Olivier Giroud has called on Arsenal’s weakened squad to give everything against Olympiacos tonight as they seek qualification to the knock-out stages of the Champions League.
We all know the permutations at this point, any win other than 1-0 or 2-1 will see the Gunners through, and the French striker says that anything less than their best won’t be enough tonight.
“We’ll have to be at 100 percent because 95 percent won’t be sufficient,” he told L’Equipe. ”
It’s a group that was in our range and we put ourselves in difficulty by losing our first two matches, now we have the chance to show our mental strength.
“We must have 40 percent of our team missing,” he continued, “but we have a more well-equipped squad than in previous years.
“The guys who have replaced them did the job at the weekend, like Joel Campbell. We know that we have the quality to impose ourselves there.”
Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil says it’s up to the Arsenal players to silence what is likely to be a feisty home crowd.
“The fans will be behind them and our goal has to be to beat them,” he said. “I have played in Greece before. I know that there will be a very good atmosphere, the fans are crazy and they really support their team right through the full 90 minutes.
“We have to be focused on the game, we have to give a really good performance. It is possible to win there with two goals in our favour and that’s what we want to do.
“We have to really give everything so that we can achieve this and get through to the next round.”
Power – Giroud
Pace – Walcott
Last minute popping up – Ramsey
we have goals in our team, just nervous about us conceding and then having to score loads.
COYR.
Dun left him out.
Ozil – Vision
Please play Walcott on the right tonight, Campbell on the left. Ox to come on later.
I don’t think he can afford to play both Theo and Giroud at the same time, they are our only fit strikers. Arsene cannot risk one of them getting injured again for any sustained length of time, I assume our front 3 tonight will be Campbell, The Ox and Giroud. As much as I want us to win tonight, like I really do, I don’t want us in the Europa league at all. But at the same time I don’t want to see us lose another couple of players trying in vein to qualify for a competition we don’t really… Read more »
I don’t want to have to play in the same competition as Spurs and Man U on a Spursday.
Though there are good reasons why we could lose and still have something to laugh about.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35049495/why-spurs-fans-should-be-supporting-arsenal-tonight
Yay! Let’s all desperately cling unto this if we fail tonight 🙂
A result tonight will give us such a boost heading into the hectic Christmas period. I get the feeling new ‘automatisms’ can be formed with the players we have available which could be crucial in terms of challenging for the ‘big’ trophies. COYG!
Thank the fuck he stopped at 100.
Separates us from all the other theoretical mathematicians in sporting commentary.
As a mathematician I’m less concerned about 110% and so on – if a player usually runs 10k in a match and then busts a gut and runs 11k then that is 110% of the normal amount, or 1.1 times. It all depends what you take as the base figure.
If a company sells £10m of their product one year and then sells £21m next year that is a 110% increase. Companies report their figures like this, so not only theoretical.
So it is possible to get above 100%, just less possible that a footballer can understand and elucidate that.
@pendant That’s why maths is full of crap. You can’t have 7 out of 6 apples are still left in the bowl.
Agreed. Though it isn’t the same argument and maths underlies our whole lives, so is useful.
You can score 6 goals in one game and then 7 in another, they aren’t limited. That would be an increase of 16.67% in goals, or 116.67% of the previous number.
OK, but you can’t perform better than maximum. Your previous good performances were obviously less than 100%.
As for the Arsenals and Manchester Uniteds. There is only one Arsenal. If I hear that one more time today…AHHH. I’ve started watching foreign punditry, analytical thought without the constant Gael Cliches.
Mesut Ozil looks likely to break his and the PL assist record this season. What’s his maximum then?
His previous best? Or some figure we don’t know until the end of the season? Hindsight is fine but it is easier once we know how many assists he had to compare to what he did previously.
And he may break it again next season so do we have to wait until then to know the maximum? Or the end of his career?
You may not be able to perform better than maximum, but you can improve your performance with training and performance, so yes, you could perform at 100% one weekend, and then perform better than that the following weekend because your capacity to perform has increased during the week. The second game you would give 100%, but it might well be 110% of what you performed the previous week. 100% means “all of something”, so you can have a 100% performance every week but have performed better each week than the week before. That’s improvement, and all teams are trying to… Read more »
@Gutbukket
I shall argue. Those previous performances were not 100% they were only 80%.
Arsene sits down with Bellerin. I’ve looked at your stats and you ran very fast. It’s the fastest you’ve ever run. But not as fast as the athletes in 50 years time. They will be faster. You can run about 80%.
Hector: so how does this help Arsene? Why should I compare to athletes, not footballers? To get faster, should I travel in time to 50 years’ time? Why not 100 years (or 1,000), they must be faster then than 50 years? How do I improve based on what you have said? Or are you making a nonsense argument?
Ah but if they normally run 10k and on this occasion run 11, I’d argue that 11 is closer to being 100% of their capacity and therefore they are usually playing below 100%.
I suppose the discrepancy lies as it is not stipulated what they’re giving 100% of. Is it their physical and mental capacity? Their mean output per game? Their supplies of Waitrose not from concentrate mango, guava and lychee juice? We shall forever be in the dark until a suitably pedantic pundit can elucidate.
You’ve done so very well – decide on the base figure and then see how the next figure compares. Trouble is we usually don’t know the maximum – what if the player ran 11.1k or 12k in the next match?
If we knew the maximum possible for sure we’d never have world records being beaten, for example.
I’m glad we all had this conversation.
LOL, Mesut.
If we knew the maximum possible for sure we’d get bored and change then rules so that unmeasurable elements might be added to the mix – bear traps, spiked footballs, real snipers in he crowd rather than imaginary ones, biased or bent refs (Oh!), kidnappings replacing transfers…
If any of my friends brings this math debate to the pub later on, he’s buying. #COYG
See you at the Walkabout to watch the match later. Happy to shut up in exchange for a pint.
There is a maximum of 100% effort and that’s all anyone can ask.
Dang’ it Giroud, 110% will do it. Not so confident about 100%
Oui…oui..oh oui…
What about giving him and theo a go up front? 4-2-2-2 formation i think it might work, given that we don’t have much to lose.
Yeah, that’s what we need. A brand new formation to try out tonight.
Haha, point taken. I realised straight after i pressed enter that playing a different formation would be a terrible idea for tonight.
He’s right, anything less than 100% will be fatal for us tonight. It’s happened in the past where tiny margins have cost us games. It was a bit like that time I was sent by my own boss to do an errand, and I delayed and delayed rather than doing it straight away. I took off in my car, bought an egg and pickle sandwich from a petrol station and was happily driving down the M1 listening to Whitesnake when another car pulled out in front of me. I swerved, hit a truck, went spinning into the ditch and ended… Read more »
Genius, as always.
What was the errand? I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
@Rambling Pete – if you write a novel, I will be first in line to buy it!
Dare I say, “Here [we] go again”?
Missed you, Mr. rambling.
When you have your Coq out you have to give 100%.I’ll stop now
2 0 to the arsenal
Less talk and more action Oliver!!! Just go out and do what’s required.
Tired of the usual talk and flop when needed.
Giroud would be “World Class” if he had a better finish on him…
Against Monaco he missed several presentable chances that someone like (as much as I hate to say it) RVP would have buried…
Hmmmm on second thoughts in FM16 he has 14 Composure and 16 Finishing and 14 Pace!
Still what’s the bet that we beat the Greeks only to draw Barca in the round of 16 =/
Alan Hensen level of hindsight there mate.Good job
Is he world class now get in 🙂
Like I’ve said before, I think we’ll go through.
Arsenal have always done things the hard way. And yes they’ve got home advantage but let’s be honest: Olympiakos are a very average side. Having to go there and win will suit us; and the Greeks are in an awkward position needing just a draw – if we can build up some momentum, and if they sit back then we can dominate and score at least a couple of goals.
I take us to win it 3-1.
You are more optimistic than me.
I’m currently reviewing my life to see what’s happening.
Yes Fatgooner, but will 100% do it or 110%? A very average side would only need 51%, but we need a two goal margin, where’s my fucking calculator quick!!
Do us proud boys! Smash and grab them in the kababs!
Who is the current Arsenal player who has scored the most goals at the Olympiacos stadium (or in Greece in general)?
Campbell
He scored several goals (including Champions League goals) while he was on loan at Olympiacos a couple of seasons ago. He had double digit number of assists as well. He knows the stadium, crowd and grounds very well and he feels very comfortable playing there. I’m tipping him to score at least one tonight. COYG!!
All that is good but he probably won’t start now.
Can we please forget all this football malarkey and get back to arguing amongst ourselves over the ins and outs of workable maths .
Ha ha ha Peeetee! You crack me up! A hattrick for Campbell tonight, one for HFB and one for Feo.Put the result beyond doubt boys!
One of those moments where you have no second chance.
Still optimistic though.
You didn’t let us down. Merci, Olivier, Merci
Oh Giroud you beauty
We need a world class striker. Clearly Giroud is useless with only 13 goals this season. Clearly a lot of people in the press know what they are talking about. We did not buy an out field player instead we spent 11m on Cech. Look at United they spent 36m on Martial (Alexis for 32m) to back up Rooney who is now out injured. Or City. They have Bony for Aguero never mind same GD in the league. 104m on De Bruyne and Sterling alone is ‘money well spent’ never mind Wenger’s panic buy of Ozil for 42.3m Or Chelsea… Read more »
Absolutley rubbish after scoring a hattick under pressure to take our sorry arses to knock out stages. Rubbish I tell ya!