Champions League Night, at Home. Beautiful.
We are playing Real Madrid at home in about 30 min in Champions League quarter finals. This is THE biggest game of the season, considering PL trophy is out of sight. Madrid is probably the toughest opponent you can get in Champions League over two legs. They will be 3-0 down on aggregate with 10 minutes on clock, and go on to win 4-3. With the likes of Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicious up front, and a midfield of Modric, Camavinga and Bellingham, they are one of the best attacking sides in the world and they have got a very good defence as well.
We, on the other hand, are going into the game with Merino as a CF. Jakub Kiwior in defence is another problem for me, as Gabriel M has picked up an injury and will be out for the rest of the season. We have a 17 year old at LB and a new CB partnership. That’s a bit concerning but you know, going into a game as under-dogs has it’s own benefits. The good thing is, Madrid will play an attacking game and we have been relatively good against the likes of Liverpool and City who tries to play their way. It’s the low blocks we suffer against.
And we are at home, so the crowd will be behind us. Boys have dreamt of this, to play against the best teams in the world, at the grandest stage, and I’m sure they are going to prove today that they deserve to be here. I don’t care about the second leg, we win today with 2 goal margin and we can play with 6 defenders in the away game.
Talking about the strategy Mikel would have put up …. well I don’t care. Lets go, play our game with freedom, give our 100% and see where it ends.
A very short one today, but I will be alive during the game today.
#COYG
Hi Vieira
I’m not sure where he is in terms of his injury, but I’m hoping my old mate Cauliflower will come in and relegate Kiwior back onto the bench. The Polack has never convinced me to be honest. The Italian brassica is, as far as I can tell, two-footed like all good players so I’d have him as lcb. You’re right to recognise Saliba’s contribution. He was fucking immense again.
For the return leg, I’d be happy with a tension free lesson offered to RM in premier league shithousery.
David Raya never got a mention for his performance on tuesday night, his handling was superb , he was positive in everything that he did and he set the tone for the team in the way we approached the game. Not for one moment did Raya 2nd guess himself as he dominated his area.
It has always baffled me as to why Declan Rice never took free kicks as his delivery from corners with pace and dip on the ball is a similar technique to taking a free kick.
I have never been impressed with odegaard’s dead ball delivery , being captain has given him first refusal on taking free kicks but this has to stop as his delivery has very little pace or dip and is usually too easy to defend.
Rice’s 2 goals v Madrid could be the start of something special , a sort of epiphany moment in that he has found something in his game that I’m not sure he believed was possible , and I’m not just talking about taking free kicks , I’m talking about having the confidence to hit those beckhamesque type strikes from open play as there is no reason why he cannot use the same technique for striking the ball during open play , a drop of the shoulder coming in from the inside left position to thunder the ball into the net may become a more regular thing..
As I said previously, Martinelli is a changed player and is now more than happy to take on the full back on the outside and he is another who could be crucial to our run in as I believe Arteta made the correct call in leaving Nwaneri on the bench for the more experienced saka/martinelli partnership.
Nwaneri can be given game time in the league to rest saka or martinelli for the big European nights to come.
I have to say that i have been impressed with PSG recently, we did beat them earlier in the season but they looked a very good team last night v villa who looked overawed by the occasion..
For Arsenal these days it appears to be the bigger the team we play against the bigger the performance from us, beating city 5-1 and real madrid 3-0 will give us confidence going into the psg game in the semis if that’s how it pans out..
TRVL
“…I like Jack, but he was never the sharpest tool in the shed”
Wilshere has a football brain.
some people have intelligence with no football brain, I’m not saying that applies to you by the way .
KP
Agree with your Kiwior assessment but PSG have come on leaps and bounds since our game against them. They look a different team now they have gelled together more.
TRVL
Now onto our Ricehino antics. I agreed with everything you said and felt the same. If he was able to do that in every game, I’d want him to take all the free kicks around the box. Truth be told the RM walls were as bad as their open play. Like you, I doubt he’ll be able to pull that off again in a very long time where no I’m sure he’ll be asked to take all the future kicks until none go in. We don’t have anyone else, do we? So, I hope Rice does extra training in that department going forward.
No doubt we deserved our win, as RM were Ipswich levels of poor. Having witnessed the RM v AM games while being in Madrid I don’t think RM can get away with such dire levels at the Bernabeu. We and MA got lucky as RM’s levels got worse during the game, where we were able to up our tempo in midfield maintaining our attacking, but only scoring one goal in open play when RM had pretty much given up. I expected Mbappe to be average and he didn’t disappoint.
However, in Madrid it will be a different story as players will be playing to salvage what’s left of their collective their pride. It won’t be pretty dark arts et al.
Brentford won’t be an easy game either, Saturday’s game will be interesting if MA see’s it as CL job done with the semis being a mere formality with our 3-goal cushion. I tend to side with Marc’s MA comments here.
Can we win the CL?
Not a chance. BM had an off day at the office and I feel will beat Inter in the return leg, but are not good enough to beat Barca let alone PSG who have been my CL tip and did not disappoint last night again Villa.
I feel Baca can be found out defensively when under rapid pressure, whereas PSG seem strong all over the pitch, and have an air of invincibility by playing hard for each other.
I see it as a Barca v PSG final with PSG winning at a canter, as they never stop running and wear down opposition, as they did Pool. They are a young team Enrique has purring and gaining in both confidence and now experience. I fear for Villa in terms of return leg if PSG ever get out of 2nd gear.
Good points Wicksy. Your oeuvre, when not eulogising you-know-who, is very readable.
You’re right about Raya’s performance. He came, he saw, and he caught or punched the ball. And consequently the team conquered. Numerous times at RM set pieces I beseeched Raya to come out and get it and he never let us down. Courtois had a different kind of night but played well too.
He came for the ball more than he normally does when Gabriel is at the back. I’m sure that’s no coincidence. And it was to good effect. No errors, no over-complications. Seaman-esque is the biggest compliment I can pay him and he delivered.
Momentum is important now. We need to beat Brentford with élan in order to maintain that confidence so that the boys are ready for the Bernabeu.
I saw a West Ham mate today and he very grudgingly accepted that Sir Declan’s performance was almost perfect. Their fans won’t be singing, ‘you should have signed for a big club’ for a while.
He’s about to have a grandson and I said he should be named Declan. That took the smile off his face.
PSG have looked very very good in the first leg against Liverpool (Scouser’s nicking something who’d have thought!) and Villa.
The pace and movement they play with is a joy to watch – I’d love to see Enrique at Arsenal. With the addition of a decent striker he’d win the PL next season.
Arteta will win excuse of the season again.
Will players get rested for Brentford this evening or does MA think the RM game is done deal and keep to his strict policy of not rotating his pets?
Brentford can be tricky but we should be good for 3 points.
We should be blooding more youth players today and for most our remaining games as the season is Pools.
Looks like some rotation with White at RB, Zinny at LB, Jorginho central midfield and Merino at 8.
Ethan RW and Trossard at 9 and Sterling LW.
No bench selection yet but if our B team struggles MA will put the missing starters on as subs. None are injured according to Fot Mob.
Our kids will be starved of PL experience as per but be expected to shine if ever called on.
Tony
I’m seeing some different info – White’s injured, Zinny’s playing LM with Tierney in at LB and Sterlings & Merino on the bench.
I don’t like that line up too many square pegs in round holes even for an Arteta team. We need to be careful 2nd isn’t guaranteed.
Beyond that how tight is it from 3rd to 7th?
Everyone seems to have Martinelli on the left with Trossard through the middle – what’s it going to take to give Martinelli a game through the middle.
Marc
Just catching the game now and agree with you strange line up. Should see some more Rice wonder set pieces then.
Yep
Had noticed a whole lot of reds offside
Great delivery by Ethan such a great player at his tender age
As always Zinchenko getting in the way and offers nothing.
With Skelly, Saka, Timber & Ode we’d be in front now. As they will no doubt come on later why not start them, get a lead then rest them and protect the lead.
Always the same useless myopic shit by MA
Right Ricehino goal now?
That’s a good goal.
I can’t remember the last time we scored that didn’t include 300 passes backwards.