There is one thing about this season that will stand out, we have had more “the biggest game of the season” games, than ever before. It seems like every game is the biggest game of the season and tonight’s game feels just like that.
We go into home game leading 2-0 from the first leg and if we don’t qualify for Friday’s QF draw the meltdown will be humongous. The cyber-gates of hell will open and everyone will be queuing up to stick the biggest hobnail boots in that the world has ever seen. The type Elton John might have worn in the 70s.
While we are throwing all the cliche about, it’s a must win tie.
We are led to believe that all the players that could be fit, are fit. So at least Ramsey will play. Kos, Bellerin, and Monreal are also likely to be returning. Danny, Xhaka, Ozil, Mustafi and Mhkitaryan seem nailed on, with Ospina in goal. That leaves one place up for grabs. I expect it will be Jack but if it is then ElNeny can consider himself very unlucky, as he was excellent against Watford.
So lets hope for the best,
Oh, and up the Arsenal.
Positively Arsenal 
A must-win maybe.
A not-lose and a-draw-will-do-me-nicely-ta-muchly definitely.
Milan still in this tie. I predict a cracker.
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In fairness, it might be a must-win game if we are looking to really piss off our detractors.
Interesting listening to the football coverage on the radio which is a marginally less rabid platform than the telly, and commentators are now commenting on how much Arsenal have been hammered by our critics. Rather think Gary ‘Disgrace’ Neville might have been the straw that’s broken the camel’s back. This is the same idiot who has been mysteriously silent in the wake of Gobby Carragher’s demise …
Anyway, on to more important matters – should be a great game, COYG’s!
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AA you are mistaken, Gary Neville has not been silent, he has come out in support of gobby
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afcstuff
@afcstuff
5h5 hours ago
AC Milan squad travelling to London:
Goalkeepers: A. Donnarumma, G. Donnarumma, Storari
Defenders: Bonucci, Musacchio, Rodriguez, Romagnoli, Zapata
Midfielders: Biglia, Bonaventura, Calhanoglu, Kessie, Locatelli, Montolivo
Forwards: Borini, Cutrone, Kalinic, Silva, Suso
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Apparently Carra will be seeking help eddy – for spitting at people out of his car window – and Sky will review matters as to his contract in June.
Jamie – repeat after me
I
Must
Not
Spit
Out
Of
My
Car
Window
Deep breath in
Deep breath out
I think that covers it.
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That Freud bloke thought he had it – but how many followers did he have eh ?
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Never trust a Man that has sexual feeling towards his Mum. Dodgy fucker that Freud.
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Milan have two Donnarumma keepers? What are the odds? (Could be high, I guess, could be a common Italian name for all I know)
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alabama, the donarummas are brothers. the latter is older, 27 i think.
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This is
The Arsenal
One of the biggest clubs in world football and as such
EVERY game is a big game
Maybe it should put up on Three Billboards.
Even summer friendlies are big games.
It makes news if a youth team loses
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The shame is doesn’t make news if any of the youth teams win lose or draw to many season ticket holders and most bloggers their really only concerned with the last eleven that happened out on to the pitch, which is why injured players seem to up in everyone’s opinion.
I think Cara is being harshly dealt with in my experience all scoucers spit when they talk so I think he was just shouting back and the whole thing has just been a massive misunderstanding.
Tonight we need a strong start, to both halves followed by a professional middle and a storming finish COYG
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1-0 to the Arsenal will do quite nicely.
Gives Gattuso some legroom moving forward because he has much respect for AW.
Good to see that everyone’s fit bar Lacazette.
Fingers crossed we dispatch with the Rossoneri, go through 16 days of the international break without injury and be battle-ready for the last 9-14 games of the season.
I looked at the training pics and think, “what a team AW has rebuilt”.
Wengerball 4.0 is going to be maaad!…(alright, I’ll stop drooling)
Ospina
Bellerin – Mustafi – Koscielny – Kolasinac
Ramsey – Xhaka – Wilshere
Mkhitaryan – Welbeck – Ozil
S: Cech, Holding/Chambers, Monreal, M.Niles, Elneny, Iwobi, Nelson/Nketiah.
COYG!!!
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Little bit late but…that Utd game! The joy of it in the end. The justice.
The downside of Jose’s model and ultra caution in general laid bare. The confusion and foolishness of the commentators; Scholes’ face. What a night!
I also like how poorly the usual media minds understand it. One was highlighting Banega as the type Utd need. Partially true, but totally misunderstands that to get the best from that type you need the rest of the team to be in tune- willing to pass to him in certain areas (which Mou aint keen on passing in), making the right runs, continuing with the same idea when they have the ball-i.e not playing ultra cautious, safety first football (or anti-football).
It’s the opposite of what I was slow to understand with regards to traditional defensive midfielders, spoilers, pressers, etc in our own system or teams like us- you can’t just plop one in and have them play the same way, to same effect, as they would within a team who play a completely different, more defensive style of football. Call it my Schneiderlin lesson.
Very enjoyable to read some of the Spanish take on it.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/14/so-much-money-so-poor-spanish-press-manchester-united-sevilla-champions-league
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As for tonight, think I might end up more nervous for it than first leg.
Jeez I would hate to lose it. The reaction would be apocalyptic.
Different game and scenario but hopefully the midfield three can be as effective as out there. If so, we should be fine.
Fresh Ramsey and Kos are most welcome for this one.
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Milan say they’ll come with a new approach. I bet this involves pressing more determinedly and resorting to more foul play if/when this doesn’t work. It’s the template for beating Arsenal we are often told. They were very well behaved in the first leg. They’ll be more like Gattusso this time around. I hope we stand up to the pressure and give it back like we did against Watford. A lot of course, depends on the referee. A random penalty award to Milan and it’s game on with all the doubt coming back into the side.
That’s where the crowd have to play their part. Put pressure on the referee, and help the players with their confidence.
I don’t mind the half empty grounds if it keeps the boo boys away. This tie isn’t done and dusted.
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An odd rumour I just saw. Arsenal looking to sign Luka Modric for 53m. I can understand that we’d be looking to buy a Santi replacement and would be ok with it being a more senior player, even a 32 year old, with all the young players we have coming through. But 53m? Hah. Do these people not know Arsenal?
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Ramsey is in the squad for tonights game, but he is to undergo a minor procedure on a long standing injury, hamstring/groin, the procedure will be done during the International break, so that he will miss less games, if any.
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COYG!
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Tricky news on Rambo:
The physios would be keen to avoid surgery on such injuries where possible.
I don’t mean to distress ‘Bama.
Fingers crossed he’ll be ok and doesn’t make the call to move to a less intense league/play for a club where he’ll be protected unlike the past few outings against, say Liverpool (it’s an easy and simple example, not a debate, for anyone confused the matches are available on the Arsenal Player), where the pgMOB charlatans allowed the opposition to kick the player off the pitch.
not just Reyes, Fabregas, Eduardo, Ramsey, Diaby, or Ramsey again and again and again…but pretty much every one in the shirt is game for these transparent cheats.
I don’t expect or request a discussion on such matters from clogging cheats like Gary Neville or discredited broadcasters like Team Sky yet it is a fair and reasonable question why some football fans would choose to ignore what happens on the football pitch in their blagging or sychophantic podcasting.
Hopefully we dont get a Russian referee or linesman tonight. Heh.
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< with Cazorla's early retirement (weeps and sobs) and Iniesta approaching the end of his career I have to admit I'm nervous about Rambo.
Surely there are Spanish midfielders at a similar age and level, but I suspect that Madrid have hoarded most of them? Barca'll be after him no doubt about it, I've heard unsubstantiated rumours that he's up for it, hopefully he wants to stay.
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Fins – I would imagine that Ramsey, alongside Hector B is heartily sick of our fanbase having endured much more than their fair share of largely unwarranted criticism. I could easily see those two plus Jack move on, much as I’d prefer them not to. Bellerin is the only member of the current playing squad I’ve been lucky enough to chat to and I’ve always been a huge admirer. Jack and Aaron’s careers have been followed as closely by me as anyone else.
The unshackled toxic nature of our fan base will yet have us all pay a high price for their self-indulgence. If Wenger wanders off to PSG or elsewhere, our ability to replace these mainstays will get that much harder. Our losses will most certainly be somebody else’s rather substantial gain, regardless the mega-bucks we’d likely to be left with.
The refusal to confront those who have made a hobby or, in some cases, a handsome living from disparaging the club and it’s staff may be our ultimate undoing.
As George is rather fond of saying – we will not forget.
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“The refusal to confront those who have made a hobby or, in some cases, a handsome living from disparaging the club and it’s staff may be our ultimate undoing”
It’s a massive problem when your competition have bigger budgets.
On Bellerin he’s always struck from his early days as having made more of a commitment to his move, and he carries himself with far greater dignity then others we have seen. A young man with admirable qualities and conduct, happy to admit that I’ve long been impressed wit his character.
I am optimistic with this one but only a buffoon or a plonker who does the rounds on all the podcasts would attempt and fail to argue that the mob attack in this individual after he called them out for being vampires (just like those who do the rounds…), only a liar would attempt to state that this is not a problem.
I think these footballers will be focused on the football tonight. Hopefully they put in a performance that they can be proud of.
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Ramsey is intelligent. He gets it. Of course he may leave for Barcelona if they came calling, but I am certain that those idiot ‘fans’ will not enter into it. Like Arsene and the Kroenkes, he’s not going to give them a second thought. The first being simply contempt.
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Bellarin does come across as a very measured and intelligent fellow. I have yet to meet any arsenal players but back in the days I had the misfortune to a meet a few Newcastle players. I can honestly say I have never met such ignorant and limited individuals like the kieron dyer and rob Lee. Shola was a fairly sound bloke. But the only player who really stood out was Didier Dommy. He really was an outstanding fellow and most weekends if he was not playing he would find time to spend with the local community play with kids and volunteer in whatever capacity with lots of community groups,, a top fella.
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Evening Positives – pitch gleaming, Milan already here and noisy – bannerswars nit kicked off yet
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AC Milan
Verified account @acmilan
22m22 minutes ago
#ACMilan XI: Donnarumma; Borini, Bonucci, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Suso, Kessie, Montolivo, Calhanoglu; Cutrone, André Silva
Subs | Panchina: Storari, Musacchio, Zapata, Biglia, Bonaventura, Locatelli, Kalinic
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Come on the Arsenal!
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chambers on for the injured koscielny
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Calhanoglu with a 25 yarder beats ospina all ends up, 1-0 to ac milan
we had been comfortable enough to that point, without ever looking like we were in top gear, need to step it up now
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Ospina is never saving that
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looks like a penalty has been given to Arsenal
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looked like Welbeck just fell over, but seems penalty given, AC incensed about it
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Brave Welbeast
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1-1 welbeck into bottom left corner, goalie had gone the other way
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ball strikes chambers arm, ac incensed that penalty not given, they need mike dean
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Chambers arms are upfor balance
Ex spurs goalie thinks it’s a penalty
Shock
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ac players losing the run of themselves
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HT: Arsenal 1-1 AC Milan
on top without being at our best, AC took the lead, then Deli Welbeck won and scored a penalty
Koscielny off injured.
we look a level above AC Milan when we up the tempo, just need to do it for a longer spell
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Cracking game. Welbeck playing well. Xhaka has been fantastic.
It was a penalty for me. Rodrigues clipped his leg as he ran past. Not intentionally but it’s still a foul. Right in front of the referee.
Jack should have scored. Top strike. Miki should maybe have gone through the keepers legs at 1 on 1.
Need another goal to make it safe.
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That was not a penalty but we are due some luck after the usual PGMOL-laced hateration his season.
2nd half stars…COYG!!!!!!!!!
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Another penalty
violent assualt on Ramsey
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Bellerin v Rodriguez
Can we callit
The Battle of the Bun?
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Why is Jack not coming off there?
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xhakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 2-1 (4-1)
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I keep getting the feeling that Xhaka is getting the a handle on the position
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Welbeckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk 3-1 (5-1)
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is that Welbeck hattrick on?
Great play all round
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That was a well worked goal
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FT: Arsenal 3-1 AC Milan (5-1on agg)
on top for the most part, went behind, leveled when Welbeck got what was at best a soft penalty, xhaka and welbeck finished it off in the second half.
Kos injured a worry.
We never really got out of second gear, a bit disappointed with our forward play, it was a bit disjointed, tempo was too slow.
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