Europa League 2017/2018

[Vipers31]

Found that on an Arsenal board, btw.

 

[Chloraflora]

Just saw this. I don't think it was anyone's first intention to start trouble.

Clearly fake, Arsenal have no songs.

 

[Cassano]

Yeah, definitely hilarious when your keeper is prone to injuring other players.

All of them flukes.

 

[PeteWorrell]

What is with Wenger and sticking left backs as central defenders in a three backs system?

 

[Live in the Now]

Pretty good ball by Elneny to lead to that goal.

edit: blind

 

[Live in the Now]

Amazing save by Horn.

And yeah, Sanchez is pretty good.

 

[Vipers31]

Amazing save by Horn.

And yeah, Sanchez is pretty good.

He was a complete mess in the 1st half, tbf. Completely dreadful. But he does have his game-changing moments.

 

[bleedblue1223]

What is with Wenger and sticking left backs as central defenders in a three backs system?

Kolasinac is probably best suited to play in the back 3 though. Kind of reminds me of an Ivanovic. A LB in a back 4, LCB in a back 3.

Azpilicueta thrives in a back 3, you don't have to be a pure CB, and many CB's fail in the formation.

 

[Cassano]

Theo still doesn't know how offsides work

He was a complete mess in the 1st half, tbf. Completely dreadful. But he does have his game-changing moments.

First half was the worst I've seen from Alexis during his arsenal tenure tbh. But players with his quality can flip the switch.

 

[les Habs]

He was a complete mess in the 1st half, tbf. Completely dreadful. But he does have his game-changing moments.

He wasn't a complete mess in the first half.

 

[Vipers31]

He wasn't a complete mess in the first half.

Okay. I thought it was one of the worst halves I've seen from a top player in a whole while. Agree to disagree.

 

[Cassano]

I would like to see Wilshere in for Xhaka at Chelsea, but it won't happen.

 

[les Habs]

Okay. I thought it was one of the worst halves I've seen from a top player in a whole while. Agree to disagree.

He was threading in some nice passes even if he over hit it and put in a nice cross. I mean he wasn't great but he certainly wasn't a complete mess at all.

 

[Vipers31]

He was threading in some nice passes even if he over hit it and put in a nice cross. I mean he wasn't great but he certainly wasn't a complete mess at all.

Still, don't see that, at all, and cannot agree. For every halfway decent pass he had, he had a really bad giveaway/misread. I don't think I'm alone in what I saw, either, but oh well, these differences can happen. Doesn't matter at the end of this night.

 

[Edo]

No Lacazette, no Ramsey and no Koscielny? Are they hurt or is this Wenger's approach to the EL?

I don't think I'd watch the Europa League if Edo Jr played in it.

 

[les Habs]

Still, don't see that, at all, and cannot agree. For every halfway decent pass he had, he had a really bad giveaway/misread. I don't think I'm alone in what I saw, either, but oh well, these differences can happen. Doesn't matter at the end of this night.

Very clear to see that he wasn't "a complete mess". A bit sluggish as he doesn't appear 100% match fit, dispossessed a couple of times (though a couple of times he's surrounded by 2-3 players) and really only two bad passes.

 

[booyakasha]

I would like to see Wilshere in for Xhaka at Chelsea, but it won't happen.

Nice to see Jack back, fit and confident....looked very good.

 

[Bures Elbow]

Great result for Braga, they should top their group now after beating Hoffeheim 2-1 away.

 

[booyakasha]

Very clear to see that he wasn't "a complete mess". A bit sluggish as he doesn't appear 100% match fit, dispossessed a couple of times (though a couple of times he's surrounded by 2-3 players) and really only two bad passes.

I found he hangs on to the ball too long.
the reason he gets 2 or 3 players on him, is he isn't quick to get rid of it....needs to process where his teammates are and work the give and go a bit faster....sometimes has the "horse with blinders" mentallity.
The goal he scored was brilliant though.

 

[Cassano]

It's too bad the 2 Merseyside teams weren't up to the standards set by the other English teams.

 

[Live in the Now]

I'm sure we would've done much better if we played Qarabag, Koln, or Feyenoord.

 

[S E P H]

After watching a lot of ArsenalFanTv and reading reports from various outlets, there were only a few bad apples in regards to the Koln fans. Which is amazing considering how many came to the grounds. However, I do suggest the blame falls back onto the Koln organization as well as Arsenal. Koln could have said their ultras would reach to 20K and make things nervous. While Arsenal could have done a better job before hand and understand that they should have made accommodations. The Emirates wasn't even sold out today.

It seems this all came as a shock to all parties. But glad in the end that it was civil. If this Spurs or Chelsea for instance, you'd be hearing about attacks and racial slurs.

As for the game, 1st was dreadful, but 2nd half was pure awesome. Koln were very poor today besides Horn, I don't know if they can beat BATE to get to the knock out stage.

 

[Cassano]

Edit: Misread

 

[ck26]

It's basically asking for trouble if they let them in. I don't see how the game can go ahead if there are Koln fans with the Arsenal ones.

What decade do you think this is? "Trouble?" Because a few drunk idiots might get in a fight? Heaven forbid we wait and arrest / eject people AFTER they make trouble. You don't see how the game can go ahead if Koeln fans actually interact with Arsenal fans? What exactly is the point of European competitions?

I'm an American who lives in the UK and was one the Koeln fans in the clock end last night. Brilliant atmosphere. The sort of atmosphere you see in the standing room (stehplatz) in Koeln and Dortmund and Kaiserslautern and Bremen and Hanover. The sort of atmosphere you NEVER see at the Emirates. Been there 7 or 8 times the last decade and the only atmosphere you ever see is the one visiting fans bring. Saw Arsenal/Sunderland back in the spring and was genuinely bored at that game.

The word "shambolic" has gotten thrown around in this thread and on soccer twitter.

A shambles is when one team's fans don't care and can't even sell out European competition against a big, famous team. A shambles is when the club totally misunderstands their own demand and doesn't release a meaningful allocation. Half-decent planning and Arsenal / Met Police would have known a big, popular, Europe-starved club from a rich, Western European country was going to travel well, and there would have been a larger allocation of away tickets.

A shambles is when you only sell to Arsenal season members who purchased the membership (£40 pounds) before the Europa League draw (so no Koeln fans) ... and unsold tickets (there were a lot in the upper level) never went on general sale.

A shambles is when Arsenal fans are so disinterested in the Europa League that they are willing to sell tickets to German fans. I bought mine this way.

A shambles is people acting as if the German fans were all hooligans ... BBC said it, "Police said five people had been arrested on suspicion of public order offenses ... There were no reports of trouble during the game ... police said flares were let off but reported "no significant disorder." Five people. Call off the match for that?

Arsene Wenger's quotes are funny ... "don't know how Koeln fans were able to infiltrate ours." Easy, Arsene. They had a bit of cash and they gave a damn about the game. I found plenty of Arsenal fans more than happy to give up their lower bowl seat for a few quid.

Video LITN posted (pretty sure I heard this at halftime) is indicative of the atmosphere in the stadium and in the city in general. Good evening in every way except the final score.

 

[Baxterman]

I'm sure we would've done much better if we played Qarabag, Koln, or Feyenoord.

Really all I hear about is how great Liverpool are against top sides. It's one of the reasons they should be considered with Bayern, PSG and Juventus!