Archive for the ‘Champions League’ Category

In the last couple of weeks, as an Arsenal fan, it’s been bad news after bad news, selling a player and then selling a player and of course, injuries and injuries… so, having only scored one goal so far prior to this game, there was a lot of crisis talk and a lot of negativity surrounding the game…

The boss announced the line up and we saw Jenkinson, Frimpong and Gervinho all start with Arshavin and Rosicky on the bench, youth chosen ahead of experience:

Szcznesy

Jenkinson – Djourou – Vermaelen – Sagna

Frimpong – Song

Walcott – Ramsey – Gervinho

Van Persie

The bench was quite thin, with Fabianski, Miquel, Traore, Rosicky, Oxlade, Arshavin, Chamakh

The Goals

Udinese went ahead the very busy and active Di Natale, who was a thorn in our side all night – in between Vermaelen and Djourou, he looped a header into the back of the net over the keeper. The game was 1-0 to Udinese at half time and we knew we needed a BIG second half. Rosicky for Frimpong saw a change in attacking onus and we levelled after Gervinho’s sublime dribbling down the left squared for Van Persie in the middle. And we went ahead when Walcott raced clear of the defence and slotted home from the left, Henryesque… at 2-1 to us, Udinese needed 3 and you couldn’t see them doing that!

And hat’s off to Szcznesy for a sublime penalty save in the 2nd half, something you have to find and watch!

Plus Points

Gervinho was outstanding and showed why Arsene brought him to the club – he is a Nasri replacement, for sure… and he will only get better for us. Theo is looking more like a complete player, dropping deep, playing around the pitch – playing more sensible and ranging his play. Alex Song was very good, giving 100% and dominating the midfield and of course, a shout out to Sagna, who shows if you are good, you can play anywhere on the pitch!

The Manager

The manager spoke after the game:

Yes, of course, because it was a massive game for us. I heard it enough yesterday in the press conferences to be convinced of it. We responded in a very positive way, even after being down 1-0. We had a fantastic second half and created chance after chance. I am very happy because we kept our composure when we were down 1-0. We kept dominating and playing the football we want to play.

And also highlighted the performance of Gervinho:

He was always dangerous. I told you yesterday, and many times, that he will be a big player for us. Sometimes the quality of the player is linked with the transfer amount and it is not always the case

The Draw

The draw will be held later today and we’re in pot one. Each group will consist of a team from each pot… here are the four pots…

Pot one – Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Porto, Inter Milan.

Pot two – Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Villarreal, AC Milan, Valencia, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Benfica.

Pot three – Zenit St Petersburg, Man City, Olympiakos, Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, BATE Borisov, Basle, Lille.

Pot four – Borussia Dortmund, Trabzonspor, Dinamo Zagreb, Napoli, APOEL, Genk, Otelul Galati, Viktoria Plzen.

The hardest group would surely be Arsenal, Milan, Ajax, Dortmund… one thing to remember is that we can’t get Man City as teams from the same country are kept apart…

Til later, my friends…

And breathe…

Yesterday was a very important game for us and two things that we needed to do before the game: score and keep a clean sheet, we did. There were some fears before the game that Rosicky and Koscielny would miss the game – coupled with the plethora of suspensions and other injuries, left our squad thread bare… but both the aforementioned players were passed fit and we managed to field the following line-up:

Szcznesy

Sagna – Koscielny – Vermaelen – Gibbs

Ramsey – Song

Walcott – Rosicky – Gervinho

Chamakh

The bench was Fabianski, Djourou, Jenkinson, Frimpong, Arshavin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Bendtner

The game was won by a good move just after 4 minutes, when Theo & Ramsey broke the defence, Ramsey going wide, and Sagna passing the ball into his path. Ramsey kept the ball under control and then swung the ball in for Walcott to volley into the back of the net. The goal was good and highly needed and it seemed to be the one thing we clung on to as Udinese came pouring forward in search of their equaliser. Personally I feel that we were lucky not to concede – but the luck was born out of sheer determination to keep a clean sheet – our defensive performance was amazing considering how badly positioned we were – Gervinho and Walcott did well tracking back, but not positionally – more in effort.

Defence

To not concede a goal was amazing – when I look back at the game and the number of chances Udinese, it’s incredible that they failed to score and that we kept a clean sheet. Sagna for me, was absolutely outstanding and the partnership of Koscielny and Vermaelen seems to be gelling a bit better. One thing to note was the injuries to both Gibbs and his replacement Djourou – both hamstring injuries – meaning both players will miss the Liverpool game. With Jenkinson having made his debut yesterday, he could be thrusted into the weekend game from the start.

Positive points

Walcott looked like he had more hunger – it was like he has realised his responsibility in the team. “I have to win games”, rather than “Robin or Cesc will win the game”… type of attitude, which is what we need out of him. His runs were good – his goal was good and we need him to stay injury free this season. Gervinho also looked lively and I’m sure he will contribute a lot this season. Ramsey was also very good throughout the game – but I was very excited with him when he moved up to the “Cesc role” and was playing just behind the striker – he seems to prefer a more attacking role – and when Jack returns, I can see him playing more in that position. Another positive point is the introduction of Frimpong who looks like a very decent player – early days I know, but with Song’s suspension, we’ll see what he is made of soon enough…

Negative points

Chamakh is not the replacement for Robin Van Persie we need – his overall play lacks conviction and it’s very worrying to have him slot in when Van Persie is unavailable. More worrying is the lack in strength in depth – if Song / Ramsey are injured, who will come in? Will Lansbury, Frimpong, Miyachi win us the league? Hell no…  Another negative point is the injuries to Gibbs and Djourou – with Squillaci out of favour and Traore also injured, we’ve got no other options – Eboue’s gone too, so no cover at all – we’ll have to play Sagna, Kos, Vermaelen and Jenkinson on the weekend – we have no other options.

I often wonder whether the suspensions to Gervinho and Song and injuries to Diaby, Wilshere, Djourou and Gibbs are like God telling Arsene to buy… but the manager never seems to take these signs and go into the market.

After the game, Walcott spoke and was keen to emphasis the importance of keeping a clean sheet:

“The most important thing was the clean sheet. Our defence was solid again, like at the weekend (against Newcastle), and it’s nice to get the goal. They are a very strong team and we will find it difficult over there but I believe, if we play the same kind of football, we can get a result.”

And Aaron Ramsey, who played well too, echoed Theo’s sentiments:

“It was important to keep a clean sheet tonight. They were good opposition and it was a difficult test for us, but we have come through it and we have scored a goal. But it is far from over yet, we have still got another game to go and hopefully we can finish the job off out there. We dropped off a bit in the second half and there were gaps appearing, but we did well. We dug in and gave absolutely everything tonight. We have done well to keep another clean sheet, that’s two in two games, so hopefully now we can continue that. We believe we are capable of going over there and getting a win.”

And if you look at the team and the circumstances, I am sure you’ll agree that it was a very good victory. One that was hard to achieve with a young squad missing a lot of players – no Wilshere, Nasri or Van Persie, a few injuries through out the game and a few youngsters in the fray too… Well done to the team… We’ve got the second leg next Wednesday – it’s very important for us to do well over there – it will be hard, but we’ve got to give everything.

Onwards and upwards my friends…

Arsenal vs Udinese – Champions League Qualifying Round Match Preview

No matter how much stuff is going on in the background, no matter how you’re feeling right now – we’ve all got to put that to one side, as today we have a £25m game and we need to win it. Udinese will be going all out to score at the Emirates, the team is in the middle of a transition, but as fans, we’ve got to get behind the team. It’s going to be one of the toughest Champions League qualifiers that we’ve ever had, but we do have the quality to beat Udinese. Cesc has left, and for the last couple of years, being dogged by injury, we’ve played and won a lot of games without him. Samir Nasri and Robin Van Persie will also miss the game through suspension and that makes the game even tougher.

Team News

With Bendtner in negotiations to leave, Carlos Vela not in visible sight and Robin Van Persie suspended, we have a lack of fire power – Chamakh seems most likely to start and with Rosicky out of action, it looks like Arshavin may deputise behind the striker, meaning Gervinho and Walcott will marshal the wings. Jack Wilshere will be missing, as will Abou Diaby, so the midfield two could be the same as Newcastle. Rumours that Koscielny has picked up a knock mean that we may see Djourou replace him in the centre of defence.

Szcznesy

Sagna – Djourou – Vermaelen – Gibbs

Ramsey – Song

Walcott – Arshavin – Gervinho

Chamakh

With a bench of Fabianski, Jenkinson, Squillaci, Koscielny, Frimpong, Lansbury, Oxlade Chamberlain

Lansbury was omitted from last night’s reserve game, and will most likely be on the bench with fellow youngsters Oxlade, Jenkinson and Frimpong – but how thread bare is that bench? We don’t have any strikers on the bench, and the only attacker on the bench is the 17 year old Oxlade Chambelain… we definitely need more players in our squad!

Arsene spoke about the game and said:

“I just expect my team to have a good game on Tuesday and that will encourage their belief and strengthen their belief. I understand everybody’s worry, but I believe as well a club is a united front. Our players need the support from our fans. It is an important period for this club, but I am confident we will get over it in a very successful way. We need to remain united and not let the media manipulate our fans in a way they should not.”

On Udinese he continued:

“You never knock somebody from Italy out in an easy way so we prepare ourselves for big challenges. We are ready to give our all to be part of the Champions League group stage. I expect a game of 180 minutes where we will have to be at the top for as long as we can and not dream that after 90 minutes it will be over. That would be the right approach.”

Udinese goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic, spoke about the tie and strength of the team.

“We know Arsenal is a strong team, they usually get eliminated only by Barcelona, but Arsenal are not only Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie. We are different than one year ago too.”

The Fallout from the Newcastle Game Continues

Both Arsenal and Newcastle have been charged with “failing to control their players” last Saturday – personally, I don’t think such an event warranted an FA charge on both clubs – compared to what we have seen in recent times, there wasn’t much to it. Barton will not face any disciplinary action as he was yellow carded, but Gervinho will have a 3 match ban for the punch, slap, touching of Barton’s face… Alex Song was also charged via video evidence and will also be served a three match ban. It’s going to be a very light midfield against Liverpool with a likely trio of Ramsey, Frimpong and Rosicky, but needs must and that’s what we’re working with at the moment.

Newcastle have already confirmed, but I think Arsenal should also confirm that they will both deny the charge – it wasn’t a major brawl – just a usual Saturday for Joey Barton. To be honest, very glad to have got this game out of the way now…!

Farewell Cesc

So, the deal happened yesterday and for those of you who follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I was tweeting and retweeting a lot of quotes about what Cesc had to say about his departure. I’ll leave you with the best out of the bunch – something to

“I spoke to [Wenger] on Friday to say goodbye and got very emotional because he has been like a father figure,” Fábregas said. “I couldn’t even talk when I wanted to say how grateful I was for what he has done to me, so I had to send a message afterwards saying thanks for everything. If it was not for him I would not be here today to live my dream. I will never have enough words to say how grateful I am. I went from being a boy to a man and they gave me absolutely everything in football. I have mixed emotions. Life goes on: Arsenal will always be there, the fans will always be there. Players come and go; the club will always be bigger than them.”

“At Arsenal, there were finals and semi-finals but we always lacked that little extra push to win something. That was hard to take. It was not that we didn’t win titles it was that we kept going through the same routine, the same things happening to us and us messing up. I gave everything for Arsenal but it didn’t show in the [trophy] cabinet because I only won one FA Cup. That is the biggest regret I will have in my career – not to be able to lift a trophy as Arsenal captain.”

“I will have time to talk about [my departure]. I am sure I will do an interview especially for them [the Arsenal fans] at some stage,” he said. “I am sorry I couldn’t say anything for the last two and half months, Arsenal would not allow me to talk, I was disappointed and upset about that but it had to be like that. I still have, personally, a great relationship with them and I am disappointed to have maybe lost [the affection of] some of the fans.

“I am sorry I couldn’t say anything, I am sorry. I was very, very sad to be leaving. I spent a third of my life there – eight years.”

“If Arsenal want to keep being the club they have been, they must always remain under his [Wenger's] control because he is the best and everyone respects him. He will always be the best person I have met in football.” He also insisted that Arsenal have the squad to continue to compete.

“But I am sure that they will be a strong team again – they are one of the biggest teams in the world. They will be OK without me as they were without Vieira, without Henry, without Bergkamp,” Fábregas said.

“There is not even a question [over whether or not Arsenal's midfield is in good hands]. I have seen them play for years, both Aaron and Jack. Jack will be the England captain in the next two or three years, there is no doubt. You don’t have to be a magician to see that. He has the passing game and he will be an even better player in the future. There is not even a question in my mind about that. As for Aaron: his engine is unbelievable, his final ball will get better and he will be the next big star at Arsenal. They are winners and they will be amazing for the club for sure.”

Finally, if you are going to the game, I implore you – please get behind the team – it’s so important right now, they need all the support they can get.

Arsene Wenger promised that he’d give us some good news this week and on Monday we signed the prodigy that is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and then today we’ve heard that Ryo Miyachi has been granted a work permit to play for Arsenal this season. And that makes it an exciting two days down at the Grove. It also brings further excitement to what else could happen this week!

We’ve effectively added two wingers to the squad, and if you throw in Gervinho, we’ve suddenly got some exciting attacking options. It’s one in and one out down at the Grove, so for each signing, we can presume someone is leaving… let’s take a look at who is replacing who…

Gervinho replaces Niklas Bendtner

The arrival of the Ivory Coast International Gervinho has been widely known as a signing to replace Niklas Bendtner. Although the destination is not known, Bendtner is believed to have agreed terms on several contracts – the Danish International has never quite made it at the top level.

“Yes. I have done my part as well as I can and it’s up to Arsenal now to sort it out, I can’t do anything more. Hopefully it will be sorted soon but as I said to the Danish press, when I know something they will. I would like to play at a place where you are happy and play every week, that is the most important thing for any football player and hopefully that will happen soon.”

It’s disappoint ing to see a young player who has been afforded so much time and grace in the first team end up leaving the club. After all, all those horrible misses by Bendtner were all part of his education – I do believe he will go on to be a good player somewhere – but I do back his departure too. He’s let us down way too much and never really managed to break himself into the first team – his Carling Cup outings and inability to score against lower sides shows that he’s not quite there. His replacement, Gervinho, looks much more like an Arsenal player – he is tricky, mobile and has pace – surely a perfect fit for the Arsenal…

Carl Jenkinson replaces Emmanuel Eboue

As with Bendtner, Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Emmanuel Eboue is talking to several other clubs. His lack of appearances last season showed us all that Arsene had lost his faith in the Ivorian and realised that defenders need to be solid. Carl Jenkinson was brought in to replace Eboue – albeit from a lower league – but he does look like he has a good future ahead of him – he’s come in as backup to Bacary Sagna and the good thing with Jenkinson, is that he looks like he is up for it – both physically and mentally – and he also seems very versatile – reportedly can play left, right or centre.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Samir Nasri

Whilst Samir Nasri has been a class act for us – especially last season – he’s determination to move means Arsenal have no choice but to sell. He looks like he will be on the way to Man City for a reported fee of £25m, but only time will tell. AOC has come in and I think he will play this season – I don’t think he will play in the reserves or go out on loan – he looks like a very decent prospect, and with Walcott injury prone, AOC could come in to the squad more often than he expects this season…

Joel Campbell replaces Carlos Vela

Neither deal has been confirmed by the club, so it’s reallly… Joel Campbell (unconfirmed) replaces Carlos Vela (unconfirmed) who may go on loan… Campbell has been linked with Arsenal all summer and we have now had unconfirmed reports that the player has signed. Carlos Vela, on the other hand, looks like he’s staying one minute, but then going the next – we’re really not sure whether he will be an Arsenal player next season. Campbell may not be one for the first team – he may not even get a work permit, but in terms of squad numbers, he replaces Vela who himself was on loan last season…

Miyachi replaces Denilson

Denilson, as you already know, has gone on loan to Sao Paulo, and although Miyachi and Denilson play in different positions, in terms of the squad, one replaces the other. With Ramsey, Wilshere, Lansbury, Song and Frimpong all able to hold their own in midfield – oh yeah, and Diaby – the need for Denilson has reduced, and the fact that Miyachi’s work permit has come through and he’s in the squad this season, adds to our wing options as well as the “Cesc” role, just ahead of the two central midfielders.

Who replaces Cesc?

The Cesc saga continues, and if the player does leave, then we will need to replace him – we don’t have enough experience or ability to cover his departure and many people think that the deal to sign Mata is directly linked to the deal to sell Cesc. Personally, I’d be happy if Cesc stayed AND wanted to stay – but if his heart is not in it and he wants to go, then we have to replace him with quality.

And finally….

The Champions League squad was announced today, and it saw both Cesc & Nasri included – and I agree with that inclusion. If they don’t play, then can still leave without being cup-tied, but there are no deals in place for either, and a slim possibility that they may stay – yes, very slim – but if they do, then surely they will be part of our Champions League qualifiers? Many believe that including them will also force the hand of the clubs after them – also a possibility!

The full squad list is:

Manuel Almunia
Andrey Arshavin
Nicklas Bendtner
Marouane Chamakh
Abou Diaby
Johan Djourou
Emmanuel Eboue
Lukasz Fabianski
Cesc Fabregas
Gervinho
Kieran Gibbs
Carl Jenkinson
Laurent Koscielny
Vito Mannone
Samir Nasri
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Tomas Rosicky
Bacary Sagna
Alex Song
Sebastien Squillaci
Armand Traore
Robin van Persie
Carlos Vela
Thomas Vermaelen
Theo Walcott

The reason we have Oxlade-Chamberlain in the list despite his age is because he has not been at the club for more than two years, whereas Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Szcznesy and Frimpong are included, but as part of the B list of unlimited youth players!

Okay, that’s enough from me – I leave you with my fingers crossed that we hear even more good news tomorrow!

The draw for the Champions League has been made and we’ve got Udinese – probably the second hardest in the draw. They’re a good side and we’ve got the away leg tie sandwiched between Liverpool (home) and United (away)…

The official site reported:

Arsenal will face Udinese in this season’s Champions League Play-Off Round.

The draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday and saw the Gunners first out of the hat, meaning they will host the first leg at Emirates Stadium.

The matches will be played either side of the second weekend of the Premier League campaign – the first leg is scheduled for August 16 with the second leg on August 24.

Games to be played as under:

Arsenal v Udinese Calcio
Tuesday, August 16
Kick Off: 19.45 (UK time)
Emirates Stadium

Udinese Calcio v Arsenal
Wednesday, August 24
Kick Off: 19:45 (UK time)
Stadio Friuli

Time to discuss!!

Bonjour Mes Amis…

Today is Champions League draw day, and within the next half of the day, we should find out who we have been drawn against in the qualifying round of the Champions League. I’ve been asked a lot of questions in the last few days about the draw and the background of the competition and how the seeding works etc – so I’ll try my best to answer them now!

Why do Arsenal have to qualify for the Champions League?

As we finished fourth last season, we have to play a qualifying match in order to gain entrance to the Champions League “proper”. If we win, we will qualify for the group stage of the competition; if we lose, we will be eliminated from the competition.

When will the ties be played?

The play off round will be a two legged affair. The first leg will be scheduled for either August the 16th or August the 17th with the second leg on a week later, on either August the 23rd or August the 24th. There is no home and away seedings, so we could be at home for the first leg or we could be away.

Who can we face?

There are 20 teams in this round – split into two pots – those who won their league “champions”, predominantly from smaller countries and those who have not won their league, but qualified through their finishing position. We are in the “non-champions” side.

Out of the 10 teams left, 5 are seeded and 5 are not seeded. We, along with 4 other teams are seeded.

We will be drawn against one of the following five teams:

• Rubin Kazan
• Udinese
• Odense
• Twente
• FC Zürich

These 5 teams have won their previous qualifying round and are not seeded.

Who else is in our side of the draw?

Along side us, Benefica, Bayern Munich, Lyon and Villareal will make us the other five teams. We cannot play against any of them as they are all seeded. The draws are quite exciting this year and all of the sides who are seeded will be favourites to win their matches.

Who would we prefer to avoid?

Rubin Kazan stand out as a tie we’d like to avoid. Sandwiched between Newcastle, Liverpool and United, the trip to Rubin Kazan would be very taxing – it’s about 4000 miles there and back! In addition, they’re actually quite a decent side – if I am correct, they’ve held their own, especially with their shock win against Barcelona in October 2009 followed up two weeks later by a 0-0 draw.

Who would be our ideal choice?

My choice would be Odense as they are very much the smallest of the teams in the draw – although they shot to fame when they beat Real Madrid in 1995. In reality, they are the 3rd best club in Denmark, and have a small 14,000 seater stadium. Ideal distance and without a doubt, we should be able to be them convincingly.

When and where is the draw?

The draw will be held later today, circa 1300 BST and will be held in Nyon – the draw will be available to watch live on Sky Sports, the BBC and UEFA.com.

Hopefully that’s answered all the questions! I am looking forward to knowing who we have…!

Before I leave you, in other news, Kyle Bartley has rejoined Rangers for a year loan, sparking speculation that we’re on the verge of signing a new centre back – and secondly, young Cescito was back in training yesterday in front of 1000′s of members at member’s day, alongside Arsene, Ivan and Silent Stan – perhaps the owner has come to sort out the Cesc situation once and for all…

Adios for now, I’ll be back around midday!

Morning All…

Yesterday was an exciting day for all Gooners as the members of the AST got a chance to meet with and voice questions to the Arsenal CEO Ivam Gazidis. Having flown in from Luxembourg just hours early, it was touch and go – but I made it and I have to say, it was an interesting evening of questions…

There were twenty questions in total, asked over roughly an hour and a half… let’s rattle away with the questions and answers and a bit of opinion thrown in! Here’s the bullet point list of the meeting – mainly from my tweets throughout the evening…

• First question regarding Nasri & Clichy’s contract situation – who is responsible?
• Ivan says Arsene assesses technical ability – Ivan says contract decisions involve whole management team… (board and Arsene)
• Ivan says that Arsenal will not break the bank to keep players such as Nasri and Clichy
• Second question regarding Arsene’s future – Ivan says club are 100% behind Arsene
• Arsenal ahead of the game in general but other clubs have caught up…
• Third question: last 4 transfer windows, have not been very good – should AW be so much related to the money side of things?
• Third question ask whether AW needs help such as David Dein’s previous roles? Ivan says no….
• 4th question: Do we spend money if we have it?
• Ivan: “Every transfer is carefully considered, wages, lengths, fees etc.”
• 5th question: fans feel disrespected by players, players don’t clap the away supporters – do Arsenal understand this?
• Ivan: Yes, the game sees a bigger disconnect between fans and players – The club is unique…
• Silver members have had a 50% increase – is this fair?
• 7th question about standing sections, AW has previously suggested that he supports it, will Arsenal consider it?
• Ivan says Arsenal open to standing sections. Key considerations around safety. May be cost prohibitive.
• 8th question: Will Kroenke take money out of the club? Have loans been taken out to buy AFC? will dividends be issued?
• Ivan: No dividends will be taken, confirmations that Kroenke has not taken a loan to buy club
• Continuation of 8th q: Will AFC be “self sustaining” forever?
• Ivan says self sustainability very important at the moment… But future could change…
• 10th question: Why do we publish false attendance? Ivan says all clubs do, and that is an industry standard…
• Ivan says waiting list is very long. A very low rate on non renewals. #astmeet doesn’t quite match fans view.
• Gazidis – every empty seat in the stadium represents a small tragedy – but cannot change attendance figures
• Have to publish ‘sold’ attendance levels otherwise fans would be upset at not getting tickets to a game that only had 55,000 ppl attending
• Ivan has answered every question so far… But I have heard everything before from Arsene and the rest
• Question 12: why is the current team so unmotivated and why don’t they “turn up” for some games?
• Ivan says there have been moments where players have an issue with “heart n desire” but more related to experience…
• Q13: What is the transfer fund? And what does the fund cover? Who covers wages for on loan players?
• Ivan says budget covers wages and fees, although not to look at the two as separated, budget is flexible?
• Ivan says we have NOT spent their budgets in previous windows. Money is available and surplus could be too…
• Q14: Who is Arsene accountable to? Ivan says Arsene is accountable to fans (disgruntled fans murmur)
• Q14: Arsene seems to have a different view of economics and Arsenal seem to be a training camp for world football, Nasri could be an example
• Relative efficiency of spending – Ivan’s line, used several times this evening
• Q15: does AW need help?
• Ivan says club behind AW, but Arsene not stubborn, constantly challenged and open to it…
• Q16: AST has been given endorsement by government and Gazidis – does Kroenke support the AST too?
• Kroenke has supported and will support AST and ga share and similar organisations…
• Q17: Are there plans for after Arsene?
• Ivan says can’t answer as media attention and spin would be too great…
• Q18: Our defence has not been good last season…. Would so done like Tony Adams be a good recruit?
• Ivan says Arsenal are working on how to resolve defensive issues…
• Q19: Will Arsenal try and payoff stadium debt early? Ivan says break out fees too high. Loan payback sustainable.
• Q20: Have we spoken to players? Are we close? Ivan says yes and maybe. Is positive about future of Arsenal.

To summise…

It was a good evening of discussions and questions – to be honest, I didn’t hear anything new from Gazidis that I didn’t already know – but a lot of what I thought I knew was confirmed by the CEO. The issues with Nasri have come down to money and the board are adamant to keep to a budget and won’t be held to ransom. Gazidis confirmed that there will be a lot of summer activity, but how much we don’t know. He said there were a lot of targets.

I managed to speak to Ivan directly after the question and answer session and spoke to him about season ticket affordability and club policies on sharing tickets. The feedback from him was generally positive and confirmed that the club are seeking new and improved ways of ensuring people can come to games, get bums on seats.

Well, that’s a wrap for the moment, I have to admit tiredness has the better of me… there will be more tomorrow, hopefully with a bit more opinion on it!

Adios for now…

Howdie Folks…

I have finally arrived back in the UK after my trip to Barcelona and by now you all know how disappointed I must feel. The same as you all feel… I have had some time to relax, reflect and think more pragmatically about the result and the performance…

So where did it all go wrong?

Starting Line Up

There was an ongoing debate prior to the game to whether Diaby or Denilson should start, and for Arsene, Diaby won that decision – there was always a risk with a player like Diaby, who has been out through injury and suspension for most of the season. A player who is so rusty will not be on his own game as much as he should be and in addition, Diaby isn’t a defensive midfielder – so effectively the decision to play him meant that we played with no defensive midfielders. As a result of this, Nasri and Rosicky had to tuck in more, preventing them from attacking.

Cesc and RvP were both included in the starting line-up and both were not 100% – it was clear to see. Cesc, for me, and something he admitted afterwards wasn’t at the races and also got himself injured earlier on, without coming off – something that is very much more detrimental to your team than staying on. And Rosicky – one of the worst players of the season so far – somehow got the nod ahead of the likes of Eboue and Arshavin. Barcelona hate pace, so instead of playing a pacey player, we decided to play our slowest and most out of form midfielder.

Szcznesy

Sagna – Djourou – Koscielny – Clichy

Rosicky – Wilshere – Cesc – Diaby – Nasri

Van Persie

The starting line up – back 5 and striker but midfield should have been a lot different:

Wilshere – Denilson

Eboue – Cesc – Nasri

Van Persie

Tactics

The starting line up was wrong, and if Eboue had started, we would have a different option, pace. The one thing that Barcelona hate is pace, and the one player they fear is Messi. In fact, the reason that we suffer so much at the hands of Barce, is that they have inherent pace within each player. Something that means that they can move much quicker. By playing Diaby, as mentioned earlier, we had a hole just in front of the two centre backs, whereas Denilson would have filled that hole.

Our main tactic of “tiring” Barcelona and then hitting them hard in the second half was probably not something we really should have adopted. To come out of the whole game without stringing three passes together and without having a single shot on or off target is very embarrassing. Arsene had been speaking all week about not parking the bus and then he goes and parks a double decker. Yes, Barce were good, but having unfit players as well as rusty players in your midfield means you can’t compete – Denilson and Eboue would have meant we would have cut up more chances for them and added pace into the mix.

Decisions

Now, that was shocking wasn’t it? To see that no Barcelona players were booked, whilst every tackle we made was. How on earth those decisions can be just, I do not know.

Arsene summed up the decisions better than I can…

Two kinds of people can be unhappy; those who love Arsenal and those who love football can be frustrated with the referee’s decisions. When he made the decision it was a very promising game, very interesting. That’s the regret. We lost against a very good Barcelona side, congratulations to them and good luck for the future. We have many regrets tonight because we didn’t expect to lose the game like that. I feel sorry for people who watched the game tonight.

Van Persie was absolutely livid and rightly so – and now both Arsene and Nasri have been charged with improper conduct following their comments. What on earth is happening to the game? It’s ridiculous…

Time to wind this up for now – myself and fellow Gooner Bob have made a lot of notes, but it’s way past my jetlagness and I’m going to publish and sleep… more analysis tomorrow…

Until then!

Morning All…

You read it right, Arsenal 2 – 1 Barcelona. And what a game…! For the neutral, it was a great game between two teams who play football the right way. For us, it was a nervous game, a heart in the mouth game and what a game!

The whole area was buzzing pre-match and the usual lot were everywhere, a massive turnout in the Tollington and a pint or two later a walk down to the stadium. All fans in good spirit and when I went to my seat, I was greeted by a nice red flag and another 55,000 flags were on the seats of all… As the players came out, the noise was resounding, and the flags were amazing.

Beautiful, wasn’t it?

Ahead of the game, there was a massive boost for all, some say it was a risk, but Samir Nasri was named in the starting XI. No-one thought he’d be fit, let alone start.

The starting line up was:

Szcznesy

Eboue – Djourou – Koscielny – Clichy

Wilshere – Song

Walcott – Cesc – Nasri

Van Persie

With a bench of Almunia, Gibbs, Squillaci, Denilson, Arshavin, Bendtner and Rosicky

For the first time in a while, against a big team, there was an air of confidence around the fans and the players – and we started the game with a swagger. And we created chances with the best one dropping to Van Persie who really should have hit the target. But it wasn’t too long until Barcelona got in it and started to control the game from midfield. With Villa and Messi dropping deep, their midfield was overloading our midfield and their left and right backs found a lot of width and we started to get exposed – Clichy and Eboue often allowing Alves and Maxwell in – and when Barcelona eventually went 1-0, it came down the left when Clichy played Villa onside and a Messi pass put the Spanish striker through.

The first half ended 1-0 to the visitors, and although we didn’t play that badly – the authority of Barcelona did shine through – their game seemed better than ours – positionally, and distributively. We seemed to allow them to pass and then close them down when they had the ball – for us, they did the opposite – they closed down the options and then closed down the player with the ball. It was tough.

The second half was different – we closed them down better, upped our work rate and also closed down their options, which allowed us to recover the ball better – and for me the stand out player of the second half was Jack Wilshere, who went further up the field and seemed to have an extra pair of eyes on him… and his vision and creativity made us tick… and suddenly, a game which looked out of our reach, looked very much like a game where would could take something from…

Arshavin and Bendtner came on for Walcott and Song (the latter walking on a yellow card tightrope, having been booked early on) and they changed the game. The equaliser came via good work from Arshavin who passed the ball back to Clichy who them lofted the ball into Van Persie’s path – who despite wide and at an acute angle, lashed it past the keeper – 1-1……..

And then five minutes later, under serious pressure from Messi, a great interception from Koscielny, a good spot from Bendtner to maintain possession, a first time pass from Wilshere to Cesc, who sprayed the ball out wide to Nasri, who slowed it down and cut it back……… Arshavin slots it home!!!

2-1 to the Arsenal and that’s how it finished – it was electric. What a night… it’s only half the job done, but done well…

Arsene spoke about the game and said:

I am highly delighted because it was a special football match. The game promised a lot and absolutely fulfilled the promises between two exceptional football teams who always try to play. We were not only strong on the physical side but on the mental side, we kept resilient. We took advantage of one special piece of skill from Van Persie and the goal for the second was after some good build-up play. It was a special night. When we suffered, the fans were still very positive.

And he also highlighted the job to do over there:

Tonight’s result gives us a chance to go to Barcelona with belief. We know it will be a very difficult game but we will prepare well. We will be highly focused and we go to win our game. It is a special lift for my team. Our players have shown exceptional strength tonight and togetherness. This will enforce that.

Enjoy the result boys and girls… it certainly was a great European night at the Emirates.

The big day has arrived…

It’s Arsenal vs Barcelona, at the Emirates… our biggest game of the season and we’re on top of our game, so Arsene says and raring to go for this one. I’ve spoken to a lot of fellow Gooners and there is a genuine excitement and buzz around the place… a different buzz, a confident buzz, a “we’re going to beat Barcelona” buzz… the question is, is the team ready for their biggest test of the season… actually, the biggest test of any Arsene Wenger team perhaps?

Straight onto the team news… straight to Arsene’s recent announcement of the squad:

“Samir Nasri is in the squad. But the starting line-up will be decided tomorrow. He’s recovered quicker than expected. I said it will be 21 days but it will be only 17 days. Everybody’s absolutely adamant that he’s completely medically available. It’s down to me to make the decision. I will take no medical risk but it’s good to have him in the squad. Rosicky is available. He’s in the squad. But there’s no Diaby. He has a calf problem. He did it with the French national squad against Brazil.”

So, what do I think about the Samir Nasri situation? Yes, he is back in the squad, but it’s been quite a while since he’s played. If he is 100% fit, he should play – if he is not 100% fit and there is any chance that he will get injured again, then he shouldn’t. The conundrum is that if Arshavin plays, but is not on top of his game, then he is a weak link – but if Nasri plays and gets injured, then we’re shooting ourselves in the foot…

Would I play him from the start? No, I wouldn’t. He shouldn’t – if a player is injured, and returning, he needs to be eased into the team by small outings and 20 minutes at the end of the game – I can’t see any good in risking the player, considering it’s mid season and we have another leg.

My predicted team is therefore…

Szcznesy

Eboue – Djourou – Koscielny – Clichy

Wilshere – Song

Walcott – Cesc – Arshavin

Van Persie

With a bench of Almunia, Gibbs, Squillaci, Denilson, Nasri, Chamakh and Bendtner

This year, I honestly believe that we can do it – I don’t know why!

Maybe because Arsene keeps on saying things like this….

“The only thing I can say is we are in an ideal condition to face them. We cannot complain. We have the belief, the confidence and the players available. We are 90 per cent in February and that was not the case last year. I feel we are in an ideal position to face them. We just want to show how good we are. We want to show the belief we have in our game, in our quality, more than looking at the past. We have practiced. We are determined, focused and we want to win this competition. We know we face the super-favourites of this competition but the only way to do it is to knock them out.

Arsene – he is the eternal optimist!

Let’s see what we’re made of… for those of you fgoing to the game… come down to the Tollington pre-game… I promise I will be there…!

Are you ready? A question that all fans will answer……… “Of course I’m ready”….

But the real question is whether the team is ready. We’ve had many false dawns – defining moments – those pre-match talks where Arsene says “we will show you all and produce something special” and then end up going 2-0 down within the first 10 minutes! But this time, we’re not talking off the pitch… this time we’re talking on the pitch. With the exception of the 4-4 at Newcastle, our form has been pretty good since the turn of the year. Our football has been a joy to watch and it’s all been building up nicely to the tie this week.

For me, I really believe we have a first XI that oozes class and quality – the rapid rise to the number one jersey for Szcznesy has been well deserved and he has earned his shirt. He’s played well and the main thing is that he does the simple things well – and that’s key. He’s commanding and breathes confidence to the defence – a defence which has been marshalled admirably by Djourou creating an equally impressive partnership with Koscielny.

I think they both have enough nous to snuff our the danger of Messi & Villa and for me, the two key players will be the Songshere megasphere… I mean Alex Song & Jack Wilshere – who are starting to really dominate the midfield nowadays.

Song spoke about Jack and had nothing but praise for him:

“Jack is an unbelievable young player – it’s hard to think that he is just 19 years old because he’s playing like a guy with 200 Premier League appearances. I’m very happy to play alongside him – he always wants to listen and learn, and I’m not surprised to see him in the England team.”

I like my new combo, the Songshere megasphere, it’s got a ring to it…

Song also took time out to talk about the way we should approach the game and said:

“The reference point for us has to be the Chelsea match from December, when we pressed them very high from the first minute and gave them no room.  We need to do that to Barcelona – they have a similar style to us and it should be a pleasure for everyone to watch. I can’t wait. Everyone’s talking about it, not just here – a lot of my friends have been in touch wanting to come over and watch. It’s a very good tie,  I think we took a lot from last year’s matches. Both of us are in good form and if we can keep as many players fit as possible for both legs then we can do something.”

And he’s hit the nail on the spot there – we need to give 120% throughout the game – Inter away, Real Madrid away, Juventus at home, Chelsea at home this season – we gave 120% – we press high up the pitch, we were disciplined, we were focused and took our chances.

With Robin Van Persie in the form of his life – 11 goals in 9 games – we have a serious goal threat. You’ve got to give it to RvP – despite the plethora of injuries, he is really coming back into some form – a massive accolade to the confidence in his own ability and the faith that Arsene has shown in him.

Arsene, of course, is looking forward to this game – with all the Cesc furore, I think the manager is keen to “get one over” Barce and really press home to Cesc that he was right to stay at the Emirates this season. Arsene spoke about the style of play and said:

“I believe, if we manage to get them under pressure, we will create chances. Ideally that is something we can work on before the game. Sometimes you have that extra special focus in these kind of games which makes you more efficient, so hopefully we have that. The question at the Nou Camp you can wonder is will we change the way we play? But here [at Emirates Stadium], we will try to play to our strengths. We will try to attack the other team. If we play in the final third defensively, we will not only be happy, it will not be our game.”

That’s so very true – our strengths are our attack. We need to terrorise their defence – a defence without key man Carlos Puyol. They’ll have a decent player in reserve, but between Van Persie, Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin, we can surely get at them – with Cesc pulling the strings just behind the front three, we can really do some damage!

Cesc to score against Barce on Weds? If you’re a betting man, it’s worth a fiver….

I’ll be back tomorrow for a proper pre-match blog, team news and formations, but for now, let’s support Milan as they entertain Sp*rs at the San Siro…

Boy, do I love the Champions League!!