Have to say I always enjoy watching Bayern Munich down the years, great football. Something likeable about them

( yes, yes , yes I’m aware they always smash us)

For me it’s the hard work and the humility (only compared to other European giants, I know they are not thought of as humble in Germany) they do their job, they’re brilliant at it, they win.

Barca are a wreck of their former selves, it was glorious to watch Steve McManaman called it 20 minutes in, he said it was like watching the 7-2 when Germany beat Brazil.

I don’t mind who wins it so long as not City. Maybe not Leipzig with the subverting Of the German 50+1 club ownership rules and their weird tiered feeder club system feels like a huge unfair advantage, incidentally Upamencano, who was immense again in the win against Atleti, has a a release clause activated in 2021 for €42M! That might be the GDP of the UK by then though...

...we can't be talking about the same Bayern Munich side that outplayed Man Utd and let them have 2 goals in extra time? We can't be talking about the same Bayern Munich who let Chelsea beat them on their own grounds and enabled Chelsea to be the first London side with a European cup? Not the same one that finds enough quality to beat us though.

Surely not that Bayern Munich. F. Scott Fitzgerald. F. Murray Abraham. FBI, ...and F Bayern Munich.

I realise it’s probably just a weak attempt to wind me up as our friend from across the Atlantic knows they’re my second favourite team (he would probably call it ‘trolling’ if someone did it to him), but I’m always amused by his fake (that’s my guess anyway) hatred of Bayern Munich because they lost two Champions League finals against Manchester United and Chelsea.

I can assure him Bayern didn’t lose those finals deliberately. They didn’t want to and didn’t do it to annoy him. They were desperately disappointed to. Far more than him because he didn’t want Manchester United to win the trophy after being outplayed by Bayern, or Chelsea to win it and become the first (and so far only) London club to do so.

People may have their own valid reasons to dislike Bayern (I’m sure many Dortmund fans do). But if our friend from across the Atlantic’s dislike isn’t fake or posted to simply wind up or ‘troll’ me, it strikes me as a little weird, if not warped, to hate a team because they lost two games against opposition he hates even more. Mind you, perhaps that isn’t so unlikely?

Anyway, he’ll pretend not to see this.

Well done Bayern but it is easy when you are in a relatively Mickey Mouse league where you always get into the top 2 to qualify for the CL. Sooner or later you are going to win it. Ditton Madrid and Barca and PSG. Big fish and small ponds. Time the English league got extra places over leagues that amount to a glorified Scottish Prem.

The leagues where the big teams barely have to turn up and they are guaranteed champions league places do have a huge advantage over English teams in the champions league. Firstly those leagues actively help their European teams by scheduling their league games on Friday night so give bigger rest periods before European games but also those big teams can rest players before big euro games and either win with weakened teams or even if they don’t win it isn’t going to affect their ability to qualify for the champions league. PSG have massively under performed in the CL up to now considering they could afford to go 50% effort in the league and still win it

Interesting that Coutinho scored two late goals for Bayern (where he’s on loan) last night against his parent club Barcelona. Wouldn’t be allowed in the Premier League where on loan players are not allowed to appear against their parent club. One obvious example was when Sheffield United weren’t allowed to select their on loan keeper Henderson last season against his parent club Manchester United.

Would it be allowed in other european domestic leagues? So if Coutinho was loaned to Valencia, could he play against Barca?
I assume if two english clubs drew each other in european competition the on loan player could play against his parent club.

I look at the consistent names being linked with Arsenal and each of them seems to have a set price that for whatever reason we're struggling to reach. I don't think any of them are extortionate: Partey £45m, Gabriel £25m, Ceballos pay his wages and a nominal loan fee. It pains me that we want these players but can't just go and get them because we've run the club so badly over the past 5 years. We should be able to find £70m easily, we should be able to raise £70m from player sales.
There are some very good deals to be had this summer, in a way we've never had a better opportunity recently to really shake up our squad with some clear decisive thinking.

I watched Upamecano's performance against Atletico and he was brilliant. We've been chasing him for a couple of years but didn't have the money to push to what Leipzig wanted.

I really don't know what is happening at the top levels and with our recruitment at the moment. Everything points to agents running the club, but I just still find it hard to believe that someone like Sanllehi as the most powerful man at Arsenal is quite literally only making transfer moves to line his own and his friends pockets with wods of cash with absolutely zero consideration how well the team performs. It makes no sense, but its where all the evidence points. Who does Sanllehi answer to? Josh? We have a manager who appears to have got the players (bar 2) and the fans all pulling in the same direction for matters on the pitch, we can see the ambition, improvement and potential - but without that same clear focus and strategy and direction from everyone above Arteta it is pointless.

In the Barca v Bayern game last night there were 10 goals, 7 subs, 2 VAR reviews and only a total of 2 minutes added on time for 1st and 2nd half combined.
I know it is a small thing to complain about but it consistently happens in games where the score is a foregone conclusion there will be hardly any added on time but in games where there is only 1 goal in it I guarantee there will be a lot more added on time.

Good question to which I don’t know the answer. Using your example, I haven’t got the faintest idea if Coutinho goes on loan to Valencia next season if he’d be able to play against Barcelona in the Spanish league. My guess is that he would be, but that’s no more than a guess. I would fully expect that if a player was on loan from one English club to another and the clubs were drawn against each other in a European competition, he would be allowed to play against his parent club.

I don’t know for sure, but say Manchester United and Sheffield United had both been in the Europa League this season and they were drawn against each other, I’d be very surprised if Henderson wouldn’t have been allowed to play for Sheffield United.

Hi Rich. To be honest I can see the sense in not really bothering with injury time in such cases. Last night when Bayern were 8-2 up, what was the point in adding on the injury time that truly reflected the time lost to injuries, substitutions and whatever? If the lead had been one or two goals, yes add it on. But realistically Barcelona were never going to score six in another four or five minutes.

The only person who might have liked to see the true time added on is Coutinho to give him a chance of getting his hat trick. But he probably wasn’t bothered.

Sanllehi has gone. About bloody time.

Sanllehi has GONE!

https://www.arsenal.com/news/club-update

I read today (not sure if true) that as part of the Countinho deal from Liverpool to Barca, Barca have to pay Liverpool £4.5m if Coutinho wins the Champions League whilst under contract at Barca.....BUT it doesn't stipulate that he has to win it with Barca. So Coutinho could win it with Bayern this year and Barca have to pay Liverpool £4.5m for the privilege.

I still think there is a good chance Coutinho ends up at Arsenal on loan this summer. I'd welcome him, I think there is always something interesting about a player with obvious quality but for whom it didn't quite work at his last massive move. Coutinho was always playing 2nd...3rd/4th fiddle in that Barca side, but at Arsenal he could be the main creative force. If our general plan this summer is to invest in proven quality in attacking positions on knock down prices and loans so that we can invest the money we do have in defensive and central midfield positions who we hope will be long term Arsenal players that seems totally sensible to me.

Big numbers to sell papers journalism 101. Here in Aus last week "Aussies hoard 9 Billion in cash due to Covid!". Quick check..that's erm $360 per person.

The sugar coated club statement with everyone thanking everyone else, fawning about the Arsenal 'family' is hilarious. For a bloke who's apparently been given the boot for, shall we say, financial impropriety.

Your right. It is an absolutely ridiculous statement, trying to spin it. Should have been 2 sentences.

Wrote on here a while back I couldn’t see him last long and he struck me as a fly by the night appointment who lives in a world of backslapping and cash for mates.

I do wonder what the problem was specifically about the Pépé transfer and if it will ever come to light what happened.

Translation? What happened, basically.

Non football, apologies but this Covid 19 related effects is scary.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/covid-1 ... 33981.html

And we should be greatly encouraged with the appointment of yet another bean counter with zero leadership skills. Not to mention his incredible marketing and sales expertise that led to 'visit rwanda'. Seems like a total ass kissing puppet.

In bonkers transfers world Bournemouth have accepted £18.5m bid from Sheff Utd for their GK Aaron Ramsdale.

Makes you wonder what we 'should' be pricing one of our 2 GK's at if we decide we can't have that sort of asset on the bench or the one who isn't No.1 wants to leave. We'd get more money for Leno (I'd be starting at £50m if a big club wanted him but not selling to an English team) but Martinez is probably at his peak value right now.

Sanllehi was of course an appointment by Gazidis. Ivan was a walking disaster who could talk himself into jobs and stay in them via the gift of the gab. He could talk the hind legs off a donkey without saying anything remotely worthwhile. Good riddance.

The Tim Lewis announcement July 1, he indicated he would help to take the club forward at this critical time.
This Sanllehi departure may be part of that critical time. C19 aside.

Seeing Barca get demolished by a ruthless Bayern side was another reminder of how even the biggest most successful teams have to be constantly thinking ahead and preparing for their next team.
Barcelona have been reliant on Messi for too long and had that brilliant group that all came together at relatively similar ages, now they're dropping away and Barca aren't replacing them. Or at least they have been trying to replace them but have been spending their money on older players or far too much money on players nowhere near good enough.

It is a very delicate balance, it feels like something similar happened with us after the invincibles who broke up far too quickly. I also suppose this is where you have to hand it to Ferguson who constantly evolved Man U so there was never really much of a lull between great teams.

Looking at Bayern, they needed to replace players like Ribery, Robben, Lahm and did so by bringing in great young players like Gnabry, Coman, Kimmich but that next wave of senior players took over, players like Muller, Lewandowski, Neuer. Soon they will be looking to replace this batch of senior players but the ones who are 25 or so now then take over from them - whilst in the wings they have these fantastic young talents like Alfonso Davies. A line of 24/25 players in Hernandez, Pavard, Goretzka but still with the experience of Boateng, Alaba, Martinez, Thiago. They've already signed 24 year old Sane for £45m which seems a good deal, got a young GK in for a Neuer replacement and another exciting young player coming through the academy Zirkzee. They really are the model to follow at the moment, and they've done all that on £150m net spend over the last 5 seasons which I'm sure is comfotrably less than us.

I actually tentatively look at Liverpool and think this is their challenge. They may keep all that team together for next year and still be successful but how to they replace that front 3? They are all 28, so a few years yet but they could all decline at the same time.Henderson, Winaldum, Van Dijk are all 29/30. Obviously Trent Alexander/Arnold is a talent in a generation but I don't quite see the group at 23-25 who are going to take over in terms of quality and leadership from that age group above.

So then I look at Arsenal's squad, and just putting aside the quality and just looking at the age balance through the team and it is not bad. It is why I think signing a 32 year old Willian isn't a big issue in terms of age. We have 5 in the the 30+ brigade of which we're trying to move on two (Sokratis and Özil) a bunch of players in the mid/peak age but also some very good players in that good sub 23 age bracket that you want to see us building a team around Tierney, Saka, Martinelli, Saliba

With regards to your last statement, WITHOUT A DOUBT!

Hi Rich,

I think that the Bayern game just re-emphasised, if it needed re-emphasising, the importance of power, pace and athleticism in the modern game. Together with players prepared to work hard in and out of possession.

The great Barca sides of a few seasons ago had a midfield so technically gifted (Xavi, Iniesta etc) that you couldn't get the ball off them, a genius up front and players prepared to work incredibly hard with and without the ball. Even then they still had the odd powerhouse like Toure. Incredible ball retention made it difficult to hurt them and get at their suspect back four, but once there was a drop-off in quality in that midfield they suddenly became more vulnerable, opposing teams had more of the ball and were good enough to exploit their weaknesses. It's no coincidence that Barca haven't won the CL for several years now.

The tika taka system looked great for a while but the truth is that you need technically elite players to play it, especially in the PL. We tried it and failed because our players were not quite good enough technically and their physical limitations were constantly exposed. City have had great success with a modified version of it but their players were mostly technically elite and they had one of the world's best CBs and CFs.

I don't believe that we will get back amongst europe's top sides until we introduce more power, pace and athleticism into the side.

The writing has been on the wall for Barca for some time. Messi has papered over some huge cracks. The defeat to Roma 2 years ago was the warning sign. Remember Messi going nuts that Demebele missed a chance to make it 4-0 in the game against Liverpool at Camp Nou. He knew. The heart of this team is rubbish. Busquets was a brilliant DM but he is well past it. Rakitic is old. Vidal...clown of a player. They didn't learn from the Coutinho disaster. Last summer, they needed to strengthen central midfield and defence. They had Messi, Suarez and Dembele yet they went and spent a fortune on Griezmann. Hopeless management. Big, big restructure needed.

Puts a few things into perspective. With Sanllehi gone, could possibly strangle Kia's involvement much.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theshortfu ... ffs-scouts

Tbf they also bought Frenkie de Jong as well who was as fought over as any young player has been for a while. They’ve spent €800million over the past few years on signings, they’ve just not worked or not been allowed to work because they’ve not transitioned out the old guard properly. De Jong can’t play in his preferred position because Busquests is in his way. They bought Dembele and Umtiti who had they worked could have been the future of both the defence and attack. Losing Thiago was a disaster for them also. Identifying good players is just one part of the process, and genius often looks like luck in hindsight, and vice versa, the train of world class players out of la Masia 10-20 years ago is one of those things, and they probably thought it would just last forever. They’ve had the humbling of a lifetime.

Am I alone in thinking they should keep the single elimination format for the Champions League going forward? I know it's not going to happen, there would be money issues associated with playing in neutral stadiums, and the big clubs would never agree...but to me, it makes the tournament feel more alive. Look at how close Atalanta came to knocking PSG out. In a two-legged tie it wouldn't have mattered if they managed to win 1-0, because they would've gotten spanked in the second leg anyway, but now all you need are those 90 hard fought minutes. It increases the chance for big upsets and makes the tournament as a whole more exciting in my view.

Echoes my thoughts exactly

Apparently Martinez has said he has 10 clubs across Europe following him.
If we make Martinez the No.2 and in effect force him to stay his value goes down and he’s unlikely to sign a new deal. As much as every club wants 2 great GK it isn’t practical for us to have that much money on the bench. Martinez’s value will never be higher right now, if we can start a bidding war and generate £25m plus we should go for it.

The options are:
Leno, Martinez and no new CB or
Leno, new cheap gk (young or old) and a new £25m CB

I agree it’s more exciting as a neutral to have one off games - City 1 down to Lyon and it’s pretty compelling. And with no crowds allowed it makes sense financially. But when fans are back money comes into it, and as well you would want your team to have home games. The two leg format would have to return.

Good grief McManaman... had to take a break from the city cheerleading in their game against Lyon. Walker up to his old tricks pulling and pushing as a player goes past him into the box and goes down, Macca and the other dingbat fair howling for a yellow card for diving. Come on Lyon!! Allez Lez Leons or whatever animal that is on your badge!

Lyon back in front!!

Sadly City have equalised. I’ve always had a soft spot for City (probably because they’re from Manchester and don’t have United in their name), but my firm hope for this competition is that Bayern win it. I simply think Bayern are more likely to beat Lyon than City.

i would have sworn that was offside.......................

Bloody hell, that was quick. Not watching the game and didn’t check the latest score to write my last post.

3-1!! City out. Dramatic stuff.