Unai Emery has again insisted that tomorrow night’s Europa League semi-final second leg with Valencia is ’50-50′ but that he’ll send his team out to win the game.
Arsenal take a 3-1 lead to the Mestalla, with the home side’s away goal last week in London at the back of their minds. However, the Spaniard was in a positive frame of mind about the fixture, and wants his players to approach the game in the same way.
Speaking at his press conference this evening, Emery said, “We are in a 50/50 for two teams and after the first leg, the result has not changed my ideas.
“Tomorrow is going to be very difficult here and we can take some examples, not just yesterday but also in the past.
“But knowing it is difficult here, we are going to play with all our ambition, with full motivation and the preparation needs to be good for this match.”
The Gunners will be hoping that their recent domestic form doesn’t follow them into this one, but having beaten Valencia in the first leg and Napoli in both legs of the previous round, Emery is confident we can make the final in Baku.
“We want to play for the possibility to take one title and the second is to enter the Champions League, if we win that,” he continued.
“We knew it was going to be difficult and we finished in the Premier League without that possibility, but we are in this competition with that opportunity tomorrow.
“With big ambition, a strong mentality and full motivation we can do it. I want to enjoy tomorrow, I want to play in matches like that, these moments – semi-finals against difficult teams, away – for one important target.
“After that, I think it is all positive for us.”
In reaction to the headline only “oh jolly good”…sigh…
I will puke in a moment.
Right now I am so disappointed in this team given the recent results and fck ups, that I won’t celebrate even if we win tomorrow or win the cup. We have been let down so many times by this team.
You would’t celebrate if we won the Europa League? Win a trophy and qualify for the Champions League?
No, I can’t celebrate. Feel really let down by this team. I have no issues if we don’t win games as long as we try our best and give a shit. But right now I feel these guys are all talk and no action.
I feel you Man. Everything about this club seems so pointless now. Whats the point of going to the final? Winning it. Whats the point of winning it? Getting back to CL. Whats the point of getting to CL? Getting money from group stages before we are crushed by bayerns of this worlds. Whats the point of getting this money? I have no fucking clue as under this ownership and management we will not be competing for the big titles anyway.
Exactly, our team has a mentality issue. Yes, the board sucks, yes management is not perfect. But when these guys go on the field they have to performe, or at least try to give a fck. I am no fan of troy deneey, but the guy has a point. We are too soft, I wouldn’t put it past Valencia or Burnley beating us.
Hahaha, you talk about “mentality issues”. You say you don’t care if we win but sure as hell if we lose you be back on here moaning to fuck.
“What´s the point of winning it?”
Eh, winning it for example …
What´s wrong with you? this is not a big title? then Copenhagen 1994 was only a friendly? if your benchmark is Barca during Pep-era you will always be grumpy then. Have fun with that …
Take a look at spurs result and let me know why your expectations for Arsenal are that low that you consider Thursday league cup as big trophy.
Well it gets us in the Champions League
Well, I started following Arsenal in the 80s and I know my club a bit. We only won in Europe twice and winning another European Cup would be a great achievement. Okay, you think the EL is a losers cup and are brainwashed into thinking the CL is the only league that matters. I disagree. Even when Arsenal were the best team in Europe around 2002-04 we were shit in the CL and only came close in 2006, but Henry blew it. To me it´s about winning stuff and the EL is a cup. In Europe too. And I would… Read more »
Well said! As my old man used to tell me, if you’re going to be a janitor then make damn sure you’re the best janitor in the world!
Spurs are in the CL final…when was the last time they were Champions of anything?
It doesn’t fucking matter!! They showed spirit and determination that we don’t have at the moment. And since when did being “champions” mean anything in the Champions League? Fuck Spurs. Fuck Liverpool. Fuck Kroenke. Long Live Arsenal.
Jesus fucking wept.
Can Arsenal qualify if Tottenham doesn’t win tonight? Pls reply
Come on arsenal! Let’s put this one to bed then smash that horrible lot in the final! ?
I would prefer if Chelski don’t make it at all
Incredible how he keeps flapping like a trained seal with the same set of words over and over again. Anyway, regarding the match I think heis made up his mind that attack is the greatest form of defence.
I think it’s so appropriate I support this team, I’m a bottler in my day-to-day life as well and can relate to underachieving.
I feel sad since our last match!!! I can’t even check the internet for football news,then to make it worse the mugsmashers did the impossible last night…… I feel we’ve been left behind,all faults of our club management…..I just hope those lots don’t end up winning champions league,cos I don’t know what I’ll do……
Well Ajax have scored an early goal so that is one positive!!!
Please can we stop calling them that and just refer to them as cunts like any other non Arsenal team.
Not that I’m bitter…
You and Arsenal can both be winners
To make things worse, its going to be a Spurs Liverpool final. I hope the latter wins. Or I don’t know what I’m going to do!
Hopefully Kroenke gets hit in the head by a heavy object and wakes up also having ambition for his club.
Should not sit back and try and contain. We are rubbish at that. We need to go out for the win and preferably control the match psychologically by gaining the away goal as early as possible. Valencia will come at us with everything particularly after success of Liverpool. Most of all, we should line up with back 3 like we did in first leg. Over last 4 league matches (Palace, Wolves, Leicester and BHA) we have been less than convincing in back 4 even with heavily touted pairing of Sokratis and Koscielny. Plus back 3 affords the wingbacks opportunity to… Read more »
Emery will do what he does the best…win the europa league!
Then what???? I just don’t see this team,under the current leadership doing any better…. Maybe Edu Gasper will change all that…..but that’s a big ask,for one man!!!!!
THEN he wins the Europa again next season.
No were not – if we can play with ambition against Brighton at home, then how the hell are we going to do it against Valencia away?
*can’t
We turn up for the big games or haven’t you been paying attention all season?
Would have been nice to see some ambition in our last six league matches, if we had we’d have cemented 3rd place by now.
Thank you Sherlock. x
Sorry, I am fucked off right now.
If arsenal was in 1st place a month ago,like city or Liverpool was,we prolly won’t make top 4 still….do you see how these teams grinds out results?…..I don’t know what happened to te arsenal…we couldnt even challenge Leicester city the other day…..sad! Really sad!!!!
The players didn’t want the losers trophy of 4th place….and yes I am laughing as I type this!
I was just celebrating Ajax’s goal, then suddenly got very sad to think I’m celebrating Sp*rs missing out on the Champions League final, when we’re not even in the competition. How the f**k did it come to this?
I love the fact that Ajax, in a kit not too dissimilar to ours, are beating spuds!!!!
A combination of c*nts. In at order you like.
We hired a Europa League expert as our manager who has decidedly dulled the way we used to play football. We put five defenders on the pitch when lining up against Crystal Palace, at home. We are showing the door to some very talented and valuable players in the dressing room, and let one of the best head scouts in the game walk away mid-season. I don’t think that inspires a lot of belief.
Trouble is they have reached the final
At this point , when Unai says his team will play with ‘ambition’, I wonder which goal post he is looking at?! Scary moments for Arsenal fans like myself. Fingers crossed!
A bridge too far…
Bloody hell! Spurs won it. Ajax crumbled.
Worse permutation. Liverpool or Spurts winning CL now. That’s 75m prize money for the winner and not much smaller sum for the other. They’ll be in market spending in addition to City and Chelsea (and United)
Hope we don’t get kicked off Europa as well. That would really make my season….and the summer much more difficult.
“Hope we don’t get kicked off Europa as well. That would really make my season….and the summer much more difficult.”
What do you mean by that Santori?
I will try to take the positives…
At least Emery perceive our shortcomings. I think when he says “with ambition or passion” he thinks the same as the critics: Fight! Don’t be pussies!
…and when he is talking about the crowd in the Emirates (ie.: “big atmosphere”) he means: F*ck the silent elit supporters and “10 minutes before the final whistle leavers” and stand by the team!
Fuck off Emery. You will look an utter mug when we feebly roll over to a second rate spanish team while the spuds and coach smashers compete for the CL final. I can honestly say that in nearly 30 years as an Arsenal fan, today is by far the darkest day.
Arsenal is Daenarys… I want us to win and do the right thing. But our tendency to snatch embarrassment instead of greatness looms. Will we show balls of steel and composure or are we destined to implode.
I am shitting it about tomorrow
If we fuck this up and the Spuds *god help us* win the CL we will never hear the last of it
I need to build a time machine so we can reverse yhis awful season in our timeline. If Spuds win it I don’t think I could find happiness in anything for at least a year.
They might be playing with ambition but I’ll be watching with trepidation.
Don’t worry guys.
Liverpool with thrash those scumbags.
But i will be surprised if we can survive in Mestalla tomorrow.
I hope i ‘m wrong.