Arsenal fans update on Champions League rivals Monaco

It was a very happy Champions League draw for Arsenal Football Club and the fans, especially after all the tough draws the Gunners have been getting in recent years. But even though the French Ligue 1 outfit Monaco was about as good as we could have hoped for, there are no pushovers at this point of the elite European competition.

And if Arsene Wenger and the players go into the double-header knockout tie with any such illusions then we could be heading for our usual early exit, so I thought it was about time we had a good luck at the Monaco team that will be heading to north London for the first leg in about a month.

The bad news for us is that they are in good form domestically as well as having won their UCL group, however narrowly. Monaco won away at Lille yesterday, extending their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions. They have not been beaten since losing 2-0 away to Rennes at the end of November and what also seems clear is that a tight and solid defence is the basis for their success.

Since losing that game, they have not conceded a single goal. They don’t score many either but it seems clear that the two games between us and them are likely to be close run affairs and that Arsenal may need to be patient and make sure we do not become reckless and allow them to score first or get a crucial away goal.

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22 Comments

  1. I don’t see us having too many problems with this fixture. purely because we are the strongest we have ever been this season, with players coming back from injury, and players hitting brilliant form. Walcott and Ozil scoring at the weekend as just what they needed too.

    So unless we have a complete shocker, I am confident we can get passed Monaco…

  2. Every donkey scores against us so I don’t see
    Monaco being an exception but we should have much more in the locker to circumvent them! I hope the new guy is eligible to play in the CL as he had previously represented Villareal in this year’s Europa Cup.

    1. I do watch ligue 1 when I can and I confirm that Monaco are being vastly overrated. Their centre back partnership features a 36 years old Ricardo Carvalho and Aymen Abdennor. Carvalho is weak in the air and even slower than Mertesacker. Abdennor is similar to Koscielny. Their full backs are very good. Kurzawa is a threat. The other brazilian right back of loan is also dangerous going forward. Jao Moutinho is the heart of the team and Monaco are blessed with top quality holding midfielders (Kondogbia, Toualan…). Oscampos is Monaco’s biggest attacking threat. He is someday going to be world class. He is pacey, good in the air and tricky dribbler with a decent shot. Carrasco is average and we should have no problems. Their main striker is Berbatov and that says it all. Lacina Traore is 6 foot 8! Monaco are an average team overall and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t win the tie comfortably. Remember that Ligue 1 is piss! Don’t over estimate the bus parkers.

    2. But we kept a clean sheet against the “donkeys” from Manchester. Actually, we can keep a clean sheet, we more likely can if Wojciech Bite-me is dropped for The Spina.

  3. Seems like a team that’s going to park the Bus….Hope Wenger has a plan for this game…Only worry is how to pick a midfield in the squad now that almost every1 is fit and in form…

    1. But mate, they are like in a crazy form.. We always seem to undermine all our CL opponents except the elites like RM,BM & Barca.. But, this Monaco side is on a spectacular run.. In their last 11 games they have W9-D1-L1, where as Arsenal’s record was W8-D1-L2.. Not a lot of difference in there.. but if we see it closely, Moncao have notched up 8 clean sheets in their 9 wins.. We need to win our home game and if Koscielny, Mert & Coq can do a job on them in the away game we should have no problems progressing..

      1. People seem to forget that Ligue 1 is absolute piss. In that period, we played away to West Ham, Southampton, Liverpool and Man City.

        1. “Applause”.. Excatly the mentality with which we need to get into this game..
          Yeah, Ligue 1 is poor as ****.. By your words, I think you wont mind facing PSG either, who has even poor record in their last 10 games compared to Moncao..??

        2. Team GP Pts W D L GF GA +/-
          1 Lyon 22 48 15 3 4 47 17 30
          2 Ol Marseille 22 44 14 2 6 42 22 20
          3 Paris St. G 22 44 12 8 2 39 19 20
          4 AS Saint-É 22 40 11 7 4 24 14 10
          5 AS Monaco 22 39 11 6 5 25 18 7

  4. I’m really looking forward to the CL final. FA cup and CL is not a bad return for this season

    1. I can feel it in my bones, with kindly draws, beating Monaco, Basel, Shaktar and Porto to win UCL and Cambridge, Rochdale, Preston NE and Bradford to win the FA cup. You reckon anyone would point it out if the draw turned out like that? I don’t know if I would care or not, would be a strange one.

      1. @jonestown1: What type of cheese did you eat before you went to bed last night and waking up still thinking it is true?

  5. I really think if we can get past them, we have a good chance of going all the way…
    Also, just imagine, we finish 5th in the league, and United finish 4th, but we win the UCL….. That’ll be sooooo nice. 😀

  6. Monaco didn’t whoop us in our back yard. They didn’t have any meaningful shots in that friendly. We gave away a goal due to poor set piece defending. They parked the bus for the rest. People take pre season friendlies to seriously. We didn’t play our best team as half of them were given a holiday after the world cup, the ligue 1 season starts earlier, meaning that Monaco had played more friendlies and were therfore fitter.

  7. A 1-0 “whooping” if I remember rightly with a certain Mr Falcao scoring. Remember it as a poor low-intensity game but Kondogbia looked good. We shouldn’t read any more significance in to that result than Sanogo scoring 4 against Benefica in the same competition. We can’t be complacent but if we start getting the jitters now about Monaco we just as well pack up and go home.

  8. To be frank I don’t know anything about Monaco save what I am reading about them now on this website. I think the boss will be updating himself of Monaco’s game rating up to the time the Gunners will play against them at the Emirates stadium. Despite our general confidence to beat Monaco home and away, I think and hope the Gunners will not take victory over Monaco for granted by underating them and becomes complacent.

  9. Without Coquelin last night we looked exposed at the back.
    The second he came on he snuffed out Brighton’s attacks.
    He is one of our most important players, without him we have the same old issues at the back.
    Whatever team we play if we don’t have him for any reason we could struggle.

    1. we said the same about chambers when he had to jump in and played well but because he did not have the time he was supposed to have to settle, he finally began to struggle. The same will happen to Coquelin if we over play him.

  10. Monaco will play PSG, Montpelier and Lyon before playing us.
    they will loose points and concede goals.

    we’ll face,

    Crystal Palace, Leicester, Tottenham and aston villa. we should be in a better mindset.

  11. Monaco playing style?
    Monaco are similar to the old arsenal about 3years agoin terms of they like to play short passing game in the oppositions half filled with through passes. I can’t see them beating us on possession so they may have to change how they play.One thing that would definetly be an advantage to us is that they play the offside trap so they have a high line.we will killem on the counter especially if we target carvalho who is slow.

    What are their strength?
    Counter attacks
    Attacking And defending set pieces
    Creating chances
    Tacking the ball of the opposition

    What is their weakness?
    They aren’t efficient infront of goal they often waste chances

    Best player this season?
    Layvin kurzawa he has been immense this season arguably the best left back in France and he is only 22 he is very good on the ball and has excellent delivery, he is a similar style of player to Bellerin in that sence but more developed.

    Arsene wenger has also been monitoring his development as he may be monreals replacement if he decides to move back to Spain this summer or next year.

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