So, as the title of this thread suggests, I was giving it a bit of thought yesterday, and I reckon that a draw, whether it be a score draw or a goalless draw, would actually be a better result for us than a win tomorrow night.
Now, before you call the men in white coats, by 'win', I mean realistic winning scorelines such as 1-0 and 2-1. There is no way I'd sit here and argue that a draw is better than a 6-0 win. Also, I want to make it perfectly clear that I do want Arsenal to win tomorrow night. There is no way I'd be disappointed with that!
All the same, I think that, specifically for this team, we'd have a better chance of getting through to the final with a draw from the first leg than a close win. This is for a combination of two reasons. Firstly, I simply don't have much confidence in our team defending a strong advantage against a team like United. Second of all, if we were to, for example, get a 1-0 win at their place, I can see them coming to our place, all guns blazing, and our defence/midfield not having a clue what to do (e.g. Anfield a few weeks ago).
I think we'd prefer a tighter scenario, like the one we found ourselves in when we played United this season at the Grove. If you remember, that match was our last chance to stay in the title race (I know, I know). We simply had to win, and we did. For some reason, I think that this team prefers playing as underdogs, as opposed to favourites.
Say what you like about the side and about how well it is undoubtedly playing, but the confidence is really, really fragile. So, imagine this scenario - we get a 1-0 win at OT. Then, they come to our place and score 1 in the 70th minute. How do you see our team responding? I hate to admit it, but I can see our team crumbling under the pressure. I know that Anfield showed that, at least our attacking players, are made of strong stuff, but that wasn't under the same pressure, and that match didn't really say much for the defence, did it?
So what do I think an ideal result would be for us at OT? I'd take 1-1, but I honestly think that a 0-0 would suit us down to the ground. Bring them back to the Grove where it would essentially be a one-off game which we have to win, and I reckon that would bring the best out of our team
![barscarf :barscarf:](./images/smilies/icon_barscarf.gif)
What do you reckon. Am I mental?!