UEFA Champions League/Europa League 15/16/17 Feb *** Spoilers ***

[Tombstone]

It's really sad that nearly half of the teams or more in the Europa League do not care for the competition. Let's take Liverpool as an example, everyone moans that they ain't in the Champions League yet they perform terribly in Europa which should be as half of the level. After all, it's a nice trophy to win right?

Part of it probably comes from the perception of the competition , its looked down on by many, take this forum for instance as just a token example where many are the taunts made about mickey mouse cups and Thursday night football etc. With it being demeaned so much its not overly surprising if people don't get as excited about it.

 

[Greenlizard0]

I don't think particular clubs help it. There's as much promotion as Sky/ITV/ESPN can offer but at the end of the day if the clubs they're promoting can't be assed then....

The Carling Cup even with our reserve sides and a superiority complex still produces some pretty decent games, sorry to say it again, but the two 0-0s are pretty shameful. Especially from City against a Greek side. :/.

 

[G|mp]

Stats wise it was pretty even to be fair.

Were they?

I remember a few stats that ITV out up where the possession was 60/40 for Barca and the shots on target far outweighed Arsenal as well.

 

[Purdy]

Strangely petulant quote from Xavi, he always seems so nice. Let himself down



Xavi



Maxwell

Sorry Xavi is never nice, whines about everything, i love the way Barca play and think they are great players, him included, but after the Inter game he moaned and moaned. It is very easy to come across modest and gracious in Victory, barca don't do defeat =P

They also tap players up on internationals!


Oh, forgot to mention it the other night, even though Cesc may be Nou Camp bound at some point, even against them he was signalling for the crowd to raise their voices at 1-0 down, despite some of his antics that was fantastic.

edit:

That was going to be my question, do you reckon you'll get fourth?

If not, you have Chelsea, Spurs and City in your way as things stand, then do you reckon you'll get fifth?

Brum or Arsenal get other the other place, and you're out of the FA Cup, so you'd have to win this year's competition in order to be in Europe next year. Look at the other sides, on paper there's really on City standing in your way.

No, realistically i was going to be happy with a top half finish, but i really reckon we can nick 5th either of Chelsea or Spurs if i'm being super optomistic.

 

[Greenlizard0]

The timing's great, we have an FA Cup game against L Orient this weekend, so chance for a few our players from last night to have a weekend off before Stoke. Good both games are in London as well.

He should deffo start with Arshavin, hopefully he can build from Wednesday's goal.

Were they?

I remember a few stats that ITV out up where the possession was 60/40 for Barca and the shots on target far outweighed Arsenal as well.

Nope it was closer than that, I was surprised myself watching Barca all year:

Possession: 47/51
Shots on Target: 8/7
Shots off target: 3/3.

That was for all game though.

 

[drunkenmaster]

Strangely petulant quote from Xavi, he always seems so nice. Let himself down



Xavi



Maxwell

Well Song commited(saw a stat today) 8 fouls, and he got booked for his first one, and got told this is your last warning after foul 4 I think. IE, the ref should unquestionably have sent Song off, and Wenger should have been crucified for leaving him on so long. Had we gone down a man, we'd have never bought on Arshavin or Bendtner, well not both and we wouldn't have won.

Their disallowed goal also looked suspiciously onside.

Then again had we taken off the woefully ineffective Song for someone better much earlier, we might have won by a bigger margin, that didn't happen though.

Barca weren't at their best but I'd say they dominated the game for longer periods than we did.

I fail to see how their responses were petulant. If you have more posession, a goal dissallowed, the other team has someone whose allowed to foul everyone and get away with it, you might well expect to win.

Unfortunately I think we'll start with a very similar team away, and get thrashed. The next ref will likely be on the look out to make sure Song doesn't get away with it again.

 

[Tummy]

Strangely petulant quote from Xavi, he always seems so nice. Let himself down



Xavi



Maxwell

I think they're both right.

I said all along Arsenal looked lethal on the counter and had real pace and a sharpness going forward. Barca were the better side, the highest passes in the game, the top 7 where all Barca, Xavi almost literally made twice as many passes as most of the Arsenal players. I thought for 50 or 60 minutes or so Barca were more of a force of nature at their very best, but Arsenal showed real character and Wilshire almost came of age and did very well (considering he's against one of the best midfields of all time imo) and Cesc were very good, and seemed to get better as the game went on, a real heartbeat.

I know you can draw links between, having all the possesion in the world but it's about putting chances away and I agree. Barca should have had a penalty and should have had a goal allowed that was wrongly ruled offside. The Ref had a poor game.

Barca dominated the game, played well and created lots of chances. Arsenal suddenly grew a pair of massive balls, counter attacked perfectly and were lethal, despite being very fortunate with some decisions.

 

[Greenlizard0]

That is true, no Arsenal fan hasn't acknowledged we got the rub of the green last night in terms of refereeing decisions. However we all know it goes around - remember a few weeks ago when they didn't even know the rules and chalked off a perfectly legitimate goal against Everton?

The Spaniards know this, and they're a damn wily club in their going ons and what they say to the media. They're already buttering up / putting pressure on whoever officiates in the return leg.

Even last night they were rolling around and going down easily, and targeting Alex Song in an attempt to get him sent off. The ref wasn't buying this tactic and they were bitter about it, watch their games and you'll see they're experts in it.

 

[Tummy]

I didn't think there was much going on in terms of going down easy, I've seen far worse from Barca and Spanish clubs before and some English. So that doesn't really wash with me.

I felt Barca were fantastic for 50/60 minutes complete domination. They needed to kill the game off, they didn't (should have had a goal and a pen but both were wrongly let go by the ref) and Arsenal made them pay. It wasn't a great performance by Arsenal, just a few individuals, Theo, Wilshire, Cesch were all really good for Arsenal. They almost let Arsenal back in to it.

Arsenal showed massive balls to get back, Wilshire and Cesc showed how well they can mix with the best midfield in the world (maybe ever). I thought Song was incredibly lucky, and dare I say had that being at Barca or at a neutral areana, he'd have gone.

 

[Gooner14]

Cashley **** > drunkenmaster

 

[Greenlizard0]

I didn't think there was much going on in terms of going down easy, I've seen far worse from Barca and Spanish clubs before and some English. So that doesn't really wash with me.

I felt Barca were fantastic for 50/60 minutes complete domination. They needed to kill the game off, they didn't (should have had a goal and a pen but both were wrongly let go by the ref) and Arsenal made them pay. It wasn't a great performance by Arsenal, just a few individuals, Theo, Wilshire, Cesch were all really good for Arsenal. They almost let Arsenal back in to it.

Arsenal showed massive balls to get back, Wilshire and Cesc showed how well they can mix with the best midfield in the world (maybe ever). I thought Song was incredibly lucky, and dare I say had that being at Barca or at a neutral areana, he'd have gone.

I'm saying their usual and cheeky ploys weren't working with last night's ref.

I remember thinking it during the game and paying attention to every challenge by him after the booking. I'm not saying he shouldn't have been sent off, I'm saying it really looked like they were putting in some extra effort into their rolling around and going down easy.

My point is as said above, this wasn't working yesterday so they're bitter about it. Watch their games and it usually does, and they're able to win fairly easily. Don't get me wrong they're special, but they're a very manipulating bunch of so and sos.

 

[Tummy]

I disagree, I understand what you're saying. I just don't think Barca were doing anything extra in the stimulation sense. I thought they could have really gone over the top and rolled about and invited more tackles by him but they seemed more bothered about dominating Arsenal, and seemed to be making a point.

 

[Robert1986]

Barca really do lack when Puyol isn't playing.

I really don't see Arsenal going through though. Barca were just having a bad day... and they should have scored 4 goals, on a bad day.

 

[jakeke]

My gripe with the entire Barca team and them moaning about 'counter attacks' is that Arsenal pressed them high up the pitch the entire 90 minutes, they weren't sat in their own half defending deep and counter attacking all night, they were spread out well, winning the ball back and distributing quickly and intelligently which is the only way to get the ball out of your defence vs Barca, quickly, otherwise they're in your face. Arsenal hardly played a counter attacking game, if fast passing is counter attacking then surely Barca spent all night trying to quickly turn defence into attack too and 'counter attacking' :/

Nothing wrong with a good tackle on Messi/Pedro then a good pass into the midfield.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42cjGa3jLqo Koscielny highlights, there aren't many clips where Arsenal don't have at least 2, 3 or 4 players in Barca's half ..

 

[Gilly]

Like I said in the other thread their close ball control is great and so is their balance. They'll be very practised, especially Messi at hitting the deck with any sort of physical pressure (something we do domestically...).

Corrected

Arsenal are already very, very good at diving and conning refs.

 

[drunkenmaster]

I disagree, I understand what you're saying. I just don't think Barca were doing anything extra in the stimulation sense. I thought they could have really gone over the top and rolled about and invited more tackles by him but they seemed more bothered about dominating Arsenal, and seemed to be making a point.

I don't think I remember a single foul where Song even sent a player flying except his cynical first yellow card one. This is the problem with Song, he just gives away utterly utterly stupid fouls. He'll close someone down who has their body between Song and the ball, Song ALWAYS, every single time puts his leg through the player. Its not a hack, its not to knock a player down and he rarely takes players down, he just seems to think he can get the ball by kicking through the player.

Its niggling fouls, he does it constantly, all the time, he should have been sent off and for only one proper foul, the one he got the yellow for was an undoubted yellow, and utterly utterly unneccessary one player, all four defenders back, 30 yards out, no support. The other yellow should have been given for consistant petty fouls, nothing major. LIke you said, I don't think a player went down all night, there was barely any extra time in either half, generally if players are going down left right and centre you'll have more than 2 minutes extra time, I can barely remember the last time a second half had only 2mins added.

I think across both teams I can barely remember a single player going down for more than a few seconds.

Considering Alves/Pedro/Iniesta's diving last year, world cup, and everything in between they were incredibly, non cheaty in the game, Alves especially normally spends more time on the floor than standing in a game.

Barca really do lack when Puyol isn't playing.

I really don't see Arsenal going through though. Barca were just having a bad day... and they should have scored 4 goals, on a bad day.

Not much to do with Puyol, he's decent but one defender can't cover everyone, I've said it previously, theres a point where too many teams just give in before the games even started, won't commit men forward. Attack Barca and they just aren't used to it, its that simple. For 3 years they've barely had to defend, ever, its as much a case of they simple aren't in form defensively.

Plenty of teams catch them out on the counter attack but rarely commit more than 2 players forward in an attack, and rarely with the quality required to take on 2 CB's and a keeper. Commit 6 men to an attack and Barca look pretty hopeless at the back.

 

[jakeke]

Yep, agree with dm a bit, Barca are overrated defensively, they're great on winning back the first ball, but once you get it past the 3 men who are surrounding you, you obviously have loads of space and can cut them open fairly easily, which is what Wilshere did so well, he didn't panic and lose it when they got in his face, which opened up the game, as one pass takes 3 Barca players out of the game

 

[K1LLSW1TCH]

Yep, agree with dm a bit, Barca are overrated defensively, they're great on winning back the first ball, but once you get it past the 3 men who are surrounding you, you obviously have loads of space and can cut them open fairly easily, which is what Wilshere did so well, he didn't panic and lose it when they got in his face, which opened up the game, as one pass takes 3 Barca players out of the game

Yeah Wilshere was really impressive, before the game I thought he'd struggle a bit but he was exceptional, a real future star in the making, I'm looking forward to seeing what Ramsey can do as well. The last thing I remember from him was that bending pass it was about 30 yards long and just fell perfectly.

Anyone else think Maxwell had a bit of a shocker? Is he always that poor?

 

[jakeke]

Maxwell is their weak link, considerably. He'll be playing in the return leg too

 

[Alpherah]

Maxwell cannot cope with pace, at all.