Who Will Be The Hero In Madrid For 2018 Gunners?
May 2nd, 2018 by 'holic
I have had it in my mind for nearly a week now. A European semi-final. At home we have been held to a 1-1 draw by a club with a decent European pedigree. Everybody expects us to go out. I didn’t make the trip as I couldn’t afford to go to both the semi-final and the Final. In the public bar big Alan and I sit listening to a crackly BBC Radio commentary grimacing when we appear to be in trouble, and getting palpitations when we get anywhere near the other goal.
My pint of Directors and Alan’s lager has been replaced three or four times. There’s a minute to go, Rixy gets down the left hand side and chips it to the far post, where a relatively unknown 18 year old substitute is about to make himself a household name. Paul Vaessen, unmarked, heads home at the far post. Two delirious Gooners are leaping around the public bar. The Juve players are down and out, devastated.
With the benefit of hindsight I should have gone to Turin and not Brussels in the glorious, yet tortuous, spring of 1980. Defeat to Mario Kempes and his Valencia team-mates in a penalty shoot-out is not what 25,000 Gooners wanted to witness. Will I wish I had joined a good friend’s birthday trip to Madrid this week? Who will be our Paul Vaessen, tragically taken from us in 2001, on Thursday night?
There’s no doubt this is the biggest night of Arsene Wenger’s farewell season, and hopefully it will be relegated to the second biggest around 10pm Thursday. It’s a tall order overcoming Atletico Madrid in their backyard, but Chelsea have already done it in the Champions League and at our best we certainly have one more Juventus away moment in us.
The manager has somewhat surprisingly announced at his press conference today that David Ospina will keep goal for the Gunners. He must be still mulling over the partnership in the middle of his back four tomorrow. Laurent Koscielny is probably guaranteed a start as skipper, but will Arsene keep faith in Shkodran Mustafi given that Diego Costa is almost certain to start for Atleti? Calum Chambers and Konstantinos Mavropanos did their prospects of first team action no harm at Old Trafford. Thursday might be a match too soon. Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal are pre-printed on the team sheet.
In midfield we once again are denied the services of Mohamed Elneny. That presumably means Granit Xhaka will start with Aaron Ramsey. If Henrikh Mkhitaryan is deemed match fit then he and Mesut Ozil will be certainties to start. That leaves the boss with the choice of Jack Wilshere, Alex Iwobi (if fit), or Danny Welbeck in the final wide berth supplying the ammunition for Alexandre Lacazette to feast on.
The ‘holic pound
There are too many ifs, buts, and maybes in that line-up for me to continue to anticipate what could happen. It will be better for my sanity to punt from the heart. We have to score at least one goal to have any chance of making the Final. I have a feeling we are unlikely to be able to keep a clean sheet, so I have to back the 1-2 away win which would take us to Lyon with a back-up on 2-2 with those away goals proving decisive. I have the win at 16/1 and the draw at a boosted 19.75/1.
To the birthday party, have an absolute blast with Tone. Let’s hope the boys can give him the best of presents. We did win on our last competitive match in Madrid!
Have a great one, ‘holics.
161 Responses to “Who Will Be The Hero In Madrid For 2018 Gunners?”
Top preview Holic! I remember the Juventus night. The first game was a terrible match full of gamesmanship and savagery from the Italians, I didn’t give us a prayer but we took advantage of their conservatism. And we were in the middle of four FA Cup semis with Liverpool then as well!
0-0 will do Atletico. Let’s hope they try to be negative and we can confound them.
I feel reasonably confident. It doesn’t feel to me like we are going to go out. Yogi has christened Mustafi and Koscielny the Chuckle Brothers But I’m sure Wenger will go for experience and let us hope the team play for Arsene tomorrow night. I think Lacazette will bag a double and Ramsey will notch in a 3-1 to the Gunners.
Got a funny feeling tomorrow is going to be more Inter 2003 than Barcelona 2010
Your mate the referee last took charge of us in the home 5-1 mauling by Bayern. (gulp). ?
Thanks for the preview.
Impossible is nothing.
With a a good game plan and plenty of belief, we could do really well.
Thanks for the preview.
Impossible is nothing.
With a good game plan and plenty of belief, we could well do them over in their backyard.
UTA
Cheers H! Hoping Cynic (nearly fucking typed ****y there just for a New York second) is on the money. See you Sunday whatever happens.
I’m only making pre-match thanks to GWR Esso, so will have to go to the Tollie to meet Ragav and Blogs. Hope to catch you on the day.
Thought Aldershot had a player called Karamba in their team just then. Was hoping his first name was Ian for teamsheet jollity reasons, then saw his name wasn’t Karamba.
Champions League? What’s that?
Evening H
I note Athleti haven’t conceded a goal at home in their last 11 games,so we are going to have to do better than the previous 11 who failed to breach their defensive line, if we are going to put the proverbial cat among the pigeons.
To top off the somewhat daunting task ahead of us,i see our favorite striker played in Athleti’s league game on Sunday,so we will have double trouble to contend with up front tomorrow.
I’m not one to agree with Arsene that the 1 – 1 draw was the worst possible result for us.
If the team have the belief in their hearts and minds,i am convinced we can score at least once,which will need Athleti to score at least twice to beat us.
I don’t think they will be too ambitious,preferring to play us on the counter,knowing that we have to score.
Let’s go out with a positive mindset,keep our nerve,stay calm in what will be a cauldron of unrelenting noise,and go on to stick one up all the so called experts who have written us off as having no chance of making the Final in Lyon.
Howdy ‘holic.
Drink to get back on an even keel. Now to read your preview. 🙂
GS54 do you fancy giving that team talk to the boys in Madrid tomorrow? That was well written.
Ay ay caramba Cynic.
look away record
https://youtu.be/UFJLI4MTEKg
UTA!
Cheers Holic, agree with every word.
Clive reports that Atletico haven’t conceded a goal at home in their last 11 games – well as the Rev Al has posted “The Time Has Come”. All sequences come to an end and tomorrow will be our turn to do it. Has the Rev Al had a message from above?
PS Rev … what a great singer, was she in your church choir ?
no messages from above as yet, but i shall be keeping ’em peeled in bedfordshre, which ‘as just hoved into view. And as for Patty, she has an open invitation, Uply.
One more sleep. Amen.
Look Away record?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKi6ABJkUSw
The closer it gets, the more I feel a decent win is coming. It just feels fated to happen.
But then I backed us to win the league, despite everything, so what do I know.
Starting favourites as Atleti are against an unpredictable team like Arsenal – who have beaten Chelsea (who thrashed Atleti in the CL) 3 times in the past year (plus 3 draws, no losses) – must make them very nervous. If we can hit them early we are in with more than a chance.
I’m looking to Nacho for that first goal, cos it’s unlikely Atleti will be looking at him as closely as others. And a big game from Rambo. I’m not happy with Jack’s attitude in recent games, but could I really suggest Iwoeful or UnWellbeck ahead of him? I could not. But I might consider AMN alongside Xhaka and moving Rambo forward.
Cech (yes I know Ospina has the nod)
Hector, Musti, Kos, Nacho
AMN, Xhaka
Fishgod, Rambo, Miki
Laca
Thanks for preview Guvnor.
AW must be among the few who
would pick Osp for this game. But
I guess he did say Osp was the cup
keeper.
The rest of the team looks about right
and my guess is AW will choose Danny
wide as there’re doubts on Iwobi’s
fitness. But then Jack was left at home
for the Old Toilet game so who knows.
Liked Chris’s team though as it
gives AMN a chance and he’s looked
the most consistent of the kids
this season.
Wouldn’t play him with Xhaka in
the middle though as both seem
probe to lapses in concentration
– pity Elneny is out as they might
have been a better fit for this game.
Lovely preview, ‘Holic. I hope your winnings on the ‘Holic pound cover a trip to Lyon.
Chris@17: Ramsey plays in the no 10 role for Wales, and it is his preferred position. As with Reiss-Nelson and Sir Arthur Maitland-Niles at OT, AW finally seems to be discovering the advantage of playing players in their best positions.
We are at a disadvantage sure but knowing we can’t relax a single moment in the game is better than taking a 1 nil lead there and being comfortable at the back of the mind.
we can do it but the boys must really believe they can and are going to do it.
if we score early we can get through. we are not like athleti who can go through most of a game without a goal and still believe in themselves.
with a goal our team transforms and play excellent football at times.
COYR. Lets bury the memory of this crap season and go out on a high.
Cheers from the Flying Horse at Gatwick, H.
Great stuff Holic, really hope we make it tonight,!!! COYG
Good preview Guvna. We have a clear task. We know exactly what we have to do. Every player has to be entirely focused on their roles, play to their maximum level. Go on lads, give Arsene Wenger the chance to leave with a trophy and give yourselves a chance of a place in next season’s ECL.
It’s quite straightforward. Go win, Arsenal. I’m told Lyon is lovely in May.
Hope you have the happiest of happy birthdays in Madrid, Tone.
COYG
Many happy ones, Tone. Have a great trip. ?
Happy birthday Tone.. hope the Arsenal give you a befitting present tonight.
Holic, ain’t we playing in our dreaded away shirt tonight? Optimism just dropped a notch!!
BathG
It’s been a while… Enjoy tonight
@Chris
Can Niles handle two games in a week?
He’ll definitely get leggy post 60min mark and will probably be eaten alive by Koke and co.
I’d say bring him on post 60minutes… with instructions depending on the situation of the game
Good to see you back in the bar, NigerianGunner. Hope all is well with you, mate. A glass of your favourite tipple is on the e-bar to toast success for Arsene Wenger and his warriors tonight.
I think we are playing in the black kit trimmed with magenta. It’s by far the lesser of two evils given we cannot play in red and white and Puma seem to be averse to offering us a yellow and blue option.
Let’s hope we can channel the teamwork and determination of the All Blacks (pace, Chris).
Well, if Cynic believes, whom am i to … etc. … and a Big Country fan, too – praise be to a day of surprises then.
Disclaimer: In reality i’m completely consumed by the ol’ fan fear of us getting a giant whupping at the mo, but the consumption of a drop or two of the holy water, later, should sort that out.
UReDZ!
On the morning of the make or break game for Arsene a piece that I think has more than the ring of truth about it. I suspect the journalist has had some inside track from someone in the new set up
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/arsenal-transfers-sokratis-papastathopoulos-defenders-overhaul-arsene-wenger-squad-a8334521.html
A brand new back 5 in one hit – i doubt it. Expensive, logistically near-impossible & no guarantee they’d be able to successfully play together in so short a prep. time.
Don’t recall it ever being done/tried elsewhere either; presumably because it would expensive, logistically blah blah & with no guarantee of blah & blah in so short a blah.
Sheeeeeeesh, the half-baked nitwittery supposed proper sports journos’ll cough up for clickbait.
Still nervous & sober … UTA! Over.
BathG
All is nearly well, it can only get better.
Still having a mixed feeling about Wenger leaving. But for the greater good, he had to leave and I’m glad.
Let’s hope you’ll have reasons to soak yourself in some holics on your way from Madrid
Nice one, Holic !
Another veteran of Brussels and Valencia here ?
Can’t trust our defence i’m afraid but we made a lot of chances in the first leg.
Therefore, has to be a Desmond here – that will do nicely !
Afternoon AL !
Massive Big Country fan, Rev. Tony Butler is a greatly under rated bass player. So effortless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0aa2k_9HHA
Yoooooohoooooooooooooooo – Trev … but shouldn’t you be rubbing someone up the right way for money, just now. (And i do hope you washed yer hands before you hit the keyboard.) Half on the bar for yer topman.
And Cynic @37, hats orf, i watched that lot to the end & enjoyed it, and special mention to your boy on bass (despite him sporting what looked suspiciously like a bandanna) he was/is a wee bit tasty there, no doubt abarrrrrrt it.
still sober, still bricking it, a bit.
UTA!
humteeeeeeetumteeeeeeeeeetuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmm
teeeeeeeeetuuuuuuuuuummmmmmm.
Pre-match nerves … Can’t.Concentrate.On.Nuffink.At.Mo. But will be limbering up down pub soonish (didn’t he used to play for someone, at some point???) …
teeeeeeetuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm
Nervous AL ?
Go with it – you can’t altar it !
Geddit, eh ?!
A half for me sounds lovely.
And a half for my mate Nelson, if you please.
I’ve twisted his arm rpto have one so you can say
“Here’s your half, Nelson !”
Don’t make me cross Trev, & as a Fizzy-O, I’d’ve thought a small Bonaparte of you would forever prefer to be buying half-litres for the old emperor …
*damn it, ‘e’s lured me into ‘is almost evil upsidey-down world of punnery, again, and already i’ve lapsed into near-gibberish – a marked improvement … i know … on much of what i post ‘ere*
puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuubbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb – and be damned!
Have fun guys. 🙂
I don’t usually buy the all or nothing rhetoric that journalists use to describe matches but it applies to this one. Arsene must so want to win this match. If he doesn’t the last three games will be so anti-climactic but more to the point he deserves a great finale in Lyon. It would be a perfect swan song.
Do it boys !
Suffering from flu here so not drinking tonight which is probably a good thing ha ha 🙂
I sincerely hope we can turn up tonight!
COYG!
Clive,
Six Gunners named in England’s squad for the European U17 championship which begins this week, which is by far the biggest club contingent . The tournament is being held over here .
Given how mad European football has been of late I reckon a high(ish) score draw to take us through is on the cards. COYG !
Nerves just beginning to eagle here. TTG, your link to the Independent was an interesting distraction but I really don’t believe we are going to buy a brand new back 5.
Elsewhere we are linked to a 21 yo Freiburg CB – Caglar Soyunku, https://news.arseblog.com/2018/05/report-arsenal-linked-with-freiburg-defender/ -who has apparently been tearing up trees.
At least it sounds like we are focusing on the right area of the team. I’ll be content if we sign a top keeper, a big, strong, loud, bossy CB and a dominating CMFer and replace any critical departures, namely Hector or Rambo.
-eagle
+ jangle
darn spillchucker.
Arsenal: Ospina – Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal – Ramsey, Wilshere, Xhaka – Özil – Lacazette, Welbeck.
Is it just cold in this house, or am I getting the chills?
Subs: Cech, Chambers, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Nketiah, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan
I would have preferred Mkhitaryan to have started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX_1awS1tbc
I am not sure that I can stand the tension. Might have to have a very strong drink.
Paul Vaessen brought his death upon himself. Basically he went to pot (and not only pot) after his knee injury curtailed his football career just four years after signing as a pro with The Arsenal.
However, he will be forever a Gunner and none but a Gunner. Like Tony Adams – an Arsenal man through and through. Both unsullied by never having played for any other club.
C’mon the Arsenal!
am I getting the chills?
Got them too.
They’re multiplyin’!
Had a wager on 3-1 to us
!!!noooooo emoc
(mirror, mirror on the wall….)
C’mon boys, need your best game of the year tonight. COYG.
Phew
Costa is already bullying us and nearly scored. Koscielny is seriously injured and is being replaced by Chambers. Terrible start.
Is this his ankle? Feel sorry for Kosser!
Terrible injury that, if it’s a snapped achilles.
Kos bad injury..looks like he may be out of the WC by his reaction… FFFFFFFF!!
Non contact are the worst
Hopefully he’s just turned his ankle over but it looked a bit more serious than that
Rubbish by Welbeck there.
Oh Lacazette c’mon
Stupid defending there. Fucking give him a shout
Jeez, Nacho.. that was tight. Playing well here in spurts but also looking a bit suicidal at times.
Not playing our best keep making silly mistakes with our passes
Come on Arsenal!
Shit me, that was close.
Shit me, that was close. Again.
Ospina just made a terrible decision kicking cross field across his goal and was lucky it didn’t fall to an opposing player. They are good at shooting from tight angles and have come close to scoring twice. COYG.
Nacho is sadly having a nightmare
Making more silly mistakes now come on wake up ffs?
Jack is an idiot, doesn’t want to grow up and picks up an unnecessary yellow.
Monreal should have pushed it to the byline and crossed it in he then stops and passes it backwards to Ozil come on
We seem very unsure of the game plan here
Ffs!
That’s the end of that. What a useless fucking header that was.
Optimism vanishes now they’ve scored first.
Match over. We will never score two, sorry to say. Had to be Costa.
God, look at that “shape” on the replay.
Shit defending. We are so loose at the back and Bellerin loses Costa.
We needed a goal to survive so in this sense it’s not changed
Bellerin asleep and Ospina on his arse????
Basic stuff.
Stay focused boys.
Seen this before rings in ears again
KSN. Harsh on Jack. Not much wrong with the challenge and not a yellow.
It’s make or break in the second half, handbrake fully off I mean!
We will never learn and a technically very good team will punish our Shambolic defending. How come we never stick to their forwards and give them a free run on our goal.
Ksn
The other player should have gotten a yellow too for that challenge on Laca if Jack got booked as well!
wot shot woz Ospina tryin’ ah stop??? #Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh
Still time – thingies crossed
We played very decently there but have to be more positive now. We certainly need to get closer to Lacazette and we have to get wide and cross it well. Bellerin and Nacho have both been poor with their delivery Huge games needed from our front six now. Eddie Nketiah will be our saviour !
Steve T – Jack was being petulant and the ref decided to punish him. Surprising, that the deliberate kick by their player went unpunished.
There will be plenty of time for inquests about Ospina etc but news tge time to support and pray and hope . It’s far from over
Psed: Oh well, we know we needed to score tonite, so no change … ish, then. UTA!
Agree, ATG.
We have shown that we can play at this level (Atletico are four points ahead of Real in La Liga) but need to improve, organise our defense better if we want to win consistently.
Slow, pedestarian pace and surprisingly unmotivated Arsenal. I’m expecting us to win but seeing this team playing very very casually and almost with no desire hurt me most than the goal itself.
And Atletico looks very beatable tonite if we want it. But Clearly we don’t.
Bellerin has been very bad in the first half including Nacho, they are holding up. Bellerin had acres of space that he could run into he played a pass to Ramsey we only just got a throw in out of it.
We played better for the first 35 minutes then we started to make mistakes with simple passes then we lost shape and boom!
#handbrakeoff in the second half!
Get Mhki on
Come on you Gunners!!
Boing
TTG
Agreed. Now is not the time for the usual moany shite.
I don’t give a toss if we loose but we need to play better simple as!
Time to get Mkhi on – we have to
score
oh…. as @99 and 101 in fact
Couple of players doing the usual strolling about.
We have to score the next goal.
Xhaka ffs
Wenger HAS to wait for the 60′ at least to make a change…ffs
1-2 or 2-2 both do, either way we
need two to win
does anyone fink we should slip Mikhi on ??? No? Oh, OK.
UTA!
Mkhi time is here
COME ON FFS, make this period of possession count.
WTF is that Ramsey?
Jeez…
Ramsey is having a mare as well
Ramsey should concentrate on playing it forward not passsing it backwards
Subs please Wenger
Come on, just make the change man
This lot are like a Spanish Everton. They are there for the taking if we’re capable, but we don’t look it.
Simeone really makes me think of Lyle Lovett. On that basis alone I hate him.
become that legend Mkhi
be so fine
At last a bit of quality and it’s from Mkhi. MORE PLEASE
I wish we had a striker with half a clue about how to attack the ball in the box.
Laca is a different player Cynic
I want Nadal to be crying with despair at the end the smiley bastard. Do it, Arsenal.
No urgency whatsoever we aren’t pressuring
Come on!
Cynic
Didn’t you get TTGs memo? 🙂
The cynical imprint of Simeone is all over this Atletico team
I wish we have players with half of clue about how to play with desire in european semi final
It’s Nketiah time
As much as we’d like until now we don’t deserve to go through
Fucking shambolic!!!!!!!!!
Mesut Ozil is on £350k a week.
In case you’d all forgotten.
Clueless
Don’t give the ball back, he’s not exactly hurt. Keep it.
School boy errors as usual our passing is terrible
We have no rhythm going forward!
Sorry to say, this is when you overstay your tenure, karma is a bitch
Montreal and Bellerin need to go back to crossing school and Ozil once again wastes everyone’s time and his own being on a football pitch in an Arsenal shirt.
One sub left and we are waiting for extra time!
Christ this whiny shit man
What the fuck is that Welbeck? Back heels in the box in the last minute?
Three minutes stoppage time by the looks of it. Might as well be three years.
To be fair we probably wouldn’t have beaten Marseilles or Salzburg in the final anyway. Bottling has always been our specialist subject.
We are not good enough end off
Can’t defend and can’t score.
I’d hate Arsenal to play like this Atletico team.
End of.
The truth ain’t whiny. We have players on that pitch who are paid an absolute fortune and they are nicking a wage, week after week. I hope the new guy ships a few of them out, although on the obscene wages they get, we’ll have a tough job finding takers for any of them.
The sad thing is, Atletico are an awful team and we should, if we’d got anything about us, have beaten them quite easily.
Blew it at home, played sterile football away.
Can we ffwd to August pls
Cynic
I’m all for criticising. Christ I do enough of it. But Jesus Christ it’s fucking dull as fuck reading the non stop shit during a game.
I’m proud to be a Goooner tonight. The lads gave everything but were naive defensively and Atletico were anything but naive. Time to let Arsene have his farewell and move on .
Bellerin looks gutted.
At blowing his audition for a move to Barcelona.
The only one who looks like he really gives a shit is Lacazette.
146
Yes we fucked it up at home. Big style
Dexter they couldn’t play like Athletico Charlton let alone Athletico Madrid.
And now I’m off to enjoy the rest of my today.
Good night Gooners
Careful with the comments on the next post, please. >>>>>>>>>>
Well said Dexter I think Atletico are cynical and defensive. They do what they do well ,it’s just that we aspire as a club to be more than that. It’s amazing Atletico went out to Chelsea and Roma. I think they are harder to beat than both of those.
Let’s hope we can be as positive as possible going forward . On and off the field
I’m livid with this static display I have just witnessed!
As some of you pointed these guys were strolling around as if they had time in the world to score an equaliser! To be honest we have no style of play we don’t know when to turn and shoot we want to pass it the goal!
I’m sorry but now it feels like it’s going to take a lot longer for us to rebuild and it’s Wenger’s faulty in a way! He allowed complacency with his tactics and views on modern football.
It’s would be lovely to have a greatest send of but believe me it feels more like sour grapes to me!
So much for “doing it for the boss”……couldn’t believe I was watching a semi final and out last route back into Champs League.
TTG – That they gave everything they had (well most of them) and came up so short against a really poor, but organised, team just shows what a big job the new guy has to do.
Atletico were really quite dreadful over both legs but got the job done.
Most of our can’t be criticised really, and as bad as we were technically in defence they put a hell of a shift in. They did their best, most of them, but a couple need shooting and/or selling, a couple more I hope I never have to watch play for us again, because they are not good enough for a top club.
Pride at the effort of the back four but the front three were junk, although Laca I can’t really criticise because he tried, and the midfield is not very good.
Biggest summer for the last 20 years coming up for us on a number of different fronts. Trouble will be shifting those that are just not good enough out who are on big wages. We are not the draw for quality players as we once were so it will be difficult to get players in. Time to wake up and smell the roses. I love my club. We haven’t been at the top table for years and we better settle in for some lean times ahead. Be thankful for what we have had. Come back stronger. Hopefully…
A winnable two leg tie in Europe
lost and sadness for us all ?
Time to remember with joy what was
achieved in the past and look
forward to future glories.
For me anyway it’s not time to slag
off all and sundry
Atletico was awful but we were 100000000 more awful than them. I really feel for Wenger. You cannot argue that he desperately wanted to win it, but looking at these players, playing a semi final game like an exhibition game is hard to take.
One extra run, one extra initiative not to wait for the ball, one extra purpose of passing, that’s all we need…is it too much to ask?
I am really pissed off to see this kind of behaviour in such important night.
Do they care at all…? Such a disgrace performance from the team…