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cubeadvance

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Dude Ranch

Dude Ranch

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We definitely don't play the way we did ten years ago but how sustainable was that? We were incredible. Biased of course but that was the best football I've ever seen. Right players, right boss, right place and right time. The perfect storm. Things have changed though and right now we really need to win the league by hook or by crook. If we don't win it this year Arsene is deffo finished IMO and the war chest gets handed over. Locked, naturally.

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Rev

Rev

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I think when we signed Ozil and Sanchez, both of whom would get into any previous team, everyone thought were heading back that way but (in my theory/opinion) Wenger just hasn't got the energy to work to that point again. The amount of energy it must have taken him to get from George Graham to The Invincibles is ridiculous, and getting from Stadium Payment Squad to The Invincibles Two would be just as much, perhaps more.

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The Fox

The Fox

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This inability to turn chances into goals is going to cost us if we don't sort it soon. We can talk about the build up play and the midfield and the rest of it but the fact is that basically all season we've not been scoring enough from the chances we are making.

 

Alexis has been worryingly shit since coming back from injury. Can't even do the basics right.

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The Fox

The Fox

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Thing from Michael Cox on our approach to the Barcelona game: http://www.espnfc.co.uk/uefa-champions-league/2/blog/post/2810971/arsenal-must-press-defend-with-discipline-to-beat-barcelona

 

I'm not convinced we'll do what he suggest there tbh, I think we'll probably start with Giroud at CF instead of one of the quick lads, cede control of the ball, and look to control the space instead. Let's be honest, organised and efficient pressing is not a strong feature of Wenger's teams so it seems odd having professionals talk about how we need to press the defenders/Busquets. Have they ever seen our pressing? It basically involves Alexis running about like a demented puppy and that's about it.

 

Maybe if Alexis was in better form we'd play a system to make the most of his assets (start all guns blazing with Theo/Welbeck at CF) but I suspect we might be a bit more cagey in our approach.

 

Also don't think there's any chance of Wenger starting Elneny after his performance vs Hull. I mean he was alright, like, but he didn't exactly scream "I should be in the team for Barcelona".

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Dude Ranch

Dude Ranch

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I'm not holding out any hope, it's one game I'm almost glad I won't be watching. I can see Sanchez being poor, Ozil awful and the rest simply getting the runaround. It'll take a rearguard miracle to escape with our dignity IMO. I just think they're too good for us and where some teams can somehow magic results from nowhere I just don't think we've got it in us. We're just too predictable.

 

I wish we could just make it all go away.

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Jonathan_Kerr

Jonathan_Kerr

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11 hours ago, The Fox said:

 

 

 

I like Elneny so far, but he's quite slender in build. He gets around the park quickly but anytime there's a physical tussle for the ball, he almost always loses the challenge (from what I saw against Hull). He's very much a squad player for me.

 

 

Would've been interesting to see if Gabriel had been picked ahead of Mertesacker had be been available. I think Per gets exposed more when we're expected to attack, but I think we'll be more conservative tomorrow, so it's less likely he'll be stranded against MSN because another defender or midfielder has gone upfield on a flight of fancy.

 

 

I don't think we'll win but I want to see a disciplined performance and play with both legs in mind rather than concede a late goal and be given an impossible task on the return leg. 

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Steve007

Steve007

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I think we are capable of possibly getting a draw, but a score draw or a loss makes the second leg completely irrelevant as we won't get anything over there.

 

I remember a few years ago when we beat Barcelona with a late Arshavin goal it still didn't stop us going to the Nou Camp and getting totally arse raped in front of the world and thrown out the competition with our arses well and truly annihilated.  We got mauled by them between that year and this year as well so forgive me for being a little deflated about the tie.

 

Arsenal are not being run & managed to compete at the highest level so there's no point pretending we are an elite club.  We're a million miles away from being a Bayern or Barcelona as results this season have and will prove.  It's depressing.

 

To stand any chance of getting something tonight we really needed Gabriel at the back.  He's more mobile and I'd feel more confident about him trying to thwart Barcelona's relentless attacks than Per Mertesacker who will literally be danced around and torn to pieces over two legs.  In fact I'd rather throw the rookie Chambers in at the back rather than the BFG.

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Shoes

Shoes

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11 minutes ago, Steve007 said:

Arsenal are not being run & managed to compete at the highest level so there's no point pretending we are an elite club.  We're a million miles away from being a Bayern or Barcelona as results this season have and will prove.  It's depressing.

 

But we beat Bayern a few months ago.

 

I'm not saying we'll win tonight, but when we're at the top of our game we could do well.

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SeanR

SeanR

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21 minutes ago, Steve007 said:

Arsenal are not being run & managed to compete at the highest level so there's no point pretending we are an elite club.  We're a million miles away from being a Bayern or Barcelona as results this season have and will prove.  It's depressing.

 

giphy.gif

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The Fox

The Fox

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Good to see the thread brimming with positivity :lol:

 

Ah well, I'm excited for tonight and super excited for the away leg. Very little chance I come back from Spain alive and I can't think of a better way to welcome death's sweet embrace.

 

We almost certainly won't win but there's surely something amiss if you can't muster any excitement from games against the best sides in the world.

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Steve007

Steve007

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22 minutes ago, Shoes said:

 

But we beat Bayern a few months ago.

 

I'm not saying we'll win tonight, but when we're at the top of our game we could do well.

 

Yeah, we could do well.  That's exactly the problem, we never know what Arsenal side will turn up.  No one has a divine right to win matches, but good and great sides show consistency.  All we can do is 'hope' for a result tonight.  No one can expect a solid result because we all know how we've been playing lately and how weak our squad is compared to our opponents tonight.

So lets 'hope' we do alright this evening and ensure that we still having something to play for in the second leg.

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Steve007

Steve007

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10 minutes ago, Timmo said:

Imagine being Steve007. The chance to see perhaps the most talented club side ever assembled up against your team in a vital match. Nah mate, don't want that, we might lose.

 

After a shitty day at work I genuinely couldn't be arsed to travel in to London to see us get knobbed by Barcelona, only to have a rubbish journey home & get up at 6 tomorrow morning.

I took the decision to watch the expected horror show from the comfort of my lounge & get up for work in the morning feeling refreshed.  I think I'm just getting old as I never used to miss this many midweek games...

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Seanfl9

Seanfl9

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I've watched the last two Barca away games to Las Palmas/Sporting Gijon and maybe they were conserving themselves for the CL tie, but the front three have been far away from their ridiculously high standards. (5 goals in those two games :lol:)

 

If you lot really get in their faces and impose yourselves from the get go, I really think a positive result is achievable tonight. Someone has to stop the Barcelona unbeaten strike, right? Sitting back and allowing Messi, Iniesta and Neymar time on the ball 30 yards from goal for 85 minutes will only result in one outcome... A humiliating, soul-destroying evening and a pointless trip to Spain in which the Arsenal players will have to bend over for 90 mins, while Barca romp their assholes one more time. 

 

I'm a United fan but I hold some belief for the Arsenal tonight! Would also very much appreciate the profit gained from putting 50 quid on a draw. 

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