Man United Preview: Rome awaits the winner 4 May, 2009
Posted by lasagnechef in Arsenal News.trackback
I’m lost for words as how to start this preview. It is without doubt the biggest game of our season and the most important fixture since the 2006 Champions League final. For many of our players it will be the biggest game of their careers so far. The 2009 Champions League Final in Rome is just one step away. After a disappointing season we never would’ve thought we’d find ourselves here, but we are here, and we have to produce.
Our players need to realise how big this game is. They need to put in everything they possibly can give like their lives depended on it. This is no time for a lazy performance, this is where it matters – Adebayor, yes I’m talking to you; we all know how good you can be so fucking prove it. You can score a goal out of anything if you try, make us forget this whole season with a strong performance tomorrow night. There might be one or two playing tomorrow who have been slightly disappointing with regards to their efforts this season – well the same goes for all of them too, everything can be forgotten with a winning performance tomorrow.
I just can’t put into words how important this game is, I really can’t. So I’d like to describe to you a mental image: The final whistle goes and Man United are through, the players go wild running around hugging and that away corner of the ground erupts to complete silence around the rest of the stadium. The players and staff are running over to their fans and celebrating reaching the Champions League Final on our ground. We’re walking up the steps, heads hung, thinking of what could’ve been.
We cannot let that happen.
It’s fucking Man United for fucks sake. We can’t let those dirty Mancs wherever they’re from cunts celebrate on our turf. Our players need to think about this, and so do the fans. Give every single last breath you have to the cause, we’re going to need the home atmosphere to carry us through. I don’t want to hear a single word from the United end. I’ve heard us make noise in that place before but we need to better that tomorrow night. This is the biggest game we’ve had at this stadium since it was built, I want it to rock.
Let’s look at the team then. For once, there’s a bit of good news injury-wise! It sounds like van Persie’s going to be fit, he trained today and Wenger describes him as “available”. As for Silvestre it doesn’t sound so promising, he is in the squad though. It would be a massive boost to have RVP back in the team, he has been our best striker this season. He can create things which is exactly what we need. We could also do with one of his free kicks going in, it’s been a while. If Robin is fit enough to play, we have no excuse not to play the traditional 4-4-2. We’ve been messing around with players in different positions recently but this is no time for experimentation, lets play with what we know we’re good at. Here’s what I hope for/think it might be:
Almunia
Sagna – Toure – Djourou – Gibbs
Walcott – Fabregas (c) – Song – Nasri
Adebayor – van Persie
I don’t see why that team can’t beat Man United. At some point this season every one of those players has put in a really good performance. Wenger’s been talking about this being a great team performance tomorrow night rather that individual moments of brilliance and I hope he’s right. If we all pull together, all get stuck in and all concentrate I know we can beat any team in the world.
Almunia needs an even bigger game this time around. A goal conceded means we have to score three. If he can keep a clean sheet we have a massive chance. The defense need to do their bit too, it’s a bit of a makeshift back four but so was the one in 2006 that got past Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal. They need to be big, strong and not let United create anything; So, no big gaps at the back post this time please.
In midfield we have Theo Walcott who is just a menace, he needs to get more in the game his week, we need to make the most of him. Alex Song should be in there helping the back four and cutting out anything United try and develop. Cesc, is Cesc – we could do with another beautiful assist tomorrow please. Nasri scored two against this lot when they came down for the league game, let’s hope he can find that magic again.
I’ve already spoken about the strikers. They will be the man men tomorrow night in our search for goals. Missed chances are not an option; we need to take everything we get, I hope they’ve been practicing their shooting.
They will be up against Vidic and Ferdinand, who has recovered from that rib injury. Two of the best in the league, but so are Ade and Robin so there shouldn’t be a problem…
This game can go either way. United have the upper hand but there’s no reason why we can’t win. A 1-0 would take it to extra time, a 2-0 would win it and if they score we need a 3-1 to go through. It’s not impossible, there is no impossible. We’ve beaten them 2-0 already this season and just think back to this time 20 years ago up at Anfield; we got the result there when it mattered. A lot of our players would’ve still been in nappies back then, it’s now their chance to become the new crop of heroes.
If we do get through tomorrow night it’s going to be one of the most memorable Arsenal performances ever. If it doesn’t go our way, well I want to be proud of our performance and not go away thinking we fucked it up. I’m hoping that if we do fail we go down with a fight and we can go home knowing we gave it everything. If at the end of the night they do go over to that corner celebrating I want them to do it with the Arsenal fans still singing loud and proud over the top of them.
There’s nothing more I can say here, it’s up to you lot going and the players now. Speak to you Wednesday.
We havent beaten them 2-0 this season. It finished 2-1.
But I agree with you completely. This is going to be a massive game. Every single person to the last needs to give 110% tomorrow, and that includes us fans!
that has to be the team. any tinkering by wenger and we are out
Enter Eboue to win the match!!!! Theo to come on at the end as the breakaway man as the MAncs chase a 3-0 drubbing!
i’d love to see this formation:
——-almunia———
sagna-toure-djourou-gibbs
—–song–fabregas—-
walcott—nasri—vela
——–ade———-
Subs: van persie, bendtnerm and eboue
This from Arseblog…
“This is probably the biggest ever game at the new stadium and there’s no question the fans have a part to play. There’ll be 60,000+ people there tonight. The club are providing red flags, urging everyone to wear read, and to make as much noise as possible. Every single Arsenal fan there tonight needs to shout and roar and sing the songs. Ultimately it’s down to the 11 players on the pitch but if they know the crowd are with them then it does make a difference. It can provide tired legs with that last surge of energy that might stop a goal or score a goal.
We have to rock the Grove tonight, ladies and gentlemen. This is Arsenal, fighting for a place in the Champions League final, against Manchester United. If that’s not a reason to support the team as loudly as possible then I don’t know what is. You don’t need to have a voice like Pavarotti to sing, you just need to open your mouth and make noise. And if someone said to you ‘Arsenal will win if you sing the songs tonight’, wouldn’t it be an easy task to ensure our qualification?
Remember, the guy or girl to your left or right is an Arsenal fan. The boys in red are your team. Our team. United are the enemy. United would kill your mum. They’d run over your puppy and then point and laugh. They would make you listen to Phil Collins. They would insist on putting cloves on everything. They would dip their pizza in ketchup. They would offer you a cup of coffee then serve you chicory. They would force you to watch Tom Hanks films. They would kidnap you then read to you from the novels of Dan Brown. They would drive really slowly in front of you when you’re in a hurry then speed up so they get through the amber light and leave you stuck at the red. They would chew gum loudly in your ear. They would come on our pitch and dance after getting one of our players sent off because of their theatrics. They would score a goal in the last few minutes of a semi-final then show everyone their hairy chest. They would dive to win a penalty to stop us going 50 games unbeaten. They would sing disgusting songs about our manager.
Need I go on? They are not our rivals, not our competitors, not our competitors, not our peers: they are the enemy. Treat them as such.
And in the face of such monstrous evil, such hideous, diving, tantrum throwing, ballerina, monster faced malevolence, make sure you let our lads know that they are fighting the good fight, on the side of truth and righteousness. For, after all, we are The Arsenal.”
The Fabregas forward thing did not look good and seemed to be born from desperation. I hate seeing people out of position on big matches and if you have to muck it about before a match it is because you are desperate. This side looks much, much better.
The return of a second striker (and argueably are best) gives a real potential lift to the side. After the first performance this will be essential as we could easily have been down outs by now.
Djourou and Gibbs must work their guts out to stop the crosses from the left and Nasri needs to take preasure off them by good attacking play up that wing.
With Fabregas playing further back, I am sure Walcott, Adebayor and the returning VP will be more effective.
It all feels alot better, but then it will need to be.
I am going to be flippin annoyed if we play Adebayor alone up front. It just doesn’t seem to work, especially given his noticeable lack of effort in some matches.
C’Mon we can do it lets wipe the smile of them smug fucking northern monkey faced little bastards!!
What a let down from a could not give a fuck I want my pay cheque uninspired failures!
Adebayor…Out
Denilson…Out
Diaby…Out
Silvestre…Out
Eboue…Out
Major changes needed!!
Jay
Add RVP who only plays for RVP FC,
But the main problem is our manager who is too f**king stubborn who wont change.We have gone from the invincibles to the also-rans
what stinks is that we have had people putting us down all over from the start of the season – the media in the first half of the season in 2008 and opposing players like anelka and now evra saying we are also-rans and children against men.
what stinks MORE is that there are players have done virtually sod all about it. If a multimillion-dollar making footballer cannot even be bothered to put in his 100% every game, let’s not talk about winning, if he cannot even be BOTHERED to turn up and at least provide the right attitude in front of the thousands of diehard supporters who are paying for his goddamn inflated paycheck, he should just GO. Some players lack even the basic fighting ability to be spurred up to take the taunts from the chavs and the mancs and shove it down their throats. that leaves me lost for words, it really does. if a player doesnt even possess the basic hunger and fight to answer to critics out there, we dont need these players. Get out of Arsenal Football Club. Dont think you are bigger than the club, because you arent.
im talking about you, Adebayor. You, Diaby. You, Silvestre. After doing his utmost darnest to engineer a money-loaded move away from Arsenal, then telling a barefaced lie in front of all the fans as if we were idiot enough to swallow his words, forgive and forget like a 3-year old kid, Adebayor cannot even be bothered to put in the basic effort on the pitch to justify forgiveness. It is plainly disgraceful.
There needs to be change, and it is inevitable. Stop deluding yourself Arsene, if you still think this crop of players is good enough. Good they may be, sure, but if they dont put in the effort that the mancs, the scouses and even teams like Villa, Everton and Wigan do, they might as well finish seventeenth, because there’s only so much mediocrity fans can put up with from a club of champions. A club that should be up there challenging with the best for trophies season after season, instead of looking at attaining a Champions’ League spot as something to be contented with.
Talks have taken place between Arsenal and Chelsea that if Chelsea lose to Barca tonight sundays game will be the Also Rans cup final.Arsene Wenger is said to be delighted he says it gives us a chance to win a trophy at last.He says the Also rans cup will be as good as winning the CL.
just like to add: let’s just forget about silverware for the moment. If there are players who cant even be bothered to turn up for the biggest game of the season, and quite possibly, of their lifetime, players who are not fired up out there on the pitch with the sole thought of getting into the final in Rome, these players do not deserve to be in a club like Arsenal.
Each and every one of the players needs to search into the deepest bottoms of their hearts and ask themselves the questions today: did i try hard enough? Did I give it everything I had? Can I be proud with my performance? It is obvious that there are players who are not, and did not. Because if it had been otherwise, we would not have lost the tie after just 11 minutes. Because if not, we would not have made a mockery out of each and every one of the Arsenal faithful out there by rolling over THREE GOALS DOWN before the hour.
SGP gooner
you are totally right about our multi million pound players who cant be bothered to turn up for the biggest game of their careers.Thats the difference between our players and Man utd.Rooney and Ronaldo our Multi millionaires but they turn up and play their hearts out inthe big games
Adebayor is sums up everything that is wrong about modern players
“There’ll be 60,000+ people there tonight. The club are providing red flags, urging everyone to wear read, and to make as much noise as possible. Every single Arsenal fan there tonight needs to shout and roar and sing the songs”
And it would have been good if you hadn’t started leaving before the hour mark. “Quiet Please Arsene is thinking”
Can you get those dinky flags on ebay yet?
Time for big changes. Wenger out, Alardyce is the obvious replacement. The fans must go. Fickle fickle fickle. Leaving after an hour? Calling for Wenger’s head?
As for the team, where to start? Maybe we can get Henry back? Or Beckham, he was enjoying himself yesterday, maybe he likes us?
We’re the laughingstock of football, fans leaving after 60 minutes? what a joke
Here is the list of Wenger faults:
1/ Refusal to sign a world class centre back – Had he have done this at end of 2004/05, we may have at least more 3 pieces of silverware to our name. Look at the stats of where it has all gone wrong in the last 4 years. It’s not our failure to score, it’s our failure to hold onto leads, or avoid conceding goals.
Barca, CL Final 1up lost 2-1
Chelski league cup 1-up, lost 2-1
League last season, Man U 1-up, lost 2-1, Chelski 1-up, lost 2-1
Liverpool CL last season 2-2 and going through, lost 4-2
This season: Spurs 4-2 up Emirates, drew 4-4 (dying seconds goal)
Villa 2-0 up away, drew 2-2 (dying seconds goal)
Liverpool 4-3 up, drew 4-4 (dying seconds goal)
Chelski FA Cup 1-up, lost 2-1
Man Utd last night, 17 year old world class defender slips on his arse, we are shellshocked, don’t wake up from our coma and get mullered 3-1
There are probably several more I have missed but these are the ones still painful in my mind. Does it not even cross Wenger’s mind that we are scoring as many as our rivals but it’s the amount we are conceding every season which is our downfall. Even with our first choice defence fit, Gallas etc, they are not exactly a rock solid Arsenal defence are they? Can you still picture Gallas like a schoolboy watching the ball trickle past him for Roma’s goal (even if we did eventually win that game on penalties).
2/ Not replacing Viera. Nobody has come close to replacing the great man. Has anybody since put fear into our opponents? In a word, no.
3/ Resting players at pathetic times – How many times in last 4 years have we been 1 or 2 matches away from a trophy (albeit the League Cup) and Wenger has rested big name players in matches we could easily win if they had played. Eg. Semi finals against Middlesboro, Spurs, final against Chelski, FA cup last season v Man Utd.
The reasoning behind resting players is to save your big name players and keep them fresh for a “bigger” game and not risk losing them to injury in what is considered a “less important” game. Now look again at the above matches. If we had gone all out, full throttle to win those ties with our best 11, who can say we would not have won something. Even if we are talking the League Cup (which some fans call “Mickey Mouse” only after their team is knocked out of it), surely winning this and these youngsters tasting victory for the first time, and experiencing what is required to win a trophy, can only be a good thing for these players. If they keep falling short and losing in semis and finals, every time it comes to the crunch, what will this do for their confidence.
Here’s another example, Last season we were on an amazing run (United were too but both teams were buzzing) We met United at Trafford in the FA Cup, our fans knowing with the form we are in, we are more than capable of winning there. Wenger fields a weakened side and we get hammered 4-0. Would 4-0 have been possible with our full strength team who was beating everybody and was top of the league. What happened after that? We went on an amazing run of 2 wins in 13. Does it even enter Wenger’s head how confidence is all but destroyed when you field a weakened side and they get hammered!!! Incidently of those 2 wins in 13, one was the AC Milan win (late goals), the other was pulling back from 2-0 down against Bolton, so even that one nearly got away to!!!
In my mind the team selection in that FA Cup match cost us our confidence, which in turn cost us the League title. Now if there is any GOOD in resting players, if there is to be an end product of it, can anyone tell me what exactly we have achieved by wrapping players in cotton wool and saving them for later, coz I can’t think of any!!! Certainly no trophies to show for it, more trophies thrown out the window.
Another example of resting players: FA Cup semi V Chelski – No Arshavin, no Song, no Nasri – what happened, the midfield got ripped to shreds. Denilson and Diaby were having a personal bet to see who could play the best mis-placed pass and give the game away.
Wenger then brings Arshavin and co back against Liverpool (because that game was more important right?), And Arshy scores 4. How many of you would take at least a couple of those goals and have them in the Chelski Semi instead, I know I would, but he wasn’t going to score for us from the bench!!!!
What was the thinking behind putting out a better side for the league game over the Cup semi? Did he really think 3rd place was a possibility?
Episode 2 of Wenger faults continues next week at the same time…
Brilliant AndyB Brilliant not one word that is not true.Wenger should be made to read it a thousand times and learn
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/594598/-/u671dt/-/index.html
now wenger just caused a fan to hang himself