Funny thing is we've had all this ourselves. 2005 the Milan team was in decline once we beat them. I also remember knocking Barca out at the Nou Camp but they weren't the team they used to be. Spurs have done very well here, finish the job now and it's an historic game for them. That's the next hurdle.
Spurs will easy win at Wembley IMO. What I watched tonight was a Spurs side that lacked any confidence at the start. But Spurs grew in confidence once they started to realise they are actually a better side than Juventus. And let's face it Spurs are much better on the ball than they are, Juventus where made to look very average. It was almost like watching a repeat of the Liverpool v Spurs game. A nervous Spurs getting sucker punched at the start but then as the game went on actually realising they are better than the opposition and taking the game to the home side. Juventus for me are just not good enough to compete with Tottenham at Wembley, so I think Spurs will sail through to the QF. I'm not even gonna go down the road of Juve being past it, as they where nothing more than a park the bus outfit last season anyways. You stick abit of power upfront like in the final and their defence crumbles
It's not a performance you could ever associate with a Wenger team. They would have completely crumbled after that opening 10 mins. Even when he had the likes of Vieira, Bergkamp, Pires and Henry, they always have been a gutless, spineless side in Europe.
Why? Trust me you would much rather play PSG than Real Madrid in the next round. PSG for me have absolutely no hope of getting past Real Madrid over 2 legs, as they are severely lacking in quality right throughout their team. Motta, Verrati and Pastore will barely be able to string 2 passes together up against Modric, Kroos and Casamerio, and it will result in PSGs overpriced attack getting no service at all. Real Madrid are the team everyone else has to beat in this years CL, and don't let a poor time in La Liga fool you. In the big games they will show up
We were. Lehmann sent off early in the first half, then we took the lead. Battled hard and eventually lost it when Almunia spilled one at his near post.
Well Bergkamp and Vieira had already left by then. Fair play you got to the final that year, but you still didn't win it. Your actual invincible team, was actually very poor in Europe, Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp and Pires rarely ever performed for Arsenal in the Champions League. Nothing against the 4 of them as players, as under another manager I think they'd of done better. But Wengers teams never have any backbone, and it's been something that's plagued the Arsenal side for many years.
It was, and if it hadn't been given then Barca would have scored anyway. Yep we were 1-0 up with 10 men until the 76th min, then they scored again in the 81st min.
So apart from getting to the Champions league final, beating Real Madrid at the Bernabeau, beating Inter Milan 1-5 away and domestically all of the players you mention winning the double and winning a title going a whole season unbeaten. They would have done better under another manager ?
Barca looked petrified every time he was on the ball. They had no idea how to cope with him until the sending off.
We had to sacrifice Pires to bring on Almunia and after that our attacking shape wasn't the same. We did well to go 1-0 up and hold them off until the 76th min, but it wasn't to be.
Absolutely, you still never had any guts in big games in Europe. As I've already pointed out to you the actual team that went unbeaten flopped in Europe. Yeah you got to the final a few years later, when you where tailed off in 4th in the league, and most of that invincible team had left. But your actual best side that contained the likes of Bergkamp, Vieira, Henry and Pires, the team that actually won the titles, never performed in big games in Europe. Just because you nearly fluked a CL in 06 like Liverpool 05 and Chelsea did with very poor sides, it does not hide the fact your best sides didn't perform well in Europe. Either way 1 final in all the years Wengers been in charge, doesn't exactly support he's been a successful European manager.