Title Race Tension & The Premier League’s Falling Standards

The Rest Is Football

Goalhanger

Sports, Soccer, Football

4.4 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Arsenal once again turn to their set-piece strength to edge past Chelsea and stay ahead of Manchester City in the title race. But with their forwards misfiring, can the Gunners really power their way to the Premier League title relying so heavily on dead-ball situations? City, meanwhile, grind out a crucial win over promoted Leeds United to keep the pressure on. Could their big winter signings prove decisive down the stretch? And with 14 wins from 18 league games without Erling Haaland, it raises a bold question: are City actually a more complete team without their superstar striker? Gary, Alan and Micah also tackle a wider issue: has the Premier League’s overall standard declined? Are rigid tactical systems and over-coaching draining the entertainment from the game? And is modern football losing the spark that once made it so compelling? The Rest Is Football is powered by Fuse Energy. Sign up and use the referral code FOOTBALL and you could win a 1990 England shirt signed by the hosts of The Rest Is Football. Visit https://www.fuseenergy.com/football for terms and conditions. Join The Players Lounge: The official fantasy football club of The Rest Is Football. It’s time to take on Gary, Alan and Micah for the chance to win monthly prizes and shoutouts on the pod. It’s FREE to join and as a member, you’ll get access to exclusive tips from Fantasy Football Hub including AI-powered team ratings, transfer tips, and expert team reveals to help you climb the table - plus access to our private Slack community. Sign up today at therestisfootball.com. https://therestisfootball.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode_description&utm_content=link_cta For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:04.8	Coming up on today's show, Arsenal, if they want to go win the league, I think they're
1:09.6	going to need to add a little bit more going
1:11.4	forward. I get that they're not going to be perfect. They're in a really strong position and
1:15.9	I still think that they'll go ahead and do it. I think Man City are more equipped to win the
1:20.7	Premier League because they could open up the doors. Do you think football is as good to watch now?
1:26.3	Football has gone backwards for the spectacle and the entertainment of everything.
1:32.3	Certainly not as high standard football this year than what we saw last year from a lot of the clubs.
1:37.3	Bruno Fernandez, one of the players of the season so far.
1:41.3	I think he's the player of the season.
1:43.3	If he did save Vamos, the game's gone.
1:46.0	I didn't hire XG.
1:48.0	Did I just say XG?
	...

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