Pep. :lol:
We were the only side coming even remotely close to knocking them out last season, therefore...it's on!
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Pep. :lol:
We were the only side coming even remotely close to knocking them out last season, therefore...it's on!
Bayern Munich how boring!
Well, we might aswell get the best team out of the way right away :D
But think about it, i dont think Bayern is comfortable with this draw AT all, we're the only team that has made them look human. They havent really changed much in their starting-11 since we've played them, we've added the best #10 in the world and given magic mushroom-roids to Ramsey, since we played them.
G.A.Y. Draw.
Bayern will be tough, probably the toughest we could have got but i say bring it on.
FFS.
We were 3 minutes away from drawing Zenit! Oh well, it was good while it lasted.
Another "meaningless" game in Munich then.
Didnt Man City just beat them 3-2 after being 2-0 down and had pellegrini read the rules they were one goal away from us drawing someone else. So i dont think we are the only team to make them look normal. However, like we did against Napoli they fact that bayern didnt need to win either game took something from them. So despite beating them 2-0 did we ever really look like knocking them out.Quote:
Originally Posted by JonasTC
we went out on away goals last year and we are a better team now so there is some hope. its going to be a huge ask though however, we all know we won't win the competition so whats the point in fighting for fourth and hoping you play the shit teams? these are the games we want and will remember if we do something special.
no reason why we can't win either.
:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy
:hug:
oh sorry i forgot that being drawn against a big team means we have no chance whatsoever, no point in even looking for any glimmer of hope and that its much better to be drawn against the shitter teams like bayer levakusen and lose anywayQuote:
Originally Posted by Letters To Santa
Look at the draw Man Utd, Chelsea and Dortmund got.
Then try telling me finishing second is okay.
I'd rather get a big draw too Ollie but let's face it: Bayern are better than us. Much better than us.
That doesn't mean it's impossible for us, if I thought that then why watch?
But we're 2nd favourites by a distance.
Group stage is different from the knockout stage, in the knockout stage you take no chances, even if you lead after the first game, so you cant really compare those. But okay, us and a team that has spend a billion+ on their team over the last couple of years have made them look human.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumble
I'm not saying finishing second is ok. what i said was, we aren't going to win the thing so i would rather go out facing a big team.
chelsea won't be happy with that draw either. you seen how they defend? drogba will have a field day
i don't think I've said we are favourites for this so i don't get the laughter. they are better then us but we are better team then we were last time and we went out on away goals. all I'm saying is that we have some hope. you never know what might happen, we could win the home leg and suddenly you never know. are we likely to win and go through? no. will we give it a good go? i bloody hope so. can we win and go through? you never know, it is a cup competition after allQuote:
Originally Posted by Letters To Santa
That is usually the case when it comes to CL knockout football unfortunately, our track record is average to say the least.Quote:
Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy
I just like how optimistic you are. It's quite sweet really although sometimes I think you veer into delusion.
This is the ideal draw.
To win it we'd likely have to beat this lot at some stage. If we win it we'll be feared by the rest and it will give us a massive confidence boost and start to build one of those "name is on the cup" scenarios. If we lose, it is expected, provided we play well it won't be such a big downer plus it will free us up to concentrate on the PL.
So win-win, much better than getting Gala and fucking it up.
Provided we don't get a cheating ref we can at least give this lot a game.
Rubbish. If that's the case then you might as well give up in every competition. 'Might as well face the big teams in the FA cup and Carling cup early, we aint winning the trophy'.Quote:
Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy
You try to enhance the chance of winning a trophy by mitigating the probability of facing the big teams. Of course you need to play a big team at some point, but getting to the champions league semi's then losing to a big team would be much better than losing in the round of 16. Trumping out in the early stage will do nothing but dampen the confidence amongst players. On the other hand, getting a bit of luck and reaching the semi's, then losing against a big team, would improve the morale of the team knowing they reached a respectable position in the competition. Players dream of playing in the semi's and finals of big competitions, not the round of 16. Not to mention the increased revenue for the club.
We worked so fucking hard to get top 4 last season and celebrated the achievement like winning a trophy. What's the point of all that hard work if we're content with losing in the round of 16 to a big team?
Not so bothered about being second - much more bothered about going into a game with a negative gameplan, that hasn't worked for us since the cup final against Utd but we don't seem to learn the lesson.
Quote:
Originally Posted by She Wore A Red Ribbon
i can see that, however last year, we went out in the last 16 and went on an unbeaten run to the end of the season so it can work both ways.
my theory on this year, i want the league. we won't win the champions league so id rather go out facing one of the big teams because they are dam good games usually. if we lose, we go down to one game a week and can focus on the league, if we win, then wow. of course i would love to win the champions league but this year, id rather win the league. it would be a greater achievement IMO
not quite sure how its delusion to say we aren't winning the compeition, its unlikely we will beat bayern, stating how we are better team since we last played them (we have) and that its a cup competition so anything could happen. case and point. chelseaQuote:
Originally Posted by Letters To Santa
Last season I would have just laughed and accepted we were out before a ball was kicked, then prayed we could scrape 4th in the league. This year I think we have a slim chance against Bayern, why not, if we are right on top of our game (twice) we are a good side and this is knockout football. Plus we are talking about competing for the PL without it being pure fantasy. Things have certainly improved. Probability suggests we'll win neither, but we've gone from being non-competitive to competitive which is what most of us wanted.
:gp:Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
That.
Last season and this season are completely different. This season we've improved and are challenging. A team challenging shouldn't throw away trophies or be content with reaching round of 16's.Quote:
Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy
Not too sure Ollie deserves the stick he's getting here, he isn't delusional by any means as he accepts that we are second favourites but fact is we did strengthen from last year.
thats exactly what i said though and got called delusional?Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters To Santa
truth is you are delusional, you can see the bright side of stepping in a big lump of dog pooQuote:
Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy
We routinely bottle our group games and end up with a mountain to climb.....ergo we havent made the QFs for some time now. The same lack of tactics that see us fail everytime we meet a quality team in whichever cup.
Hope Poldi is at least back cos Giroud is fast starting to resemble Aderbayor. Its a game so we have a punchers chance. ali v Chuck Wepner
We have the tie that Wumbers tactics against Napoil derserves & yet I see he was commenting earlier on hoping for a decent draw. Presumably he wanted PSG. Pity he didn't think about that before tryng to get the likes of Ozil & Cazorla to play like Stoke in Naples.
We couldn't win it this year - Saturday proved that but the extra revenue would have been welcome & feel good factor of a decent cup run. Anyway, lets hope next year when we're totally in charge of our group with a game to go he remembers he's negativity continues to get us nowhere in big matches - but I doubt it
Wumber :bow:
:haha:Quote:
Originally Posted by Globalgunner
It was always going to be Bayern or Barca.
We would have got Olympiakos if we'd finished first in our group.
If we get through, I'd like to play someone different for once.
Hope Dids Didses Chelsea.
is that the same lack of tactics that caused us to beat liverpool, spurs, napoli, dortmund away this season?Quote:
Originally Posted by Globalgunner
i just don't get how I'm delusional by saying that although bayern are a better team, as with all cup competitions there is a chance of an upset and we might do it but if we are going to go out, id rather go out to a big team then a small team.
we finished top of the group, we got milan and lost. we finished second and got bayern. there are no easy games in this competition once you are in the knockouts. we fucked up in napoli, i have never said anything different but because i dare to say we could pull off an upset because its a cup competition i get called delusional.
funny enough, someone said the exact same thing, and people agreed with him.
Ofcourse we could pull of an upset but I don't get your point on the tactics. Liverpool, Spurs & Napoli were home games where we've gone out to try to score. Dortmund away was a wonderful result but they could have won the game by half time it they had taken a couple of easy chances. Playing the way we did we would get beat 8 times out of ten. Didn't need that away to Napoli who are nowhere near as good as Dortmund. If we scored 1st it would have killed them but he wanted to soak up the pressure using those world famous defensive midfielders Ozil & Cazorla.Quote:
Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy
I laughed at that on football weekly too! :d
I see what you are saying, but turn it around and recall how we have done in every 'big' game this season save for Liverpool and Dortmund away - and a step change feels far more like hope than expectation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
We have improved. Yes. I'd say mostly in defence. But in reality there is little evidence to suggest that there is anything fundamentally different to this team than other Wenger teams who at stages have tended to flatter then deceive.
I don't want to put a downer on what at times has been a pleasantly surprising season so far. But it is true that the last week or so has been painful.
But that's the point, we've actually won a couple of big games this season. Plus we were very unlucky to lose vs Utd, flu and our own ex-striker shouldering one in, Utd themselves had nothing of their own making to threaten us with - not even the ref for once. Everton and Napoli were poor performances and they all have one thing in common, Wenger's negative approach to certain games and opponents. Saturday was a circus, can't read too much into it beyond what we already know, we need options up front. Wenger has put the pressure on us for the Chelsea game by chucking the Everton and Napoli matches in the hope of having more energy against city. But we'd have been just as well off knackered against city but with the points in the bag vs Everton and topping our CL group. This saving and resting bullshit is more counterproductive than anything else.
Or looking at it another way - if we put in an end of season run like last year, we're champions. Some options coming back from injury too. I don't think it's all doom and gloom quite yet.
Sometimes you see a comment that genuinely helps to change your mindset. Cheers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
I don't think he was negative against everton. everton played exceptionally well and deserved a draw. Napoli as the players said was because we didnt need to win that they played the way they did. It is the reason we beat bayern. Had the first leg been a draw a doubt we would have won the second leg last season. Top level sport if you don't give 100% you tend to lose. It is very difficult to coast through games.
We can go through against bayern. We just must not lose it after the first leg. Don't chase the result as 0-0 is not a bad result.