That is a great quote that perhaps Arsenal fans could have been using all this season. It’s the usual story; Arsenal play well and create lots of chances, but our strikers fail to put them away, then our inferior opponents nick a couple of goals and take the points.
I’m not sure if we could actually use the whole of that excuse after losing to Barcelona in the Nou Camp, but the fact remains that we did not fare too badly, and could possibly have come away with a result. That is not just my opinion, but the words of Arsenal’s youngest new star Alex Iwobi.
I was certain Alex was going to play against Watford at the weekend, especially when Wenger singled him out for praise before the game, but it seems that Wenger was saving him to play against Barca! Iwobi was obviously excited about the biggest game of his life, but he didn’t seem overawed by the occasion although he was definitely “buzzing”! “It’s crazy, playing against the best players in the world,” he said after the game. “It’s a young man’s dream. Especially at the age of 19, I never thought I would be here playing against the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez. I’m just happy to be here.
“I didn’t know how to feel, I was buzzing, I just wanted to go and prove to the world what I would do. I wanted to see if I could match up to the best in the world. I was buzzing when I saw the starting line up, I couldn’t wait to touch the pitch.
“I never thought I would get this far. Honestly I thought I was going to go on loan at the start of the season, but the manager has shown faith in me and I’m trying to repay that faith and prove him right every time I play.
“I am pleased with how I did, but it’s a team game. I just wish that the team won the game and got through. Nonetheless, I am happy with my performance. In the dressing room we are a bit disappointed but not too down because we thought we did very well, we were just unlucky at the end.
“If we took our chances you’d probably say we could have won but we were playing against the best in the world. I think we did very well in the circumstances, we were just unlucky with the scoreline.”
I guess the important thing is that the defeat hasn’t dented the team’s confidence, and if they truly believe they could have won the game then it should actually give them a boost. Surely facing Everton at Goodison Park can’t be as scary as going away to Barcelona?