Hello and how are you?
Well, after the utter excitement from the 88th minute until the final whistle against a stubborn and luck-less Everton, I’m sure it’s now dow(nman) back to business for the Arsenal, as we play out part two of our double header against Bayer Leverkusen (currently 6th in the Bundesliga) in the Champions League.
Ironically, how many times this season have we said to each other, ” this game’s really important”? And now, in this last 16, second leg match against the old Werkself, we are faced with yet again, the biggest game of the season, so far?
Its massive, win this and it means a step closer to the elusive CL crown and another confidence booster before we face City next weekend for the League Cup final showdown.
I felt before the Everton game that a win would really boost the team, and Red Max’s header and sidestep shuffle and run, sure did lift the team, the management and the club about four inches of the ground. Has anyone come down yet? Even the media were enthusiastic.
I feel, even writing this in advance, really nervy, but not the apprehensive-nerves of doom, but the nerves of excitement and anticipation. By the time Tuesday rolls around I will be counting down the hours, it will be in the back of my mind all day, and I’ll be checking the internet all day to see the latest. How are you feeling?
Lose this and we are out of the CL, after all that work, it could well be a bitter pill to swallow?The CL is a tough mountain to climb, the Everest of football competitions, and without supplementary oxygen. It would be really horrible to go out now, yet I can’t see a repeat of the first leg, by either team. But Kasper Hjulmand’s men will be no push over, they made a decent draw with Bayern at the weekend, although Bayern were down to nine men, for about half of the game. I’m sure Bayer will have spied the impact of the Red Max, but will it be enough, he’s a cunning player for sure?
Garcia and Terrier sustained injuries against Bayern, but as Ian pointed out many teams seem to have the Lazarus effect with Arsenal and pop up from the sick bay pretty quickly? Flekken, Bade, Arthur, Vazquez and Seghir are AWOL for Bayer, but Grimaldo is back.
For the Mighty Cannon, Timber!, Martin Ø and Mr Trossard are a doubt, but who knows? Merino is still out and won’t be back for ages.
The statto HQ boys have given Arsenal a very generous 73.9 % chance of winning and Bayer a mere 9.6%. Next up, the League Cup final versus City at Wembley. SO COYG!
Mills
Who remembers when we we on track to win the league, FA cup and the CL, with the invincibles ? In one week we were dumped out of both cups and found ourselves behind in the league against Liverpool. That afternoon Henry , almost singlehandedly, turned the game around and we were back on track for the league, in what turned out to be the Invincible season. However, were were still out of the other two competitions.
I suppose what I’m saying is that if and when, a disappointment comes along, well that’s football and we simply can’t expect to win all four. It’s so hard not to get carried away right now, but remember, the more we believe, the bigger the let down will be if a setback comes along. This will apply to the team even more than us, and how they react will be the acid test of us and the squad. Then again, what if we do win all four, that will be our finest hour.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
A great preview worthy of a great night to come, well done the pair of you.
We have limped over the line in many games recently but as they say always found a way and that can’t be said of many of our rivals.
Tonights opposition are the real McCoy, maybe not winning games easily but being very hard to beat. They are comfortable playing out from the back and wasn’t bothered by our press in the reverse fixture. Historically they have lost possession to a high press more than any other team. That might have been in the group stages but it really doesn’t look like it recently.
If we get the press right we could really benefit from possession won high up. Their one forward held up the ball and brought his team into the game far too well in the first leg. Rather than hold him up with just one CB we need to play someone in front and behind him this will stop a lot of their service and give us the ability to win the ball back quicker.
I was at that Liverpool game and it seemed like everything that could go wrong would go wrong and the team looked dead on their feet especially the midfield. Declan and Martin have been struggling so the rest of the team need to help them out and retain possession better than we have been.
We know we have the ability to score many goals against anyone tonight we will be tested but I believe in this squad COYG.
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77 minutes in and its Sporting 3-0 Bodo/Glimt, meaning its 3-3 on agg, the winner plays the winner of our game.
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Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Ranson, Mosquera, Jesus, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Havertz, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman
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sporting game gone to extra time
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sporting take the lead in extra time
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man city a goal and a man down to real madrid, 4-0 on agg. Silva sent off for deliberate handball on the line to stop a goal.
chelsea 2-0 down to psg at home, 7-2 on agg now.
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Sporting won 5-0 tonight, and await the winner of our game in the QF
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oh so close from trossard, goalie gets a foot on his shot and it goes around the post
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Ezeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee with a wonder strik, a volley from edge of the area gave the goalie no chance at all with the power
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the Eze goal
https://x.com/i/status/2034006356043186382
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Haaland has made it 1-1 for city, 4-1 down now
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Eze with a wonder strike for his first CL goal, to put us ahead in the tie. It’s no more than we deserve, been the better team and could easily have scored another couple of goals.
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Saka not been good again tonight so far, taking too long to make up his mind as to what he wants to do.
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Rice Rice baby 2-0 to the Arsenal, come on you gooners
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Mosquera, Martenilli, Norgaard and Havertz on
White, Trossard, Zubimendi and the injured Eze off
hopefully the Eze sub is more precautionary
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PSG are now 3-0 up at Chelsea, 8-2 on agg, the CFC players should have circled their goal and not the ball
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Raya with an outstanding save
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Lewis-Skelly on for Gyokeres who looks very disappointed to be taken off, he had a fine game
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Nice! Couple of great goals, and on we march! COYG!
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FT: Arsenal 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Eze and Rice with the goals in a fully deserved win, it really could and should have been more. Only worry from the night was Eze going off with an injury.
Arsenal play Sporting Lisbon in the quarter finals
Carabao Cup final on Sunday v Man City who got knocked out of the CL by Real Madrid, they subbed off their star men early in their game tonight as they we down to 10 men.
Chelsea jon city on going out of the CL
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Vinicus Junior got a late winner for Real Madrid over city, 5-1 on agg
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our up coming fixtures
Man City – Wembley, CC final
Southampton – away – FA Cup quarter final
Sporting Lisbon – away – CL quarter final first leg
Bournemouth – home – EPL
Sporting Lisbon – home – CL quarter final first leg
Man City – away – EPL
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Havertz came on tonight for his 100th Arsenal game
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the Rice goal
https://x.com/i/status/2034030337928413357
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lets hope that the rest of the EPL clubs get knocked out of the CL tomorrow, for three very good reasons
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eze after game interview, says he is ok, not injured
https://x.com/i/status/2034032313420419387
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What a fantastic night, great performance and great goals. I did say the game would reflect the strong previews.
I think we would prefer Newcastle going through as they are in our side of the draw and I’d rather play them than Barca. It’s slightly less traveling as well although both areas refuse to speak their National tongue.
Obviously we should field the academy in the next round as it sandwiches the Bournemouth game and the second leg is just before the city game and unless palace go out of Europe this week and that game is rearranged then city would have a clear week.
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palace could go out
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another fucking international break after the final on sunday
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FT: Barcelona 7-2 Newcastle
8-2 on agg
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Southampton won again tonight and are now in the play off places in the Championship.
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spurs win but are out of the CL
liverpool are through.
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We played so well in so many aspects of the game yesterday but I still think we are one of the worst teams I’ve seen this season on the break.
We have a specialist set piece coach maybe we could get a specialist fast break coach as well, I’m sure it would harvest loads of goals.
Many teams who use a low or even mid block rely on fast breaks and I think because it’s not something we’re used to is why we are so poor. The decision making and timing of the pass is always slightly wrong whereas some teams seem to have it programmed in to their muscle memory.
Goals on the break are always crowd pleasers and would pump up the atmosphere even more. At the moment it sounds like even the crowd don’t believe we are going to score when we’re breaking.
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Confirmed CL quarter-final fixtures 1st Leg Tuesday 7th April Sporting CP Estádio José Alvalade KO: 9pm (Local) 2nd Leg Wednesday 15th April Sporting CP Emirates Stadium KO: 8pm
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spot on ian about how poor we are on the break, there always seems to be a doubt in the players actions, as if they think they should be slowing it down and circulation the ball. The pass is oh so often the wrong option or more often a badly executed option. Saka has become so predictable in his game too, why has he stopped using his right foot, he has crossing, passing, or shooting options on his right foot and he is refusing to execute it. Cuts back onto this left, and last night the Bayer defenders were actually waiting for him to come back on to his left and they kept dispossessing him. Lets hope Saka surprises City on sunday by firing in one to the roof of the net with his right foot.
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so with the international break and then the FA Cup game v Southampton, we will play in the CL again before we play a EPL game.
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our next four games are in four different competitions
Man City – Carabao Cup
Southampton – Fa Cup
Sporting Lisbon – CL
Bournemouth – EPL
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Our next six games are…
Man City – Carabao Cup
Southampton – Fa Cup
Sporting Lisbon – CL
Bournemouth – EPL
Sporting Lisbon — CL
Man City — EPL
The Champions league games take place on the Tuesday in the first leg away. The second leg will be at home on the Wednesday.
As I previously said the EPL games against bournemouth and city are much more important than the sporting games and so we should play weakened sides in the CL however controversial that is.
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i don’t agree with you ian about the EPL games being more important than the EPL games, as I feel that if we go out of the CL it will hit confidence and could cost us the league. In fact I think its very important we win the CC even if its the least important of the cups in the pecking order, but I really do believe that we need to win it, to get over that hurdle, to release the pressure of winning something, I’d go as far as to say we will have a great chance of winning an unprecedented quadruple if we win the CC on Sunday but on the opposite side if we lose we could very well end up winning nothing.
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I don’t think we will win the CL and I don’t think it would dent confidence as we tend to bounce back well anyway.
We will obviously start our strongest eleven against city on Sunday, although nowadays great thought is put into “finishers” as well as starters.
We need to win the game against bournemouth to go into the game against city with a ten point lead and make it an absolute must win game for them realising a draw would be no good.
city definitely have a clear week that week so we cannot afford injuries or tiredness coming out of the sporting game. I agree this Sunday is very important psychologically but after that we have to concentrate on the league.
We still have a good chance of beating sporting with our squad players and if we win the league early it will help us in the harder Champions League games later in the campaign.
I really don’t want to go through another 1980 situation where going after to many trophies leaves us short.
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its as much to do with the team needing to know they are winners as much as the confidence of the win itself. This squad has failed to cross the winners line for the last few seasons, and they need to know with the medal round their neck that they can be winners.
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big question on team selection for Sunday is will it be Raya or Kepa that starts in goal. Kepa has played all our domestic cup games so far this season.
It also seems Kepa since he came to England has been involved in 5 cup finals, played in 3, sub in 2, and lost them all.
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Cristhian Mosquera has received his first callup to the Spain senior squad, where he joins David Raya and Martin Zubimendi
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Arsenal have had 3 goalies called up to England youth squads this upcoming international break
Setford with the U21’a
Ranson with the U19’s
Porter with the U18’s
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George, sent the final preview over. COYG!
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Timber and Odegaard were pictured in training today, does not mean they will be in the squad tomorrow but there must be a chance.
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Arsenal U18’s 2-2 Fulham U18’s
Arsenal took the lead through Zecevic John early on but then fell behind to Fulham with half an hour to play, before having our goalie Lupinski sent off with ten minutes to to, with Zecevic John having to go in goal cos we had used 3 sub breaks so were not allowed bring on the sub keeper.
14-year-old prospect Luis Munoz who had come on for his debut at this level only a couple of minutes before our keeper was sent off scored late on to get us a point. which seen Munoz become the second youngest scorer for Arsenal at this level since 2008 after Ethan Nwaneri.
Since 2008 only Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri were younger than Munoz when they made their debuts for Arsenal U18s. Munoz is in fact the youngest player ever to play in the Youth Champions League as he made his debut earlier this season for our U19’s as a 13 year old v bayern munich.
Another U15 player Mikael Bonaventure Yetna also made his debut for the U18’s today as he played the full game in midfield.
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FT: Everton 3-0 Chelsea
6th played Chelsea can no longer win this season’s EPL, they are 22 points behind Arsenal with 7 games to play. On a similar note, with Liverpool losing today too they are 21 points behind us with 7 games to play, they have lost 10 league games this season, its one of the worst if not the worst title defences ever seen.
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anyone know why I’m being asked to subscribe every time i make a comment.
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This was the answer I got Ed:
The reason you might be being asked to subscribe every time you make a comment on your WordPress site is due to the “Checked by default” option in the comment form settings. This setting allows users to be automatically subscribed to notifications for comments they leave on a post. If you want to disable this feature, you can go to WP admin > StCR > Options and turn off the “Enable double check” option. Additionally, you can set the “Checked by default” option to “No” to stop automatic subscriptions
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