Arsenal Vs Barcelona | Champions League QF 31/03/2010

[SE13]

record attendace at emirates vs united something like 60,161, todays attendance vs wolves just over 60,000 and bbc say the attendance vs barca was about 59,572 or something like that?? everyone wanted tickets to this game and I never heard the attendance called out at the game anyone know if thats right?? would suprise me if it is, its not that important i know but just suprised me if it is

60,067 V Wolves

59,572 V Barcelona

60,161 V ManUre is the record.

[starmandb]

One good thing is that Guardiola said that the first 45 minutes of that match was the best his team have played since he took the job.If that's the case and it was still 0-0 at half time then it shows how well we played to keep them out.
Maybe they can't repeat that level of intensity just a few days later....?

...and probably the worst arsenal outfield performance this season, no wonder Barca fans were laughing on that site linked. It was only Almunia that kept us in the game in the 1st 20 mins or so.

I was shocked at how badly we played, or how well they played, or the combination of the two... depending on how you want to look at it.

That first half was the most domination 0-0 half I have ever seen in my life. Even after our late turn around the stats for the game were something like 65-35 pos and we were out shot by like a 5:1 margin.

I still can't believe we turned that around. I never would have dreamed it after seeing the gulf in class the first hour of that match...

olympicos[h] the silver haired keeper denied rosicky and arshavin in the 1st 15 mins.he saved from arshavin from an angle and cesc hit the bar, he later went on to deny rvp. we had 26shots.
08/09fenerbahce[h]
2 weeks before we had gone to turkey and scored 5goals[which once again blows the myth that if a team play well away they will play better at home]rvp slid 1 wide,ramsey had a shot held by the keeper,rvp blasted over from 6 yards then hit the crossbar
16 shots, no goals
sunderland[a]
adebayor headed over early on 18 shots but it ended up with cesc rescuing a late pt
07/08
wigan[h] a good save from adebayor,2 long range shots just over from denilson and rosicky 13 shots but it took 2 goals in the last 10mins to win it.
a month before bolton[h]adebayor missed 2 good chances gallas hit over from 10 yards and a fabregas free kick caused a bit of confusion 19 shots but it took to the last 25 mins to win it
steau bucharest[a]
adebayor went for a cross whe a shot would ave been better clichy had a shot deflected nearly over the line and flamini forced a sharp save out of the keeper
16 shots but it took rvp till the last 15 mins to win it
06 /07
dynamo zagreb [a]
16 shots but it took the last half hour to win the game
and thats just the 0-0 games at half time in the emirates era there are game where we have had 65per cent more possesion and gone in at half time behind
as good as barcelona were on wednesday like us against other teams they did not put us away and i refuse to wring my hands about how lucky we are.
we hung in there and if we keep it tight for an hour tuesday i see no reason why we can,t progress.whatever happens i won,t be running to a computer tapping about it being over

[Briggsy]

Despite people calling for an early goal I beleive we need to be more defensive than offensive! We should start with Walcott on the bench have Sagna and Eboue on the Right hand side and Denilson in front of Clichy Song in centre midfield, then play 2 Midfielders just in front of the defensive midfielders ie Diaby and Nasri then Bendtner upfront. We need to keep it tight at the back and give our full back the cover they will need. Then if the score is still 0-0 with 70 minutes gone bring on Walcott to batter there defence with he's pace

[Arsenal Tone]

We don't want to invite them onto us though, that would be suicide. We lost to them in the CL final when Flamini came on for Fabregas and we sat back and let them attack us. We aren't very organised defensively and for us attack is the best form of defence.

[Briggsy]

When teams like Bolton, Wigan come to the grove they play 5 across the midfield and it takes a lot for us to break it down and usually in the last 5 minutes if we can employ similar tactics and then let Theo lose we can win this f***er!

[Goose]

Pep Guardiola has seen his plans for the game thrown into disarray by mounting injury and suspension concerns.

The Catalan giants already knew they would face the Gunners without first-choice centre-halves Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, as they must serve a ban.

They have since seen Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the man who scored both of their goals in the 2-2 draw between the two sides in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final, ruled out with a thigh strain.

The bad news shows no sign of abating, though, with midfield playmaker Iniesta the latest to be declared unavailable.

The Spain international, who also missed the first meeting at Emirates Stadium, is nursing a muscular complaint in his left leg and is still some way short of match fitness.

Worryingly for Barca, his fellow midfielder, Yaya Toure, is also a doubt after missing training on Sunday with a knock to his ankle.

He will, however, be given as long as possible to prove his fitness ahead of the crunch clash at Camp Nou.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 58,00.html

[CynicalGooner]

We need to play to our stength's, as PG says sitting off them is suicide, we need to man up and go at them when we can, and when they have the ball make their lives hell. PRESSSS. Don't move back back back and allow them to bombard us with endless pressure - that what we do to teams and if you haven't noticed we usually score when teams lets us play. Counter attack every chance we get, use Eboue to run their LB ragged then bring on Theo to scare them.

When teams like Bolton, Wigan come to the grove they play 5 across the midfield and it takes a lot for us to break it down and usually in the last 5 minutes if we can employ similar tactics and then let Theo lose we can win this f**ker!

Their entire system is built around that play style. They train for that every day and all their players are for that purpose, we are a totally different team. Blackburn and Stoke don't come out gung-ho and if they did they'd get slaughtered, same applies

That said I would love to see Barca struggle against Stoke with a premier league ref. They wouldn't know whats hit em

[Briggsy]

Arsenal love it if a team plays that football and usually if they do we murder them. The same can be said of Barca. There team is stronger than ours. But our Manager is smarter than there's. We'll win it only by the correct tactics because you look all through Barca's team there leapyears ahead of any of our XI! We can't go there and attack we have to play with caution we have to have patience. We have players who have the ability to change a game. But we lose a early goal to Barca due to playing attacking football we are f***ked. As long as its 0-0 we have a chance

[Goose]

If Theo starts he will get over used and tire along with Barca.

If we wait till they tire and bring Theo on, they will get nervous.

[CynicalGooner]

Arsenal love it if a team plays that football and usually if they do we murder them. The same can be said of Barca. There team is stronger than ours. But our Manager is smarter than there's. We'll win it only by the correct tactics because you look all through Barca's team there leapyears ahead of any of our XI! We can't go there and attack we have to play with caution we have to have patience. We have players who have the ability to change a game. But we lose a early goal to Barca due to playing attacking football we are f***ked. As long as its 0-0 we have a chance

I'm not saying play gung-ho, that got us brushed aside vs Man USA and Chavs, but we can't stand off them and let them attack freely. We need to make the midfield ours basically and press like our lives depend on it and when there's an opportunity to break, take it with both hands.

[Goose]

We let them attack and hit them on the counter, same thing Manure and Chelski do to us

[Dejan]

No Puyol
No Pique
No Ibra dog nose
No Iniesta
No Toure

Holy shit!

IMO, Its best that we keep Walcott as substitute. We all saw what happend last saturday. Theo started, Was dangerous first half, and was crap all 2nd half. Bring Theo in the 60th minute when Barca is getting tired and there defenders will get nervous as f**k.
But, Im pretty sure that Barca is not playing the same way this time as they did last time. I dont think they will try to dominate us. They will let us play this time and wait for the counter so we have to be extra carefull.

Rosicky--Bendtner--Eboue-
-------Diaby----Nasri------
------------Denilson-------

Without Cesc I prefer Nasri in the middle. Playing Diaby and Eboue in the middle would be pure suicide. And so is attacking like hell in the beginning of the match. They will wait for the counter and bang, Messi scores. IMO we need to start on normal tempo, create a couple of chances. Dominate the midfield. 1 goal behore halftime would be perfect. Bring Theo in at 60minute for rosicky(depends how he plays)/Eboue. And attack the f**k out of them. In that way we should get a goal or two.

but yea, this is easier said then done.

[Popey]

we have no cesc, no gallas and no arshavin....so I don't see why we would have a big adventage. and don't forget, puyol and pique weren't really in danger during the frist leg. we lost the battle in the midfield.

[Arsenal Tone]

I agree with Smooth on this. Keep it tight, frustrate them and don't give balls away cheaply. 0-0 at HT would be great, the fans start to get on the edge after that and we can introduce Theo to f**k them after that. Good defense is going to vital.

I really wish we had a team like the GG days who could frustrate opponents, but we just aren't designed that way. I don't want another period like the beginning of the first half at the Emirates! Can you really see Wenger going man for man or playing ten men behind the ball? In the first leg we looked happier when we had the ball going forward, especially when Walcott was on. We need to go into the second leg the way we ended the first leg.

[Dejan]

Barca wanted to kill us off in the first 20 minutes in the first half. It didnt happen and they got punished for it. Wonder if Guardiola got enough balls to say to his team to kill us off in the beginning in the 2nd match.