Barca Home Tuesday 19.45

[xisstential]

The official website gushing over Suarez Neymar and Messi like a bunch of fucking prepubescent girls in the front row of a Justin Bieber concert. Oh here they come walking off the team bus, this is them training at the space bowl. Acting like a non league club that's got a bumper draw in the FA Cup. Have we all had our selfies taken with them yet? How fucking small time, at least try and give the impression we're not just here to make up the numbers

Bet there's a queue for Messi's jersey at full time tomorrow.

Why wait & risk not getting it, grab it at half time.Remember that geezer of ours with RvP @ OT??? (I cannot even remember his name). Another glorious Wenger moment.

[xisstential]

Sometimes I wonder if the people on the Spurs forum site (presume they have one) are actually nicer about our team than our own supporters.

What better challenge than playing against the best?

Alternatively, if Barca are to knock us out it is better to be now than 6 games down the track.

Carn you gooners!

6 games down the track??? You mean in the second leg of the semi's?? What are you on??

[casgooner]

I'm usually optimistic when we go into games, although that is getting harder and harder as the season progresses. I am basing my negativity for this game on the dross we have been serving up. We have struggled against teams that we should be beating comfortably as a side wanting to win the PL. We struggled against Sunderland and Newcastle at home. We struggled against West Brom (lost) and Norwich. We couldn't beat a weakened Championship side at home in the cup when we don't want replays. The fact that we cannot score goals is one of the big problems. If the other team score two, but you are more than capable of scoring 3 or 4 there is hope, but our defence is a bit shaky at times as well as our goal drought. I will be ecstatic if we win, but...

[SteveO 35]

Step forward Gabriel - we have a secret formula to stop Barcelona

http://metro.co.uk/2016/02/23/arsenal-h ... a-5711982/

Splashed all over the back of today's red tops too

[xisstential]

I just cannot see any way ANY result will work for us. We are going out, one way or another,we are going out. A 2-1 or 3-1 loss at home will have Wenger naively telling the players we can go there and get a 2-0 (we can't) and struggling as we are on the home fronts any huge exertions in outside comps is going to affect our league & FA cup form (which is already alarmingly poor). I still think a real pasting tonight might drive any thoughts of victory from Wenger's head. Unfortunately even if we lose 4-0 Wenger will probably still send a full strength team to the Nou Camp to salvage pride. Wenger does fancy himself in Europe, God alone knows why? I seriously think he would give up the league & FA cup to be a losing semi or finalist in the CL. He sees himself as a big stage manager. He isn't.

Although maybe, just maybe, a big confidence boosting performance might enable us to put Man.U to the sword?? Although I suspect a big performance tonight will have him rolling out the "little bit jaded" come Sunday afternoon

[Gunner Rob]

already sick of this match because it sums up everything that is wrong about Arsenal PLC 2016.

Supporters are being urged to get to their seats early so that they can participate in a special mosaic display to help generate a fantastic atmosphere. Ok good idea BUT why for this game? It is just a last 16 clash in a cup competition. The way club has been bowing down to this spanish side is just embarassing. Why can't a special atmosphere be generated before all the league games or FA Cup ties - you know in competitions that we are actually competing to win?

I can't get excited by this tie (I certainly would have done in the past) because deep down I know that we can't compete with Barcelona and worse still we dont even try to. They have Messi, Neymar and Suarez up front - we have Giroud and Walcott
Yet it is comments from Wenger like these http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... ng-7412905 which convinces the majority of our fanbase that we can compete. It is these ongoing lies and spin which is so totally frustrating. The comment from Wenger yesterday as well when he said that he found it hard to motivate the team for the Hull City match!! Again sums up everything wrong at the club.

Of course I will support the team tonight, even a win in the first leg is possible, but everyone knows the script for the second leg. Ultimately we lose and Wenger has done nothing over the past few years to address this problem.

[casgooner]

I just cannot see any way ANY result will work for us. We are going out, one way or another,we are going out. A 2-1 or 3-1 loss at home will have Wenger naively telling the players we can go there and get a 2-0 (we can't) and struggling as we are on the home fronts any huge exertions in outside comps is going to affect our league & FA cup form (which is already alarmingly poor). I still think a real pasting tonight might drive any thoughts of victory from Wenger's head. Unfortunately even if we lose 4-0 Wenger will probably still send a full strength team to the Nou Camp to salvage pride. Wenger does fancy himself in Europe, God alone knows why? I seriously think he would give up the league & FA cup to be a losing semi or finalist in the CL. He sees himself as a big stage manager. He isn't.

Although maybe, just maybe, a big confidence boosting performance might enable us to put Man.U to the sword?? Although I suspect a big performance tonight will have him rolling out the "little bit jaded" come Sunday afternoon

WE went through a spell earlier of playing quite well one game, then rubbish the next, so a good performance might just be followed by a big let down.

[xisstential]

Step forward Gabriel - we have a secret formula to stop Barcelona

http://metro.co.uk/2016/02/23/arsenal-h ... a-5711982/

Splashed all over the back of today's red tops too

The "secret formula" is that he won't be playing. That's a start but maybe there is a bigger "secret formula"... Mertesacker is also injured???

[Gunner Rob]

Step forward Gabriel - we have a secret formula to stop Barcelona

http://metro.co.uk/2016/02/23/arsenal-h ... a-5711982/

Splashed all over the back of today's red tops too

we are giving them lasagne for lunch at the Emirates ?

[augie]

Step forward Gabriel - we have a secret formula to stop Barcelona

http://metro.co.uk/2016/02/23/arsenal-h ... a-5711982/

Splashed all over the back of today's red tops too

I really wish our players would shut the fu.ck up If you knock barca out (not just beat them in 1 leg), then start crowing from the rooftops, but until that time just learn to shut your gobs cos talk is cheap and frankly it is more than a little bit embarrassing..........again

[arseofacrow]

Step forward Gabriel - we have a secret formula to stop Barcelona

http://metro.co.uk/2016/02/23/arsenal-h ... a-5711982/

Splashed all over the back of today's red tops too

we are giving them lasagne for lunch at the Emirates ?

Another reason we need David Dein back. Get quirky dinner for away teams sorted, get a weekend off before important European quarter finals and do deals that the Lord is too scared to do.

[Ikechukwu1]

Step forward Gabriel - we have a secret formula to stop Barcelona

http://metro.co.uk/2016/02/23/arsenal-h ... a-5711982/

Splashed all over the back of today's red tops too

m

I thought there was a media ban pre-Barca?
If that ain't the case then thoroughly disappointed I'm yet to hear from Walcott about how afraid teams would be of us, after all I thought that "heroic night in Athens" had made the world sit up and take notice?

That secret formula Gabriel is on about. Does it involve your captain making a "no-look tackle" or your lump of a number 9 failing to register a shot for 90 minutes?

Or maybe it's Colonel Sanders' secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices

[Bradywasking]

"Did I pack enough shirts" asks the Barca kit man...Demand will be high....We beat them in 2011 and then at the Nou Camp failed to have a shot on target (or at all ? ) . What I remember from the Nou Camp game was Cesc behaving like a teenage girl at a One Direction concert in the tunnel pre match and his loving smile towards Messi as he turned away to celebrate his penalty . Oh and Super Nick's miss at the end. RVP red card, actually if on the pitch he may have scored the chance Nick missed which would have been the greatest robbery ever in football.
Strange things happen in football so anything is possible tonight I suppose but reality says that we need too many things to happen for an Arsenal win. 3-1 Barca on the night.

[augie]

I don't think that I can ever remember a build up to a match like this and I have been a Gooner for almost 40 years now - yes the vast, vast majority of Gooners know that we will not progress and we can accept that, but it is the rest of the emotions which feel so strange. The blinkered Gooners try and talk up our chances, and the club are playing on the "what a great occasion this will be" line, and it makes me wonder if we are actually meant to give a shit if we get our arses handed to us Those who worship at the alter of satan (wenker) will no doubt talk about the privilege of being beaten by this world class barca team (I actually think that the barca team for a few years ago was better), and a victory, a draw or even a narrow defeat in either leg will be hailed as a great achievement

I know that we haven't a hope of progressing to the next round, and because I am beginning to see this competition as a major reason for our decline, I really don't give a flying f.uck if we get fcuked over. What I do give a f.uck about is the fact that there is a section of supporters that will have a defence/justification regardless of whether we win easily or getting anally raped Personally I don't see us getting the hammering that many think will happen and that is because I don't think that barca will ever play above 70% of their ability in either game, but at the same time I will be absolutely fu.cking livid if we do not put up a fighting performance at least in tonights game.

I was at the point where I wanted us to play back ups in these games so that it would reduce the risk of injuries to players for the title run in, but if our back ups are unable to beat a 2nd string hull team AT HOME, you would have to be mad to let them anywhere near the pitch against barca I also think that playing a blanket defence or surrendering without a fight, will do more to harm the clubs image abroad than anything that has happened in recent years - if the club treat this as an occasion, if the manager and team play to keep the score down, and if the fans behave like they are there to enjoy the occasion, then what does it say about the aspirations/ambitions of our club ? No quality player would want to join or stay with a club that promotes a defeatist/2nd best attitude and I would be pissed if we didn't at least show some old fashioned Gooner courage

Tonight I reckon that we will draw or maybe lose by a goal, and the emirates flock will return home basking in the idea that we are close to competing with europes top tier 2-2 draw with the goals coming from our 270k per week strikeforce

[Wilson]

Will be interesting to see how Coquelin does. Always admired his ability to step out of midfield and win the ball. If he can make some tackles and force the ball into Arsenal's possession against Barcelona, then his status as a top class holding midfielder will be all but confirmed.

Although if he gets no where near Iniesta or Rakitic, I wont begrudge him. This is possibly the greatest club side in football history. If not, then its probably the one that won the treble under Pep. I mean, FFS, how good can a team be when they have a realistic chance (not a distant chance) of winning back to back trebles?