The Blues got a disputed penalty to cancel out Jack Wilshere’s opening goal and when Alonso took the lead with six minutes to go it looked like Chelsea’s game, but Bellerin smashed in a last gasp equalizer. Wenger is hoping for a less exciting game and wants his defence to stop giving away so many chances! He said: “In the championship both teams have one game to get the three points,”
“In this tie, over 180 minutes, it’s always a bit different.
“You want to go there, be solid and try to take advantage of every mistake, of every weakness, to win the game. We also know there is another game after that, and we need to be solid defensively too.
“I believe it can be a very attractive game, but football is so unpredictable it can as well be a locked game, where both teams know each other well, they know they have 180 minutes to win the tie, so both things are possible. It can be a crazy game, but as well it can be locked.
“Overall we gave too many chances away in the game [last week] and we were a bit unlucky as well as their penalty was a bit unfortunate.
“Overall going forward we were outstanding, we had some outstanding moments in our game of combination at high pace and created football we want to play, and as well I believe we showed mental resources until the last minute. The players’ [attitude] has been outstanding and we responded again to come back to 2-2.
“I would love to win [the Carabao Cup] because we are now in the semi-final and if it’s an opportunity we will try to take it. There is still a long way to go because you have Man City against Bristol City and then it is us against Chelsea, so it is a bit similar to last year in the FA Cup.”
Man City only beat Bristol 2-1 at the Etihad last night, so the minnows still have a chance to create a shock in the home tie, but it would be fantastic if we can beat Chelsea and City again to snatch another trophy from the two big-spenders.
I don’t care how we get it, I just want the win! Come on you Gunners!
Sam P
Then he should have signed another Top centre back and defensive midfielder innit
You can’t expect average players to play like WC players or expect players to play in a different position than they normally play and expect them to dominate it.
Its so easy to say “keep possession” or “don’t give them chances”. Right now we are in a defensive crisis. Kolsanic, Monreal, Kolscielny, Mustafi, Ramsey and Xhaka are all injured to various degrees. Kolsanic, Monreal, Xhaka are out for tonight. Koscielny, Mustafi, Ramsey are questionable. Giroud is out too.
When you have all those injuries, you can’t really make demands like that or have high expectations
Also, Hazard is back for Chelsea. Alexis and Ozil’s heads are somewhere and probably not anywhere near Arsenal
I only expect the players who play tonight to play their best. Whatever happens…happens
Well written post, good points made and only one ‘innit’ which made it so much easier and less annoying to read. Less innits is more, innit?
Agreed about the innit, esp from an educated man , pretending for whatever reason to be half literate. INNIT, old chum, you are not much of an actor, thats for sure. A few missed apostrophes would help the deception.
If we lose tonight I will get my baby lamb : his name is thierry van bergkamp
Grab my clothes….mostly expensive stuff like lonsdale and oxfam
Grab my missus ..from the dungeon where she stays against her will ..she does love me…just in denial
An we will camp outside the united Arab Emirates stadium until this club acknowledges the mire we are in .
I and my lamb chop have had enough .
Can’t wait to see some wenger out banners.
●nayr ●
We don’t need that. Wenger is already in self destructive mode. Any manner will be not but excuse to say his players can’t perform because toxic atmosphere. He is failing and he himself know it
Wenger is like Cancer, it will take much work to get rid of him, somehow i think the key figure to do so is Ivan
I don’t like Wenger but what you said is vile and tasteless.
Until you lose someone from cancer you will never know what a horrible thing cancer is.
Not very nice at all…
Agree, comments in very bad taste.
I hit the nail then
No, you just proved conclusively what a brainless, childish idiot you are…
Agreed wenger is terrible for us as fans but any correlation with cancer shows a lack understanding of the illness
Arsenal Wil get smashed with holding and Chambers. They couldn’t even keep forest out. Never mind Chelsea. Wenger is just a waste a of space. His time is up and someone must show him the door
The problem with Wenger is he has dropped and forgotten everything that made him successful.
Defender’s who know when to defend and when to bomb forward.
Midfielders who are comfortable on the ball, excellent passers, strong in possession and defensively minded
Wingers who took full backs on and could cross and score 10-15 goals a season
Strikers with pace and skill.
When the invincible team was dismantled you saw a change in approach – for no reason he dropped everything that was successful. It was like he felt he was obliged yo.
All too late now – he has to go..
Sorry to say so but I don’t care so much about this Carabao cup and think it underlines the “greed over sport” mentality that runs football. Who needs 2 games for a semi-final of a meaningless cup at this stage of the season in a country that already suffers from a congested schedule?
This feels like a community shield in the middle of the season over 2 games!!! Bonkers IMO.
I kind of agree with you but the competition in this format has been like it for decades but the two leg semi final has always been a stupid idea. Mind you, at least they don’t play it at Wembley, like the FA Cup semis, which is another stupid idea.
I’m surprised they don’t make the finals best of three!
Fee agreed for le coq is 12m (sky sports) with Valencia
Good, at least one of them is on the way out!
Would have preferred elneny go
Elneny is a good stock player don’t think he mids as moch as others being on the bench he has a good work rate but not much creative for his position his good for early cup ties
To be fair the League cup is normally
small time for Chelsea and Arsenal.
An unwanted inconvenience for both.
But because of Man City’s league dominance
and with Chelsea unlikely to win the ECL Conte knows
he needs silver ware to calm the trigger happy owner.
Arsenal out of the league race and out of the FA Cup
probably see the Carabao as a real chance for silverware.
However the Carabao will have no effect on the Managers future.
Top 4 he stays failure to make top 4 and he goes its that simple.
The Carabao and the January transfer window are temporary
distractions from the top 4 pass/fail judgement day.
I will enjoy the temporary distraction of the Carabao and
follow the transfer business too but I await the top 4 main course.
Bon appetit or as they say at late night parties bong appetit 🙂
Am not seeing Arsenal winning this game, and if they win or draw its just God’s grace. when you watch arsenal play,even if they have scored you are just worried because anything can happen.The so called manager has reduced that club to nothing.Am praying so hard to see this old man out.
Aparantly Welbeck starts and Sanchez is on the bench.
Yea Sanchez can’t be damaged his worth 20 million this week,
I don’t think Sanchez can take another few months of knowing he has a chance of wining some silver wear one being the EPL that’s defenet and a real good chance of CL, and not mentioning the huge salary and posible a few million signing on fee, why would he want to stay, if Arsen tries to make him stay he won’t play well and we will have huge problems with the team unrest
So much for iwobi being punished
He is being punished.
About to get spanked by Chelsea!
lol
Word? Taking drugs don’t matter at work? Iwobi can still get picked?
Google’s *drug dealers near me*
Well if he is taking the mickey mouse cup as a priority then why pick another weakened team?
Why Iwobi?
And surely if he was taking stuff at that party wouldn’t this be an opportunity for anti-doping drug tests?
A nine month ferdinand band might do us all a favour !
That’s why the Iwobi taking drugs stories are rubbish. The Prem league and FA would have been all over it like a rash if there was any truth in it, innit?
Xhaka is playing too! I thought he was out injured?
I have supported arsenal for over 50years and have never ever wanted my team to lose but if that what it takes to get rid of Wenger and bould then that’s what is needed because even if a miracle happens and we somehow get a result then it is only papering over the cracks
Even if we win it is bad? This is so far the most depressing comment of 2018, cheer up mate!
Perry AW will not be around soon but we need to win this trophy and the Europa so we can attract some deacent players in the summer
Perry aren’t we all mate.
You supported Arsenal for over 50 years. Is this the first game you wanted us to lose? I’m pretty sure you wanted us to lose some of the games last season and crash out the top four in hope that Wenger would be sacked. If crashing out the top 4 resulted in Wenger getting a contract extension why would you think losing today would make a difference? Have you learned nothing? My advice is to support your team throught thick and thin and cheer them on each game. All the Wenger out banners and booing isn’t going to make Wenger leave any sooner. He will leave when he is ready to leave. Don’t get me wrong I understand the frustration but it is a tad naive to believe that poor match results will have any consequence for Wenger or jeopardise his job as manager. This is AFC not Chelsea. We have Stan who is content even when we don’t win.