Last night we went to Germany to do what Wenger rightly
described as improbable but not impossible. We got close, very close but due to
the away goals rule, we were knocked out 3-3 on aggregate (0-2 on the night).
The build-up to the match was painfully. We were not
given a fraction of a chance of going through. Most people I spoke to said they
would be happy if we left the Allianz with our dignity still intact. It was
almost as if we were about to watch one of our loved ones be thrown into a pit
of zombie, flesh eating bears armed with only an antiseptic wipe and some
talcum powder to protect them.
Vermaelen said before the match that ‘no one believed
Arsenal could turn around last years 4-0 thumping at the hands of AC Milan, but
we almost did’. It was a funny thing to say, like saying ‘no one believed I
could breath under water, I did, but my lungs filled with water’. Or saying ‘no
one believed I could survive being bitten by a dozen cobras, I battled the
poison and survived for 16 hours before I became brain dead and ate my own
tongue’.
Any way Vermaelen was almost right again. We almost did
it! But we didn’t. Unfortunately, almost doing it, proves almost everyone
right. We couldn’t turn the result
around.
There was lots of chat afterwards, people lamenting the
third goal we let in at home in the first leg. Gervinhio not shooting to make
it 2-0 a bit earlier at the Allianz. The reff being poor and looking lost at
times. Then there was the counter argument that Bayern already had ‘a cigar on’
for the second leg and were comfortably coasting into the last eight.
Although we went out, it was a good effort from the lads.
We made the prefect start, flying out of the blocks and scoring in the first 3
minutes. There was some really neat play through the middle which came to Theo
on the right, I thought he was going to take a shot but he squared it to
Girrruuuude who smashed it home 1-0.
We continued to ask questions going forwards and answer
our critiques at the back. I thought Fabi had a good game in goal and Kos had
an excellent match in the centre of defence. We looked solid at the back and
that was due in no small part to the team defending from the front. Everyone
got stuck into their defensive duties. The team were obviously aware that
conceding a goal would make it very difficult to win the match, so everyone
defended. Funny that… don’t concede otherwise it makes it more difficult to
win… its got something to it… perhaps our normal, going two nil down in the
first half tactic needs rethinking…
There were a couple of instances where the ref made life
difficult for us and easy for the Germans. There was an off side called on Theo
when he was clear through on goal, the replays showed he was on side. The ref
also liked to slow the match down for fouls rather than playing the advantage.
The ref didn’t change the match though and wasn’t responsible for us going out.
We needed to score one more goal and we just couldn’t find it. We looked the
better team on a night where Bayern looked poor but over the two legs we out
poor’d them by showing them how poor a team can look in the first leg.
We have to take the positives from beating a big European
club away from home in the CL. We need to build momentum and carry belief into
the run in. There are some important matches coming up and lots of points to
play for, starting this Saturday against Swansea.
More on that match in the coming days.
Well done to the team. It is always painful to be knocked
out of a competition but we can hold our heads high that we gave it a good go
and almost made possible the impossible. Tony Adams Magic Style.
Cheers
Pumpkiii
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