Jack Wilshere accepts that Arsenal’s defeat to Blackburn Rovers is far from ideal preparation for the Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich but insists the squad must soldier on and prove their winning mentality all the same.
With a 15 point lead at the top of the Bundesliga the Germans arrive in London full of confidence and, looking to put right the wrongs of last season when they lost in the final of Europe’s premiere competition on home soil, are heavily backed as favourites.
Nevertheless, despite the odds against an Arsenal win, Wilshere says the squad must stay positive citing Chelsea’s recent success as proof that anything can happen.
“It’s not ideal to go into a game like that after the loss [against Blackburn] but we have to show our character now,” he told Arsenal.com.
“We’ve done it before so we know what we can do. We’ve beaten big European teams here before so we need to do that again.
“We need a good defensive display and then we need to counter them well. They’ve got a good defensive unit as well so it’s going to be an interesting game and we look forward to it.
“We’ve got a good bunch of lads in the dressing room. They’re winners as well. We’ve got the likes of Podolski and Arteta. Players like that are winners – they want to win.
“The fans are always great, especially in Europe. I think they love the European nights here and we need everybody behind us.”
While the Gunners can indeed take inspiration from Chelsea’s win last year, Lukas Podolski has been quick to make clear that luck played it’s part and that Arsenal need to approach the game in their own way.
“Obviously to win is a great achievement,” the German told The Sun. “But the way Chelsea won largely depended on good luck.
“That is not the way to approach a football match. We will not play like that. We will play our normal game.”
Set to face one of his old club’s Podolski also made clear that for all his good memories in Bavaria he’s excited at the prospect of Wembley final, a stadium at which he’s never played.
“It would be something amazing to play for a London team in the final of the Champions League at Wembley. Something very special.
“That is a dream, but there is a long way to go. First, we must play a a great team — one of the favourites for the final.
“I had a great time at Bayern for three years. I have lots of memories of playing for the club and I am proud.
“I wish I had achieved more there. I won the Cup and the League. Playing for Bayern was still a help, in my life generally. But it went so quickly.
“Bayern is in the past. Now I am at Arsenal and looking forward to achieving things here. I feel it is not productive when you talk about what did or didn’t work.
“If I am being honest, it would be more difficult if Arsenal were playing Cologne. They are my team. My club. Emotionally, it would have been far more intense.”
Yeah I can see us getting to the final. First bayern, then Barcelona and then juventus victims of our usual nick a goal and shut up shop game plan. Then just set gervinho loose on Madrid in the final and batter the cunts.
How about we just set Gervinho loose full stop?
I never want to see him again.
Gerv has not had the best of times at arsenal. When he gets the ball it’s almost like everyone (stadium, infront of their tvs) wants him to fuck it up so that we can later on get on his case. He’s been back for one game but the harsh feelings we harboured towards him before he left for AFCON are still being used to judge him. I for one think he was much improved (in the blackburn game) than when he left. He lacks confidence and doesn’t trust his own ability at times. Let’s just give him some time is… Read more »
Hey Dean. You do know we’re out of the FA Cup now don’t you?
How long does he want?
I don’t think anyone wants to see Gervinho or any other Arsenal player fuck up mate.
Not true, Deano!!
I saw a posting on another forum that went something along the lines of “Im glad Gervinho missed that sitter otherwise people may be deluded into thinking he is not shit”
Of course not deano. No-one wants to see an Arsenal player fuck up, and no-one would have been happier if Gerv had scored, to draw or better still to win on Saturday. We are all Arsenal fans.
And yes, I feel for the guy..
But he didn’t, and personally, I feel for Arsenal more.
Alf that’s a sad case indeed. I wouldn’t pick Gervinho because i don’t think he is good enough but hey i/we don’t pick the team. I would never hope or wish or more importantly be glad that any Arsenal player fucked up. I’m frustrated along with alot of others probably you guys aswell but whoever put that wants there head examining.
Top comment! Love it! GERVINHO the misser of sitters… Lol
He shouldn’t get anywhere near our team… Amanzingly, we he plays the good chances fall at his feet! He gets into the right positions
To think if we had beaten Blackburn we would have drawn Millwall.AFC do annoy
me at times.
I have decided not to read any more Pre match rallying cries like those pathetic
statements prior to Blackburn.They are meaningless when straight after the match they say we weren’t good enough.
Excuse me but Has the Pope got a balcony!!
After losing to Bradford and Blackburn there really is no guarantee we’d even beat Millwall.
Not really giving this current crop a hope in the CL, I’m afraid. For all their bluster and talk, they fail to deliver regularly on the pitch. They said similar things before Bradford and Blackburn.
I love Jack and Poldi and think they try hard, but two workhorses does not a team make.
It’s frustrating to see a player of Poldi’s quality on the bench. He’s not played in either of our last two games and I would have thought he could have made a real difference if he had done. He also needs to start forming a good combination with Nacho and he’s not going to get that from the bench either.
Podolski hasn’t played in the Sunderland or Blackburn matches. But me thinks this is because he has a ‘score’ to settle versus Bayern. After becoming a superstar at Cologne and shoe-in starter for the German national team, he spent 3 humiliating years at Bayern where he wasn’t given the chances to play regularly. After the 3rd year Poldi was disrespectfully escorted to the exit door and had to return to his home club Cologne. I’d like to think that Poldi has been spending the past few weeks in Japan to meet with Hattori Hanzo in preparation for “the big showdown”!… Read more »
Yeah, let show a response on Tuesday, maybe nick a 1-0. Then its high fives all round until we fuck up against Villa, get beat in Germany and then face the prospect off Sp*urs ending our season at shitehart lane.
Sick off empty promises now, just keep quiet and do what your all paid to do, win fucking matches , or at least fucking try to.
Agreed. Let the feet do the talking. Can all players be barred from talking to press or through the club’s website till the end of the season? We invariably choked on the field whenever players start to paint rosy and positive vibes and pictures through the press.
We could loose to B-teams in all cups.
Brighton ring any bells?
Im not saying we never won against a “B-team”.
@norn iron, agree mate. Is there actually a team that TALKS as much as arsenal? It’s like a 24 hour supply of learning from mistakes, being determined to put things right, all being in it together, feeling the fans pain at the trophy drought, blah blah blah. Stop fucking talking and spend that time learning how to take corners, learning how to make a run behind an opposing player. Even focussing on winning the game your about to play rather than the one after that.
Yeah mate, its been the story of the season. Get our hopes up then dash them. Losing games is one thing, but the amount of comedy goals we have conceded and comical misses at the other end have destroyed another ‘promising’ season. These are basic fucking errors that highly paid pros should not be making week after week, game after game. And then to hear the same shit sound bites from players and the boss, (who, by the way i find becoming increasingly disrespectful to fans voicing genuine fears and questions about our predicament) is extremely frustrating. Fuck sake, its… Read more »
Jack, Poldi and Carzola aside, this Arsenal side is bollocks. Arteta keeps passing the ball back and sideways when he should be initiating attacks. Our strike force is weak or they are just lazy. Giroud is overated. He is slow and plays like a woman. We could have a chance against Bayern if Wenger teaches those generic striker how to be clinical by tonight.
I dunno, I’d say most of them are under-achievers. Giroud’s pretty quality, he’s just not being used effectively – personally, I’d use him as a centre-forward to win the knockdowns to Walcott or Poldi, who I’d play up front.
The others are good, they just seem stuck up their own arse at the moment.
Call me pessimistic or a bad supporter, but we aren’t winning the Champs lge & we know it!
I’m not falling for this shit again, seasons over!
They should be playing like Arsenal Ladies – i.e. winning trophies.
Too many people underrate Arteta like you do. He is playing the role he’s being asked to play… he was brilliant at Everton, and did a great job last season, too.
Though defeat at the hands of Chickens was unacceptable, I think we need to get behind the team for next game against Bayern. A two goal lead at home against the team of Cuntery and Bobben (read- Ribbery n Gloat-head) will be pivotal. COYG!
This summer is wengers biggest. I don’t want a situation where Wilshere who I consider to be arsenals most important player to start considering his future despite his huge love for the club. It would really be sad. Please build the team around wilshere, bring in worthy players to complement him, poldi, caz, walcott and the likes. For tuesday, I say just play your fucking hearts out and whatever the result. We will judge you by effort put in. come on arsenal.
Yeah, you know what? Summer two seasons was Wenger’s biggest, then January, then last summer, then this January. He hasn’t spent shit except when he absolutely had to. Saying that this summer is most definitely THE biggest is just a load of crap, as is the talk of a warchest which I think it’s literally a wooden chest except it’s full of, I dunno, frog legs I suppose, for Arsene to chew on when he thinks of ways to wiggle out of spending a penny. He didn’t buy anyone when he had ample opportunities in the past and the need… Read more »
In the picture it looks like Jack has no clue what Poldi is going on about.
I’m sure the on pitch understanding is crystal clear between all players though. Ahem.
I think that the expression on Jack’s face can be easily explained by the fact that he’s clearly sitting on a haemorrhoid cushion.
I know this sounds pretty delusional, but Arsenal often seem to perform decently when least expected and perform incredibly underwhelmingly when they are backed as favourites or equals. Just watch those Chelsea and Bradford games.
To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if we’d repeat something like the 2-1 win over Barcelona and lose it away from home, just like last season against AC Milan when we unexpectedly took half-time 3-0 and failed to qualify which defied expectations that we could score 1 more goal in 45 more minutes when the previous 45 we scored 3.
In other words, Arsenal.
Just in response to this mornings blog – I don’t agree that this violent reaction towards Wenger being voiced by a (growing) number of Arsenal fans is drawing up battle lines, and obstructing the resolution of this God awful dilema. The situation the club finds itself in now is the result of months and months of slow but sure degradation in the quality in the players, together with an increasing arrogance and sense of infalibility of Arsene Wenger, who (like his brainwashed followers) just harks back to the good old days (nearly a decade ago) and his acievments during that… Read more »
Start walcott upfront against bayern. This player can be tremendous for us, provide us with an outlet on the counterattack. Plus Giroud hasn’t exactly been doing himself any favors in the past few games. I lost count of the passes he misplaced in the final third against bburn.
If not walcott then poldi….who has a rocket left foot unlike any I have ever seen.
I hate to give Chelsea any credit for their CL win, and would never acknowledge that it was anything but luck to a Chelsea fan, however it does do their victory a disservice. They played to their strengths with a steely determination and organisational discipline this current Arsenal team simply doesn’t have, very similar to our win in 1994 CWC. We are more likely to put out Bayern then lose to Galatasary as we believe our own hype.
As much as I’m still fuming from Saturday, I can’t help recalling that Liverpool won the CL with Jimmy Traore in their team.
That’s the only silver lining I can think of at the moment.
And Jersey Dudek in goal.
If I know this Arsenal team right, they probobly get past Bayern just to lose against something like Porto, Malaga or Galatasaray in the quaterfinal. Oh well, not a single person think they will go far so I hope they prove everyone wrong.
1. Cazorla and the other chaps are playing their FIRST SEASON TOGETHER, for God’s sake! Expect results from AW but let the guy have a stable team first!!! Is it his fault that a fan favourite player wants to leave? It is not fair on him!
2. Go to Arsenal’s wiki page. It says ‘most loyal fan base’. Lets see some of that now.
I think a lot of fans will disagree with you this morning. It’s great to see Gooners still optimistic, but I’d say it IS Wenger’s fault. He’s had a ‘new’ team almost every year. We said the same thing about Arteta, Gerv and Mert last year (two out of three isn’t bad!) and before then, there was Hleb, and Nasri. and Adebayor, and even Cesc. He needs to keep the team together – that’s his responsibility, and it is his fault. Why do you think cunty monkey boy signed on for four more years with the sp*ds? They weren’t giving… Read more »
How exactly is it wenger’s fault?
Its not that we havent even been near a trophy since 2005.
06 – CL final
07 – League Cup final
08- League
2012- League and Carling cup final
All these players decided to leave just when we were close to a major trophy.
Wenger is not without faults but this is not one of them.
As for extending contracts, it is the job of the board and due to various factors it has not done it properly.
It’s the Manager to sort out contracts, I really don’t believe that the board can possibly have the whole say without the manager’s say so. If that’s the case, then Wenger should speak out. And it’s not Stan in the dressing room, nor Usmanov picking the team. And being near a trophy is really not the same as winning it – don’t forget that we lost one of those finals to Birmingham, and I have no idea what you mean by us coming close in the League – we fell apart in the last six games, which means nothing. If… Read more »
A bad pass to Prinz Poldi is a good pass.
And no red cards please
EVEN IF NO TOP 4, ARSENAL TIL I DIE
I’m Arsenal till I die, I’m Arsenal till I die, I know I am, I’m sure I am, I’m Arsenal till I die!
I wouldn’t blame any player, what they say and do is all Wenger’s fault. He assembled the fucking team and watch them play dross football and will not do anything afterwards instead he will give excuses to cover their shits up, why? And Giroud doesn’t seemed like a lone-clinical striker, on saturday he was afraid to go forward on his own and take on defenders instead he kept doing some stupid fancy flicks, and the manager does nothing, had there been another deadly striker in the match to help him out, we might have had a goal or two. But… Read more »
“We will play our normal game.”
No dear Poldi please do not play the normal game aka missing tonnes of chances and conceding from opposition’s only shot on target
I thought that too, our normal game is too erratic, lets play a disciplined clinical game instead.
Wilshere I love you.a legend in the making but shut the fuck up!!! drawing motivation from those cunts Chelsea is prohibited.Terry…cashly Cole…we will win it the Arsenal way!
Bayern are a quality team. As close as it gets to barca imo. Chavs scored an equiliser via a corner and ramires worked tirelessly throughout the match. Im not sure that we will do much with our corners but Hope we dont play diaby who is lazy and gives nothing going forward. Rather see rosa or ramsey
I wish Podolski had shed some light on just what our “normal game” is.
I refer back to what Podolski said “we will play our normal game”
…and he is right, the team will play their normal game and not alter their tactics at all. In other words it will be easy for Bayern to win
It would be a nice change if the team came out and did something a little different. They might even surprise the opposition sometimes
its so confusing to be an arsenal fan right now. a lot of us are disgruntled and rightly so. The faults are Arsene’s, the players & the board. The players for refusing time & time again to be professional for once, Arsene for not being ruthless enough and his Daddy-chlidren relationship he has built with his players ( does anyone think Djourou would have stayed that long in other club only to be loaned out, Squillaci? only at arsenal) Most importantly the board that are so gullibly addicted to financial fairplay rule, so content with guarantee of CL qualification and… Read more »
Hahaha.
With Gibbs out injured, Monreal cup-tied and Santos beach-partying back in Brazil, we’re playing Thomas Vermaelen at left-back. Robben/Muller are gonna tear our right flank apart. We might as well play Gervinho there for all the good it’ll do.
Remember our demolition of ac milan last year at the emirates. We only had 2 fit midfielders that day. Its all about desire. If the players go in there with the right attitude and play to the best of their abilities, I am sure we will win by a convincing margin
Every time we ‘fall on our swords’ and fuck up, I pray and hope that Wilshere doesn’t wake up one morning and say ‘I’ve had enough’
Seeing those pictures of him after the Brentford and Blackburn game made me realise that I wouldn’t blame him if he did go. I would be bitterly sad but not angry.
….and probably to Man Utd
God help us….
So you won a league and a cup Bayern Poldi……..rub it in yeah
The thing about gervinho is that he is very good at creating space for himself and running channels. This coupled with the fact that he is a good dribbler means that he always finds himself in good positions. However he always rushes into the shot. That is a sign of a player who doesnt believe that he can score goals.
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Oh, so there’s the problem — we have only two winners on our squad! Jack said it himself.
Seriously, though… Arsene’s tactics get more and more frustrating each game. Stop starting Gervinho! Stop playing Ramsey and Arteta out of position! Stop authorizing certain players (cough, they know who they are) to take corner kicks. Can Podolski get a start, please?
I’m convinced Giroud would have started scoring earlier in the season, had Arsene not given Gervinho so many starts.
Your second paragraph….so spot on! When I see Mr. 100K/week taking corners, I want to scream into a pillow and/or hurl something heavy at the TV. (I do like him though, just not taking any corners please for the love of god).