Why Arsenal CAN make Europa League final

Now I am not saying that Arsenal will be in the Europa League final or that we are favourites to get past Atletico Madrid in Spain next week, but come on Gooners, some people are acting like we got a pasting. So here are some reasons to believe that we can make it to the Europa League final.

Arsenal were by far the dominant and more threatening side and that included the 10 minutes before the sending off.

You could argue that losing a player made the statistically best defence in Europe even more determined not to concede, but on another day the Gunners would have got more than one, possibly a fair few. The away goal is a nightmare, of course, but it means that we need to score and we have the players to do that.

Atletico may be caught in two minds. If they attack it opens the game and if they sit back it gives us control.

MKhitaryan could be back.

At 1-1 this tie is poised and a good performance from the Gunners next week can book us a place in a European final, so perhaps with a lot of people giving Arsenal little chance, the players will step up and show what they can do.

Sam P.

59 Comments

  1. Oh Puh-lease. Arsenal disgraced themselves playing against 10 men at home, for 80 minutes.

    1. I agree with you but we will be better ready to play them at their own ground. As far as we did not concede more that one away goal, the game is still in balance. Are you saying we can not score one or more goals. Common gunners let’s be hopeful. I refused to go down the root everyone is taking because this is not premier league, it is Europa and Atletico can not say we are familiar with each other.

      1. It’s not that we can’t score. It’s more to do with the fact we can’t defend!!

        I mean, c’mon! That defending!!!!!!!!

        De-ja-vu again and again De-ja-vu again and again De-ja-vu again and again De-ja-vu again and again De-ja-vu again and again De-ja-vu again and again De-ja-vu again and again..

        f**king muppets

      2. we ARE going to concede a goal though. It’s the one thing we are good at. Easy money we dont keep a clean sheet in Madrid. And then we have to score half the goals an entire league has managed to score at that stadium this season.

  2. we are 99% out….

    maybe by 1 goal, 3 goals or away goal

    Its impossible for us to defeat Atletico

    as long as we play our best will do

    1. Try watching the game again if you did not in the first place. He’s right about us dominating the game as a whole, but especially correct about the first 10 minutes, where we had 3-4 good chances even early on. Once a team goes down a man they have to sit back, and play negative. The goal was completely bone headed to be certain, but most of the game was an offense vs defense drill. TBH I wasn’t overly impresssed with what everybody seems to think is a juggernaut in Atleti.

      1. Me too VA Gunner, the ref did not award some freekicks to us in good positions, there were several fouls that went against us maybe because he already sent someone out. 11 v 11, we played well, and the result could have been different. I am very uptimistic and I want to be qouted, we are still in a very good position as long as we only conceded just 1 goal. We will score more than 1 game away.

      2. They bend but dont break. Real Madrid does the same thing, then go on to win titles. If you dont punish these teams you will never win the tie. This was Arsenal’s one chance and it was blown.

      1. We think alike friend, so tired of the Debbie downers sprinkled about spewing negative bile, 1 more game means we can WIN!

  3. Its one match
    Of course we can win it.
    Its not probable but its possible
    Madrid aren’t unbeatable. They wouldn’t be in Europa League if they were. They would still be in Champions League
    Upsets happen

    Unlike many people here, I don’t give up hope until we are officially out

    Was tonight disappointing? YES
    Was it a disaster? No
    It was a DRAW! FFS

    Let’s support the team and be Alpha Males and stop being some whiny defeatest Beta or Omega males. Grab your “you know what” and see if you still have a pair

    1. Totally with you Innit. If Arsenal fans expect the manager and players to show belief, strength of character, grit and determination to get a result at Atletico, then we as fans have to do the same. Otherwise Arsenal needed even bother taking the plane to Madrid.

  4. Was criminal for us not to out the tie to bed but suddenly these guys don’t look scary at all.i think we should take our chances and rest everyone at Old Trafford in preparation for this game

  5. We might have played well but the fact is we are at the disadvantage…. Athelatico Madrid yet to Concede a goal in last 11 home matches….
    Another thing is we need to score at any cost and here we will get knocked out from EL because in the course scoring goal we will keep ourselves open at the back and Athelatico Madrid will strike us on counter……
    Simeone is very good in parking bus so he will not only park the bus but Aeroplane after seeing our attacking display…. And yes we can break that Aeroplane but in that process we will also Concede thats for sure,……. And there is no way we are scoring more than 1 goal even if we get 1 there but in course of scoring away goal we will Concede which will give us knock out punch…

    1. The fact that AM hasn’t conceded at home in 11 matches makes me even more confident that we score one next week. Streaks like that just don’t last. Look what happend to Milan.

      COYG. We played well. When AM went down to 10 it was just a bus in our way. We will be fine and we will advance.

      1. Hope whatever you said will happen…. But this will only happen if we remain tight at the back even we are going on through out attack which unlikely from us and that too in away game this season…

    2. Does anyone remember Dortmund’s home form just before we beat in their own backyard? Just saying

  6. Pessimism for Arsenal fans always! When shall we ever be positive. Have we never beaten big teams away? Remember 1-0 against Real in 2006? How about 2-0 away to Bayern in 2014 when Giroud scored a powerful goal? Let us remain positive. Our players also seem to get distracted by our over enthusiastic fans who told Xhaka to shoot when he could have used more prudence. We played very well in Moscow when we had little fan support. Perhaps that’s what we need to get the best from our players:adversity. Let us remain optimistic. It is never over until it is over.

  7. our finishing is very very bad…

    but I don’t rate Atletico very highly….

    All the hype about them….we are way stronger

    Simone and Mourinho are very similar though

    Its still likely we will still lose to them because of our away form and our silly little errors

  8. Yes, they can, if those fancy playmakers have a good plan to create open play goals

    At the Emirates, they were clueless in breaking the defense of a ten men team, let alone playing at Atletico’s turf

    I hope Arsenal can set a good strategy like Klopp’s false nine, but I predict they would stick with Wenger’s obsolete 4-2-3-1

  9. Hopefully we’ll get a manager who will do away with takataka thing. can’t believe we had over 600 passes and a solitary goal only.

  10. We are all but out.

    We blow it. Our way into the final was made even easier By the red card. Yet, we blow it.

  11. For the majority of the match Aletico defended for their lives and with our 1 mistake at the back we got punished, which makes this game now feel all but over, we should of and could of scored more but we didnt,. We still have the second leg and until we have actually lost, we still have a chance, its going to be the toughest match of our season and if the players really want it they’re going to have to produce there best performance and cut out any mistakes at the back.

  12. I don’t even care about the tie anymore, is over. We concerns me more is our bench, not a single player decent enough to bring on. My God, our bench last night must have been the worst in the league. How did we even get here 🙁

  13. How is that young Greek lad any´worse than Koscielny or Mustafi? No way he can’t be, mind as well play him.

    But Wenger has his favorites, no matter the form.

    Except with Podolski, Perez etc.

    1. I agree that Wenger often had a blind spot with certain players, who when they played well, weren’t noticed; Podolski and Perez being prime examples.

  14. Guys, how does a 1-1 draw translate into us being out? Before this game even started most of us believed it would be Man city all over again, me included. But that’s not what happened, is it? We dominated them, and if it weren’t for their goalkeeper playing on god-mode we would have scored at least 3! They shut the back and took a minute for every set piece and goal kick. They were SCARED of us and it was simply nasty luck Koscielny didn’t clear that one ball forward. Going to Spain they will cowardly defend to hold onto their advantage inviting us to attack and just one goal, a carefully constructed one or a fluke and pressure will be back on them. Another goap and we are through. Guys, is it that hard to imagine we can score a goal versus Atletico? RELAX!

    1. I have come to realize that we Arsenal fans’ are the most negative fans on earth. Compare with Juventus, Bayern etc. Just as we say majority of the players should be replaced the fans too need replacement for the club to go forward.

  15. Based on today performance we have a good chance of progressing. Sure it was disappointing, but at least we were the better team. I wouldn’t share the same optimism if the performance displayed last night was poor.

  16. Can only agree with the posters above; fans must stay positive. The tie is not over until the final whistle next Thursday.

    1. Yes anything can happen….but the odds are not in our favour.. they have an away goal. They’ve only conceded 4 at home all season. Costa will be unleashed & he always scores against us.. and we’ll still have that shoddy defence!! Plus our away form Is appalling! So you can see why I’m not 100% optimistic! Plus we have to go to Manchester…. to play a weakened team… have Sanchez play world class against us, and probably lose 8-2 again!!! Oh the joys ?

      1. Sue even when the odds were in our favour in several games we still lost, so may be now that the odds are against us we will do well. We both have equal chances!!!!

  17. I’m not optimistic about the second leg. Not because it’s impossible to win Atletico by 2 or 3goals but..
    1. Our away form is terrible
    2. Arsenal has little cutting edge, always passing the ball around.
    3. Leaky defense and Costa would be fully fit next match to try and exploit it.
    4. We have to win and in coming out to attack we play right into their hands as they are comfortable defending and can hit us on the counter

    1. What do you mean it’s impossible to win them by 3 goals, are they gods! I believe it will be a different game. And we still have the chance to get to the final. In football anything can happen. When we played AC Milan everyone was saying they haven’t conceded goals in several matches, the manger even said he is out to hurt us but what happened? So please don’t say it is impossible????

      1. Thank you. Support the team. These are the players we have for now. Am sure everyone will be happy for us to be in the final since whether we win or not Wenger (the divisive factor) is quiting.

    2. We don’t have to win.
      A 2-2 draw dumps out Atm!

      That said, I we HAVE TO SCORE WHILE MAKING SURE THAT THEY DO NOT OUTSCORE US!

  18. Agree with Koss.This overpass and tikikata are costing the gunners.
    Football is an art. Well. Well. I know football is about goals and the team which scores more goals wins.
    As for Wenger I hope he will take his football philosophy to his next club . He will find the onus is on winning not outplaying the opposition.
    This type of game has been happening too often. Arsena l are unable to kill off teams.
    Hopefully the new guy will focus more on scoring than football is an art.

    1. So do you think we didn’t try to score yesterday? We passed, we crossed, we dribbled, we shot, we tried everything but Atletico simply had 10 men in the box. Honestly everyone knows am Wenger out but this was NOT Wenger’s fault. Atletico were out to run down the clock from the start and as soon as their man got sent off I knew they would just defend and try and take the tie to Spain. Wenger and the boys did the best they could and for once I am absolutely proud of the way they played.

  19. We will play a team who rarely concede at home who only need 0-0 draw.
    They will come flying out of the blocks for the first 10 minutes of each half to get a goal and then sit back and counter.
    We all know how our defense copes with counter attacks!!
    We can always hope but lets be a bit realistic.

  20. Now Wenger is out WE as fans should stay positive and remain together. This is difficult, however if we all come together it may unite the team it’s a one off game so the right attitude can give us a win

  21. The result is not totally in their favour, Arsenal can score away at least we all know that. Possible results 1-1, will take it to extra time, 1-2 in our favour, 2-2 in our favour, and then 1-0 in their favour. So who’s chances is more. Everyone is saying because they haven’t conceded but we can score goals. Am excited to see what will happen

  22. Some people need to get a grip. It’s half time and it’s 1-1 for ffffs sake!
    The sending off didn’t affect them in a bad way, it galvanised their defence to shut up shop and just leave one player up front. We will score at their place, I am sure of that, but for goodness sake stop with the negative attitude and show some support for our team. We played well without getting the goals we deserved but were letdown again by a stupid defensive error. I’m looking forward to the return game. #MAGA.

    1. My attitude man!!!! 1 away goal and everyone already handed them the result, especially the press. I refused to until the tie is over!!!

  23. I think the mental aspect is totally different
    If we had won 1-0 it breeds complacency
    Yet at 1-1 we have to be switched on and positive
    Remember Man City 2-0
    We can do this and if not at least we hav a different manager to look forward to(I hope)

  24. The wenger junkies continuing to blame fans for another underperformance … the problem is a manager who over a decade has created a team that lscks character and quality … we can episodically put some decent stuff together but rarely over 90 minutes … not completely out of it of course but realistically we need to score twice … cant do that with same midfield or welbeck … miki hopefully back but attacking options are limited without aube … play one of the kids maybe

  25. Sam P , Even by your constant personal standards of “fantasy” expectations, based on zero hard evidence, this totally ineffective performance against ten men does NOT warrant your ridiculous optimism that we can still win the tie. If fantasy expectations are what passes for support, instead of hard truths and doing something about the weaknesses, rather than pretending they don’t exist, then I inhabit a different planet than you. Mine is called Planet EARTH!

    1. @ Jon Fox, we know you dont support Arsenal. We know you are never optimistic. A lot of fans knew we played a team that had rarely concecded and when such a team now decide to defend 100% it becomes even harder. If they are going to come flying out at us in Madrid to score – they are as well going to be open at the back and we CAN sure purnish as well. So, the tie is not over…definitely not over for ME. I am optimistic and if you think this is fantasy – sorry you can go show Spurs your genuine support. We dont need people like you supporting our darling team. Go to where they spend big and they can’t even play in finals not to talk of trophies. The same Spurs have played in EL a couple of times and how many times did they reach semis. Be proud of your team, stay positive or choose another team for your worthless support.

    2. No jon fox yours is called pessimism. It may not be the best situation but it is what it is. If we all sit around writing the team off then what’s the point. We are certainly not in the deficit the press would have us believe before the game started. So until it is fact, I will continue to believe it’s possible. This is not a fantasy, it is called supporting your team.

      1. Thank you Ausgooner – this is what is called true Support. Support is not only when things look promising and certain….even when it seems not so promising – you still Support your team. No wonder Roma turned it around against Barcelona. I am still proud of the team and will offer my support come rain – come shine (low and high times). Jon Fox can jump ship..we dont need him on true Arsenal Fans base.

  26. On last nights showing, we can certainly score a few next week. Doesn’t mean we will, but still everything to play for. I’m quietly confident, especially as even before their red card we were dominating the game. We have to be focused and have the belief, and then it’s all possible.

  27. @ Phil & Jon Fox…..you will not like to read the latest quote below:

    “Phil Jones called for a warm reception for Wenger, who has clashed with United manager Jose Mourinho in the past. “He’s been a fantastic manager,” said Jones. “I’ve seen a lot of things in the press at the moment and it’s true. He changed the game of football and the way teams like to play. “He’s managed some terrific Arsenal teams over the years, that I’ve grown up watching, and he should be respected and get the send-off he deserves.” – Phil Jones ManU.

    Fans like Phil and Jon Fox will not like to read fantastic tributes like the one above. But unfortunately they can’t change the FACTS! The have got to live with them.

    1. Yes that’s very interesting.
      If I can qoute what you state Phil Jones said
      “He’s managed some terrific Arsenal teams over the years that I’ve grown up watching”
      That is what he said.
      If you ask a grown up to explain this to you I believe you will be told that years and years ago when Phil Jones was a lot lot younger Arsene Wenger managed Arsenal sides that were good.In fact they were very very good.I should know as I was there watching approx 98% of these games home away and in Europe.So after being a season ticket holder since age 15 in 1970 I would like to believe I would know a good Arsenal side when I saw one.The 1997-98 Double winners were superb.The 2001-2002 Double winners were in my opinion even better.And the 2003-04 Invincibles were arguably the best side that has ever graced the Premier League.These were the teams Phil Jones was talking about NOT the teams that followed and certainly not the teams he played against which he obviously enjoyed because those teams were nowhere near the quality of the previous teams that Wenger managed.Any sensible grown up would understand this so hopefully you are old enough to finally understand that Wenger USED to manage Very good Arsenal teams.For over the last decade his teams have been nowhere near the standard.
      Anyway sonny you go back to the comic books you most obviously read(that’s providing of course you can actually read)and try your very best to come up with something relevant and meaningful that is a least current and interesting.If not try asking mummy to write something for you.

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