Bayern bumholes A Ch lge QF 2nd leg Weds 17th April KO 8pm

[Retro Gunner]

Good effort but fell short. Lacking in some areas and change required to continue our progress. Took pep 7years to win the CL with 115 financial charges with city. A quarter final for our first time in years is a decent start.

Burning everything isn’t required but some tweaks to the recipe (mostly what Bobby highlighted above) oh well

It's at this elite level where the lack of a Haaland, Kane, peak Salah striker is the difference

We entered this season with Eddie and Jesus as the main options and ended up putting Kai there because the pair of them were as shite as we envisaged

Small but predictable margins. Haaland was the difference between a very good City and a CL/Treble winning City.

Yep agree Steve.missing a bit of star quality in the final third. Some horse trading is required,

Out of interest Viv, what changes would you like to see our elite manager make? Which players aren't at the required level in your opinion and you'd like to see them shipped out as part of your horse trading? I'm hoping you'll be brave enough to be very frank and unequivocal.

[Retro Gunner]

Bayern are an average team but we played into their hands in both games.

This suggestion isn’t true I’m afraid. They may not have won the title which is remarkable but they are a good siide.

I’m taking 6 out of their 11 to slot into ours without question

Neur
De ligt
Kimmich (class player)
Sane
Crayon eater
Musiala

Would you disagree ?

It's a little worrying that you'd readily replace 6 of our first team after 4 1/2 years and £700 million spent, don't you think? Not even as though you've picked 6 from a world eleven, but 6 from a club we're trying to compete with.

Oh dear...that's a pretty damning end of term report for the elite one isn't it?

[DB10GOONER]

Missed it tonight as I had to pick my daughter up at the airport and her flight was delayed. I recorded it. Should I put myself through watching it tomorrow night or just skip it?

[Retro Gunner]

Missed it tonight as I had to pick my daughter up at the airport and her flight was delayed. I recorded it. Should I put myself through watching it tomorrow night or just skip it?

Depends whether you’re into masochism or not.

Seriously mate, no joy to be derived from watching it in my opinion. It’s not as though we put up a fight to be proud of. You’ll sit there getting increasingly frustrated and in a rage.

If you just think back to all those Wenger European non-performances, then you’ve seen tonight’s damp squib before.

Try sticking needles under your finger nails, it will be less painful.

[DB10GOONER]

Missed it tonight as I had to pick my daughter up at the airport and her flight was delayed. I recorded it. Should I put myself through watching it tomorrow night or just skip it?

Depends whether you’re into masochism or not.

Seriously mate, no joy to be derived from watching it in my opinion. It’s not as though we put up a fight to be proud of. You’ll sit there getting increasingly frustrated and in a rage.

If you just think back to all those Wenger European non-performances, then you’ve seen tonight’s damp squib before.

Try sticking needles under your finger nails, it will be less painful.

Its "delete" so. Thanks mate, you've saved me an hour and a half of Wenger flashbacks and piss on fire anger! Owe ya one.

[Ray C]

Another 'bottle' job !. Bollocks.

[SteveO 35]

Missed it tonight as I had to pick my daughter up at the airport and her flight was delayed. I recorded it. Should I put myself through watching it tomorrow night or just skip it?

Fair play to her for shelling out the 50 quid to get there! I think that's what puts me off

[TeeCee]

Gutted but I'm trying to be objective.

Firstly, People are still talking about Bayern like they are a mickey mouse club...... They are still one of the best teams in Europe, will finish second in their league which they've won 11 years on the trot or something like that. Behind Madrid they are probably the most experienced European cup side in the 2000's.
We played a poor 45 mins for fucks sake.
Wenger left out club on its knees after 10 years of piss poor management..... And people expect it to be fixed in a handful of years when there are state run clubs cheating their way to trophies?
Yes, Arteta has some big faults but he's got us competing pretty quickly, winning shit is bloody difficult! Shouting for him to be sacked and Saka to be sold is a fucking joke! Saka is cooked, unfit, but had to play because the options are Nelson or Trossard, who is either sugar or shite!
Our young squad is in a very good place with half a dozen excellent players, but we still need signings, no manager in the world gets everything right, even Pep signed Phillips FFS! This summer is huge, let's see if Arteta signs the striker and midfielder (to replace Partey) as a minimum. If Arteta fucks up again next year then it's probably time to go but come on..... Fighting for the title still with half a dozen games to go and going out in the QF of the CL to the odd goal against Bayern away is not a disgrace.

I do fear a collapse from now because our entire team is fucked because the reality is, the squad is still not good enough, but another 2 or 3 very good players next season will have us very close to being a team that CAN win the CL.

[augie]

There is a lot of ridiculous over-reaction on here tonight. We have a squad of around 14 first choice players and the best of those have been played to death. It’s gutting and total Deja-vu yet again but in my opinion it comes down to the manager refusing to buy an out and out striker. People calling for Saka to be sold is just mental. We have a base of around 9 or 10 really good players who have just run out of juice. Devastated by ‘what might have been’ but we just don’t know how to manage the really big games, when you need to change things to either chase a winner or defend a lead and that comes down to the manager. And the stupid free kick and wasted corner just kinda summed up tonight. Totally deflated and flat.

Can you explain to me how that is, after spending £700m, that we have only that many players at the required level when saliba, martinelli and saka were already at the club ?? Reality is that the cone boy and edu have pissed away so much money on sub-standard shit and will do the same again this summer

[augie]

Gutted but I'm trying to be objective.

Firstly, People are still talking about Bayern like they are a mickey mouse club...... They are still one of the best teams in Europe, will finish second in their league which they've won 11 years on the trot or something like that. Behind Madrid they are probably the most experienced European cup side in the 2000's.
We played a poor 45 mins for fucks sake.
Wenger left out club on its knees after 10 years of piss poor management..... And people expect it to be fixed in a handful of years when there are state run clubs cheating their way to trophies?
Yes, Arteta has some big faults but he's got us competing pretty quickly, winning shit is bloody difficult! Shouting for him to be sacked and Saka to be sold is a fucking joke! Saka is cooked, unfit, but had to play because the options are Nelson or Trossard, who is either sugar or shite!
Our young squad is in a very good place with half a dozen excellent players, but we still need signings, no manager in the world gets everything right, even Pep signed Phillips FFS! This summer is huge, let's see if Arteta signs the striker and midfielder (to replace Partey) as a minimum. If Arteta fucks up again next year then it's probably time to go but come on..... Fighting for the title still with half a dozen games to go and going out in the QF of the CL to the odd goal against Bayern away is not a disgrace.

I do fear a collapse from now because our entire team is fucked because the reality is, the squad is still not good enough, but another 2 or 3 very good players next season will have us very close to being a team that CAN win the CL.

Saka, by his own high standards, has been poor most of the season (as has martinelli) and I for one am fed up listening to excuses about fatigue or burnt out - seeing as you are defending the cone boy wouldnt you agree that managing the health of the players is part of his remit ? I dont buy that fatigue bollox, but you tell me when has he rested saka ? He has been dogshite in games and not been subbed, and then inbetween games we will hear soundbites from the manager about saka being doubtful, but lo and behold he starts him in the next game This fool has spent almost £700m on transfer fee's alone and has also haanded expensive new contracts out to the likes of nelson - he has several options available to him to allow him to leave saka out of the team for a break and yet he never does (even plays him in games against the shite premier league teams), so imo if you are defending saka then you have to hold the manager accountable for this supposed fatigue

[TeeCee]

I totally agree he should have rested Saka Augie, one of the mistakes he has made and there have been several but any other manager would have made mistakes too.
We need decent backup, not Nelson or Trossard, who is a great player but seems incapable of doing it when starting a game?
I'm not saying Arteta is brilliant, I think the fact that we're in the title race for the second season in a row is really positive. Lots of teams have spent big big money and are not where we are.

[SteveO 35]

Gutted but I'm trying to be objective.

Firstly, People are still talking about Bayern like they are a mickey mouse club...... They are still one of the best teams in Europe, will finish second in their league which they've won 11 years on the trot or something like that. Behind Madrid they are probably the most experienced European cup side in the 2000's.
We played a poor 45 mins for fucks sake.
Wenger left out club on its knees after 10 years of piss poor management..... And people expect it to be fixed in a handful of years when there are state run clubs cheating their way to trophies?
Yes, Arteta has some big faults but he's got us competing pretty quickly, winning shit is bloody difficult! Shouting for him to be sacked and Saka to be sold is a fucking joke! Saka is cooked, unfit, but had to play because the options are Nelson or Trossard, who is either sugar or shite!
Our young squad is in a very good place with half a dozen excellent players, but we still need signings, no manager in the world gets everything right, even Pep signed Phillips FFS! This summer is huge, let's see if Arteta signs the striker and midfielder (to replace Partey) as a minimum. If Arteta fucks up again next year then it's probably time to go but come on..... Fighting for the title still with half a dozen games to go and going out in the QF of the CL to the odd goal against Bayern away is not a disgrace.

I do fear a collapse from now because our entire team is fucked because the reality is, the squad is still not good enough, but another 2 or 3 very good players next season will have us very close to being a team that CAN win the CL.

Saka, by his own high standards, has been poor most of the season (as has martinelli) and I for one am fed up listening to excuses about fatigue or burnt out - seeing as you are defending the cone boy wouldnt you agree that managing the health of the players is part of his remit ? I dont buy that fatigue bollox, but you tell me when has he rested saka ? He has been dogshite in games and not been subbed, and then inbetween games we will hear soundbites from the manager about saka being doubtful, but lo and behold he starts him in the next game This fool has spent almost £700m on transfer fee's alone and has also haanded expensive new contracts out to the likes of nelson - he has several options available to him to allow him to leave saka out of the team for a break and yet he never does (even plays him in games against the shite premier league teams), so imo if you are defending saka then you have to hold the manager accountable for this supposed fatigue

The contracts to Nelson and Eddie defy belief. You only do it if you believe they are really up to it, or there’s a genuine chance of getting some big transfer fees. Instead, nobody else will pay their excessive wages and pound to a pinch of shit we will be loaning them out for years to come until their deals expire.

[Viv Andersons Tache]

Please name the player you would play regularly in Sakas position to rest him without a drop off in output of the side.

[SteveO 35]

ONE ARSENE WENGER…..THERE’S ONLY ONE ARSENE WENGER

[augie]

I totally agree he should have rested Saka Augie, one of the mistakes he has made and there have been several but any other manager would have made mistakes too.
We need decent backup, not Nelson or Trossard, who is a great player but seems incapable of doing it when starting a game?
I'm not saying Arteta is brilliant, I think the fact that we're in the title race for the second season in a row is really positive. Lots of teams have spent big big money and are not where we are.

The issue with saka has multiple levels imo, and most involve the cone boy -

1. I lost count of the amount of times McCoist said the importance of getting the ball to wingers early (he mentioned in relation to both teams) - we simply do not do that, and most of that centres around odeargod and white. In my opinion the manager needs to grab our captain by the scruff of the neck and demand that he releases the ball forward much, much faster next season and stop taking multiple touches before releasing it - he wont do that though and captain invisible will be allowed "dictate" the game his way despite the fact that he is literally killing our two much dangerous attacking players (saka and martinelli). I dont hide the fact that white would be at best sold and at worst relegated to a squad player if I was in charge - his attitude sucks for starters, but equally as importantly his tendancy to go back backwards with his passes is killing saka

2. Where is the saka that came onto the scene a few years ago ? The one who ran at his full back before skipping by him at ease - what we have now is a player who continually checks back and turns inside (onto his stronger left foot) and runs into already crowded areas. He is not helped by the aforementioned odeargod and white, but maybe sometimes he should look for the ball to be put in behind the full back and allow him to use his pace ? The tactics used by the cone boy suit the likes of odeargod (multiple touches), jesus (good at coming short and linking game) and havertz (no pace to run in behind), but it has totally taken away the energy and pace with which we blew teams away with last season and I am wondering if our wingers are dissatisfied with that cos their body language stinks at times. Either way the manager is culpable for choosing tactics which are not helping our best players

3. All this whinging to the meeja on the treatment saka is getting from opposition teams might be inside saka's head now cos he has turned into a whinging diving shit, and you barely have to breathe on him before he falls over looking for a free As I said already, his body language is horrible at times, and maybe he needs to watch video's of players like messi to see how players who were actually being kicked from pillar to post reacted, cos his response isnt good imo. Like I said already, maybe he isnt happy with the tactics and that more than the alleged rough treatment is leading to him behaving like he is, but regardless he is better than that and has to stand up and be counted