As Wenger called it, it was a 'sterile' possession for a lot of the first half, only Wenger can come up with something like that.
I think there is a lot of fight left in him, if there's any bonus from his injuries that kept him out for so long, is that it's kept him fresh and kept a lot in the tank for him to be playing now. For me, Rosicky is also ahead of Wilshere. I think he brings more from an attacking sense-ball retention than Wilshere does, and his defensive work is quality too.
It's a pity that second Ramsey chance didn't go in. If we'd have won 2-0 today, I THINK a win at home to Marseille would have been sufficient to guarantee our progression, since we'd have had superior goal difference to Dortmund in the head-to-head. As it is we still need 4 points from the remaining 2 games to be sure.
Ssshhhhh, don't let the plastics and the media hear you say that. They'll string you up for it. Totally agree though. He has that burst of pace that Wilshere has, but does more with the ball, has far better vision, and has those immense slide tackles.
We have a handful of the best midfielders in the league and Rosicky on form can play as well as most.
The head to head will mainly come down VS Napoli, not Dortmund. If we beat Marseille, we will be on 12 points, and assuming Dortmund beat Napoli, Napoli will be on 9 points, and would therefore have to beat us by 3 goals to go through. But if Napoli get a draw at Dormund, and we beat Marseille, we will be through and the only thing left to fight for is top spot.
Rosicky on form is better than most. I still maintain what i said last season, TR7 on form is better than Santi.
To be fair, haven't seen Arsenal fans calling Wilshere better than Rosicky....And nobody should expect him to be, Wilshere is still very young, Rosiky is a top quality-established-experianced midfielder, many people seem to forget that Rosicky when we signed him he was one of the top midfielders in Europe, his injury and long absence has made a lot of people forget about him.
Basically if we win against Marseille then a draw against Napoli will guarantee us not just qualification but top spot regardless of other results. As if we get 3 points then either: a) Napoli beat Dortmund and we already qualify, and due to our win against Napoli a draw will be enough in our final fixture to top the group on head-to-head b) Napoli and Dortmund draw and we qualify, with a draw enough to top the group in our final game c) Dortmund win, we don't qualify yet but a draw on the final day of the season guarantees top spot So a win in Marsielle is really important and if we can achieve that then all we need to do is draw to take top spot in the group.
Yes, you're right, if we beat Marseille (at home) then I believe the only way we will NOT progress is if a) Dortmund beat Napoli at home and Marseille away AND b) Napoli beat us by 3 goals. (if they beat us by only 2 we'll still go through as we will have a better overall GD, or will have scored more away goals if its, for example, 3-1) Looking pretty good (so long as we beat Marseille).
Bendtner? really? Is he paying Arsene half his wages to get a run out? Well done btw, it's even more impressive knowing you were down to 10 men at the end.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/9012322? So Klopp reckons we can win actually win the CL (as long as we avoid Bayern).
If we draw any of the big sides I think they will all pose big and different challenges for us. The likes of Barca-Madrid we know will just go on the attack, unlike the Germans who go on the attack but are more rigid-efficient-and harder to break down. It's up to us to put in solid defensive performances as we have done VS Dortmund and Munich when we come across the other European giants.
This year we simly must win the group. The second place will play Bayern, Real, Barcelona, PSG or Atletico Madrid the winner draws Schalke, Milan, Olympiacos, Zenit/Porto, Galatasarai or Leverkusen (as things stand now)
Probably one of best away Champions League away wins to-date. To beat a very good side away, especially after struggling at home was an outstanding show of mental strength by the team. Its clear that we've thrown our hat into the ring and said we're a top team and here to challenge. Being a knockout tourny anything is possible. As for Klopp, i'm starting to like the man more and more. He's showing a classy side that top managers rarely show. His open and frank comments are a breath of fresh air!
Yup, we simply can't afford to finish 2nd this year. The competition is way too strong. I don't think we are strong enough to win the CL this season but luck also plays a huge part in terms of progression. If we finish top, there's a strong chance we can make it to the last 8... and by that time, we should be stronger with a fully fit squad and possibly some reinforcements in January.
There is an element of luck in most knock-out tournys and sometimes even the best teams need a bit of luck to win it. Saying that, the league should be our number 1 priority this season and everything else is a bonus.
I agree. I'd rather win the league and get knocked out of the CL. The competition is way too strong this season and with our injuries record, I'd rather we focus domestically. However, being in the CL will be great experience for the team. I've seen the maturity progress after the past few games. Our win last night shows how tactically astute you have to be in this competition.
