Arsenal may have exited the Champions League after a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Barcelona, but the second-leg in particular was a game that could have gone either way…well, if we’d not put our boots on backwards and insisted on wearing blindfolds in the opposition penalty box.
There were certainly positives to take from the game, although both Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck couldn’t hide their disappointment when they faced the BT Sport cameras at full time.
On missing chances…
Welbeck: Yeah, we did [have chances]. Obviously it was difficult to come here but we had a plan to try and get through, it was difficult occasion for us and unfortunately, we couldn’t get through.
On being more clinical…
Welbeck: Yeah, definitely. We had a couple of opportunities where we should have done better. And obviously with the quality they’ve got, when they get the opportunities they’re very clinical. There’s a lot to be learnt.
On playing in the Camp Nou at 19-years-old…
Iwobi: It’s something a 19-year-old always dreams of doing, playing against the best players in the world, the best team in the world, it’s an amazing experience. Hopefully I can have more of these chances in the future.
On controlling Messi, Neymar & Suarez…
Welbeck: It’s difficult. As you’ve seen today, they’re top class players…some of the best players in the world. As you said, to come here and play in the Nou Camp is a great opportunity, but you really want to leave your mark and we would have liked to have done better. There are a few situations we could have done that. It’s disappointing to go out like that.
On the pressure to win at Everton on Saturday…
Iwobi: Yeah, hopefully we can win and get three points. We’re going to concentrate and do our best to finish top [of the Premier League].
The magical art of finishing being one.
Not just finishing. When players sign for Barcelona they go from talented players to complete beasts. Look at their ball retention, pinpoint passing, ball control, vision (and finishing). From goalkeeper to center forward, they are excellent ball players. Don’t know if we practice this, but I haven’t seen a significant improvement in team passing technique, running technique or finishing these past few years. Could we do with some more/better coaching?
You mean they turn into beasts, unless the players come from Arsenal, right?
Learning how not to squander chances after chances, I am sure that’s what welb meant
Agreed. I think ultimately, Arsene Wenger can watch all the leagues he wants but neither has anything in our coaching changed, nor has anything radical been introduced in our style of play. Tactically he’s just not inventive or adaptive enough. When we were leading Liverpool 3-2,Klopp put a cb caulker in our box to try and give us one more headache in the air. In response, we put on Arteta whose slow covering gave Joe Allen a window to score. Arsene Wenger has helped the club through some tough times, and he will be a legend in the club’s history.… Read more »
When players sign for Barcelona, they were usually the best player at their previous club. When we sign players, we either sign from small clubs or guys who are being let go from big clubs. Barcelona had Messi, Neymar and Suarez up front. We had Alexis, Welbz and Iwobi. Neymar did not go from talented to beast by signing for Barcelona. They signed the kingpin of the Brazilian national team. We signed Dat Guy, who is decent and might be quite good some day, but we only signed him because Manchester United didn’t want him, and no amount of training… Read more »
always learning. always “respond”ing. never good enough. how many times have we heard these bul…s
I think Amy put it best
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/mar/15/arsenal-stan-kroenke-arsene-wenger
iWork has been a revalation this season. He looks really, really exciting, and it seems Arsene has a lot of faith in him too.
Autocorrect hiccup?
Ah, that’s meant to be Iwobi of course! Or should it be iWobi according to Apple?
come on of course its about dannys work rate.
Around these parts it’s known as Autocorrect Cunt John Terry
It’s a new Apple-Arsenal product
Do they work on finishing?
What more is there to learn? Shouldn’t we have learned something since 2 months ago? Glad Iwobi had fun, because otherwise nothing else was fun.
Everyone should pass quickly efficiently and intelligently like Iwobi Ozil and Elneny. Then Sanchez should be scoring that header, no question
is Arsenal an Academy where they come to learn from every team? well the scoreline we all wanted is what we got, only this time its 3-1
no shame in that performance. let’s forget everything except giving total support for the last games of the league and see what happens.
Absolutely. The players can hold their heads up even though they got beat. They worked hard and had it been arsene had injected a bit more quality into the team in the beginning of the season, or a game played when the team was full of confidence,and could clinically finish their chances created, it could have been a different ending. Anyway, I am not going to dwell on this, its done. we are out. Finito. On to the next premier league match at the weekend Btw, Iwobi is developing very nicely indeed, and dosent look fazed by the occasion at… Read more »
I am afraid what will happen is the battle for 4th place, you know the pne we had every year
Comment:nothing new…..same old story
Don’t know why I read that in a Scottish accent in my mind, while imagining welbeck standing alongside a reporter with a mic
Please….Just go and win against Everton.
If you guys can perform a tenth as well as you talk, Theo would be Ballon D’OR winner and Arsenal would win the UCL every season.
I think Barça were lucky to score three times. This match really was quite open.
I don’t think they were lucky to score 3. They had plenty of great chances. But I do think we were unlucky not to score 3.
We weren’t unlucky, we were as wasteful as always.
Thought the difference between the teams tonight was finishing.A lot of encouragement in my view. Especially the balance of the team looks much better.No shame in loosing to Barca @ New camp.
New Camp
Their new stadium?
I was so proud of the boys tonight…brilliant, but these matches against top quality sides. well the best side…only highlight our lack of clinical finishing expertise.
This is what pisses us off Arsene..money in the bank versus quality on the field in the final third.
Sort it out please.
We can take much out of this game, plenty of positives. The reality though, is we fail again to go beyond the first knockout stage. Iwobi looks very composed and unfazed by big occasions, so here’s hoping he becomes a big player for us, so much potential there. Sanchez looks to be finding himself a bit more recently, was very good tonight. Welbeck, love the guy, should be our first choice striker. But he has to score those half chances, has to. Ozil, thought he had a good game overall. Needs someone to put away the chances he creates. Imagine… Read more »
Yeah. Barcelona had 8 of 17 shots on target; Arsenal just 3 of 20. That was the big difference, I’m afraid. They outplayed us in midfield, but not by much, and their development, moving up the field with the ball, was more assured than ours most of the time. But I thought apart from some uncertain finishing, we gave them a good game.
At least we scored. I’m really pleased for Elneny. That goal was coming, and it was a great time to score his first for the Gunners.
Sorry, that was meant to be a reply to Eyob’s message above, but it appeared as a seperate comment. Some other observations: I was hugely impressed with the way the Barca player found space when they didn’t have the ball — their movement off the ball was amazing (the quality, not how much they ran about, I mean). Something Arsenal set the standard for 10-15 years ago, but others do it as well as us (and often better, sadly) nowadays. I think we just need the spark, somehow, to set us alight again. Passing was more assured thonight, but still… Read more »
Suarez, messi and neymar vs. Giroud, Walcott & Welbeck. Never comparable. Better spirit tonight but no real pressure/expectation on the players or manager
Don’t know which match you watched but I saw Suarez, Messi Neymar vs Iwobi Alexis and Welbeck….
To finish top of what?? Mr. Wellbeck
Scoreline really didn’t do us justice, I don’t think. For all the shit performances we’ve put out in 2016, these two legs were actually pretty good.
The difference is all in the finishing; Barcelona’s exceptionally high quality (Suarez and Messi goals), and our shower of shite (Sanchez, Elneny, Welbz, etc.)
I agreed with you until that last bit. However much Arsenal’s attack may be misfiring at the moment, it’s not a shower of anything. Earlier this season most commentators were pretty impressed with Sanchez (before he was injured), Walcott (when he had a good run of games he started in), and Giroud (when he came back into the starting lineup). It’s true.
Welbeck’s been out for a year, just about, and still looking for that sharpness. I’m not worried about the quality of Arsenal’s attack, just their total lack of confidence in front of goal at the moment.
Sorry; should clarify – didn’t mean to reflect on the players being shite, but rather our finishing in this game.
Ah. Ok…
Elneny just shited the ball in from 30 yards bergkamp style.
Happy with performance and all the chances created. Bottom line top strikers/attacking midfielders stay calm & take their chances. Average players panic in front of goal. Our attackers are distinctly average & need to be replaced so we can score the many chances we create (most chances created in premiership). Overall feeling much happier with today’s performance with a better tempo to our passing. Also happy to see players taking shots from outside the box hopefully this will stop teams camping inside their 18 yard box knowing we won’t shoot from outside the box. Tonights game showed me Wenger still… Read more »
The problem is, the time is still in recent memory that Giroud was sharp in front of goal (though he never took all his chances), Alexis was clinical, and Walcott confident. They’re not average players, they’re on a bad streak. Is it confidence? Is it that they’re thinking too much and trying too hard? Whatever it is, they’re not bad strikers, they’re good international-level strikers who are all playing badly at the moment.
With the amount of chances we create there is no way a top striker would go 11 games without a goal. Forget arsenal’s defence or defensive midfield they are only an issue because we are an attacking team who can’t take our chances. Barcelona weren’t solid defensively home or away vs us but they took their chances so their poor defence wasn’t mentioned.
I’d be worried if wenger had said our strikers are as good as theirs. He tried to buy suarez so he hasn’t gone senile yet. What he needs to do is spend big money on at least one top striker & an attacking right midfielder.
If the board won’t back him he needs to tell the fans why he can’t get a top striker into the club instead of having people think he’s lost the ability to spot top players when he sees them.
We had more chances than Barcelona in their own stadium. But they have the three best strikers in the world all on one team playing at the same time. Each striker scored.
This summer’s shopping list: buy a world class striker.
Or a no 10 who can score (Ozil isn’t atm). Or a wing forward who can score (Alexis isn’t atm). Iwobi looks like the real deal though if he can add goals to his game.
I switched to Bayern vs Juve after Neymar scored and the two times I switched back to our match, Barca were celebrating a goal. Too bad we missed chances but if we play like that vs Everton, we’ll be fine. Impressed with what I saw of Iwobi but still don’t get why Flamini started. I learnt about the importance of substitutions, Allegri messed his up with Mandzukic, Sturaro and Pereyra all rubbish compared to the players they replaced while Coman and Thiago made all the difference for Pep. Also, Evra was shit for goals 2 and 3. I know this… Read more »
Walcott £18m valuation and Giroud £25m.
Combined wages probably £200k pw
Could we not cash in on the two of them and upgrade ?
We are so lacking in real quality in the final third for a club of our size and ranking it’s embarrassing.
I know there’s crazy money flying around, but who on earth would splash 25m on Giroud. He’s a decent striker but no club would see that as a smart move except maybe some of the Chinese ones. Walcott might demand around 20m as he’s English but thats about it
That’s all well and good and I can see that in theory this makes sense, but who are we supposed to bring in? Would they want to come? I’m just not sure we are being realistic enough in our expectation of how much of a draw coming to play for us is at the moment.
The upgrade is 80m and 300k a week and unbuyable.
You sure need to learn how to finish soon mate!
You sure need to..
“There’s a lot to learn”, same lesson every year but we haven’t learnt it; stay switched on in defence, put the ball in the net when the chance comes. Earning lots of money on tickets is nice, but it’s goals that win you matches(and even more prize money ooooh)
We have been hearing the gunners aint clinical for many moons and suns.
Yet the same problem recurs all the time. The buck stops with Wenger.
Think our players should take a lot of courage from this and ofcourse they need to learn few things from Barca top players specially the front three. Messi is benchmark most forwards should measure themselves against.
One thing I have learned is that the same thing will happen next season, same old fail to deliver when it matters. Wenger will not leave and the board will not sack him as long as the club is making a profit. And the prices will still be some of the most expensive in Europe. No point hoping for x/y and z world class players to be signed because it will not happen. We may as well get used to being the perrennial scrape for fourth and a possible cup final team, we will never be more than that again… Read more »
we’ll lose at goodison and there’s a lot to be learnt too
One thing i know is wenger is too old to think about changing his backyard coaches, our trainer are bad, a player with good quality will come to arsenal and later turn to flop and wasteful in front of goal e.g gervinho, sachez, giroud, chamberlain. all this player are very good where they are coming from but getting to arsenal they are reduced to wasteful in goal. Gervinho left and re-discover himself at Roma. Sachez was one of the best from where he is coming from, now he is struggling to be the best again. Our medical is very poor,… Read more »
we get lessons from most of our matches. Why not give lessons ourselves. Elneny Welbeck Iwobi. Those 3 are the only positives to take from that match. Nacho and Belle. Consistency is what is missing from their mates. Anyway good lesson but TOP?? maybe on the injury list
Maybe it’s just me but I’m not convinced about Ozil and Sanchez, their lack of work rate defensively was unacceptable last night. When Sanchez plays LWF, he’s got reliable Monreal behind him. Against Barca, Bellerin was up against Neymar who was Barca’s most potent player. Sanchez on too many occasions wasn’t positioned correctly and was just strolling around. Even the Barca forwards track back well, they know their job. Ozil was another one, why does he think he has a license to jog around. Our high press doesn’t work with him playing no10. I just don’t think he works in… Read more »
Agree completely – I don’t think Ozil is enough good an allround player to play the no10 role, something that even Mourinho and Ancelotti saw at Real. Even Ramsey and Wilshere have given more complete perfromances as no10 – and then I mean in terms of creating opportunities, defending and going for the goal, Ozil gives you only one of those: creates chances. I think one of the best matches I’ve seen arsenal play was last season City away when they played a 3 man midfield with Cazorla, Coquelin and Ramsey.
My thoughts exactly. He’s a brilliant player when he wants to be but last night I felt he should have left on the bench at half time. If you watch last night’s game (esp. after half time) you’ll see him walking on the pitch. Everyone else is pressing including Welbeck except Ozil.
Yes, why then bothering tackling Messi as he did! Pfoufff, no defending work ! I wonder how this guy won trophies with Mourinho (who i learn today doesn’t rate him… ok, saying he’s the best n°10 is apparently not rating a player) and Löw!
Btw, what about Sanchez? How much shall the club pay him so that Mister starts goaling and being useful?
They gave it a good shot, by no means a bad match but got punished for that stupid dribble and loss of ball by one of our centerbacks for the second goal. Also starting to wonder a bit what are Sanchez and Ozil paid for? Ozil needs to start scoring goals as he is a no10 and those players need to score too, it places a lot of burden on the CF, Alexis and one of our CM to score as he isn’t going to provide anything in terms of goals. ALso his body language isn’t really helping the team… Read more »
I thought Iwobi did excellent today. I’d love to see him and Campbell on the wings with Elneny and Coq in the mildfield in a 4-4-2 with Alexis and Welbeck up front. Ozil could use a break.
Not sure what people are watching.
Elneny and Coquelin are leaking goals galore.
What is so excellent. So Elneny scores a goal and suddenly he is excellent.
Elneny and Coquelin leaked two goals after the half.
Without Santi, Coquelin has let in 9 goals in 5 games (counting the 2 when Elneny had to hold since Coq got a red)
Work in progress IMO.
What we have learnt is some players simply don’t have the legs or gumption. 1) Gabriel is work in progress. Per is still better positionally but many trumpet Gabriel inexplicably because they like to repeat the tired nonsense about pace. What’s the point of pace when you are rash? We need a Cback next season with Per to take a retiring role. That will give us Gabriel developing and Koscielny who has been in poor form but largely escapes criticism by the same hordes who get on Metersecker’s back. Again what’s the point of pace? We need someone solid and… Read more »