Morning all.
A short read this morning. I know, it’s usually a short read but why say/write 1000 words when just a few will do?
A decision has been made regarding our Europa League fixtures against Benfica and both ties will be played at a neutral ground as Portugal is on the UK red list and too much time would be spent in quarantine.
Instead, Arsenal will head to Italy for the first tie which takes place next Thursday as the game will be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The return fixture on February 25 looks set to be moved to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens, although this is yet to be confirmed by UEFA. The away goal rule remains in place.
Arsenal seem to play better away from home this season, or at least they were before the Wolves and Villa fixtures. On Saturday the players return to The Emirates to face a Leeds team which brushed Crystal Palace aside with ease judging by the 2-0 score line last night. Rumours on NN suggest Thomas Partey will be fit to play which is a massive boost if true and of course Bernd Leno returns from his one match suspension as does David Luiz. Sites like these are offering odds on the event and Arsenal will go in as the favourite to take the three points.
See you in the comments.
Looks like Greece is off as they have just announced a further lockdown .
Really the whole thing needs to be called off , sending clubs all over looking for places that either have a lower incidence of the virus or are just plainly not reporting their true figures is nothing less than crazy . Might as well send everyone to Wuhan who apparently have solved everything as it obviously had nothing to do with them in the first place.
Perhaps that’s why Arsenal have deleted the Greece post about the fixture.
Money, it’s all about the money.
Hi Rico and all. If the are so adamant that these international matches must go on then why not just make them a straight one match knockout rounds so clubs can get back home and concentrate on finishing their home and away season
Morning Rico/all
I agree with Geoff, if the games must go ahead make them one off, with extra time/penalties if needed, could be exciting. European ties are often cagey and boring in the first leg.
But international travel seems crazy at the moment.
Hi Limey, Geoff. Makes sense to me too, especially as there are no fans as matches.
Less is more Rico, thanks for the post.
I don’t agree with the extra time at the end of the 2nd leg it favours the away team too much.
If you want extra time then fine, but no away goals rule during extra time.
Alternatively the tie should go straight to penalties after 90 minutes, especially during these times, but I guess that’s too much thinking for UEFA to get their tiny heads around.
And yes, one game is the sensible option but don’t be daft enough to think that those that organise football will take the sensible option.
How about a one off game in New Zealand?
FabrizioRomano
on Arsenal’s winter transfer window: “Working at the club, selling players, terminating contracts, and signing players is never so easy particularly with the pandemic situation – I would say Edu has done an amazing job this winter.”
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@FabrizioRomano
on Arsenal’s stance on Guendouzi: “They appreciate the talent, they appreciate the player. They were thinking like he should be a starter, not just one of the midfielders. When a player comes back, lot of situations could change. Arsenal are open with Matteo.”👀
Kev The only problem with New Zealand or Australia is we are way too far away for just one match can you imagine our luck we would arrive back in England on Friday night at 11 pm and then have a match the next day at 2 pm
Morning all.
I read Tierney may be ready to play this weekend.
Any news at your end?
So I’m told Kev. 😆
Agree re the away goal rule in extra time, in fact I think the away goal rule is daft anyway.
Honestly Kev, as far as removing a lot of deadwood goes, I too thought Edu did exceptionally well last month. I read that about Torriera and Guendouzi on Twitter earlier and wondered if Torriera couldn’t be doing a job for us in midfield right now.
But if we had them both and they were added to the squad , 2 more would have to drop out I would think.
Good Afternoon everyone
Here is the depth we are searching for at left back..Hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 maybe he can do a job for us and save us a few quid until a better L B comes along
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/02/10/please-tell-me-this-isnt-true-some-arsenal-fans-react-to-what-mesut-ozil-did-on-tuesday/
True Potter, I can think of one or two to give way… lol
DG, it’s amazing isn’t it how quickly certain characters in the game get forgotten, I mean the absence of the Mesut Ozil PR machine and all those stories that were planted in the media by Sogut and the nephew of Daniel Levy and suddenly nobody gives a toss – I certainly couldn’t care less what he does, where he plays and who he wants to be photographed with, he is an irrelevance to me and has been for almost the last two and half years.
Kolasinac and Mustafi, who cares, Schalke’s problem now and they keep on losing. I think it goes to show that the judgement of the fans in general wasn’t as uneducated as we were led to believe. I mean you watch football for 20/30/40/50 years and you can’t see a bad footballer when you see one, just because you’ve never played the game, really?!
That’s true Potter, next summer we’ll have Kolasinac, Mavropanos, Guendouzi and Torrieira who could in practice be added to our 17 foreigner squad, of course we know that won’t happen but yes you’re right.
Ceballos and Odegaard will free up two spaces, unless we sign either of them, which is unlikely.
Runarsson will I think be sent out on loan as one of our U23 goalkeepers will probably take his spot as our No.3 goalkeeper.
Will Luiz stay or not and if he leaves, there you have it, four spaces!
Will we sign Ryan? I hope we do but it’s not certain.
It’s going to be a juggling act for sure…
Completely agree Rico, January was the first transfer window with no Raul influence ( I think I’m right about that) and Edu did a good job, but then he really needed to didn’t he?
I see that Marc Overmars is being talked up again as a possible addition to the Arsenal management team, I wonder where that come from, an agent perhaps?
Overmars turned us down once didn’t he Kev? Can’t see much truth in that story. Like you, I couldn’t care less about those who’ve left us, certainly those who left under a cloud.
Kolasinac is a gonner imo but I do think we’ll try and sign Ødegaard although if Zidane gets sacked, a new guy might object, especially if he plays well for us over the next few months.
To answer your earlier Scott, he’s not shown in the training video on afc.com.
Afternoon Rico et al, I too think a one match Europa tie is enough, there are plenty of competitions that have changed their home and away ties to one match, like the FA Cup. And they were played at one of the two teams venues, so a precedent has been set that other competitions should follow. And we have neutral grounds so one tie, no away goals rule and 90 mins followed by either sudden death or penalties. Come to think of it why don’t they put on a show like Soccer AM with the corner bins and trying to hit the cross bar much more entertainment than a bunch of penalties. But they should minimise the playing time as all the players are over worked this season.
Kev….can you imagine a team made up of a GK and ten Ozils??? That would be hilarious.
I can imagine a team of GK plus ten Maradonas as although he had his imprefections at least he always gave 101% on pitch.
I can imagine a team of GK plus ten Cantonas as each of them would play with pride.
I can imagine a team of GK plus ten Tierneys as they would have the right kind of attitude.
But a team of a GK and ten Ozils??? They would be playing in the Sunday leagues in no time and still get beaten and wonder what they are doing wrong.
In my opinion, I would scrap the Europa lge and Champions lge right now and play them at the end of season. In one country…..For example the Champions lge in Italy and Europa lge in Germany for example. They would be played in a single game knockout and go straight to penalties. The more you win the more you stay there. Till the final.
Like you I think the Overmars story is exactly that, a story.
I concur with everybody Edu has done a great job last transfer window, ok he missed one player cover for Left Back which Rico you kept announcing in the hope that Edu heard you lol. But as you said it was obvious we were short there.
What’s your view on the last two matches, little was said about the injuries to our key players, Tierney, Saka, Auba missing and Partey seems to not be at 100% yet. I think we can cope with one maybe two of those key players being out but not three or four. And then there was the ridiculous substitution of Willain instead of Martinelli. Martinelli gives us all he’s got like Tierney, Saka, ESR Lacazette, as does Xhaka now. Even Pepe’s started to come good, we need to keep playing him now, a few more goals and his confidence will be there. So I wonder whether those two losses were more as a result of key players being injured plus the crazy referee ruining a decent game with Wolves and god knows why it wasn’t over turned.
I also wondered whether you think Auba mum being poorly is what’s been effecting him this season? It’s the way he fell of a cliff something must have happened and it makes sense because he’s close to his family, always speaking about his dads influence on him.
Hi Mig, the League Cup too. Both ditched replays and with it, I think made the games more exciting.
Players need a break imo Devil, not another tournament or extra fixtures. Wouldn’t be fair on the clubs/players involved.
Ha ha Mig, he definitely didn’t hear me.
Auba seems to have caught the new contract bug..
I think next season the new Europa conference league starts, a third tier competition. Just an excuse for more games, more money for someone.
I’ve no idea when the games will be, probably 4am Friday’s in Siberia.
Rico in my comment I said that Europa lge should be scrapped now…..and the games which are supposed to be played now would be played after the season. So no games would be added. On the contrary instead of two games now against Benfica it would be a one game with the winner advancing to the next round.
Let us say we win over two legs. Then we go to the quarters……two more games. Then the semis….two more games. then the final….one more game. That would make a total of 7 games.
With my suggestion, at the end of the season…..we would play….1 game vs Benfica. 1 game in the QF. 1 game in the SF. 1 game in the Final. That would make a total of 4 games.
I dont see from where the extra games are coming from.
On the contrary we would play three less if we arrive to the final
I see Patrick Viera and John Terry linked with the Bournemouth job. It would be nice to see Viera back in England.
Who qualifies for that Limey, any idea? 7th, 8th and 9th in the League? Lol
I realised Devil, I just think that once the season is over, players need a break.
If UEFA really want to have a third tournament they could do something original, like for example take all the National cup winners from each country and put them together in a competition, that sounds great to me….
And, they could call it something like, er, what about the European Cup Winners Cup.
What do you all think?
DG, one Ozil is one Ozil too many, anymore than that is unbearable.
Anyway, before we all go to bed, or at least those insomniacs like me, can I ask you all to be upstanding and to take a brief moment of reflection, think about those worse off than ourselves.
And then all have a fecking good laugh at Tottnum 😆😆😆
Let’s just get the home and away season over so the players and officials can spend time with their family and at the same time get in a professional company in to sterilise both match and training grounds while no one there
Or get the officials some proper training Geoff….
New post up now