I type with fingers braced for an epic, season-defining weekend of football, aka the world's second favorite sport after curling. We have a title race again. Arsenal stagger into the North London derby in the thrall of existential dread.

Wednesday night’s historic implosion against bottom-placed Wolves was their worst fears made real. Stoppage-time blind panic and collapse. The once-vaunted defense capitulating. The loss of heads and tempers flaring at the final whistle as the Arsenal players confronted the agony of becoming the first league leaders to let a two-goal lead slip against a relegation-zone opponent. A team buckling under pressure, when the only pressure they are under is internal. The embodiment of Jean Paul-Sartre’s most excruciating existential traumas, “Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.” More, much more, on all of this below. 

Also: Swedish politician declares economy will be back on track if nation is “less Spursy.” 💀

ii. I type from Los Angeles where I have just landed after a magical 48 hours in England. The highlight was an afternoon spent with that blur of headband and speed, Jeremie Frimpong. We filmed in the historic Sandon pub – the pub in the shadow of Anfield where first Everton, then Liverpool, were founded. It was really meaningful to spend time with Jeremie whose story of persistent tenacity in the face of challenge was incredibly inspirational to listen to. That man has two sacred texts – the Bible, and the anime character Naruto – whose messages of patient perseverance propel him. Even as a Blue, I found his story incredibly moving to listen to and learn from. ♥️

And: Our Eberechi Eze episode of “The Craft,” in which I played chess against Ebs, just dropped. It is one of my favorite things we have done in a long, long time. Eberechi is as emotionally articulate off the field as he is creative on it. To talk to him about his tenacious career journey, the role that faith plays in his life, and the life-changing moment he scored the winner in the FA Cup, is to be enlightened and energized. Watch the entire interview here, and find out who won the chess game. ♟️

Also: I loved this. Is this the most Brentford thing that ever Brentforded? 🐝

iii. When I was home, I was able to give my World Cup book to my mum. I took this photo the very second Ryan Reynolds posted an identical version on his Instagram. There is a lot of life between these two images. I want to thank the thousands of you who have pre-ordered the book. It is such a kind and generous thing to do, and I have just signed a ton of book plates I am mailing out to you as we charge towards the launch on March 3. The book will prepare you for World Cup 2026 in the most emotionally deep way. Please grab a copy now (from an indie if you can!). Big love. 📚

iv. Yesterday, we released “Soccer’s Coming Home: An In-Depth Look at Global Soccer Fandom in America,” which analyzes the results of a survey taken by thousands of our GFOPs and pairs it with some national data from YouGov. It’s full of illuminating stats and insightful quotes from our very own talent, like Sam Mewis, Rory Smith, Clint Dempsey, Herc Gomez, and Fabrizio Romano. It’s an important piece ahead of the biggest summer of our lives and it would mean the world if you’d give it a read and let us know what you think. 🍻

v. The best goal from yesterday you might've missed: Please watch Nottingham Forest's Murillo gracefully truck down the field against Fenerbahçe before scoring like a proper striker. Remember, this man is a center-back. 🤯

vi. Speaking of yesterday… POV: You're one of many Crystal Palace fans who trekked 1,340 miles to Bosnia and Herzegovina to watch your team score (and then draw) from inside a cage against Zrinjski Mostar. ⛓️

vii. I’m overjoyed that today is the premiere of the first episode of our new series, “Shoot for the Moon,” where I’ll be joined by the USMNT’s Moon Boy, Diego Luna, to experience his 2026 journey. Diego is a young American player on a remarkable journey from rough diamond to breakout cult hero. Both his pathway and his style of play are truly singular. I admire them both. Ahead of this crucial summer, I am elated Diego has joined our network to talk us through his past, present and future. He is someone who truly encapsulates the American experience and his passion and positivity is immensely uplifting. Give it a watch here. 🌜

Also: MLS returns this weekend. Preview here. 🇺🇸

Courage,
ROG

PS - For any of you bracing for more winter storms this weekend, may you greet the snow with the same unique tenacity as Bayern Munich’s Nico Jackson. ❄️

Tottenham vs. Arsenal (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, USA)

I am old enough to remember when this game was, “Let’s all laugh at Tottenham.” Was it just 10 days ago, the talk was of how this could be the earliest St. Totteringham’s Day ever? Then Arsenal flatlined, culminating in Wednesday night’s historic collapse against last-placed Wolves in which they lost their heads, the lead, and their minds by the final whistle. Arsenal have gleaned 10 points from their last possible 21. This is February, people. How are they collapsing now? What is this? Exhaustion in the pursuit of the quadruple? A blip? A mental crumbling of epic levels? Well played, Premier League writers. Well played.

Mikel Arteta has to arrest this freak-out free-fall in which his team cannot hold onto a lead and are suddenly leaking low xG goals from all points. But it is the mental dimension which is of most concern. There is a word for what happened against Wolves. It begins with the letter “B” and is the stuff of Arsenal fans’ nightmares. One minute they were laughing at Wolves, chanting, “You’re going down with Tottenham.” The next, you have leaked twice and delirious Wolves fans are singing, “Second again, Olé, Olé.” Spurs are winless in eight, but here is the challenge: Arteta has to plan for resurgence in a derby against a fierce rival who will be a mystery. He has no idea which personnel or tactics Tudor’s Tottenham will line up or play.

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: For Spurs’ grimly determined new ferryman, Igor Tudor, could there be any better way to announce yourself and your intentions than by new-manager-bouncing your way to North London derby glory? As @RedMarrow tweeted, “Igor Tudor has the chance to be the most famous Tudor since Henry VIII.” It won’t happen. Deep breath, Arsenal fans. You win 2-1. 

More: Tottenham are a mess propelled by one restart after another, but one change could give them victory this weekend.

Aston Villa vs. Leeds (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

The third-placed team no one is talking about. How do you rebound from that moment of Bizot-inspired FA Cup madness? By showing you can shake off the memories of home vulnerability during recent losses to 10-man Brentford and to Everton. Watching Leeds is akin to re-living Brad Pitt’s Mickey in “Snatch”: a bare-knuckle brawler capable of doling out or absorbing a terrible beating. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: Fearsome Leeds are a home crowd-propelled creature. They have just one road win all season and fall here 2-1.

Chelsea vs. Burnley (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Alejandro Garnacho vs. Kyle Walker. You could write a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the themes that match-up contains. Vanity. Mortality. Potency. Impotency. The delusions of man. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: I have to type this to put some respect on his name: Liam Rosenior is unbeaten in five Premier League matches. Both the winning and the undermining continue. Chelsea 3-1.

Manchester City vs. Newcastle (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, Peacock)

Are Manchester City really the vicious predator of our imaginations? Five points back, with a game in hand, should we fear Pep’s squad as if they are the xenomorph from “Alien” clad in light-blue polyester? Or are they the heavy-legged, low-intensity collective who struggled to clip League Two Salford in the FA Cup and pose the level of threat of a great white shark cruelly washed up onto a beach?

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: Doku is out injured, but Newcastle’s 5,061-mile midweek Champions League journey to Qarabağ may do them in more than their opponent. They have never won at the Etihad. City 2-0.

Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Lots of history in these words: Sean Dyche’s Forest won the reverse fixture at Anfield 3-0. That happened! The Tricky Trees welcome their fourth coach of the season, Vítor Pereira, who opened with a 3-0 Europa League playoff first-leg victory at Fenerbahçe on Thursday. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: Liverpool sit in sixth place, two points behind Chelsea in fifth. They win back-to-back road games for the first time since September. 3-1. 

Everton vs. Manchester United (Monday, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

Don’t let the haircut uber-narrative fool you: United are on fine form in their first five games under Michael Carrick. Everton cannot score and have lost five of their last nine home Premier League matches. That David Moyes has us in eighth place with no fullbacks or anything resembling a reliable goalscorer is honestly alchemy.

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: United have more wins (42) and away wins (19) against us than any other opponent in Premier League history. Carrick adds to that tally 2-0. 

Also: James Milner could break the Premier League's all-time appearance record of 654 if he plays for Brighton against Brentford (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock). More on that footballing Benjamin Button here. 🧓🏻

Full Premier League schedule here. 📺

Fourteen games remain as Leicester fight to stave off the darkness of a second successive relegation. The club appealed their six-point deduction this week and hired ex-Oxford United manager Gary Rowett after going three weeks without a permanent head coach and six weeks without a win. 

Wrexham vs. Ipswich (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Paramount+) 🐉

Run it back! One week after seeing off Ipswich 1-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup to earn a fifth-round tie against Chelsea, Wrexham welcome the Tractor Boys to the STōK Cae Ras once again. Both sides continue to fight for promotion, though Wrexham are out of the playoff spots on goal difference after Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw with Bristol City.

This week’s phrase is:

“If the North London derby was a movie, it would be called _______”

Email us your submissions to be in contention to win a coveted MiB patch.

There were many great entries last week, but there can only be one winner:

Tim Matthews: “Only Julia Child could save Tottenham now, because everyone knows coq au vin was her specialty!”

I don’t even really understand this one, but it made me laugh so hard, Tim, you boss. Email us your postal and we will send you a patch.

🇪🇸 Barcelona vs. Levante (Sunday, 10:15 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Barcelona in free-fall. A 4-0 dusting at the hands of Atlético Madrid was followed by Monday’s cataclysmic loss to Girona. A defiant reaction against 19th-placed Levante is not a need, but a must.

🇮🇹 Juventus vs. Como (Saturday, 9 a.m. ET, Paramount+)

Luciano Spalletti is enduring a worse week than Emily Brontë fans, admitting Juventus have “taken three steps backwards,” so the arrival of Cesc Fabregas’ ascendant Como side offers no respite. 

🇩🇪 RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Dortmund (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Borussia Dortmund’s undefeated Bundesliga streak stretches back 14 matches and although a trip to the Red Bull Arena is never duck soup, RB Leipzig’s season has fallen off a cliff.

Awaiting a European vacation this summer? Well then, be sure to check out our new Thursday edition of the Raven called On the Continent. It takes you inside the juiciest matches and most interesting storylines across Europe’s biggest football leagues. The most recent issue went out yesterday and may be sitting in your inbox right now…

Gail Dickson of South London asks, “When the world is dark. And remember, we have not seen sunlight here in England for four months or so, how do you sustain your own sense of optimism? I am asking for a friend, aka all Arsenal fans.”

Gail – First of all, I feel your pain. I am an Everton fan. You know I do. But to answer you from a pure footballing perspective first, please do not panic. Yet. Remember the first five games of the season when we awarded the title to Liverpool? Then the second five when we re-awarded it to Manchester City. I think Arsenal have won it at least three times this year alone. So, breathe. Brace yourself. There is a lot of football to come and adjustments to be made, and stories to be told. We knew this was never going to be easy.

And in terms of my own optimism. I try to savor the power of ordinary yet incredible moments in the day that are right there in front of me – at 5 a.m. when I open the door to let Martin Scorsese run outside for the first time and I see the big sky with all of its stars and feel so immensely alive. When my wife wakes up and comes down just after 6 a.m. My kids at 7. And so on, all the way to the anticipation-filled seconds before kick-off of every Everton game. All of these things feel infinite and everyday. In truth, all are numbered. If I had a superpower, it would be never taking anything for granted and appreciating the power of all of these micro-experiences. My answer may feel very mundane, and it might not be supercharged enough for you Arsenal fans in this moment. But it is so very personally gratifying.

Keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

To better days ahead for all.

Let’s not take a moment watching football together for granted and make great memories.

Big love.

Courage,
ROG

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