please log in to view this image Venue: Stade Louis II Tuesday, March 17th 2015 KO Time: 19.45 BST please log in to view this image Head to Head Against AS Monaco: Played: 2 Wins: 0 Draws: 0 Losses: 2 Goals For: 1 Goals Against: 4 Goal Difference: -3 Last 6 Meetings: Arsenal 1-3 AS Monaco Arsenal 0-1 AS Monaco (Emirates Cup) please log in to view this image Arsène Wenger reported the following team news ahead of the Champions League game against Monaco: on the team news... Gabriel travelled and is available. Chamberlain did not travel, Rosicky did not travel, he comes back from sickness. Gabriel replaces Apkom in the squad which was involved on Saturday against West Ham. Starting XI: please log in to view this image Bench: Szczęsny Gibbs Gabriel Chambers Flamini Ramsey Walcott Aggregate Score: Arsenal 1-3 AS Monaco
You just know it's going to be a another glorious failure.I bet we'll be 2-0 up at half-time and we'll hit the post,bar and miss an open goal in the second half.We'll also have a stone walled penalty shout turned down.****ing Arsenal,breaking my heart for over forty years
I was thinking today. Wenger keeps saying that 'we can progress' and 'we will go for it' so now Monaco are fully aware we are going to really give it a go today. (and they will be prepared for that) Wouldn't it be wiser to keep his cards close to his chest? Much like Mourinho would do in the same situation.
TBH I think it was pretty obvious we were gonna for it, so he's really stating the obvious. Monaco wouldn't have expected anything else.
I agree. He's not going to come out and say we need to sit back and hit them on the break. It's obvious that needing 3 goals we have to go for it. What I'd like to see us doing tonight though is putting balls in behind their defence and shooting on sight of the goal. None of the tippy tappy on the edge of the area. Monaco will be content to sit back and soak up pressure all night if we do that.
One of the reasons I might be tempted to start Walcott is so that we have a player getting in behind the defence, able to stretch Monaco and hit them on the break - trouble is I don't know who to leave out as Ramsey, Ozil and Santi are all playing well...
Apparently Gabriel has travelled with the squad but Rosicky is still ill. Oxo is out until the 4th April, but everyone else is progressing. Also the plane was delayed or something so the team were late getting to Monaco...
Do we keep it tight in the first half, don't concede, grab a goal and then go hell for leather in the second? Or go all out with a Sanchez, Giroud and Walcott from three and just hit them with pace and power? I'd rather we go for the second and go all out and play exciting football and see what happens.
No I think we need at least 2 goals in the first half to have a good chance, will make Monaco much more edgy and nervous in the second half, and give us more time to score more goals in the second half to win the game outright, and even be able to absorb a Monaco goal should they score.
Couldn't have put it better. 2 goals in the 1st half is a must if we want even a slim chance of progressing.
Score early. Grab a 2nd before the 60th minute. Siege them till they break for the third in the final third of the match.
I remember back in 97/98 in that run-in we often seemed to score 3 or 4 goals in the first 20 minutes. I remember turning teletext so many times it switching to the page with Arsenal on and the game being over by 15.20. I think that will happen. I'm predicting Walcott to start (let's face it, above anything else we need goals and he scores them) and for us to go into a 3 goal lead within the first 20 minutes. Final score something insane like 5-3 to us. Then we complete the treble. #realism
Lads. If we pull this off, as stupid as it sounds, I'm putting a bet in for us winning the Treble (really we'll finish 2nd and FA Cup but let a man dream). COYG. We've had heroic losses (Bayern, Milan) too many times. Time to turn it around for good.
Arsenal XI: Ospina, Bellerín, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Welbeck, Özil, Alexis Sanchez, Giroud. Interesting that there is no Ramsey. Ramsey and Theo to come of the bench at some point i take it.
