Nacho Monreal and Arsene Wenger have stressed the importance of starting well in this season’s Champions League.
With Bayern Munich clear favourites for the group, the Gunners games against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos take on even greater importance, and Wednesday’s trip to Croatia is a good chance to kick off the European campaign with a win.
However, there won’t be any underestimating the opposition, according to the Spanish international, who told the official website, “You don’t play too many games so if you make a mistake you pay for it. You have to be really focused in each game and the level is higher.
“The difference is small but we have to be really focused. It would be really positive for us to start with three points as we will have more confidence in ourselves and it is the best way to start.”
The importance of a good start was underlined by the manager, who said, “We have Olympiacos and Zagreb first and we have to finish above them and the result will come down to that. I think it is important to start well because the hunger of a team is shown as well in how well you go in every competition.
“It is important we go to Zagreb highly focused and conscious at what is at stake there.
“You can be quickly out of the Champions League and we want to start well and we know we have a battle first to qualify with Bayern Munich.”
With Chelsea on Saturday, and an early kick-off too, the Arsenal manager may decide to rotate his squad a little, with possible starts for Kieran Gibbs, Mathieu Debuchy, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mikel Arteta.
More on this game throughout the week.
Kick all them asses and qualify top of the group to avoid the giants! COYG!!!
Off topic but just thought I’d hijack this space to properly express my displeasure/dissatisfaction/disappointment/(insert your own dis- word which thoroughly expresses your unhappiness at something most others might think is trivial but to which you attach much relevance) at missing an obvious trick on the live blog on Saturday. I expected to read “10 Orcs + 1 cuntish Orc”. No. but I was even going to settle for “Arnautocunt” if “cuntish orc” wasn’t forthcoming but then you did the unthinkable – spelt his name proper?! Who does this?! Makes an avid Arseblog reader feel alone in thinking he’s vile and… Read more »
We should aim for top of the group. If we manage that we could royally fuck over one of our direct rivals.
Possible but unlikely. I cant remember the last Bayern didn’t top their group.
But I do remember the last time they didn’t qualify for the competition. Wasn’t too long back. COYG.
Split with Bayern and “sweep” the two others and we just might take the group.
Come On You Gunners. Lets get a win there and paint london red.
With an eye on our trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, I hope Arsene makes 4 or 5 changes against Dynamo.
It’s a better time than ever to avenge the embarrassment at Stamford Bridge two seasons ago by smashing them 6-0.
#portuguesespecialistinfailure
I don’t know, that sounds a bit unambitious to me. Seeing as though we had 29 shots and 12 on target over the weekend, why not up our efficiency and go one better and beat them 13-0.
The thought of Arsenal hitting Chelski for the dead at the Bridge and in the process Wenger slamming a decisive nail in Maureen’s coffin just keeps running through my head. Maureen is an arsehole, insulting and disrespecting Wenger at every chance. All that crap about us never having beaten Maureen in the league blah blah blah… Karma is a bitch and I hope she’s at her bitchiest when we play Chelski!
For once, I am looking forward to a game at Chelsea with more of excitement than trepidation. I know they won’t want to lose or even draw that game and that could well play into our hands. It is going to be a tough game – Mourinho won’t want to lose twice in a row to anybody let alone Arsene Wenger! They will be under pressure especially as they are at home. Expect a cagey affair but we might just nick it. For Wednesday, I think Arsene will go full strength in the hope of getting a few goals early… Read more »
totally irrelevant to the above, Mirror has some pretty ridiculous quotes from that cunt of a manager at the Chelski club: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/chelsea-boss-jose-mourinho-hints-6438021
i for one, would loathe, to see him managing Arsenal ever.
As far as champions league is concerned, lets just not have a heavy beating at home. We are constantly capable to score 2 away. As for the Chavs, I can’t wait! Imagine beating them and Abramovich sack the loud mouth twat hours later! Bliss
I think this is the kind of game where the manager can play Ramsey and Arteta in midfield and maybe rest Carzola for the weekend. The Ox comes in on the right and Giroud upfront. All I’m saying is I’ll just love to see the team rotated and fresh for the Bridge showdown.
We can beat the sh*t out of chelshit or whatever they are called. We might not win the league but am certain we will finish far above them on the log. And remember mourinho is and always will be a cunt so is john terry.
We’ll win the league and also finish above em
For dinamo id play
theo
Ox–Ramsey–Campbell
Flamini–arteta
Gibbs — mert– chambers– debuchy
Cech
I’d hit them on the counter and save the big guns for weekend.
Shame there’s no rosicky, jack or welbz available but i think we can afford to rest Walcott,Sanchez, ozil Kos, coq, Cazorla and Gabriel
Theres been suggestion Mert wont make the trip, so put in Gabriel with Kos. And i suspect zagrebs setup will be more defensive, so Giroud would be a good bet to start.
Near zero creativity in the middle; Ramsey, Arteta and Flamini are no Ozil and Cazorla.
For a game that the host are likely to sit back and attempt to catch us on the counter, that team would struggle.
I’d rather play the big boys, score a couple of goals, bring them out and see of the game with Flam and others.
My starting 11: Cech – Debuchy – Mert – Gabriel – Gibbs – Coq – Cazorla – Ramsey – Ozil -Alexis and Giroud.
Nice lineup Xxxrob… I have faith that those players can get 3 points. With The Jeff and Iwobi to come in at some point in the game. Theo to start just to give him a nice run at CF… OG can actually sit this one out and be fresh to make impact in the Chelsea game whether as a sub or a starter
You do know this is the champions league, we’re not playing frigging Accrington Stanley.
I hope Wenger sticks with the 11 who beat Stoke, maybe swap Giroud in for Theo but that’s it.
Assuming you’re going to win pretty much nails on that you’ll lose.
As we’re still trying to ‘gel’ properly as a team, I doubt AW will change the starting 11 much (9 or 10 out of the 11 that started against stoke). If we can get a few goals on the board early then I’d expect the subs to be done at 60 mins to rest a few etc.