Europa League Last 16 draw, 12pm GMT

[HCZ_Reborn]

If we get through this tie, we have to play the quarter final tie on the 13th and 20th April. We have a fixture against Southampton on Friday 21st. Which means it gets rescheduled for 23rd meaning we are playing two games in six days prior to playing City on 26th

Or we have it rescheduled to god knows when, so you’ll forgive me for hoping we actually lose this tie

We’ve already had a massive wobble with few injuries…we have a thin squad short on depth…we need the Europa League like a Lego hip replacement


Also Fuck Arteta, any good will he built up with me has been lost with his insistence on keeping players in the team who aren’t up to snuff

Why is Zinchenko still starting? He reeks of goal costing errors. Why is Elneny getting another contract extension, why is Xhaka?. Central midfield is one of our biggest Achilles heels and we seem to be sleepwalking into a Liverpool situation without the enjoyment of having won a league title and a champions league first.

Absolutely nuts….both should be gone in the summer to facilitate a whole new central midfield coming in. Bring in Tielemans to replace Xhaka, bring in the Ecuadorean from Brighton to replace Elneny…wave bye bye to Lokonga (the only top flight league I can see him making it in is the Belgian one or Turkey).

No instead we are going to not bring in anyone in midfield and be stuck with Partey, Xhaka, Elneny and Jorginho (who I like but let’s be fair he’s not getting any younger).

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

If we get through this tie, we have to play the quarter final tie on the 13th and 20th April. We have a fixture against Southampton on Friday 21st. Which means it gets rescheduled for 23rd meaning we are playing two games in six days prior to playing City on 26th

Or we have it rescheduled to god knows when, so you’ll forgive me for hoping we actually lose this tie

We’ve already had a massive wobble with few injuries…we have a thin squad short on depth…we need the Europa League like a Lego hip replacement


Also Fuck Arteta, any good will he built up with me has been lost with his insistence on keeping players in the team who aren’t up to snuff

Why is Zinchenko still starting? He reeks of goal costing errors. Why is Elneny getting another contract extension, why is Xhaka?. Central midfield is one of our biggest Achilles heels and we seem to be sleepwalking into a Liverpool situation without the enjoyment of having won a league title and a champions league first.

Absolutely nuts….both should be gone in the summer to facilitate a whole new central midfield coming in. Bring in Tielemans to replace Xhaka, bring in the Ecuadorean from Brighton to replace Elneny…wave bye bye to Lokonga (the only top flight league I can see him making it in is the Belgian one or Turkey).

No instead we are going to not bring in anyone in midfield and be stuck with Partey, Xhaka, Elneny and Jorginho (who I like but let’s be fair he’s not getting any younger).

A fair analysis.

But like the others have pointed out, there is no evidence that going out of cups helps us in any way, in fact recent times show its the opposite effect it has.

I don't think Sporting is an easy tie anyway and I do think Arteta will probably underestimate them and field a weakened squad, in short I don't have high hopes for this competition... though with Barca out we really should be a shoo-in to win it.

[Marc Overmars]

A fair analysis.

But like the others have pointed out, there is no evidence that going out of cups helps us in any way, in fact recent times show its the opposite effect it has.

I don't think Sporting is an easy tie anyway and I do think Arteta will probably underestimate them and field a weakened squad, in short I don't have high hopes for this competition... though with Barca out we really should be a shoo-in to win it.

I would say United are far more likely to win this than we are.

[GP]

I would say United are far more likely to win this than we are.

How come? We're beter than them.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I would say United are far more likely to win this than we are.

I sadly agree, but what I meant is we are the only team left currently leading a top league in Europe...on paper we are suppose to be better than the rest, which includes Man U.

[IBK]

I would say United are far more likely to win this than we are.

Yeh - why do you think that mate?

[Chippy]

I sadly agree, but what I meant is we are the only team left currently leading a top league in Europe...on paper we are suppose to be better than the rest, which includes Man U.

We've got bigger fish to fry. I would be putting out weaker teams in the Europa League and focus 100% on the Premier League.

[Marc Overmars]

Yeh - why do you think that mate?

I feel like they will place more emphasis on this than we will, given the respective league positions.

Plus we’ve been useless in Europe for decades and I won’t believe that’s about to change until…it does.

[IBK]

I feel like they will place more emphasis on this than we will, given the respective league positions.

Plus we’ve been useless in Europe for decades and I won’t believe that’s about to change until…it does.

Perhaps - but I think we have the tools to beat them, particularly if jesus is back and firing by the time we play them. We should have done so at OT but for another scandalous VAR decision, and we won at our place.

Re Europe - we may have shat the bed in the 2019 Europa final, but we were in the final, and our team is a lot better now than that version.

I think our manager and his team will want to win this....

[Marc Overmars]

I hope we go for it because I don’t really see it impeding our title challenge, unless we get horribly unlucky with injuries but that could happen at any time anyway.

I think if we want to be a winning team then cup competitions should not be viewed as a hindrance. We binned the domestic cups which I’ll accept for this season as we’re challenging for the title but European glory is something I’ll never turn my nose up at. It’s 6 games from here to the final. It’s more than doable but we’ll see in a couple weeks how Arteta sees it against Sporting.