Champions League games comes with a lot of surprises. We just have seen Lazio schooling Bayern in round of 16, Antwerp had beaten Barcelona in group stages, Crvena zvezda gave a tough fight to City only losing 2-3 at the end, Galatsaray forced United to share points in a nail biting 3-3 game, and there were some more.
Away games are never easier. Not against even a club you have never heard of… and we all have heard of Porto. They had an easy group in Champions League where they finished 2nd to Barcelona but they scored 15 goals in 6 games. They sit 3rd in the Portuguese league and taking them lightly is not an option.
We all have missed Champions League. We are, now, back playing among the best clubs in the world and we should make the most out of it. Mikel do not have a very good record in Europe and it’s time for him to fix some of that.
Right, so what have we got? A fit squad, powered with confidence and 5 Premier League wins in straight games. All we have to do is, keep that performance going for couple of months and our dream of winning something valuable might come true.
Team wise, Jurrien Timber was registered in the CL squad for the second half but it would be too early to see him play. Thomas Partey is not getting back into the team either for some more days. I would hate to see Zinchenko (or Tomiyasu) replace Kiwior if that happens; that lad has proved he can play at LB and should not be demoralised for favorites. A midfield of Odegaard, Rice and Havertz will do the job, and Saka, Trossard, Martinelli should take the top 3 positions. I know Jesus has a splendid Champions League record, but he hasn’t played from some time and returning in a CL game is not an option. Plus, Trossard is producing more output than him and Eddie, let us keep that going shall we?
Sergio Conceicao, the manager of Porto likes to play with a 4-4-2 formation and prefers a counter-attacking brand of football. It would be our defence that would be tested, we can’t afford to leave open spaces for them to penetrate.
We need to win and win big, we can’t leave things for the 2nd leg. A 2-0/3-0 scoreline would make me happy. I always love a clean sheet.
Right, not much for today. I just wanted the conversation running for our Champions League and will be back before the game for a match day blog.
AK
Porto have pulled off some really good performances over the years – Raya needs to be alert as their counter attacking is fast and furious.
Nice wall Ambarish.
But then LiR has class . It helps if the Host is a techie.š
Haha, that was on the Emirates wall when I visited for the first time, couldn’t resist to click and save.
Never knew I would be using that on my blog. :))
Thanks for the intel NORG. I was allowing myself to think an energetic performance a la Sevilla away would do the trick. Looks like I might have to watch it from behind the sofa!
We have a less than chequered history in Europe and are massive under achievers over the decades to be honest. However, the lads’ confidence levels must be sky high right now which will surely count for something. Interesting observation about Raya – clearly he’s had little to do with this recent goalscoring blitz (although his rapid distribution is pretty sharp) but I nevertheless sense he’s upped his game along with the others and that general pride in keeping a clean sheet might have returned (arguably absent since the days of Jens Lehmann).
I spent 6 months working in Lisbon about 15 years ago and managed to see a Benifica v Porto league match. The Portuguese generally seemed laid back peaceful people but there was a lot of animosity between supporters around the estado da luz. It was a Saturday night game and I remember watching us beat Villa on a TV in a cafe just before kick off. I think we scored the winner in the last few minutes and everyone looked round at me when I celebrated.
Benfica’s stadium was partly the influence for the design of the Emirates. Every home game they let this massive live eagle loose from the roof of the stadium and it circles and glides downwards until it meets its trainer in the centre circle. I’ve seen the Porto stadium too but there was no game on. The reason for the animosity between Benfica and Porto is particularly unpleasant and goes back to the time of the Moorish invasion of Iberia. There endeth the sermon. ‘See’ you all tomorrow.
I think it might have been this one. Good to see Flamini so fired up for his goal. Winner scored by Arsenal’s favourite son – Ade-fucking-bayor!
https://youtu.be/Vvi_O9AqxGk?si=04Qq1INJbM-vg6dT
KP
and the waiter in goal for AFC. With a couple of decent additions to the team it could have won something but Wenger knew best or so a few idiots who held up banners of worship declared.
Flamini is now probably worth more than Stan. I wonder who he would prefer as Manager – probably his old mate who is coach at Como now.
KP-just a little update on the Zirkzee transfer watch:
“Bologna will certainly aim for a big return on their investment. Thereās also a significant buyback clause held by Bayern Munich of around ā¬40m, further complicating matters for other interested clubs. At the moment his value is between 50 and 60 million euros. This is because the 40 million clause is valid only for Bayern Munich: in the event of resale to another club, therefore, the Bavarians can purchase him and also have priority,ā clarifies Calciomercato”
beyond this obvious “complication”, Juve have also expressed interest and even though they don’t occupy the same dominant position they once did, they still wield considerable influence in the Serie A
as for our CL match tomorrow, I will simply say this, there’s no reason whatsoever that we shouldn’t eliminate Porto with relative ease, especially if our recent form is a real reflection of our supposed scoring prowess…furthermore, this is one of the weakest sides Porto has fielded in several years, which is why their presently sitting where they are in the Liga standings…that said, I’m a tad worried that our oft-times scared manager will deploy some unnecessarily negative tactics, as I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten what happened the last time we faced Portuguese opposition, when he was thouroughly outmanaged, which could be a cause for concern
MA’s pipe dream Mbappe acquisition appears to have lasted all but a week, as it appears that he’s signed on with Real for the next 5 years…just saw it on the ESPN ticker, which certainly isn’t gospel, but they rarely post speculative rumour mill nonsense
maybe Arteta’s remarks regarding our supposed interest sent him running straight into the arms of Real lol
this move and the somewhat unsettled nature at the top of the PL, further bolster my claim that we should have been far more aggressive during this past window, as Haaland will invariably re-up with City, so winning the chip at home or abroad will be considerably more difficult moving forward
NORG
I think you might run the risk of doing a disservice to waiters….
Almunia – say no more!
Cheers Vieira
Given that Sir Harold of Kane is banging them in in Bavaria, albeit in a currently losing cause (sob!), they might pass on Zirkzee. But if Juve go for him, and he’d prefer to stay in Italy rather than chance his arm in the PL, then Vlahovic might have to give way. I wonder if Bologna know about the goalscoring prowess of Eddie Unket? Maybe a swap deal could emerge if we had a decent transfer negotiator!
Yeah, Flamini’s entrepreneurial abilities are quite something. Very good luck to the guy. He gave it everything in his two stints with us.
I think I also spotted Eboue and Sagna both operating on the right. That team had its moments but seldom when it mattered in the big games.
Over the decades we have had some of the best goalies around at their time and then we had Almunia – coached by Peyton – we would have done better with Laurel & Hardy.
And so the goalie story continues – we now have Peyton Mk II as coach. Our Icelandic goalie wouldnt make their girls under 11 team.
Apparently Norwich are pushing hard to take Arteta’s No2 off his hands.
I was never a big fan of Flamini, although I always applauded the fact that he typically put in the work…how fortuitous for him that he entered the eco-friendly fray at the most optimum of times, as there were a boatload of companies/countries looking to put themselves squarely on the right side of history…my only beef with the whole green revolution was the seemingly unjustifiable inherent costs…I remember when my daughter went on a school trip to a wilderness camp which required the parents to buy only those supplies that had a mandated eco-friendly label…of course, in and of itself, this wasn’t an issue, as we supported their well-intentioned initiatives, but the fact that many of the toiletries, like the shampoo, were 4 times the price yet they had simply replaced some of the more “harmful” ingredients with water, seemed both gratuitous and disingenuous…if they really cared about the environment wouldn’t they have offered these clearly cheaper to produce products at a much more competitive rate so as to encourage future sales?!? it didn’t take long to realize that a good number of the emerging eco-friendly brands were in fact owned by the very same conglomerates who made the “less friendly” versions…our modern day version of capitalism reminds me of the way in which Russia bastardized communism…enough said on that matter
Vieira
Interesting stuff. In my view, Soviet Russia was never communist. It was run as a huge and irredeemably corrupt state capitalist entity that manipulated, tortured and killed its own citizens. A big enterprise ripping off people for the benefit of the few apparatchiks, as opposed to the western model of numerous multinationals ripping off… Etc. Etc. whilst operating a sham democracy with its own agents masquerading as elected politicians and client media chiefs.
Modern Russia is little different – just the labels have changed. For Russia, read China, Vietnam and all the other old sov-bloc satellites. That’s why my skin crawls everytime some lazy journalists craps on about the historic failures of communism.
Communism – as KM envisioned it – was never given a chance to flourish. It may have its day again, given the dark alleyways down which global capitalism and neo-liberalism are taking us.
Back to lighter stuff, d’you think Arsenal (football’s former embodiment of old school tie capitalism and now at the forefront of neo liberal, soulless, all-for-profit greed) will win tonight?
Hi NORG
Runnarson ended up on loan at my other club, Cardiff, this season. He was absolutely dire and was sent packing back to N London.
You’re right. The GK selection, coaching and management has been almost self-destructive in its awfulness. Flappy was little better than Almunia. Richard Wright, Sczezny (who had better times elsewhere and spelling his name still eludes me!) and Bernie L (who was ropey but recovered at Fulham) all underwhelmed. Since Seaman, there’s only really been Jens Lehmann, Manninger who I quite liked and the golden glove trophy masturbator (who is otherwise a serious wrong ‘un!).
Wilson, Rimmer and John Lukic from earlier times of course.
KP – and off course the man that jumped on the Picadilly Line at Southgate and got off at Avenall Road. He has the largest hands I have ever seen. He did go back to WHL as a GK coach – I wonder where he lives now.
TRVL – Flamini only had one really good season. Cesc got a small group together and orchestrated the passing system. Flamini shone that year but Wenger was not pleased and he got shot of Hleb & FLamini.
KP-that’s exactly what I meant…maybe I should have expounded upon my views at a bit greater length…Cheers
Norg-what I really would have liked to have seen for considerably longer was a midfield trio of Rosicky, Cesc and Hleb, as I believe they could have anchored a multiple title winning side
Yeah NORG, I thought about Pat Jennings. Great goalkeeper who we did well to acquire (did Terry O’Neill play a part in that?) and who did a terrific job for us. I think our occasional contributor Almuniasaynomore said he’d returned to live in Ireland somewhere but I think he still attends WHL as some sort of club Ambassador. One of the very few players loved by both sets of fans which is an achievement in itself. Willie Young is not quite in the same league but I’d say GG ought to be as popular in N17 as N5 seeing as he won their last trophy for them iirc. It’s staggering how little success that lot have had since 1961….there can’t be many Spuds still alive now who actually experienced their double.
Vieira
I’m not a huge fan of any of that midfield trio to be honest. Cesc seriously blotted his copy book by letting himself be photographed in a Barca kit while still an Arsenal player; Little Mozart was great when he played but was injured too often (not his fault I know), and Hleb for me was overrated. It shows my vintage but give me Davis, Rocastle and Steve Williams any day (with Mickey T and Kev Richardson on the bench).
KP – there is a story to tell about Cesc. The relationship between Wenger and Cesc was at an all time low – Cesc was ambitious and wanted decent players to play alongside him – Wenger wasnt signing anybody of note. It was Wenger offering Cesc to Barca and not Cesc selling himself to them. It was interesting how it was portrayed to me.
Paul Davis & Steve Williams were fantastic. SW was a quiet man but was a monster on the pitch. He was as hard as nails but not as subtle as DB10 when he fouled the opposition players. Davis’s best mate was Charlie Nicholas.
Little Mozart was a good player but had horrendous knee and tendon issues. He also blotted his copy book by shooting from outside the box – not a Wenger method as it took away 52passes.
https://youtu.be/uTLQaM0csz8?si=o9TWOLMJzi1p5JIn
NORG
One of my all time favourite clips. Not difficult to lip-read this one, but I always go back to this when I want to cheer myself up. Good to know you share an admiration for Steve W – Finsbury Park’s favourite son who should have spent less time with Southampton and more with us. Brilliant player who exemplified Arsenal for me at the time.
Ossie was such a fucking goody twoshoes with his ‘tottingham’ bullshit. I much preferred Ricardo Villa. Steve W even puts the referee right after the booking and shares a joke with him. What a man.
I remember when Davis got that 9 match ban for breaking Glenn Cockerill’s jaw. I got as far as drafting a letter to Ken Friar asking how I could make a contribution to help pay his fine. Davis was a sublime passer.
Evening chaps many interesting takes above. I was never a Flamini fan. He seemed too busy with typical French arrogance that stemmed from Wengerās die Fuhrer slant on the arrogance. I was expecting a Wenger book on improving ze arroganze. Flamini had the spoilt kid look about him.
As for tonight? Only a win is good enough. I said at the start of last season we had the squad to win the PL if we bought right in the Jan window- we didnāt and predictably the wheels came off. That was purely down to Arteta.
We are where we are largely because of our free kick and dead ball goal tally, not from scintillating football following mind bending tactical nous from El B.
Teams donāt seem to have answers to our ingenuity. So, for that alone I see goals because we are very fluid with the ball in the final 3rd. Free kicks & corners will come our way.
Defensively, Kiwior has surprised me and is looking certainly more solid than the ever erratic Zinchenko.
Iām not saying it wonāt be a tricky tie, but we have a swagger and bullying way in our play that has added steel to our play.
Marc is right to point out the coming concerning games, my answer isnāt Arteta has come of age, he hasnāt, not yet anyway. KP is right to be reflective on the last 2 seasons and the December decline that could easily be repeated. Arteta has always been the architect of his own losses of the games that mattered most.
A PL win will go some way to appreciating El Bās work, but taking 5 years? With all his shit to put up with? The poor buys and bad treatment of our kids? No the Cnut needs to win far more to become a hero for me.
That credit rests solely on our marauding squad with their tails up.
Iād rather see ESR at 8, butā¦ā¦.,..
Too late for me, so enjoy the narrow win chaps, Iāll each in the morning. 1:2 to us is my prediction with Ode continuing his electric form. Saka to score.
Sorry Ambarish another good piece making valid points.
Time for sleep š“
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