UEFA Champions League/Europa League 23/24/25 February *** Spoilers ***

I thought Arsenal did well for quite a while but let themselves down in the end. That's pretty much the tie over as they'll have to attack at the Nou Camp and will get picked off big time.
 
Arsenal were good for about the first 30 minutes and then it started to unravel. Barca were very very wasteful and until the goals the game could have gone either way but it always looked like Barca were going to come out on top. You have to hope that Barca have an off day like they did, whilst at the same time taking any chances that you get. Arsenal didn't take advantage.
 
Oh well not as bad as I thought it would be. No real surprise Messi scored twice, the record that he's never scored against Cech can finally be put to bed lol.

Tie is as good as over and I am quite relieved as I don't think we should be concentrating on the CL this season, rather us get knocked out and concentrate on the league. Same goes for for FA cup as well.

Flamini is an absolute joke, whey Wenger persists with him is truly beyond me. El Neny, who is a much better player should have been on the bench to come on but no Wenger and his stupidity lets us down yet again.

Anyhow we had our chances but as its been for the past few weeks, we struggled to put the ball in the net.

Now onto to the Utd game..
 
Very disappointing game, we had chances to score but just couldn't quite do it..our ball retention was absolutely shocking all game yet still managed to get a few clear cut chances at goal. A different night it could been 2-0 Arsenal. We're dead now with it being 2-0, if we get the 1st goal at the Nou Camp, who knows, but it was pretty much the last nail in the coffin with that daft penalty at the end.
 
Trusty said:
Very disappointing game, we had chances to score but just couldn't quite do it..our ball retention was absolutely shocking all game yet still managed to get a few clear cut chances at goal. A different night it could been 2-0 Arsenal. We're dead now with it being 2-0, if we get the 1st goal at the Nou Camp, who knows, but it was pretty much the last nail in the coffin with that daft penalty at the end.
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Pretty much sums up my feelings also, Barca give you chances but you have to take them. Koscielny should have taken the yellow card to prevent the first goal, and don't get me started on the second. Not really sure why Flamini is still at the club let alone why Wenger decided to bring him on in this game. Why buy Elneny if he isn't cover for this season?
 
Not entirely sure on the rules, Elneny played in the europa cup this season. which I believe makes him cup tied... so that isn't entirely on Wenger except his reluctance to find a player in that role we desperately needed in summer that everyone but him realised.

It was simply ridiculous to sub Coquelin full stop. Wenger never seems to look at the pitch and sub whoever on the pitch is performing the worst, which at that stage of the game would probably be sanchez or Ozil. Sanchez having been poor for so many games in a row I would have taken him off for Campbell, or even Gibbs if he wanted to push him into the middle and Ozil out wide.

Coquelin's biggest improvement over Arteta/Flamini was not making the rash stupid tackles in our defensive half.... so in the game where not being reckless is so important he takes off Coquelin, brings on a significantly worse player who proceeds to do something predictably reckless.


Why did the entire clubs fan base, 99% of pundits and just about every fan at every other club all think buying a quality defensive midfielder this summer was crucial.... because Arteta is both rubbish and unreliable fitness wise, and Flamini is rubbish and also unreliable fitness wise.

Coquelin having never played a long season was a HUGE risk to presume he could play uninjured and stupid to not have quality back up. Flamini and Arteta shouldn't have been brought to the club for the roles they were given, Flamini was an improvement on Arteta.... but still not actually good enough. Arteta was never a defensive midfielder.

If we brought someone quality, even if it was Elneny, in summer, Coquelin could have been rotated, Elneny(or another player) would have had more time to gel with the team before an important game like today and he wouldn't have been cup-tied.
 
rhyswt said:
Pretty much sums up my feelings also, Barca give you chances but you have to take them. Koscielny should have taken the yellow card to prevent the first goal, and don't get me started on the second. Not really sure why Flamini is still at the club let alone why Wenger decided to bring him on in this game. Why buy Elneny if he isn't cover for this season?
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I can only assume Wenger thought Flamini's experience over Elneny would be better, Elneny is still acclimatizing to the club as well. You can see what he was trying to do though, solidify the 1-0 and try and get that away goal at the Nou Camp in the 2nd leg. There's still a chance but we need to score 1st to have any hope. We should definitely start with a quick front 3 in the 2nd leg, Pique is out so maybe they will be more vulnerable. Campbell, Walcott and Ox up front would provide some proper pace.
 
To be fair Coquelin might have got a red card for his tackle on Alves where he flew in studs up. He was just lucky that the ref was trying not to book players. I have seen players get sent off for much less in CL matches. That being said, he was doing a good job for the most part and bringing him off wasn't the best move.
 
I don't understand why Flamini is getting all the blame for the second goal? He is garbage, but he isn't the one that had a pathetic attempt at controlling the ball in the penalty area. He had to try and make that tackle because of Mertesacker. In that position a defender shouldnt be trying to control the ball, especially with the players surrounding him.
 
I think its just because he came on and that was his first input into the game. You don't risk a penalty when there is no need to and it was a stupid tackle. It wasn't like it was almost guaranteed to be a goal if he didn't make the tackle either.
 
fez said:
I think its just because he came on and that was his first input into the game. You don't risk a penalty when there is no need to and it was a stupid tackle. It wasn't like it was almost guaranteed to be a goal if he didn't make the tackle either.
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Yup, one player making a mistake doesn't mean Flamini's reckless idiocy is any less bad. If he had any awareness and wasn't a reckless fool he wouldn't have swung a leg out when Messi was going to beat him to the ball. He should have seen he was going to lose and adjusted what he was doing, run across him, attempt to block where Messi was going to poke the ball, whatever.

But as you say, Messi wasn't shooting, by poking the ball away he actually had a relatively poor chance of gaining possession of the ball, there was absolutely no reason to kick Messi and concede the penalty.


https://streamable.com/nzk7

He is slow to react to Mert's touch, he didn't see Messi coming at first(in his role he should be looking around and already know where the danger is), he then sees Messi and even when it's clear as day he won't get to the ball first he continues swinging. He should pretty much just start to move to cover off any shot. IE move towards Mert and between them block any shot if Messi managed to keep the ball. Reality is Messi was poking it away probably hoping to draw the penalty. Mert was favourite to get the next touch of the ball and even if he didn't Messi should have had two players blocking any potential shot.

Regardless of what Mert did... Flamini was utterly boneheaded here.
 
Flamini and Oxlade-Chamberlain, brain dead idiots. Could have come out of this game with a decent result if the Ox had any sort of composure or control and Flamini should never be anywhere near the football pitch. It's rare for him to actually be in a defensive position and when he is he gives away a moronic penalty cos he was day dreaming. Campbell has proven he is more composed, more clinical, better at passing etc etc than the Ox whose only positive is he is more of an athlete yet he doesn't even come on when the Ox is injured. Walcott doesn't have the work rate I thought was required.

The game did remind me why I hate Spanish football, moaney whiney little ****s the lot of them, especially Alba.
 
Alba is just a little****. I've always hated him, nasty cheat. I'd like Barca so much more without all the diving they get up to. Iniesta/Busquets in their prime were diving machines, Neymar goes down a lot, Suarez is the king ****. Mascherano is more of a bad tackler than diver but he does like to feign injury after he's fouled people. Alves goes down soft all the time.
 
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