Loss Champions League Round of 16: FC Porto 1 - 0 Arsenal | Wednesday 21st February | KO: 20:00 GMT | TNT Sports

Prediction

Porto 0-2 Arsenal

 

[lomekian]

The excuse-making is pathetic. You lied blatantly and you can't own up to it?

I apologise unreservedly for my hyperbolic statement being inaccurate under scrutiny oh great moral arbitor - may my errors never darken the screen of your chosen device again.

 

[Artemis]

That's exactly my point. City were better than us, won everything domestically, only evaded being kicked out of Europe and technicality and still effed up every year in Europe. My point being that European success is no yardstick for measuring domestic success. Wenger didn't win **** in Europe, even with the invincibles. And yet Roberto Di Matteo is a Champions League winning manager. Trying to make a clear correlation is madness.

What the hell are you talking about?

All I want is for us to win one major trophy - either PL or CL. Are you seriously now saying that this is too much to ask?

All the managers you're referring to have won League titles. Something Arteta hasn't done (and possibly cannot do). I think for Arteta, it's much easier winning the CL than winning the PL.

I don't think he has the consistency to win the PL. City have set the standard too high and Klopp proved he can match that standard and win a PL title but Arteta...it's difficult for him I think.

I think if we are going to win a major trophy - it will be the CL. And if are losing games in Europe which we are expected to win...then I don't see where a major trophy will come from.

Laughable to compare Arteta to Wenger. Wenger had a healthy domestic trophy cabinet including an entire season unbeaten. If Arteta did the same, we wouldn't be having this conversation LOL

 

[Gooner Zig]

Almost at the end of my rope with regards to the availability of Jesus, Zinchenko and Tomi

Also I love Martinelli but he needs to be benched for that performance, putrid. We need another wide forward option badly.

 

[Artemis]

I apologise unreservedly for my hyperbolic statement being inaccurate under scrutiny oh great moral arbitor - may my errors never darken the screen of your chosen device again.

You can't even own up to being wrong like a normal adult LOL

What is wrong with you?!

 

[lomekian]

I stay away from the Ben White thread as I don’t want to say bad things as I truly believe he is on the spectrum. But what a stupid player he is. Again take ages on throw ins, can’t adapt to corners when the ref gives everything he kept getting involved over and over. He seems so absent minded most of the time. Just a weird player

He was also got our players in in dangerous positions twice with his throw ins, and on the corners it wasn;t his fault the ref was a *****. He's there as a distraction and wind up, and the ref let the porto players literally throw him into the net. They were massively pre-occupied with him and had our delivery not been ****e, he was dead right being there

 

[Tom Mix]

They aren't top drawer, but the are in the Champions League every season, and have some big scalps in recent years, not to mention historically - they are no mugs and anyone who has every watched them knows they are a club steeped in every dark art you can think of.

Anyone now complaining because they thought this tie would be easy is either ignorant or an idiot.

Last year they beat Athletico Madrid, stuffed Leverkusen home and away and lost 1-0 on aggregate vs Inter (concededing late after their centre back was sent off). This year they lost each game to Barca by 1 goal, and easily won their other 4 games. In 21-22 they went out in the group stages, but still got points at Atletico Madrid and in Milan, and beat Milan at home ( proper group of death that one). In 20-21 they lost by at man City, but comfortably finished 2nd in the group with 13 points, then knocked out the last dominant Juve side, before losing 2-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Chelsea.

They beat very strong teams at home every season, and never get beat by more than a goal or two on aggregate in the knockouts. Porto are a proper European club.

They also lost 1-5 at home to Liverpool. Pedigree is bunk. When you play Sunderland now you're playing a championship team, not a team that won several league titles. This Porto team has got nothing on the team that won European Cups, they are also-rans good enough to get into the CL (not difficult in Portugal) and make it to the ko stage where they are ko'd regularly at the first hurdle.

Sorry, this is not a big team. We didn't register a single shot on target for the first team in two years. That's not because they were so good, it's because we were so bad. We've played many better teams that Porto on the last two years.

 

[Artemis]

Almost at the end of my rope with regards to the availability of Jesus, Zinchenko and Tomi

Also I love Martinelli but he needs to be benched for that performance, putrid. We need another wide forward option badly.

Yep. Jesus is a part-time player on a full-time wage at this point. We have to plan next season without him in mind and get a reliable striker.

I was thinking of Mitoma today for the forward left position. I love Martinelli as well but he just doesn't have adequate competition for his role.

 

[Diesel]

Who tf is Goldie locks

Ffs Ødegaard of course.

 

[teamsoutheast]

Why do you have to lie so blatantly?

Here's Liverpool smashing Porto away:



Here's Club Brugge - yes you read that right that correctly - Club Brugge smashing Porto away in the CL:

Highlights: Porto 0-4 Club Brugge | Video History | UEFA Champions League

Official UEFA Champions League history. Season-by-season guide, extensive all-time stats, plus video highlights of every final to date

www.uefa.com

Here's Atletico Madrid smashing Porto away:


Here's Chelsea easily beating Porto away:


Here's Liverpool smashing Porto away again:

Porto of 3 seasons ago are alot different to the Porto now. In the season you highlight, although they were not good in Europe they won their domestic title (Liga Nos) losing only 1 game. Sergio Conceicao has done really well since he took over in 2017. They are not the "whipping boys" you think they are. They gave Barcelona a close run for their money in the UCL group stages this season.

 

[Artemis]

They also lost 1-5 at home to Liverpool. Pedigree is bunk. When you play Sunderland now you're playing a championship team, not a team that won several league titles. This Porto team has got nothing on the team that won European Cups, they are also-rans good enough to get into the CL (not difficult in Portugal) and make it to the ko stage where they are ko'd regularly at the first hurdle.

Sorry, this is not a big team. We didn't register a single shot on target for the first team in two years. That's not because they were so good, it's because we were so bad. We've played many better teams that Porto on the last two years.

Thank you for speaking common sense honestly. Some of the things I'm reading is unbelievable.

Some people don't seem to understand that if Porto advance to the quarter finals, they are guaranteed to be eliminated immediately by whoever they face. That's literally how bad they are.

If they face Napoli, Barca, Inter, Dortmund, Bayern, Real, PSG etc. it's immediate elimination for Porto.

Even Lazio. Yes Lazio, would beat Porto.

 

[avenellroad]

Porto of 3 seasons ago are alot different to the Porto now. In the season you highlight, although they were not good in Europe they won their domestic title (Liga Nos) losing only 1 game. Sergio Conceicao has done really well since he took over in 2017. They are not the "whipping boys" you think they are. They gave Barcelona a close run for their money in the UCL group stages this season.

Aren’t Porto doing pretty terribly in the league? There was a Porto fan on here saying there’s deep unrest at the club both on the football and management side with the elections coming up.

Taking that all into account we were ****ing woeful. All is not lost though if we can actually turn up in the reverse leg.

 

[Farzad Stoned]

People are going to slowly realize the problem is Arteta when teams in Europe or England employ the same exact tactics against us and if they execute well regardless of talent gap they give us problems. There is nothing special about Porto. Arteta is just tactically inept and rigid.

There is a reason why we are so poor in knockout European ties. The other teams coaches have a lot of time to prepare and gameplan and see what other teams have done to have success. Mik can’t adjust and his answer to a failure to create is just do the same thing you are doing faster

 

[teamsoutheast]

Aren’t Porto doing pretty terribly in the league? There was a Porto fan on here saying there’s deep unrest at the club both on the football and management side with the elections coming up.

Taking that all into account we were ****ing woeful. All is not lost though if we can actually turn up in the reverse leg.

They're 3rd, 7pts from top spot. They have been winning the domestic cups.

 

[Farzad Stoned]

Just like he destroyed one season with Willian, two years with Holding, he is determined to destroy this season reclaiming Havertz. Havertz can’t make an 8 yard pass and is hurting everyone in the attack but in particular Martinelli. Mik is terrible at rating players; but what is worse out of arrogance he doubles down on bad mistakes

 

[Artemis]

Aren’t Porto doing pretty terribly in the league? There was a Porto fan on here saying there’s deep unrest at the club both on the football and management side with the elections coming up.

Taking that all into account we were ****ing woeful. All is not lost though if we can actually turn up in the reverse leg.

Good point. We still have 90 minutes at home against Porto. We are a superior side and I hope that is reflected in the scoreline. We did it before against them (and they remember it). We can do it again.

Arteta should rest players in the League leading up to that fixture if he has to. I don't care if it hurts us in the League. We absolutely cannot be eliminated at the hands of Porto.

 

[teamsoutheast]

This Porto team has got nothing on the team that won European Cups, they are also-rans good enough to get into the CL (not difficult in Portugal) and make it to the ko stage where they are ko'd regularly at the first hurdle.

A record very much similar to ours then....

 

[Rex Stone]

Wow you’re telling me this for the first time?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1760433438975246808

 

[Artemis]

Wow you’re telling me this for the first time?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1760433438975246808

That's actually an unbelievable stat. But it makes sense with the ref being whistle-happy, all the diving from Porto (especially during set pieces) and their players staying down.

Don't worry. The ball will be in-play at the Emirates and then Porto will see what happens.

 

[Tnegs]

Another poor performance in Europe I don’t understand how Jorginho doesn’t start here and we really could have used TP5 but fk it. We have a home leg next and a chance to make up for it. Win the next one, put us through to the quarters and nobody will care about this result.

 

[freeglennhelder2]

You lot better start preparing mentally for the gamesmanship in the second leg. Hopefully an early goal will nip it in the bud, we should go through though.

Of course nothing in history will top the season we got to the CL final, Reyes was injured on the sideline and rolled back on to the pitch to stop the game. What a legend. RIP.