You’ll never Walk Alone has always been my favourite football anthem, it reminds me of the wonderful Liverpool teams of the 60’s/70’s and Bill Shankly and the Kop and black and white TV and my first visit to Anfield. It is THE football anthem. Why am I writing about YNWA? Well, because it is Borussia Dortmund’s anthem, and I have a feeling that with 80,000 Germans singing and cheering on their young and extremely talented side our boys in Red are going to be feeling very alone. Alone but hopefully not afraid.
Like most fans I was hoping that we would not draw BD in the final group of the CL draw, and am sure I was not alone in using a 4 letter word when we drew them. Borussia are a top, top team and despite losing Sahin to Real Madrid (he was voted Bundesliga player of the Year) they have (unlike us) retained their squad, even rebuffing a reported €40m bid from Arsenal the 19.y.o Mario Gotze.
Gotze is just one of the exciting talents in this Dortmund team, but let us focus upon him for a moment. Just 19, already touted as the future of German football and hailed by German Football Association’s technical director Matthias Sammer who called him “one of the best talents that we’ve ever had” – high praise indeed. Remind you of anyone in our squad? How we miss our Little Jack.
Barrios, a Paraguayan, plays upfront for BD and last season was top scorer in the Bundesliga in 2010 and scored heavily last season. Kagawa an attacking MF is one of Japans most talked about young talents, at 22 he already has 25 International caps. Subotic is a monster Serbian CB whom Chelsea (and supposedly AFC) tried to sign in summer, just 22 and a class player. I could continue but you will just get as depressed and anxious as I am.
BD’s stadium holds 81,000 fans and is the largest in Germany, they have an average attendance of over 77k a game, the highest in Europe. Interestingly, BD are quoted on the German Stock Exchange – the only publicly owned club in the Bundesliga
Arsenal go into this difficult game missing Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky and Diaby in midfield. We have an untried defensive unit and are missing our best defender (apart from Chesney). And yet, we have cause for optimism: We have a terrific frontline, we have a midfield with PL experience (if not CL), a defence that has a good mix of pace and height, and we are at our best playing away in Europe (OK – that might be an exaggeration)
My team:
World’s No.1.
Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Song Arteta Frimpong
Walcott Van Persie Gervinho
Tough call on whom to play alongside Song and Arteta in midfield, but Frimpong adds some defensive steel and energy which will hopefully allow Song to get forward and be creative. The front three have pace aplenty which will be important in what is sure to be an open, attacking game.
Most pundits have written off our chances of getting even a point from tonight. They cite our current lack of form and Dortmund’s undoubted home strengths (their loss this weekend was the first in over a year), but these pundits are always writing us off. We have reason to be confident, Dortmund have only 7 points from 15 this season, they are stuttering upfront and have an ageing defence. Their team has little Champions League experience and winning the Bundesliga is nowhere near the achievement it once was, I firmly believe Arsenal would win it with our current squad.
A win is a tough ask, but why not?
COYRRG
Written by Big Raddy
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Excellent Post Raddy. 🙂
I would go with the team you are suggesting too.
Excellent pre-match Raddy. One of your very best if I may be so bold, although it has left me a bit worried about the quality of our opposition 😕
Apologies for not putting in the pitch graphic but my mem stick has failed.
A lot of blog talk today may be about the AST meeting last night and I’d certainly like to hear what people think on the subject but this is CL day and all focus must be on Dortmund.
In the past we have always got off to a good start in the CL group stages and dropped points towards the end once our passage into the next round is secure, we may have to do it the other way round this year due to our ‘earlier than usual injury problems’
Morning again BR
I agree with Rasp, that is one of your best pre-match posts.
totally agree with that line up. Frimpong can add a bit of steel in the middle which is needed away from home.
Gervinho’s ability to dribble will give us an outlet and Walcotts pace always causes trouble.
I believe Barrios may be missing for them, which would be a massive bonus.
I would be happy with a point.
Ageing defence… i reckon both their central defenders are 22…
Oooh I have just noticed that bit of green next to this comment, it is like a little green shoot of hope. The picture above of Mertz and Arshavin always makes me laugh.
Our bench is gonna be very strong tonight which should give the team a lot of confidence. Has the makings of a great match. Can’t wait to see Wenger’s starting line up.
Walcott to score tonight 🙂 he is more highly rated in europe than in the PL… and it suits his game as well…
Excellent pre-match Raddy, gets the juices flowing nicely! And that’s the line-up I’d go for too.
As someone said at the tail-end of yesterday’s post, usually the German champions against the fourth best English side would be a gimme for the German side. But despite Dortmund’s amazing performance for most of last season (they tailed away towards the end but still won by 7 or 8 points), I think you’re right to see the two sides as evenly matched. I watched the extended highlights of Dortmund’s home defeat to newly promoted Hertha Berlin and Dortmund’s defence was carved open numerous times using pace and sharp passing in the midfield. The defeat certainly didn’t look like a fluke, they were well and truly out-classed. But then perhaps Dortmund’s players were thinking about tonight, the first CL game for the club in a decade or so.
I don’t feel confident enough to predict a result, anything feels possible. But I’m sure it’ll be an interesting game.
As usual well researched pre match post Raddy, though (as usual) I disagree with your team though you are usually right.
I would play Santos at left back against a dangeros right winger.Can’t see frimpong and Song starting and i would include Arshavin (otherwise he will have nothing to write about on his blog tomorrow 🙂 )
What you forgot to mention is that Dortmund have the most hi tech sound system in Europe to pump up the noise.
pity Rosicky can’t play against his old club.
One thing i am absolutely sure about is that we won’t lose 8-2. I would take a draw now.Got the valium ready for later, don’t need the metamusil .:)
I would love to talk about the AST last night but will leave it for now.
Nice one, BR.
What happened at the AST?
HR BR, thanks for a great rre-match report. You are totally right about that anthem. I heard it a few times at Anfield and everytime it made me very emotional when it reaches its crescendo. Luckily our players were not affected by it and were able to silence the crowd with our fantastic passing football in the first few minutes.
Looking at your line-up, we only have four players on the pitch with a decent number of CL games under their belt: Sagna, Song, Walcott, RvP – although I am not sure how many CL games Per played. So a lot will depend on their ability to lead our team through this difficult ficture, as well as the likes of Koz, Arteta, Gervinho, Gibbs and Frimmpong to rise to CL standards tonight. We can do it, but this could go either way, I hate to say. I predict a hard fought 1-1 draw.
Old quote from AW. quite appropriate on here.
On detailing his philosophy, (February 2007)
When you’re dealing with someone who only has a pair of underpants on, if you take his underpants off, he has nothing left – he’s naked. You’re better off trying to find him a pair of trousers to complement him rather than change him.
Well Raddy that’s two in two for your prematches filling me with dread, the visit of Swansea told me that Mariner would ref. Today you tell me that a CL Group match is not going to be a walk in the park and that this team are actually quite good. 😦
Fine post though and very informative.
Now I will throw my cat amongst the flying rats and suggest your team selection may be wrong. I wonder whether AA23 will start in midfield with Arteta slightly deeper alongside Song. We need a couple of midfielders capable of unpicking a defence so I would play them both, thankfully Arteta has shown willingness to work back as well as go forward. Leave Arshavin to play the vacated Cesc role.
GiE, that is a good point re AA23. He would also bring in a bit more CL experience in midfield. I think you might be right on this one.
Raddy – I thought you were not ready for tonight!! That was quick research, only you can do it 🙂
Just one tiny correction – I think Croke Park in Dublin is slightly bigger, ie 83k capacity
One other thing Raddy I’m not sure I like that you refer to Chesser as Worlds No 1…..I love it….I’ve replayed that save on Sarurday in my mind a few times since Saturday he makes it look so easy but it was such a difficult save to make, many other keepers would’ve made more of it, or not got there at all.
I also think AA23 may get the nod, I just don’t think that would be the best bet.
Does anybody have the full squad for tonight? I am still curious about Park and Ryo, what is happening with those two?
Raddy – vill they sing ‘U nefer valk alone’ in English?
Hi evonne. The Arsenal squad is:
Andrey Arshavin
Mikel Arteta
Yossi Benayoun
Marouane Chamakh
Johan Djourou
Gervinho
Kieran Gibbs
Lukasz Fabianski
Emmanuel Frimpong
Laurent Koscielny
Per Mertesacker
Ju Young Park
Andre Santos
Bacary Sagna
Alex Song
Wojciech Szczesny
Robin van Persie
Theo Walcott
26 – thank you, so Park is included. I want to see him, move over TW
GIE
I think the team up there is BR’s guess at what Wenger will pick.
Do you reckon that Wenger will try a new strategy tonight, a brand new system of Arshavin in Cesc’s old role? Many may agree that he should, myself included, but tonight, I am not so sure.
never know about AA23 in the center? but given an away fixture like this I would go for a strong central midfield with the FrimSong (or SongPong?) with Arteta providing the creativity. Maybe AA23 would be on for Arteta if he gets tired?
Evonne 🙂 I can see you are now fully prepared!
As long as they are singing at the end of the game:
‘Alles hat ein Ende nur die Wurst hat zwei’
I will be more than happy.
My main concern is that wenger team’s are built on attack and we will miss vermaelen and wilshere a lot.If our defence plays as it did in the second half on saturday dortmond will put away chances that swansea didn’t. if we go i-0 up i would like to see a more cautious approach and the key is getting the right blend in midfield.
Would also not be surprised if Benayoun starts in the hole. Arteta and Song in the ‘2’ sounds more and more realistic to me. Arshavin or Benayoun in front of them…. Frimmpong and either Arshavin or Benayoun to come on in the second half if needed…
It seems to me that with the following injuries beggers can’t be chosers, Song and Pong are not ideal but as Tony Soprano used to say: What ya gonna do?
Wilshere
Diaby
Rosicky
Ramsey
TA – what on earth do you mean – everything has 1 end, sausage has 2 ???
Chas – I knew you would do it 🙂
It is true that Benayoun and Arshavin could play in front of Song and Pong in fact they could both play in front of Song on his own but that would be a attacking formation and I just cannot see that happening tonight.
Hi London, I agree with your last comment in yesterday’s post 🙂
Song and Pong is a good combination, but that would mean Wenger being quite cautious again (as against Udinese). I don’t think he needs to be as cautious in this game – it being a group game – so would be surprised if he starts with both in the centre of midfield this time.
Germans signing in English hmmmmm perhaps we could adopt one on their songs and sing it in German………….yeh right, like that is going to happen.
Chas – I wish I didn’t watch it, bloody hell, that is intimidating
Great post! However I think the 80k capacity is only for domestic games, in the European games the maximum capacity is around 65k due to Uefa seating regulations. Can anyone confirm this?
London – the krautz are robbing bastards, plus they think they own the whole of Europe, which one day I am sure they will
Morning TA
I would love to see Wenger approach this games with all guns blazing but if my memory serves it would be the first time he has done so in the last fourteen years of CL.
London, the idea would be for Song and Arteta to sit in the two – A Treat playing the ‘Wilshire role’ – with either Yossi or (ideally) Arshavin in front of them. The more I think about it, the more I like it, and think it is feasible tonight.
Evonne 😆 you are in fine form today!
‘Alles hat ein Ende nur die Wurst hat zwei’ is a German Schlager song. It means indeed: everything has an (one) end but for the sausage which has two (ends). It is stupid of course, but I would like them to experience a loss tonight, thus for them to find solace in their two-ended best friends 😛
Hi Jim,
I believe the capacity is 80,000 and 65,00 for internationals as that is all the seating – I don’t know if that applies to the CL though.
great write up Big R – looks like it is going to be a great game with some good opposition. Only downer is that I’ll be stream surfin with ESPN only showing the game delayed 12 hrs later…
Could be some goals in this one for us if we sit tight and hit them quick on the counter… by the way this is another reason why Szczesny is a great player: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/szczesny-i-m-confident-of-top-four-finish
London, the best they get is a word: wunderbar!
pat, aahhhh, hit them quick on the counter – music to my ears. We seem to have forgotten how, but as you say, when you’re away in the CL to strong opposition, flood the midfield, soak up some presure and hit them fast on the break is the prescribed tactic.
You actually have a fair point TA – Song + Arteta and Benny more advanced is feasible… in terms of attack / defence mix in that area that wouldn’t be far off to what we have had in the past. Was reading up on Benny – he is a decent goal scoring threat – has a tendency to chime in with important goals and assists. Hopefully we see one or two of the new lads get some goals….
JimLeyland and Rasp could well be right, a quick search on Dortmund’s Europa League games last year shows attendances of roughly 50,000. If UEFA really do lock out 20,000 to 30,000 fans because they have an outdated idea about games needing to be all-seater, when German football has excellent, safe, enjoyable and modern standing facilities, that would make them (once again) right miserable bastards.
But looking at Dortmund’s Europa League performances on the pitch, it’s interesting to see that they failed to make it beyond the group stage, even while they were slaughtering everyone in the Bundesliga. Reminded me a bit of us back in the 2001 to 2005 period, brilliant domestically, chokers in Europe.
I watched some of the highlights of the Swansea City game and see how a deep lying Arteta could be good for that defence to attack transition – I remember seeing him winning the ball back just outside our area and starting a quick attack by a key pass. Carry on Mikel!
For those who want to see Dortmund get mullered by pace, see what Hertha’s Rafael did to them at the weekend: http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/borussia-dortmund-hertha-berlin-longer-extreme-video-15392685/.
Gervinho and Walcott anyone?
Yeah 26 – I’m thinking the Dortmund team may be a little nervous…
London, I have an inkling that AA23 being subbed on the hour was to preserve those oh so weary little legs of his for tonight.
As TA says see Arteta playing the Wilshere role and after Udinese away, where Song was wasted in the fetcher carrier role I can’t see him starting SongPong.
Also with the young eager Pong being a rash challenge away from a booking at any time I think he will save him for when needed (Song injury/suspension).
See Ferdinand is injured again, and Vidic remains injured, Uniteds medical team are terrible
Hey 26 I had to pause the video of your 12:11pm – I already love the German commentary far more than the horrible commentating in the EPL. A few key German footballing terms and I’ll be set!
Hi Rasp,
i have written a pre match piece for the weekend, will send it over tomorrow for your approval!!!
GiE,
‘See Ferdinand is injured again, and Vidic remains injured, Uniteds medical team are terrible’
🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks Fgg, excellent, I look forward to reading it 😛
TA
“Feasible” hmmmmm, if you are saying that as a formation it could work then I would agree but if you you are saying that it is feasible that Wenger will pick such a starting formation tonight, which is how this debate started remember, then I would be amazed. I guess we will just have to wait and see
If anyone hasn’t seen the clip that 26 posted above of Dortmund on the weekend then I recommend you do. Their defence make Koscielny and Djourou on a bad day look good. Ohh it definitely is going to be Theo time tonight. I am so glad I left myself an escape route when discussing that one lol.
yeah London while feasible – I wouldn’t be betting on Arsene starting with that – I have a feeling he will go with Frim Song Arteta as Big R posted…
GIE
There have been so many opportunities when Wenger could have played Arshavin in the Cesc role and yet he hasn’t; the idea that he would take a chance on an untried formation in such an important game would amaze me. I would bet something but I don’t have any Arsenal souvenirs left.
Yeah the Dortmund Keeper couldn’t believe what happened for the first goal – he thought he saved it…
London you said it though – its Theo time!
Hopefully Ricey gets Gerv and Theo to changeover a bit. Alternating between blinding pace and mesmerizing ball trickery should give their full backs something to think about.
This is one game I’d be happy to see Theo playing centrally going by the ease with which the Dortmund defense were breached at the weekend.
I still can’t understand why he isn’t left on the halfway line when we are defending corners, I cannot remember the last time he contributed defensively at a corner (RvP on the other hand often heads the ball clear) so no loss to our defense but a big worry for the opposition and a chance to do what he does best and run on to a ball towards goal.
Pat
The general rule of the site is that I am always right.
I was right about Clichy staying
I was right about Na$ri staying
I was right in my prediction that we would only sign one player in the transfer window.
As I was also right in saying that Wenger would not sign a CB for fear of stiffling Djourou’s development.
See, right every time 😉
Wooooooooo, getting excited now, can you image if we hadn’t qualified brrrrrrr perish the thought.
Going back to a discusssion a few days ago, I contend that a stadium like BD’s designed as a steep sided rectangle rather than a bowl shaped oval will make it much easier for the crowd to sing in unison albeit with the different stands all having their own particular theme. The vids of BD’s crowd singing are awesome and certainly something for the Emirates faithful to aspire to.
Bend over Fritz, its sausage time Arsenal style, and that means One Nil to The Arsenal.
Ooops, sorry BR,
Tell you what, by the half way point you had scared the crap out of me (and Chas’ video doesn’t help) but by the end I had come over all one nilly.
Hi Rasp,
Time to get the builders back in then, eh.
Lovely idea whosever it was to put AA central, but sadly I cannot see it ever happening. So its the BR line up for me.
London I am sure we are going to see Gerv and Theo tear up Dortmond…
Personally I was convinced (or convinced myself) that Cesc was gonna stay 😦
Rasp
I once heard someone describe the corporate band that runs round the Emirates as a noose……………….sort of makes sense really.
London,
Here’s a thought. Do you reckon the potential attmosphere is wrecked by having the upper and lower tiers divided? Particularly at North Bank and Clock End. Maybe they should have stuck corporate/club in two large blocks around the half way line. Upper tier only, but both East and West stands.
anyone know if the Emirates can be expanded?
26, thanks for the video. I like the look of that Eduardo lookalike, and beautifully named (who needs Latin) Raffael Caetano de Araújo, the Hertha BSC No. 10. Quick like lightning.
London, I agree with you it is more unlikely than likely that Arsene will play a ‘2’ of Song and Arteta and a ‘1’ with Arshavin or Benayoun. But he has got to do something, now that Wilshire, Ramsey and Sick Room Stay (TR) are not available. To play Song and Pong in the two is also (almost) untested, and it did not really work for us in the first half against Udinese. That’s why I think it might happen today, but whoever plays next to super Song wil need to play the role of Wilshire.
BR
I’m sorry but, in contrast with my fellow AA-ers, I am rather disappointed with your pre-match.
Admittedly, your description of the challenges awaiting us is excellent.
Your evocative portrayal of Dortmund’s stadium and fans is first class.
Your perceptive analysis of how we need to play is incontestable.
Your prediction of the likely starting eleven is hard to argue with.
Your prose is elegant.
BUT….
Why haven’t you included a famous inventor from Dortmund? Do they not have any? I find that hard to believe, given how industrious the Germans are and how big Dortmund is. Surely some Dortmunder must have invented the Doodlebug or the Wankel Rotary Engine or those Germanic crappers with a little platform for studying your own doings…
Last season you garnished every pre-match with a little bit of information about the host town, often involving famous rock stars who happened to have been born there. I wondered how you would manage this season (particularly with games against our familiar British foes whose towns you had already described).
Ingeniously, you came up with the idea of name-checking inventors from each place.
But none from Dortmund.
Why, oh why, oh why etc…
Yours sincerely,
Disgruntled of Sevenoaks (er, I mean Toronto)
RL, you are so right! 🙂 Only the other day, I complimented BR on the fact he always includes into his match reports something about local inventors, and today of all days – when our team is visiting the country whose export levels are only topped by the 15x bigger nation of China – he decides to simple leave us uninformed. The Fricking Liberty. 😆
Hi Rasp @1.07, second paragraph: you are spot on there. It would make so much sense to leave Theo at the half way line when the opposition take their corners
“I felt that we had a good chance to knock them out last season and they know that too,” said Wenger.
“I saw Guardiola two weeks ago when we had our managers’ meeting and they knew they were lucky on the day. We had Van Persie sent off and Fabregas wasn’t 100 per cent.
That’s the spirit Arsene!
TA, Rasp
As for leaving Theo at the half way line, how about this for a plan: when rubbish teams come to The Ems, how about WE park the bus and just defend our box.
Even if they want to defend they’ll have to come on to us out of sheer embarrassment.
Then we hit them on the break.
Simples!
Micky
Undoubtedly YES
OKOKOK, nobody wants to talk to me.
I am off, see you later, auf wiederschnitzel.
Oi Dutchie, I wanted to have a quick chat…. No, you’re gone? Oh well.
Barca “were lucky on the day”, love that one! We didn’t have a single shot (on or off target) and were incinerated by the best team in the world, pinning our hopes on holding on till they’d exhausted themselves into giving us a chance or two in the last 15 minutes, and we call them lucky! The strategy was clear from the first leg, and the sending off (which was a complete joke) destroyed it, but come on Arsene, they were not lucky. Just much, much better than us.
Am still excited about tonight. But I’ll be absent from the exchanges here, as I have an evening meeting and will be watching it on delay when I get home.
By the way, I looked it up, and there’s nothing interesting about Dortmund, other than it’s twinned with both Kathmandu and Leeds. Raddy’s omissions must have been deliberate.
London at 1:14 – you wha??!!! Geez, we were SOOOO wrong. You promised that all Clichy, Na$ri and Cesc were to stay and I believed you!
Honestly, always right……pssshhhhhhhhh
London @ 1:59,
That’s brilliant!, the ‘Corporate Emirates Noose’ or even ‘The Prawn Sandwich Ligature’ and a very good point about club level dividing the fans.
It still makes my blood boil that they wander back into their seats 5 minutes after the 2nd half has started. It would be easy to deduce that there is a correlation between the higher income groups that is inversely proportional to the degree of vocal support.
Great post BR! I think I may be joining you in Copenhagen in October, perhaps too late for the Tottenham game, but perhaps we can watch Sunderland at the Southern Cross?
Completely agree Rasp and London, the empty seat brigade are a wind-up.
I’m increasingly coming to the view that, impressive as it is, the club got the design of Ashburton wrong. Dortmund’s ground shows how a closer, more atmospheric environment with steeply banked stands could have been created. And the new Juventus stadium looks similarly well designed. Ours is just a bit too much like a comfy reclining sofa, that doesn’t encourage as active an engagement from our already quiet/whiney support base.
I vaguely recall Islington Council rejecting plans for the stadium to be even bigger, presumably due to the impact even more fans would have on local residents, transport etc. But it would’ve been great to have more people but charge them less (yeah right, like that would’ve happened….). That would be good for atmosphrere and continuing to renew our fanbase. But too late for all that. I still think the club should investigate standing sections, subject of course to getting the PL and FA to change their position.
Barca were lucky on the day. If the cahnce that Nik had had fallen to RVP they would have been out. It doesn’t matter that they outplayed us. How many teams have we outplayed and ended up with nothing? The ref was dodgy.
26thmay,
we wanted a 72000 capacity stadium but the local council turned us down for health and Safety reasons .
never mind the council i have my own health and safety barometer on when i watch us sometimes.
The fokker ala stan boardroom made it’s maiden flight around Dortmond, an area i know well when i lived in Kelsenkirchen when working for Dior as a designer and are rivals to Schalke 04 who I used to go and watch.
By the way the Rudd got a brace for Malaga last night.i think they won 4 or 5 -0. They have just signed a Spanish international for 25 million but as mentioned before it is the same family that are backing Malaga to the tune of 500 million euros, that back City
kelsey
thankyou for the Fokker information. You have spared BR’s blushes 🙂
Onto tonight’s game: I’m surprised so many people are happy with the Pong-Song axis. It was a distinct failure in the away leg in Udine and it was only when Pingpong was subbed for TR7 at half time that we started to look the part.
Given our injuries in midfield we may have little choice, but I’m a bit worried about Pingpong at this level. In fact I’m surprised Coquelin isn’t in the squad, as he has looked very promising in his cameos this season.
Nice one BR.
Agree about the Barca game….although thoroughly outplayed, the fact remains IF Big Bendtner had put that relatively easy chance away we would have progressed in the tournament.
Also said for ages now about Walcott being left on the half way line at corners, just think how many players the opposition would hold back? less congestion in our box may be? This is a no brainer for me, together with every one and their dog down my local, all except he who matters.
Give em a loud shout for me guys and dolls……working nights again, boo hoo.
http://fourfourtwo.com/interviews/one-on-one/92/article.aspx
good insight into Wenger he is a natural for Prime minister if all else fails.
I agree i can’t see song and pong together. i have changed my mind about LB it might well be Gibbs as Santos is carrying a few extra pounds according to dandan, (who knows all about weight 😉 )
Hello VCC
Bendy’s bad touch and a bought ref put paid to our hopes against Barca. Who knows how our season would have panned out if we’d have had the confidence boost of knocking out Barca. I am convinced that last season’s squad was good enough (ability-wise) to win the league. It was just something about their collective mental attitude that let us down. Hopefully the new arrivals will signal a new mentality.
Cheers Kelsey. I just had a look at Malaga’s squad, and saw that Julio Baptista is there, along with RvN. And he’s scored 9 goals in 11 appearances – that guy was weird, brilliant for Sevilla and apparently Malaga, useless for us, Real and Roma. Perhaps he just needs a home on the Spanish south coast?
It seems to me very few people are happy with the Song Pong axis it’s just that with the injuries the way they are that seems like the most likely Wenger choice or at least it does to me.
Kelsey
You have a home on the Southern Spanish coast……..quick get your boots.
Malaga have a serious squad now.Every year they yo yo in and out of La liga but the new owners believe that CL is possible within3 years. 12000 expat are season ticket holders (their second club) Also considering that 7 clubs are near bankrupt in la liga they have some clout.
OK, I’m in a minority on that Barca game back in March (as I think I was at the time too). But I’ll leave the subject with this: we weren’t just outplayed in the way we were at Old Trafford (where we got in 19 shots and had plenty of possession); Barca were so completely dominant in midfield (meant to be our forte) that Xavi and Iniesta each clocked up more passes than our entire team. Frankly, I’d never seen such a one-sided game, and that still holds, even after the 8-2.
Anyway, that’s history, I’ll leave it alone now. Tonight will be different, I’m sure of it!
26, you are right: they were the better team. But a huge bit of GENUINE luck fell upon us: ‘we’ equalised and at once the burden was lifted – the sun peaked out from under the cloud. Barca were snookered at that moment in time: they had to score twice to win, knowing that another goal by the mighty Arse would have reduced them to cannonfodder.
The referee’s decision to send Robin off was not a case of genuine luck, but a bad human error of judgement that turned out to be of huge benefit to Barca.
At 1-1-, however fortunate it came about for us, Barca were lucky that we were reduced to 10 men, but we will never really know whether our game plan would have meant we would have gone through had we played 11 against 11.
40 years too late London.
i was offered a villa today valued at 3 million euros by the bank as a repo for 700 hundred thousand., and i bet that is negotiable.edit. the point i was making is that things over here are economically drastic.
Good news that Lansbury signed an extended contract, no?
Totally agree RL. I thought we had our best chance for years to win something last season. Can’t put my finger on what exactly went wrong? or was it many things, just don’t know, but what a shame. Is it just me but I thought ManUre looked well beatable on paper last year.
Got to go now off to work, will be listening on the radio, I want to hear the Gooners out shout the GEEEErmans.
Come on you Gunners. 🙂
Great link to the FourFourTwo article Kelsey.
I do really like our manager.
I keep thinking back to the United game.We scored 2, would have been 3 on any other day with the penalty miss and could have had a 4th and though we got smashed in the end it was hardly a second team we put out.United are definately beatable but they have one thing installed into them by SAF a winning mentallity.
Kelsey, a designer at Dior? Wow, very impressive 🙂 What did you design cloths, bags, perfumes, belts?
26, agreed that is good news. The boy is on fire at the moment.
I’m pleased no-one has mentioned its the 13th today 🙄
Rasp, this one is for you:
‘I’m not religious. In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before they enter the pitch. If it works all matches must therefore end in a draw.’
Johan Cruijff
😆 TA,
I hope someone gets an extinguisher on Lansbury before its too late!
Rasp: He is alright – totally covered in bubbles at the moment 😛
TA,,
ties and scarves in colour co ordination and worked in Como as well but i was in my early twenties.I went to the london School of Fashion in Oxford Street doing a night class after work.it is still there. Then at 26 went on out into the wide world on my own.
Sounds like you had and have a very intesting life Kelsey. Hope to watch a game with you one day and find out a bit more it! 🙂
TA,
that is an understatement 😉
Thank you for the plaudits.
RA. I did research for inventors from Dortmund and found none, then googled famous people from said place and found wither German War “heroes” or ice hockey players, neither of which I felt were worthy of inclusion on such a prestigious website.
The Song/Pong midfield is one of necessity, other than playing Benayoun or AA as a withdrawn left side attacker I can find no other solution, and I think AW will focus on not conceding and playing on the counter-attack, then hitting them hard in the final 15.
Kelsey. Another coincidence – I went to the London School of Fashion very often. My best friend did the hairdressing course. Would have been around 1973
Brilliant place to cherche le femmes 🙂
CG. It will be my pleasure to buy you a beer.
Kelsey 😆
Kelsey, 🙂
I worked in the UK textile industry for a short while. It’s where I met lots of very tall, skinny, interesting women.
I learned that stripes on American ties always sloped left to right, while English stripes sloped right to left. Or was it the other wat around.
I’m sure you would know. Both about the girls and the stripes! 🙂
OK, I’m out – have a good evening one and all.
TA Please don’t tell anyone.
I Have it on very good authority that Kelseys spelling is dodgy at the moment and that word should have an o in it not an I. Evidently it was being shown this door that got him started out selling knocked of shmutter out of a suitcase in oxford st.
A story can be told many ways 🙂
BR
Ah! I might have known you would have done your research. I maligned you unfairly 🙂
For the second day running I find myself apologising to an AA-er (after complimenting Redders on his purple prose, only to find out that ‘purple prose’ is not necessarily considered a compliment!).
But who’d have thought a city like Dortmund would never have produced an inventor of note?
dandan,
so did Theo Paphitis.
RA,
Do you know what a Windsor is ?
Kelsey, you naughty boy. 🙂 Well I have been told to get knotted on the odd occasion!
Rocky, you never need to apologise to me. Anyway, you were probably right! 🙂
kelsey
is it related to a Double Windsor?
¡ would lyk aa23 on the left n gerv on d right switchn az uzual, ¡ think walcott needs to take a long hard look at himself and learn some technique, its not rocket science to turn with the ball n he maybe needs 2 watch some old man u games with cr7 n learn the step over, again, not hard but effective.
Dortmund is in the Ruhrgebiet a very industrial part of Germany. When i was there if you wore a white shirt it would be nearly black by the evening from soot and coal but I understand it has been cleaned up considerably.
in the World Cup the English commentators always said kelsenkirken instead of a soft kelesekirschen. Did my head in.
Is there anything you don’t know RA 😉 a font of information.
Kelsey,
Don’t know about a font of info.
Altho’ my british friends will tell you I know a lot — well, I suppose that’s what they mean when they say that I know f*ck all!
Hackepeter. A Dortmund Speciality. Raw Pork, raw eggs with some onions and stuff.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Raddy 🙂
Evonne,
Where are you? Nearly ready yet?
Is the game on ITV or are we back to onlinefootie?
Sky Sports 4 Micky. Also known in Cornwall as onlinefooty! 🙂
London and Pat from earlier, even though you said Cesc andNa$ri would stay , I won`t blame either of you, and london keep your clothes on!
Arsene`s the one who should be eating his clothes!
And in Devon RA? Drums and smoke signals perhaps!
If we are a goal down with twenty to play, then I say: “Unleash The Ox”.
Gosh, I’ve been so busy I’ve forgotten to recruit someone for the match report. So one of you had better volunteer before I pick victim – TA? 🙂
Well that’s that sorted out nice and early then Peaches 🙂
Tonights team as above except Benny in for Pingpong
pity we have’nt got JET anymore otherwise we could have Benny and the Jets.
Two cows standing next to each other in a field.
Daisy says to Dolly “I was artifically inseminated this morning”
“i don’t believe you” said Dolly.
Daisy replied – ” It’s true, straight up, no bull”
What’s the difference between peaches and Anne Robinson 😉
Ooo dandan, nice and postive. So one DM and two advanced in Benny and Arty. Nice, lets go for it. I am kind of amazed that Arsene has never given AA a go in the AM role. With our injuries he’s had plenty of opportunities. I guess he doesn’t see something in training that we, the experts, see on the pitch 🙂
My friend died in a bowl of muesli.
He was pulled in by a strong currant.
G5,
Coat time, and so early in the evening 🙂
Answer phone message……
“If you want to buy marjuana, press the hash key”
is there anyone from AA going tonight that we know of.
I find that joke disgusting gunnerN5 😉
Kelsey,
Anne Robinson is in no way pushy?
My coat moment has also just come early!
Micky,
I can’t say that over here. never seen a coat in over 10 years 😉
kelsey, you are the weakest link, goodbye 👿
GN5 was it a cereal killer?
Good to see AW has confidence in Benny. I believe he will prove to be a good signing.
Thank goodness for Online footy. But how can it be a legal site?
Peaches. That is a fine pun 🙂
I asked for that peaches,but nevertheless enjoyed it as i knew it would prompt a reaction. 🙂
Peaches,
I don’t think so, maybe I was wrong – he could have been bowled over.
Raddy,
It must be broadcast from a country where Sky can’t touch them. An uneducated guess. A ship?
Micky. I like the idea of the ship, bit like Radio Caroline (probably before your time)
Kelsey,
Strange really, and here’s me feeling sorry for you that you have to put up with that horrible hot and sticky weather 🙂
Got to go now. Off to my son’s house where he, my 30 month old grandson and myself will watch the game in his home theatre = a 102″ screen with surround sound – which will of course be ramped up the maximum by the Dortmund technicians.
Someone should have torpedoed that ship – it gave us Tony Blackburn and Noel Edmonds 😦
BR:
How about – “Wonderful radio London”
Not sure which of the two came first.
Diddy David Hamilton 🙂
Alan Fluff Freeman
So I was half right and TA correctly predicted Benny. I’m surprised AW went for Benny over AA23 but I guess fitness is all important, my Dad said he he injected some pace on arrival against Swansea, what say other AAers at the game?
Liverpool fans who went quiet on Saturday are starting to surface on twitter, perhaps I should ask them when they last played in this tournament.
I quite liked fluff, at least he went for a combover unlike the obvious syrups of Blackburn and Hamilton
Subs #afc: Fabianski Park Santos Djourou Arshavin Frimpong Chamakh.
I thought Benny looked lively when he came on, but it was obvious he was unacquainted with his teammates because he didn’t seem able to find anyone to pass to.
On Sat I read big Raddys pre match long after I arrived home from the match, and about an hour after a few posts from myself about the match. Madness.
Todays brilliant pre match further underlines what folly that was. Ok I’m still pre match but I could have had this washing around my mind all day.
Note to self: Paste ALL headline Posts into a plain text email and read at desk before 10.30 (am !!!), then just take it from there.
Come on you gunners.
Right, now to find some team news…lol.
*Sharkey hits ‘post comment’ button, commences to scroll up*
Ok no thanks to you ill-informed lot, and many thanks to the good old BBC:
Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Song, Arteta, Walcott, Benayoun, Gervinho, van Persie. Subs: Fabianski, Park, Andre Santos, Djourou, Arshavin, Frimpong, Chamakh.
Micky – I am ready. My hands are shaking, cannot eat, not answering the phone, bring it on!!
Sharkey I would scroll back a bit if I was you mate. 🙂
SS – what are you on about? 26may posted the full squad for tonight ages ago……….honestly
If you haven’t seen it ArsenalBrasil have a fine interview with Silvinho which is available through Arseblog. Highly recommended.
SS. Kind words indeed.
How far back…..??
Has anyone volunteered to write match report yet?
Kelsey – given your strong inclinations and keen interest in the subject, I am surprised you were designing ties rather than g-strings
I can see DD posted subs…?? *scratching head*
Blimey that’s an attacking line up. Exciting or what.
COYRRR.
ages ago 🙂 11:22
“be ramped up [to] the maximum by the Dortmund technicians.”
Pointless and complete unnecessary ??
Like for like formations this could be a goal fest and we should win, someone must want tp write the match report 😀
Cheers ETL, thats what I figured. I generally only scroll back to around 7.00pm for team news.
I almost suggested that 26 must have picked the team with Arsene suspended if he had it any earlier than 6.45.
I wasn’t sure that he’d take his hand off your knee for long enough to share it with us all
Sharkey you need to look at DD’s comment at 6:46pm
“Tonights team as above except Benny in for Pingpong”
Time to change into my game kit.
MattLawExpress Matt Law
The stadium might be good, but the wifi is rubbish #germanefficiencymyarse
Evening AAers……….]
Just got in 200miles way too quick!!!
Great Pre match Rads……..
Interesting line up………..Looks spicy……….
Good start for both teams.
We need to hold the ball instead of these fancy little passes
At this rate we are going to get a beating some players are in dreamland…………….
How many times will Gibbs keep pushing the ball onto his right foot and then because he can’t use it and ends up passing back to Chesser or Kozzer I’m going to throw something at my tv if he does it again!!! Play forward son play forward and keep the ball on your left foot!
That’s how you do it great pass by Theo
Come on Arsenal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was sitting thinking for Gods Sake get Theo into the game, then RvP gave him the opportunity and Theo’s pass was spot on then RvP finishes with aplomb.
Back after opening another bottle
With his chocolate as well, super strike………….
Did everyone feint?
What is the summariser on about, he hasn’t mentioned that precision pass by Theo once.
Ok while everything is flowers and chocs I would like to sat Chapeau to TA for getting the team selction spot on.
Must run to the fridge. Later
So lucky to be in front now sort out the defence, explain forward passing…….
Get Frimpers on for Benayoun……..Drop RVP back and push Gman and Theo up……..
I was just going to slate Theo for not being in the game and from a central position he makes the goal for RVP.18 in 19 away games he ought to be knighted.
I feel arteta anf yossi are slowing the game down too much and Mes and kos don’t look the greates partnership as yet.Dortmund in attack are a bit like Swansea thankfully.lot of work still to be done though i am convinced gervinho will turn out to be a great buy.Not over yet but we are more than capable of scoring again.
London,
Its behind the bloomin sofa!
Brilliant half. Sz must be bored!
Cracking half of football. Dortmund have been excellent.
GiE agred completly completely re Gibb sturning inside and closing down his own sopace. Maybe he’s agoraphobic.??
It was only last week that I was explaining to a 10 yr old about how receiving the ball with an ‘open stance’ gives you more options. I’ve gotta email those same instructions to our LB. Jeeez !!
Kelsey Gervinho needs to learn to pass if that was Theo you would be slating him
I was just about to tear The Boy Wonder a new one and suddenly he does that.
But I still will, he is the Captain and if we want to get the ball back in their third he needs to work harder and lead others into following suit, IF he is going to walk back to the centre circle when they have possession in their final third that’s all we can expect his teammates to do.
They are pressurising us high up the park we need to go longer as Arteta has started doing.
Best thing I’ve read on Twitter is that PHW has a phone wired into his crutch. Nice to see the Three Wise Men sitting together and Ivans celebration was good to see.
quite right dandan.must say kos gave away the ball twice in the first five minutes and i thought oh oh.
😀 Sharkey it’s amazing that two products from our youth system can be so different, you never see Wilshere close off his forward passing options like that.
Maybe it’s because he receives the ball to close to the touch line but if he does head up and look for a long diagonal for Theo.
Was it Clough that said football was a simple game made difficult by fools? Whoever it was they were spot on.
I like the movement between Benny and Arteta. They are covering a huge amount of ground and allowing Song to play deeper.
Mertesacker looks a bit wooden so far and I fear he will play someone onside.
Kos has looked much better after the bash in the face. Perhaps Sagna did it on purpose!
We’ve only got one Song…………….
Jesus the ghost of Rose strikes again.
” Perhaps Sagna did it on purpose!!
You nutter !!
Now ain’t that kick in the teeth.
Good effort by back four and most of midfield, really cannot seem to hold the ball up the pitch when it matters and we get deeper and deeper.
After reading Raddys pre match about Dortmund and the first fifteen minutes of play…I’m happy with a draw.
Song had a 15 min spell of playing them on his own !!
I thought Koz was brilliant tonight. Yeah he overplayed a bit first half, but he was a monster tonight.
I love the work rate and nous of Benny the Goon and Arteta.
Gibbs was steady, not great, but away to the German champions in the CL, steady will do.
Beforehand would have accepted a point but when we go and lead it feels a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.
It took me a while to realiseethat it was Arsenal playing with all the subs.
A win would have been a real confidence booster for a team getting to know one another.i wouldn’t have taken RVP as he is the one man who might score you a second.Anyway not pleased or sad,it’s some progress.
Brilliant performance from a team under pressure.
Naff all you can do about an equaliser like that.
Let my rant commence
Before the passage of play that led to their goal, Chamakh receives a decent pass from a tired Benny The Goon. Instead of holding it or turning with it, he does his usual hot potato act, and drops a sh*t short pass back to BTG. BTG grapples for it but is outnumbered, and away they go and win a corner.
From the minute he came on Cham looked sluggish. I don;think I saw hiom break into a sprint once tio cloose own a defender, instead he generally just jogged from side to side.
At one point he even let the FB make a simple throw back to Hummels the CB. It was a shocking dereliction of duty.
Rant over
Certainly would have taken the point before the game, so very happy on that front. Their goal was unstoppable but damn it, why tonight!
I felt throughout the game how much confidence Sz gives me. My heart beats so much more gently. I kept thinking, ok they have plenty of the ball and they will get some shots on target, but they still have to beat Sz. Don’t really feel like criticising anyone tonight, so well done the lads.
I am delighted last ditch defending of the type we haven’t seen for a while. To lose a goal in a million is no disgrace. The big German and Arteta were barking instructions all the time.Song was very solid but we need to get our passing game back and we now have a bit of time.
We are on our way back. Kelsey RVP’s legs had gone he had been running back and forward
Chas, I sat and applauded the strike. My wife looked at me all confused. It was an amazing strike, and on balance a draw was prob a fair result.
Overall we fought very well from start to finish, and played some decent football at times. I’m happy with the performance and the point.
A part of me does feel that if Gerv was alittle less raw, then we may have scored a 2nd. For all of Theo’s faults, if the roles were reversed for Gerv’s one on one, I’d put someone elses house on Theo rolling it sideways to Gerv for a certain goal.
To be fair to Gerv, even with his non passing he’s a a great asset to the team
Match Reportage time…..cheers lads, one day I will write up a win, maybe I should not be given them again 😀
Gotze is 19!!! Some player, wow.
I’ll keep this a bit brief:
Start:
Szczesny. Worlds No.1.
End..
GiE,
You do the big CL away games and stick with draws 🙂
Big up to Pat Rice for his shouting and motivating at half time.
He gave us some good ‘advices’ (courtesy of Bacary Sagna).
Changing tack. The Dortmund crowd make alot of noise but heck is it Bad Noise. Monotonic drone. Give me gentle applause any day 🙂
Two ways to look at the match – one – shame we couldn’t have held on for another 2 minutes or -lucky that we did hold on until 2 mins. from the end!
Sharkey – Agreed Chamakh was a disgrace when he came on. All he had to do was run about a bit an press and he couldn’t even manage that. If you watch how we gave away the free kick it is because no one gave the midfield an out ball.
That said massively proud of Arsenal tonight. I watch Dortmund a lot last season and they are a false act. It is a tough ground to go to, the invincibles didn’t win there. We defended well second half and the midfield played much tighter, we defended deeper which we should be doing.
Great result against the best team we will face in this group.
Gentle applause magnified by the director using his sound mixing board.
Off to bed with a smile on my face expect to see a more positive AA tomorrow.
That’s the spirit, Danny.
Fair comment Danny, but they did not force one decent save out of Sz (as I said, the goal was unstoppable).
Phew. A bumpy ride and a draw was a very good result.
Quite honestly we got totally outplayed tonight but we seem to have learned a lesson from OT – one that I feel the new players and Song have given and that is if we are to defnd then we must defend in numbers based around the D. We did that and but for a wonder strike we did it succesfully.
Two players really stood out for me. Song and Sagna. Sagna in particular was impeccable and takes my MoM.
…very Bergkamp result.
I’m happy tonight DD, that was a very good performance.
Arteta, Mert and BTG gave us something extra in terms of attitude and application.
Agreed Radders, credit to Sagna, he’s a true Warrior. I almost take him for granted at times.
Glenda, what did you do in the past life to deserve to be such a muppet in this one?
Evening all.
Good point away to a good side. Thought Szczesny, Song, Sagna, Benayoun, and RvP had great games tonight. Mertersacker looks like a disaster waiting to happen, but hopefully he is just getting used to the team. Chamakh is a disgrace, again I state I would have kept Bendtner over him.
Stay on your feet, Butch.
Danish TV keep showing the BD goal, it really was fantastic but they also say that AFC were very poor and added nothing to the game.
Useless is the best I can say. Why no plaudits for an excellent defensive display?
Hoddle …………. Wilkins – you had me going there chas, I even visited another site to see if you were chatting on there 🙂
Hi irish – nice to see you 🙂
Irish. I agree about Benny. I had no idea he had so much energy, the man was everywhere right to the final whistle.
Haha peaches. Were you watching the goals on SS2?
Szczesny has got to work on his “passing” – he needs to learn how to release the ball at the right moment without putting defenders under pressure for no reason. Plus he’s kicking – he must practise at kicking way over the half way line. Besides that we’ve got ourselves a keeper for the next 20 years!
Benayoun instead of Arshavin – interesting!
Great result in proportion to the chances, a super strike that the Szcz had no chance with. At least it was not a calmitious defensive error..
Big Up for Song and Kozzer…………..
A good performance that deserved better. but what a goal!!
To be fair BD were worth the point. What worries me is we are not creating much… like saturday this goal came directly as the result of a BD mistake. Albeit Theo played a great pass and RVP was clinical.
Song was immence in the second half.
Does any of the old timers agree with me Gervinho reminds me of Charlie Cooke, can dribble like a one year old baby.. but all too often has ineffective end product.
chas – I am 🙂
Hiya Peaches 🙂
Raddy – I always saw him as very Hleb like since his Liverpool days, he has great control and draws players to him to create space. Never witnessed that sort of workrate though, great shift tonight.
GiR. thanks for doing the match report tonight 🙂
There is something to be said for playing deeper. I guess we would need Gerv and Theo to be more deadly on the break. My one downer is how much I realise we still rely on Robin, and in that respect I cannot wait to see Young.
While Irish tools on up to bed with Gaga on her mind, I may sneek upstairs thinking about Torres on loan. Could one of our Twitterati stir up some more nasty things he may have said about his team mates.
On that note, I’m done. Good night.
Chamakh’s days must be numbered once Park/Young gets accustomed to the team. We can be sure he will work hard unlike the Moroccan who is so frustrating. He is only on the pitch for 5 minutes so why not run around a bit?
If it is true we offered £40m for Gotze and got revuffed we should have gone back with another £10m on top because he is a special talent and would be superb alongside JW.
We waz under ze Koz, but showed some Gotze.
MIDI – ha ha ha you got me 😛
Apart from Szcezney who was imaculate I think it would be possible to find good and bad in the performance of every single out field players tonight, still, baby steps.
You know looking on Twitter at some responses does leave you head scratching.
Last season the commonest complaint was inability to tough out games and work hard and defend well.
Tonight we did all that and they criticise for not being attacking enough. Admittedly we were not great going forward but sometimes you can’t be. Dortmund were very good I thought and would give a lot of teams a run for their money.
I mean Barca drew 2-2 at home to a last minute equaliser from a corner and conceded in the first minute as Pato walked through their defence. But obviously they’re still the best team in Europe according to SS2 CL Goals.
Thought the coverage on SS4 was good tonight Lambert very good in co commentary not over dramatising every negative, seemed to rub off on Merse in the studio too. But when they showed chances on SS2 Hodfle set about criticising the Arsenal defence even though he’d only seen those chances that were shown and none of the excellent defending in between.
We have a team that is in the earliest throes of accommodating many personnel changes.
Two of our best four players are out injured (JW and TV).
We were playing the German champions.
In those circumstances that was a very good performance and s another step on the road to this team gelling properly.
Most of our players defended as if their lives depended on it, and it wasn’t often you could say that last season.
London
Your 10.20 is a very good comment. I will take slight issue:
Szczesney made some mistakes with his distribution in the second half, which resulted in us coming back under pressure more quickly than we should have done. (so I would include him in your ‘good and bad’ description).
And Song’s ‘good’ was so good (in fact, immense) that we should overlook his insignificant ‘bads’ and place him as the standout Arsenal player on the night.
Having just caught up now, I’m delighted with the point, and the nature of the performance, which shows that this side is building. Song was as good in the second half as he was bad in the first. Szczesny was excellent, love that guy. And it was great to see Arteta’s bravery when it was needed. Plenty of good performances from others, though as London points out, few can say their performances were perfect. But most importantly, it was a real team performance, soaking up the pressure, and then wresting control away from Dortmund.
But I think I take a slightly different tack on our opponents. They were great in defence, and in retaining and getting possession. But they were very wasteful and panicky in going for goal. The likes of Grosskreutz, Schmelzer, Lewandowski and Kehl were especially unimpressive in the final third. However, respect to Gotze, Hummels and Kagawa, quality players.
When they come back to our place, I certainly think we can get all three points, they may be German champions but on tonight’s evidence we have the quality to top them.
And Exile, I thought the same re SS4 the coverage, it was refreshingly good (though that said, I didn’t subject myself to Merson’s words of wisdom at half time etc). But I think it was Alan McInally (plus Bill Leslie) rather than Paul Lambert. It was also a good performance from the referee; not often we get to say that.
All in all, a good point earned. Next up, Blackburn.
Have just seen this post-match comment from Pat Rice: “There’s a buzz in the dressing-room, because there was uncertainty before hand. People are now looking forward to playing and the players who have come in, contrary to what other people think, are bloody good players.”
Exactly what we want to hear, the building process is under way, we’re on our way back.
Morning all.
I think like others that London summed it up well.
The 3 S’s were by far the best players and thank god RVP is fit otherwise who would score.
We started off pretty nervous and like Irish I wasn’t impressed with Mert.
Of course tactics change with every game and I had thought we had done enough but yet again a wonder goal denies us.
One can see the team is getting to grips with one another but we are far more pedestrian in our build up.
The only down side is that we shouldn’t have been in this position going into the second month of the season with players still trying to settle in to the team and when you take cess,and in form nasri,vermaelen and wilshere out of a team it must have an effect.
Special word for the ref who,had a good game and let it flow.BD had many chances as one would expect and it is a bit ironic that their shooting was so erratic to then find a wonder goal.
gervinho isn’t a winger anymore than walcott,in the true sense of the word,but as I said last night,on current form would have taken a draw.
Just got in from night work, seems you all had a reasonable night.
Think we would all have taken a draw before hand. Going to settle down and watch the recording of last nights game.
26 May, 2:15am
“Most importantly, it was a real team performance”.
Spot on.
I don’t think we can begin to underestimate the effect of great team spirit. This bodes very well indeed as that alone is worth many points over a season.
We urgently need to get Young onto the park and playing to find our goalscoring back up to RvP.
(sorry for dreadful pun).
Morning Kelsey and morning VCC,
I am wondering what Arsene knows/thinks about striking options. We heard rumours of being in for Mata, Hazard, Gotze, Cahill, Jagielka and so on, but never a striker.
Given that it is unlikely he thinks RvP will play every game this season, he must think very highly of MC or Young. I find this very worrying.
I stand corrected 26 it was indeed McInally. I thought I’d heard Leslie say Paul and put 2 2 together to make 9, the fact that he was Scottish helped me jump there without checking.
I must admit I didn’t watch Merse at half time but post match he had changed his tune from pre match.
Morning Micky,
so do I.
I am also concerned how at time we look so lethargic as a squad.
Why did we keep chamakh and let bendy go ?
I am pleased we got the point but i see our main downfall as not having a big enough squad of quality players who can really stamp their authority on the game when needed..
Others will say it’s early days but Wenger has made it quite clear now he had no intention of getting Arteta or yossi until after the defeat at OT he had done his buying and it has been stated that he solely is rsponsible on what we spend and how we spend it. personally I don’t believe it.
Anyway a day to be positive yet at the same time remain cautiosly optimistic.
Strange how things change.usually we start lke a house on fire,goals galore and then fade in the Spring, this year is a reverse of that.
Interesting to hear that the germans (as usual get it right whatever they do.) 240..00 pounds for a season ticket including part rail journey. Who won the war ?
Micky interesting question.
What has become of the Cham we saw 12 months ago? I guess AW hopes he returns. As London has said many times MC is willing to sit on the bench whilst NikB wanted to play.
As well as being reaction to OT defeat surely they were also responses to TV and JW injuries and late loss of Cesc and more importantly Samir?
GIE,
I mentioned that earlier.
Morning all
GiE – Samir?? Who is that? Did you mean Na$$$$$$$$ri?
Spurs are playing in CL tonight according to Live Football on TV
Micky – i wasn’t ready after all!! I was so sure that the game would be shown on ITV or Sky that I didn’t check. Horror, horror, horror, what the hell is SS4?? I don’t have it on BT. Watched the game on arabic stream, pants
Morning all
The questioning of Bentner’s departure is amazingly still coming up; There was never a choice of keeping either Chamakh or Bendtner, The Dane wanted first team football and made clear that he wanted to leave to get it whereas the Marrocan is clearly prepared to wait for his turn behind RvP.
Evonne it was on Sky sports 4 if you have the sky sports package you have that.
London – and that says a lot about them. Szczesny wanted to leave last year as he was not prepared to sit on the bench. To me it is a sign of a good confident player, which Nic certainly is
This thing about Diaby at £60k a week is more than Modric, how come Modric earns £70k a week? http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2010/08/08/2061747/tottenham-hotspur-midfielder-luca-modric-embarrassed-by
Talk was that Chelsea were going to treble his wages, perhaps £60k a week is the going rate for a top 4 youngster.
I need a full assessment of AST meeting and where they get this info because it’s reported as gospel and the blogosphere lap it up.
A great result really all things considered and I thought we were up against it most of the game. Dortmund are a decent side who should be too much for Marseille and Olympiakos.
My only gripe would be that we kept giving the ball away far too cheaply and at times seemed a bit disorganised in the middle of the park. There were a number of times when we had two or three players all going for the same ball and it then ended up at a BD players feet.
Some great defending though with some great last ditch type tackles going in. Although I feel Gibbs got caught on the wrong side a few times, particularly in the first half.
Chamakh – get rid, he offers nothing whatosever to our club except shares in hair gel.
Morning all,
A very good result and fantastic second half performance. Kozzer my MotM.
Two quick points, Raddy is correct, the very least you could have expected from Chamakh was that he run around like a lunatic and chase every ball – instead he was just cantering and posturing – he has to go, Park must be given his chance soon.
Secondly I think Pat Rice was too modest. He was very vocal on the edge of the technical area on Saturday and I’d like to think he gave the team a rocket at half time and told them that we were lucky to be ahead and had to defend better in the second half. It is a rare thing to see our team come out as focused as they were yesterday after half time.
Brigham, that is a good comment. I especially agree with your second paragraph.
All Chamakh needs is a goal. His confidence is low, as with a lot of the team, but that doesn’t mean we should get rid. Arshavin has been rubbish for 12 months aswell but still people think he can produce ”a bit of magic’! If Chamakh played 70 minutes every week like Arshavin does then I’m sure he would be able to produce ‘a bit of magic’ now n again too.
TA and Brigham – the best thing for me was the fact that at times we didn’t attempt to play the beautiful ball at all cost. Instead there was some tough grafting and bus-parking. And as much as I love our style of play, there are times that it pays off to be a little bit street wise.
I can’t agree FGG, he wasn’t putting in anywhere near enough effort. RvP had run his socks off for 75 minutes and Chamakh came on and made little effort, if he wants to score a goal he’ll need to work a lot harder.
Rasp, agree with you on Koz: what a warrior he was for us last night. Also thought Mertesacker had a good game, especially in 2nd half. Song was immense in the 2nd half: once he gets going there is no stopping him. Sagna was great too and I thought that Gibbs did well. Yossi and Arteta fought like lions which was great to see, but they did struggle to keep hold of the ball and regain control over the centre of midfield. As a result, we could not release the pressure and provide the three upfront with some decent service. Dortmund played well though: only against Barca have we been put under so much pressure in recent years.
Barca only drew against Milan 🙂 they have a hard task ahead of them 🙂
Evonne, you are right. For the first time in a long time, I felt confident in our defence in the second half.
New post …….
Morning all. Good point Rasp. It is rare to see such a second half improvement. All BD’s clear chances came in the first half, mainly because (IMO) the midfield was not giving enough defensive cover.
I really enjoyed the game last night. It seems with cesc and na$$ri gone we’ve lost quality but gained some spirit. I was hoping he’d send on park but I think he wanted chamakh to hold the ball up a bit. I think chamakh is a good player but he clearly is in a terrible run of form. rooney was dogshit last year so it does happen.
Raddy,
I know Pat Rice is old school, he’d have been relishing the freedom to use the hairdryer at half time without fearing disapproving looks from AW I’d bet.
New post …. in case anyone didn’t get the @ 9:31
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