Champions League QF/SF Draw, 11am GMT

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I don’t want to be that guy, but in 17 previous seasons at the Emirates there has only been one season where we’ve done better away from home than at home. It was 2020/2021 - we got 33 points on the road, compared to 28 at the Emirates which was our worst ever season at home going back to the 1980s…and I don’t think it was a coincidence that it was the season where we had no supporters in the ground.

Same in Europe, even with the defeats to Bayern our home form has outstripped our away form. Which is what you’d expect from any team.

There are a few caveats, for example Tuesday night was the first time under Arteta that we’d won a home tie in the knockout phases of a European tournament….first time in six attempts

And it’s just my opinion but I actually think it was playing at home in the second leg that was the reason we went through against Porto. We struggled to create chances at home but that was because we found it nearly impossible to deal with a team that compressed the space (and threw themselves to the floor all the time ) the way they did. I think we do need to adapt to deal with teams that play that way, but i had a look at the group stages the other day and although they won both games…Barca struggled with Porto as well…and just as much at home (wherever it is they are playing this season) as well as at the Dragao.

I think Bayern having no fans at the Emirates does give us a big advantage.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not to say we can’t get a result in Germany. But I’d rather not have to depend on one

I think you missed my opinion a bit.

I didn't say (or mean to say) that we get more points away than we do at home, nor that any team does.

My argument was that the modern player doesn't thrive on pressure and thus we see teams that have must win games at home tend to lose or muck it up.

This was not the way it was in previous generations, and thus we get more away wins than we ever have in football. To make it simpler, its like a percentage argument, if a dominant side in the past got 70% of it points from home form and the remaining 30% from away form, it has changed nowadays, to be more likely something like 58% to 42%.

I haven't done any study or anything but to me its just obvious that home form of most teams isn't what it use to be. I wouldn't want to use your Coronavirus example as proving me right, as that wouldn't even count as every game then was devoid of fans, thus devoid of pressure, thus negating a very important reason I think teams fail to dominate the way they use to at home.

Anyway I think UEFA kind of agrees that the chasm between Home and Away advantage isn't that great anymore, as I believe that was kind of the argument they used to get rid of the away goals rule.

Its just an opinion though but I do hope it holds against Bayern as I really want to beat them in Munich, in front of their fans, no matter what the Emirates result is.