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Good result and I thought Olympiakos were the better team until we scored and I think Wenger was right once that happened they got nervous and we were able to take control.
The result does help with the league though as we don't have to play Thursdays and we probably only got two games left in the competition anyway so shouldn't take too much out of the players. The Europa league we could have got to the semis or final.
Wenger's first 8 years or so with us definitely raised the level of expectation. The stadium move was supposed to push us on but the timing of it coincided with the billionaires sticking their oars in. The "last 10 years" argument is lazy and simplistic. The last couple of years have seen a clear change in transfer policy as the new financial deals have been agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by A Gunner
Wenger should arguably have been sacked at certain points over the last 10 years - after the Birmingham debacle I didn't think we'd ever win a trophy under him again, but the last 2 years have been OK, we seem to be heading in the right direction and so far this season is going fine. 2nd in the league, qualified for the last 16 of the CL (somehow!).
As I've said all along, Wenger should be judged at the end of the season. After the first 2 games our CL campaign was looking like a fiasco, now we've qualified.
I don't think realistically we can win the CL, teams like Barca, Madrid and Bayern are just too strong, but I do expect us to seriously challenge for the league this season.
At the end of the season maybe if we've fallen short again. Not now :good:Quote:
Originally Posted by fakeyank
Giroud's first hat trick for us and what a time to score it. Hopefully that kicks him back into gear. 1st goal was what he's been doing all season but the second was good movement and a great play from Campbell. Also, I can't understand why he's not the first on the penalty list if he takes them like that.
Campbell showed real quality today. I hope he keeps getting games because despite the ups and downs, he has shown moments of quality. Yesterday was another example.
Good result overall and we avoid Thursday night football. But with our record, the odds were in our favour. We just always seem to qualify. But where we seem to fall apart is the last 16 and the odds have always gone against us in that area. It's unlikely, but it would be great if we could advance beyond that and have an interesting CL for once.
Cracking result. Well done to the lads, as there was some real pressure on that. Lose, and it could have really affected the rest of the season.
If we hadn't gone through, we'd have to contend with playing on Spursday, not to mention a dent in confidence.
Hopefully this means we can push on and start getting some consistency in the league.
Campbell must have been watching some old Dennis Bergkamp tapes. Reminds me of that Juve assist.
the FA cup is worthwhile :good:Quote:
Originally Posted by fakeyank
I agree with all that. Well done to Arsenal for what, as Wenger rightly put it, was a great team performance in difficult circumstances. What a great day for BIF to show up. He gets some unfair criticism, IMO - but that is what you want a striker to do - put goals away when the stakes are high, and he did just that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory
I was confident that we would do it last night - because as I've said - qualifying for the CL knock out stages has become Wenger's reputational calling card.
I really hope that Campbell can kick on from this performance. He is a good team player - and we need team performances now, with injuries to key players.
As for your comments about kicking on. Yes, of course. But our failure to progress could not encapsulate more the dilemna of assessing Wenger's value. You can use the serial qualification for the group stage to fly the flag as Letters does. Or you can point out that we perennially underperform in some CL matches that we should win, and so tend to make life difficult for ourselv
Yes it is - but ultimately it does not compensate for not winning the league.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ollie the Optimist
Well done to the whole team and the manager as well.
Wenger must buy a defensive midfielder in January and I reckon an attacking midfielder will be a loan deal, maybe Rabiot from PSG.
Come on Arsene, I know you don't want to but you really have to.