Champions League knockout phase

[Craig_H]

Post match interviewer - desperately trying to get Guardiola to say Arsenal were the better side - and when he didnt, the reporter couldnt wait to end the interview

[Drago]

I'm not sure if Arn watches the matches tbh. Think he just reads his wee chalk board things after the game.

[Arn]

Barcelona have lost two important games this season, against Hercules and Arsenal.

Against Hercules he played a no match fit Mascherano and Keita together in central midfield. That cost them the game. Big mistake by Pep.

Today he took of Villa and moved Iniesta out wide in an attacking position. That opened up the space and allowed Arsenal to change tactic to a more attacking one. Big mistake by Pep.

As I said. He is a very very good manager but he get overconfident sometimes. If he respected the opposition the whole time then it would help a lot.

[danperkins]

Barca just need one goal and Arsenal will be chasing the game, can't see them coming away with a result. Losing Pique is a blow but Wenger isn't going to do an Inter and sit deep.

Very true mate , and Arsenal will be hard pushed to get a result in the Nou Camp. Gonna be a great game, IMO its a terrible pity this game is so early in the competition.

[Rudo]

You don't win a game like this against Barcelona if you're not a top class team.

Arsenal can be naive and soft but to say they're **** is just ignorant and bitter bull****.

[Daniel 7]

Post match interviewer - desperately trying to get Guardiola to say Arsenal were the better side - and when he didnt, the reporter couldnt wait to end the interview

He's got that dry wit like Rafa as well "That's your job?"

Well in.

[JohnDoe]

I like Arsenal and freely admit to being a bit envious of the way they play. Imagine us playing like that at the start of the season instead of Roy ****ING Hodgson's hoofball.

They're overrated and they'll win **** all this season, again. You can quote me on that.

And btw, I'm not bitter about Arsenal at all, they win nothing, so why would I be jealous of a team that wins **** all?

[Baracus]

i thought arsenal would win this. They got lucky in the 1st half.

Just to add. Messi still yet to score on english soil?
Pep has he actually won an away champions league game in the knockout stages over last 2-3 years.

arsenal will go for at camp nou. Puyol is getting on abit.

Would be funny to see all 4 english teams win their 1st games and then get knocked out in the 2nd round. Can see chelsea losing next week and utd drawing

[Fredo]

So what!! Its about what you do with that posession, Barca got outplayed in that second half, surely you can't dent that regardless if you don't like Arsenal or love Barca.

Barca are the best team in the world and one of the best teams of all time, usually they make their posession count, but Arsenal deserved that tonight.


Credit where credit is due

Arsenal were second best tonight and you don't 'outplay' a team by having one third of the possession.

[Arn]

You're absolutely right. Iniesta's position out left confused Valdes and dragged him out to his direction, which left the near post open. I can see everything clearly now from a tactical standpoint, thank you.

and why did Arsenal get the chance to score to start with? You simply can't only look at mistakes by the players. You must look at why the game suddenly changed and why Arsenal suddenly won the midfield.

[Craig_H]

So what!! Its about what you do with that posession, Barca got outplayed in that second half, surely you can't dent that regardless if you don't like Arsenal or love Barca.

Barca are the best team in the world and one of the best teams of all time, usually they make their posession count, but Arsenal deserved that tonight.


Credit where credit is due

That's a bit unbalanced a view though dan. I think the point is, that Barca DID do a lot with their possession - Messi went through one-on-one and inexplicably missed it. They also scored a perfectly legitimate goal, which would have made it 2-0 - wrongly ruled out by the flag.

So clearly, what Barca did with their possession, was create situations which, under normal circumstances, would've seen them 3-0 up at HT.

If you didnt realise it already, you can now see that Barca DID do something with their possession. A poor Messi finish, a poor linesman decision and a poor piece of near-post goalkeeping is the main reason for this result.

[anfieldanfield]

They're overrated and they'll win **** all this season, again. You can quote me on that.And btw, I'm not bitter about Arsenal at all, they win nothing, so why would I be jealous of a team that wins **** all?

That's a ****ing bold claim.

They'll win the league cup and the league as well I think.

[danperkins]

Arsenal can be naive and soft but to say they're **** is just ignorant and bitter bull****.

Arsenal are a fantastic side

I really don't get the hatred/bitterness, they play football the way it shoul dbe played, and haven't tried to buy the league. Given they usually bottle it, but their much better this time around and i love watching them play.

[Craig_H]

Barcelona have lost two important games this season, against Hercules and Arsenal.

Erm....surely Real Madrid (given the title race) was their most important game? Six-point swing, and all that.

Hercules...

I'm not sure if Arn watches the matches tbh. Think he just reads his wee chalk board things after the game.

[Daniel 7]

They're overrated and they'll win **** all this season, again. You can quote me on that.

And btw, I'm not bitter about Arsenal at all, they win nothing, so why would I be jealous of a team that wins **** all?

Yeah I agree, they're pretenders, but I'd rather be pretenders playing like them than hoofing the ball up the pitch like Bodge had us do.

Reminds me a touch of the Evans era. Lovely to watch at times, but we were going nowhere.