Oh COME ON, I have to shake out of this. YOU have to shake out of this. We have to pull through this together.
It’s just football. It doesn’t matter what the others do. We’re not going to be the obsessed bitter ex from down the road.
Arsenal head to the MIGHTY Valencia tonight. The Spaniards ripped 5 goals in a single half at the weekend against a team that sounds like a dodgy shot of tequila, Huesca.
We really shouldn’t have that much of a problem against the Spaniards this evening, the problem is we’ve been ugly on the road and we unfortunately don’t have the team metronome that was Aaron Ramsey.
Now we’ve fucked the business end of the season there’s no reason we can’t play all of our players, unless there’s some mega redzoning going on on. Tonight, we must play our best hand which should at the very least be enough to stay level for the first half.
We don’t need to be the protagonists this evening, we simply need to keep a clean sheet. All we need to do is replicate our GIANT performance in Napoli and we’re in.
Thinking back to that last game, it’s quite amazing how across both legs we stuck to a game plan… if anything, it was all a bit boring in the second leg.
I LIKE BORING
I’ll take boring, like the slow drawl of Alan Shearer reading the back of a cereal packet, or putting furniture together with a Spurs ‘nearly did it’ highlight reel lightly buzzing the background. I don’t need exciting. We just need the final, then we can truly go for it.
After the last two games we’ve watched in the Champions League, it’s hard to take anything for granted. These stats by the BBC make for grim reading if you’re a fatalist today.
- No team has lost the first leg of a Uefa Cup/Europa League semi-final by two or more goals and gone through since Espanyol did it against Club Brugge in 1988.
- In total, five of the previous 28 teams to lose the first leg of a Uefa Cup/Europa League semi-final by two or more goals have ended up progressing.
- Including finals, Arsenal manager Unai Emery has won his past 18 Europa League knockout ties, last being eliminated from the competition in the 2011-12 semi-finals -with Valencia.
- Arsenal have never lost a European tie in which they won the first leg by two or more goals, progressing from all 27 previously.
So many records there to be broken.
Unai is talking about the trophy like you’d talk about an unsightly frocked beast in an old pub in the suburbs back in the day…
“It’s an attractive title and it’s getting more attractive,”
Yes it is Unai, after 5 pints of Ye Olde Battering, the Europa is looking like a young Kate Moss right now. He needs the trophy, the fans need the final, we all need a little whisky chaser of something to get us through the potential horror show gearing up in June.
“I first competed for this title when it was still the Uefa Cup and was a lesser title than it is now.
“It has grown and I have seen that shift. Giving teams a Champions League place through the Europa League is a fair reward and it’s a title they all want to win.
“It’s an important title for those teams not in the Champions League – and for some who drop into it as a second chance, like Valencia did this season.”
I think if there’s any critique about Unai this season, it’s that he chased personal glory of being the Europa mega title holder over just doing what was sensible in the league. We know he loves this cup, we know he wants to be the most titled guy in history… just like Wenger wanted to beat Alex Fergurson for tenure.
Well, now we’re in a space where this isn’t a bonus, it is an absolute MUST.
No Champions League is a disaster for our finances, but it’s also a disaster for his reputation with the fans. We didn’t just drop out of contention, we plunged out of the sky with all 4 engines on fire against weaker opposition.
This is his way out for most fans… again, it’s a single data point of glory, as a single point of data it’s positive but clouds little… but it’d certainly plaster over the doom of the reality and it’d make whatever goes on with ***** a little easier to digest.
The final is on a platter. Are we going to be greedy and eat directly from it like some sort of dirty wilding, or will the team have public buffet fear like me and my siblings because of years of being hounded by our father for being fat c*nts if we took from the tray? Let’s hope not. Buffet PTSD isn’t cool and I’ll chuck myself out of a window if we lose this tonight.
Excuse me? That is a horrible thing to say. You’d miss me if I were dead.
BIG GAME, let’s see you ALL in the comments.
x
Oh boy . Mustafi and Xhaka together again!!.
28 for the season but get rid of him, lol.
Mustafi comes on the commentator makes a comment about Valencia gaining an advantage. He’s got to be one of the biggest punchlines in football
JoeApril 28, 2019 13:14:41
Emery out
Gambon
Wats dat bout Niles … Bumbaclut …..
Ishola
So you just want to sell a player without replacing?
We have 4 CMs, you want to go into next season with 3?
The terrible twins in our defence now. Time to get the bottle.
AMN back to his U21 root of a rampaging right winger.
Not bad for a first season, getting us into a final. I think most would have taken that at the start of the season.
Maitland-Niles is still a fucking shit defender though.
This team is just not fit enough. (YAY…Auba has just scored, but its not going to change my opinion).
Actually, this demostrates that we can score goals on the break and have some decent pace up top….however….as somebody pointed out above, you need mobile, super-fit fullbacks these days who are as good defending as they are attacking. We have precisely none of those. Add to that, that we have slow CBs and only one decent DM, then that goes a long way to explaining why we can’t defend a sandcastle.
Ut-oh…Mustafi is on…Valencia might get 4 more..
azed
“Oh boy . Mustafi and Xhaka together again!!.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqONYO4WgOc
Cruise control in a poor tournament.?
Nearly there ……. fingers crossed
In fairness to Gambon that assist was the only thing AMN has done well tonight.
28 goals with Ozil, Mhiki and Iwobi feeding you all season long and sometimes out of position? Very impressive imagine what he’d do with actual quality attackers
Phew…
Well with our place confirmed watching what can Frankfurt do to cause an upset now.
Ishola
Lol……
Need to beat this lot, in revenge for our 1980 Cup Winners final defeat by them. Can still see Graham Rich hoofing his penalty over the bar.
gambon
“So you just want to sell a player without replacing?We have 4 CMs, you want to go into next season with 3?”
Yeah replace but we don’t have to rely on just one player to replace him that being Rabiot.
That would imply that Xhaka is good and hard to replace which he isn’t.
He’s shit really.
Our fans in fine voice tonight. Can’t hear the home crowd.
“In fairness to Gambon that assist was the only thing AMN has done well tonight.”
TT
There are no middle grounds on Legrove….. the middle is for pussies
Hope to God Frankfurt win
Hazard vs our FBs is a disaster waiting to happen
Emery really loves to have Guendozi on the pitch…
Joe, you’ve been back three minutes and you are starting fights and acting like a 12 year old.
Sort it out or go in the bin again.
Europa League is Emerys level. 2nd rate manager.
Chelsea Frankfurt… that going to extra time?
Auba with 30+ goals now.
Impressive considering how much poor creativity we have
Honestly the tip of my penis would explode if we had the likes of Brandt or Havertz or Pepe feeding Aubameyang next season
Pedro
I know you have your favourites on here but shouldn’t you be saying the same to your buddy Gambon? Who called me a peado earlier? But that’s ok?
Frankfurt have looked more likely to score in the last 10 mins.. which means Hazard will probably score a late goal..
But extra time is looking likely about 10 mins left in that one.
Chelsea pushing hard…I fancy jovic on the counter
Need three midfielders for next season. A Santi replacement, a Ramsay replacement and a Xhaka replacement .
Please please please get a Xhaka replacement.
Another from Frankfurt and Chavs fucked on away goals.
Guns, Auba is electric…
Absolutely pedders.
I have enough from Xhaka and Kola.
I don’t think Torreira is the answer. Maybe in a midfield three. But if we’re play two he just comes up a little short for me.
Can’t fault the application, but I the EPL you need much more physical presence.
Champagne CharlieMay 9, 2019 19:03:04 Yea benny, almost as good as your ‘if Rafa is a better manager than Emery, why did we finish above them’ level of analysis Also, tell us more about how it’s other posters that are always looking for an argument when you steamroll in the gaffe taking shots at folk like that. No wonder your nickname is Windex >>>>> I wasn’t taking shots at anyone, just expressing my opinion that it’s hilarious to say the FA Cup is harder to win than the EL. I was also laughing at the idea of Chelsea having worse… Read more »
It’s just the defence that’s terrible. We’re not even prem league standard at the back. Oh and Xhaka of course.
It doesn’t matter who we face in the final honestly. Both teams will fancy beating us we’ll have to be on that night
Gazzap, it’s not just the defence.
… but you are right, the defence is an abomination. How we’ve managed to get worse is beyond me.
Is it too early to say the only English team to get knocked out of Europe by a European team was man united? Chelsea in the balance??
Dangerous freekick coming up for Frankfurt.
Don’t know who I’d rather face in a one
Off
Chelsea or Frankfurt.
We’ve been better than Chelsea both times we’ve played them this season
Frankfurt is an unknown
Ishola
Happy to replace Xhaka, you wont find me singing his praises on here.
However, we need CBs, Full backs, a Ramsey replacement and 1 or 2 wide players.
Where is the money for a Xhaka replacement coming from?
Sorry, but he wont be going this summer. Next maybe.
What vexes me bout Xhaka is i can see him here still next season simply because our backline ks gonna take top priority.
Heres to Inter Milan bidding for him this summer
Nvm into the wall… 🙁
Only if Auba played like this in last few PL games… what might have been!!
Trapp is dodgy, fancy a flap for a Chav winner.
Sarri makes the oddest subs ever….
It’s gone very quiet on Dacoure…cheaper than Rabiot overall, and might allow us to partner him with someone quality.
Not sure he’d have the class for the highest level
Aubaaaaaaa goal
lol Trapp getting even more jittery
might do a Karius soon
good thing our German keeper is reliable
That was some goal
7 — 3
Auba Haatrick
Auba is alive
Emery’s boys did well tonight, I salute them
TBH…I’m not sure where I stand on Dick Emery just yet…yes yes, he’s no Klopp or Pep, certainly seems to lack the Charisma or ability to motivate, but…he is mostly working with a shower of shit defence. He did bring in Sokratis who I like a lot. IF…we manage to win this 2nd rate European trophy and get CL football next year, I’ll happily give him 1 more year to make progress. Progress being getting to the latter stages of the 1st rate European cup and finishing in the top 4. Yes. yes…top 4. We are not going to bridge… Read more »
He deserves that. Absolutely top quality PEA
Too good!
I must be dreaming. Time to wake up
He’s got to stick with laca and Aubameyang in every game moving forward
No
More taking one off and all that shite. Let them play together
Great stuff from PEA, dudes a baller.
Auba and Laca have been fucking awesome tonight – sell them? NO CHANCE!
Auba earning his cheddar out there.
Love Auba when he’s in the mood. Valencia look shot.
“Sell Auba” crew killing it today loooooooool
Lol Auba is trolling some of y’all. Fantastic game. Tonight great timing on that.
Funny isn’t it. For years we took piss out of the spuds for being in europa league and took piss out of the europa league for being a mickey mouse tournament. So please forgive me for not being overly bothered about reaching the final. Sorry
I have some sympathy with our wb’s. We play in a wide open system with 2 cm’s expected to help cover the wbs when we lose possesion. Quite risky to play this way but it commits the opponents to be expansive too to get in behind, hence leaving more space for laca auba. Risk/reward. That’s football. Helps that Valencia aren’t great. Tonight paid off bigtime. Get in PEA
Great to win in the Mestella on the night, great to beat Valencia twice, that’s a couple of ghosts banished for me from 2001-03.
And fantastic to be in the final!
Nice goal.
Valencia have stopped playing though.
Nonetheless excellent show from Auba tonight.
We haven’t seen enough of this sort of performance from him in an Arsenal shirt despite his goal tally.
5 mins injury time… left in Chelski match.
Ok can we stop with the flog auba line now, and enjoy the fact we’re in our first European final in 13 years.
Well done boys.
Let’s not get carried Please
Auba is carving up this Valencia side. But we couldn’t get a shot on target against relegation fodder in the EPL clearly Valencia are shite if a team who couldnt score past Brighton has put 7 past them in two games.
Lol Papa Andes Kos butting chests
We might just be better off hoping for Chelsea. Frankfurt have themselves one of the most inform strikers in world football in Jovic
And…
NIce move. Really happy for Auba.
Lets hope they can give him some better creative MFs to work with than NOzil or Shitkitarrian next season…
Question now is who do we want in Baku??
4 goals from Auba, 3 from Laca.
What more can you ask for, brilliant from the lads.
Thank you
It’s a transition year. Take what we get while we rebuild and clean up the mess wenger left
The Europa king strikes again!
enjoy the fact we’re in our first European final in 13 year
Its been that long? Good lord we ve been deprived.
Gabriel wasn’t friendly at Colney it appears
Really frustrating looking at how well we’ve played tonight compared to how bad we’ve been in the league the last few weeks.
Can’t blame you TYAG, I have mixed feelings about it as well tbh.
Especially if the scum lift big ears, will be a virtual piss take.
Wtf was the pushing?? Gabriel, AMN??
Going into ET the other game.
Bailed out by our strikers there.
But a final is a final… a day out for the fans. Great stuff.
Benny
“compared to how bad we’ve been in the league the last few weeks.”
Chelsea going to have an extra 30 mins, which would take its toll against Leicester on Sunday
Madness that we have been so poor
ET Chavs match.
Extra time.. for Chelski.
Our two strikers always play well against team that don’t park the bus. But most of the lower league teams in the EPL play defense and counter against us. Our strikers won’t have rooms to operate. Our attack is slow in an away game. That why we have problems.
We need to win the final so fucking badly.
“Bailed out by our strikers there.”
Pedro
When are you going to put “let down by our defenders”?
We top the league by a margin in individual errors leading to goals.
Imagine if Sanchez stayed, him on the left wing with auba and laca up front. Drooool
“Bailed out by our strikers there.”
This sums up it pretty succinctly
DM
Is that you or Sanchez wishing that?