Barcelona Second Leg Football Thread

Number 5 · Post by **Number 5** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:23 pm

Arsenal 1991 wrote:I'll say it again, they had TWO clear cut chances before the goal. TWO! in 55 mins.

Yes you do keep saying that. But I'm still not getting it.

Barcelona are the kind of team who can create 5 clear chances in 10 minutes.

That we had 10 or 11 players is irrelevant if you consider how we were playing in the first half, the start of the second half or the part of the game with 10 men.

Its not like we retreated into a defensive shell after Van Persie got sent off, we went that way from the first minute. We couldn't get out of our own half with 11 men on the field.

What changed so dramatically in our approach with 10 men? We had 9 trying to defend with no outlet up top to hold the ball up, reads like the first half to me.

It was a matter of time until Barca got through because, and this is a very key point, because Arsenal do not have the defensive ability to keep a team out for a full 90 minutes.

Its not their fault, they are designed to be attacking and adventureous. I would be surprised if defensive drills were ever the order of the day on a cold morning at London Colney.

Robsy · Post by **Robsy** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:36 pm

Number 5 wrote:What changed so dramatically in our approach with 10 men? We had 9 trying to defend with no outlet up top to hold the ball up, reads like the first half to me.

What changed in our approach...we had no outlet, they gained two attacking players.

RVP had been running his socks off, scaring their defence who were sitting inside their own half, after the sending off it unleashed their defence, meaning that they only had to leave two at the back.

Our outlet became the wings only and even then it had to be over the top rather than to feet, meaning that more often than not the ball came straight back.

We were 1-1 when RVP was sent off, with only 30minutes to play. Whether you like it or not, we were winning and our awful tactics had us infront. Then the ref decided to hand the match to them.

Number 5 · Post by **Number 5** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:51 pm

Robsy wrote:
Number 5 wrote:What changed so dramatically in our approach with 10 men? We had 9 trying to defend with no outlet up top to hold the ball up, reads like the first half to me.
What changed in our approach...we had no outlet, they gained two attacking players.

RVP had been running his socks off, scaring their defence who were sitting inside their own half, after the sending off it unleashed their defence, meaning that they only had to leave two at the back.

Our outlet became the wings only and even then it had to be over the top rather than to feet, meaning that more often than not the ball came straight back.

We were 1-1 when RVP was sent off, with only 30minutes to play. Whether you like it or not, we were winning and our awful tactics had us infront. Then the ref decided to hand the match to them.

Tell me, where was this outlet during the first half when we couldn't get past the half way line?

Remind me again which Barcelona player hit the post in the first half and when you have ever seen Alves staying back to help the defence? They had two at the back most of the game with the full backs pushing up.

How about the fact that our clearest chance came when we had 10 men? Hell our goal came from Nasri basically having to run from the halfway line to the touch line alone beacuse he had no support.

Because we offered so little in the first half, save for some good defending, I saw very little difference to the second half.

Seeing as Fabregas was so plainly unfit and it would have been a miracle to see RvP get through 90 with his injury so recent, had we kept 11 men on the pitch, we'd have been asking an indifferent Arshavin and a fucking useless Bendtner to come on in the last 20 minutes and see out the 1-1.

I could see how well that might work out.

FrenchGun · Post by **FrenchGun** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:59 pm

Robsy wrote:
Robsy wrote:
FrenchGun wrote:And if you want to use fact:

FACT Barca woul've raped us despite the RVP incident. Or, if you think we could've kept them at bay until the end of the game, then I suggest you start watching Arsenal Seasons reviews since 2006 and watch us give up a lead times and times again....
That's not fact, that is opinion.

For all their possession, before RVP was sent off, it was 1-1.

They only won by 1 goal.

I think that with 11 players the game could have gone into extra time and even penalties.

It's all irrelevant as we lost, but I think that with a better ref it would have been a completely different game.

Fair enough.

Before RVP was sent off, it was 1-1 and we could've gone extra time and even penalties. Hell we could've even got through if lucky enough!
But whoever the ref might be, Barca would've still have 70% of possession and would've still had many more scoring occasions than us.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be distracted by the RVP incident. Barca were far better than us and rightfully took their place in the next stage of the CL. It's bad enough that Arsene decides to deny the evidence and focus on the ref, I'd rather us fans keep in mind what the real problem is.

The problem is not the ref, the problem is Denilson, Diaby, Bender, Roshitty, Almunia, Clichy, Squillaci, Flappy. The problem is having glass players. the problem is having a manager that is tactically awfull.

I totally agree that many times ref has played the 12th man for the oppo, and more than once this season have some ref decisions made me sick. But at some point you may ask yourself: Is every single ref in Europe out to get us or is it maybe that we bring this on ourselves?

TeeCee · Post by **TeeCee** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:46 pm

Get a fucking grip you stupid *word censored*, we hardly touched the ball in the first half. 32% possesion we had last year, 27% this. You don't win games by not having the ball and not having shots on goal. Cling to these pathetic excuses all you like and come the end of the season I hope you have two more, for the FA cup defeat and the miserable failure in the league.
Arsenal don't need an excuse, we've got Arsene fucking Wenger the prick in charge of our club and HE is the reason for us getting fucked in every big game we play.

Post by **Chippy** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:58 pm

On my way back and watching the French CL coverage tonight, and they are not analysing tonight's games but having a discussion "Did the ref kill the match"? The conclusion is yes!

FrenchGun · Post by **FrenchGun** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:23 pm

Did the ref made the wrong decision by sending RVP off? Of course he did!
Did this change physionomy of the game for the remaining 30 min? Sure did!
Did this change the outcome of the game? I don't necessarily think so.

RVP staying on the pitch would've offered us some options up front but we couldn't get away from our half let alone keep the ball and make two passes.

I'll put it the other way:
Seeing how things were going before the incident, do you think RVP staying on the pitch would've changed the outcome of the game?

Vince · Post by **Vince** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:24 pm

Chippy wrote:On my way back and watching the French CL coverage tonight, and they are not analysing tonight's games but having a discussion "Did the ref kill the match"? The conclusion is yes!

It was on Canal+ channel? Sometimes Grimandi is in this show. Always interesting talks.

Post by **QuartzGooner** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:24 pm

He barely got the ball when he was on the pitch, so reckon we would have lost even if he stayed on.

Arsenal 1991 · Post by **Arsenal 1991** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:26 pm

FrenchGun wrote:Did the ref made the wrong decision by sending RVP off? Of course he did!
Did this change physionomy of the game for the remaining 30 min? Sure did!
Did this change the outcome of the game? I don't necessarily think so.

RVP staying on the pitch would've offered us some options up front but we couldn't get away from our half let alone keep the ball and make two passes.

I'll put it the other way:
Seeing how things were going before the incident, do you think RVP staying on the pitch would've changed the outcome of the game?

100%, you could see our heads dropped immediately after the red card and we got fatigued. I don't think we would've been as tired and as a consequence I don't think we would've conceded the goals so early.

Also imagine if RVP had the chance Bendtner had. He would have stuck it away.

Post by **Chippy** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:27 pm

Vince wrote:
Chippy wrote:On my way back and watching the French CL coverage tonight, and they are not analysing tonight's games but having a discussion "Did the ref kill the match"? The conclusion is yes!
It was on Canal+ channel? Sometimes Grimandi is in this show. Always interesting talks.

Yes, GG not on. But they are very critical of the ref. Couple of them v critical of Wenger not going down too well with some.

Post by **QuartzGooner** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:46 pm

Arsenal 1991 wrote:
Also imagine if RVP had the chance Bendtner had. He would have stuck it away.

Likely he would, but strongly doubt he would have played 90 minutes even if he had not been sent off.
So Bendtner would have been on anyway

donaldo · Post by **donaldo** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:18 pm

QuartzGooner wrote:He barely got the ball when he was on the pitch, so reckon we would have lost even if he stayed on.

Exactly. When RVP was on pitch we couldnt get into their half.Barcelona were by far the better team why cant some Gooners get it into their heads.We would still have lost if RVP had stayed on because we didnt have the ball.All this bollocks about we were unlucky.Get fucking real

FrenchGun · Post by **FrenchGun** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:35 pm

Arsenal 1991 wrote:
FrenchGun wrote:Did the ref made the wrong decision by sending RVP off? Of course he did!
Did this change physionomy of the game for the remaining 30 min? Sure did!
Did this change the outcome of the game? I don't necessarily think so.

RVP staying on the pitch would've offered us some options up front but we couldn't get away from our half let alone keep the ball and make two passes.

I'll put it the other way:
Seeing how things were going before the incident, do you think RVP staying on the pitch would've changed the outcome of the game?
100%, you could see our heads dropped immediately after the red card and we got fatigued. I don't think we would've been as tired and as a consequence I don't think we would've conceded the goals so early.

Also imagine if RVP had the chance Bendtner had. He would have stuck it away.

If the players heads go down the minute one player get sent off while we're still potentially winning the thing and there's only 30 min left, than the players "mental strengh" is quite more questionnable in my eyes than a ref's blunder...

FrenchGun · Post by **FrenchGun** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:47 pm

I'd like to add that IMO, the thing that annoyed me the most in this game was Messi's first goal. I can't get the image of Cesc's backheel out of my head!!!

A blinded backheel right at the entrance of our penalty box? Right in front of the goal? Against Barca? In Champions league? Really?

You can say all you want about him not being 100% fit etc... But the truth of the matter is that Fab was trully awfull, he litterally gifted the first goal to barca and doing such a thing (the backheel) in this situation is quite simply unprofessional!!!

Watch also our goal (Busquets o.g) and you'll see an half-arse attemp by Cesc right behind busquets on what could probably be the only occasion we were ever going to get...
You can be not 100% fit but you can at least, as the captain, try and get your head by any mean on the only ball that will ever come close to their goal...