Could have been 5 since 30 minutes. Roma far too high.

Suicidal tactics from Roma. Was going OK for them until Liverpool worked it out. Very poor challenge by supposed Arsenal target Manolas there for the second goal. Look where he is!!

I mean Liverpool are good but bloody hell the tactics from Roma might as well have been set by Klopp.

Once again Liverpool getting a couple of big ref decisions, add those to the tactics of this team and City in the last round simply playing totally in to Liverpool's hands - its a ridiculous run to the final.

This is the equivalent of teams playing Arsenal with no pressure on any of our creative players and deciding not to track any runs. I'm totally gobsmacked how a team can set up so clearly to benefit an opponents strengths

Yes the Roma manager has had a shocker here. 4 now.

I really do think that West Brom would have made a better fist of this.
Why play so directly to your opponents strengths?

Really disappointed in Roma, they were clearly the weakest team left but all they had to do was realise whatLiverpools key strength is (quick direct ball over the top to 3 rapid forwards) and devise a very simple game plan to contain it.

Obviously Liverpool are a good team so there is no simple way to say play deep and they won’t score, but it would be a damn sight better than this dross.

Arsenal know all about being out of a tie at half time.

5-9 now. Roma have gone completely. Pathetic

Listening to the commentary of the Liverpool vs Roma match, and it just highlighgts how inept we were in the Champions League. What was it, 22 seasons and we made one final and one semi final?

Well well 5-2 now, Liverpool take of salah and suddenly they are like Cinderella at midnight.

I’ll maintain their first 11 is exceptional but one injury to one of their front 3 and they are nowhere near a trophy.

Mate I'd swap their team for ours


And manager for that matter. Bet he doesnt know frack all about steamed green vegetables though

More than a bit harsh. They deserve it (assuming no disaster in Rome) and you know that given the same draw we'd have ballsed it up.

Not saying they don’t deserve it, they have been superb. Just pointing out that in knock out comps it is rare to get a team go on to win the trophy without the rub of the green along the way.

Look back at so many of the famous winners and the difference between success and failure is often on a knife edge. We rode our luck in recent fa Cup wins, thinking about drawing back to back non league teams, and sanhcez’s debatable opener last year. Man U were fortunate in both their CL wins. Jose’s Porto team should have been knocked out by Man U if the ref didn’t disallow a good Man U goal. Real Madrid were 40 second from losing to Atletico 2-3 year ago and went on to win 4-1 in extra time. Even the amazing Barca team deserved to be knocked out away to Chelsea where the Norwegian ref has a shocker.

Liverpool have been brilliant but have been aided by awful tactics from opponents and tight ref calls in the favour.

They’ll have to beat a European heavyweight in the final, but Moscow, Seville, Maribor, Porto, City, Roma doesn’t go down in history as anywhere near as tough a campaign as Man U in 99 for example

I’d agree but I wasn’t comparing them to us. Just comparing the strength of their first 11 to the back up. Their challenge is to keep them fit and to add genuine back up quality. It’s something spurs had previously atruggled with but have improved. It’s still difficult to sign a striker when they know they will just be back up to Kane. Similarly Salah. You need to spend a lot of money to get anyone close to replicating what he can do, but £40m for a salah back up is difficult to justify.

Liverpool’s front 3 are exceptional. I also think van djik is a great CB, but the reality is the rest of the team is good but not great.....it is the manager, the system and the belief in the style that has made players like Lovren, Henderson, Milner, wjnaldum, Robertson, Arnold fit in to the team and look like champions league winners elect

Ox looked like he picked up a nasty injury last night, a lot of reports saying it could rule him out of the FA Cup. He’s a strange one because I do wish him well and want him to do well and don’t think he’s been developed properly at arsenal but at the same time I’m getting a bit bored of mainly Liverpool fans but also huge amounts of the media talking about him like he’s suddenly Steven Gerrard in central mid.

The reality is he’s done maybe marginally better than he has with us, he’s scored in a few high profile game, gone missing in others and now seems to have a long term injury. He’s certainly done nothing to suggest being worth £40m. I do think he has a much better chance of improving under Klopp than he ever had in our set up

ANZAC Day - Lest we Forget.

I did like the way they attacked right from the start and never let the game settle. Of course Roma could have scored but they created a number of chances as well. It would not surprise me if Liverpool come under pressure in the second leg. The 2 late goals were a problem.

Looking at our game I hope we don't sit back and play tippy tappy because Atletico will get some chances. We need to get them on the back foot with some good direct attacks and quick breaks. I think Atletico are good at closing down players and our defence has been known to panic with this type of pressure.

Same here ... time to remember when Pommie dickstop Sir Alexander Godley sent a couple of my [ and probably your relatives ] to their deaths with an idiot over ambitious strategy in 1914 - 18 while he happily survived until 1957

Roosters need a few brain cell transplants .... no idea how to change direction in attack ... good game though , Warriors up next against the Storm .

On the vodka tonight going down well ... saluting the Diggers

Wenger admits the timing of his departure from the club "was not really my decision"

Nope and good. It's Arsenal FC.

Seeing a lot of jealousy about the Liverpool run but I don't recall Arsenal being spectacular in their run to the 2006 final either. No point bitching about it, Arsenal should have and could have done something earlier to be competitive in the CL.

We beat Real Madrid and Juventus in the kmock-out stages on the way to the final. Liverpool definitely got the breaks against Man City but deserved to go through. Not their fault that City defended like chumps.

I hope Bayern beat Madrid this evening if for no other reason than to spare us more Ronaldo posturing.

We made 2 semi finals. Won 1 and lost 1.

Really looking forward to tomorrow's game.

First time in a long time I can sit back and enjoy Arsenal looking to the future which is more positive.

That said I think it's going to be the footballing equivalent to bukkake as Atheltico run riot and we get properly beasted

[quote="Bernard"]I'm possibly being over-optimistic but it won't surprise me if we knock Atletico out. Despite Griezmann they're not the best going forward and importantly I think we're a bit more likely to get an away goal than them, although Mkhitaryan is a big loss in that respect. If I'm right, getting any number of away goals more than they get could be crucial.

If I remember correctly Hazuki mentioned that teams don't win games because the players want to, and of course he's right. But their attitude can be vital, that's undeniable. And I see the players knowing Wenger is going as helping the role their attitude will make to Arsenal in this tie.[/quote]
Diego Costa playing tomorrow.
Bring it on.

Ah hell...can't find it.

So I'm not the only one who sometimes has problems with the post they're replying to not being in yellow?

Strange, I tried to fix one of yours the other day and it just wouldn't go yellow despite being inside the quote tags.

Yeah, when it's happened with me I've looked at it and couldn't see why it didn't appear in yellow.

Im not saying I disagree, I mean obviously with the actual description you’ve used - horrendous - but we all thought that against Milan didn’t we? As I say not disagreeing necessarily I’m looking forward to it too but simultaneously terrified.

Hi B,
Your post I answered was in white not yellow. The word "quote" was also at beginning and end of your post. I usually see most posts are in yellow though.

Yeah - I've had a look at that and can't see why it does that now and then.

Again, I blame the board ...

Hope kiwipete sees this. It isn't my fault, or a consequence of anything I'm doing.

Arsene Wenger's 5 greatest European nights anyone?

Notwithstanding his wizardry with the angle grinder and baling wire, I'm just not convinced he'll be able to help here.

One nil away win at Real Madrid has to be one of them.
The 5 goal win at Inter is there for me.
There was a win at Bayern that was too little too late in a 2nd leg of a tie I think.
A Henry hattrick at Roma i think. Was it a 3 nil win?
Pick of a win we had over Barca or the 2 nil win over the old lady on the way to the final against Barca.

5 might be a stretch.

For starters, TH's hat-trick away Roma and his spectacular moment in Madrid.

So who fancies Luis Enrique??
Have to say I'm not overly keen. Did a great job at Barcelona but is that such a great barometer.
Most managers do win at Barcelona with the players they have got there so I'm not utterly convinced.
Just read some mails on football 365 and someone mentioned Unai Emery the outgoing PSG manager.
That's not a bad shout.
Was it 2 or 3 Europa league trophies in a row??
Did wonders with a tight budget . Definitely worth considering.
I just think to compete with the moneybags of city and utd , you need someone who can bleed every drop of effort and resource out of this squad and galvanise his squad to fight for him and happy to work with a reasonable budget. We certainly don't need a cheque book manager.
Not sure Enrique is that man.
Benitez , Jardim , Allegri , Simeone , Nagellsmann.
Would be happy with any of those.

Inter Milan 1 Arsenal 5

Henry taking Zanetti, one of the great defenders of the time, to the cleaners

The champions league final (regardless of result it was a great achievement just getting there frankly and I was so proud for Arsene and the team to be there in person to witness it )

Inter Milan (obviously )

Real Madrid away (stunning)

Deportivo 5-1 at home (enjoyable romp !)

Ac Milan in San siro 2 nil cesc strike






.... how about 5 worst? You first Niall

Initially I thought Enrique might be a good option until someone pointed out his pre Barca record. I agree with the rest of what you said though. Particularly with the current moddy coddled bunch they need someone a bit tougher who will demand more effort. Someone like Klopp who can instill belief, even if all the players aren't world beaters. Allegri would have to be the pick of the bunch but can't see him moving unless we win the EL.

Bayern Munich parts 1 & 2. That really was pathetic.

+

Losing to olympiakos at home (farcical joke)

Losing to Chelsea and that gormless bellend Wayne Bridge scoring

Do you remember when inter destroyed us at Highbury (martins)