Match Reaction Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal

[Power n Glory]

Yeah totally agree with this, offensively no other team comes close to them in the world, it's not just Messi now, it's him, Neymar and Suarez. Even without Messi they were still blitzing teams, I watched them tear Real a new one in the El Classico without Messi.

Mate, we've got Ozil. It will be fine.

[Niall_Quinn]

There's one super, super slim chance to beat them over two legs and that's to hit them relentlessly with everything we have in terms of pace and basically not give a fuck if they score a few. Theo, Ox and Alexis bombing forward with Ozil supplying the ammo, basic, agricultural, relentless and see if we catch them cold and outscore them. Highly unlikely but I can't envisage any other route to coming out on top after two games. Ramsey will have to be iron willed in terms of discipline, if he has it in his locker. Obviously Flamini can't play. I mean OBVIOUSLY Flamini can't play.

If we try to play them, if we play a slow, tippy tappy (or "patient" as Wenger would call it) game then maybe, just maybe we can fluke a draw at home but we'll never fluke two in a row and we'll get annihilated in at least one of the matches. This is how we'll play, I'm betting.

We also have to try to avoid gifting them by getting a player sent off. This may be hard to do.

We mustn't play Flamini.

[selassie]

Mate, we've got Ozil. It will be fine.

[Özim]

There's one super, super slim chance to beat them over two legs and that's to hit them relentlessly with everything we have in terms of pace and basically not give a fuck if they score a few. Theo, Ox and Alexis bombing forward with Ozil supplying the ammo, basic, agricultural, relentless and see if we catch them cold and outscore them. Highly unlikely but I can't envisage any other route to coming out on top after two games. Ramsey will have to be iron willed in terms of discipline, if he has it in his locker. Obviously Flamini can't play. I mean OBVIOUSLY Flamini can't play.

If we try to play them, if we play a slow, tippy tappy (or "patient" as Wenger would call it) game then maybe, just maybe we can fluke a draw at home but we'll never fluke two in a row and we'll get annihilated in at least one of the matches. This is how we'll play, I'm betting.

We also have to try to avoid gifting them by getting a player sent off. This may be hard to do.

We mustn't play Flamini.

Unless they have a monumental off days in two legs outscoring a team with that amount of firepower is very very very unlikely, in this scenario we have to accept, they're a bigger club, with better players and a better manager and that if they show up we'll get a pasting as they're on a different planet to us as a club and team. Ironically the whole point of the stadium was supposedly to compete with these teams, we're however as far as we've ever been from them.

It must be good to be a Barcelona fan and know that your club prioritises football over anything else.

[mastermind84]

I'm not sure I agree that Barca are not as great as they used to be, they are different to that great team that Pep managed and don't play pure "tiki taka" like they used to but if anything they are more versatile these days.

They have come off the back of the treble, I think last season saw their team really settle into it's style and form it's identity. I see no real reason why their current team can't dominate like the Pep team did, they have pretty much won all of their big games for a year, many of them with ease by systematically dismantling their opponents.

I do agree that their Midfield is not as strong, but they have different qualities now, the Busquets, Rakitic & Iniesta trio is as good as anything out there, they have superb depth now too with the likes of Arda Turan and Sergi Roberto filling in, even Mascherano plays their sometimes.

They have more depth in Defence too...it's their weakest area but it's still way above average.

They're a far more versatile in their play, previous sides have been all about pass pass and if you played the right way (like Chelsea) you could more often than not stifle them and restrict their chances, now they have pace and can be more direct, they also have several genuine goal threats whereas before they relied too much on Messi.

Personally I think they're more dangerous and have more goals in them now, honestly think their forwards will have a field day against our defence and only Cech will keep the score down, Suarez, Neymar and Messi that's an unbelievable front 3, most teams would love to have just one of those three (we would) and they've managed to assemble 3.

The fact is other than our keeper none of the areas of our team are that great, up front we're not great, the midfield isn't all that and neither is the defence.

Yeah I think their attack is better (well I think the 08/09 attack was the best but I'm biased) but I don't think the rest of the team is as strong nor is their management as strong.

If we had Cazorla I would wager we could get control of the middle.

[Kano]

Unless they have a monumental off days in two legs outscoring a team with that amount of firepower is very very very unlikely, in this scenario we have to accept, they're a bigger club, with better players and a better manager and that if they show up we'll get a pasting as they're on a different planet to us as a club and team. Ironically the whole point of the stadium was supposedly to compete with these teams, we're however as far as we've ever been from them.

It must be good to be a Barcelona fan and know that your club prioritises football over anything else.

It must feel good. Helps a lot when the club are exempt from paying tax and can spend whatever they want essentially, especially at a time of strict austerity in Spain. Barca are just as big as cunts as the Real who fall into the same bracket. Helps to keep ticket prices down at Barca but they take that back out of the fans pockets elsewhere in everyday life.

[Niall_Quinn]

Unless they have a monumental off days in two legs outscoring a team with that amount of firepower is very very very unlikely, in this scenario we have to accept, they're a bigger club, with better players and a better manager and that if they show up we'll get a pasting as they're on a different planet to us as a club and team. Ironically the whole point of the stadium was supposedly to compete with these teams, we're however as far as we've ever been from them.

It must be good to be a Barcelona fan and know that your club prioritises football over anything else.

Yes, very, very and indeed very, unlikely. But far more likely than if we opt to try and outplay them. Especially as our guys seem to have forgotten how to pass.

[Özim]

It must feel good. Helps a lot when the club are exempt from paying tax and can spend whatever they want essentially, especially at a time of strict austerity in Spain. Barca are just as big as cunts as the Real who fall into the same bracket. Helps to keep ticket prices down at Barca but they take that back out of the fans pockets elsewhere in everyday life.

Ultimately they've got the money and spend it and do make sure the football is always good and results are up to scratch, they make enough money as they're a massive club who win and thus benefit from this, I prefer the win and reap the rewards method over the don't win, don't spend but still get every penny out of the fans method personally.

We might not have all the advantages they have, but we certainly have enough money and had we prioritised success over financial success we'd probably make more money as well.

In the end though regardless about what you think of the club the fans are getting a good deal. People have a low opinion of the likes of Real and Barcelona but look at what our own club does, we're hardly in a position to take the moral high ground.

[Kano]

Ultimately they've got the money and spend it and do make sure the football is always good and results are up to scratch, they make enough money as they're a massive club who win and thus benefit from this, I prefer the win and reap the rewards method over the don't win, don't spend but still get every penny out of the fans method personally.

We might not have all the advantages they have, but we certainly have enough money and had we prioritised success over financial success we'd probably make more money as well.

In the end though regardless about what you think of the club the fans are getting a good deal. People have a low opinion of the likes of Real and Barcelona but look at what our own club does, we're hardly in a position to take the moral high ground.

You can take the high moral ground as a decent person not happy seeing an organisation, football club or not, not paying taxes and taking the absolute piss out the economy that is helping them out enormously. What Arsenal do is fucked up but that doesn't excuse the fact Barca and Real are robbing their own fans by not paying directly back into the economy around them. Hardly my idea of a good deal. You don't have to compare one to the other to realise that both are corrupt ways of running a business.

[Özim]

You can take the high moral ground as a decent person not happy seeing an organisation, football club or not, not paying taxes and taking the absolute piss out the economy that is helping them out enormously. What Arsenal do is fucked up but that doesn't excuse the fact Barca and Real are robbing their own fans by not paying directly back into the economy around them. Hardly my idea of a good deal. You don't have to compare one to the other to realise that both are corrupt ways of running a business.

They're not breaking any laws, that's not their problem it's down to the government of their country, they are simply doing what they are allowed to do just like any club would. Moreover you'll probably struggle to find any Barcelona fans complaining about this, their fans are happy with the way their club approaches football.

Big companies always take advantage of things like this (just look at Google etc) but the fact are they aren't doing anything they're not allowed to do, this an entirely different argument however whilst morally you can question what they do what I'm more interested is the football side which put a great emphasis on, hence the reason they are so successful.