Europa League 2017/2018

[Edo]

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.

It's just Alexis being Alexis. He isn't that consistent, and he definitely isn't one of the top top players in club football. His talent obviously is incredible, but there are a dozen guys that can replace him.

He reminds me of FIFA. I try to do the same thing over and over again. It sometimes works perfectly and I'll pummel the other team. And other times, I absolutely suck. And that is Alexis Sanchez. He doesn't absolutely suck, but he's pretty average too often.

 

[Chimaera]

Another thing is to note just how big this is for Koln. My relatives have been on about this everyday since they found out. It's a CL final for them. They were just an elevator club not long ago. Many of them paid whatever the cost to get there, and many just wanted to be in London. Sure, probably a few idiots, but not many by most accounts. There's also much less segregation of fans in Germany. There's a few places you shouldn't sit when you go, but in general no one will throw you out if you're respectful. In England, it's much more militant in separation of supporters. Most Koln supporters didn't know this all that well, or didn't care because of the importance of the match.

If anything, there's something to be said for just how many Arsenal supporters get rid of their tickets. Their support puts many English clubs to shame. They out draw a number of EPL clubs in league 2 when they get relegated.

 

[Chimaera]

Note, Koln does have a share of idiots. Just like many other clubs and a few of them came to the match too. They're nowhere near as bad (or maybe plentiful is the word) as some of the other Ultras around the world, but they're out there. Knowing the supporters a bit having been to a few matches, in general most are pretty chill and will give you a bit of banter but nothing bad.

 

[Pyromaniac]

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.

Lol nice try but Arsenal have their fare share of hooligans and racists as well. Credit should go to Köln fans for maintaining civility and being respectful knowing that they were guests. Arsenal fans should be straight up embarrassed for letting the away support turn a home game into an away one.

 

[ck26]

I think he meant Arsenal v Spurs/chelsea, instead of Arsenal v Koeln.

Amazes me that Arsenal fans will curse 'arry Kane's mum when he's wearing white and blue for Spurs but kiss his boots when he's wearing red and white for her majesty's Engerland. But that's soccer fans.

 

[Leon der Profi]

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.

Good read. And good to see Cologne having fun in that graveyard. Hope to see Delije tear that barn to shreds. English football culture is clinically dead. What a shame.

 

[Baxterman]

Lol nice try but Arsenal have their fare share of hooligans and racists as well. Credit should go to Köln fans for maintaining civility and being respectful knowing that they were guests. Arsenal fans should be straight up embarrassed for letting the away support turn a home game into an away one.

Credit to Koln fans who were the ones who started all the trouble?

I would love to crap on Arsenal here as much as anyone but I didn't see Arsenal fans fighting and wrecking stuff in those clips.

 

[Baxterman]

Saw Arsenal/Sunderland back in the spring and was genuinely bored at that game.

If you were bored at the game maybe it was because you don't like soccer?

I never get how supposed fans need some sort of bogus atmosphere at a stadium to have a good time. The game that you are watching should be more than good enough.

 

[S E P H]

The Koln organization are pissed off that their fans had to buy tickets on what they're calling the "black market" at absurd prices. Well I don't know which organization provides the tickets, but there has only been 3,000 away tickets in the Emirates dating back to 2007. Koln, you should know better....

Lol nice try but Arsenal have their fare share of hooligans and racists as well. Credit should go to Köln fans for maintaining civility and being respectful knowing that they were guests. Arsenal fans should be straight up embarrassed for letting the away support turn a home game into an away one.

Gunner fans are completely illogical and bias beyond belief, but give me sources about them being racists and hooligans?? Not saying there aren't because every fanbase has them, but every story that involves attacks or racism is from the two blue London squads. Read about Chelsea and the underground incident.

Credit to Koln fans who were the ones who started all the trouble?

I would love to crap on Arsenal here as much as anyone but I didn't see Arsenal fans fighting and wrecking stuff in those clips.

True, but again it was like less than 1% of the Koln fans conducting riot mannerisms. Which is quite remarkable how well behaved 99.95% were.

 

[Leon der Profi]

If you were bored at the game maybe it was because you don't like soccer?

I never get how supposed fans need some sort of bogus atmosphere at a stadium to have a good time. The game that you are watching should be more than good enough.

Well, lots of NA's don't get it. That's why you have the kind of atmosphere that you have in most cases. Each to their own.

 

[ScottishCanuck]

If you were bored at the game maybe it was because you don't like soccer?

I never get how supposed fans need some sort of bogus atmosphere at a stadium to have a good time. The game that you are watching should be more than good enough.

Moronic statement IMO.

Maybe it's because you're one of the boring ones.

 

[Live in the Now]

Arsenal-Sunderland was a horrendous game tbh.

 

[cgf]

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.

Kola used to be a CB in a back 4 before being pushed out to FB to get into the Schalke lineup.

 

[cgf]

If you were bored at the game maybe it was because you don't like soccer?

I never get how supposed fans need some sort of bogus atmosphere at a stadium to have a good time. The game that you are watching should be more than good enough.

Then you've never felt the impact a truly great atmosphere has on the live experience. It's something special to be in the alte forsterei whether we're playing 4th league football or pushing to crack the top division.

 

[Power Man]

Not a single European player for Guimaraes that's a first

 

[Chloraflora]

Good read. And good to see Cologne having fun in that graveyard. Hope to see Delije tear that barn to shreds. English football culture is clinically dead. What a shame.

Not really, it's just hidden away from the bright lights of the Premier League. Millwall vs Leeds today would be a game you'd love, sold out and all...

 

[Baxterman]

Then you've never felt the impact a truly great atmosphere has on the live experience. It's something special to be in the alte forsterei whether we're playing 4th league football or pushing to crack the top division.

I have been to some pretty big stadium/game/atmospheres in Europe and NA and it was fine but not much (if at all) better than any of the other games I have gone to that are more run of the mill games.

 

[Leon der Profi]

Not really, it's just hidden away from the bright lights of the Premier League. Millwall vs Leeds today would be a game you'd love, sold out and all...

Yes for sure. And Millwall won. Congrats.

 

[sabremike]

If you were bored at the game maybe it was because you don't like soccer?

Alternate theory: he was bored at the game because it stunk.

 

[maclean]

Alternate theory: he was bored at the game because it stunk.

A good crowd (and beer) gets you through the stinkers. Believe me, my local team stinks quite regularly

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Argentinean 5 all in the lineup for Zenit should be fun.

 

[ViD]

Zenit should have been up 4-1, but it's a slippery 2-1 after first

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Zenit should have been up 4-1, but it's a slippery 2-1 after first

Both their goals were down to terrible plays by La Real. Who are leaking goals at an alarming rate. Zenit have been impressive on the counter but barely had the ball.

 

[HajdukSplit]

German clubs continue their awful Euro results, both Hertha and Koln losing at halftime to teams they should be beating (in fairness, not watching the games so not sure how they are performing)

Bilbao losing at home to Zorya which is also a surprise so far

 

[ViD]

Quite a few surprising results today. Apparently Spanish and German clubs took a day off