So this is it then, the quarter final of the Champions league, the sort of game that the spuds can only dream of.
This time last year we screwed up at the Grove by having all the possession, but no killer instinct, granted the ref helped Liverpool, but we have to expect that, we have to play our own game and go for an early goal, if we do that, they will panic, because we have an away goal and they will come out.
The best way of ensuring qualification is to win both games, it’s not like we are playing Barcelona or Bayern Munich, we are playing one of the two sides that everyone wanted, tonight we should get a win under our belts and make the return game less fraught.
It seems that we will be starting with Theo out on the right wing and Nasri on the left, that should leave Denilson in the middle with Cesc and my feeling is he will play with 5 in midfield, so that means Song or Diaby, if fit I expect Diaby as he offers a more physical presence, and he knows where the goal is.
The back four pick themselves so that means Sagna, Kolo, Gallas and Clichy with Almunia in goal and Ade alone up front.
So more or less the same team that beat Man City, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. We have to keep it tight at the back which means the midfield must keep possession, do that and let nature take it’s course.
If we keep the ball it stops them scoring, if they don’t score, they won’t win, if we keep possession we can score, we can surprise them by frustrating them, then one killer pass from Cesc and bang, it’s all over.
It reminds me of one General James Wolf and when king George sent him to Canada to kick the French out in 1759, they had an impressive fortress called Quebec, we parked our Navy in the Saint Lawrence river and as they had home advantage they just sat back waiting for us to make the mistake of attacking them.
Wolf took his cannons and his entire army and scaled the impossible heights of Abraham at night and when the French under General Montcalm woke up, the entire British army was behind them, two hours of silly French attacking saw Wolf win the match and Canada was back in the hands of King George, Wolf knew how important away goals were, so he got a bunch of them. He did what they didn’t expect.
For Montcalm read Robert Pires and for General Wolf it’s the dashing Cesc Fabregas, Wenger is King George and Canada the Champions league.
Unfortunately Wolf lost his life in that battle, but his last words were ‘thank God I have done my duty’ this was repeated 46 years later by Horatio Nelson, Nelson so loved the picture of Wolf’s final moments, he commissioned the same artist to paint his own demise, really, that’s all true, he even used Wolf’s famous words.
So the moral of this story is we need to surprise them, do what they don’t expect and attack, attack, attack, attack, attack, do that and the day is ours, and then we can start to think about playing Porto in the semis, so Cesc, go and do your duty and we’ll thank God.
Have a great night tonight Grovers, this will be our day, I can feel it, the Arsenal will go to Spain all guns blazing.
and we didnt saw any real chance from villareal in second half i did i miss it in post goal to 80 mins—load shedding –have u ppl heard what it is….
not that i rate ebou over theo or vela etc..
but when he runs to the box, its as if the other teams get all retarded and don’t know wat to do!
at worst is usally a corner, at best they foul him.
if only he hardened up learnt how to put a good ball across goal..
But Geoff, overall it was a good result…
I also think theo, nasri werent 100% – guys after teh flu how shitty and tired do u all feel?
i love it less than a few days till the next game
and were there more then 11 player for villareal on the pitch…there were three defenders with every arsenal guy in the box….
Yes be he terrified them, he made space by taking their players away from everyone else.
Vela or Bendtner would have been better for me.
Told you it’d be 1-1.
Great point Geoff, we weren’t at our best but sometimes you read some of the comments on here and you’d think we only had to turn up to beat a very good organised side that doesn’t lose on their own ground.
Hey folks, Shocking first half – Was quite happy to get in at half time only a goal down with Almunia and Gallas off the pitch.
An improvement second half – Awesome goal from ade. Didnt see that coming!!!
QOS as long as u dont think my wishful thinking/confidence is ignorance than im happy hehe!
Jay I don’t see you slagging off our players so you’re alright by me!
Geoff,
were u the big guy in a stripped black Tee, with the Arsenal supporters? My God, the guy kept singing…Was it you..? Was watching from TV
What about me QoSy
Who in the blue hell are you? GG!
No Confident it wasn’t me!
QOS = ijust thought we were going to score 2/3 today – perhaps i was a game to early and it will be done @ the emirates…
Nothing wrong with being postive Jay nor with having high expectations.
Villareal were just better than we thought they were going to be, Rossi especially caused us problems.
We did well not to fold in that atmosphere losing our goalkeeper and #1 CB as well.
It was tough, and was hard game, i just don’t like to see endless x is crap, b is a twunt type comments during a game. It seems unsupportive.
Sometimes it seems unfashionable to get behind the team!
Hello all, I thought we were going to win by 2 clear goals, and all but kill the tie off, how wrong was I. But 1-1 is a good result, and we have a big toe into the next round ..
I know – those unsupporters are so conformatists..haha
I dont support every player the same way, but there are reasons they are integrated into our team…
+ if some players werent supported they would never grow into the players they are/became..
BTW what did u end up naming the toddler?
Prince of Suburbia!! Come on Jay!! LOL
We called him Chase which is a family name on my husbands side.
QoS – Did you used to watch Falcon Crest, there was a guy on there called Chase – nice name
his nick name will be Chevvy.
Adebayor!
Morning, morning!
QoS – Chase, hey! Very nice name…..just be sure to keep him away from anyone called Jack. More specificly, Jack Bauer! Chase + Jack + an axe = someone losing a hand!
I remember him Rico! The guy with the beard!
Jay – most likely his surname will get the nickname I could have called him Amanda and they’d probably still used his surname. At least that’s what hubby and his brothers reckon anyhow!
Who the fuck is this or was this jade goody. Somehow she has become news here.
Thats the one QoS.. He had a wicked evil mother
………unless the news coming out of blighty is about The arsenal, I don’t give a shit.
Morning,
All in all not a bad result, I feared much worse at half time.
taig, i know Jack never sleeps, but a bit to early for us no?
NEW POST!
The press decided to create a new Princess Di GG which is probably why you are suffering Jade Goody overload like the rest of us.
Her desire to look after her kids was laudable but show me a mother that doesn’t have tahat desire.
Grovers,
Given the circumstances, I’ll take 1-1 as a good result.