CL: Last 16 - Arsenal v Barcelona - 14/12/15

[TheKieng]

Well if Celta can keep them at 1-1 for 58 minutes at Camp Nou, I don't see why we can't do better than that. Let's hope we can win at home then park the bus in Camp Nou or whatever.

 

[USArsenalFan716]

I am not sure why you are trying to draw parallels with two completely different situations in footballing terms. One was a set piece and the other was ball in regular play. Even if you disagree on the quality of defending, surely you can see that both situations are incomparable.

I said I'm not a regular watcher of the league, it doesn't mean I don't follow. It's a league I've followed sparingly for over a decade and a half when it was actually an exciting league and the small teams were not scared of competing. I'm talking about the original Denilson and Ronaldo eras and I vividly remember the rembrandt Denilson posters we had in England around the 1998 World Cup. You'd be hard pressed to find many people to support your view that defending is a lot better in Spain than in England. Most La Liga defenders who have made the transition to England have found it tough and needed a lot of time to acclimatise. Historically the best and most expensive defenders have come from the PL or Italy and La Liga has always been behind these two. Pique couldn't get a game at United and Real had to resort to Jonathan Woodgate. Also think of where Nacho Monreal was when we signed him to where he is now. Go on and compare the quality of keepers in the respective leagues and the point is magically clear.
Let me ask -?Who in Barca's back 5 would get into ours?

I'd take Pique over Per/Gabriel and Alves over Bellerin.....Kos, Monreal, and Cech would still start for me over any of theirs.

 

[Mastadon]

Agree 100% with this, don't get what all this respect towards them is about (not talking specifically from this forum, but just in general). I don't care how well they play, so many cheats have played at that club, past and present, hated them since the 06 final, hated them even more when they bought Henry from us. F*** em!! Hope Sanchez scores the goal to knock them out and celebrates in their faces.

Because they are a bloody amazing football team full of players who would walk into any team in the world and that's worthy of respect. Cheating diving ****s are everywhere these guys actually play some of the best football you will ever see.

 

[berric]

Was watching the 2011 full game today. Goosebumps. That team wasn't maybe the strongest or the most cohesive, but man were we robbed later on in the second leg or what? Such a shame.

Don't care about the best trio in history, don't care about the reputation, don't care about tactics, about ****ty mentality how they will wipe the floor with us. Everyone is beatable and we have to make them struggle.

This month is the month when the team realizes it's capabilities. They are all coming back, things are falling into place. It started on Sunday, will continue against Barca, and when we destroy Utd at Trafford the world will be aware.

 

[Trilly]

I am not sure why you are trying to draw parallels with two completely different situations in footballing terms. One was a set piece and the other was ball in regular play. Even if you disagree on the quality of defending, surely you can see that both situations are incomparable.

I said I'm not a regular watcher of the league, it doesn't mean I don't follow. It's a league I've followed sparingly for over a decade and a half when it was actually an exciting league and the small teams were not scared of competing. I'm talking about the original Denilson and Ronaldo eras and I vividly remember the rembrandt Denilson posters we had in England around the 1998 World Cup. You'd be hard pressed to find many people to support your view that defending is a lot better in Spain than in England. Most La Liga defenders who have made the transition to England have found it tough and needed a lot of time to acclimatise. Historically the best and most expensive defenders have come from the PL or Italy and La Liga has always been behind these two. Pique couldn't get a game at United and Real had to resort to Jonathan Woodgate. Also think of where Nacho Monreal was when we signed him to where he is now. Go on and compare the quality of keepers in the respective leagues and the point is magically clear.
Let me ask -?Who in Barca's back 5 would get into ours?

Seriously?

Pique couldn't get into United's side because he was a young lad who had one of the best CB pairings in PL history ahead of him.

Alba, Alves and Pique would stroll into our defence let's take the red tinted specs off. There's not even much of a difference between Mashcerano and Kos. And the former is also a World class defensive midfielder.

 

[Gegen Pressing]

No Flamini please.

No Flamini. Was a cheeky test if anybody paying attention ;-)
Ramsey of course .

 

[razörist]

Don't want to see Bellerin and Alexis laughing and joking with the barca ****s in the tunnel. No injuries and I'm happy with anything else that happens.

 

[General]

Seriously?

Pique couldn't get into United's side because he was a young lad who had one of the best CB pairings in PL history ahead of him.

Alba, Alves and Pique would stroll into our defence let's take the red tinted specs off. There's not even much of a difference between Mashcerano and Kos. And the former is also a World class defensive midfielder.

The point was about the quality ahead of him at United and in the PL. His age didn't stop him joining Barca and holding down a starting spot, but no doubt some will invoke the boyhood club argument.
I'll leave the debate on preferences to somebody else.

 

[goonerwarsh]

If we want to have any hope of winning this tie then we'd better find ourselves a chef who can knock up a dodgy Lasagne, I'm pretty sure Arsène kept the number of the last guy.

 

[James Bond]

If we want to have any hope of winning this tie then we'd better find ourselves a chef who can knock up a dodgy Lasagne paella, I'm pretty sure Arsène kept the number of the last guy.

FFY

 

[Rimaal]

 

[kopzilla]

I fear this might be the match which may make Özil rethink his position at the club...players of his calibre want to win everything....hopefully we atleast win the title this season.

 

[Rimaal]

Martin Keown with an Owenesque pearl of wisdom as to how Arsenal can beat Barca:

“Anything Arsenal can do to stop the ball reaching that deadly front three has to be done.”

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/645313/Martin-Keown-Barcelona-weakness-Arsenal-can-exploit

A "no ****, sherlock!" moment if there ever was one.

 

[Trilly]

The point was about the quality ahead of him at United and in the PL. His age didn't stop him joining Barca and holding down a starting spot, but no doubt some will invoke the boyhood club argument.
I'll leave the debate on preferences to somebody else.

Vidic and Rio at their prime are better than Pique. It doesn't make him a bad defender is what I'm saying.

No shame in not being able to force your way into the United line up as a CB when those two were around.

 

[Notorious Big]

Pique is good,but not a world class.Just beacuse he plays for Barca,doesen't mean that he is a world class CB.He is actually very good in this system that Barca plays.And also Barca doesen't need to defend so well for a long periods of the game and that makes him even better.

 

[Rex Stone]

I've rated every player so I've saved you all the time. Can stop arguing now, the T-Rex has spoken.

Cech > Bravo/Ter Stegen
Monreal < Alba
Koscielny > Pique
Mertesacker < Mascherano
Bellerin < Alves
Flamini > Busquets/everyone
Ramsey < Rakitic
Özil > Iniesta
Alexis < Neymar
Giroud < Suarez
Welbeck > Messi

 

[rich 1990]

I fear this might be the match which may make Özil rethink his position at the club...players of his calibre want to win everything....hopefully we atleast win the title this season.

You're a cheerful bark. I always say it before these type of matches/ties. Let's wait until we've actually lost first. You never know what might happen. Sending offs (Mascherano), they play **** and we play brilliantly etc.

 

[rich 1990]

Pique is a bit like Kompany, big rep for nothing. Good on the ball, capable of dreadful brainfarts. He's nothing like world class.

 

[GDeep™]

Arsenal are going to get humiliated.

I hope we do too.

 

[Rex Stone]

You're a cheerful bark. I always say it before these type of matches/ties. Let's wait until we've actually lost first. You never know what might happen. Sending offs (Mascherano), they play **** and we play brilliantly etc.

Ha as if there's a ref in Europe who will have the stones for that. Watch as Coq/ Ramsey or Kos gets a very dodgy red 20 minutes in.