Next Up
ArsenalARS
vs
BurnleyBUR
Mon 18 May19:00

Arsenal News Today: De Zerbi’s admission, Szczesny’s love, Scholes’ verdict

Share

At a Glance:

  • Roberto De Zerbi has revealed what he thought of the incident involving David Raya in Arsenal’s game against West Ham United.
  • Wojciech Szczesny has shared what he was doing before Sunday’s El Classico.
  • Paul Scholes has had his say on Arsenal’s credentials in the Champions League final.

The mood around Arsenal is one of excitement, as Mikel Arteta’s side gears up for a crucial few weeks in their pursuit of a historic Premier League and Champions League double.

The Gunners secured a pivotal win on Sunday afternoon at the London Stadium, narrowly beating West Ham United courtesy of a late winner from Leandro Trossard. The result sees Arteta’s outfit move five points clear at the summit of the English top flight, and they can now guarantee their status as champions with victories over Burnley and Crystal Palace.

The Spanish boss and his players now have a full week to prepare for Monday night’s clash with the Clarets, providing them with some much-needed rest in the midst of a gruelling schedule. After these two domestic matches, a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest awaits the North Londoners.

With that said, here is the latest Arsenal news today, including updates on Roberto De Zerbi, Wojciech Szczesny and Paul Scholes.

Roberto De Zerbi’s comment on David Raya incident vs West Ham

Sunday’s game in East London was overshadowed by the controversial VAR call made in stoppage time. Pablo was adjudged to have fouled David Raya inside the box when a West Ham corner came in, before Callum Wilson fired in an equaliser.

The goal was subsequently overturned, and in the aftermath of the clash, Arsenal have been forced to face the brunt of some inflammatory claims. Many have argued that the Gunners should have an asterisk next to their name if they go on to win the title because of this decision.

However, Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi was asked about this incident, and the Italian revealed his belief that the decision was ‘200%’ accurate.

“Maybe the VAR felt the pressure after the West Ham Arsenal game… 200% it was a foul on Raya if you want to talk about football,” he said in his press conference on Monday.

Wojciech Szczesny reveals what he was doing before El Clasico

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was involved in Barcelona’s La Liga triumph on Sunday evening. The Pole was on the Catalan giants’ bench as they beat Real Madrid in El Clasico to wrap up the Spanish title.

However, speaking to Eleven Sports, Szczesny revealed that he was preoccupied with Arsenal’s game against West Ham before the huge encounter at Camp Nou started.

“Before the game, everyone was ready for El Clasico, while I was checking to see if there was a foul on Raya,” Szczesny said.

“Yes, it was [a foul]. I mean, you’re asking a goalkeeper if it was a foul. Yeah, a foul. He couldn’t jump as high as he could have because they held his arm.”

Paul Scholes provides Champions League final verdict

Arsenal have the opportunity to win their first Champions League title when they play PSG at the end of May. The Gunners will be seen as slight underdogs heading to Budapest, although their resolute defence gives them a good chance of emerging victorious.

Speaking on the Good, the Bad & the Football podcast, former Manchester United midfielder and notorious Arsenal sceptic Paul Scholes had his say on the final.

“I can’t see them beating PSG,” he said.

“The only way they can beat PSG is if they score early and hang on for dear life.

“Look, they are capable of doing it, but that’s the only way they do it. They can’t go toe-to-toe with them like Bayern did. I think, no chance.”

#TeamPGDPts
1
ArsenalARS
36+4279
2
Manchester CityMCI
35+4074
3
Manchester UnitedMUN
36+1565
4
LiverpoolLIV
36+1259
5
Aston VillaAVL
36+459
6
AFC BournemouthBOU
36+455
7
Brighton & Hove AlbionBHA
36+1053
···

Alfie Cairns Culshaw is a writer for ReadArsenal and is an experienced sports journalist who has over four years of experience covering football. He's written extensively for GiveMeSport, SportBible and Arsenal Insider in the past, specialising in Arsenal and the Premier League. Alfie holds a first class degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex and has personally run his own website in the past. When not writing about football, Alfie is playing the sport himself or attending matches at the Emirates. Follow Alfie on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfie-cairns-culshaw-12bb74188/ and on X, https://x.com/AlfieCulshaw.

View all articles →
dave.sport

The Future of Sports News is Here

Be first to experience the new dave.sport app. Pre-register now for exclusive early access.

Get Early Access
Discover more from Read Arsenal

Add Read Arsenal as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting.

Follow

Related