Champions League night. At Home. 1-0 deficit, so need to win at least with 2 goals. Haven’t qualified for Quarter final since 2009-10. Eliminated 9 out of 10 times in knockout stages when we had lost the first leg. Worrisome past in Champions League. And a mountain hill to climb.
But…
Mikel was positive in the press conference and I’m sure the team is, too. Likes of Bukayo Saka, Martinelli (injured unfortunately), Rice, Gabriel, Saliba have proven their worth in England, I’m sure they are eager to do that in Europe as well. Today’s the day.
Arteta has stuck to the ‘new’ usual playing XI. Raya starts in goal to support the back 4 of White, Saliba, Gabriel and Kiwior. Jorginho keeps his place in the midfield, so we would see Rice again in a more advance role. Odegaard starts.
Kai Havertz leads the front 3 with Saka and Trossard on either side. LT has better eyes for goal and we might see him rotating at top with Kai. I would say we are playing with the best team we have.
I would have preferred Thomas Partey in place of Jorginho, but he has come back from injury and has hardly played. And Martinelli is out injured for 2-3 weeks so Trossard is 2nd best option at LW.
I don’t have much to say about today, except that we need the team winning today with at least 2-0. In return, they need our support and voice and enthusiasm. Lets keep the love and hate aside for the players and the manager and enjoy a beautiful night of football.
A very short one today, games starting in 30 odd minutes.
#COYG
Just did some research on Trossard senior, ie tonight’s so-called referee.
Turns out he’s an utter Dick that goes by the name of Turpin. No wonder his officiating felt like a complete (highway) robbery! At least our penalty takers were able to stand and deliver!
I’ll get my coat for the second time this week. Don’t worry it’s just post match euphoria mixed with some non chemical delirium. I’ll be back to being an old bastard tomorrow (or Friday depending who we get in the draw).
A good game between two quality sides as it should be at this level. I think both games exposed a lack of nous that may count against us now it’s big boys from here on in.
Porto are no mugs and accustomed to playing past the group stages so this was a good test. While we didnt blow them away, we showed greater maturity than the first and played a much more controlled game. Games are often won by tight margins in the knock out stages so I’d see this game as progress even if it doesn’t give me much reason for optimism when we meet a proper big name.
Wendell did a tidy job on Saka both legs, partly I think because White was more restrained. He needed to be. But like the rest of the team, he’s finding out that CL knock out is a different beast with teams set up better to nullify him and of course facing a better standard of player. Rice was also less ambitious, playing more like he would at West Ham, effective but not as progressive as he has been the last few months. It’s a learning curve for all of them
Fair play to Tets for trying to change things from an attacking point of view but I think bringing ESR on would have been more effective than Eddie. Move Havertz to straight 9 and have ESR playing 8, his movement can be as intelligent as Havertz and would have given Porto more to worry about. His work rate off the ball has looked impressive recently too. I don’t get his lack of game time knowing what he’s capable of, or maybe was as I’m working off memory as much as anything these days. As for Zinny, he looked shaky and a little off the pace.
Quarters eh? Not used to this. Hoping for Munich or Barca, I’ve got some late stage Wenger ghosts to lay to rest and would love to have us knock Kane out and extend his trophy drought. Realistically however, I think this tie has shown us progressing further will he a tall order.
I will say this, if we can find a way to harness the confidence we exuded on the spot today during our regular office hours, we could find ourselves in the semis…if not, our lack of end product could be our undoing…after all, we scored once in 210+ minutes against a scrappy, albeit well-coached, squad, which isn’t meant to diminish our long-awaited accomplishment of reaching the quarters
if we’re viewed as an underdog from this point forward I hope we take a page out of the Porto handbook, as they displayed the tactical acumen generally required to make things tough against a better side…it’s clear they watched ample tape, especially our most recent fixture, and knew full-well what to expect if Marts wasn’t able to go, as we’re a little too much of an open tactical book…thankfully their end product wasn’t there tonight and we were able to tie things up…if we’re in a similar position next round, with a then healthy Marts, I would hope that our attacking approach took better advantage of the potential matchups, especially if Rice and Havertz are our most centrally advanced options…we must make our opponents pick their poison, then adjust our tactics accordingly…so looking forward to the draw!!!
Aitcho
I doubt we will see ESR on the playing field again in AFC colours. He hasn’t been forgiven for praising Ozil.
Some good points there Aitcho. Porto had some quality players and they’d evidently done their homework. I thought Arsenal were unable to impose their PL style of play and as you say, they were more cagey. Having Martinelli out wide would have allowed more opportunities on the left but Trossard junior put in a good shift.
You were there right? I have one nagging question… Who was down to take our fifth penalty?
It’s good to be in the qf draw. I think I’d prefer to play one of the winners of tonight’s 2 games and avoid the big guns
KP – any body remaining in the draw would be good. If a lesser team gets through to the next round they will still be good and determined.
Hi NORG
I’m a bit more discriminatory than that. I know they’re all good at this stage but I’d rather the big boys get drawn against each other and we get one of the slightly lesser lights. One O
of the two teams that go through tonight would do me.
I’m the same when FA Cup draws are made. Sutton over Man City every time, knowing we’ll still meet them later.
Remember that time we played them (Sutton) a few years back and their 40 stone reserve GK was eating a sausage roll on the touchline? It was all linked to a bit of betting fraud iirc.
He wasn’t an ounce over 39 stone. I thought it was a pie he was eating – how many could he consume in a game. In China the bookies would have been working overtime. If my memory serves me well there was an ex Arsenal player in the Sutton line up.
Craig Eastmond – a decent player but was never going to break into the first team with the likes of Song, Cazorla and Coquelin around. According to our friends on the interweb he’s still at Sutton so good for him. I think I also saw him play for Colchester at an earlier stage.
Yeah, that tubby goalkeeper scam was a beauty!
Talking of less-than-distinguished midfielders of yesteryear, I used to enjoy a certain D Hillier popping up to do the radio commentaries on Arsenal.Com. Im not sure he’s still doing it. Pretty decent analyst and clearly loves the club, but I wouldn’t let him hold my suitcase on holiday.
… From the storied heights of the CL quarter finals for the first time in aeons via some in-game dubious savoury eating contest to some petty thievery at Gatwick. I’m too easily distracted.
I can’t remember if it was a pie or sausage roll but think it was also sponsorship related. The betting may have come after. Craig Eastmond, I think he played first team games for us, maybe even UCL
I don’t know who was down for the fifth. It’s not something I’d taken note of as I felt fairly comfortable with the options we had on the pitch.
Any team now will be a test but out of self interest, with the new ST structure, I want to spend my hard earned on seeing the big names. If we take them out it means the later stages are made easier. They’ve started clocking ticket usage as well so there’s an element of fomo if attendance becomes a deciding factor in final tickets. I know, way ahead of myself.
Baku was the only final where it was free for all as far as I remember due to lack of take up by away members. I’d been harassing friends and acquaintances with away points before it dropped to gen sale. Others have been logistical nightmares with away members and their historic points cleaning up first. I believe that’s changing too and I’m not going to complain if that particular cartel is broken.
Craig Eastmond was on loan at Colchester together with another Arsenal player. They earnt more per week than the rest of the Colchester team put together.
Hillier had some tricks in his box but never really pushed himself.
Eastmond, JET & Co – Wengers babies – were all on wages way above the norm.
Missed the game which was well past bedtime. But picking up thanks to brilliant commentary guys. Ambarish seemed to be particularly alert last night. Thanks Aitcho, that was a preety good summation
You guys rock
London IS Red 🍒
Aitcho – no long distance travelling to the final this year. We won our last game at this venue.
Lost all sense of football timing with travelling and now down in BKK.
I echo Hoopah’s sentiments with the interesting comments and good post Ambarish.
PL and CL still in our sights so onwards and upwards.
Another trip to Dubai wouldn’t go amiss for a top up.🙏😎🙏
just doing some morning-after reveling…I feel like maybe Ode stepped up for the first time in a big match, by finding a way to marry his vocal leadership qualities and his play on the pitch…last season everyone knew full-well that Xhaka was the man behind the man, but yesterday, when Arteta looked like a deer in the headlights before the penalties, Ode rallied the troops then did what the best leaders do, lead by example…who knows what the future holds, armband-wise, as Rice appears destined to wear it at some point during his tenure, but in the meantime, it’s good to know that the days of the captaincy having more to do with locker room politics/policing appear to be coming to an end
KP-I was listening to The Move and Amen Corner late last evening, after a few, and I was wondering if you have any good Fairweather Low stories…Cheers
TRVL
Andy Fairweather Low – a blast from the past. I seem to remember him being in the line up when I saw Georgie Fame at Ronnie Scotts – would have been 74 – 75? I was surprised how accomplished a guitar player he was.