One Song, We've Only Lost One Song
Apr 5th, 2010 by 'holic
This is the second consecutive match preview I have written from the local hospital, having brought visitors to a poor old soul unable to pass water under his own steam. The supreme irony is that I have just heard that on top of Fabregas, Gallas, Arshavin, and van Persie, we have travelled to Barca without Song. I have suddenly become as incontinent as a fella who has just walked into Toxteth’s roughest pub with an Anfield ’89 teeshirt on!
Sol Campbell, his own availability uncertain according to Arsene Wenger, now becomes a very important figure, if he can recover from his exertions against Wolves on Saturday. The side pretty much picks itself now and it will be the big man or Silvestre alongside Vermaelen at the back.
It’s too late now for much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Lest we forget the hosts are without both of their recognised centre-backs and probably Ibrahimospellingmistake as well. Bojan will probably deputise for the double goalscorer of last week, but there has to be an outside chance that Thierry Henry might get the nod and give us a twelve to ten advantage in the Camp Nou?
If Arsenal have proved anything in the past, it is how to win the huge contest with a depleted side. The Cup-Winners Cup semi-final in 1980 was Juve’s for the taking according to the pundits. In the last minute a teenager called Paul Vaessen (see his sad story here) climbed to head the winner in Turin and we pulled off a sensational triumph. One-nil to the Arsenal!
Copenhagen in 1994 will never be forgotten by those fortunate enough to be out there. A patched up side with an injured goalkeeper, and no Ian Wright, were going to get battered by holders Parma in the Final of the same competition. Zola, Brolin, and Asprilla were cut down to size by a magical Alan Smith strike and a dogged defensive performance. One-nil to the Arsenal!
Champions League 2006. We are away to the Galacticos of Real Madrid with a back four including Senderos in the middle and Flamini at left-back. Can we keep the defeat respectable and give ourselves a chance at home, wonder the ‘experts’? Enter one Thierry Henry. We are on our way to the Final. One-nil to the Arsenal!
So at Barcelona I can’t put it any better than the boys on the Fans Forum on ATvO on Friday. “We have nothing to lose”. We know we don’t have much chance, but a chance we do most certainly have, and we have produced results against the odds before.
We have to do to Barca what they did to us at the Grove. By their own admission they have never played better, and still they couldn’t win. We have to do what we were doing for the first couple of months of the season. We have to press the ball all over the pitch and not allow them to weave their pretty patterns. Then we need to make the most of our advantages, for example the pace of Theo Walcott, and the aerial ability of Nicklas Bendtner against stand-in central defenders.
Then maybe we need to pray for a little miracle. Maybe even a fifteen minute cameo from another teenager, former Barca-boy Fran Merida, and a last minute winner you couldn’t even dream about tonight? The ‘holic pound has to be on an Arsenal win, a generous 15/2 with Paddy Power, although I will have a back-up pound on 3-3 if I can get to Coral, who offer 100-1 on a scoreline that will take us through on away goals!
Win the next match.
Somehow.
111 Responses to “One Song, We've Only Lost One Song”
The spirit in the team has been unmatched this season and will be sorely tested by Barca, But I just have one of those anything can happen feelings.
Come on you Rip Roaring Free Scoring Never Boring Gunners!!!1
How I wish history would repeat itself, Holic.. Any bets for Merida’s name to go into Arsenal history books?
true holic…….nothing to loose can work for us……how much chance u give us??
Sajit, he is 25/1 to score first, same odds to score last, or 8/1 to score at anytime.
usama,
don’t ask me that π
Believe!
Tomorrow is not for the faint hearted, the odds are firmly stacked against us, but it is in these circumstances that champions are born.
Away from home, stripped of our leading lights, thrown in against the wounded roaring pin stripped lions in the camp nou, surely this will be our greatest triumph, this will be club defining, this is what the boys play football for, this is why we are fans, days like these are the reasons why our veins pump red and white.
The boys will have to summon every ounce of our recently famed mentality to drive a stake into the heart of the catalans, we wont get too many chances so I pray to the gooner gods that we are clinical, we can slay the Golaith to our Daniel, the gooner nation just needs to believe.
i have hope that we could win but we may be ripped to shreds. but we’ve nothing to lose!!
man really very sad story of mr.vaessen….
I am gooner and I believe.
I cant see us getting anything at the nau camp. we are way too fragile and dont fight enough at the beginning when we dont have the ball. the only way the gooners will get anything from this tie is if we pack the midfield and back and work super hard. give barcelona no time. xavi needs to be taken out off the game. or arsenal need to keep the ball early and eboue and walcot especially have to play to there maximum and use the ball perfect in every attacking suituation. we have pace on the wings with walcot and eboue. that is where the arsenal will do some dangerous work. im really looking forward to seeing nasri in the center again, in my opinion he never shys away from a game thats going badly. hes never afraid to get n the ball and his control is the best at arsenl by a mile. i think he is better all round than fabregas. glad to see him given the chance to shine. fabregas against barcelona last week was playing as a striker for the first hour , even tho he was our captain and a midfielder. we needed him to lead by example and he was hiding away from any pass. i was so dissappointed and its been the same against the big teams this year. i think song is a massive loss. we need him. so this is my starting 11 for tomorrow.
almunia
sagna campbell vermaellen clichy
denilson nasri diaby
eboue bentdner
eduardo
i think eboue and bent will work super hard here and bring walcot on with 30 mins to go again for eboue or eduardo and hopefully he runs riot again. but i think no matter how good arsenal play tomorrow i cant see them getting anything out off the game. my prediction.
4-1 barcelona. messi 2, bojan and pedro
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derek burke u are crazy….making predictions against us even before the match??…..BELIEVE!!!!……they have their cb outside…if u watched them against bilbao u should know how easily there defence open ups…….if they had taken their chances it could have been very different!!!!!1
Inter Milan,
Juventus,
Real Madrid,
AC Milan,
Barcelona are just another team we have ‘no chance’ against.
I am pissing in my pants already.
This is not fair on us.
Why Barca at this stage?
Why Barca at all?
But….I maintain,despite all our would-not-plays Barca is still not unbeatable in Nou Camp…though my heart skips a beat as I type this out…I say to all Arsenal fans all over the world …..KEEP THE FAITH…GOD loves the “small” guy.
I BELIEVE!
Must admit I do not get this negativity at all. Let’s be honest. Who thought that Barca would be walkovers even with a full squad? Exactly.
Now let’s get real. From Wednesday night we miss Arshavin. Big loss? I don’t think so. He did very little on Wednesday and I would suggest we actually played better when Eboue came on.
Song? Big loss but again, he was someone who palyed most of the game at the back. A lack of understanding with Tommy V resulted in both goals. His replacement, Denilson I thought was outstanding.
So Eboue for Arshavin, Denilson for Song and hopefully a fit and sharp Sol at centre back. That is really not that bad. Nasri can fill in for Cesc and pull the strings.
If we show the same fight and desire as we did on Wednesday then who knows?
Keep the faith people…….
were gonna win tommorow,i will say no more
Right, bets on.
Arsenal to win, 15/2, Paddy Power
Arsenal to win 1-0, 22/1, Paddy Power
Arsenal to win 2-1, 25/1, Stan James
3-3 draw, go to Coral if you can, I took 80/1 at sportingbet.com
If it is 4-4 I will pop my clogs π
“I have suddenly become as incontinent as a fella who has just walked into Toxtethβs roughest pub with an Anfield β89 teeshirt on!”
ha ha ha, ‘holic!
****
@ Steve T
That’s pretty much how I see it, too.
Great writing, ‘holic. And well true Steve T.
Now all I can ask for from you, ‘holic is an uplifting spirit. Of your choice.
WTNM
Cheers!
henry owngoal, 89th minute
0-1 arsenal
lets start to dream ……………. π
Wenger says he’s hopeful that Sol will be fit but says: ‘he has a slight hamstring, a muscular problem’.
The very first Arsenal game that I ever went to, league cup replay against Brighton and Hove Albion. Paul Vassen bagged two headers in a 4-0 victory. Stapleton got the other two (headers also).
Vassen along with Meade, Mcdermott, Robson and Davis were the hot young prospects from the youth team that were supposed to lead Arsenal to great things during the 1980’s. Which was why Terry Neil did not replace the likes of Brady and Stapleton immediatley. Sound Familiar?
To be fair Vassen career ended through injury and I think that he would have made it, Meade and Mcdermott were just not good enough, Robson fucked off to West Ham???! and Davis didn’t start to shine until the mid to late 80’s.
As for tomorrow night. We need a game plan along with a lot of luck.
COME ON U REDS
Only Arsenal fans are predicting an away win. I want Arsenal to go through and I know that we can, even away to the world’s best club team in 2010 and without our best players including our spine of Gallas/Cesc/Van Persie. But it would be completely reckless to bet good money on it, we all know that deep down.
In the light of Alex’s absence (and this weekend makes me think of his brilliant performance last year at Wigan, including his jinky goal), I think AW needs to go for broke….
Forget the 4-3-3: we don’t have the players for it and it didn’t work in the first leg. Let’s go 3-5-2: Sagna, Campbell, Vermaelen as a tight defence around the box blocking shots, crosses and splitting passes; Eboue, Diaby, Denilson, Nasri and Clichy strung across the middle with the wide nutters bombing forward and back; Bandtner and Eduardo up front, a propr partnership to give their defence the willies.
It would be completely reckless to bet good money on it, which is why ‘holic placed his bet in Euros π
*chuckles*
its gonna be a classic one nil to the arsenal, just like the cup winner cup final win
80s gooner: the real problem when we think about that era was how (wrongly) ageing placemen whose faces fitted like Price, Rix, Talbot and Sansom were allowed to keep the likes of Davis and Robson out of the team for too long, and (rightly) proven journeymen like Mariner and Woodcock were brought in to lead the line, denying chances to young strikers like Meade and McDermott. That changed somewhat with George Graham and by God has it changed with Wenger, but it’s undoubtedly true that we wasted or lost entirely years of Davo, Robson, Chris Whyte and Martin Keown – not to mention Andy Cole – cos of an under-investment in 80s youth.
Off topic I know, but in search of some light relief from the Song gloom, did anyone else think that Wolves at the weekend were the blondest team we’ve played against since errr…..Brondby in whatever year that was? It got me thinking about our all-time greatest Blond XI – and let’s be clear at the outset – strawberry blondes are permitted but out-and-out gingers like Alan Ball, Perry Groves and Tony Woodcock aren’t, plus we’re banning dye jobs like Almunia and Sagna. I’m going to plump for: George Wood; Lee Dixon-Tommy Caton-Willie Young-Thomas Cruise; Stefan Schwarz-Siggi Johnson-Graham Rix; Andrei Arshavin-Lee Chapman-Nicklas Bendtner. A team for any match: a match for any team.
I too am gutted about Song but Denilson has proven himself very handy in these CL games as a defensive presence in midfield. He performed far better than either Song or Diaby against Barca last week. He knows how to draw little niggly fouls.
As for the injury curse, every season we all hope it’ll finally end and it never does. I continue to say that even with all the various weaknesses that are much talked about by the manager and his players, it is first and foremost INJURIES that have kept us from getting silverware.
I’m not the only one to point out that it is nothing short of miraculous that every season, we manage to finish in the top 4 and go as deep into the CL (and sometimes the FA cup as well) as we do with all these injuries.
And why is it that just when you think Utd have FINALLY gotten a little of our bad luck with injuries, news comes in that Rooney may after all be recovered in time for their CL 2nd leg v. Bayern?
@St Paul Davies: haha, that was such a mad idea that it could actually work π
All-time Blond Arsenal XI:
Alex Manninger, Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Pal Lydersen, Kevin Richardson, Siggi Johnson, Stefan Schwarz, Andrei Arshavin, Dennis Bergkamp, Nicklas Bendtner, John Hartson.
I had hoped for Walcott on one wing and Vela on the other. He’s got pace, he knows Spain, has played in the Nou Camp (maybe) and he doesn’t need to be shrugging off Micah Richards type tackling. His pace might pin back Alves. But then I read he didn’t even make the squad. Guess I should give up on my dream of getting my coaching badges.
Pls stop being over-optimistic.I am an arsenal fan.I do arsenal more than read my surgery books.
We still need to know we are not in for a child’s play.Stop all these wishful thinkings and let’s go there,steal a goal or may be two and line eleven players across the goal.Lower teams have done it for us successfully,let’s do it for them.At least we can learn from teams inferior to us.
Has he broken a nail perhaps ? Feeling a bit tired ? Poor little mite ! I am SO sick of the excuses of these players – he gets paid a fortune yet uses such a pathetic excuse to pull out of what could be a career defining game. He just doesn’t have the fight in him.
@Samir-nk Special: That’s the spirit!
Barca fans are as nervous as us if not more, they have Zlatan, Iniesta, Piue and Puyol out and unfortunately Chygrynskiy too (who makes Silvestre look like Vermaelen). They’re talking about Abidal filling in at CB and if he performs like with the French national team it won’t take long for us to get a penalty and play against 10 men.
Like marcus and Steve T, I have full confidence that Denilson has all it takes to break up Barca’s play and with a team that boasts Nasri, Diaby (who will be back to his best after a rest), Rosicky, Denilson, Walcott and/or Eboue in its midfield/wings we have no reasons to fear anyone. That’s without mentioning NB52 who will be eager to reuse his portuguese boots.
I can’ wait. GO GUNNERS GO!
I would go for this team:
Almunia
Eboue, Sagna, Vermaelen, Clichy
Denilson, Nasri, Rosicky
Theo, Bendtner, Traore.
I would hope Wenger will be bold with his selection and isn’t going to be conservative with the team and hoping that we will keep a clean sheet till 70th min.
We need to make them fear with our pace. Traore can cross and he has got pace.. Traore swings in a peach of cross from the left and Bendtner thumps a diving header in bottom of the corner in the 1st minute! Then, I woke up and didn’t know how the game finished…
And of course I forgot to write about our team’s spirit that some spineless cowards that call themselves Arsenal supporters should inspire themselves from…
We live for these games. Bring it on!
When it comes down to it all we can do now is scream them on.
I know we can do this.
I just don’t know quite how.
@ Booland 39. Traore wasnt given a match vs wolves.. and you think Arsene will deploy him vs Barca is his first match for months and out of his normal position?? Also to the three defender in the back idea, we would get shredded. All it would take is for one Defender to get beaten by a quick Messi touch and no cover behind him and Acres of space across the back with our remaining two isolated. A little dissapointed with the non inclusion of Vela is the squad. Hopefully our pace on the wings will pin Barca’s Wing backs closer to their side of the pitch. Nasri and Diaby’s ability to get Bendtner involved through the middle to be able to turn, flick on for Theo or Eboue, or even lay one back for the unmarked Denilson should give us enough threats up top to work Valdes frequently. Diaby hasn’t had two subpar games this whole season, looking for him to be able to ride the tackles of the inferior sized Barca Midfield and penetrate deep in their box with his silky skills. we have to stay disciplined in our cover also. We can do it lads. take our chances and we’ll be singing about this triumph for years!
@ Matt 38: ( Who makes Silvestre look like Vermaelen) .
Hahaha good stuff. Although Silvestre could teach TV how to brilliantly turn a defender inside the opposition’s box as he did vs Wolves : ) .
Despite the chabnce we have had this season to end the trophy drought we will fall short because the squad cannot cover for all the problems we have.When Campbell was signed and Bartley and Senderos loaned out we were dependent on no injuries occurring to Gallas or Vermaelen. As they had been ever presents the likelihood of this continuing (especially as Gallas has had a long-standing back problem() were very small. If Song was the answer then we would be left short of defensive midfield cover.Just as was the case two years ago Wenger’s frugality has cost us. I fear for us in the Nou Camp tomorrow and the knock-on effect of a demoralising defeat could derail our season.Why does Wenger have to be so unwilling to bolster the squad in key areas?Despite enormous holes in the squad and an appalling injury record (are we sure our fitness coaches really know what they are doing?)we are still in contention but I can’t see this going to the end.I do hope I’m wrong
Discussed this over the weekend with a friend…could it work?
Start Walcott as a Striker – alone with NB wide on the right…Bendtner told to hold and distribute…try and pull them out of shape with Walcott’s pace and balls for him to run onto…if no return after 30-40 mins switch positions….
We HAVE to try something unexpected….
Can’t wait…and I think we can do it
@ joe
Hartson blond? He was a ginger….
Evening All.
Paul Vaessen, well that was another trip down memory lane, cheers ‘holic.
I remember that Juventus game, I was at home in the kitchen listening to the radio with my younger brother, back in the day only Liverpoo’s Euro games were on tv, with the 2nd half coming to an end all I coulld hear was the party getting started in Turin and the tears and sniffles of my little brother, the commentator was explaining how there were fireworks going off and explaining the party scenes, when all of a sudden….complete silence, I thought the radio had packed it in untill the commentator said “o my word, Vaessen has stole it” (or words to that effect) PANDOMANIA, broke out, I ran down stairs, outside jumping and screaming, where I was quickly joined by fellow neighbour gooners, good times. To tell the truth, I never actually saw that goal uhtil years later, seems wierd nawadays, eh.
Can we pull off a shock of that magnitude tomorrow? Of coutrse we can, Rubin Kazan beat them at Camp Nou this season and so can we.
Come on you reds.
Lager please barman.
Cheers.
ps DenisDenis, I like the idea of your blond XI, although George Woods used to scare the shit outta me everytime a cross came in and lets not bring Lee Chapman anywhere near an Arsenal team ever again please.;) and maybe my memory is a bit hazy but wasn’t Willie Young a full fledged ginger?
It’s absolutely throwin’ it down in Rio. That lesson on “How to play the Jim Baxter way” that I’d planned to give the Copacabana locals on the beach, has had to be postponed, unfortunately. There goes Brazil’s chances of a World Cup win in 2014. Oh well.
Alex Song sitting at home with the other seven first team picks, makes it eight, is tough to take, is the kind of thing you’ve got to hate. (Mate)
That’s as big a blow as Cesc. Alex has become one of the first names penciled in by AW for every game. We need the samba king and Diaby to have the games of their Arsenal career to date, on Tuesday night. Nasri and Rosicky will have to tackle back.
I think we’ll start:
My Pal Al
Eboue, Sol, Verminator, Clichy,
Nasri, Denilson, Diaby,
Walcott, Bendy, Rosicky
From the available pool, that’s our strongest team I think. I swithered with Sagna at RB and Eboue for Walcott (with Theo coming on again as an impact sub). That’s a possible approach too.
I think Rosicky is due a big time goal, big time.
No reason not to feel positive. With 8 of the first team out, it’s still a strong team. Could Chelski and Manure suffer that amount of damage and still be in with chance? I think not, ‘Holics. I think not. There is indeed only one Arsene Wenger.
How ’bout Bwin.com bet – “1st half/final result: FCB/AFC” 51/1 π
We’ve shown few times we know how to come from behind. And I’d fancy a result 1:2 (Henry 40′, Walcott 68′, Bendtner 98′) π
Now Rosicky doubtful…
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/rosicky-rated-as-50-50-for-barcelona-tie
Sweet mother of God help us out here…
This is how I see it.. We have seen teams come to the Emirates – frustrate the hell out of us.
Park the bus in front of the goal and hope for that one break where they can nick it.. Why can’t we do the same? This must be how the likes of QPR and Tottenham feel when they visit the Grove.
Nothing to lose – but everything to gain. π Bring it on!
No, I don’t think Wenger would use Traore. He is just there to make numbers. But, if we are going to use pace to counter Barcelona, then we should have our quickest player on the pitch. Also with Traore we will be able to negotiate Alves better and can use the space left behind him with Traore!
We think pace will break Barcelona, so lets use it.
I was just posting the team I would like to see tomorrow…
Anyway, we gotta take risk… What was that Pep G’s quote on risk?!
we should play this
almunia
sag sol verm gael
eboue denilson diaby traore
samir
nicky
thats a guaranteed victory lol
oh gosh, my choice frightens the life out of me it would throw barca completely, especially when abidal see’s theo warming up his every 10 minutes he will get serious bowwel movements, and marquess or watever his name will start to feel the ache in them old legs, oh what a day its going to be
Can we get UEFA to allow us to play a 7 a side game? That way we might actually get a team out?
On a serious note, we seem to suffer season after season with injuries. Either we need a serious look at our training routine or we need to accept that for some reason our squad is fragile and that 25 players just is not enough for us. Something has to be done because this is just getting very silly.
I’m sure Rosicky will be in, he has to be okay and we need him to be fit for this one. I know his calf was butchered and he has probably still rather painfull marks on it but come on guys we need our Little Mozart to playing the correct tunes tomorrow evening.
Holic’ is right, we have absolutely nothing to loose…
All I want is for the lads to give 110% like they did at The Grove last Wednesday, so let stay positive.
Le Boss needs to come up with a game plan thats for sure and we all know we can’t just park the bus and defend it will be like shooting ducks and hopeing for a counter break is just suicide. Also we all know that this is not the type of football we will play. They need to get tight in the final third, double cover if required and press the ball high up the pitch.
Come on you REDS….
Isnt football a game of 11 men against 11, they are not gods, they are flesh and blood the same as our boys, we need the spirit of 300 (the Spartans) This young team enjoys being written off. Sport is 10% ability and 90% mental sorry to use so many clichΓ©s but if we believe we cant do it than we wont, I think barca are for the taking, they play just like us, they miss chances just like us and they couldnβt kill a team off at 2-0. We showed them WAY TOO much respect. I think barca knew the English game was high tempo so they played such a high tempo game in the first half they were all puffed out, it was a rope dope situation as like the rumble in the jungle, Spanish football aint that fast.
Every gonner should realise although barca played well at the emirates, we conceded two cheap goals because of disorganisation at the back, if the partnership was gallas and TV5 I am sure we would have won that game because they were so tired, like wenger said if he could have replaced fabregas in the game we could have won it because barca were on the ropes and wobbling. Apart from the two goals in the second half can anyone remember a save Almunia had to make? B52 had a good chance with a header as did Nasri, if we can stop them having so much of the ball and take our chances I think we have an even chance. I think it is an insult to put us at 7/1 the last time I looked, I could see us getting a 2-2 draw taking this into extra time, barcas disadvantage is that they are not like a Chelsea or man u who play a physical game
It is backs against the wall time
With one voice and one belief the dream shall be ours
3 – 0to the arsenal! An Eduardo hattrick, saving his best for the last!
On May 26 1989 we faced longer odds…
just saying !!
too late to make any difference…but would a recalled Jay Emmanuel Thomas or Jack Wilshere have been eligible to play in Barcelona at short notice?
Pointless question…but we’re running out of enough fit men….
Good Evening Holic & Holic`s
A win for the Arsenal is written in the stars, the stars that will walk out onto the pitch at the Nou Camp huge underdogs ( that suits me fine ) and turn on a display that will rock the footballing world to its core.
We are not alone with are injuries, Barca have there own problems plus their captain is suspended. The lost of Song and possibly Rosicky will be a blow I’m not saying it wont be, but as this team has shown this season they will not roll over and play dead. They will go for goal until the final whistle and what more can you ask or do ?
We can win this !
I believe.
@Steve T: I agree it’s just unbelievable how many injuries we have been hit with over the recent years. I thought one of the worst news this year was when Arsene and his staff failed to find a root cause for all the injuries. As long as we’re hit that hard it’s much harder to win in the final stages of the season.
That said our understudies are becoming better over time too. For example Merida’s introduction would make some sense and Eastmond could also be a decent sub to help us keep the advantage.
Lady luck has not been kind to Barca either so it will still be balanced in the end as 1971 pointed out above.
I believe too!
First time poster, long time reader…
Well, great blog Holic and thanks for the constant realignment of perspective that you offer. It can be both grounding and reigniting, usually both!
Anyway, to my point…
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal in May 1989 is ALL we need to really know, isn’t it?!
WE CAN DO IT
WE WILL DO IT
OPEN ME A BOTTLE OF CHAMPERS MATE π
COME ON YOU GOOOOOOOONNNNNNEEEERRRRSSSSS!!!!!!
I am getting butterflies right thinking of Merida storming onto the pitch against his former club and bagging a few goals with exquisite skill. he is quite capable and talented enough. the Spanish style if play would seem to suit him too!
I believe. 2-1 TO THE GUNNERS! walcott starts and dont think they ll handle him… if he uses the wing and makes runs thru the centre… uses the ball… then it’ll be Inter next… an assist and a goal for Theo… In Arsene we trust… Make the defence tick, La proffeseur!
I’m from Australia, and i’ve been getting up at 1,2,3,4,5 in the morning for 3 years now (I’m only 16) to watch Arsenal play their amazing football. It’s hard being an Arsenal fan in Australia, as only a small amount of people watch football, and the ones that do are only glory hunting Manure and Chelski fans. And as i had expected all my friends come up to me saying Arsenal have no chance against Barca, and as usual i would try to explain to them that its not impossible to beat them as their defence was quite poor on the weekend against Athletico Bilbao.
Anyway there’s nothing in the world i’d rather see than an Arsenal team with injuries to important players beat “the best team in the world,” and i’m not sure if anyone else has this feeling but i can just see Arsenal causing an upset. If Arsenal do win there will be no one cheering louder in Australia than me π
IN ARSENE WE TRUST!!
GUNNERS 4 LIFE!!
It’s tough being an Arsenal supporter in Brentwood when there’s planned weekend engineering works.
Thank you Brentwood. I knew I could bank on you π
G’luck Aussie. Keep the faith.
This is our time ! BEndy to score another 92nd minute screamer ! Cmon u gunners !!!!!!!!!!!!! Lets bury barca at nou camp π
Hopefully Nantucket Gooner isn’t too far away, either…
We will go through simply because they are the best team BUT we have God (Niklas, I’m talking about you dear:).
nonrelated, Eboue can dance like God so your statement is somewhat suspect. But if Niklas can score like God you may be right after all. How about Bendtner scores the winner and Eboue helps to bring his dance skills up to snuff afterwards?
Got to have some belief: The Catalans are an outstanding team. Unbeatable? No. Sevilla has won in the Camp Nou as have Rubin Kazan this season.
A thunderous first half goal from Denilson and a late killer blow from substitute Fran. Come on we can do it.
We can sure play sagna and verminator @ CB and eboue in the RB position . Don’t want sylvestre !!
I have been quite disappointed with Vela this season – to survive at Arsenal you need to either keep improving or maintain your already high standards.
And his non-inclusion in a team which is down to bare bones speaks much about his chances at Arsenal. I guess the only reason why we offered him a long contract is that we didnt want to lose him for free.
I still really really want to keep hold of Fran. I think the kid is special.
Really sweet on the idea of Traore starting as a left winger tonight.
With Theo and Armand pinning back their full backs, half the barca system is killed.
Surely Vela was replaced by Traore in the squad for a reason?
Wenger can be a sly old fox, there are no flies on him, he knows tongiht he needs a real gameplan to get us into the Semis.
I sense it begins with the deplyment of 2 whippets on either flank.
Gonna watch the game from a Trippers bar in Limassol tonight. As an atheist praying to God or for a miracle is not an option. However I will tickle the inside thighs of ladyluck and who knows there maybe a slight chance of an opportunity opens up and we can slip one in at the last minute!. C’mon you Gunners.
Spot on with your analysis as always ‘holic.
The interesting thing for me is that, on the one hand, we have a Barcelona team who are unlikely to play better than they did in the first leg. We know what they can produce! On the other hand, we have an Arsenal team who can and probably will learn a lot from that first leg, which I am confident we will see reflected positively on the pitch. Yes, we are away from home but, hopefully, this will lead to a more balanced affair.
Despite their first leg initial 60 minute display, Barcelona have shown they can be vunerable………….why else did we manage to pull the scoreline back to 2-2 (and I would argue almost win towards the end)?
Our players will only be too well aware this, as well as of what they are up against. Not only that, what tonight means overall for Arsenal football club! Wenger will have drummed it into their heads.
So come on you rip roaring Gooners. VCC = Victory grows out of Harmony…..!!!!
Keep on believing π
As for the team I would field….
-Almunia-
Sagna-Verm-Sol-Clichy
-Denilson-
Eboue-Diaby-Nasri-Rosicky
-Bendtner-
Theo starts on the bench!
Good, we are going to meet Mourinho in semis.
I believe (but I am very, very scared …).
I watched the second half of the first leg again (couldn’t watch the first half) and, without the adrenalin of watching it live, it was a revelation.
As the second half unfolded, it felt there could only be one winner, and it was not Barcelona. I think Arsenal’s possession of the ball in the second half was close to 50%, given aggregate statistics showed them at 29% at the end of the first half and at 38% by the end. A great improvement.
Theo obviously made a meaningful difference, but getting the ball back was key. Somewhat unheralded, but Clichy was magnificent the number of times he dispossessed Barcelona, especially Messi, and sprinted down the left flank.
As others have pointed out, Barcelona just cannot be that good again (hope). Unfortunately, Almunia possibly not either (fear).
An unopened bottle of Laphroaig to handle the shakes please. How did it get so cold here in California?
@ Phil 78:
You don’t believe in the existence of Arsene Wenger?
If listening to BBC Radio 5 and fucking Alan Greene in the dressing room doesn’t inspire Arsenal nothing will.
“It’s absurd that Arsenal are 2-2 + Theo doesn’t have a footballing brain”
Bollocks to the BBC – come on Arsenal
Does anyone know if Fabregas traveled with the team to Barca?
Anyone else feeling a tad concerned that we are using Mikael instead of Sol or even Traore?
But I still have this insane butterfly dancing contest churning around in my stomach that tells me we are going to witness one of the greatest Arsenal performances of all time.
To paraphrase Bob, Can we beat them, YES WE CAN
Come on you Rip Roaring Free Scoring Never Boring GUNNERS!!!!!!!
Come on Arsenal….simply can’t wait for kick off. So long as we play well there’s no reason we can’t pull off the big shock.
Bendtner really should have gotten a shot off in the box… toe poke would have sufficed..
ONLY POSITIVE THING OUT OF THIS – IS THAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNT…
I mean I hope this shuts Mr.Wenger’s mouth abt belief and all that crap and get about to learning how to :
1. How to play AT PACE
2. How to press and play when you DONT HAVE THE BALL
3. You can have 5000 injuries but have your 2 best players fit(Messi + Xavi)
4. You may have your 1st Eleven fit – but have a back up that can come in and do a job..
The Other positive was ofcourse the way CLICHY played !!!
THE LAST GOAL – MESSI SCORED…
HE WAS SIMPLY STANDING THERE AND TOOK A SHOT…IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SPOT KICK IN OUR OWN BOX – WHEN IT WASNT EVEN A PENALTY !!!
CLOSING DOWN PLAYERS = ARSENAL = 0
one thing is for sure
if Messi played for Arsenal ,he would be out injured
But I wish he did anyway
midway through the second half we still nad a chance but NB52 killed the ball instead of trapping it into space and using his left peg and from then on we lost the plot .
Did Eduardo touch the ball?
Arsenal MOTM Clichy,he led the way
anyhow WTNM
Wow, painful to say this, But if that’s how our boys play in the biggest game of their life they do not deserve the Arsenal shirt.
Seriously annoyed at Wenger, I love Eduardo but we all know he is a shadow of his old self so naturally he comes on instead of a young and fit Merida.
Special mention to Rosicky who set out to prove he really is past his best, could he have looked less interested.
Tomorrow my viewpoint might change but I was disgusted at the best football team in the world playacting, diving, and generally conning the referee, Messi is special no doubt but he really dropped in my estimation when he went down like Denilson took a machete to him.
Bendtner took his goal well but beyond that was awful, Walcott again went missing in action, Nasri tried and tried but it just would not happen for him, Diaby had moments but far too few and far between.
For me this was a really below sub par performance and we showed them far too much respect and we were so slow moving the ball around.
I know I am always seen as negative, but had we fought hard and lost 2-1 I would have been as proud as punch of them all, but we did not, it was as negative a performance as we have seen all season.
Caps lock overload from a commenter already, hooray!
Pack it in with the capitals please.
Disappointing that we did not show the desire and passion that we needed to compete with Barcelona. No complaints that the best team won over both legs and while we did have half our team missing (RvP, Fab, Gallas, Song, Arshavin) we did not get the players that were available to step up with the necessary. Where was the rapid closing down that is required against this Barcelona side? Where was the composure on the ball, the willingness to find space for your team mates – too many blind alleys were run down and lone furrows were being ploughed (Nasri, Bendtner, Clichy, Vermaelen and Eboue when he came on). We still lack discipline and fitness it would seem.
As I say, disappointing, but it isn’t the end of the world.
That was painful!!
Messi was the difference between the teams WHAT A PLAYER (sorry holic could not resist it), although I have to say I was very unimpressed we both Rosicky & Edu (when he came on).
But in the main I’m proud of the performance against the best team in Europe if not the World @ the moment.
AW we still have a way to go yet………….
@ Lee , u are proud ?? Am more in the “depressed” kind of mode!!
*sigh*
If we’d just been good and beaten, showed up but been played off the pitch, then I think I’d feel a lot better than I do. There were several players that spent large chunks of the game looking like they were simply bored with the whole situation. I’m looking at you, Rosicky. I give credit to Nasri and Denilson especially, I thought they both looked like they truly wanted it, and the latter really looks like he might be starting to find himself.
Look, Barcelona is the best team in the world. It’s not close. And Messi is the best player in the world. Losing to them is no shame, I’m just not sure that we represented ourselves as well as we could have.
For 45 minutes I thought the scoreline flattered them, we played some decent stuff and fought hard. I honestly think it was one match too many for a lot of the players –
I know we’re all a bit pissed off – but seriously we were short five (5!!) of our first choice eleven – arguably six if Ramsey was heading that way (I think he was). We’ve not even got our 2nd choice defensive pairing – but Sylvester doing his best against clearly the most skillful player around. I felt we were still in with a shout until 65 minutes or so, but Barcelona slowed the game down perfectly in the 2nd half. You need a bit of luck to win any cup competition, tonight Messi got some lovely bounces and taps to his feet, whereas we drifted offside when chances opened up and under hit a lot of passes. We won’t lose another game this season, so if our only defeat the last 4 months is Barcelona I can stomach it.
This isn’t a shit team based on one game….and I hate to see people caving in on the club now. Clichy, Nasri, Sagna, Walcott all worked their arses off. Vermalaen couldn’t be three places at once sadly.
I’m not ashamed….this is my team. It hurts to lose any match by 3 clear goals – but we were one good pass from being two ahead….
That’s football.
Congrats to Barca and I hope they win the final by kicking the shite out of Manure.
Well said Tim.
^^ Manure wont be in the final… π
well said Tim. They’re our team and I’ll love them for it no matter what. Today feels a lot less painful than the semi-final last year. We’ve had too many players missing and are coming through a tough League campaign.
This will get better from here. For now, I hope the boys can pick themselves up from this and we’ll be cheering them on come the next game.
“For now, I hope the boys can pick themselves up from this and weβll be cheering them on come the next game.”
I think it’s fair to say that if any of them can’t get themselves up for this particular “next game,” they’re not fit to wear the shirt π
Pab:
You can be proud & depressed @ the same time believe me!!!
But these boys deserve a lot of credit, considering how many of our first team players we had missing, theses were just too good a team not to have them over the two legs, if we can stay injury free next year @ this time of year, with a couple of changes in personnel we can be as good as them if not better.
Just don’t think we dealt with Messi too well tonight, but he also had
We can’t match Barca with this kind of injury list.
Next year I wanna see what they’ll be capable of against the midfield 4 of Cesc (HOPEFULLY!!!), Song, Diaby, Nasri and VP and Chamakch up front.
This was really painful but unfair.
Holic,
I’m not ashamed of this team… not after this season (even if we come away with no silverware). I am ashamed of these fair-weather supporters. Our boys laid it all on the line for this game (this campaign). We were measured and found wanting, but I think they gave the effort. How many of these newly-minted members of the BBB would look out of sorts on the same pitch, in the same situation, as some of our boys did tonight?
Let’s just lick our wounds, close out the Premiership season with determination (read, wins), and see how things shake out.
But know this, all you whiners, and moaners, and complainers in our darkest moments (when, as a supporter, you should be at your most positive) need not be heard from when our boys are winning. That kind of mercurial behavior is contemptable…
Shot of the Macallan 12, ‘Holic…I’ll just hold on to the bottle thank you, sir.
We were short I think anyway, we had a really good 20 minutes of the first half, Messi was awsome and then suddenly it was a shame that no one could read him….
We still have Championship to do ….
Lets collect all the points at Three Point Lane!
Can I just say….despite his skill – even at 42 I’m better looking than Messi and I dare say a lot funnier. So it all comes out fair in the end.
i’m sorry i know i’m going to get a slating but i think sylvestre was the weak link. 1st 2nd 4th were in part down to him, so gutted, could’ve been a different story had diaby got walcott in and 2-0 still think we need an out and out striker to help rvp and some cover in midfield and defence but our first 11 is as good as any on a good day
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