Firstly, there is an AA’er in hospital (RA), wishing you a speedy recovery.
Tonight is an oddity, we go into a tie as firm underdogs. Hardly a pundit gives us a dog’s chance, and it would take a confirmed optimist to disagree with them; AM, on paper, are easily the best team in the competition.
But ….
We are The Arsenal. We are not Sunderland or Stoke or Lokomotiv Crapski, we have history and have won silverware in 3 out of the last 4 years. Atletico will be worried. Even the mighty Real Madrid lost in London this season.
Simeone has stated he is likely to play an extra defender tonight to bolster an already tight defence. Atletico boast the best defence in World football (or so we are led to believe). They have conceded only 18 goals in La Liga and not once at home for 11 matches. Simeone is the George Graham of Spanish football, a man who believes that defences win games.
Our defence is the opposite 😦
But …
Atletico have not won silverware since 2014. They are an ageing team with many players over 32. They may be missing Diego Costa (hopefully) and if we can stop Greizmann and Gameiro on the counter, are unlikely to hurt us (big IF). Should Costa play I look forward to his reception from the fans 😀
Can Arsenal win? Of course we can. A slice of luck, some genius from Ozil, a Ramsey masterclass, rapier-like finishing from Lacazette, allied to an organised defensive performance and we are Kushti.
My Team:
Cech
Mustafi Koscielny Monreal
Bellerin Ramsey Xhaka Wilshire
Ozil
Lacazette Welbeck
Elneny’s injury gives Jack a chance to shine, he has been below par the last few games but play well tonight and he will be WC Russia bound, play poorly and not only will he not get a new contract but he will be West Ham bound!
Patience may be vital without the team going gung-ho as the game progresses.
Some passionate support (Anfield was amazing on Tuesday), players willing to give 100% and we have a chance.
I am an optimist, I think we can beat AM over two legs, as the Beatles sang “I’ve got a Feeling”
COYRRG
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Great stuff, BR.
Bit of luck, plenty of steel, good finishing, decent ref and the wind blowing in the right direction and we might be ok tonight. 🙂
The season has been so odd, I’ve absolutely no idea what to expect.
yeah, i hope the wind doesn’t score against us again.
Lovely PM, thank you Raddy. Strong line-up with Welbeck up front 🙂 God help us
Thanks BR
When I saw your team selection, I thought, oh, he’s got it wrong, Wilshere is no wing back but then I looked closer and realised that it is just the way you have laid it out.
———————Cech
Bellerin Mustafi Koscielny Monreal
——-Ramsey Xhaka Wilshire
———————–Ozil
————-Lacazette Welbeck
If I have any doubt over that team is that I think Ospina will be chosen over Cech — that was the agreement at the beginning of the season and therefore, a deal is a deal and all that.
LB That is almost what I meant. Should be
Cech
Bellerin Mustafi Kos Naco
Xhaka Wilshire
Ramsey
Ozil
etc
Great work, thanks Raddy.
They’ve asked us all to be in the ground early and there will be flags on the seats … so I’m hoping we can be the twelfth man this evening.
Those who sit in the same seats every game will be well acquainted with the moaners around them ….. tonight we should politely tell them to STFU!
Of course we can win the tie over two legs … but only if we are resolute in defence … no strolling back, over committing or laborious build up that leaves us open to the counter.
Ramsey is the man who can drive our play from the middle of the park, I believe he will up his game a notch this evening and show his class (and then sign a new contract)
So Erik,
Atletico plan to bolster what is already the world’s tightest defence. How utterly pathetic. Simeone sounds like a right tosser to me.
Anyhow, thanks for the warmer to what could be great evening, but we’ll need those early three goals to bring a Simeone team out of their cave
I aint going to be surprised AM win .AW likes to play possession football with passing and passing and more endless passing.
All opponents had to do is wait for an opportune moment to hit on the counter.Thats what MU did winning 3-1.
Btw,whoever is going to be manager has to win. You are judged on results not on attractive football and stats.The stats may show you have more shots at goal but cant score . The other team has fewer shots at goal but score like Hull did with the Brazilian netting the winner
No expert on Atletico, but it’s my understanding that Simeone employs his defensive tactics against Europe’s leading sides. I suspect he won’t feel the need to be ultra defensive against us over two legs.
David. I hope you are right. If AM attack I think we can compete with them
MalaysianG
A Brazilian playing for Hull?
Do you mean Geovanni in 2008 or Hundredstonio?
Man U didn’t beat us on the counter this year but from two massive defensive errors.
There’s a rumour that Van Gaal is our next manager keeping the seat warm for Dennis.
Morning all, Thanks Raddy – I’m feeling fine about our abilities and the teams desire to allow AW to leave on a high note. But I’m also feeling very nervous about our defense’s ability to keep AM off of the scoreboard.
I’ll be out most of the day and will be recording the game to watch it this evening.
Poor Wrighty!
Thanks for the pre-match post Raddy.
As for AMad, Arsenal will brush them aside with ease.
As for Byron, its the place to go during schoolies if your from a private school
OMG, the arrogance of some people is beyond belief
“The Football Association has received an offer, thought to be worth £800m, to sell Wembley Stadium.
Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham and NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars, is the prospective buyer.”
Sell the national treasure for £800m? He should be charged with indecent proposal. And jailed.
Thanks BR. I do remember you from Chas’ picture on the last post. Good to look at but with a deep manly North Londonish accent 🙂
What is even more weird Raddy is that it was 2008 when I was there and would have been in Byron Bay circa late March / early April.
Anyway, to the post. I may be the mad one on here but I think if you factor in Miki and Aube that we are actually marginally the best team on paper, but that AM are the best performing team.
Without those 2 we are up against it more but can still do it. I like your team and would go with that but we will also need a game plan to win this 2 legged tie.
We cannot just have a free for all with players playing all over the pitch type approach that we often employ (dressed up as a superior mode of fluid free football). Certain players will have to be more disciplined, patient and switched on.
I like the 3 of Xhaka Wilshere and Rambo but think Xhaka and Wilshere will have to sit and protect a bit more than Ramsey. I think Xhaka should really hold position as the main screen and deep lying playmaker role, with Wilshere also holding more but with some licence to carry the ball forward at the right moments. Rambo also should help out here but has licence for his bursts into the box. Ozil gets a completely free role and is just told to unpick the lock.
The FB’s will need to spend less time stationed as advanced wingers and play more in line with Xhaka and Wilshere but with licence to form the overlap at the right time. I would also like to see the occasional dangerous cross from that slightly deeper position as oppose to always from the goal line. Get Laca and Welbz attacking these and Ramsey and Ozil following in for any 1/2 clearances.
I also like Welbz and Laca as a front 2 rather than one of them deeper and wider, and that extra body for the defenders to worry about should give both of them a couple of opportunities each in the game.
Fine margins will win us this tie so we will need that discipline to be adhered to and to take at least 2 of our chances in each leg.
Chas
Louis Van Gaal vid. Terrified to touch it as I suspect Rick Astley to be lurking
Can we have a snap of Ants in his shorts waving his little plastic flagette?
Thanks.
louis an Gaal claims he received an offer he cannot refuse. Please Dennis, pretty please let this offer be from another part of the country, or even better world
Eddie, you’ve been reading that newspaper again, haven’t you 🙂
ha ha, just a thought. If that’s true, would it be too late for LB and Peaches to cancel their ST orders? 🙂
I haven’t paid the money yet…………………..
ha ha ha
I wonder how many are holding fire until the new man is named, or maybe that’s not possible
Would start AMN over Jack, as he can actually play defense everywhere, and we have no cover at the back with Xhaka.
Jack is a slow man’s liability.
Cech over Ospina is Arsene is serious about winning.
If louis van ghoulie is our next manager than I am done with the Arsenal and will gladly trade in my card. Talk about a nowhere move.
Looking forward to a strong Arsenal performance at home!
Go Gunners….
eff off Didit, I have been reading chas’ comments!! I do not read newspapers, got it?
peaches will pay, she cannot keep away from the grounds
come back didit, 4 hours of waiting, have to kill the time somehow
aaron – how much for your season ticket?
Micky. Eddie’s chosen reading is Hello magazine and Pug Weekly
I’m trying not to get my hopes up in so far as an exciting game is concerned due to the wretched Simeone, but, and it’s a big but, we have a semi, and that’s a start
I’m going to find potential candidates for the managerial job
1. Go through all top leagues and separate wheat from chaff based on the Goals For column
2. From that elite list of high scoring clubs, delete any club with a big ‘un up top
3. Calculate the average speed of the front three players.
4. A side must proudly boast at least five red cards per season from amongst defensive midfielders so we know we’re dealing with a manager that doesn’t ponce about with fairies
5. Appoint manager whose side possess all the above
have you heard the old joke about some geezer who has 3 women to choose a wife from. He gives them £5k each and asks how they spent it. One invested the money, another had a face lift to look younger for him, third gave it all back to him. He thought long and hard and married one with the biggest tits.
Just choose Loew.
where are the Vines??
Eddie 5.52. An interesting conundrum. Not sure which I would go for – probably the tits 🤤
Micky. Your plan for finding the new manager is foolproof. We are destined for greatness. Any idea whom?
10/11 for my team. Ospina starts in place of Cech.
Looking forward to a fine performance from the boys and especially JW.
Immense thanks, brilliant stuff, Raddy. 🙂
long time no scene, apols. but a good feeling about this one. let us hope that the right team turns up.
Speedy recovery, RA.
COYG.
Ooh Look at the pic at 20.20 on this BBC page.
Brought a smile to my face.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/43822109
wow. Santi……………………… 🙂
Hi Arnie. Welcome back
thank you, Raddy. 🙂 hope this rabbit hole is doing fine.
COYG.
Team to play Atletico Madrid: Ospina, Bellerin, Monreal, Koscielny, Mustafi, Wilshere, Xhaka, Ozil, Ramsey, Welbeck, Lacazette.
Subs: Cech, Holding, Iwobi, Chambers, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Nketiah
Team to play Arsenal: Oblak, Vrsaljiko, Gimenez, Godin, Lucas, Correa, Saul, Partey, Koke, Gameiro, Griezmann.
Subs: Werner, Torres, Gabi, Savic, Costa, Vitolo, Olabe
Partey, Koke, Gameiro
Yip, go to the first, do the second, catch a nasty dose of the third
Arnie
We’re going to thrash them
Erik
Of course I have absolutely no idea 🙂
Just hope a manager gets two seasons then the boot from now on. Time for a refreshingly new approach 🙂
I’m shocked and frankly appalled
Who is this expert on Satanta? Atletico to “Penetrate in behind”. Disgusting. Probably had a cheeky bet with Chas to sneak it in
I think we should blow half the summer transfer fund on Oblak, the man is a top GK
yes indeed, Micky. 🙂
The ground looks fantastic.
COYRRG
We want Arsene to walk away with a big cup
Come on you Gunnnnners
terrific atmosphere
VP’s relative 😬 Lovely
Terrific start to the game. We are playing with such high tempo.
Correct red card for the lemon.
Come on you Gunners
very pleasant start 🙂
Keep going, keep going simeone
I can see my Hector doing something spectacular tonight, like keeping his position
shit, imagine running into Simeone, Costa and that assistant down a dingy side street on a dark night
Yeah, I normally fancy ugly men, but those 3 are too ugly even for me
nerves, nerves
I wonder if any of our lads had been to a brothel? I bet not
Eddie. Have you?
Really enjoyable half and we are playing well, just need some luck or a mistake from AM.
AM showing what a superb defensive team they are and we have to be very careful of the counter.
I feel if we don’t win this half at least 2-0 then we are going to struggle over in Spain. They have a fantastic defence, even with 10, and we need a decent lead to take over.
We tired as the half went on, but I expect a lightning first 20 mins to this half from us and if we can get 1 then that should give us the energy to go for more.
Ok so we started brilliantly, but as the goal didn’t come we’ve reversed our play, first twenty it was slow and measured from the back, and then quick around their box, second twenty five we were in a rush to get ball forward before they were off balance and then too slow around box.
And hope someone tells them to just stop conceding the silly fouls, give them a yard if your behind them and they’re looking for foul and wait for a teammate to come round and take off their feet, feels like we have them too many easy oppprtunities to run the clock down, only criticism of ref is 2 minutes of injury time, should have been at least 4 given sending offs and time wasting.
Agree with all that Erik
Eddie
What’s the thought process behind the brothel line?
Hooray, cone time
Score in a brothel?
ha ha, ok 🙂
Did you think I was mad 😬😬😬
ha ha ha ha …. Laca
steady on now
Get innnnnnn
Fantastic
GET IN!!!!!!
wow, great jump
ok, let’s turn the screw
come on, need a clean sheet now.
Jack engineered the goal, good lad
excellent pressure, come on!
Bolleaux. Suicidal defending. Just bloody stupid.
After we played so well.
Bum, bum, bum
not happy, shit shit shit
Hate to say it, but that’s why Wenger is leaving. Years of messes like that. Suicidal.
feck
come on, another goal now
What a save from Oblak. The man is a proper GK
A lesson in short distances between players and holding your shape from Atletico. Even with 10 they are solid.
If our lack of defensive shape made us amazing in attack then I could understand it, but it doesn’t.
A huge opportunity missed and Wenger’s last European game at home sums up the last few years really. Such a shame.
We played so well and got undone by one stupid error.
Lacazette, Ramsey, Ozil were outstanding.
We can win in Madrid (perhaps)
missed opportunity, shame! but half of the game still to play for, so onwards
Why is it we can always be relied on for an individual mistake to make a good evening into a piss poor one?
For all the focus that will be on Kozzer there should for my mind be an awful lot on the forwards who did not manage to make the most of their chances.
GIE. AM were superb in defence and when we did get through Oblak showed why he is the hottest Gk in football.
Sometimes you just have to admire the opposition and say well played.
Not over yet, but definately a missed opportunity as FGG says
I thought Özil was very average. Xhaka and Ramsey tried to use the ball positively and our full backs did well. Ospina was excellent and so unlucky for the goal.
A typical error from our back line once again has cost us, but to be honest I’m not sure 1-0 would’ve been enough anyway. Fully expect them to beat us by 2 or 3 in the 2nd leg.
FGG. I can’t remember a game when Ozil worked so hard. Against a 10 man defence he spent all his time trying to play the ball into space.
Agree about the FB’s
Master class in defending wasn’t it. As someone mentioned they had great discipline, kept their shape, never seemed to panic…..
That team is full of fight as well. Something i wish we had more of. 10 men for 80 minutes. No quit even down 1-0. That’s how you do it. That’s why they’re a great team.
Wish we could find a way to tempt Simeone. Then we’d back up there right pronto.
the odds on the pre-game betting was interesting –
13/15 Arsenal v Atletico Madrid [Both Teams To Score]
11/2 Draw 1-1 Arsenal v Atletico Madrid [Correct Score]
17/10 Alexandre Lacazette Arsenal v Atletico Madrid [Anytime Goalscorer]
Actually I don’t know anything about betting but do those odds before the game indicate that we just played a game to expectations?
Raddy have no problem with saying AM defended well, but do think there were a few occasions where we didn’t force a brilliant save, or missed target. That’s why I don’t think it should all be about the one moment at the back. Prior to that we had tried to con free kicks off the ref and were going down unnecessarily.
As I said a ridiculous thing for Kozzer to do that ball should of just gone out of touch there was no drama he was first to the ball, but for some reason he chose to try and trick Griezman, you wouldn’t catch Godin doing that. So the blame for the goal lies firmly at Kozzer feet, but the blame for their still being life in the game goes to missed first half opportunities especially, and failure to do simple thing and just keep ball at 1-0.
Unlike FGG I fancied us at 1-0 as they wouldn’t have been able to sit back (as undoubtedly they will now) and we could have played on counter, needing 1 away goal to progress, now we need 2 unless we want the misery of penalty shoot out. Think we can do it but we will have to be a lot more clinical.
When Griezmann scored it felt like I was watching the 2011 league cup final all over again. Nothing changes!
FGG
You prove my theory that there are two Ozil’s: the one you see on telly and the one you see at the game and I mean this very politely: if you had been there the idea that Ozil was average would not have entered your mind.
I feel so deflated. We had it……………………
LB you feel deflated, I am sitting here at 7.30am chomping on marshmallows and ready to tell anyone to Feck off!
3 defenders back, the shaved one scores!
Pull the chump down, simple really- or blast the darn ball to high heavens anywhere.
Still to play for as they are going to have to rest their whole team the next league game, and Juanfran and guy who got red will be out.
Can the Arsenal do it? With Auba and Miki for sure but the Arsenal will only field one of them maybe.
Next.
Motning Chas and then others
Overnight I’ve moved from “it’s only half time” to “oh god, do we have to show up at all on sunday”
Meaningless game on Sunday, agreed.
Just give United the points, they’ll win anyway against our junior team, so why bother?
The way I understand it. we get Europa next season even if we finish 7th and Everton or Leicester can’t overtake us.
UEFA Europa League (UEL) qualification
In normal circumstances, three UEL places are given to English clubs who fulfil the following criteria:
The fifth-placed team in the Premier League qualify for the group stage proper.
The winners of the FA Cup qualify for the group stage proper.
The EFL Cup winners qualify for the third qualifying round.
Where these qualifications changes
a) If the FA Cup winners (red mancs or chavs) finish in the top five of the Premier League, their UEL group stage place will go to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.
b) If the EFL Cup winners (camel shaggers) finish in the top five of the Premier League (or top six if (a) happens), their UEL third qualifying round place will go to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.
Yip, it’ll be another of those weakened young sides that gets thrashed, psychologically damaging our little darlings. Never mind, eh 🙂
Essentially, we have to gear up for one last heave-ho next Thursday.
Another “once more unto the breach” affair, then possibly beach time for the summer
There was something about Simeone and his beast of an assistant that I quite warmed to last night.
It appeals to have a pair of uncontrollable bad tempered abusive loons on the sidelines that need to be chained down with security around them at all times 🙂
Ha ha, no need for chains or security there
motning all.
alas!
Morning All,
As has been said – bloody typical. All looking rosy then ….
I agree about having someone less urbane on the sidelines. I expected Stevie B to be as manic as he was in his youth, sadly not. He got Arsene’d.
time to write off this season and move on. And get excited about the next manager
I feel for Wenger and the lads, they did their best. Unfortunately that and the sending off of one of their player and the manager wasn’t enough.
I don’t want any lunatics saying that we still have a chance.
we still have a chance. Its only half time you know.
Game of two halves
Only takes a second to score a goal
Need a bent ref 🙂
Post up in 10 to 15 minutes
I am checking AM squad, much more expensive than ours. Where do they get their money from??
right, 3 billionaire co-owners who work together.
Money, money, money.
We need Usamov
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