A tricky hand …
The boys are off on a jaunt to Italy then.
As far as I can tell, a draw or a win puts us top of the group. A defeat by less than a 3 goal margin leaves us runners-up if BVB win in France. I am sure there are all sorts of complicated equations but that’s the gist of it, I think.
Goodness only knows what sort of a team we will put out given that we play City early on Saturday. It could be anything between the best eleven and a shadow team. I really don’t have a clue.
Nor does anyone else, bar Arsene.
A quick scan of some blogs tells me nothing other than what some experts recommend Arsene does.
I suspect no matter what happens on the night he will have made the wrong choices. If we play a strong team and win, we should have rested key players. If we play a weakened team and lose, we should have played a stronger team.
You know how it goes.
So I think its best if we experts decide in the comments section what Arsene should do.
Positively Arsenal 
He will do what he always does. He will pick what he believes is the best team to beat the team we are playing, from the players who are available and from those who have been impressing in training.
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I dunno George.
It’s important to remember that it’s a game of two halves. And the team that scores more than the other wins.
As for the team on the night: well eleven players is generally the norm, with a bloke in front of the big net, that helps enormously.
These bloody coaching badges must be a doddle.
People do love to reel out their preferred line-ups, and fair play to them, gives them something to talk about.
More worrying is that this fixture list has put us at a distinct disadvantage ahead of Saturday. It’s absolutely ridiculous to have to play a CL away game on the Wednesday, and then a massive away game against one of our main rivals barely three days laters. Arse.
Anyway, whoever Arsene decides plays, I expect us to get the result.
COYG.
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There’s a certain irony with George’s cautious confirmation of the state of play given City’s cock up in not going for the extra goal yesterday. If they go out in the next round questions will no doubt be raised, alongside voices etc.
Maybe these coaching badges aren’t thorough enough?
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heh andrew..i dont buy it that pellegrini didnt know….the tv panel made a wrong interpretation of his words..
pellgrini said …”yes we would have liked the fourth ( it is why) aguero was warming up” ..but typical pundits thinking “does he know what hes doing?”….
as for tonight game..an inconvenience really….things shoudl have been over and done but thanks to useless marseille the other three are all with a chance to make it… pellegrini beat pep and bayern inside germany and couldnt give a fuck, his mind is 100% on us for saturday. i would go with walcott tonight get an early goal and then park the bus …hehe…. save energy to run amok on saturday at etihad with our laser guns…. well at least thats what id do in fm……
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Is that right Hunter? I wasn’t watching to be honest, too busy watching manure make heavy weather of their game last night. TalkSport this morning are all over it like a rash wondering how he could have cocked this up and no doubt Adrian Durham will have it as a ‘headsgone’ so if all that is based on a misinterpretation of his interview I’d imagine he’ll be furious when he finds out!
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I don’t know about this at all – I have been on the phone to Arsene this morning to remind him of the importance of tonight’s match and give him a pointer or two regarding how to negotiate a tricky tie.
First up I have told him to get his arse in front of a TV, Bouldy too, and watch how Citeh did it last night.
Go two goals down within 15 minutes, lull the opposition into thinking you are utter rubbish then BAM – knock em out with a three goal burst.
He sounded a bit dubious but he’s got i messaggio
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(notice the bit of Italian at the end there – its little details like that count ! )
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I like it ‘Coll.
Little bit cunning plan.
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ArsenalAndrew
December 11, 2013 at 10:43 am
yep typical jump the gun pundits thinking they can lecture or joke about professionals on football with such ease……..chip on shoulder comes to mind…..
“ll that is based on a misinterpretation of his interview I’d imagine he’ll be furious when he finds out!” …i dont know, he looks way to serious to pay attention to idiots….
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“I was tempted if we scored the fourth goal. Of course, that’s why I sent Aguero to warm up.
“But also I think it was a risk to continue with Silva. He couldn’t play more than 70 minutes.
“It is very important to be first in the group but not the most important thing. It was difficult to score two goals and I think that Silva couldn’t play more than 70 minutes.”
so he knew and was tempted which is why he had sent aguero to warm up but at the same time he could see silva wouldnt last and he needs silva for saturday and aguero .
the sky pundits and the talksport and f365s and what else are utter mugs and are drowning in a table spoon of water
dont know why im defending pelelegrini but perhaps it is these attitudes from english football media that make me seek justice and of course a thorough thrashing at the world cup by suarez hopefully with a cheating penalty dive and then a handball goal…and let the pundits cry all they want!..cunts..if they want to joke with managers they shoudl start with their own first ….
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‘allo positivistas,
AW will play his current best 11…sub off Ozil +/- Rambo if we are 2 up by the 73rd minute…
Though I wouldn’t mind if he starts Theo.
His pace would keep Napoli’s LFB in check for the first 20..
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Sorry I don’t comment here at all but I do read PA all the time.
And the reaon is because of this:
http://arsenalarsenal.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/twist-or-stick-is-mr-wenger-a-gambling-man/
PS: I’m not the author – Just bringing it to attention.
Can’t be a coincidence now innit?? Jeebus. Guess George should be flattered. Someone stealing his headliners. Or not…
All in all – Cheerio. As you were.
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PG
Attack, Attack, Attack!
Get the early goal ourselves and kill the game.
Napoli will dive and cheat all night long and we have a real beauty of a ref appointed – the same Hungarian that was on the take when we played Braga in Portugal.
If ever a game was fixed, it was that one.
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Catenaccwhatsit, innit? Hold out at the back, score a goal or two. Simple.
How hard can it be?
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We require three points – I’ve explained to AW and he understands DC
I have also suggested if he has spare five minutes today while in Naples to try and find a proper coat
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Hunter – yes, he does look serious doesn’t he?
But on the other hand, this is exactly how the media took up arms against Arsene Wenger with sly little digs here and there. First of all (if I recall rightly), he was ‘stubborn’ (for not awarding longer contracts to older players), then he was this and then he was that. In the end the media were routinely coming up with palpable nonsense (one of my all time favourites being ‘he doesn’t do tactics’) and this then being adopted without further ado by the more easily led gullibles within the Goonersphere.
So for reasons of personal reputation management, PR, credibility etc, I’d imagine the City boss would take a very dim view of half-truths masquerading as fact, if untrue.
Coll – someone actually tweeted something along the lines last night of Wenger needing to watch the Citeh game and take notes ahead of the weekend’s encounter. What a good idea!
It was a classic ‘twitter off’ moment.
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ArsenalAndrew
December 11, 2013 at 12:23 pm
lol…the media are the worst in the world and one of the main reasons people outside england laugh at english football. is it any wonder that the many around the world await the world cups and euros to laugh at them mugs who think they can lecture the whole world on maths, football tactics, transfers, morals, racism, tackling etc etc
the @foreigner@ ..manager or player adds to the value and prestige of the epl product and indirectly it is the foreigners input that essentially puts food on english journalists tables. while i do recognise the need to stir shit up to sell they take it way too far and become offensive with the kind of smug attitude which frankly they have no right to have…i dont see any major european club signing english players or managers so maybe they better stfu once and a while and be more humble……
they must live in some weird realm where they think foreigners begged to come here when its the other way round…they were brought here and paid handsomely so because the english counterparts are not at the same level. but thats a bitter pill to swallow for someone who has been raised in the imperial brainwash of football motherland england.
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i mean….english media were so jealous of other countries having their figos and zidannes and rauls and what else so they elevated beckham to equal status….later on they tried to do same with rooney placing him at an equal level to messi and ronaldo…..utter desperation to show that “hey look!!! we have world class talent/players too!!!” ….
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Think there is also a class aspect to it. In many ways Football in UK is still a working/lower middle class game played and consumed by a majority who have no particular sense of educational aspiration. That probably isn’t so much the case in less class bound countries, which may be why many European players and managers can talk so eloquently in a variety of languages.
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Harry,you forgot the oranges at half time..
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Oh is there football on tonight?
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Bugger. Knew there was something I’d missed Mel.
There goes the coaching badges..
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All that work I put in writing todays post and not one of you bastards has bothered to pick a team.
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Hey Frank.Good to see you
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No need for us to pick a team George. Its already all over Twitter from the ITKs.
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i cooked like a boss chef last night….500 gramms of papardele pasta boiled, then chopped bacon and peppers and onions fried them seperately and added two vases of four cheese sauce from m&s and then i mixed all of it in a pyrex tray with oregano spices pepeer salt etc etc and put it in the oven topped with an extra bag of cheddar and tabasco. its my version of a souffle. i missed 1st half of the games, was flciking through various games for 2nd half and thought id see it all later…but i had eaten like a pig (nearly half the pyrex) and i fell asleep on the sofa and not only did i miss the goals i also missed the keane – vieira thing on itv4? anyone know where to get it? i woke up around 02:30 and felt pregnant and had a third coca cola before trying to get back to sleep. felt really heavy waking up in the morning…you reckon it was the oregano that did it ? ..
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I’m pretty sure he will put out his strongest team. This is the most important game until post Christmas. We need to secure that Champions League spot and we want to top the group. He hinted this earlier in the week stating the League is a Marathon. Losing to Man City on Saturday won’t decide our Season, But losing to Napoli tonight could see us fail to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions league.
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Pick a team George ? As I explained AW does the operational things, on the ground, picking the team, ensuring the bus arrives on time, making sure everyone has the same sleeves.
I do the strategy – the big picture.
Its been working well I think.
Other than the sleeves obv.
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@George
I’ll pick Arsenal if that’s okay!
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Given our awesome depth, I think we’ll see the likes of Flamini, Rosicky, Theo, Vermaelen, Nacho, Bendtner and Jenkinson playing tonight.
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Youth league result: Napoli 2 Arsenal 1
The Arsenal youth top their group. Akpom with the goal.
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I will paraphrase something someone said on twitter sometime ago. Maybe some of you had already come across it:
We start with every armchair manager’s favourite theory. We play Vermaelen as a DM. We push Ramsey up front because he has scored more goals than Giroud. Since Giroud is good at defending and he is tall, he should play as a goal keeper. Szczesny is tall too, so he should play at CB.
There, new positions for everyone. Will keep everyone mentally fresh for the City game.
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Well well Gala turfed Juventus out of the CL with a 1-0 win in Istanbul – had that down for the draw
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Usual half arsed post from PG I see… I will pick a team for you and AW better ruddy stick to it, or else…
Szczesny
Jenkinson Per Vermealen Monreal
Flamini Wilshere
Theo Rosicky Cazorla
Bendy
I also predict Marseille will get a positive result tonight too.
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Hunter13
what were you smoking to get the munchies like that?
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Anicoll
You mean like Mick Phelan at ManU?
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I was thinking more along the Maoist ‘great helmsman’ model DC
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good to see the young guns top their group especially as manure come bottom of theirs.
They had quite a few players missing today and so did well. lets hope the first team turn out a professional performance tonight to finish top and come back raring to go for Saturday COYG
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Just had to share this from some random site, as it confirms that AW really does look after his players’ needs. “Youngsters Yaya Sanogo and Chuba Akpom are not ready and while Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott provide options they are not the bulky central man that Wenger craves to offer Giroud relief when needed.”
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I think tonight’s line-up will be determined, first of all, by the line-up Arsene plans on using against Man City, and then by who (if anyone) most desperately needs a rest. I won’t predict the line-up but what I would predict, with the City game upon us so quickly, is that we won’t be pressing Napoli to death tonight as we did in the home leg so as to conserve energy for Saturday. Defend deeper and hit them on the break, and that also factors into the line-up.
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I think we can and should be able to top the group and wrap this ‘ group of death ‘ thing. Super job topping the this group too. Will be at the pub cheering them on. Well done indeed.
HUNTER 13
lay of the orangutans. lol
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i would go with
fabianski 🙂 …
jenki
nachi
peri
vermi
flami
jacki
rosi
santi
thi
niki
heh dc i was starving..today ill eat the other half of that pyrex plus a steak or two…and chips…ill have an ambulance on standby just in case i faint again…want to see the games this time
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Hello George. What a night this is going to be. Wish I was in Naples, one of the 700.
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Tommy is going to run the show tonight. European nights were made for him.
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…and I think it is ‘welcome back’ Theo’ night. He has had a couple of warm ups. Champing at the bit he will be.
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A lot of chat had centered around the best/strongest team to play tonight and that is only natural. But no where have I seen a more succinct summary of the likely reaction to whatever outcome transpires.
“I suspect no matter what happens on the night he (Wenger) will have made the wrong choices. If we play a strong team and win, we should have rested key players. If we play a weakened team and lose, we should have played a stronger team.”
I suspect you might have included – if we draw and go through as the top team he will be accused of not resting enough/any players; or he was lucky and should have clinched the group before now.
Good one Pedantic.
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I think Santi should sit this one out for Wilshere.
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Anicoll @ 3:01
I think your theory is sound.
– Arsene picks the team and looks after the kit and the half time oranges.
– You do the strategy, looking at the broad picture, can 60,000 fit into a 40,000 stadium.
– I do the tactics, like who should fart as their CF prepares to shoot.
Who needs Sun Tsu, and all that planning and policy guff.
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Wenger’s lost it! He hasnt picked the same team as me!
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Just saying: Thierry has picked up an American accent for one phrase. “You Godda” for ‘you’ve got to’
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