After Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brentford, Arsenal immediately turn their attention to Tuesday’s massive Champions League knockout clash with Porto.
It’s a quick turnaround for Mikel Arteta’s squad who’ve had plenty of time to recover from each of their last three games since losing 1-0 in Portugal.
The Gunners haven’t reached the quarter-finals of Europe’s top competition since 2010 and know they’ll need to be at their best to break down a side that balanced defensive discipline with the dark arts last time out.
Arteta also expects the club’s fans to do their bit. “This stadium is going to have the energy that you have never seen in your life, because we haven’t done it for 14 years,” he said.
“Bring your noise, bring your energy, your passion into that stadium and something beautiful is going to happen.”
He also had some advice for his players as he looked to focus minds on the final challenge before the Interlull.
“Just playing every single game the way we do, analyse the game and try to be better tomorrow, recover well, eat well and sleep well.
“Live our life, our profession in the manner that we are at the moment, and when you are in a good moment, enjoy it, embrace it and make sure you are prepared for the next one because that’s the moment to build on what we want to do.”
Defeat to Porto in February remains the only blip in a near-perfect run since the Gunners returned from a warm-weather training camp in Dubai in January.
The manager is rightly proud of the eight-game winning run in the Premier League, especially as it’s reignited a title challenge that looked to be on the rocks.
“There’s a lot of qualities that you need to win that many games in this league and manner in which we have done it, but it is about consistency and not being satisfied and willing to do more.
“Ans as well having the qualities to gain in different context because every game is going to require different process, different story and the team showed a different one today [against Brentford].”
Home advantage is great, just need to put the chances away, I reckon Porto will be sitting back a lot. Hope we can get an early lead and force them to come out more. Fingers crossed!
We need to score early. I feel like this side flies when we get an early goal. But if we haven’t scored by halftime, it will get a little desperate.
Even last night I thought our composure went just a little when chasing the game. Praying for a goal in the first 20 and then I think we’ll really settle down and comfortably win.
COYG!
No setpiece goal today so we’re due one or two on Tuesday
Like our last game against them they are going to be well drilled in falling all over the place at set pieces, having no shots on target is my biggest concern, then getting sucker punched when we were seeing it out for a draw, these guys are no mugs, Expecting to see Jesus return to 1st eleven for this one, his trickery around the box is what we lacked last time out.
Also, they would have seen Arsenal pulverize opponents and demonstrate steel cojones. Porto won’t be as cocky as last time. They will be less cynical. Less cunty, more scared, more apprehensive.
They will try to slow the game. They will concede in Evey way possible. Penalty. Counter Attack. Goal from a defensive mistake. They will crumble. They will be Humiliated. They will know us. AND the rest of the teams will fear us.
Well, to be fair, they’re on a bit of an run themselves, having beat Benfica 5-0 last weekend (when Benfica was top) and then Portimonense 3-0 on Friday (they are an Everton/Brentford-level team). Will be interesting to see how they set up against us.
Shows you how rubbish the Portuguese league is, that they got a little lucky to beat us, but beat the league leaders 5-0.
they’ve won a European cup, champions league, eufa cup and a Europa league. And they deserved to win the 1st leg.
He’s right, you know.
Score early and the floodgates will open. Ideally Martinelli makes it as he’d be perfect for this game
I actually think Martinelli’s least effective against a team who’s sitting back protecting a lead, there’s not much space for him to run into then. Mind you he’s still very good even then, but if there’s any tiny niggle even with him then Tross is for me the better option here, better and more creative in tight spaces.
I’d probably play Jesus left and Kai through the middle – a bit more chaos may help pick the lock
Not a bad idea! I feel like the one or two times I’ve seen jesus on the wing for us he wasn’t that effective? But very small sample size
I’d see it as a very fluid arrangement with them both interchanging regularly – it would certainly give them something to think about
Isn’t Artetas attitude refreshing and I know it 90% PR but realtive to the drab Wenger prematch pressconf, these you feel you can row in behind
Porto are horrible. We need to destroy them on Tuesday.
I was thinking during yesterday’s 2nd half against a very stubborn shothousery Brentford, what perfect training for what’s to come from Porto.
Arsenal need to really be prepared to only be playing 45 mins of real football and making it count. Not to get emotional, drawn to into personal spats etc. Thars exactly what Porto will be drilled to do.
I think we’ve got this.
Yeah really. Brentford is quite similar to Porto in that respect. 3-0 on Tuesday, I think we’re gonna blow their doors off.
Last evening was the banana peal game and we got a huge win. Put the pressure on £ity and puddles!
Completely agree even think our approach to Brentford using short chips will wok against Porto
Haven’t been this excited before a game for a long while. Stadium is going to be rocking if yesterday was anything to go by.
We will definitely miss Martinelli against Porto. Trossard is a great player but he tends to drift central when he plays on the left and I noticed Kiwior was confused since he had no one to pass to do kept crossing.
Yes!!!!!!!! We are in the drivers seat
1-1 to the Arsenal
The perfect result! Less pressure when we go to the Etihad in about a couple of weeks,
And an injury to arguably the best goalie in world footie…oh dang…🫣
Only think lacking was a red cards… And Jamie Carragher being banished.
It just goes to show the standards at the top of the PL, that we have had to win 8 games in a row, just to get our noses in front by a small margin. Does this mean we’ll have to win at least 2 of our 3 away gams at City, Utd and Sp*rs?
Win them all
It means we have to try and win every game.
TBH neither Liv or Cit looked that good, and the rest of the league is worse.
This is what it takes to win the league. 10 games left. We probably need at least 26-27 points to win it…
This is where Champions step up. We can go to £ity and best them on their turf and put them in their fucking place. COYG!
We can win all and take the nine points.
City is vulnerable, a Liverpool with kids were able to terrorize them in the second half. But it is going to be extremely tough, Arsenal has to win atleast 9 of the 10 games. We are in the driving seat however and long may it last! COYG!
Hopefully the ref will have watched the previous game and decided to clamp on their anti-sporting gimics.
We’ll also have to be sharp at the back because they’ll definitely try to make it 2:0 early on then pack their penalty box waiting for counters