salkster2102 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Saturday's game at home to Stocksbridge should be a tricky one that could go either way. Phelan's out suspended for us, and the Steels are always a plucky outfit. What's more...Oh who am I kidding? Should be a walkover really. No offence intended. At least we exit the league cup legally Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxie_Ash Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Arsenal are having a really good first half here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Massive difference from the first half last season when they were taught several lessons. And just as I type this Villa has put Barca in front. Walcott and Van Persie have started very well and I have a feeling that Alex Song is going to get sent off before the end. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
salkster2102 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Arsenal a bit unlucky to be behind. Wilshere is really impressing me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Arsenal a bit unlucky to be behind. Wilshere is really impressing me. Wilshere's doing mostly well, but he's given the ball away on a couple of occasions, and in the position he's playing doing that against this Barcelona side is pretty much equivalent to signing your own death certificate. He's pressing the Barca midfield well though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Shakhtar are 2-1 up in Rome, by the way. Would love to see an Eastern European team in the quarter finals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalbeider Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Yep, good first half by Arsenal, specially the first 20 minutes or so when they pushed the defensive line so high that there was no space to move at all in the midfield and we were constantly losing the ball. Then we found the way around that with two or three good through balls, they went 10 or 15 meters back, and everything changed. Since then we've been doing our thing and doing it fairly well, I think. The game should probably be 1-2 instead of 0-1. Mostly because Messi wasn't offside, you know... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalbeider Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Shakhtar are 2-1 up in Rome, by the way. Would love to see an Eastern European team in the quarter finals. And that would have the additional plus of kicking Roma out of Europe. I have this strange irrational hatred for that team for some reason. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Wilshere's started the second half very well indeed. I think he's going to be my new Paul Scholes. Massively respect the talent, absolutely hate the little tw*t. Shakhtar 3-1 up at half time. Good stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Koscielny a very lucky boy there. Looked to me like he grabbed Pedro round the waist and pulled him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
salkster2102 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Koscielny a very lucky boy there. Looked to me like he grabbed Pedro round the waist and pulled him. Other than that he's having a good game. Messi should have two now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxie_Ash Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Good strike from Van Persie. He has deserved a goal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
salkster2102 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Great goal from Arsenal. Fantastic counter. What a great game this is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxie_Ash Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Fantastic, no more than they have deserved really Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Very poor from Valdes on Van Persie's goal. Anytime a shot goes in at the near post like that the keeper has to be held at fault. Lovely play from Nasri to set up Arshavin for the second. Beautiful counter attack. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Xenon- Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I'm not usually a betting man, but I had an urge to lay a few quid on Arsenal earlier today. Wish I had now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Fantastic, no more than they have deserved really I disagree, tbh. Over the whole of the game the teams have been about level, a draw would have been a fair result. But fair play to Arsenal for continuing to attack after they'd got the equaliser, Barca looked shell shocked for a five or six minute spell. EDIT: Remember that Barca had a goal wrongly disallowed and that had Messi had his shooting boots on, they could have been out of sight. Having said that, Arsenal did very well in the second half to fight back. Nasri looked much better when he was shifted inside and Wilshere played very well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalbeider Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Very poor from Valdes on Van Persie's goal. Anytime a shot goes in at the near post like that the keeper has to be held at fault. Lovely play from Nasri to set up Arshavin for the second. Beautiful counter attack. This. I disagree, tbh. Over the whole of the game the teams have been about level, a draw would have been a fair result. But fair play to Arsenal for continuing to attack after they'd got the equaliser, Barca looked shell shocked for a five or six minute spell. And this. Again the first 20 minutes of the second half were all Arsenal's, but they didn't create any chances, and after that we seemed in control. Then Valdés made his one stupid mistake of every season (had to be today, damn him) and suddenly we were watching them storm around us, and when we woke up we were already behind. I'd say a 2-2 draw would've been fair. Koscielny and Wilshere looked fantastic to me, too, and since I have no personal bias against the midfielder I can enjoy him for what he is . Nasri looked a bit out, I guess he wasn't 100% fit after all. And Cesc looked very motivated, although he didn't shine too much. All in all a very entertaining game, I hope that the second leg is at least as good. And that we win it, of course. Oh, and I want us to play every weekend in England, for two reasons. First, the stadiums and the fans. Second, to see if Messi manages to score in England once and for all, darn it. Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Second, to see if Messi manages to score in England once and for all, darn it. Thanks in advance. Well we all know that Messi will never have properly made it until he has proven that he can do it against Stoke on a wet Wednesday night. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxie_Ash Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I guess I was just watching with blinkered vision, but Arsenal could have had a few more themselves. Van Persie could have had a hat-trick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Koscielny... looked fantastic to me Koscielny & Djourou = good defensive partnership. Koscielny & Squillaci = Keystone Kops. Koscielny does appear to be an absolute bastard for an interception. He was definitely impressive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I guess I was just watching with blinkered vision, but Arsenal could have had a few more themselves. Van Persie could have had a hat-trick Undoubtedly they could, I just don't think they were the better side. It was nice (even if it had to be Arsenal) that Barca were beaten by a team trying to play football. Puts to bed the idea that the only way to beat them is to park several buses on the pitch. Now that's been proven, I'd appreciate it if Barca could kindly dump Arsenal on their arses in the second leg. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balthazars Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Koscielny & Djourou = good defensive partnership. Koscielny & Squillaci = Keystone Kops. Very true. Amazingly, the two French guys do not play well together AT ALL, but with Djourou beside him, Kos suddenly looks a heck of a lot calmer and much more composed. Has to the be way forward, and will be interesting to see how long Vermalean takes to get back into the team after his injury problems are finally overcome. Cracking match tonight. Plenty of chances for both sides and some great football on display. I agree a draw is probably a 'fair' result, but hey, as everyone keeps on telling me when I complain about the 'fair result', in the end Arsenal got the goals and Barca didn't. So there. RVP was fantastic. Walcott too, although he tired so wasn't surprised to see his replacement. Wilshere may not hit as many passes on target as Xavi, but he simply did not give up tonight. Nasi undercooked, but not surprised given he was thrown straight back in. Messi was clearly having an off-day, which was great, but yes, his 'goal' should have stood. Delighted for the team, put their hearts into it and got a deserved response and result. The kind of night that makes me wish I was there in England to watch it in person. Still, not holding too many expectations for the second leg. 2-1 at home is not a brilliant result in the two-leg format, but at least it's something to play for, but I could still see Barca turning Arsenal over 3-1 in the next leg with relative ease. Also, it was brilliant to win by playing football the way Arsenal wants to play football. No parking busses (something this Arsenal team will probably never be able to do even half-competently). Sure, it meant Arsenal coughed up chances on a regular basis, at least the team created enough of their own to make it a contest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.