The Europa League semi-final second leg Thursday evening in Valencia is the game that has become our most critical one so far this season, all our eggs are in one basket now and we cannot afford to slip up.
We cannot kid ourselves that a two-goal margin is enough of a cushion for us to relax, Liverpool proved last night that first leg leads can be overcome against even the very best.
There are many things we should worry about and I recall doing a similar article prior to the Brighton game and I have to blow my own trumpet a little here and declare I feel like Nostradamus now as I almost nailed everything that did go wrong and we must avoid doing the same against Valencia or our season will be over.
Avoid trying to park the bus.
That will not work, why? Because our defence is just not good enough, the best form of defence is being on the offence and that is where we are at our most potent.
Win the battle for the midfield.
Too often we have lost the midfield battle and when we have, we lose. It is not rocket science and we do have the players that can control the middle of the park as long as they turn up.
Quieten the crowd.
The Mestalla will be full to capacity and we will have just 2500 fans and you can take it to the bank that if Valencia score early their fans will go mental and we will be in serious trouble. On the other hand, if we score first or keep Los Che at bay watch how quick their fans turn on their own team.
Don’t be complacent
It really is easy to be complacent when you have a two-goal advantage but history is littered with teams that have taken that attitude and come unstuck, we have to enter this game and play it as if it was 0-0.
Win the minor battles
There will be many minor battles all over the field and we have to win the majority of them, our defenders have to contain their forwards, we have to win the 50/50 balls, we have to win the aerial battles and our forwards have to harras their defenders non stop. If we win the small battles we will win the war.
sorry but I feel we are going to be the only English club not to reach the final
Sorry! Arsenal won’t make it. The other top EPL clubs will because their owners love the clubs and honours but not Arsenal’s owner.
We’ve been bottling it all season. Very possible. I dread tomorrow.
I think we will scrape through Valencia. They are not such a great team either.
But thereafter? Against a relaxed, rejuvenated Chelsea?
Sorry! Just prepare for another ten months of Thursday football.
Liverpool Chelsea United Tottenham and soon man city will have won the champions league while we continue our long wait
I know how you feel ramterta, should have won it in ’96, best team that night against Barca, even with ten men. Thierry could have sealed it 15 minutes from time. That was our chance and one of the most disappointing nights of football in my 60 years following the club
Sorry 2006
Mine also as an arsenal supporter ,we was without doubt the best team in Europe and when lens went off it completely spoiled the game even though sol banged one in ,I got so pissed that night that I had the following 2 days off work ,think that’s when the final was played on the Wednesday.
Be a long time when we next see us in the final ?
Beautiful article! Well spelt out?
Tottenham scored 1 scored 2 still putting pressure till they got the third goal.UE in such situation he will remove striker and bring in midfielder..lol
Lacazette out guendozi in game over that’s UE for u
Agree dudu, Wenger used to do the same.
That’s really a good point dudu, did you notice what Klopp done near the end of the game last night, Took off, I think it was Milner and brought on Sturridge. Always need a striker on the pitch even when you’re defending, purely for you’re out ball
OOT :
Guys,
White London have something that they could pride of. Something that we might not get it in 10 years ahead.
Jurgen Klopp, the runner up specialist, must not be fail this time or London gooners will get bully forever.???
Spurs making Finals is a good thing. Us as a fanbase need to see this to realize how far we’ve fallen. This is what we get for putting up with mediocrity for a decade just because Wenger went one season undefeated. This is what we get for thinking St. Totterningham Day was actually an accomplishment. Wake up folks! We are so far behind! And eventually one day another team will go undefeated in England and we’ll have nothing to brag about anymore. Let’s not become the next Liverpool. Keep our standards high. So when we debate over useless things like whether a certain player is good or not good enough when we all know the answers, we are wasting precious time. Arsenal can be so much better than it is.
Please UE take a good look at this player Rodrigo Javier Da pual from Argentina playing for udinese….we need to help these people to scout because I’m tired of their “mess”.how could someone brought xhaka to My Arsenal.
Dudu they not only brought him to Arsenal but CONTINUED TO PLAY HIM when it was obvious to the rest of the universe he was more of a liability than a help. Both UE and Wenger guilty of this.
Agree with Kenny regarding owner’s attitude. As well as that we have to consider
tactics.Arsenal and Emery to a lesser extent are playing tip tap soccer.
When Messi played against Arsenal in the qr/sf of cl,he was described as unplayable.
Klopp has shown with his brand of pressing allied to physical power and ceaseless running,
Barca and Mess can be swept aside. It could be a one off but I still believe the dancing soccer can only tbe played in the slower European league. This is because to ply tip tap you must have time and space and when these are denied you will lose.
As for the match against Valencia don’t bet against the Spaniards.They have a billion aire owner
who wants the best for his club. IF Emery plays tip tap he will be swept asicde before he can even say bingo.
Arsenal beat the best barca team ever 2-1 at the emirate. That team had inesta, xavi and a younger messi when he played his best football.
Our team as at then will win both current barca and liverpool team. We don’t even have a team that can beat Brighton city at emirat, its a pity.
Thanks to Wenger’s paying style Arsenal are being left far behind. Emery is playing the same
passing game but with less passing to eternity.
We have seen how vulnerable Arsenal are to the swift counter attack.
It wont surprise me if they were to lose. However all is not gloom and doom.
Arsenal have to go direct. Instead of taking an eternity to shoot and passing all over
the box,we need people like Abu and Ibowi to run at defenders so that there are gaps.
If the gunners try to weave a pass thru a packed defence thet is route 1 for opposing teams and we know the gunners will concede.
This article might well jinx our chances of winning the Europa League, but I don’t really care. Whichever manager can transform the culture at our club is the one I will tip my hat off to. Making those players not feel their performances are without consequence, especially under an absentee owner who won’t provide the funds.
OK – you’re not going to like this but:
CONGRATULATIONS SPURS! CONGRATULATIONS LIVERPOOL! Magnificent come backs from the pair of you! Honest credit where it’s due.
(My fake) Memo from UE
To Spurs and Liverpool:
I greatly admired the fighting spirit, resilience, determination and never-say-die attitude your players showed to get to the final of the Champions League. Well done!
Now could you please do me a favour and send me a couple of bottles of it because no matter what players I choose and which formation I go for my players FIRST AND FOREMOST need those qualities your players displayed so magnificently.
Thank you
Unai Emery
We ahould have take klopp when we could…but stan choosed to extend wengers contract because he gaves him profits…horrible error. Liverpool plays the style a habe crying to see in arsenal for years…like klopp said once, he plays heavy metal football…we played orchestic football and since three years ago not even that….
What do u think of ajax ziyech? Maybe we can cheat ajax and give them ozil plus money for ziyech
i hope you get trashed against pool
Hell on earth for arsenal if they do…… even if we win the europa……. both u c l semis were disappointing…. but undeniably thrilling….. we should learn from the cl games and not get complacent…. good luck to us
What has happened the past weeks was really painful as an Arsenal supporter. We had our chances to secure top 4 status but screwed it up nice and proper. As a faithful supporter of this club, all I can do is to ask our fans all over the globe to get behind our team tonight and be the 12th man to help us get through to the finals. We need CL football next year, more for financial reasons to revamp the squad. Please try to forget the past painful weeks for now and support our boys tonight coz it could be the beginning of something better for next season… just my 2 beers worth here.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!
Was anyone watching Hakem Ziyach last night ?! this is how good players go under the radial, we keep talking about zaha, malcom, pepe but this guy play very effective football and no one is seeing and tomorrow when someone comes and sign him and he comes in the lime light, we blame our coaches and scouting team for not doing their job. We come here and talk so much about who to blame for everything but even us the fans are not helping because we don’t see some of the things we need to see or say here. Perhaps if a dozens fans here were pointing out Ziyach, I am sure the technical crew would go and find him out even if they miss out on him during the match
All what the Arsenal players do 80% of the time in training is play like kids, dance and laugh and spend the remaining 20% jogging and passing the ball around. No SERIOUS training on organization and scoring goals from defenders to attackers or defending from attackers to defenders. Bunch of mediocre so called footballers.
We will get through
Im looking forward to saying TOLD YOU SO to all you Negative Nancys
Spot on Bobby.Ziyach is top quality.