CL: Arsenal v Barcelona - 23/02/16, 19:45

[berric]

Honestly, our 2011 team was way better in possession and better suited to playing versus Barcelona. Wilshere, Cesc and Nasri were on par with the best midfield in the world that day. That team was full of world-class technique bottlers, and this team is full of average players that play out of their skin but still without results. I can't believe Wenger is still trying to find the best of both worlds.

 

[Jazz]

Although it's never fun to lose, the priority has and continues to be the league. Anything but 3 points vs United is what will be heartbreaking for me. Unlike this tie, we definitely should be winning the PL and need to badly. The Hull replay is more devastating than this result really.

 

[Rimaal]

Your hate for him is so acute you can't type it without disgust

I don't hate him at all actually. I don't hate any of our players. I just don't rate some of them. It's 1 am here, and I'm tired and heart sickened.

 

[RUS arsenal]

Outside a few attacks, there was ZERO composure on the ball especially in the final 3rd. I really don't get it. I expect better from the likes of Özil, Sanchez, Montreal, Coquelin, Ramsey and Giroud. Ox had 2 absolutely golden moments which should've produced at least a goal and a quality chance. I thought with the 2 FA Cup runs, this team finally put all these demons behind them but looks like I was wrong...

 

[razörist]

Whatever, we were always going out of the CL. At least its not against Monaco this time. If Coq and Ramsey are ok than I'm happy! Don't care about Ox, he needs to get away from the emirates. A loan to a club like west ham could do wonders for him.

Positives: Koscielnyyyyy. Way to hit some form bruv, good man.

Welbeck has gone op a level in his time away from the game.

Bellerin did not look out of place at all.

Monreal did good, despite beeing handicaped by that early yellow.

Cech's still amazing.

 

[TakeChillPill]

Coming on to 20 years now, more fool me.

Don't worry Wenger's irresistible charm gets us all.

 

[redanddread]

Well well well......clinical eh. The day we're clinical the good things will happen.

Flamini & no striker of the class that Barca had & lacking a killer CM.

We did everything right for 70 mins but our lack of true top, top class told in the end. The amount of attacks that broke down in the final 3rd were killing and was it not too surprising that they scored on teh counter form our attack.

If Wenger won't go and get the necessaries in the summer then we're treading water.

I wonder if Welbeck had been fully fit whether he would have started - as many said Giroud was a waste out there tonight & as soon as Danny came on things livened up.

Hope The Ox isn't out for too long - didn't look good.

Our play in teh final 3rd just isn't clinical enough at this level - we can maybe just about get away with it in the EPL but at this level you can't **** up the chances we had & expect to beat a great team like BArca.

The less said about Flamini the better - WTF was he even doing there anyway.

At least we don't have to worry about the 2nd leg now though & can concentrate on the league & FA Cup.

 

[Dennis_Bergkamp_10]

Can someone make a United thread? We've lost to the better team and we were never going to beat them over two games really..

The Premier League is most important. It will define our season and Wenger's future.

Also, I don't want to talk about this **** game anymore, where we did quite well actually until their goals.

 

[SuperGoon]

Wenger just said we were technically average today.

You can tell he is pretty pissed. Good.

I don't think we were technically average. I think we weren't sharp in our own box. That's what ultimately let us down, that and our very poor subs.

What did Walcott do tonight? He might as well not been on the pitch. Wasteful. Flamini was a brainfart. Interested to see the logic behind that. Welbeck was promising, but ultimately couldn't get any chances.

Honestly think Wenger can't blame his players on this one. They gave everything against the best team in the world. He let them down.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Honestly, our 2011 team was way better in possession and better suited to playing versus Barcelona. Wilshere, Cesc and Nasri were on par with the best midfield in the world that day. That team was full of world-class technique bottlers, and this team is full of average players that play out of their skin but still without results. I can't believe Wenger is still trying to find the best of both worlds.

True. People are trying to hold head here but the truth must be spoken.

When we had the ball we didn't want it at all. We bombed it forward in no mans land so many times.

Boys vs mens this game was.

 

[krengon]

He's hated in this forum. I've long since accepted that people make their minds up about how he has performed before the actual game has happened.

Was our best player for 60 min.. Honestly surprised at the comments as most seemed to be positive about his performance at half time..

 

[Wilshere's Right]

Livid after that. I almost threw a beer mug in the bar.

Flamini. **** YOU **** YOU **** YOU. **** YOU WENGER FOR BRINGING HIM ON!!!!!! **** YOU!!!!!!!!!

Sanchez was ****. Yes the doubled up on him but he couldn't even pass straight and kept doing the kick past the player and sprint, only to either not clear the pass or just not sprint fast enough.

Bellerin was superb tonight. So was Monreal. And of course Cech, without who we would of lost by 4 or more.

Oh and **** Ramsey. Seriously **** him. He's not good enough in the middle (is he even good enough out wide?) Wilshere and Cazorla cannot come back quick enough.

The only other positive is that it's now 3 games on the trot where Welbeck has looked tremendous. He was probing, his passes were incisive, he made things happen, he probably had a run at them. He has to start against Utd and hopefully can make that right wing his own.

 

[berric]

Wenger just said we were technically average today.

You can tell he is pretty pissed. Good.

Only one he can be pissed of is himself.

 

[Giroud]

Atleast Wenger cant use his lover Flamini in return leg. Great leaving present from Flamini to everyone at Arsenal.

Coq was poor too.. and FFS pass forward!

Every time Coquelin passed the ball forward it went straight out of play.

Good player, not the class Arsenal need in midfield.

 

[albakos]

Özil could have had an easy assist but the man who hasn't score in 8 games missed. Sanchez deserves no criticism our team would have done nothing had he not been willing them on... with how the average guys were playing only way sanchez was gonna score was hm literaly beating 4 guys and scoring or a worldie from outside the box. Turn your attention to Theo and OX if you wanna blame anyone 1 or 2 players.

I've had my fair share of Theo criticism in Theo thread.

I am sure he didn't touch the ball for a good 15 minutes after he was on pitch.

Ox was braindead, with his chance and then not even having the slightest idea of where his teammates are durign our counter. It's just his way to run into blind alleys, and when he reaches the goal line, then to raise his head. Utterly shambling.

At least Giroud had a half chance with his header, but then his brainfart in the box was equally appalling.

All in all a shambolic crumbling in final 20 minutes which is all too common.

 

[tap-in]

No one expected us to win this, and they were right, we didnt. BUT we were only a couple of errors away from getting a draw or even a win, against the best team in the world. It wasn't a case of Barca playing below par, we played well!

The big difference in games like this is that they have 3 top WC strikers, we have 1 good one.

They have the best player in the world who can finish under pressure, we don't.

We have players like Flamini sitting on our bench, they don't.

The BOD and Wenger need to learn from this, the 5th year in a row we have gone out at this stage. Do we want to compete in the CL or do we want to just qualify? Its the one cup Wenger has never won, and he doesn't look any closer tonight. We need to spend big on 2 top WC players, we can do it, but do we want to? I dont know!

 

[Batman]

Gidous was more effective defensively and in obstructing than in holding up the ball in attack, that was obvious to all I think. Nothing would have been lost by playing Theo centrally.

He wasn't half as bad as people are saying today and he was on the end of our best chance of the match. Would I like to see a better striker? Of course. Is a Theo Walcott that couldn't hit the ocean the answer? I don't know. Of all the things to blame this loss on Giroud is very low for me. We could easily have kept this nil nil and had a chance to upset them in the return leg had the players behind Giroud not completely lost their marbles. I'm not trying to defend the guy because he frustrates me to no end but I've got to be as fair as I can here.

 

[Realist]

Now we have put ourselves in a horrible position, do we give it a shot in the away leg, or should we rest our players for it? The problem is our second string would get battered, and as far as I am concerned the tie is over. I'm calling it now we will do the same thing as our previous exits and get a good away result (maybe a draw). Not going to lie I am getting sick and tired of round of 16 exits.

 

[@R$3N@L]

wenger had good tactics going in to the game. we had to try to score no blame there. in the league we would beat everyone playing like this....provided if we finish

 

[RUS arsenal]

https://streamable.com/e8nc?t=0.0

That makes my mood a bit better