1. Home
  2. Online Exclusive

Reasons to be cheerful after Barca

The season is far from over

10 March, 2011 9:00 18 comments
Reasons to be cheerful after Barca

The chance is there to lift another

SUBSCRIBE TO THE GOONER

I genuinely believe the Barca defeat may be the best thing for Arsenal, giving us a far greater chance to go on and win the league and maybe the double. Obviously, in an ideal world, we would have beaten Barca and gone on win the Champions League at Wembley. But that was always a dream. And the quadruple was never really going to happen.

We have looked exhausted - mentally and physically - in recent weeks because we have been playing so many high pressure matches in the four competitions. As a consequence, our players have been dropping like flies - one or two serious injuries to key players each match. Had we got through in Barcelona, that would have been at least two more huge matches, which would have meant we'd be distracted the league match before and knackered the match afterwards.

Now, we have ten games left - with just one or two in midweek. Win those and we are champions. Simple. Alright, not simple but doable - it's in our hands. And more likely without two, or even four, massive Europeans games in the middle.

And the priority is obvious - no more messing about with which players do we rest for which games - we play our strongest available team at all times. It could be argued that this is what helped the Chavs win the double last year - they went out of the Champions League earlier than the Mancs and were fresher in the crunch game at Old Trafford which decided the title. It also means we can take the FA Cup seriously - get a result at Old Trafford and we've got a massive chance to win the thing.

Equally, tell all yours Spurs mates, they may have beaten Milan but they'll win nothing this year and won't even qualify for the Champions League next season - partly because it is so hard to fight on two high-pressure fronts.

Yes, the team will be feeling down now but in the cold light of day, a narrow defeat to the best team in the world is no shame, or reason to lose that brittle self-confidence of ours.

Especially when we can blame the ref.

Over to you Arsene.

Stop moaning, take the positives from the result and let's go and win the league.

Then the season will have been a massive success.

(Ed’s note, recently we ran a piece on a charity auction to win a place in the starting XI of the Arsenal Ex-Pro and Celebrity match taking place at Bushey Sports Club on Sunday 27 March. The auction ends this Saturday at 6pm and if you are interested in turning out for Arsenal, there’s still time to bid. Full details (and also details of how to get in to watch free) can be found here. All for a great cause. Plug over!)

NEW! Subscribe to our weekly Gooner Fanzine newsletter for all the latest news, views, and videos from the intelligent voice of Arsenal supporters since 1987.

Please note that we will not share your email address with any 3rd parties.

Article Rating

Leave a comment

Sign-in with your Online Gooner forum login to add your comment. If you do not have a login register here.

18
comments

  1. Merson10

    Mar 12, 2011, 8:47 #3270

    I went to the Emirates Tour yesterday and what stood out for me was the amount of times the tour guide (who did a good job to be fair to him) mentioned 'Mr Wenger' e.g. 'Mr Wenger' has desiged this dressing room to do this' , 'Mr Wenger comes in here at about 2.30pm', 'Mr Wenger thinks this is very important'. It reminded my of the Simpsons episode where a cult sweeps Springfield and the locals are all found chanting 'The leader is good, the leader is great, we surrender our will - as of this date'. Ever since I started watching Arsenal I have always heard this phrase 'No man is bigger than the club' - well, I would really question this now with this guy. Nothing good will come out of going out of the Champions League on Tuesday - it will only knock our confidence. Please no more Rosicky too - he does nothing. The TOur Guide told us that Mr Wenger doesn't like to shout he says things calmly - well maybe this is part of the problem. Nothing wrong with a bl**dy good rollicking in a team dressing room. And maybe thats what our team needs now and then

  2. mark

    Mar 11, 2011, 11:21 #3153

    i like the wenger who reported to david dein and had to deal with members of the squad who knew the club better than him as had been there longer and the prev manager was an ex player. wenger today is an ego maniac. he comments on everything from Toure drug test to anything as if he is a guru. meanwhile sir alex, rednapp, mourinho stay totally focused on 1 thing. winning football matches. i am fed up with ''potential''. listen friends at some point in your life potential has to become actual ! actual means present day impact. all wenger is doing is buying in young and cheap, developing and selling on for a profit. it is a business model and not happenining by coincidence. wise up everyone please

  3. Hamza

    Mar 11, 2011, 9:51 #3150

    I really rally really hope that you are proven right and that we can do the double. Yes, i am a deluded optimist, but stranger things have happened (...this season even, and on many occasions). Hopefully the break in-between games means our players stay fit and fresh and that less of them get hurt, and more 1st-teamers will be available to make it 10 wins on the trot, giving us the title. As for the FA Cup, here's hoping we can finally go to OT and make our dominance count, unlike other games in recent times. Come On Arsenal!

  4. wenger out

    Mar 10, 2011, 23:51 #3142

    I love how the Wenger apologists always trot out the usual retort of "go and support another team" to anyone who dare criticise the 'dear leader'. Why should we go and support another team? Because we want the Club to be successful? Is that so wrong? Is it so wrong that after 6 years we want to win something? I suggest the AKB brigade go and support another team that matches their ambitions - one that never wins anything, like Birmingham City (oh no, wait they have won something). Face the facts, this team is full of losers, lead by a loser.

  5. Mar 10, 2011, 21:10 #3139

    i have no idea what you base your confidence on. we are ideally placed to go on and win the double but you can be sure that at some stage this group of bottlers will balls it up and as usual wenger will blame a ref or a linesman. wenger and the boards idea of success is a top 4 finish that guarantees champions league money.full stop.

  6. Almunia comment

    Mar 10, 2011, 19:52 #3134

    "Even at 3-1, we only needed one goal and, well, you can't understand how there can be players that were walking. We were tired. "It seemed that everything was lost but you can score a goal at any moment. So the only explanation I have is that we were so tired and the players couldn't give any more. "And down to 10 men, it was double the effort. We came up against a Barcelona side that are the best in the world." thats because our squad is not good enough and the club will not spend money

  7. Whinger_OUT_NOW

    Mar 10, 2011, 17:19 #3131

    Like how get beaten by Barca last year was going to help us win the league? Bullshit We will win the league..yeah sure, with Almunia in goal since Chesney is now out long term. We have been going out of the CL for the last 4 years and have not won the title despite that, so please take your delusion elsewhere

  8. chris dee

    Mar 10, 2011, 13:35 #3114

    Oh dear! Losing at Barca gives us a great chance of winning the League and or the Cup! I'm amazed.Did the writer of this article see the Barca match?The Birmingham match?The Newcastle match?The Spurs match? What on earth has he seen regarding backbone,detemination,attitude that makes him think we are gonna beat a hurt United that has lost 2 games in a row? And if we do go a goal up what evidence does he have that we are not gonna choke yet again. And so certain that Spurs won't progress in the champions League! What would be unforgivable is that Spurs win the Champions League at their first attempt after we have been the competion for ten years in a row. I would never forgive Wenger or the board if that happened.

  9. AugustusCaesar

    Mar 10, 2011, 13:14 #3112

    Reg - And I bet you thought you'd never see the day when we went a whole season undefeated, reach the final of the European cup without conceding a goal in the knock out stage, win the title AGAIN at White Hart Lane, win the title at Old Trafford, see an 18 year old dribble out of his own box in the Nou Camp. Rough with the smooth and all that. Rough with the fuc*ing smooth!

  10. GoonerRon

    Mar 10, 2011, 13:09 #3111

    Couldn't agree more. Yes it really hurt to go out. Sometimes (and it's not often we can say this) you have to say we were beaten by a better team - the best team in the world and possibly the best team ever. We still have a great chance to win the double.

  11. The Happening

    Mar 10, 2011, 12:54 #3107

    I love Arsenal and I want what's best for the club, but look at what we've won for the past 5 years? Birmingham may get relegated, but they are League Cup winners, Spurs, FFS, have progressed further in the Champions League than Arsenal, thats a battle won over us, along with the lead we through away at home last year! Our manager has successfully developed a cult of personality at this club at the cost of winning! Is it so hard to see the demise? Shall we have an open top bus parade for a good balance sheet in May? Or have a celebration in Clissold Park for playing the best, entertaining football in the UK!

  12. Goonerdad

    Mar 10, 2011, 12:24 #3103

    Post 3438 Alex - I'm with you mate. Its a sad indictment of the modern 'supporter'.

  13. Lewis

    Mar 10, 2011, 12:16 #3100

    Reg - I've only been coming to the Arsenal since 1996, but I'm pretty sure that during my limited time there has been at least one game where we haven't had a shot. Sometimes you get beaten...

  14. Kenny

    Mar 10, 2011, 11:45 #3097

    Wenger before the game "we will not sit back we will attack Barcelona". Well thanks Arsene for that display of attacking.94 mins and not one attempt on goal.No other team in the history of the CL has done that.Not even the Latvian champions.Wenger has turned into a joke figure.He never sees anything and its all the referees fault. he says TV will be out for one game he hasnt been seen since and RVP will be out for 6 weeks yet plays in Spain.He is nothing more than a spin doctor.

  15. sledger

    Mar 10, 2011, 11:07 #3092

    cesc is a great player but a showboating back heel in front of the barca fans in injury time of a first half that we had defended well was diabolical. Hats off to almunia , played better then i ever thought he could. Jacks the man , what a player , held his own and over the 2 legs by far the best gooner on show

  16. Alex

    Mar 10, 2011, 11:00 #3090

    I never thought we'd have fans who would despair and throw tantrums if we lost 4-3 to the best team in the world when I started supporting the Arsenal. Yet, fans like Reg are aplenty now.

  17. Reg

    Mar 10, 2011, 10:48 #3084

    I never thought i would see the day Arsenal would give away a 4 goal lead and i never thought i would see the day when Arsenal would go a whole game without having one single shot on goal in a match.Well Wenger's Arsenal have achieved that feat in the last month.

  18. truthhurts

    Mar 10, 2011, 10:39 #3080

    i thought about this scenario even before the match on tuesday. firstly, let me be categorically clear that this does not make the pain of losing and the way and manner we lost less painful, but i was praying and wishing that if we are not going to win the damn thing (champions league) we should not do others a favour by taking Barca out and harming our chances in other cups especially the premiership. I wonder how Spurs will cope with quarter-final fixtures and the premiership. I just hope the players and wengers feel our hurt and go for the fa cup against Man utd with as many first eleven as fit as possible, because with the marseille match on tuesday SAF will definitely not risk some of of his big players. But honestly its painful to lose that way, yet i still believe!!!!