When the season began, I was positive and happy that we were competing for 4 trophies – FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Premier League and Champions League. I was hoping we would pick at least one of the them and put an end to our trophy drought. But things have not panned out as we expected.
Things started going wrong from January. We were ousted by Manchester United in FA Cup third round on penalty. City is most likely going to win this now.
Next was our Carabao Cup run coming to an end in semi finals, where Newcastle beat us twice – both home and away – with 2 to nil.
West Ham (loss) and Forest (draw) have killed our Premier League title chase. Yes, it’s still mathematically possible but we are 13 points behind Liverpool with a game in hand. Even if we win ours, that would be 10 points difference with only 10 games to go. I doubt Liverpool are going to drop that many points and I doubt we are going to take advantage of that situation.
That leaves us with the Champions League.
We are visiting the Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the last-16 today for the first leg. Champions League are usually very unpredictable and you can’t take lightly any of the games. We have seen City only somehow managing to get into the knockout games of group stage, and we have seen some big teams losing out to qualify.
And the fact that we have a non-existent attack further complicates it for Mikel and team. We are going into the game without our StarBoy Bukayo Saka, our left winger Martinelli and without a CF (even a make shift Havertz). Defence looks okay, Ben White is back from his injury and MLS is back from his suspension. Saliba and Gabriel will hold the fort for us.
It’s not tough to guess who would be starting today, Trossard, Nwaneri and Sterling and it’s not a good sight for the Arsenal fans. We should try scoring first and hold on to the lead because we often complicate it for ourselves and I don’t want to see us leave everything for the 2nd leg.
The players must have been demoralised with the recent run of games and when asked about it, this is what Mikel had to say :
on how to instill belief into the players:
Well, try to explain how we’re going to do it and why we do things, and they try to deliver that in the best possible way. In the last two results it’s been very different, in terms of performance as well, not getting the right result that we want, but we’ve certainly been better, especially in the last game with the opposition. And the fact we still have gears, even with the players that we have, some of them have gears to take us to a different level. When it comes to that stage, it’s about lifting the level and the standards, every individual has to be at their best. When we do that, with the team that we have and the connection we have between us, we are a really strong team.source : Arsenal.com
If we manage to get past the PSV in round of 16, we would face one of the Real Madrid or Atletico in quarters.
Right, so with whatever is available for today, I would personally love a back 4 of White, Saliba, Gabriel and MLS. Cala has been making some mistakes lately so MLS sounds a better option to me. Timber has been doing well but if White is fit, he has got better runs in overlaps and I would try him. Keep Timber on bench in case we need him later in the game.
A midfield of Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Merino will start but I would never be happy with both Rice and Partey starting in a game. Pick Jorginho ahead of Declan and stick Merino on the left.
Front 3 has been a conundrum but the only option we have is, Trossard in the middle, Sterling and Nwaneri on either side of the pitch. Lets not put Merino up top and lets not expect him to score 2 goals every game.
Right, that’s all for today. The game’s a bit late for me, but I will be up and will see you during the game.
Cheers!
TRVL
PSG are a level above pool all over the pitch. Great game to watch.
Didn’t see the pressers I never bother.
Prefer to do our talking on the pitch.
With such bravado we should dispatch Manure easily.
Wicksey our average is one point a game so what you crowing about? You lonely down in your mum’s basement? Looking for attention?
Tony
I’m only half watching but it looks like PSG are battering the Scousers – they’re lucky its still nil nil.
Was just going to post Marc Poll are lucky not to be 2 down. Slot is going to need some half time talk to get Pool back in this game. PSG are so fast blocking of spaces they are forcing Pool
Into error after error.
Tony—this certainly isn’t the PSG side we faced early on…Pool are in one now…I’m sure Slot would be pleased with a road draw, but this one feels like goals will be scored in the 2nd half…frankly I’m surprised that there haven’t been a couple already…we should have poached Krav from Napoli when we had the chance
what an interesting little tactical ploy to start the second half by Enrique to kick it out of bounds high up the pitch…I’ve only seen that a couple times before…in the grand scheme it’s a bit of a nothing burger, but it’s clear that Enrique knows that Pool is struggling to clear their lines, so why not remind them right from the off
Kvara NOT Krav
Agree TRVL on all points. PSG are far better than when they had Mbappe and Neymar.
Good game to enjoy. Haven’t see live CL for 10+years. Junior is kicking every ball for PSG. Has a few mates who follow Pool.
Tony—we should have been so lucky as to get Enrique here…just think this PSG side didn’t cost nearly as much, now that they’ve completely revamped their roster construction model…we could have easily done likewise, with speed up the wings and a real 8 to boot…I was a little concerned at first about what Enrique might do, tactically-speaking, especially during that early wonky period, but now that he’s established himself as the outright alpha, this side plays a very attractive brand of football…fuck me, Alisson’s been brilliant tonight
strangely enough, Salah has been atrocious…he’s been so bad that he actually got subbed off
talk about an instant impact…tbf Salah would have never been left so free
Poor by the PSG keeper considering Alison’s heroics. Pool one up
Route one football wins the game.
Arteta starting a 17 and 18 year old in an away game in the knockout stages of the champions league dispels the myth that our manager is afraid to blood young players ,which is usually a common theme amongst some uneducated supporters.
It would have been very easy for Arteta to play more experienced players last night , but instead he proved a lot of people wrong last night with his brave team selection.
Sometimes you have to give credit where it’s due and last night was one such occasion with not only a brave team selection but very bold tactics in taking the game to PSV and destroying them with what can only be called a world class display that should make any Arsenal supporter proud to support the club.
How many times have we heard our MIT state unequivocally that we deserved more from a match or that we were the dominant side but the scoreline and/or the officiating simply didn’t favour us? by my estimation, every single match we didn’t win…obviously this is a slight exaggeration on my part, as I’m sure we’ve found ourselves on the wrong side of a decisive loss and nothing off the kind was uttered, but he’s literally done so more in 5 years than Wenger did in 20, which is saying a fuck of a lot
so you might be asking yourself, why am I raising this point…well yesterday Liverpool was quite soundly outplayed by PSG, and not in a possession-based borefest manner where the opposing Keeper wasn’t even really tested, like many of those affairs where MA played the “unfair” card, but in the kind of outing where Alisson was required to make 9 saves, 5 of which were of a top-drawer variety…just for shits and giggles, let’s have a looksee at how each manager reacted, for comparison’s sake:
Enrique first:
Q: What’s your feeling? It’s cruel with Liverpool winning with their only shot on target.
Enrique: It was a very complete match from us, maybe our most complete match in the Champions League. In the first half, the expected goals were completely in our favor. They only shot once and scored. Their best player was Alisson, the goalkeeper.
It’s a bit strange, but I feel very proud of my team, the players, and the supporters. The atmosphere was wonderful, but football can sometimes be unfair. We need to score. We’ll take this positively and think about the second leg in Liverpool…their best player was the goalkeeper. We were really better than Liverpool, but they won. If you want to see the negative, I don’t see it. I’m very proud of my team and my players. There’s still a second match in Liverpool, we won’t give up.
Q: Your opinion on the foul by Konaté on Barcola that wasn’t called?
Enrique: No, I don’t comment on that. I never comment on referees. We at PSG think one way, and the Liverpool players think another.
Now Slot:
“I have some very good players as a manager, but never had the best goalkeeper in the world. And that I think he is, he showed that today. I didn’t think once or twice that we would defend so much and we would come away with a 1-0 win, or 2 or 3-0. The goal and a win over here was a bit more than we deserve.” Then he made the hero of the match, Harvey, who was a late-match replacement for Salah, warm down on the pitch with the other substitutes, which shows his unwavering commitment to maintaining his high standards regardless of the circumstances
now there’s a couple of managers who fucking get it!
it’s starting to look as if we’ve found our DOF, Andrea Berta, the former Atletico director…he arrived in Madrid in 2013, a year and a half after Simeone was hired, and during his time there they won 2 La Liga titles and 1 Europa League Championship…hardly the best CV, but certainly not the worst either, which is why I have mixed feelings about this one
in one respect I like that he’s drawn interest from other notable sides, like AC and Roma,(some say he turned down the United gig too) but the very fact that he’s not currently employed does concern me a bit…far too often when we’ve taken the path of least resistance, whether on or off the field, things have gone awry
personally I would like to no more about his actual role at Atleti, as Simeone seems like the kind of individual who would demand a massive say in all personnel moves, which is likely why his very specific brand of football hasn’t changed much during his lengthy tenure…don’t get me wrong, he’s been part of a side that has mattered for the better part of the last decade, but I would much rather that we tried to emulate the other Madrid side
speaking of which, I’m not sure their hiring practices would fit the bill here, unless we want to lean further into MA’s newfound Bully-ball tactics and risk averse nature, as that’s right in Berta’s wheelhouse…just think of all
the older and sometimes underwhelming Strikers/forwards he’s signed over the years…that said, they have made some bigger moves over the years, some of which have moved the needle, like with Griezmann and Alavrez, albeit I’m not sure how involved he was in the latter, whereas others, like with Felix, totally missed the mark, considering the initial investment
in my opinion, I don’t think we should be fixing to be the Athleti of the PL, as we have the necessary backing, or at least we did until MA kept fucking up the transfer brief, and the requisite blue chippers up top to get back to playing a more attractive and expansive brand of football, with the right additions…I just worry that the underdog/rough and ready mindset might not get the job done here, especially if MA’s still making all the personnel decisions…that said, maybe he’s looking to change that narrative and that’s what he’s being promised here…I guess we’ll see…I will say this, he did play a part in creating one of Europe’s most mentally tough sides, who’ve employed a whole host of top-notch box-to-box two-way midfielders along the way, so the most important question quickly becomes just how siginificant was HIS part in all of that…Cheers
TRVL two very interesting, and thought provoking posts I really enjoyed reading I learned much from.
I said to Junior how we missed the boat on Enrique. PSG especially their midfield reminded me of Xavi and his two tiki Taki triangles perfecters where when losing the ball the 3 ganged up to a force a mistake to retrieve the possession again.
They stifled opponents’ midfields as PSG did last night making Pool players make error after error passes that they wouldn’t normally make.
They intelligently press while closing down any space Pool could pass through.
It was a joy to watch as was Aliison’s brilliance and a lesson for all keepers to follow if they have the same reaction speeds.
Conversely, the theatrical Donnarumma fluffed the only real shot Pool had with his positioning and weak wrists. If I were PSG. I’d be after Emi or Allisson in the next TW.
Really enjoying the CL, now I can see it live. Looking forward to next Wednesday and the Madrid derby 2nd leg as well as PSG at Anfield. Two top games to enjoy.
I see or 2nd leg being a tame affair with more goals from us.
First, though, I want us to do the same to Manure as they did PSV. Manure are not much better than PSV, so expecting a goal fest for us on Sunday…..
Tony
The Mom has broadband in the basement and as a result we have to suffer the inanity of the delinquent.
Hoopah
Sadly, I have to agree with you. Shame he doesn’t know when to leave the adults to talk football sense here. Maybe Ambarish could add a Junior LIR part to post in, but then he’d piss off the Gooner kids who know better……
He’s the vacated village idiot position who now can’t find his way back to the village because, when he left the villagers took down all the road signs back.
I Thought Marc’s comment was best a short while ago saying ” you don’t half talk a lot of bollocks”
Perfectly summed up for me………
Hope you’re enjoying the CL……
The beautiful bi-polarity of football…
We play a top 2 Dutch team away and fucking destroy them. Spuds play a mediocre Dutch team away and are losing 1-nil.
And lost KP says it all. Manure looked like continuing their poor form.
Wicksy
You’re almost as full of shit as Arteta.
You give Arteta credit for playing a couple of young kids when he’s only started them because of either injury or his piss poor recruitment and yet we both know come end of the season when the cunt has bottled it again you’ll try and use the injuries as a reason as to why we didn’t win the league.
You’d be better off scuttling off back to le shite where you can all take turns in sucking the cunts cock.
so as to not come across as a total hypocrite, I think it’s prudent that I address my earlier somewhat dismissive comments regarding our 7-1 mid-week thrashing, as there’s no question that on numerous occasions I’ve spoken about the potential benefits of beating the snot out of a side…that said, context matters
first and foremost, my ultimate intent was to expose our little interloping fucktard Pricksy, who, like others before him, tried to present himself as the voice of reason in a supposed sea of entitled miscreants…now that his weaselly intent has been exposed for all to see, we can move on knowing full-well that his presence here was nothing more than a orchestrated attempt to sow dissension and say “I told you so”, should the opportunity arise…as expected, he failed miserably…adios shit for brains
secondly, when I’ve spoken about the importance of putting our collective boots on the throats of our competitors I’ve always made mention of the circumstances involved…with this in mind, there’s a big difference between putting a team away when we’ve got them on the ropes, which should always be the case, although far less meaningful when it’s more of an anomalous occurrence like the other night, and the potential long-term benefits of laying a beating on someone early on in the season for the purposes of instilling confidence and proving to ourselves and others that we have that many goals in us
so whereas I would never totally disregard a 7-1 scoreline, it doesn’t carry the same weight as it would if it had happened at the start of the season or even following an active winter window, when tones are set and narratives formed….at this point in the season, considering the circumstances involved, in that PSV were fucking shit, it means exceedingly less, unless you actually believe that the remaining “big” CL sides now fear the possibility of facing us down the line or that MA was simply waiting until March, when we were facing a double-digit deficit in the PL, to finally release his tactical handbrakes…Cheers
you can all take turns in sucking the cunts cock
Marc
There’s a pleasing metaphysical dimension to that comment. Poetic too. Is LG still even going? I thought people almost unanimously decided it wasn’t even worth the steam from their piss. Rich, Champagne Charlie, AFCF, Emirates Stroller, that creepy American twat that agreed with everything Pedro said but basically knew fuck all. And twatty authoritarian Pedro.
I remember those cunts. Not worth the bother of trying to forget them.
It seems like it’s a crime on here to have a good insight on the game.
Vera is embarrassing himself with his constant attacks on me , I suspect there is a hint of jealousy there as he has found his match and my insightful views on the football appear to trigger him.
If we are honest , Tony just jumps on the Vera bandwagon , I’m sure Tony’s son junior , being younger appreciates a different view on The Arsenal unless he has become completely brainwashed by his Dad.
My advice to Vera would be to stop being triggered when Arteta’s name is mentioned as it is not a good look for someone who tries to come across as the voice of reason, you have a decent knowledge of the game and you tell a good story , maybe jackanory is more your level as you vera are a man (debatable)who likes to embellish a story..
Tony
“Sadly, I have to agree with you. Shame he doesn’t know when to leave the adults to talk”
Isn’t that what Karmer’s government said when they took office ….that’s working out well isn’t it..
A simple analogy but true , you lot need to take a good look at yourselves (and your comments) if you think you are the adults in the room.
Karmer?
Is he that androgenous geezer from north London who sang, ‘Starmer chameleon ‘?
Wicksy – some friendly advice. Stick to the football mate. Politics and spell checking possibly aren’t your fortés. Don’t worry though – Marc keeps ploughing on!
Incidentally, can I be all boutros-boutros ghali for a little and advocate for peace on here?
There are enough argumentative twats in the world right now to make an entire football team. Oh, and you’d never see me raising the temperature on here ever, would you? It’s national self awareness day today too!
Playing a 0-0-11 formation for all our attack.
Starmer (sucking off/up to any right wingers whose trousers he can open).
Ursula Von de Leyen. Expensive Dutch import. Prone to spitting over opponents a la Rijkjaard.
Biden – daft as a brush but capable of leaving an atrophied leg in.
Orban – he’s fat he’s round can be bribed for a million pounds
Vance – a nasty cunt but never there when the bottles are flying
Farage – Marc’s motm. Complete bottler but talks a good game.
Elon Skum – if he’s packing that chainsaw, the opposition are fucked.
Kemi Bad-enoch. Thick as mince but never stops talking. Despite that fucking terrible communicator.
Macron. Utter lightweight but his geriatric missus brings the baguettes at half time.
Melania – performs free blow jobs at half time after she gets the orange coloured excrement off her lips.
Trump – he may be a rapist, racist and an inveterate liar but hey, he’s gotta be on the list right even though he’s an utter amoeba 🦠
KP
Best post of the day. You may have noticed how Melania avoids any physical contact with the orange one. The rest of the team cannot wait for half time.
Innuendo, double entendre at a cerebral level a wee bit above the proboscis of the visiting crustacean.
Hope the blast off the sprayer was just enough to shoo it back into its LG hole.
( have no wish for anything more )