Arsenal v Valencia. 2nd May. 20:00

[Marc Overmars]

The season pretty much rests on this.

Goes without saying that we need a big performance and result.

Come on you stupid fucks.

[SMatthews]

They’re a pretty compact team - don’t score much or give much away.

2-0

[GP]

18-1

We will go out on away goals.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I'm going to this.

So far we haven't lost a game I've been to so the streak better continue!

[Letters]

18-1

We will go out on away goals.

:haha:

:(

[Mac76]

It's hard to be very optimistic after such woeful league performances but you have to hope we raise our game somehow.

This is Emery's speciality - if he can't least get ua to the final there's no point to him being here IMO

[Letters]

The Napoli game was after the Everton wasn't it? We were crashing and burning in the league as we got through the Napoli tie.
League and Cup form can often be quite different. Cautiously optimistic

:scarf:

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I think the atmosphere at the Europa league home games have been the best all season, so looking forward to it. Valencia aren't too clever recently I hear so here's to hoping we put in a decent shift.

[Marc Overmars]

Fancy us to win comfortably really, especially now we have seemingly sacked off the league. Valencia have only scored 40 goals in La Liga, though you never know what gifts our defence might offer up.

[Özim]

We need to put this tie to bed in the 1st leg, win this comfortably, we don't want to go there with a narrow win as away from home we could collapse like a house of cards.

Valencia aren't anything special so we should be able to win this.

[KSE Comedy Club]

We need to look for a minimum of 3-0+ imo.

[selassie]

Our season rests on this game, as others have said we need to put this tie to bed tonight.

I am nowhere near as confident with this game or even the Final, I was a few weeks back before the collapse but not now...

[SMatthews]

It has to be remembered that we went on a great run before a similar 'collapse' over Xmas, then put together another strong run before this recent poor run of form.

This will hopefully be the game that allows us to finish the season on a strong note.

[Mac76]

We need to look for a minimum of 3-0+ imo.

Yes, i think so too, in particular a clean sheet is vital

[dostoy]

Valencia aren't anything special so we should be able to win this.

Neither are Arsenal.

They are either really good or bloody terrible.

They need to win comfortably tonight although they did beat Napoli away as well.

Which Arsenal will turn up ?

[KSE Comedy Club]

I think we will turn up tonight as the players seem all out focused on the EL.

I'd like us to be ruthless and not sit back once we score though.

[SMatthews]

I don’t think they are purely focussed on the EL.

Our team - like those around us - are prone to periods of consistency followed by periods where we are crap.

The further you go down the league, the more up and down the form becomes.

[Letters]

Valencia aren't anything special so we should be able to win this.
You keep saying how rubbish we are :lol:

[Letters]

I don’t think they are purely focussed on the EL.

Our team - like those around us - are prone to periods of consistency followed by periods where we are crap.

The further you go down the league, the more up and down the form becomes.

Yes. In Adams' biography he talks about the time in the early 90s when we won a few cups but were nowhere in the league. In the "thoroughly enjoyable" 92/93 season in which we scored fewer league goals than we played league games we actually flirted with relegation although we were never in that much danger looking back. What Adams says though is they were good enough to raise it for the odd big cup game but they weren't good enough to do it week in, week out consistently. That's kinda where we are now. The difference is we do also now expect to be challenging for the top 4, that expectation is a legacy of Wenger's early time with us.

[Özim]

You keep saying how rubbish we are :lol:

We are in comparison to the best teams, but Valencia are hardly pulling out any trees either and we're at home, quality wise there's a distinct lack of it other than the likes Aubameyang, Lacazette, Torreira and Leno, Guendouzi and Ozil when he performs. Aside from those guys I'd be quite happy to get rid of all the rest as they're not good enough.

[Özim]

Yes. In Adams' biography he talks about the time in the early 90s when we won a few cups but were nowhere in the league. In the "thoroughly enjoyable" 92/93 season in which we scored fewer league goals than we played league games we actually flirted with relegation although we were never in that much danger looking back. What Adams says though is they were good enough to raise it for the odd big cup game but they weren't good enough to do it week in, week out consistently. That's kinda where we are now. The difference is we do also now expect to be challenging for the top 4, that expectation is a legacy of Wenger's early time with us.

Let's be honest, we've had some terrible defeats in this competition this year as well, by far our best result was against Napoli, other than that we haven't been that great, we've made hard work of it at times. Also you can't compare teams with the likes of Adams and co who had huge desire and focus on the pitch to this lot, you keep bringing up 92/93, but they entirely focussed on the cups then (which you repeatedly choose to ignore), we played weaker teams and didn't bother in the league, we have tried in the league this years, it's just that we've collapsed as we usually do because we don't have the right players.

We've made it this far however and now we have a chance, we just need to be focussed on the task ahead, then if we get through it'll be a one off match against Chelsea which could go either way..

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Coquelin and Gabriel to destroy us.

[fakeyank]

Coquelin and Gabriel to destroy us.

Would have kept them over the likes of Elneny and Mustafi tbh

[SMatthews]

Cech; Sokratis, Koscielny, Mustafi; Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Kolasinac; Ozil; Lacazette, Aubameyang.

Subs: Leno, Elneny, Mkhitaryan, Torreira, Iwobi, Monreal, Nketiah.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Mustafi. :lol:

[Mac76]

I don't know that much about valencia, i suppose their starting with gabriel is something, though who's to say he's that bad, i remember people thought he was decent at first but then he was wengerised.

All i really know is that we need to be 100% better than the sh*t we've been producing lately

Got to say i'd have preferred Torreira to start ahead of Guendouzi though

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2019/5/2/3fc3af71-1abd-4592-9411-7278e006f6a1.jpg

Is this to suffocate yourself with?

:blink:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Valencia: Neto, Roncaglia, Gabriel, Guedes, Soler, Parejo, Diakhaby, Gaya, Rodrigo, Piccini, Garay

BBC with their can't be arsed placing them in the right order again.

[Mac76]

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2019/5/2/3fc3af71-1abd-4592-9411-7278e006f6a1.jpg

Is this to suffocate yourself with?

:blink:

Doing our bit for plastic waste...

[Master Splinter]

Turpin might be worse than Oliver/Taylor/Dean/Atkinson/Moss.

At least two clear pelanties denied and a red for Sokratis.

[Master Splinter]

There's the first one!

Laca just pushed in the box.

[SMatthews]

Sokratis escaped a yellow there.

[SMatthews]

How did they miss that?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Garay. :lol:

[SMatthews]

0-1

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Utter embarrassment.

[Master Splinter]

:doh:

[Letters]

:doh: Twats...

[SMatthews]

We’ve done nothing so far

[SMatthews]

AMN in utter spastic mode tonight

[Master Splinter]

This is quite shit.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

AMN. :haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Guendouzi thinks he's Pirlo.

[SMatthews]

Laca!!

[SMatthews]

Cmon you dozy fucks!

[Master Splinter]

LACAZETTE!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

LACAZETTE!!!!

[Letters]

Laca! Come on!
1-1

[Letters]

Cmon you dozy fucks!

Well. They did.
Great work from Auba

[SMatthews]

Well. They did.
Great work from Auba

That was after they scored!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Woeful from Guendouzi.

I think he should be bench ridden for the remainder of the season really.

Auba. :haha:

[SMatthews]

Laca!!

[Thierrymon]

Laca! 2-1

[GP]

GET THE FUCK IN!!

[Özim]

LACA GET IN!!!

[Master Splinter]

LACAZETTE!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

LACAZETTE!!!! COME ON!!!!

[Letters]

Laca!!!
2-1! COME ON!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Neto chucked it in. :bow:

[Letters]

That was after they scored!

Well. They did!

[SMatthews]

Need to get a grip on midfield in this game.

[Master Splinter]

Well. They did!

That was after they scored!

[Özim]

Lacazette is brilliant, if we can get some better players in the summer to give him proper service he'll score a hatful. Iwobi and mhiki don't cut it.

[Letters]

Neto chucked it in. :bow:


Yeah. Should’ve saved that really.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Lacazette heads it over.

[SMatthews]

Please get AMN off at half time.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ian Darke makes a Brexit joke. :sarcy:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Diakhaby booked, booted Lacazette in the guts.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Guendouzi. :haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Auba hits it, in to the ground and over it goes.

[Letters]

“The next goal could decide who goes to Baku in the final”

Well. No. Because it’s the first half of the first tie.
They do talk bollox

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Parejo. :haha:

QPR reject.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Wayward from Kolasinac.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

2-1 HT.

[RomfordPele]

Seriously lucky to be 2-1 up. We have been very unconvincing.

[Marc Overmars]

Horrific start but a great recovery.

Definitely chances in this for us, need to go for the kill.

[Mac76]

Terrible start but recovered well, need one more at the very least, and really musn't concede again.

[Özim]

Need to get a couple more without reply.

[SMatthews]

If the dozy fucks can score a couple more we should be ok.

[Letters]

Seriously lucky to be 2-1 up. We have been very unconvincing.

Disagree. Really poor start but we sorted ourselves out and deserve our lead

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Need to get a couple more without reply.

Yup, seven more and we should be safe.

[SMatthews]

Disagree. Really poor start but we sorted ourselves out and deserve our lead

I think he means we were lucky to only be 0-1 down before we scored. He’s not wrong.

[SMatthews]

Valencia have got control of the midfield again.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Guendouzi finally hauled off, Torreira on.

[Marc Overmars]

Think we need to stick more sellotape on Koscielny.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Great tackle from someone. Kos then I guess.

[Letters]

I think he means we were lucky to only be 0-1 down before we scored. He’s not wrong.

Well. They certainly had an easy chance before they scored, but it doesn't follow that had they scored that they'd have scored the one they did because goals change games.

[Marc Overmars]

Might need something special to get a third here. They look pretty solid at the back and get numbers behind the ball quickly.

[SMatthews]

What a miss by Laca

[Marc Overmars]

WTF Laca?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

How has Lacazette missed that?

[SMatthews]

Well. They certainly had an easy chance before they scored, but it doesn't follow that had they scored that they'd have scored the one they did because goals change games.

You’re totally right about that. Alhough we were up against it in that period and a second would not have been a surprise.

[SMatthews]

What the fuck Laca??

[Marc Overmars]

How the fuck hasn’t Laca scored there?

[GP]

Lacashite :doh:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Jesus wept Laca.

[SMatthews]

We’ve got momentum and look more in control now. Hope we take advantage of it cos I’m sure Valencia will have a couple more chances judging by the game so far.

[Master Splinter]

As good as Laca has been today, he misses too many simple chances.

The difference between very good and top, top quality.

[Marc Overmars]

Cech saving our arses.

[Özim]

This would be a poor result as it stands, wouldn't fancy our chances in the 2nd leg with a narrow 2-1 lead.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ozil off, Mkhitaryan on.

[SMatthews]

Sokratis loves it :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bonkers dummy from Mkhitaryan.

[Marc Overmars]

Kos off to the glue factory

[GP]

Kos is a warrior.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Xhaka. :haha:

[SMatthews]

AUBA!!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

AMN's delivery, abysmal.

[Marc Overmars]

AUBA!!!!!

GET IN!!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

AUBEMAYANG!!! WAHOOO!!!

[AFC Leveller]

Yessss

[Özim]

GET IN!!!!!

[GP]

GARGLE MY NUTSSSS!!!

[LDG]

Yes fucking yes fucking yes!!!!!!

[LDG]

AMN's delivery, abysmal.

:sulk:

[LDG]

:dance:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Shinner special from Auba. :lol:

[LDG]

GARGLE MY NUTSSSS!!!

Ok

[Letters]

GARGLE MY NUTSSSS!!!

Go on then. As you asked so nicely.

Wemberlee, Wemberlee!!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

:sulk:

:unsure:

AMN doing a Kolasinac impression?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arsenal 3-1 Valencia, FT! :bow:

[Gooner23]

Those short corner routines can fuck off. 10 seconds left, just stick it in the box you assholes.

Given the start, I'll take that all day long.

[SMatthews]

Cech saying his goodbyes.

[Letters]

That 3rd goal was so important. Get in!

[LDG]

Arsenal :bow:

[LDG]

That 3rd goal was so important. Get in!

:woohoo:

[Mac76]

I'll take that - just one goal in the away tie will make it very difficult for them

Well done Arsenal :clap:

[RomfordPele]

Those short corner routines can fuck off. 10 seconds left, just stick it in the box you assholes.

Given the start, I'll take that all day long.

Yeah that pissed me off too.

Still 3-1 is a good result, need a good performance next week to be sure though.