Arsenal reclaim top spot & Foden keeps Man City in EPL title race! | Morning Footy | CBS Sports

r Arsenal. So I think that was one of the keys for me was seeing Smith-rowe out there and looking good and uh, Odegaard still just looked silky continues to, to dictate the tempo. So it was a it was a pretty easy game. Even Ben White looked good on

the ball. A couple there was Ben Brown’s first half. Benny Benny Blanco. Yeah from the Bronx I think this is I think this this bodes well for Arsenal. When you look at depth. We talked about Emile Smith Rowe, someone who hasn’t got a lot in a minute this

year to come in and have what I would consider a man of the match performance. Just goes to show the depth that you can go to and, you know, dial back the clock. A year ago, we’re talking about Arsenal eight points ahead in the table. Well this is

where that capitulation started for them. And it came from the lack of depth. It came from having to go to players like a Rob holding that weren’t able to play at the level of the rest of the squad, or certainly the starters. Again, Luton Town maybe didn’t present

the biggest challenge. They did at home at Kessie, and the reverse fixture, but at this one, maybe not, but still it’s nice to see that you can go into your depth and they’ll perform at the same level of what’s expected of

Arsenal at the Emirates were you disappointed

in Arsenal in this match? Nico This game Arsenal wins it 99 out of 100 times. It is what it is and Arsenal have. Did they play up to your standards? I watched the first half only because they knew it was going to be over. Luton wasn’t going to

pose a significant threat to Arsenal. This is a game that you expect. Arsenal win and it’s job done. And on to the next no. You expect them to win for sure. This is this is routine. This is too easy for Arsenal. Uh but but I mean Luton Luton

gave Liverpool fits earlier this season. I mean you could have looked at this game. It could it could have been a Trapp game situation for some easily. But in the past it would have been too. This was this was the type of game. There’s too much quality. There’s

too much quality, there’s too much understanding. Arsenal’s on to much of the right path for them to have fallen into the Trapp. Of course, you always have to respect your opponent, but Arsenal wasn’t ever going to lose this game, honestly. Yeah, but remember a year ago, we’re not.

But I know we’re not. I know we’re top of the table, but that takes top of the table. That’s a that’s a long process to change that culture to change the mentality. Fati. And for many years Arsenal were the team that in these moments you give up a

goal you weren’t sure. No or you you’d watch to the last ten minutes of the game being like, where? Where does the other goal come from? Are they going to find a way to draw to get a draw and drop points at home? These were the types of

matches where you weren’t 100% sure at any point during that match yesterday, did you start to feel that bit of anxiety that you used to feel? I would say the first ten minutes, just because you never know what’s going to happen. But as soon as I saw Emile

Smith Rowe kind of being able to venture forward, Ben White being able to almost do whatever he wanted as he roamed forward, I was like, oh, okay, this is this is not going to be the Luton that we saw at the Kenny. Well, they’re sitting on top of

the table right now. We’ll see if that stands after Liverpool play today. Sheffield United bottom of the table. But again I yeah you look at that. And you say Liverpool should win. But Liverpool is going to win three zero. I just don’t know. They are at home which

bodes well Sheffield we’re going to chat on that match a little bit later on in the show. Let’s talk about Manchester City, Aston Villa. Honestly, this I thought Villa were going to put up a little bit more for a second. I know well Jon Duran looked fantastic in

this game and I got they had some moments, they had some chances, but Phil Foden, my goodness, world class. I mean you talk about the depth on on Arsenal. You look at Saka is better than him right. Yeah You asked who would we take. No no no no

no no actually you didn’t even ask a question. You said Phil Foden or Saki. You didn’t say anything. Okay. We could roll the tape back. Okay. Who’s better? Uh, Foden or Saka right now you would have to say Phil Foden is more, uh. Is able to do more,

especially in front of goal. He’s more dynamic in Roldan can can get on the ball, go right, go left. He’s not. And right, left and at you. And he’s unpredictable. That’s the thing. I think Bukayo Saka is obviously supremely talented. One of the best youngsters in the world,

but he’s pretty predictable in what he does. Not saying you can stop it. There’s a lot of players who can’t stop it knowing what he’s going to do. But Phil Foden can come in, can come out, he can play different positions right, left, um, can, you know, combine

creative. He’s more dynamic this season towards the end of the season in particular, it feels as though he’s started to develop that, wanting to Trapp back, track back and be a bit more influential in defending understanding his role versus staying a bit more forward, letting letting the defense

sort of handle it. You see him track back and get into space more. Uh, Phil Foden I would say that he did that his whole career. I think he focused too much on the defensive side and now he’s he’s, I think got to the level where his positioning

is preventing him from having to do so much work defensively because he felt like I had to work tirelessly to prove to Guardiola that I deserved more time. Now he’s focusing more on the attacking side of the ball and that’s what why he’s starting to have more numbers.

The headline is obviously going to go with Foden. It shouldn’t take away from the extra ordinary game that he played. He was unbelievable. He’s reaching. He’s the best center midfielder in the world right now. It’d be hard to argue that point. He’s he’s unbelievable the way that he

is able to read and interpret the game and set his teammates up for, for a fantastic game. He the pass for Foden second goal was just unbelievable, the way that he himself just can find the channels, carve his way into a position and then set up voting for

a goal. Rodri is, I mean, the lost losing Gundogan was a big loss after last season, but Rodri has elevated his game not that you can replace him because they were both playing at the same time, but he has filled, he has kept his standing and filled a

lot of the void that that Gundogan had left. I also think I take him over Bellingham center midfielder no, no, I wouldn’t take him over Bellingham. There’s two different profiles of players for my team, like if I’m choosing one on one, I would choose Bellingham could play D

mid. I mean he played there with Dortmund, plays right? But he wasn’t as in the team but he wasn’t as influential. There are two completely different players. I think that there might be the two best players in their position in the world right now, but that’s like saying

who would you take Haaland or I don’t know, a world class Mbappé? Yeah, right. And I choose Mbappe. Yeah there’s a there’s. A reason I say that is because you said Foden or Saka. So now I threw it back at you Bellingham. No but it’s like Rodrygo Gundogan

right now or Rodri I’m trying to think of somebody else. But he he’s he’s up there like you could make the argument that he’s best sentiment in the world right now. I also don’t think anyone makes a better late late run into the box. His timing is just

impeccable. I don’t know how he does it. And speaking of Phil Foden, we were talking about Phil Foden, the incredible season he’s had. He’s now got 20 and ten, 20 goals and ten assists and, and uh, other folks that have done that in the top five leagues Harry

Kane, Jude Bellingham, uh, Ollie Watkins. England’s squad is deep right now. Yeah I mean Jude, Jude and Phil Foden are the two best English players at the moment. Plus Kane throw it in there. Um, especially the youth men, men’s. City and you see it through through Foden. The

way that they’re able to unlock a team that that can sit back the dynamic with which they play. It’s in reduce how hard is it Charlie, to play in such reduced spaces which such precision. It’s very difficult especially at the tempo in which Manchester City play. Right. It’s

one thing to sit in that pocket and play in those tight spaces and try and create. When a team is sitting down and it’s almost cruise control because they don’t have the speed or the athleticism to move the ball around in the defense, the defenders maybe aren’t as

quick. You’re talking about doing it at the highest level. Phil Foden is exceptional. It’s astonishing to me. It’s astonishing the way that they’re able and we take it for granted because they do it week in and week out, maybe save against Arsenal. Um, but city, it’s. Would you

take Rodri over Declan Rice. Yes I would today. Yeah I would take Rodrygo over Declan Rice. Um can we stop comparing Arsenal players? It’s just it’s just exquisite. I don’t I don’t know with the speed. Also I think that’s completely important to this argument. Um, um, yeah, I

also, you know, we’re talking about their city’s match against Arsenal and it was like, oh, you know, they’re dealing with with injuries. This is a weakened city squad. And then yesterday they don’t start. They sit they sit. They didn’t even play I know. And you’re like oh my

God. You know the depth on this team I don’t know how you guys felt as Arsenal fans, but as a Liverpool fan it was just this sort o