Well, another Friday has arrived, and I genuinely don’t know where this week has gone.
It’s been a particularly busy one on the work front, with the launch of the new Anfield Index website taking up an enormous amount of my time. There’s always something that needs fixing, tweaking or improving when you’re launching a new website, and the list of things to do never seems to get any shorter. Still, it’s exciting to see something you’ve worked hard on finally come together, even if it means spending considerably more time staring at a computer screen than I’d ideally like.
Thankfully, there’s been football on practically every evening to provide a welcome distraction. Although, given how much of my working life revolves around football, I’m not entirely sure watching more of it qualifies as switching off. Perhaps I need to find a hobby that doesn’t involve a ball.
I did manage to catch The Celebrity Traitors last night, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to tonight’s final. I’m desperately hoping Romesh Ranganathan manages to win it, although I’ve got a horrible feeling King Kenny is going to emerge victorious. There’s enough suspicion surrounding Maya Jama that I can see her being eliminated, while Martin Sheen still seems to have people questioning whether he’s a Traitor. It’s been tremendous entertainment, and I’ll be disappointed when it’s over.
On a rather sadder note, I was genuinely upset to read about the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart last night.
For me, he’ll always be Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation, a programme I absolutely loved watching during my teenage years. It’s strange how the passing of an actor you’ve never met can still affect you. These people become part of your childhood, part of your memories, and when they’re gone, it feels like another little piece of that period of your life has disappeared with them.
What an extraordinary actor he was, and what a career he enjoyed.
Anyway, onto this week’s footballing matters, and I’ve got three subjects to get stuck into.
First, Mikel Arteta returns to Anfield on Sunday, still searching for his first victory there as Arsenal manager. Then there’s something considerably more personal, the impending loss of the magnificent San Siro, a stadium I’ve been fortunate enough to visit several times and one that holds some wonderful memories for me.
And finally, I’ll once again risk whatever credibility I have left by predicting all ten Premier League results.
Let’s get into it.
Mikel Arteta, Anfield and Another Jinx Waiting to Be Broken
There’s something rather satisfying about knowing that, for all Mikel Arteta has achieved at Arsenal, Anfield remains a place where he simply cannot find a victory.
And believe me, he’s tried just about everything.
Arteta has transformed Arsenal into Premier League champions, assembled an excellent squad and finally ended that agonising 22-year wait for another league title. Whatever your opinion of the man, and I’ve certainly had a few over the years, you have to acknowledge the job he’s done.
Yet when he brings his side to Liverpool on Sunday, he’ll be attempting to overcome something that has haunted Arsenal for 14 years.
Their last Premier League victory at Anfield came in September 2012, when Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla scored in a 2-0 win. Arteta himself was playing in midfield that afternoon.
Fourteen years. That’s an extraordinary statistic.
Anfield Has Always Haunted Arteta
What makes this particularly interesting is Arteta’s own relationship with Anfield.
I remember that extraordinary afternoon in February 2014 when Liverpool absolutely demolished Arsenal. Brendan Rodgers’ side were 4-0 ahead inside 20 minutes, and the visitors looked completely bewildered by what was happening around them.
It eventually finished 5-1, although that scoreline barely captures the sheer ferocity of Liverpool’s opening spell.
Arteta was playing that day, and he subsequently admitted that he’d never experienced anything quite like it.
He described feeling mentally paralysed, unable to understand what was happening as Liverpool players flew past him.
I’ve always found those comments fascinating because they capture something about Anfield that statistics simply cannot explain.
When Liverpool get going, particularly in a major fixture, the atmosphere can become almost overwhelming. The noise increases, the players respond, the opposition start making mistakes, and suddenly the entire stadium seems to be pushing the ball towards the opposition goal.
I’ve watched it happen countless times.
Of course, we also had Arteta’s famous training-ground experiment, when he installed speakers and played You’ll Never Walk Alone to prepare his players for the Anfield atmosphere.
I remember watching that on the Arsenal documentary and wondering whether he’d completely lost the plot.
There’s something wonderfully amusing about the idea that playing a recording through a few speakers at London Colney could somehow recreate what happens inside Anfield during a huge Premier League match.
You can prepare players tactically. You can explain what they’re going to face. But replicating the emotional intensity of 60,000 Liverpool supporters is another matter entirely.
And judging by Arsenal’s subsequent results, the experiment didn’t exactly produce the desired effect.
Arsenal Are Champions, But Anfield Remains Different
I do think it’s important to acknowledge how much Arsenal have improved.
They’ve become considerably more resilient under Arteta, and their recent performances at Anfield demonstrate that.
In April 2023, Arsenal raced into a 2-0 lead before Liverpool fought back to draw 2-2. There was another 2-2 draw in May 2025, when Arsenal recovered from two goals down themselves.
Last season, Liverpool needed an outstanding late free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai to secure a narrow 1-0 victory.
Those results suggest Arsenal have learned how to cope with the occasion.
But coping with Anfield and actually winning there are two entirely different things.
What interests me most about Sunday’s fixture is the psychological element.
Arsenal arrive as champions. They know they’re an excellent football team. They know Liverpool have vulnerabilities, and they’ll certainly believe this represents an opportunity to end that miserable sequence.
However, their preparations haven’t exactly been ideal.
Losing to Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup was an extraordinary embarrassment, particularly for a club defending the Premier League title. Add Bukayo Saka’s injury to the equation, and suddenly Arsenal don’t look quite as intimidating as they might have done a fortnight ago.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have hardly been flawless themselves.
Under Andoni Iraola, we’ve produced some excellent attacking football, but the defensive side of our game continues to concern me.
We’ve been far too easy to play through at times, and against a side with Arsenal’s quality, those mistakes can be punished ruthlessly.
I don’t expect Sunday to be comfortable.
Liverpool Have an Opportunity to Make a Statement
There’s also the wider title race to consider.
Manchester City’s position remains uncertain following the findings against them over financial regulations, and any significant points deduction could dramatically change the championship picture.
That makes Liverpool against Arsenal potentially enormous.
An Arsenal victory would establish a nine-point advantage over Liverpool. A home win would reduce the gap to three.
At this stage of the season, that’s a substantial swing.
I suspect Arteta will approach the game cautiously. He’ll want Arsenal to control possession, restrict Liverpool’s attacking transitions and avoid allowing the crowd to become too involved.
But I hope Iraola encourages Liverpool to attack them.
We’re at our best when we play with intensity, move the ball quickly and force opponents into uncomfortable situations.
Arsenal have a terrific defensive structure, but they’re not invincible. Fleetwood have already reminded everybody of that this week.
And while Arteta might have finally conquered the Premier League, there’s one particular stadium where his managerial record remains frustratingly incomplete.
I’m backing Liverpool to keep it that way.
Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
Fourteen years without a league victory at Anfield is a long time.
With a little luck, we’ll be talking about fifteen next season.
Farewell to San Siro: Some Football Stadiums Should Be Untouchable
I felt genuinely sad this week when I saw the latest plans for the demolition of the San Siro.
We’ve known for years that AC Milan and Inter wanted to replace their famous old stadium. There have been proposals, disagreements, delays and enough political arguments to fill several seasons of Italian television.
But somehow, I always hoped it wouldn’t actually happen.
Now the new designs have been unveiled, the naming rights have been sold, and the replacement has a name: Generali Stadium.
It all feels terribly final.
And for somebody who was fortunate enough to visit the San Siro several times during the 1990s, I can’t help feeling that football is about to lose something truly extraordinary.
When Italian Football Felt Like Another World
My first visits to the San Siro came during that wonderful period when AC Milan were the greatest football team on the planet.
I was lucky enough to see the great Milan sides associated with Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, an era that still feels almost mythical to me.
Ruud Gullit. Frank Rijkaard. Marco van Basten.
Even writing those names brings back memories.
There was something almost otherworldly about watching those players in that setting. The San Siro seemed impossibly vast, the stands towering above the pitch, the atmosphere unlike anything I’d experienced before.
You had those extraordinary cylindrical towers and spiral walkways wrapped around the outside of the stadium. Even approaching the ground felt like you were heading towards some enormous monument.
And then you went inside.
The sheer scale of the place was breathtaking.
Those Milan teams were special enough on television, but seeing them in that stadium elevated the experience into something else entirely.
Van Basten was elegance personified. Gullit had this extraordinary combination of power, technique and charisma. Rijkaard seemed capable of controlling everything around him without ever appearing particularly hurried.
Add Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and the rest of that magnificent generation, and you were watching football played at a level that seemed almost impossible.
For a young football supporter, it was magical.
Of course, this was also the golden age of Football Italia on Channel 4.
Sunday afternoons watching James Richardson, enjoying the atmosphere of Serie A and seeing some of the finest footballers in the world became an essential part of my weekends.
Italian football had an aura about it back then.
The stadiums, the supporters, the colours, the extraordinary characters on the touchline. Everything seemed larger than life.
And the San Siro was the ultimate expression of it.
A Century of History Reduced to a Business Decision
The San Siro opened in 1926, meaning it has now reached its centenary.
AC Milan have played there throughout that period, while Inter joined them in 1947.
Think about the history contained within those walls.
European Cup finals, World Cup matches, legendary Milan derbies and generations of extraordinary footballers.
Giuseppe Meazza, Gianni Rivera, Baresi, Maldini, Ronaldo, Kaká, Zlatan Ibrahimović. The list is almost endless.
There are football stadiums that become inseparable from the identities of the clubs that occupy them, and I struggle to think of many stronger examples.
The San Siro belongs to Milan in the same way Anfield belongs to Liverpool.
It’s part of the city’s footballing identity.
Which makes the prospect of its demolition so depressing.
According to the plans unveiled this week, the new Generali Stadium will accommodate 71,500 supporters and is expected to open for the 2031/32 season.
It will be designed by Foster + Partners and MANICA, with construction currently scheduled to begin in 2028.
And the reported naming rights agreement?
An extraordinary €650 million over 20 years.
That’s the modern game in a nutshell, isn’t it?
A century of footballing history, replaced by an insurance company’s name and a commercial arrangement worth hundreds of millions.
I appreciate that I’m being sentimental. I also appreciate that football clubs need to generate revenue.
But there has to be room for sentiment in football.
Otherwise, what exactly are we supporting?
Modern Football Cannot Manufacture History
I’ve looked at the new stadium designs, and I’m sure the Generali Stadium will be impressive.
There are plans for steep stands, improved acoustics, better facilities and a design intended to preserve something of the famous San Siro atmosphere.
It will undoubtedly be more comfortable.
The toilets will probably work properly, the hospitality facilities will be excellent, and there’ll be plenty of opportunities to spend money before and after matches.
I’m sure the accountants will be delighted.
And to be fair, I understand the argument.
Italian football has fallen behind some of its European competitors when it comes to stadium infrastructure and commercial revenue. Milan and Inter need facilities that allow them to compete financially with the wealthiest clubs in England and elsewhere.
Renovating a stadium of that age presents enormous challenges, particularly with Italy’s heritage regulations and the difficulties involved in modernising such a vast structure.
The clubs clearly believe building something new is the most sensible solution.
I can understand that reasoning without feeling remotely enthusiastic about the outcome.
Because the one thing you cannot include in an architectural blueprint is history.
You can design a steep stand. You can create wonderful acoustics. You can install enormous screens, luxury lounges and every imaginable modern convenience.
But you cannot manufacture the feeling of walking into the San Siro and knowing that generations of football’s greatest players have performed on that very stage.
You cannot recreate the memories associated with those distinctive towers, the vast terraces and the unforgettable European nights.
Those things develop over decades.
They’re earned.
And once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Football Is Losing Part of Its Soul
Perhaps this is simply what happens as you get older.
You begin to realise that the places and people which shaped your love of football aren’t going to be around forever.
We’ve already seen famous stadiums disappear, and I’m sure plenty more will follow.
There will always be a perfectly reasonable financial explanation. There will always be promises that the replacement will preserve the atmosphere and honour the past.
Sometimes those promises will even be fulfilled.
But I look at the San Siro and see something that deserves to be protected.
I see the great Milan sides of my youth. I see those towering stands and unforgettable players. I remember the excitement of being there, surrounded by a footballing culture that felt so different from anything back home.
Most of all, I remember how fortunate I felt simply to have experienced it.
I’m glad I went when I did.
I’m glad those memories belong to me.
And I’m genuinely sorry that future generations won’t get to experience that magnificent old stadium in quite the same way.
Generali Stadium might become a wonderful football ground. I sincerely hope it does, for the supporters of both Milan clubs.
But for me, it will never be the San Siro.
Some places are simply irreplaceable.
Premier League Predictions: Gameweek 9, Halloween Horrors and Anfield Drama
Another weekend, another opportunity to make myself look spectacularly foolish with ten Premier League predictions.
It’s Halloween weekend, which seems rather appropriate given some of the frightening performances we’ve witnessed this season. Manchester United have been particularly generous in that department, although I’m sure their supporters would prefer fewer tricks and considerably more treats.
We’ve got some fascinating fixtures coming up, with Chelsea hosting United, Manchester City facing an entertaining Brighton side and, of course, Liverpool welcoming Arsenal to Anfield on Sunday.
I’m feeling reasonably confident about a few of these selections, which probably means I’m heading for an absolute disaster.
Anyway, here goes.
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United
I genuinely don’t know how much longer Michael Carrick can survive at Manchester United.
Eight matches without a victory in all competitions is a dreadful sequence for a club of United’s stature, and last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat against Bournemouth was another humiliating afternoon.
I keep coming back to the same question. How many managers are United going to go through before somebody realises the problems run considerably deeper than whoever happens to be sitting in the dugout?
Chelsea aren’t exactly setting the world alight themselves. Losing 2-0 at home to Tottenham last weekend was a poor result, particularly considering Spurs’ struggles earlier in the campaign.
However, Xabi Alonso has enough attacking quality at his disposal to exploit United’s defensive weaknesses.
I expect Chelsea to respond positively, and I struggle to see where United find the confidence to turn things around.
Another miserable afternoon for Carrick, I’m afraid.
Hull City 1-1 Ipswich Town
There’s something quite refreshing about seeing Hull and Ipswich back in the Premier League.
Both clubs have made respectable starts following promotion, although neither has been particularly convincing in recent weeks.
Hull have struggled to turn performances into victories, while Ipswich have demonstrated enough quality to suggest they’ll be competitive throughout the campaign.
These are the matches that often determine whether promoted clubs survive.
It’s all very well producing an impressive performance against Manchester City or Arsenal, but collecting points against teams around you in the table is absolutely essential.
I suspect both managers will be relatively cautious here.
Neither side will want to suffer a damaging defeat, and I can see them cancelling each other out.
Brentford 2-1 Nottingham Forest
I’ve always admired Brentford’s ability to remain competitive despite regularly losing important players.
They’re a remarkably well-run football club, and their home form continues to provide a solid foundation.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are having a difficult time.
They’ve struggled to establish any momentum, and their position near the bottom of the table is becoming increasingly concerning.
Morgan Gibbs-White remains capable of producing moments of quality, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Forest managed to score.
However, Brentford are generally well organised, difficult to break down and capable of punishing opponents who make mistakes.
I suspect this will be competitive, but I’m backing the home side to edge it.
Manchester City 4-2 Brighton
This could be the most entertaining match of the weekend.
Brighton have scored 23 goals in their opening eight Premier League fixtures, while Manchester City have managed 20.
That’s an extraordinary attacking return from both clubs, and it suggests we could be in for a very open afternoon.
City suffered their first league defeat of the season at Aston Villa last weekend, and Enzo Maresca will be desperate to see an immediate response.
Brighton, however, are exactly the sort of opposition capable of making life uncomfortable for them.
They’re adventurous, confident in possession and possess enough attacking quality to punish City’s defensive vulnerabilities.
I actually fancy Brighton to score twice.
Unfortunately, I also think Manchester City will score four.
Erling Haaland already has nine Premier League goals this season, and giving him opportunities inside the penalty area rarely ends well for the opposition.
I’d absolutely love Brighton to spring a surprise, but I suspect City’s attacking quality will ultimately prove decisive.
Coventry City 0-0 Sunderland
If you’re looking for a Halloween horror show, this might be the fixture for you.
Coventry and Sunderland occupy the bottom two places in the Premier League, and both have scored just six goals in their opening eight matches.
Those numbers don’t exactly scream entertainment.
Coventry have shown signs of improvement after a dreadful start, while Sunderland desperately need to find some momentum before their situation becomes even more precarious.
I suspect both teams will be terrified of losing this one.
And when two struggling sides are more concerned about avoiding defeat than chasing victory, you often end up with a fairly miserable spectacle.
I’m predicting plenty of nervous defending, misplaced passes and very little quality in the final third.
Naturally, having said that, it’ll probably finish 4-4.
Bournemouth 2-0 Leeds United
Bournemouth thoroughly deserved their 3-0 victory at Old Trafford last weekend, although I’m increasingly reluctant to judge any team’s quality purely on the basis of beating Manchester United.
Nevertheless, they played some excellent football and will be hoping to build on that result.
Leeds started the season impressively, but their early momentum has disappeared somewhat.
Four Premier League matches without a victory is a worrying sequence, particularly when you’re trying to establish yourself in the top half of the table.
I fancy Bournemouth to take control of this one.
They’re energetic, aggressive and capable of creating opportunities through quick attacking transitions.
Leeds will certainly have their moments, but I suspect the home side will prove too strong.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Crystal Palace
I haven’t always been particularly complimentary about Tottenham, so it’s only fair to acknowledge that Roberto De Zerbi appears to be making some progress.
Consecutive Premier League victories have improved the mood considerably, and last weekend’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge was particularly impressive.
Spurs are beginning to look more comfortable with De Zerbi’s approach, although there are still obvious weaknesses.
Fortunately for them, Crystal Palace aren’t exactly defending like a team determined to keep clean sheets.
Nineteen goals conceded in eight league matches is an appalling statistic.
I expect Tottenham to create plenty of opportunities, particularly if they can establish control in midfield and move the ball quickly.
Palace should have enough attacking quality to get themselves on the scoresheet, but I can’t see them keeping Spurs quiet.
Three consecutive league victories for Tottenham. There’s something I didn’t expect to be predicting a few weeks ago.
Aston Villa 2-0 Fulham
Unai Emery continues to impress me at Aston Villa.
There’s a discipline and tactical intelligence about his teams that makes them particularly difficult to play against, especially at Villa Park.
Their victory over Manchester City last weekend was another reminder of what they’re capable of producing against quality opposition.
Fulham have improved under Alvaro Arbeloa, recording consecutive league victories after a difficult opening to the campaign.
However, beating Hull and Coventry is one thing. Travelling to Villa Park and facing an Emery side full of confidence is quite another.
I expect Villa to dominate significant periods of possession and create the better opportunities.
Fulham might frustrate them initially, but I struggle to see the visitors offering enough attacking threat to cause a major surprise.
A comfortable home victory for me.
Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
Now this is the big one.
I’ve already discussed Mikel Arteta’s extraordinary inability to win at Anfield elsewhere in this column, and I’m desperately hoping that particular record survives another season.
Arsenal haven’t won a Premier League match at Liverpool since September 2012.
Fourteen years.
That’s a remarkable sequence, particularly when you consider the quality of Arsenal teams that have visited Anfield during that period.
Of course, they’re now the defending Premier League champions, and Arteta has assembled an excellent squad.
They’re defensively organised, physically strong and capable of controlling matches through their midfield.
But I don’t think they’re arriving on Merseyside in especially convincing circumstances.
Their embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat against Fleetwood Town will have damaged confidence, while Bukayo Saka’s injury is a significant blow.
Liverpool have their own problems, particularly defensively, and I’ve certainly been concerned about how easily opponents have created chances against us.
However, we’ve also demonstrated tremendous attacking quality under Andoni Iraola.
And there’s something about these enormous occasions at Anfield that brings out another level in Liverpool.
I expect Arsenal to approach the game cautiously. Arteta will want to restrict space, control possession and prevent Liverpool from developing sustained attacking momentum.
But if we start quickly and get the crowd involved, I genuinely believe we can hurt them.
It’s a huge match in the context of the title race, too.
An Arsenal victory would open up a nine-point advantage over Liverpool, while a home win would reduce the gap to just three.
That’s an enormous difference.
I suspect it’ll be tense, occasionally frustrating and probably terrible for my blood pressure.
But I’m backing Liverpool to produce a statement victory.
And if Arteta wants to end his Anfield jinx, he’ll have to wait a little longer.
Newcastle United 2-1 Everton
Monday night’s fixture brings together two clubs who have struggled for consistency.
Newcastle will take encouragement from their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend, while Everton remain frustratingly unpredictable.
There’s usually a decent atmosphere whenever these teams meet, particularly given Jordan Pickford’s relationship with the Newcastle supporters.
I suspect he’ll receive his usual warm welcome.
Everton are capable of making this difficult, and Newcastle haven’t always looked convincing when asked to break down disciplined opponents.
However, St James’ Park remains a formidable venue when the home side establish some momentum.
I fancy Newcastle to create enough opportunities to take all three points, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Everton made them work extremely hard for the victory.
So there we have it. Eight home victories, two draws and absolutely no away wins.
Apparently, I’ve decided that travelling supporters deserve a thoroughly miserable Halloween weekend.
Manchester City against Brighton looks the most likely fixture to produce goals, while Chelsea against Manchester United could have enormous consequences for Michael Carrick’s future.
But everything revolves around Sunday afternoon for me.
Liverpool against Arsenal is exactly the sort of fixture that reminds you why we love football, even if the prospect of watching it makes you feel physically sick beforehand.
I’m predicting a Liverpool victory, and I’ll happily sacrifice the accuracy of every other prediction if that one comes true.
One Last Thing Before the Weekend...
Well, that’s another Friday column wrapped up, and hopefully I’ve managed to get at least a few of those Premier League predictions right. Although, as I’ve said before, I’d happily get the other nine completely wrong if Liverpool can beat Arsenal on Sunday.
Away from football, I’ve got something a little different lined up for tonight.
Netflix are showing their Luke Littler darts event, which I’m genuinely looking forward to watching. From what I understand, the idea is to give a selection of challengers the opportunity to take on one of the most extraordinary talents the sport has ever produced.
What particularly interests me is that some of these supposed challengers are actually very accomplished darts players.
Young Scottish talent Mitchell Lawrie is somebody I’ve been keeping an eye on for a while, while Fallon Sherrock hardly needs an introduction. You don’t become known as the Queen of the Palace without doing something pretty special, and her historic victory at Alexandra Palace remains one of the great moments in modern darts.
So I’m intrigued to see how the whole thing works.
Darts has become probably my most-watched sport after football, and I absolutely love it. There’s something wonderfully compelling about the combination of extraordinary skill, enormous pressure and the occasional complete collapse when somebody needs double eight to win a match.
We’ve all seen professional footballers miss penalties, but watching a world-class darts player suddenly forget how to hit a double is a different kind of torture.
I’m also interested in what Netflix can bring to the sport. If they can introduce darts to people who wouldn’t ordinarily watch it, that can only be a positive thing.
As for the weekend, there’ll be plenty more football, and I’ll hopefully manage to find a little time to switch off after what has been an exceptionally busy week.
I also want to say a genuine thank you to everyone who takes the time to read these columns.
Writing has always been something I enjoy, particularly when I can share a few opinions, revisit some wonderful football memories and occasionally have a moan about the modern game.
If you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition, please consider becoming a subscriber. It really does help support my work and allows me to keep producing these pieces regularly.
And if you’re already subscribed, thank you. I genuinely appreciate it.
Enjoy your weekend, whatever you’ve got planned.