Feed me.
Feed me my drug of choice.
Inject me with your silvery goodness.
Take me to my happy place.
Let’s dream of European glory, and a backdoor entrance to a competition we are ill-equipped to survive, with a manager in the last year of his deal.
YES PEOPLE, my favourite competition of all time is upon us. Arsenal face down CSKA in a winner takes the semi final type game.
This should be a walk in the park, right?
WRONG.
Arsenal can’t go into this game with a sloppy complacent attitude. We’ve already seen a shaky first half from Liverpool that nearly let City back in, we saw Barcelona fuck a lead in Rome, and Juventus nearly beat Madrid after taking a 3 goal lead at the Bernabeu.
If any team in Europe can go to CSKA and blow a 3 goal lead, it’s Arsenal.
Still, an admittance from Arsene Wenger that the trophy is important is a welcome boost for team focus.
“Europa League is important for us – everybody knows that and we are at [the] stage where of course we focus on it because in the Premier League we have a very, very, very slim chance to get further up,” said Wenger.
“The Europa League is one of the big targets of the season.”
I like that he’s still thinking about the top four race of yesteryear. No Arsene, it’s been Europa or bust for a while. We’ve never been in the top 4 hunt. That much was clear last summer when you absolutely tanked it.
The Europa is an opportunity though. If we land an easy-ish draw in the semis, we could easily find ourselves lining up in Lyon.
One game at a time.
The team news is mistake machine Granit Xhaka is certainly out of the game (I’m being mean, he’s been good for at least 5 games). We have no Mikki who we know loves the Europa League. I expect we’ll see the in-form Danny W start, along with assist King Alex Iwobi.
I hope we go there to soak up the pressure. We don’t need to win 4-1 again. We need to keep it calm for the first 20minutes and slowly feel our way into the game. No dramas. No rash decisions. Just see the result through.
Sounds great on a blog, let’s see how it plays out in the real world.
Fun fact: The CSKA game was the first time since 99-00 (UEFA Cup) that we’ve won 3 knockout European games in a row. Isn’t that shite?
Right, see you in the comments. Also, last chance to listen to our bloody excellent podcast.
Also, jump on the pod, it’s excellent.
- Aubameyeng: Hit or miss?
- The case for our defence: Who stays or goes?
- Iwobi: Hero in waiting, or another Nik B?
- Jack Wilshere: What do you do with him?
DROPBOX | SPOTIFY | STITCHER | ITUNES | GOOGLE | POCKET CASTS
All 4 ties evenly poised, a goal in any of them puts through the other team/takes it to ET.
Don’t know where AMN is he must be injured
Is that the last we see of jack .?
They will get a pen soon
It’s gonna be a long last 20 minutes……
Ozil really is dopey useless mug whenever things get remotely testing.
Extra time is looming
Rspca hopefully Everton is beckoning for him
Ozil should be getting his ears ripped for that
2 goals in 2 mins for Salzburg, 3-1 on the night and as it atands going through on away goals vs Lazio.
Ooopppsss…
Roma and Juventus already give wenger his post match excuses
RS .WE said that last night. I wouldn’t be surprised though.
It will be sad if we don’t come close to winning this trophy because it feels like our last chance salon
Charlie legitimate question and honestly not looking for an argument but what’s with Ozil tonight? Rested on the weekend with this game in mind. No excuses you’ll agree
Natcho’s on. He’s the Israeli national team captain.
Guns it can’t go to extra time unless it finishes 4-1 another goal against us means we are out
Lazio look like their going out.
Yeah 3-0 puts us out.
Salzburg on a tear, 4-1 now!
I really don’t care for what he has done for English football, nor what he has done at arsenal.
He has to go no plainer way to say it
No leadership on or off the pitch
It’s keystone cop football with a Charlie Chaplin manager
“Ozil really is dopey useless mug whenever things get remotely testing.”
Dont be so silly Paulinho, according to the hipsters he is the best in the world when it comes to manipulating shadows and appreciating angles.
Also very good at getting assists against Watford and Sunderland.
Guns of SF
” Extra time is looming”
Nope
CSKA go through if they get another goal
We need to score to change the calculus.
Yeah definitely have to question Cech on those goals tonight.
Marko – Now this is the Ozil I’m talking about in tough games.
Useless, useless waste of space. Body language of someone just sent to the gallows.
What a week of European football though
Yes thanos thx
*Tough away games.
Great goal! Well done Danny!
Everyone giving it to ATleti, they’re still 1 down and not playing to well either…
Paulinho I agree
Our best player on the night does the bizzo.
Fair play Danny, that’s a top finish
Danny boy
Who was coating Danny earlier
Welbeck….lol….he somehow makes us eat humble pie
Kim jong has just ejaculate all over his pants.
Welbeck like bloody Pele!!!!
Welbecks skill though wow great finish great pass Elneny, cmon
Elneny with the sweet pass…Have NOT seen Ramsey attempt such
Welbeck really is an exceptional footballer when near full fitness.
Super Welbz…
Too bad it looks like that cunt Wenger survives another day.
Lacazette looks disappointed, but i think that was a right call, he’s been poor
“Welbeck really is an exceptional footballer when near full fitness”
I hope this is also a joke.
Welbeck like bloody Pele!!!!
Wele
Welbeck ran down the left flank with pace earlier looks like he got that back.
El nieny just did what Ramsey and Wilshere should be doing .
Wellbeck new Ronaldo
Fucking hell, well done Danny! That’s the first proper goal I’ve seen him score.
Marko
Ozil only functions when Arsenal are dominating possession. He’s a player that makes things tick when we have the ball, and we’ve barely seen it this game with that Cm.
I know you won’t agree, but Arsenal have missed Xhaka massively tonight. Nobody in that trio can pass through midfield.
No matter how bad Laca has been tonight, never will Iwobi be any better.
Wellbeck the new Messi.
“It’s not surprising though.
CSKA had some sights of the goal in the first leg. the score line flattered us a bit.”
lol,you never get tired of letting your “cluelessness”get the better of you
I think we will be asking Atletico if they still want Lacazette this summer.
For £52m hes just been a bust.
Ozil is a problem, he’s just not going to give 100 every game.
Gambon – Footballer in general. Extremely good in deeper areas.
Far better than both Lacazette and Auba in deeper, wide areas.
Kim jong the new Fraudiola lol
Lacazette + Cash for either Oblak or Saul anyone??
“Wele”
I think we need to use this from now on!
How shocking is Iwobi lol
Welbeck Arsenal captain next season!!
Luke yes please both of those
“Ozil is a problem, he’s just not going to give 100 every game.”
But he don’t mind getting all the money we give him…
People not appreciating Elneny, he’s by far more useful in the middle than Wilshere and Ramsey
Saul would be like santi in cm
Paulinho
He has good footballing ability for a CF, but as a wide player he is mid to lower PL level at best, as a CF he is relegation zone material.
I would rather we sold him, and bought a top level wide attacker.
And there is the final year of Le Fraud nailed on……
yeah Laccazette absolutely must be sold this summer,we are better off having Welbeck on the bench than a 52M midget,he had a shocker tonight
Elneny really needs to be playing every important game for us. Even if Xhaka is on the pitch he needs to be there too. wilshere probably the one to make way. Ramsey at least has that eye for an end product.
Ramsey couldn’t see the pass to Ozil in front of him
Being humiliated by Marseille in the next round, it was worth it lol
Ozil has played like a soppy cunt tonight.
Normally like Rambo
But him played bad tonight
Iwobi just fuck off
What a miss
He ain’t a footballer
Anyone sold on Golovin to us?
Iwobi the next Giroud.
Terrible from Iwobi what a joke stealing a living at my club ok our club
Ramsey is just giving the ball away
He’s no Thomas
Iwobi the cunt
Any manager other than Arsene Wenger at AFC next season, and Iwobi is getting fucked off to the championship.
Truly terrible player.
Dale Golovin is better than what we got but is he next level material ?
Sorry for Giroud, he’s a top striker compared to Iwobi.
Why does Iwobi persist in being utter shite?
Iwobi doing what Iwobi does best there. fucking woeful.
I’d still keep Laca on if this is what Iwobi is going to give me every game. This is a second bad miss.
That’s why I said get eddie NBF natural born finisher
It’s true, Iwobi hasn’t improved at all in two seasons. Damn.
Some over the top stuff regarding Ozil, Welbz, Laca tonight..
That forward line has had nothing from the supporting cast, nothing.
Arsenal have a CM problem, we’ve not established or dictated a thing in there.
I like Elneny…..any talk of engine, and endurance..see Elneny, not that crap shit Ramsey plays in CM
Kim jong weng, even winning when he lose lol
Well done Aaron
Lol Ramsey
Ramsey is a striker not a CM
Ramsey’s pass to Welbz there wasn’t good. He couldn’t take it in his stride. should have been a tap in.
There you go, Ramsey gets a goal when they’re flooding forward and that’s the blinkers on about his overall performance
Elneny has just taken Wilshere out like thrash!
The players are supposed to be downing tools. Instead they’re playing for the cunts contract. Idiots.
Europa is Wenger’s level. He should move to Everton were winning the Europa or getting to the semi’s every year would be awesome.