Gunners Enter Moscow On A Mission
Apr 11th, 2018 by 'holic
Another Thursday night, another Europa League trip for a few diehards. Moscow is a tough destination at the moment with relations between Russia and much of the western world severely strained. To paraphrase George Graham in 1989 let’s get there, get the win, then get out of there.
Roma’s remarkable comeback to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League on Tuesday night should serve as a warning against complacency tomorrow. When quizzed in his pre-match press conference in Moscow Arsene Wenger offered assurances.
“Last night may be a warning for us but let us not go overboard as well. Yes, we have a big job to do but we are in a strong position and it is how we approach the game that will be vital tomorrow.”
The Arsenal will have to make two enforced changes from the team that beat CSKA 4-1 in the first leg. Mohamed Elneny is the likeliest replacement for Granit Xhaka who was left at home with a flu bug. Alex Iwobi is probably the starter in place of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. A starting eleven then of Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Nacho Monreal; Elneny, Aaron Ramsey; Iwobi, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil; Alexandre Lacazette.
CSKA will have to come out and go for broke and we now know they have players like Golovkin, Musa, and Dzagoev who showed moments of real menace and to be fair CSKA might well have added to their one goal tally on the night. We will have to be wary of the genuine pace they have in abundance. A fervent home crowd will roar their team on and make a hostile atmosphere for the visitors. We would do well to quieten them with the first goal.
The ‘holic pound
I dare say we all of us have considered the many twists and turns this match could take tomorrow. I was tempted to back a draw for the second time this season as it would be good enough to see us through, but we have momentum from a six match winning run and I’ll back us getting a seventh under difficult circumstances. The bookmakers seem to have similar feelings. 1-1 is the market favourite at 7/1. The 12/1 available against 2-2 is more attractive, but I am on my old favourite, 1-2 to the Arsenal, the second favourite at 15/2. Update, I just got 8/1 at Bet Victor.
So few have made the journey (I think we only requested 500 tickets) there should be bumper viewing figures for the show on television and streams. I hope you all get a decent picture and we deliver a European semi-final for the first time since 2009.
Have a great one, ‘holics.
73 Responses to “Gunners Enter Moscow On A Mission”
I used to play Raid Over Moscow all the time on my mate’s C64
Thrilling night in Madrid. Definite penalty, sad for Buffon.
And Chezza has to come in just for the Ronaldo PK. And he did a Chezza by taking his time to walk on and stomping on the spot. Guessed right but that was unstoppable; if that went low he had it covered.
Evening H
CSKA will make a fast start and try and get the early goal they need to give them hope and momentum.
So our job is to make sure we keep things tight and take the sting out of the game.
Can our defence do that,??
We are always going to concede goals because of the way we play,but will we be so cavalier away in Moscow,when we don’t have to be.
Game should be set up perfectly for us on the counter attack,as long as we show discipline and don’t get caught out with too many players in the wrong half of the pitch.
Having said all that,i will be very surprised if we are not in the draw for the semi finals on Friday.
TTG from previous drinks
Enjoy the Youth Cup semi,we’ve done the hard work in the away leg,so hopefully the boys can get the job done on Monday night.
I look forward to reading your first hand report from the match.
Thanks for the preview Holic. After this crazy week only the teams with great concentration and rocklike defence can feel safe. Rubbish as they were at the back if they take the game to us we are very vulnerable . We need Ozil and Ramsey to step up like they did last week . Little Mo is a defensive upgrade on Xhaka and the Iwobi of Sunday will be very useful I think we have a 90% chance of going through. One omen is that I would be unable to go to Lyon for the final if we get there as I have to speak at a friend’s memorial service so we are bound to get there !
No Only Fools Rushin’?
Nice preview anyway, ‘holic. And may we not be the fools rushin’ in. Calm and collected should do the trick.
travelling faithful
.
don’t
I’m looking forward to TTG’s report next week too Clive.
I have to confess after the events of the last two nights I’m not sure I am looking forward to this one as much as I was a couple of hours ago!
Fair preview, ‘Holic. It is going to be a tough game, no doubt. The team’s proverbial mental strength will put to a severe test. Would take your pound landing in a heartbeat.
will be put to a severe test.
Who needs Real Madrid when you’ve got Wolves?
http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/11326845/neves-scores-a-wonder-goal
Thanks Guvnor.
Dictatorial French leader,
trip to Moscow in winter.
What could go wrong?
1-0 to The Arsenal will be fine
for me.
Your team is what I’d expect
Guv but personally I’d go with
3 at the back for this game.
Play Hector and Kola wide
with Mo and Jack to sit and
let Aaron, Laca and Iwobi or
Ozil forage up front. To me
there’s a fair argument to
leave Ozil on the bench as
we don’t need him as long
as we hold it at 0-0. Iwobi
and Aaron can press and we
can negate Golovkin, plus 3
at the back should prevent
Musa getting free in behind
(I know, I know, purely
theoretical). Anyway, get
to the hour mark at 0-0
and they’ll know the games
up.
Course, play our usual way
and hope to get an early goal to
kill it off is what I think AW
will do.
I’ve been to Moscow. It is cold and bleak.
I’m hoping for a 1-0 to the Arse but suspect the 1-1 to be more likely.
UTA.
C’mon boys, be at your best tomorrow. As we have seen no lead is safe.
You make a good point, Matt, this could well be an occasion to use 3 at the back … so long as the 5 at the back can remember how the system works.
Trust that Portuguese pratt to win it in the 8th (!) minute of added time. And to make it worse he read my recent advice on pen taking and smashed it into a top quadrant where it is unstoppable.
Yeah, Ronaldo saved the day.
Bale hooked and Benzema unused.
Miles back in the league and now in the
CL semifinals for what seems like the
umpteenth year in a row.
I really don’t like Real Madrid.
Still Barca must be really, really pissed off
so there’s always a bright side.
Thanks for the preview Guv’nor.
Whatever happens tonight, I’m stuck to 1-3. Yes am both unreasonable and bullish. That scoreline is what I need. We need to arrive the semifinals in bullish mode, cruise into the finals and stomp whoever turns up in Lyon.
Good preview Guvna.
The critical decisions will be on our formation and early strategy rather than personnel and I think Matt’s suggestion of 3 at the back is a good one though I would drop Jack rather than Mesut to achieve it.
We should definitely adopt the Anfield ’89 philosophy. There is no urgency for us to start scoring but we should concentrate on keeping them out.
We can expect to have to dig in and repel their drive for an early goal looking for breakout opportunities for the away goal that makes their task more difficult and hopefully breaks their hearts.
Stay safe travelling Gooners.
COYG
Let’s hope that we can say “Vladimir Putin, your boys took one hell of a beating!”
We’re just a few miles from Salisbury, and he’s not too popular round here.
Any result that sees us through will do.
What was (mercifully) left unsaid in your title, ‘holic. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6JVE2WHkQw
Still, we are the good guys who MUST prevail.
Time to be confident Gooners despite the weirdness of the week. I am recollecting the number of times we poured through their geriatric defence last week and though I was hoping we would hammer them about 6 or 7 -1 after the first half , Ramsey , Lacazette and Ozil had them on toast . Undoubtedly a Russian triumph would suggest they had been experimenting with some of the performance enhancing substances that Mr. Putin encourages his chemists to produce but to blow a 4-1 lead against the shower who pitched up to play us last week would be beyond a disaster . It won’t happen but let’s hope we can play with the ability we showed in Milan.
Osaka Matt has analysed our potential approach well but having seen how nonplussed Ozil made them I would want him out there to occupy them as much as possible. If we are short at the back I am sure Oleg Luzhny has still got his boots!
COYG!
“Go sit in the stands and eat your crisps .”
Buffon’s advice to small town policeman Michael Oliver.
Holic calls the team right save for Welbeck replacing Iwobi. We have three CBS on the bench !
Nice preview H.
Agree totally. Get in. Get the job done. Get home safely.
Apparently all those Arsenal fans that are there have been give free Russian hats as a gift, and to protect against the cold. Personally, in light of recent events, I would not be touching it with a barge pole.
Please try and remember how to defend boys???
Koscielny’s game has really fallen off this season; doesn’t look solid anymore. An injury that has not healed completely?
Massive yawn this.
Will it still be a yawn after Nacho scores his hat trick though?
We really are so poor at the back.
Lose the first header, great save by Cech and no one bothers to go with the only other CSKA player in the box???
1-0. The crowd is now really awake. One good cross can unhinged our defence completely as no one folloed the runner into the box and he scored.
Need a goal now.
Game on now!
Very poor first half performance. We dominated this team last week and tore them to bits but when they ran at us they caused us problems. So we drop off and let them run at us.
And we have very little on the bench to change the game . Chambers, Holding and Merts and the Tank with just Iwobi and Nketiah. We need a much more positive approach on the ball and need to press them when we lose it. They have too much space on the right as we are not working back enough
@27, Mustafi is a misfit and Kos and Nacho are at their sell-by date, Steve. Big changes needed in the summer.
Mustafi was the closest player to the goalscorer but was completely flatfooted.
Atleti vs Sporting is actually in the balance.
Arsenal will not concede 3 and they’ll score an away goal.
Knicker twisters in the area…
The goal looks even worse in slow motion BTM. We were probably as static as is feasibly possible. I think your assessment is spot on. It’s just a potential car crash at every opposition attack.
Pathetic really.
But will they concede two and not score an away goal, Dexter.
I think we may actually need to score twice before we can consider this one safe.
It will be interesting if they score in the first ten minutes of this half. Shit knickers all round if they do.
Mustafi wants selling by the way, I’ve had enough of the idiot.
I’m watching in Austria courtesy of Turkish TV, Steve. Slow motion is not a concept the Turks are familiar with. Their commentators get extremely excited every time ‘Mesut’ gets within ten feet of the ball though. ?
36
Atleti? Well given what’s happened over the last few CL games Atleti could be another scalp.
Fuck sake
Does it look as much of a shambles in Turkey as it does back on the UK???
Why is it that we play 11 v 11 but always look out numbered?
How can 2 players be standing 3 yards offside?????
Such basic errors.
I thought that was a foul by Mustafi there. He’s dived across the guy with no intention to play the ball.
And we bring on a defender! Well done Arsene!
Jack is crooked not good
That little triangle they just played then before the shot was so easy and so easy to read, but we just stood around for it.
Is the game plan today “Let’s do everything we can to NOT TRY to score”
So fucking rudderless.
I wish they’d sort out their tannoy announcements. They’re so quiet I thought the voices in my head had started up again.
Oh Danny boy
We needed that well done Wellbeck!
Well done, Danny. Very good goal.
Laca body language is not very good
Decent goal that and there goes Lacazette for the standard substitution. So predictable, it’s like it is written into his contract that he has to get the hook
Welbeck well done and very much so.
Da da dada da da…
55
You would appreciate predictable. Narr mean?
Mo mo mo mo
Great bit of skill from Dead Shot. Fantastic ball from Elneny and a great finish from Dead Shot.
Now there’s a phrase I never ever thought I would have a use for.
Great ball Elneny, Great finish Welbeck!
Lazio heading out!
Kaboom!!!’
Get in Ramsey ?
Another fine ball from Elneny. Calm finish, Rambo.
Warning. Positive comment about Arsenal player alert.
I think Elneny is quality and I’ve always rated him.
Shit I know it’s not the done thing to be positive. Please don’t reject me.
Phew. Now to put my underwear in the washing machine!
Elneny king of assisrs.
An ugly job but job well done, not sure why we didn’t put the tie away in the first half and made it difficult for ourselves but hey we’re Arsenal right?
And of assists too.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Madrid scraped through. Lazio are out .
Shit happens. Rain in the negativity dudes. Save it for when it’s actually needed!
Good night.
Sleep tight Dexter. I’m sure the nice nurse will be along shortly with your medication.
Sweet dreams.
?