Olympiakos v Arsenal, 20:00 GMT (20/02, BT Sport 2)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Having to play these farmers again.

:sleep:

[Letters]

0-3

[Mac76]

Even though it might be our best route to the CL I still can't get excited about this competition at all - probably just because it's shite... :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

Nah. It's shit. Losers Cup. Let the kids play so they get a bit more experience.

[Marc Overmars]

Even though it might be our best route to the CL I still can't get excited about this competition at all - probably just because it's shite... :lol:

I know right. I mean, we have to try and win it but god this is such a dire competition.

[GP]

0-2

[Letters]

0-2

Pessimist <_<

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Somewhat controversially I like the Europa league.

At least when we play at home that is. Half the season ticket holders can't be arsed to go or even sell their ticket and sod off and do something else, so it's less congested getting into the ground and away from it. The European away fans usually create quite a bit of atmosphere, noise, drums, flares, etc and the tickets are quite often less than half the price of even games against mediocre prem sides.

Also this competition is our level right now and Arsenal haven't won enough European titles for a club of our size.....moreover I haven't seen it up close and personal. The cup winners cup was too long ago, I was a little too early in my supporting days and a touch too young to really appreciate it like I would now.

[Mac76]

The European away fans usually create quite a bit of atmosphere, noise, drums, flares, etc and the tickets are quite often less than half the price of even games against mediocre prem sides.


i do agree with that - before i got an ST the Europa League was a cheap way in and yes the away fans can be fun - overall it's still a bit dire though

[Letters]

Somewhat controversially I like the Europa league.
I do too. If only because it's a competition we could credibly win.
The CL is where all the glamour is but let's face it, we can't mix it with the big guns in that competition, as exciting as it is to play them sometimes.

[selassie]

Even though it might be our best route to the CL I still can't get excited about this competition at all - probably just because it's shite... :lol:

Have you seen the teams left in the tournament? I doubt we will make the final let alone win it!

Inter Milan & Ajax are comfortably better teams than us IMO. I wouldn’t be confident of us beating Man Utd, Sevilla or Wolves in either 2 legs or a one-off.

I doubt we are winning Europa this year.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

i do agree with that - before i got an ST the Europa League was a cheap way in and yes the away fans can be fun - overall it's still a bit dire though

I actually go to every home game and I still enjoy the Europa league games. Also I forgot, at home we have tended to see really encouraging performances here...and earlier in the season all of the convincing performances were in the Europa league. It's also where we first saw Martinelli and Tierney when they were really good. Tierney especially has been far better in the europa than league.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arsenal: Leno, Sokratis, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Willock, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Martinelli.

Subs: Martinez, Ceballos, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Pepe, Nketiah, Kolasinac.

[Niall_Quinn]

Oh good - VAR is in operation tonight.

[Niall_Quinn]

Regarding this new European format he mentioned, where the top 6 play for the title and the bottom 6 play to avoid relegation. Does that mean you can finish top and not win the title? Or finish 6th and win it? Surely not?

[Niall_Quinn]

Certain red card for that. Where's VAR? He deliberately stamped on his ankle. No doubt about it considering he put his foot back in after the challenge. How is that not a red? What are the rules for red now? You have to be called Xhaka?

[Niall_Quinn]

Laca OMFG! He's missed it from a yard out.

[Master Splinter]

Lacashite alive and well.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Laca. :doh:

[Master Splinter]

Certain red card for that. Where's VAR? He deliberately stamped on his ankle. No doubt about it considering he put his foot back in after the challenge. How is that not a red? What are the rules for red now? You have to be called Xhaka?

In the PL, it'd just be laughed off. At least he got booked.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Come on Willock, do something there!

[Niall_Quinn]

Leno saves - from Luiz :doh:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Leno knew what he was doing. :bow:

Semedo booked, he'll miss the game at the Emirates.

[Niall_Quinn]

After all that delay - Xhaka hits Martinelli with the FK.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Xhaka freekick, deflection takes any semblance of pace off it.

[Thierrymon]

There is definitely goals here for us today. We have had some good space around their goal. Just need the finish.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Willock scuffs it.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka with two great bits of skill, two awful passes. :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

Nice play again from Saka, but Willock doesn't make much of a decent cross.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Xhaka with the worst corner of all time.

[Niall_Quinn]

Our right side has zero creativity, which is quite a bit more than the centrebacks possess. Sideways, sideways, sideways, back.

[Niall_Quinn]

HT 0-0

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-0 HT.

What shit. :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

We've done okay containing them. But we've plodded going forward. Youngsters have tried a few things but disappointing from the senior lot.

[Master Splinter]

Playing Sokratis at right-back so there's absolutely no threat on the right side.

Playing our two best goal scorers on the wing to accomadate a scrappy goal repellant.

Not passing to our only creative threat Saka when he's constantly in great positions on the left wing with no-one near him.

Is Arteta trying to make us as blunt as possible?

[Niall_Quinn]

That's really good cross by Saka. Why aren't our billion quid strikers getting on the end of that?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Awful from Xhaka.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

That is so weak from Lacazette.

[Niall_Quinn]

Absolute gash by Lacazette. Fucking useless.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bouchalakis or someone booked.

[Niall_Quinn]

Luiz and Xhaka, the Laurel and Hardy FK duo. Takes them half an hour to do nothing, apart from a song and dance.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Mustafi special.

Xhaka bails him out.

Lacazette gives it away with a stupid flick.

[Master Splinter]

Lacazette is asbsolutely ruining everything.

Arteta seems to love him though.

[Niall_Quinn]

Lacazette is so far from any sort of form it's painful to watch. Literally useless up there.

[Niall_Quinn]

Martinelli is wasted out on the right ahead of the creativity black hole that is Sokratis.

Ceballos coming on though - hopefully not just like for like.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Martinelli off for Ceballos.

WTF Arteta?

[Master Splinter]

Saka ignored again.

Are they all scared of being shown up by a kid?

[Niall_Quinn]

Sideshow Bob goes for glory. Typical outcome, of course.

Sheeeeeeeeeeet - it's Martinelli that has been yanked for Ceballos. I can't see any logic in that. Ceballos central, Willock goes left so I guess that leaves Auba to orbit Sokratis' non-event horizon.

[Master Splinter]

Martinelli is wasted out on the right ahead of the creativity black hole that is Sokratis.



It's Auba out on that side.

Although it's hard to blame Sokratis for not being able to transform into a flying full-back in his thirties.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka is so good at left back, I think him having designs on left midfield is a mistake.

[fakeyank]

Still cant understand why Martinelli was subbed for Ceballos.. why keep both Guendozi and Xhaka on the pitch!?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Xhaka being so advanced. :doh:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Lacazette defending for his life.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Kokkinakis off, Fortounis on.

[Master Splinter]

Still cant understand why Martinelli was subbed for Ceballos.. why keep both Guendozi and Xhaka on the pitch!?

Or you could take Lacazette off and play our two best strikers up front.

[Thierrymon]

Not been Willocks best game today, his touch has been poor for a lot of the game.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Well done Leno.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's not as if these Greeks are that great. Why are we so negative today? There's a win in this if we could only get out from under the bed.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Needs more Pepe tbf.

[Master Splinter]

Laca losing it again.

FFS get him off.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Awful from Auba.

Mustafi didn't need to dive in though. Booked.

[Niall_Quinn]

Leno with a good save. But offside anyway.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Leno saves from Ba, might be offside but he wasn't to know.

[Niall_Quinn]

Pepe will be on shortly.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bad from Ceballos.

Not a difficult pass to make.

[Niall_Quinn]

On for Saka I suppose.

[Thierrymon]

That dive by the Olympiacos player :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

FK given to them for no reason whatsoever.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Lacazette requesting to be sent off, probably.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Leno with a great save, nearly fluffed it but all good in the end.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Willock off, Pepe on.

:lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

Leno fluffs it but gets away with it.

Pepe on for Willock.

[Niall_Quinn]

Just dive around the box and let Pepe take the FKs. Our best option.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pepe getting up to speed with the quality of the game straight away.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Camera. :haha:

[Master Splinter]

Are we ever going to see Auba play as a striker again?

It's mental that he's playing everywhere but in his best position.

[Thierrymon]

Laca!!!

[Niall_Quinn]

LACA!

OMG!

He SCORES!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

LACAZETTE!!! YAY!!!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arteta. :bow:

Us. :haha:

[Master Splinter]

Saka the difference maker again.

What a player.

[Niall_Quinn]

Nice by Auba. Then another assist for Saka. On a plate for Laca who hist it with his left, onto his right, bobbles up, hits him on the nose and deflects off a low flying pigeon into the net!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka. :bow:

Sign him up.

[Niall_Quinn]

Xhaka gets his booking. For throwing the ball away.

[Letters]

Laca :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Xhaka with a yellow. :faint:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Lacazette denied his second.

[Niall_Quinn]

5 vs 3 for us but fell to Laca who hits it at the keeper.

[Thierrymon]

Papa :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Sokratis header hammers the bar, Mustafi puts it wide.

Sokratis is dead.

[Niall_Quinn]

We hit the top of the crossbar - didn't see who. Mustafi or Sokratis I think. Meanwhile Sokratis is dead.

[Niall_Quinn]

What was Pepe doing there? He lays it off but instead of continuing into the box he books a holiday and vanishes.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Five added minutes.

[Niall_Quinn]

AMN on, Sokratis off.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Cafuratis off, AMN on.

[Niall_Quinn]

Why didn't AMN play there in the first place? Weird.

[Niall_Quinn]

Xhaka really is a twat sometimes.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

When does that third European competition start?

Bet we'll have this fixture in that.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Olympiakos 0-1 The Arsenal, FT.

Classic away performance. :bow:

Three clean sheets in a row. :faint:

[Niall_Quinn]

FT 0-1

Painful to watch but a win's a win.

[Niall_Quinn]

When does that third European competition start?

Bet we'll have this fixture in that.

??? What third competition? Will the losers of the Europa drop into it and mix it up with the absolute dregs?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

??? What third competition? Will the losers of the Europa drop into it and mix it up with the absolute dregs?

I haven't made this up, honestly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Europa_Conference_League

[Niall_Quinn]

I haven't made this up, honestly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Europa_Conference_League

Anyone can edit a Wikipedia page. This can't be real.

[Marc Overmars]

Christ, imagine the ignominy of being involved in that if you’re a club of any standing in the game. This competition is bad enough as it is.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Anyone can edit a Wikipedia page. This can't be real.
I could have posted the UEFA page but somehow I thought it may be found not as believable.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Christ, imagine the ignominy of being involved in that if you’re a club of any standing in the game. This competition is bad enough as it is.

If we fail in any qualifier, that will be us. :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

I could have posted the UEFA page but somehow I thought it may be found not as believable.

I was fucking joking, being my usual, cynical self, when I said it was for the losers of the Europa league mixing it up with the dregs from some pirate island. It really is that? Unbelievable. 140 more matches that nobody wants. UEFA is making an art form out of quantity over quality.

If we end up in this "competition" then that's it, the absolute final straw - I will refuse to watch and nobody, least of all UEFA, will be able to talk me out of it.

[GP]

Christ, imagine the ignominy of being involved in that if you’re a club of any standing in the game. This competition is bad enough as it is.

Spurs would make a DVD for losing in the RO16

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Isn't it basically just the Intertoto...

[Mac76]

Any more televised football and Maccy will literally not have time to get to the corner shop and just simply waste away in front of the TV... :lol:

[Marc Overmars]

Any more televised football and Maccy will literally not have time to get to the corner shop and just simply waste away in front of the TV... :lol:

It’s Maccy. No amount of football phases him.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Can't wait for when we lock horns against the cup winners of Lichtenstein.