Champions League Spoilers 7th/8th March

Yas786 · 9 Mar 2006 at 01:40

Wonderful game tonight, for once i was very very proud to be a gooner. They really played out of their skins, Henry was simply superb...3 chances he could have scored...first one was an excellent save by Casillas but that ball was definitely in the back of the net. The reaction on Henry's face was superb after that save, as if it didnt mean that much hehe...kinda provoking the Madrid players to show that hes still a very dangerous guy.

Madrid played well i have to admit, really gave Arsenal a scare a few times, how did they miss those 2 glaring chances was beyond me. Also had to laugh as they almost got caught out with casillas out of his net...good thing Carlo's can run very fast lol

All in all a very exciting game by both teams, much much better than last nights game barca and chelsea.

Go gooners!!!!

CliffyG · 9 Mar 2006 at 07:56

Well chuffed with last night. To keep 2 clean sheets against Real is quite a feat with our backline but i don't think at many points were we struggling at all. We really should have had a few more goals though. Reyes has missed 2 sitters in both legs. I have a good fealing about all the teams apart from Milan. Hopefuly Barca will knock them out

.

BoomAM · 9 Mar 2006 at 08:22

Why are you concerned with Milan? Apart from Villareal, none of the teams that are left are pushovers!?

Im hoping Hleb transfers his European form into the Prem.
Ive stuck by him in my fantasy football team all season, where he's been doing bad. Im hoping he finally comes good.

pabloB · 9 Mar 2006 at 08:25

fozzybear said:
Arsenal struggle against teams like Bolton , Blackburn and Everton because they don't like it up em! These teams knock them out of their stride and don't give them any time to play their football.

Arsenal are at their best when they come up against likeminded teams that choose to play good football against them. ie Madrid.

Whilst thats true in part I honestly think that we've lost balance at the back this term. Having not had a recognised left back for most of season and probs with CD's means there hasn't been too much consistency for us here. I'm rather pleased with how we've coped, Flamini for one has done rather well considering he's way out of position. This Eboue looks class now to. Also Lehman has come good this term that save against Raul last night was superb.

I was really hoping we might see young Theo last night but not to be hopefully we'll play him soon. Also this Gilbert looks promising at the back too.

CliffyG · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:06

BoomAM said:
Why are you concerned with Milan? Apart from Villareal, none of the teams that are left are pushovers!?

Im hoping Hleb transfers his European form into the Prem.
Ive stuck by him in my fantasy football team all season, where he's been doing bad. Im hoping he finally comes good.

I see them as the best defenders (my european knowledge is weak so may not be the best judge lol) and more capable of stifling us.

He has been shocking in the Prem, some decent runs but his pass completed ratio must be terrible. Also i think thats the first time i've ever seen him shoot last night. Some of the positions he was in last night were begging for a smack and he never did.

Kerplunk · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:20

I cannot describe how I am feeling right now, last night was a classic Champions League match, it had the hype/pre-match buildup, the prospect of a classic encouter, goals (

), swamped with superstars and a must win game for both teams.

I was very impressed with Hleb last night, he was for me man of the match, although Lehmann made some outstanding saves, I felt Hleb was our playmaker last night, he was getting the ball and actually doing something with it, he was making runs, dribbling and looked very skilful indeed

But really, what a game it was, how Henry and Reyes did not score I will never know, I had a feeling we were going to regret not putting away one of them chances, because that usually is how it goes, you regret not taking them, (i.e. Liverpool).

To be honest, Real Madrid did not look really 'that threatning'. probably due to the fact that our defence was brilliant

, and I kind of agree with what Wenger said about playing 2 games against Real Madrid and not conceding a goal. Sheer resilence

Henry was something to behold last night, people say that he always goes missing in the big games, but over the two legs he was superb.

The atmosphere was something else, it was electric, the crowd were really up for it, and that rubs off on the players. Agreed the job was done in Spain but you never know.

As for the quarter-finals, I'll take whoever, if we can play like we played against Real Madrid on their patch, we can do it to anyone. Really, we can. By which time we should have a number of class players back in the line-up.

Good to to be an Arsenal fan, and proud of it.

*Arsenal v Juventus*

BaZ87 · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:21

pabloB said:
For me Barcelona are still prone at the back

I thourght Barca defended suprisingly well against Chelsea. I was really impressed with the Full backs who kept Chelsea's wingers quiet all game

maby66 · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:31

Oh the irony after the previous nights posts delighting in Chelsea's non progression.

I wasn't surprised we didn't go through against Barcelona - and a surprising number of people I talk to were the same.
Just a feeling that it was'nt going to happen.
The scale of the job from 2-1 at Stamford Bridge was always daunting - seem to remember the commentators saying that only 5 teams in the history of the CL have managed to overturn a 2-1 deficit from a home leg?
Anyhoo - I think I see what we were trying to do - put more creativity/pace in the midfield and push them back/capitalise on mistakes.
Last years Barcelona might have made more, but this year they played well defensively.
It wasn't helped by the over fussy ref - he seemed to whistle for everything (on both sides) and the game never flowed.
Majorly dissappointed in Duff - he has looked a shadow of the attacking force of last year, and it was obvious that Frank Lampard was asked to play withdrawn to allow free reign to Cole, Duff and Robben.
Ho hum.
Cheque book out for a striker in the summer then, because Cole is not doing it and we need another option - Drogba is a battering ram (power but a poor finish), Crespo has stupendous movement (but we don't play to his strengths and I'm not sure he will stay) and we need a world class finisher to work in the style of the team.

Could have predicted that Arsenal will go through - RM were very poor in the first leg and better, but not enough in the second leg. Just hope they can get some English players fit and in the line up as the only English team left!

homerio · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:36

Lehmann's save was superb, it hurt my brain trying to work out how he clawed it out as he was coming from the wrong side of the ball

I thought one of the real players would get sent off tonight, as soon as Arsenal broke the only way to stop them was to take them out with a late tackle. Can't wait to see Van Persie playing again so we might shoot instead of trying to walk it in.

GuruJockStrap · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:42

CliffyG said:
He has been shocking in the Prem, some decent runs but his pass completed ratio must be terrible. Also i think thats the first time i've ever seen him shoot last night. Some of the positions he was in last night were begging for a smack and he never did.

I think its becuase of the type of game he plays. Hleb is always looking to play a killer ball and when you don't, you inevitably give it back to the other team.

I also think his distribution would improve a lot more if he got a decent run in the team and got to understand the movement of his fellow players. Hopefully after last nights performance he'll continue.

Don't think we'll see him improve on the shooting side. In Germany he never scored more than 10 goals a season.

Kerplunk · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:43

CliffyG · 9 Mar 2006 at 09:53

GuruJockStrap said:
I think its becuase of the type of game he plays. Hleb is always looking to play a killer ball and when you don't, you inevitably give it back to the other team.

I also think his distribution would improve a lot more if he got a decent run in the team and got to understand the movement of his fellow players. Hopefully after last nights performance he'll continue.

Don't think we'll see him improve on the shooting side. In Germany he never scored more than 10 goals a season.

But he messes up a lot of simple passes. I'd love to see him bring last nights form to the prem too, he has a lot of running in him and does seem to suit our style of play. Should remember that it's his first season in the prem though, not many jump straight in.

I don't think hes even had 5 shots on goal let alone 10 goals lol. It can't hurt to have a dig occasionaly.

JohnnyG · 9 Mar 2006 at 10:14

At least England should have a lot of fresher players now for the WC:/

atpbx · 9 Mar 2006 at 18:03

BaZ87 said:
Remember he left Valencia because of the Politics that surrounded the job.

He left Valencia because they wouldnt give him the transfer funds he wanted.

He WILL leave liverpool if Parry does not stump up for new players.

Burned_Alive · 9 Mar 2006 at 18:05

Wouldnt blame him if he went to be honest, theres only so much you can do.

"andy" · 9 Mar 2006 at 19:01

its not his fault he signs strikers who dont score :rolleyes:

Burned_Alive · 9 Mar 2006 at 19:07

andy8271 said:
its not his fault he signs strikers who dont score

And look at the budget he had, £13m for the top pairing, thats not even enough for one decent striker, what did Rooney and RvN cost united, £50million total?

As i said, theres only so much you can do

BaZ87 · 9 Mar 2006 at 19:48

atpbx said:
He left Valencia because they wouldnt give him the transfer funds he wanted.

He WILL leave liverpool if Parry does not stump up for new players.

No he left Valencia because as he put it; "he asked for a chair and the brought him a table" (may have got the exact items of furniture wrong). Basically he had enough of "Presidents" buying who they want and not what Benitez needed/wanted. I not saying he doesnt want more money, but i cant imagine him leaving to join Real, especially with there history of managers and presidents. Also before the AGM Parry said they were optimistic of securing investment shortly (i know he has been saying this for 18months), im sure they will come to a solution and he will be with us for a long time to come.

Burned_Alive said:
And look at the budget he had, £13m for the top pairing, thats not even enough for one decent striker, what did Rooney and RvN cost united, £50million total?

As i said, theres only so much you can do

Totally agree. Looking back its easy to say Morientes hasnt been successful, but at the time it looked a bargain. As for Crouch he wasnt bought to purely score goals, we are a much better team when Crouch plays and has helped our midfield amazingly (especially Gerrard)

Mason64 · 9 Mar 2006 at 22:06

big_white_dog84 said:
Firstly I am SOOOOOOOO happy that Chelsea probably won't be there. They can buy the Premiership all they want but it will be a long time before they can buy the European Cup.

haha looks like someones supports man utd or liverpool

mate money doesnt get you goals. gets u good players. look at portsmouth they just slapped 50 million in to there players. have they won a game yet?

BoomAM · 10 Mar 2006 at 00:00

CliffyG said:
I see them as the best defenders (my european knowledge is weak so may not be the best judge lol) and more capable of stifling us.

He has been shocking in the Prem, some decent runs but his pass completed ratio must be terrible. Also i think thats the first time i've ever seen him shoot last night. Some of the positions he was in last night were begging for a smack and he never did.

Hmm.
Milans back line, full fit, regardless of age, are still a force to be reckoned with.
Unfortunatelly, due to injurys, we have to settle with a back line that either plays well or doesnt. They're missing Maldini put bluntly.
Dida doesnt help either. As with the makeshift backline, he either plays well or doesnt. And thats not on a per-game basis. Its on a per-minute basis.

However, midfield & strikers are awesome. The top scorers in SeriaA by a country mile.
As good as a lot of European teams are, i dont think theres one that can boast such an impressive display of firepower as Milan at the moment.
But.
Inconsistancy is a big problem for Milan. A BIG problem.

Im not overly concerned with who we get, but if i could pick, i would pick Barca. Milan rarely stumble against the big sides, and i honestly belive that we would slaughter Barca. They're backline is awful, and with Puyol gone, they havnt got much of a chance of stopping Sheva, Gila, Pippo, Kaka or even Pirlos freekicks.