Hello and how are you?
Tuesday the 8th of April sees the Mighty Cannon host Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter finals of the Champions League. Kick off at the Emirates is at 8.00pm Western European time.
Well, we are back on Last stand Hill again, and are set up for the biggest name-game this season. Our stuttering PL form (aside of a dubious penalty) showed up again against Everton. It seems more and more a season blighted by draws, injuries and missed opportunities in front of goal?
Our old friend ‘Hope’ laughed to see such fun as Fulham beat Liverpool and every Arsenal fan had that strange thought: ” hang on, we still might do this…what if Liverpool lose all their games and the final game is like ’89?”…
Hope, it loves a trip up the garden path doesn’t it?
However this is a game that surely must whet the appetite of everyone at Arsenal as the Real superstars are rolled out at the Emirates? To me, its a brave person who can call this one, the permutations for any kind of potential result are possible. That’s makes it exciting and frightening too; we can do this, but we can also get a thrashing. Or we can go for a draw?
Back in the early 1960s my Grandfather went up to Highbury to watch the Gunners versus Real Madrid, a team with Puskas and lead by Di Stéfano. The first half ended 0-0. He said the jokers at half time were saying; “we’ve got this” “3-0 you’ll see”.
Real came out and beat us 4-0.
However, that was then and this be now, and its a great game to be involved in and why everyone wants to compete in the Champions League.
Statto HQ have given the Mighty Cannon a 40.2% chance of winning and Real have a 30.6% of victory.
Here’s to a great game and a victory for us.
Take care of yourselves.
Mills
Positively Arsenal 
This is not only history we are up against in this one it’s a list of other reasons.
They have possibly the best manager in the world.
They have the best collection of players in the world.
They have a world of experience and expertise compared to ours.
They play better in big games and this is a big game.
Gabriel is our most influential player and he is missing. Also because of Mikel’s adversion to rotation his replacement has not had many games.
There are a many others I’m sure but I think you got my drift. Football has a habit of beating the odds so we have a chance but we must be realistic and realise it’s a small one.
A draw would be a massive result and certainly one that could set us up for the future. It took us a few seasons to get the measure of city and I think the fixtures against Europe’s best are the same. We may not taste glory this season but it could go a long way for victories in the future.
Whatever the odds there can’t be an ARSENAL fan anywhere in the world that’s not looking forward to this one COYG.
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A bit of a Real Madrid Arsenal story
When Arsenal were looking to replace Bertie Mee in the 70’s they actually flirted with the notion of totally breaking the mould and bringing in a big name foreign manager and the man they wanted was Real Madrid manager Miljan Miljanić, he had been a major success at both Red Star Belgrade and then Real Madrid, but it was eventually thought bringing in a foreign manager was a step too far, but how we went from wanting one of the best managers in the world at the time to Terry Neill beggars belief.
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Raya, Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Merino.
Subs: Neto, Setford, Tierney, White, Zinchenko, Trossard, Jorginho, Butler-Oyedeji, Gower, Nwaneri.
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HT: 0-0
both sides have gone close to scoring
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Thought we looked pretty good. Could well nick this one? COYG!
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Thought we looked pretty good. Could well nick this one? COYG!
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https://x.com/i/status/1909703066917429658
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oh so close to getting a second
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https://x.com/i/status/1909705029084151953
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oh my god Declan Rice before today had never scored a freekick goal has now scored 2 in this game, why have we been letting odegaard take freekicks when Rice is this good
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Saka limps off, Trossard on
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3-0 Merinooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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Tierney coming on for man of the match declan rice, who it seems has a cut ankle
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the second free kick
https://x.com/i/status/1909707506412040412
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Bayern Munich have drawn level with inter milan, thomas muller
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not sure which freekick is the better one, when you see the first one from behind rice its unreal
inter milan have taken the lead late on in munich
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the merino goal
https://x.com/i/status/1909709267612934286
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arsenal have had 12 shots so far, 11 on target
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4 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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White on for Timber
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Bayern Munich 1-2 Inter Milan
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Real Madrid have had a player sent off for kicking the ball away, a second booking
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Brilliant!!! The business! COYG!
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FT: Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid
Rice x2, Merino with our goals
Two absolutely incredible free kick goals, and Merino with a fine curling finish too, we also had several near misses, couple cleared off the line and their keeper made some great saves, this 3-0 was totally deserved, but its only half time in the tie
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5th place in the EPL gets CL football next season
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Outstanding across the board. There is ZERO reason we shouldn’t play that way every week. I’m not asking that they play that well, just that we try to open up.
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Unbelievable, another fantastic evening to shut up gobshite football pessimists like me.
This was a game that an old friend of this site Steve I, would have had a bet on us winning 5-0 and for fans like him they all thoroughly deserve this result.
I been going through a bit shit recently but tonight I’m floating on adrenaline and probably won’t sleep a wink tonight. Come On You Amazing Gunners.
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Arsenal were brave tonight, and got rewarded for it, none of the risk averse shite we have seen far too often this season and that has cost us the league title
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I think this highlights our inability to beat low block sides. Real came to play and we can beat any side that comes to play.
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In the famous words of Monty Python “what did the Romans ever do for us”.
I actually thought Rice had a realitivy quite game for us last night.
Apart from the amazing bend around the wall for the first free kick
The power and the bend of the second free kick.
The driving run into the Madrid box to start the move for the third.
The numerous tackles he put in all round the pitch.
What did Rice do for us last night?
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only just picked up my jaw from the floor, one of the best games I have witnessed in my Arsenal life simply because of the opposition, the setting and the doubters.
Nervous for the second leg but for the rest of this week the sun is shining.
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Obviously our hale end hero has been mentioned many times by the media, the return of little B was magical.
There was also a fantastic display by Lewis Skelly, coming after Cesc and Jack’s famous midfield displays for ARSENAL against Barcelona, Miles embarrassed a few Real players last night with his quick and clever turns.
If you look at Modrick’s position in possession in between the CB’s last night playing the quarter back role is something Miles could easily do in the future. Either that or just in front in Partey’s role. Wherever he plays he is going to be a very special player.
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I almost got carried away when Tierney came on cause I thought we would finally see Lewis in midfield but my hopes where dashed and was not happy to see Tierney playing left wing. Minor criticism, overall, enjoyed the game.
i have said it before and I will say it again, Declan is the closest player I have seen to PV4. Not quite as dominant as PV4 but an very good all rounder like PV4.
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Sky are reporting that if Ipswich are relegated then Liam Delap’s release clause drops to £30 million.
As much as I hate his old man he could finally be the Giroud/ Smith replacement we have been looking for and we would have other money to spend elsewhere in the squad.
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Im still in a slight state of shock almost 24 hours afterwards. Putting on my cynical hat you could say it was a fairly typical Arsenal performance. Lots of possession, lots of nice passes, but no real end product. But then two goals the like of which haven’t been seen at the Emirates since Pepe turned a lukewarm Euro 1-2 defeat into a 3-2 win. And with the blood running high an excellent strike from Merino (which most days wouldn’t maybe have been quite so perfect) seeled the deal. So amidst the euphoria is it wise to stay grounded?
Perhaps and maybe, but I like to think there was something more going on: a realisation of nothing for this side to fear except fear itself, a discarding of shackles, boys into men. All that kind of thing.
Who knows and time itself will tell, but whatever the line-up is, I wonder if Saturday’s game against Brentford will give us a sense of whether this was a turning point or merely a blind pig finally chancing on a truffle.
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Totally agree with that. If it finished 0-0 then we would have been able to go away with the knowledge that Real were really quiet. VJ will shoot from anywhere in double quick time and Mbappe can dribble on cobbled streets but they certainly didn’t look like a team of Galacticos.
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26 years ago today, the Arsenal played in the semi of that years FA Cup. That game and the replay were utterly, relentless, massive duals beyond most peoples imagination, with us losing…if only Den had scored that blooming last minute penalty! We missed out by the skin of our teeth that season. And ManUre did it by theirs.
In Greater Manchester you could see afterwards double videos of the games being sold as the “epic”.
It hurt like fk to lose but we were still magnificent. In the first game you really could feel safe with the back four soaking it all up.
The saddest thing of all was just before they scored their winner they were truly falling apart and it was only a question of time.
COYG!
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New post is up.
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