1. Arsenal’s doubters are running out of arguments
The narratives have built over the years. Arsenal only score off set pieces. Arsenal aren’t mentally tough enough to win the league. Arsenal will never fulfill their potential without a world-class No. 9. Mikel Arteta isn’t the man to get them over the hump. It’s the second week of February, and the Gunners have not been knocked out of a single competition. They are the favorites in all four of them.
The gap in the Premier League is six points with 13 games left, even with Manchester City’s dramatic comeback at Anfield. Arsenal are into the Carabao Cup final and earned the top seed in the Champions League. Viktor Gyökeres has four goals in his last four games. Tricky fixtures against Leeds United and Sunderland were won by a combined score of 7-0. Every setback has been met with an emphatic response. They don’t look like a team that’s crumbling. They look like the best team in the world.
2. Even Cristiano Ronaldo won’t win this battle
There is no question that the Saudi Pro League needs Cristiano Ronaldo more than he needs it. However, it does not need him badly enough to tolerate his attempt to bully the league into helping his team. Ronaldo can protest all he wants. The Saudi Public Investment Fund is not changing the way the league operates because a man who turned 41 on Thursday is upset. This project is much, much bigger than any one player.
The most damaging thing Ronaldo could do is leave. Who is watching him right now anyway? Mo Salah is probably on his way in the summer, which makes Ronaldo even more expendable. There is just no reason why the Saudi Pro League should bow to Ronaldo’s will. It will survive some unflattering headlines; those aren't exactly new. How this ends is largely up to Ronaldo, but his choices are being dictated to him. There's not a lot of room for compromise.
3. Cristian Romero owes everyone a huge apology
Tottenham were more than holding their own against Manchester United before captain Cristian Romero excused himself from the game with an indefensible red card in the 29th minute. This is the same player who has been publicly criticising his club for its lack of transfer activity. Whether his comments are right or not, Tottenham’s board are not going to listen to a player who can’t bother to stay on the field and seems indifferent to the consequences his actions have on his teammates.
Spurs did not just go on to lose. Romero will miss the next four Premier League games, including a North London derby. His manager, Thomas Frank, looked silly in his postgame press conference because he was apparently unaware of Romero’s awful disciplinary history. This club needs all the leadership it can get at the moment. The guy wearing the armband provided none on Saturday, and it’s not the first time something like this has happened.
4. Minnesota United and James Rodríguez have nothing to lose
James Rodríguez has been a target of Major League Soccer clubs for years. He’s a big name with a huge following who could never really find a home in Europe. That screams MLS. It seemed like a matter of time before an L.A. team or a Florida team made Rodríguez a designated player and one of the top earners in the league. The fact that didn’t happen is a reflection of how much MLS has improved.
Rodríguez is going to Minnesota on a short-term deal. He is not a designated player. The Loons receive some positive publicity and an exceptionally gifted player. Rodríguez gets somewhere to prepare for the World Cup. If it works out and he becomes a difference maker, great. If it doesn’t, Rodríguez is gone in less than a year. Minnesota United get all the benefits of having an international star without any of the pressure or expectations. Why not give it a shot?
5. Leicester City are under serious pressure
Friday marked the 10-year anniversary of Leicester City’s 3-1 victory at Manchester City, one of the memorable moments in their title-winning campaign. Saturday, they dropped to 21st in the Championship, only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. It was their first game since receiving a six-point deduction for violating the English Football League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Andy King – a member of that legendary 2015-16 team – is the interim manager following the firing of Martí Cifuentes. The Foxes have one league win in 2026 and haven't beaten a Championship side on the road since Dec. 6. They would be in 17th without the deduction, so they should be able to avoid relegation to League One. That is far from a certainty at this point though. Their cushion is gone. The next three months will be a fight for survival that will shape the trajectory of the club’s future.