Hello and how are you? So, for the second time in our history as a football club, I’m happy to say, the Mighty Cannon will play in the Champions League Final, as we take on the French champions, PSG. KO 6.00pm local ( 5pm UK) in the Puskas arena in Budapest. Expected weather in the Hungarian capital is 24° (feels like 28°) with humidity at 45%, dew point at 12°. There are some thunder storm warnings (yellow).
In many respects, such was the intense slog and grind of our last matches and then the eruption of utter euphoric celebration in reaction to winning the Premier League, that the CL and our run in it, seem to have been put on a back burner?
Perhaps(?) for many of our fans, this is just something of a novelty as the PL reigns supreme. For me it isn’t so.
Our last outing to me, was beyond my expectations as an Arsenal fan, not since I started watching in 77/78 had we reached such a personally exciting moment. It really seemed audacious and ambitious.
At that point we had become such a force, that winning domestic titles and cups was almost normal? But the Champions League was something else, a chance to take our place amongst the elite of the game, in a golden age of football and footballers.
To me Arsène brought a different perspective to Euro competitions, in the same way, from my perspective, he changed Arsenal into a cosmopolitan club. To see his face at the end of the loss to Barcelona, trying to hide such bitter pain, knowing we could have won the game, was almost too much to take. I’ve only watched the highlights once since that night. It was one of two games I couldn’t(can’t) watch, the other being game fifty, a match that leaves me still unable to look at again.
For two seasons we have a good run in the CL, played some good football, and have beaten some great sides. Sometimes we seemed able to breathe more easily as a unit than in the PL? In many ways the CL has been a lot of fun, to play in and for me to write about, more than the PL. Looking back at all the games I feel a bit melancholic, it’s a tough metaphorical mountain to climb, and we’ve quietly and efficiently gone about our business, all those games and here we are at the final of it all.
Saturday’s opponents, narrowly ejected us last season at the semi-final stage, but anything can happen this 30th of May, anything. And that’s why I’m not going to even attempt at predicting at any aspect of this match.
I’m grateful to be back and I hope we can take this one in our stride, and lay aside the ghosts of twenty years ago.
For the last time this season I called up Statto HQ, and they stopped looking on Instagram and blurted out that Arsenal (Champions of England) have a 30.2% chance of winning. PSG ( champions of France) have a 40.7%. Next up, the world cup and the excitement of transfer (mostly fake) news! Have a safe and enjoyable summer.
So COYG!
Mills.
Thanks Mills. a fine season you have had.
It’s fair tom say that this game is the biggest for 20 years, and maybe ever? I say “ever” because we are a target of mockery from other fans because we are the only , what people might call, super club, that hasn’t won it. 20 years ago City and Chelsea hadn’t won it either, but now they have and it’s now go to banter for others to claim we can’t be a super club.
Wining it will make this squad and their manager immortals.
For once I don’t really care how we go about wining as long as we don’t simply try to stop them playing and hope for smash and grab.
Good luck lads, may the force be with you.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Brilliant reviews guys and worthy of a European final.
This season the Champions League has seemed strange because winning the domestic title was so important.
Like Mills said it has been like the pressure was off in this competition both for the fans and the players.
This evening their is no style choice, it’s all about winning anyway possible.
Twenty years ago there was a massive build up from the semis onwards. We wanted to be the first London club to lift the trophy, we wanted to inject some money in Arsene’s small transfer pot and we wanted something to full stop a legendary team that had started to break up. As it was we got none of that and the loss that might had an effect on our ability to win the league again in the subsequent seasons.
On a personal note one of the lads who was in Paris that night was very ill and as we walked out of the stadium it was the last time I see him.
Tonight would finally ease some of the pain from that horrible night.
The players and fans seem very relaxed, mainly because the league was vital this year and we’ve only just had time to start thinking about this one.
It is widely recognised that our squad is one of the best in Europe and because we set up with the idea of starters and finishers we carry a bigger threat than the first team alone.
It is this that just might carry us over the line to bring home the biggest trophy in our history COYG.
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Arsenal: Raya, Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Havertz.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Timber, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Merino, Norgaard, Eze, Madueke, Dowman, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Jesus
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not the starting 11 that I’d have picked, I’d certainly have had Gyokeres in the team. eze too
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come on Arsenal
Havertzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal
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I was fine till we scored, now I can’t breathe, only 80 minutes to go
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6 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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Havertz with a glorious chance to make it 2, but doesn’t get his shot off quick enough
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 PSG
Havertz with the goal, oh boy this is a tough watch, come on you Gooners.
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I’m trembling
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same here Ed. I thought we lost a bit of shape in midfield towards the end, that brought on extra fear!
I would like to see Saka take on Mendes a bit, he might find a way through there. I thought Dembelé has a a bit of protection from the ref. 2nd halfs going to take a lot of concentration…could with a second goal…COYG!!!!!!!!!!!
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wasn’t happy with the ref first half
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Mosquera booked, that is not good, might need to take him off, if Timber can give us 45 minutes then get Mosquera off before this ref decides to send him off
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Saka booked
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the Ref will soon put on the PSG kit
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penalty check for PSG, we’d want it, Mosquera got the ball, but it seemed more by accident that by good choice, he took the forward out of it to get the ball
penalty given
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1-1
I blame Arteta for not taking Mosquera off when he was on a yellow, and we need changes, we had been under the cosh for this second half, and no reaction from us.
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COYG! Get Saka and Mosquera off…
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Timber on for Mosquera
Gyokeres on for Odegaard
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I’d bring on Eze and Martinelli
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PSG hit the post
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need one of our attacking players to stand and up and make themselves the hero.
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Madueke on Saka off
Martinelli on Trossard off
Saka and Odegaard were poor today
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PSG looking faster than us
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at least 6 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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but we’re still in it, but this is not good for the health! COYG!
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going to extra time
we’ve been second best for too much of this game, we attack way too slow, and PSG break at speed that we are finding it hard to cope with
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looking at the penalty again, it was awful defending from Mosquera, and indeed from AFC in general.
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Havertz off Eze on
Lewis-Skelly off Zubimendi on
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how the fuck was that not a penalty to Arsenal
where the fuck is VAR
Rice gets booked for demanding the ref look at the decision
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totally robbed on that penalty decision
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thought we look a bit better, actually played some football. We really can grab this with just one chance. COYG!
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come on Arsenal, we have 15 minutes to beat the 12 men.
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5 minutes plus stoppage time left
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Raya has kicked the ball out of play a couple of times in this extra time, what ever he is thinking
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Timber fires into the side netting
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corner in last minute of stoppage time
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its gone to penalties
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I thought a German ref would hate the French but he obviously hates us more.
We made mistakes but was still robbed.
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the ref was a disgrace, but in the end two very poor penalties cost us the game, our keeper saved a penalty, their’s didn’t but putting one wide and the other over the top cost us. Disappointed that a CB was taking our 5th kick, I always want our forwards and midfielders to step up and take the penalties, Madueke or Zubimedi for me should be stepping up, but I took enough penalties in my time to know you have to believe you will score, I remember the first penalty I took in an adult game, it was in a GAA game, it was with only a minute left and our regular penalty taker had ball in hand about to place it on the spot, I could see he was trembling so I walked up to him and said do you want me to take it, he said please, our manager was going mental at me for taking over the penalty duties, but I knew I would score, if anyone remembers Ray Stewart of West Ham, well I took a leaf out of his book of penalty taking, first and foremost hit the ball very hard and on target. You could say Gyokeres takes them that way now. For me I can’t stand the way Eze takes penalties.
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I also think we should have had another penalty too, not just the Madueke one that was denied us, we had a shot in extra time that struck a defenders arm that was away from his body, all season long that was given in the CL, we had one given against Ben White v Atletico in the semi final, despite the ball heading way wide. But VAR was clearly switched off when it came to Arsenal decisions tonight.
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Yep nowadays, in the modern era, penalties are no surprise and are practiced every week throughout the season.
I would imagine Gabriel had a good record because the first and fifth are normally your anchor men and usually very good.
Players are much better technically than ever before, so not hitting the target is criminal really.
The problem with Gabriel probably was he was physically and mentally exhausted and trying to get the ball to go where you want it doesn’t always work.
That is where the coaching staff have to make a decision. We had fresher and technically better players to take the fifth penalty. Having said that Eze was fresh and technically excellent so what do I know.
In the end we took probably the best team in the world all the way. They had every advantage and yet we still matched them, you have to be very proud of the lads.
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the no penalty to Madueke was outrageous, and the real tell was the look the defender had on his face and he looked to the ref, he knew it was a penalty, other PSG players knew it was a penalty, the Arsenal players knew it was a penalty, what ever the ref was told at half time in the game made him decide it was not a penalty.
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so depressed at the result last night, so really need to see the parade today, have to get that feel good factor back.
I’m glad the season is over, its been a hard watch in the league, despite the great jubilation of winning it, the CL was a good watch despite the heartbreak of the final. I have little to no interest in the upcoming World Cup, Arsenal’s next game is on Wednesday August 5th, so the squad will be back in training in about 6 weeks, and we will have lots and lots of transfer activity this summer. Both in and out.
Arsenal are very likely to need to add 6 or 7 players this summer, due to the injury prone nature of some of our squad and the lack of ability from Arteta to rotate, we have to bring in players who will be more reliable fitness wise. Timber, White, Calafiori, Odegaard, Jesus, Havertz and even Saka can not be relied upon to stay fit, and Norgaard does not seem trusted to play, nor is Kepa to an extent, so some of those guys have to be shipped out, and quality brought in, I would not be surprised to see two new fullbacks, 2 new midfielders, a new wide left forward and a new striker, maybe a young striker who is versatile like Kroupi would be ideal signing. Kayode from Brentford for Right back, we are linked to Fernandes of West Ham and Tonali of Newcastle have been strongly linked for the midfield, and Rodgers of Aston Villa is linked for the wide left role. Who’s linked and who’s signed are very often very different. But I see a big transfer window for Arsenal this summer.
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fuck me Arsenal.com making a hames of the parade coverage
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Ed Ive got AP, sky and Arsenal all up on You tube. Also feel down as fk, so looking forward to this. COYG!
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The Met Police estimates that there was somewhere between 1M and 1.5M people at the Arsenal parade
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Arsenal’s record in European finals is abysmal, we have been in 9 finals and lost 7 of them, 3 of those loses have been on penalties.
Arsenal have won the
Fairs Cup
Cup Winners Cup,
but have lost in
two CL finals,
two Cup Winner Cup finals,
one Uefa cup final,
one Europa League final
one Super Cup final.
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Katie McCabe is joining the Chelsea Women’s team. Will be so annoying to see her play for that shower of scum.
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Beth Mead set to join Man City Womens team
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Arsenal Women are said to be going to sign Ona Batlle, Georgia Stanway, Selina Cerci and Geraldine Reuteler on free transfers this summer when their contracts with their clubs run out.
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