Match Reaction: Bayern Munich 5 Arsenal 1

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Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

Olympiakos play Bayern, not Zagreb but yes, they just need a point.

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They need a point in their 2 remaining games against us and Bayern. We need them to lose both and we win our 2 games against Zagreb and Olympiakos beating Olympiakos by at least 2 goals

eminently feasible, but to what end. We will get RM in the next round and have our arses handed to us again.

My Chilean colleague had a photo taken next to an official replica of the Europa trophy at a trade show on Tuesday, 'twas a sign.

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Originally Posted by Kano

But where has this illusion come from? Being second in early November? We should all know how many times we've seen this. Nothing has created our downfall in the league before now. We've had no extended CL runs, always out in the next round. Just two extra games. So all we've had is the PL to concentrate on for years and where has that got us? We can't talk about cotton wool around our players to save them for some mystical glory run in the league when there is nothing to say the exact same thing won't happen again. Just go for whatever we can because otherwise we are just narrowing our own chances of success, star struck by early season form that has burnt us for years on end.

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Fair point, but with Chelsea out of the picture for now..and I would assume for the season it gives us one less team to worry about.

I personally think this season is our best chance of a proper crack at the title. We need a fit and healthy squad which we don't have at the moment and I just think adding a distraction of the Europa League would just complicate thing for us.

I do see where you are coming from and our previous collapses have been as you described, but we have our strongest squad in years IMO, it's just all about managing them and ensuring we don't get hit with these recurring muscular injuries.

My opinion is that we are in deep shit right now with injuries and unless we get bodies back I think the collapse may well start now.

So the game we are taking for granted is the next one against Zagreb?

I think they need to scrap the whole idea of teams from the CL qualifying for the Europa League once knocked out of the CL. Cheapens the competition and even if we qualify and win the trophy at the end, I won't really feel proud of it. Might as well be out of Europe all together.

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Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

I think they need to scrap the whole idea of teams from the CL qualifying for the Europa League once knocked out of the CL. Cheapens the competition and even if we qualify and win the trophy at the end, I won't really feel proud of it. Might as well be out of Europe all together.

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Me too. Despite that I think a lot of folks are really underestimating the Europa League, there are some very good teams in it this season, CL level teams like Dortmund, Napoli, Villareal, Ajax & Basle, aswell as domestic rivals like Liverpool and Spuds. If we end up in it we have no guarantees of winning it. I'd have Dortmund down as the favourites even if we enter it, they have been very good this season.

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Originally Posted by Globalgunner

eminently feasible, but to what end. We will get RM in the next round and have our arses handed to us again.

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Maybe, better than dropping into the Europa League though.
Either finish 2nd or 4th, not 3rd.

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Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

Olympiakos play Bayern, not Zagreb but yes, they just need a point.

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I'd like to think that Pep and Bayern are professional enough to not throw that match, especially in Munich. They probably need the 3 points to be assured of top place as it is. Just thankful it isn't a Mourinho team because he would duplicitous enough to throw a match just to spite ..... the greasy cunt.

As for the UEFA cup, there's no shame if you end up winning the thing outright ..... I'm sure Chelsea fans weren't ashamed or any less overjoyed when they won the thing a few years ago. However, obviously with a PL run on the horizon the best strategy would to use our reserves/kids up until the semi final stages (if we get that far) before having a right go at it with our first team.

Anyway it's all academic as I still believe we'll squeeze through. Like always finishing in the top four, I don't think this record from Wenger (always qualifying) is about to be broken just yet.

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Originally Posted by Globalgunner

eminently feasible, but to what end. We will get RM in the next round and have our arses handed to us again.

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Thing is, the first Bayern result shows that with a fully fit first team, we can give anyone in Europe a good match if we're up for it.

Even though their top of La liga at the moment, I don't think RM under the fat Spanish waiter are as good as a Bayern or a Messi inspired Barca team and are definitely beatable if we get our tactics right.

Also, the year Liverpool won it outright they barely scrapped through the group with a screamer from Gerrard in the last minute of the last game. Anything can happen once you're in the knock off stages. There's no need to wave the white flags just yet.

My anger was all spent on those first two, very winnable games. That is the issue, not last night (though getting spanked was a bit embarrassing).

We showed what we can do in the home tie, but it was never going to be an easy game in Bayern. We all would have expected a loss there, even if we'd won every other game. It doesn't excuse the poor defending last night in the slightest, but as far as give a fucks go, I long since stopped giving a fuck about this competition.

I'll be livid if we turn up unprepared on Sunday though.