurs. Matisse Tell believes his Tottenham loan was quote-unquote the best option after sealing a deadline day switch from Bayern Munich. Is this a bit of a coup in particular for Spurs and Ange Postakoglu after the player was linked with Arsenal and Manchester United, Ian?

Yeah, I mean, players always turn up and tell the club that they're joining that they always wanted to go there and they were their first choice. Sometimes the truth is actually a little bit more nuanced, a little bit more complicated. I'm yet to hear a footballer turn up at a football club and say, oh, I didn't really want to come but I had no other options.

But Spurs will be delighted that they wanted him. He very much fits the profile of player that their sporting director, Johan Lange, has and that Daniel Levy has for the future. They want to buy young players. They want to buy players that will develop and will get better and will

increase in value and this is a transfer that fits that bill I actually think Andrew Postacoglu will be in the short term more delighted that he got a centre half in Lost Dragos in now as well I know that Van de Ven is about to come back and we expect him to play against Liverpool on Thursday night in the Cowboy Cup

But it's been across the back where Tottenham have been absolutely desperately struggling through injuries, etc., in recent weeks. And I'm sure they'll be delighted to have Kevin Danso in. And I think he will, I would imagine he will play Thursday as well. And that will give them some of that security that Tottenham really, really need.

I wonder if it was enough, Miguel. Let's go to the back page of The Star where tells a real top team, says Harry Kane, a ringing endorsement from Kane, saying he's a great guy, really hard-working and full of potential. Sky Germany colleagues telling us that he wants to play up front, so we'll see if that works out at Tottenham. But has there been neglect by Daniel Levy and company not to bring in more defenders, Miguel? What's your assessment of it? Not just because of the injuries currently, but the likelihood from what we've seen that the injury is going to keep coming with the high line.

Yeah, I mean, look, it's been a recurring issue all season. I think we suppose you speak to people around the kind of the general transfer industry. There was maybe surprise given Spurs obvious need that they acted so late. And this is obviously in the context of a lot more debate and a lot more criticism of how Daniel Levy has run the football side of the club.

It has to be said, I suppose, the business at the end did seem a little bit haphazard. They ultimately got most of what they wanted. By the same token, Tell, who was widely reported, he didn't initially want to go to Spurs. He is still a coup of a siding because he's a young forward. When the news broke that he wanted to leave Bayern Munich, pretty much all of the major clubs in Europe were alerted by this because he was one of those players that...

whose profile fit a lot with what I wanted. He's got a really high ceiling, really high potential for development. I think, say, with Arsenal, just to return to the team in that sense, and this kind of speaks to what we're saying about Arteta, he didn't want him right now, A, because of the difficulty of doing a deal with Bayern, and B, because there was some doubt of whether he could make quite the impact right now. Spurs have different needs,

And I think he's a really good signing for them, even if it's come from a bit of a roundabout process. Yeah, going to be exciting to watch, isn't it? It's always exciting to watch Tottenham, to be fair, under Antipas de Coghlu. Back page of the eye. Let's talk refereeing. Mikel Arteta pretty unhappy recently with Myles Lewis-Skelly sending off. But the Premier League insists referees are getting better, writes Oliver Young-Miles. It's been Tony Scholes, the Premier League's chief football officer, who's reporting the latest stats, does it?

Does it feel that way, Ian, or when it's VAR, do we always want 100%? There's less forgiveness, whatever the stats say. It's a really, really interesting subject. I've been sitting here thinking about this before the programme started.

The problem is that the perception is that the standard of refereeing in this country isn't very good. I'm generally a supporter of referees. I think they have a very difficult job, not helped by the way that players behave, not helped by the way that managers and coaches behave and the way that players are told to behave. However, referees are undermined by, in a way...

in a way, by VAR, because VAR has proved itself to be imperfect. And we can talk about VAR all day. People thought that VAR was going to solve all the game's problems in terms of decisions and accuracy. And of course it hasn't, because human beings are still involved. In terms of the referees and decisions that they make,

I actually think, you know, Miguel and I travel around Europe, travel around the world, watching football. Our referees are certainly no worse than anybody else's and they're, they're damn slight better than a lot of other countries. We only have to see the officiating at World Cups and European Championships, um, to, to know that, but it's a high profile nature of some mistakes that really do hold them back. You know, we had one only 10 days ago, uh, Molyneux, the miles, Lewis, Lewis Skelly, Michael Oliver won, um,

there was another one last night I was at Stamford Bridge the Chelsea equaliser shouldn't have stood it's when they get the big things wrong that holds the whole process of credibility back and I think at the moment there are still too many of those very very obvious and glaring mistakes being

And also a lot of protracted decisions as well, Miguel. Let's talk about something I suppose we referred to a moment ago was fatigue and player injury. But you've been writing a piece about the FIFA Club World Cup's effect on the Premier League schedule. And Tony Scholes has said it's not going to affect it much at all, is he?

Well, not that it won't affect much. He basically said it was put to him that whether if Manchester City or Chelsea get to the final, which is the 13th of July, and that, of course, after the competition starts two weeks after the Champions League final, that is just, the final is just 33 days before the start of the Premier League. And that is obviously an issue given the players now have a, contractually they have a minimum of three weeks break. This is obviously a problem for both if they get to the final.

But the Premier League have had to essentially decide that no, they can't lay their fixtures because the calendar, I mean, the exact words were, the calendar is already too squeezed as it is. And this largely because of a competition that the Premier League didn't want. The FIFA have almost unilaterally, well, not almost, FIFA have unilaterally imposed this in the game. And I know we've spoken on the show actually about how the Champions League, the Spanish Champions League has caused major issues in the calendar. So the difference that

the Premier League and other bodies would see there was that they were involved in the process to form this. They were consulted as stakeholders where the frustration with the Club World Cup was, again, it's just been imposed upon them. And so, as they said, there's two elements to it. One is the fact that their competition shouldn't be affected by it. And B, that they just can't allow the space anymore. The calendar is too squeezed. And I suppose this is maybe where

we start to see more give in terms of just how stretched and packed this calendar is we're already seeing injuries I think it's had a real influence on the Premier League table this season as well as how

there was more unpredictability to the Champions League group stage. But this has to give at some point. And FIFA have lines in this saying that, you know, we're only responsible for 1% of the calendar, whereas all the other bodies are responsible for 99% of the calendar. But FIFA is the ultimate overseer of the game. They're supposed to almost be the independent regulator in this, solving issues like fixture congestion. Instead, they've kind of become a competitor almost,

by putting in this competition. And there's all sorts of bigger discussions we can have there about why it exists and why it exists in this form, even if the actual idea is some way noble. Let's go to the Sun Sport, looking ahead to Newcastle versus Arsenal. And Ian, I know it's competitive, but hats off to the Sun for this. Back page, there's a tine and a place with Myles Lewis-Skelly done up as the Angel of the North. So be an Angel of the North, Myles. Arteta warns stars not to rile up

Toon fans. That's a pretty good back page. It's a pretty big game coming up, isn't it? Yeah, I'm delighted to see that back pages like that are not yet a lost art. Brilliant headline that is. 10 out of 10. But absolutely, in terms of the game and the subject matter there, obviously this is a knock-on effect from the game at the Emirates on Tuesday.

on Sunday when Arsenal hammered Manchester City. And there was kind of goal celebrations, Lewis Skelly mimicking Erling Haaland, etc. A lot of emotion in that game. And this is... I wrote a piece about this today, actually, appeared in today's paper. It's one of the...

the characteristics of this Arsenal team. They are an emotional team. And what I mean by emotional team, football's a game of emotions, of course, but when you're on the field, we expect a lot of our top players to keep a lid on it. Arsenal tend to go the other way. They kind of feed off that emotion. It drives them. And you can see on occasions like Sunday, it absolutely works for them. However, I have been...

I'd be at the Emirates and other stadiums where it hasn't worked for them. Arteta's an emotional coach. I think that transmits a little bit as well. And obviously he's probably seen a little bit in what happened on Sunday, Arteta, and thought, well, they're going to Newcastle. We know what St James' Park can be like.

Newcastle haven't won a trophy for many, many, many years. 2-0 ahead after the first leg, it will be absolutely jumping. And the one thing that he can't have his players doing is getting involved in an emotional fistfight, if you know what I mean. An emotional fistfight, because that will only work against him. What he needs is Arsenal to impose quality.

needs them to impose quality on that football game against a team that's talented but have lost their last two games at home. So that is what Mikel Arteta needs. And I think maybe just a little message, a little bit of messaging to his players there. I'm sure that people like Declan Rice are saying it as well. A little bit of messaging to his players to play the game with their feet and not so much with their hearts on this occasion. Interesting, isn't it? Lifting a little bit on the new...

lid on the nuance involved in different teams, different opponents as well. Arteta said, Miguel, we talk about those things and have to understand that each ground is different. Understandably, I suppose it's a nod of respect, isn't it, to St James' Park, who are going to be absolutely desperate to get back to another final and maybe get a trophy for the first time, domestic one, in 70 years.

Yeah, I mean, look, it won't take any incident like the celebration or anything similar to make this ground loud tomorrow. I think this is going to be one of the atmospheres of the season because of that anticipation. But I suppose what Arteta said as well has kind of a different edge as well, just because this is actually a meeting between two teams that have developed, I think, a bit of a,

real on-pitch rivalry over the past few years. I mean, as good as Arsenal have become over that time, one of the teams that have had their number more than most is actually Newcastle. They've kept four clean sheets in the last six. Obviously, it was a 2-0 defeat. There's been some other significant victories over that time, including actually when they stopped Arsenal getting to the Champions League in 2022. And I think Newcastle will be emboldened by that.

As Ian says, though, there is kind of the drop-off, just a sudden or even abrupt drop-off in form. And it's where I do wonder whether the timing of this League Cup, and again, I suppose this goes back to how packed the calendar is as well, but the timing of the fixtures could actually be an unusually significant factor in this game. Because, I mean, it's a month between the games. Newcastle's form is quite...

quite different. They've gone from a nine-game winning streak in all competitions to two defeats in three both at home. They're missing a player as Howe has spoken about Lloyd Kelly against his wishes really due to PSO having to go on loan to Juventus. And Arsenal have suddenly found that goal-scoring form. And I suppose if Arsenal get the first goal in this match, it will maybe change the entire tone of the game. But I think what's going to characterise this is Newcastle going to come out

I suppose, with a real ferocity. Because, I mean, that's another element about this rivalry as well. I think there's been a few on-pitch incidents that have really kind of fired it. And like, say, last season when Newcastle had a goal that Arsenal thought should have been disallowed. You know, Newcastle players remember the complaints about that. There's a bit of fire in this. And it just adds something to what is actually a really, really good cup tie. You'd imagine they'll forget the fatigue, won't they, early on in the game, Newcastle, with that crowd behind them. On that note, Ian, your take on this in the eye, the statement of intent

They've got a special report on the pros and cons of tearing down St James' Park. How do you assess that conundrum for Newcastle? Because their home is such a wonderful place for them and such a sometimes fearful place for others. Well, I...

I'll tell you what, I think one of the most significant stories that I've heard you talk about in the last hour or so on the programme has been that one that Miguel just touched on, the fact that Newcastle have been forced to let a player like Lloyd Kelly go, albeit on loan, to get themselves the right side of the Premier League's financial guidelines.

And this is what something like the debate around the stadium is tied up in. Because of the spending restrictions that we have in this country now, if Newcastle, despite the wealth of their owners, Newcastle ever want to move...

to the level that they want to be at and stay there. I mean, a regular Champions League club, a club that can win the Premier League, they have to make more money on a match day from their stadium. Tottenham, by building a new stadium, went from a million pounds every match day to six million pounds every match day. That's what has to happen at Newcastle. Whether it's a rebuild of St James' Park,

or a new stadium. It has to happen. It'll upset people. It'll upset Newcastle fans. I understand that. But something has to give. Something has to give. The only thing I'll say about this is if they do build on that,

on that site and I was reading a bit of that story earlier if they do build on that site and they overlap the way that Tottenham Stadium overlapped on part of the old White Hart Lane where are Newcastle going to play while that is taking place I'd be very interested to know there's no Wembley available to Newcastle like there was for Tottenham will Newcastle play while that's taking place don't think they're going to go and play at Sunderland are they?

That's a curious one, isn't it? Middlesbrough maybe a bit too far. We shall see. It's a good debate for another day. Let's talk rugby quickly, Ian. Your take on this. We've got a couple of headlines. The Guardian England set to name both Smiths. Finn and Marcus starting 15 for France Clash. And Finn Smith in at number 10 for France Clash in The Times. Marcus Smith will play full-back at Twickenham. What do you think? Is this a bold attacking move, Ian? We've only got about a minute left. Or is it a roll of the dice by a coach in a desperate spot in Steve Borthwick?

Well, I'm a fan of the Smiths, but whether I will be by full-time at the weekend, I don't know. It is a bold move. I mean, look, England always look to me like a team that doesn't really have an identity. They certainly don't know how to finish games. They don't know how to finish big games and win big games. I'm really surprised that Borthwick's done this so early in the competition, though. It's an enormous gamble. And if it doesn't pay off, then I imagine that his net will be on the block pretty sharpish.

Just wonder, Miguel, as well, you look for a start, don't you, in other sports to compete with football. Marcus Smith moving from fly half potentially to fullback because of his skill and flair out wide, it says here in the papers. He could be the kind of person to bring it to the foreground, couldn't he? The way he runs with the ball, it's a little bit different. It's what you need potentially to get on the map. You've got about 15 seconds, Miguel.

Well, exactly. They need something different. I mean, I didn't think Ireland were particularly good on Saturday, but still the way they just kind of wore England down and certainly some sort of spark is required because it was missing. Yeah, England ran out of puff in the end, didn't they? Luckily, Miguel, Ian, you haven't run out of puff, but we have to cut you off in your prime because the show is finished. Thank you very much for being on Back Pages tonight. We shall see you again soon.